Reading Flight Results

Overview

MileIntel search results show you more than just prices. Every result includes a cash price, award miles cost (when available), and a value comparison that tells you whether paying cash or burning miles is the smarter move for that specific flight.

What Each Result Shows

• Flight Details — Airline, flight number, departure/arrival times, duration, stops, and aircraft type.
• Cash Price — The retail price in dollars.
• Miles Cost — How many miles you'd need in the relevant loyalty program, plus taxes and fees. If no award seats are available, this field shows "Unavailable."
• Value Comparison — A badge indicating which option is the better deal. Green "Use Miles" means your miles are worth more than the cash price. Blue "Pay Cash" means cash is the better value. The comparison uses your program's CPP valuation.
• Booking Link — Direct link to complete the booking on the airline's site.

How It Works

For each flight, MileIntel calculates the effective cost of using miles by multiplying the miles required by the program's cents-per-point value. It then compares that to the cash price. If 50,000 miles at 1.5 cpp = $750 in value, and the cash price is $600, paying cash wins. If the cash price is $900, burning miles is the better deal.

Key Details

• Results are sorted by "best value" by default — a blend of price and convenience. You can re-sort by price, duration, departure time, or miles cost.
• Award availability can change quickly. If you see a good deal, act fast.
• Taxes and fees on award tickets are included in the miles cost display.

Tips

• Don't automatically burn miles just because award seats exist. Check the value comparison first — sometimes cash is clearly better.
• Sort by miles cost to find the cheapest award redemptions on your route.