u/sparkycaps

Hi All,

I’m currently an Amex Gold Card holder and have racked up a fair amount of points. I am taking a flight across the US in 2 days for an impromptu trip and am trying to understand when it makes sense to use my points for travel vs. cash.

I’m looking at an American Airlines flight that is $393 cash for basic economy. The points alternative is 57k points for main economy (Amex and AA do not let you book basic economy with membership rewards points).

My question: Do I just use the points for a nice “free” flight, or use cash?