Best Airlines for Last-Minute Cheap Flights with Points

You would book your flights months ahead if you did the right thing. You’d probably also eat the recommended daily servings of vegetables and exercise daily, as well as get eight hours sleep each night.

You probably won’t do it every time, even if you think you should. You might also be squirming at the price if you book a flight that is quickly approaching.

These are where airline miles come in handy. You might be able save money on last-minute flights if you wait too long to book your flight. It’s important to understand that airline miles are valuable and should not be used as a last resort for any flight.

NerdWallet did an annual analysis on airline miles to determine the minimum dollar value that you should target when redeeming your miles for economy flights. The analysis looked at the award and cash prices for more than 700 flights. It also considered flights that were less than 15 days away (last-minute), and 180 days away from departure. This was done during holiday season, which is defined as flights departing Dec. 18 and returning Dec. 29 span>

These findings show that the baseline value doesn’t change if you use airline mile for flights within two weeks or six month. If you are looking for last-minute, cheap flights, there are some airlines that offer better value than others.

There are a number of takeaways when we look at how airline miles values have changed depending on whether a flight took place in the past few weeks or months.

The top three airlines with the highest-value miles are Southwest, JetBlue, and Delta. You can expect the same per mile value, 1.5 cents, whether you use them to book last-minute or six-monthly flights.

Last-minute bookings are not as easy for the two main full-service airlines, American and United. American and United miles generally have a lower value per mile when used for flights within 15 days, as opposed 180 days.

American will give you a 1.3 cent per mile instead of the usual 1.5 cents. The difference with United is much smaller, at a mere 0.1 cent between the usual 1.2 cents per mile and the 1.1cs for last-minute reservations.

Surprisingly two airlines do the exact opposite. HawaiianMiles or Spirit points are worth more if you redeem them for flights within 15 days. Redeeming Spirit points for flights less then 28 days prior to departure is subject to a $50 fee.

You might believe you have the key to inexpensive holiday flights if you have a lot of Southwest, Delta or JetBlue points. But wait until the last week before winter holidays to book.

Not so fast – or, so slow.

It is important to act fast if you want to grab the best deals. Holiday flights can be almost as expensive as other travel times and are often priced differently. According to Priceline data, the five days beginning in December are the most affordable days to fly in the next three month.

• It’s not difficult to find a low-cost flight. Accepting the laws of supply-demand is key. In some cases, you could save hundreds of dollars by moving your Thanksgiving trip to the following week.

• To get the best deal on last-minute flights, be open to considering other departure times, layovers, and airports. If it saved you money, would you accept a red-eye? Would you be willing to fly to an airport further away from your destination?

• Calculate the same-day fee for changes. If seats are still available on a departure day, some airlines will allow you to make a change within 24 hours. Basic economy ticket holders are not eligible, however, for those in the main cabin and above it may be more affordable to book a last minute flight and then change to a convenient departure time. You could also fly standby if you are a risk-taker. This allows you to get on another flight (space permitting) without having to pay the fee.

• Book last-minute flights using miles. NerdWallet analysis shows that this won’t usually result in a loss of value. Always calculate the cost yourself. Add the cash price to the flight and subtract the fees associated with booking on points. Divide the result by the number miles.

Last year’s consumer price index data shows that airfares are up 43% , so using miles may be the best option, especially if you don’t have enough cash to pay for a last-minute flight.

Do yourself a favor, and book your flight now. You will be a blessing to your vegetable-eating, budget-conscious future self. Plus, you can use your miles to get to the best places.

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