For years, figuring out whether to redeem loyalty points or miles for a trip has been tedious, frustrating and a real time zapper.
Do you use miles? Pay cash? Transfer credit card points? And are you actually getting a good deal when you redeem those hard-earned rewards?
That’s why I became a fan of Points Path when it first launched. The free browser extension made it much easier to compare cash prices with airline miles right inside Google Flights.
But Points Path has gotten even better. You can now use it to compare hotel prices, evaluate certain Chase Ultimate Rewards redemptions through Chase Travel and even use Points Path on an iPhone or iPad.
To me, Points Path is a travel game-changer.
What Is Points Path?
Points Path is a travel tool designed to help answer one of the hardest questions when using travel rewards: Should I pay with cash or points?
It started as a browser extension that works with Google Flights. Once installed, Points Path adds award prices alongside the cash prices you already see when searching for airfare.
Instead of searching Google Flights for the cash price and then opening multiple airline websites to see what those same flights cost in miles, you can see much of that information in one place.
Points Path has since expanded beyond airfare. You can now use it with:
Google Flights to compare cash and airline award prices.
Chase Travel to evaluate certain Ultimate Rewards redemptions.
Hotel booking sites to compare rates for the same property.
Safari on an iPhone or iPad through the Points Path app.
The basic Points Path service is free, although the company also offers paid features.
How Does Points Path Work With Google Flights?
This is still one of my favorite Points Path features.
Once you install the extension, search Google Flights as you normally would. Points Path adds the number of miles you would need to book eligible flights alongside Google’s cash prices.
Points Path supports a growing list of airline loyalty programs, including major programs from American, Alaska, Delta, JetBlue, United and Air Canada, along with a number of international airlines.
But Points Path doesn’t just show you the award price. It also helps you determine whether using miles or paying cash offers the better value.
Points Path does that by comparing the cash price with its estimated value of the miles required for the flight. The result is a quick recommendation to “Use points,” “Use cash” or “Use either.”
Points Path bases those recommendations on its own valuations for each airline’s points or miles. You can see Points Path’s current points and miles valuations on its website.
That doesn’t mean you always have to follow its recommendation. Maybe you’re sitting on a mountain of miles and would rather save your cash. Or perhaps you’re saving those miles for a bigger trip.
But Points Path gives you the information you need to make that decision without doing nearly as much homework yourself.
Points Path Example: Atlanta to Paris
Here’s an example of why I like this tool so much.
I searched Google Flights for a nonstop, round-trip flight from Atlanta to Paris in January 2028. The lowest nonstop cash fare was $2,063 round trip.
But with Points Path installed, I could also see the award prices — and, even better, Points Path gave me a quick recommendation on whether to “Use points,” “Use cash” or “Use either.”
For one Delta flight, for example, I could pay $2,063 or redeem 175,000 SkyMiles plus $136 in taxes and fees. Points Path labeled that redemption “Use either,” meaning the value of using miles was close enough to paying cash that either option could make sense.
Other flights in my search were labeled “Use cash,” making it easy to spot the redemptions that wouldn’t give me particularly good value.
I especially like this feature because you don’t have to do the points-versus-cash math yourself. At a glance, you can see the cash fare, available award price and Points Path’s recommendation.
Maybe you’d rather keep more than $2,000 in your bank account and use the miles, even if the redemption isn’t an outstanding deal. Or maybe you’re saving those miles for a trip where they’ll stretch further.
Either way, Points Path gives you a helpful starting point.
From there, you can select the flight and follow Points Path to the airline’s website to review the available award options and complete your booking.
Take your hands off the keyboard!
You may see several screen changes while Points Path does its work and redirects you to the airline.
Just remember that airfare and award prices change constantly, so your results will depend on when you search.
Have Fun With It!
One of my favorite things about Points Path is simply playing around with possible trips.
You don’t even need to have enough miles in your account to search. That means you can use Points Path to get an idea of how many miles you might need for a future trip — whether you’re dreaming about the Caribbean, Europe or somewhere much farther away.
It can turn “I’d love to go there someday” into a much more concrete savings goal.
How Does Points Path Work With Chase Travel?
Points Path can also help eligible Chase cardholders evaluate redemptions inside Chase TravelTM.
