What are points and miles worth? TPG’s September 2026 monthly valuations

One of the questions people often ask us is, “How much is a point or mile worth?”

The true answer varies from point to point and person to person. It also depends on your travel goals and how much you maximize a particular loyalty currency. Still, some rewards are worth more than others, and our goal is to give you a sense of how they stack up.

Related: How TPG determines its points and miles valuations

What are credit card points and miles worth?

What are Bilt Points worth?

What are airline points and miles worth?

*Calculated using data provided by Points Path.

What are hotel points worth?

**Calculated using data from Gondola (a free hotel search and direct booking platform for frequent travelers).

Top points and miles news for September

August was a huge month for new long-haul route announcements, especially to Europe, opening up more destinations to redeem your points and miles.

United unveiled 10 new international destinations across 13 routes for summer 2027, the largest announcement of its kind in the airline’s history, including the first U.S. nonstop flights to Slovenia and Luxembourg. American answered two days later, adding Vienna, Reykjavik and Porto among seven new international routes and will become the only U.S. carrier flying to Vienna when service begins in May.

Many of these new routes are possible thanks to both airlines’ new Airbus A321XLRs, single-aisle aircraft capable of flying deep into Europe. With fewer seats to fill than a wide-body aircraft, American and United can launch flights to lesser-known destinations. For passengers, the convenience is nonstop service from major U.S. airports to destinations that previously required a connection. The trade-off is the onboard experience, which may not be as comfortable as flying on larger planes, with business-class seats facing the aisle rather than the window and potentially longer waits for fewer bathrooms.

You can expect the most plentiful award availability for these new flights to be offered through the American Airlines AAdvantage program (for American Airlines flights) and United’s MileagePlus program (for United flights). As both programs use dynamic pricing for their flights, redemption rates may be high during peak travel periods, such as summer school holidays.

As such, it’s also worth searching partner programs (try British Airways Club for American Airlines flights and Air Canada Aeroplan for United flights) that don’t dynamically price these flights. Availability will be worse than booking through American AAdvantage or United MileagePlus, but the rates may be lower.

Most of the new flights launch between March and June 2027 and run seasonally, which is worth keeping in mind when searching for award space. A handy tip is to search the first and last few weeks of the schedule, where you may find award availability more readily available and lower-priced.

Related: 9 European summer destinations to beat the heat

Top offers for earning points and miles in September

September’s cobranded credit card offer of the month is the suite of Atmos Rewards credit cards, where you can earn up to 80,000 bonus Atmos Rewards points, companion awards and more.

Here are some of the best welcome offers this month for those seeking a new travel rewards card that earns transferable points or miles.

• American Express Platinum Card®: Find out your offer and see if you are eligible for as high as 175,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $12,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership. Welcome offers vary, and you may not be eligible for an offer.
• Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card: Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
• Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card: Earn 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within three months from account opening.
• Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees): Earn 75,000 bonus points
  after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
• American Express® Gold Card: Find out your offer and see if you are eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $8,000 on purchases within the first six months of card membership. Welcome offers vary, and you may not be eligible for an offer.
• Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see rates and fees): Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
• Capital One Venture X Business: Earn 150,000 bonus miles once you spend $30,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.