HOUSTON — Travelers are set for takeoff with millions finalizing holiday travel plans.
However, before you hit purchase, Points Path, a travel platform focused on minimizing travel costs says think twice before using your hard-earned travel points to get it done.
“Our report shows that you will get less value for your miles during the holiday,” Julian Kheel, Point Path's founder, said. “It's a high-demand time of year so you'll have to pay more points for the same flight.”
Kheel and his team are out with a brand-new report that says compared to the rest of the year points lose about 6 percent of their value during Thanksgiving peak travel, and 3 percent during Christmas and New Year’s.
So it's important to pay attention to the sweet spot when booking. Kheel said for those looking to travel for Thanksgiving, the time is now.
“When it comes to the holiday season, the key is flexibility. The highest demand travel days such as the Wednesday before Thanksgiving or the Sunday after are going to be the most expensive days,” he said.
Kheel said tickets will be more expensive when paying cash but suggests doing it to rack up points that'll take you much further in the future.
“For Christmas and New Year's travel you probably have a few more weeks until late October before you really start to see those prices takeoff,” he said.