Chase’s Points Boost program can give eligible cardholders increased value for their Ultimate Rewards points on select flights and hotels. But the value can vary from one booking to another.
That’s where Points Path comes in.
When you search Chase Travel using a supported web browser, Points Path can calculate the value you’re getting per Ultimate Rewards point on eligible Points Boost redemptions. This can help you decide whether using points through Chase Travel offers a good value.
That’s particularly helpful because a redemption labeled “Points Boost” isn’t automatically the best possible use of your points. You may get more value by transferring your points to an eligible airline or hotel partner — or you may decide the convenience of booking through Chase Travel is worth it.
The Points Path Chase Travel feature works with both flights and hotels.
You’ll need to enable the Chase Travel feature through your Points Path account. Go to “Additional Permissions” to enable Chase Travel browser permissions. You’ll need to activate it on each device where you want to use it.
One important note: Points Path information appears when you access Chase Travel through a supported web browser. You won’t see the Points Path overlay inside the Chase mobile app.
Can Points Path Help You Compare Hotel Prices?
Yes. Points Path isn’t just about airline miles anymore.
The tool has expanded into hotel price comparisons, which could save you from opening a bunch of tabs before booking a room.
When you’re viewing a hotel on a supported online travel agency, Points Path can look for rates for the same property from other booking sources. You can also use its Compare Price feature to check prices elsewhere, including rates available directly from the hotel.
That’s useful because the price for the same room can vary depending on where you book it.
Of course, the lowest advertised price isn’t the only thing to consider. Before booking, compare:
Taxes and resort fees.
Cancellation and refund policies.
Room types and included amenities.
Hotel loyalty points and elite-status benefits.
Credit card travel protections.
Booking through a third-party site may mean you won’t earn hotel points or receive your usual elite benefits. Still, I love the idea of having a quick price comparison available while I’m already shopping.
You’ll need to grant additional browser permissions to enable the hotel feature. As of this writing, Points Path says hotel comparisons work best on a desktop or laptop and aren’t fully supported on iOS.
Can You Use Points Path on Your Phone?
Yes! This is another big change since Points Path first launched.
Points Path now offers an app for iPhone and iPad. But there’s an important distinction: It isn’t a standalone travel-search app. The app allows you to install and use the Points Path extension in Safari on an iOS device.
After downloading Points Path from Apple’s App Store, follow its instructions to enable the extension in Safari. Then you can see Points Path results while searching Google Flights in your mobile browser.
A couple of limitations to keep in mind: You will need iOS or iPadOS 18 or later, and not every desktop feature is fully supported on mobile. For example, Points Path says its hotel comparison feature is currently optimized for desktop and laptop browsers.
Android users are still out of luck when it comes to a Points Path mobile extension. Points Path says browser extensions aren’t currently available on Android.
What Browsers Support Points Path?
On a computer, Points Path is available for Safari and through the Chrome Web Store for Google Chrome and many Chromium-based browsers, including Microsoft Edge, Opera, Brave and Arc.
On an iPhone or iPad, you can download the Points Path app and enable the extension in Safari.
That makes Points Path much more accessible than it was when I first started using it.
Is Points Path Free?
Yes. You can install and use the basic version of Points Path for free.
Points Path also offers paid options with additional features for more serious points-and-miles users. But you don’t need to pay just to see basic Points Path results alongside your Google Flights searches.
I’d start with the free version and see how often you use it before deciding whether any paid features are worth the money for you.
Final Thoughts
Points Path started out solving one very specific travel headache for me: Should I use miles or just pay for the flight?
Now it can help answer quite a few more questions.
Is that Chase Points Boost redemption really a good deal? Is the hotel cheaper somewhere else? How many miles should I be saving for that trip I’ve been dreaming about?
And you can answer those questions without jumping from website to website or doing all the math yourself.
You still need to pay attention to the details before booking — especially taxes and fees, cancellation policies and any hotel loyalty benefits you could give up by booking through a third party.
But anything that makes travel rewards easier to understand and saves me time is a win in my book.
Points Path does both.
The post Points Path Review: This Free Tool Makes Using Travel Points Much Easier appeared first on Clark Howard.