How to use the Points Path extension to compare cash and award rates in Google Flights - The Points Guy
My first stop when I need to book a flight is Google Flights, which aggregates flight options and pricing in one place. However, Google Flights only displays paid rates, not award rates. So, to determine whether to book an award flight or a cash rate, I usually also need to open up airline websites to search for comparable award flights or start a search with an award travel tool like Point.me or Roame.travel.
On Jan. 18, a new web browser extension for Google Flights named Points Path exited its beta phase and became publicly available. This Points Path extension displays award rates next to paid rates for flights sold by select airlines when you use a desktop version of Google Flights. The extension also recommends when to use points and miles and when to book a paid rate. So, let's take a closer look at the Points Path extension, including what it is, how to install it and how to use it.
What is Points Path?
Points Path is a free web browser extension that shows award rates next to cash prices in Google Flights and indicates the better deal for each one-way or round-trip itinerary. Once you select an itinerary, you can book a paid rate as you typically would with Google Flights or book an award directly with the airline loyalty program.
When asked who should use Points Path, Julian Kheel — founder of Points Path and a former editorial director for TPG — told me:
There are already lots of search tools out there for people who are experts at using their points and willing to transfer to obscure programs to maximize them. I think those tools are great, and I use them myself when I need them. But Points Path is designed for people who don't have the time to become experts at using frequent flyer miles. It's for travelers who want to quickly find the best flights available with the points or miles they have, and know whether they're getting a good deal when using them. Points Path is built to answer both those questions in just a few seconds every time you search, without having to use a separate website or app, since our results appear directly within Google Flights.
So, while advanced points and miles users may find it interesting to use the Points Path extension in Google Flights, they aren't the target audience for the tool. Instead, Points Path is designed to help travelers who aren't sure when to redeem points and miles for their flights yet want to get good value from their rewards.
Related: How to decide when to use cash or miles for buying airline tickets
What airline loyalty programs does Points Path cover?
Points Path currently considers award itineraries you can book through the American Airlines AAdvantage, United Airlines MileagePlus and Delta Air Lines SkyMiles loyalty programs. This means Points Path works for flights operated by these airlines and flights operated by their partners as long as Google Flights shows an itinerary sold by American, Delta or United.
Experienced points and miles users know you can often book the same flight through multiple airline loyalty programs. For example, an American Airlines flight is likely bookable through the American AAdvantage program but may also be bookable with British Airways Avios and other partner currencies. When I asked Kheel about Points Path's plans to support additional loyalty programs, I was pleasantly surprised by his response:
This early version of Points Path is our first crack at it, focusing on the frequent flyer programs of American, Delta, and United. And for people who earn most of their miles with an airline credit card, that's all they really want or need. However, we know there are also lots of folks who collect flexible points like Chase Ultimate Rewards and Amex Membership Rewards. For them, we're already in the process of building out additional airline programs that will make Points Path even more useful.
We've gotten a ton of great feedback from the more than 10,000 users who have already installed Points Path, so you can expect to see support for the most popular international airline programs added first, such as Air France/KLM Flying Blue, Air Canada Aeroplan, and British Airways Executive Club, to name a few. We've been hard at work at it, and I believe we'll have the first of those additional programs ready for release in the next few weeks.
But with that said, we're unlikely to add airline programs to Points Path that we think are challenging for the average person to navigate, such as Turkish Miles&Smiles. Our users aren't necessarily looking to trade their time to get the absolute maximum value for their points. They just want to know they're getting a good deal when they're booking their flight.
This is great news whether you're just getting started with points and miles — in which case I recommend signing up for our Points101 email series — or you're an experienced user of various reward currencies. After all, converting transferable points to British Airways Avios or Aeroplan points is straightforward, and these loyalty programs are relatively easy to use.
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Especially considering the target audience for Points Path, it makes sense that the extension likely won't add airline loyalty programs that can be difficult or time-consuming. As such, I don't expect we'll see programs like Avianca LifeMiles, Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles or All Nippon Airways Mileage Club — all of which offer excellent value for some award bookings but aren't the most user-friendly — added to Points Path.
Related: How to book your first award flight using airline miles
How to install the Points Path extension
To install the Points Path extension, you must be a Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge user and sign up for the Points Path email list. However, Kheel assured me his team's "priority is making a Safari version of Points Path available."
To get started with Points Path, head to its website and click the blue "Download the extension" button near the top of the page. Doing so will take you to a form where you'll need to provide your name and email. Once I filled out the form, I got an email titled "Points Path: You're in!" in the Updates tab of my Gmail inbox within two minutes.
I was using the Google Chrome browser when I clicked the Points Path installation link from the email. As such, clicking the link took me to the Chrome Web Store page for Points Path. I clicked the "Add to Chrome" button from this page to install the Points Path Chrome extension.
The installation only took a few seconds, after which I could begin using the Points Path extension.
Related: Your ultimate guide on how to search award availability for the major airlines
How to use Points Path
Once you've installed the Points Path extension, head to Google Flights. Note that you'll need to use the basic Google Flights page at flights.google.com, select "English (United States)" as your language and choose U.S. dollars as your currency for Points Path to work properly. You can change your language and currency at the bottom of the Google Flights website.
I searched for a one-way flight from Atlanta to New York this fall, as I typically would with Google Flights. As you can see, my results show options for multiple New York City airports, as I'd expect. But my search results look slightly different now that I have installed the Points Path Chrome extension.
I can still use all of the standard Google Flights filters. For example, I can filter to only see American Airlines flights that don't depart too early or arrive too late.
And if I'm not traveling solo, I can change my search to be for two passengers.
The first American Airlines flight option looks appealing, especially since the award cost is only 12,000 miles plus $11 in taxes and fees for two passengers. I can select this flight as normal in Google Flights. But thanks to the Points Path extension, now there's an option to book an award with American miles.
I clicked "Continue" next to the option for 12,000 miles plus $11, and it took me to the Points Path website.
You can click the "Continue to aa.com" button to book your award flight. However, the link didn't take me directly to a page to book the award but instead to a page showing all the options for my date (plus the starting prices for surrounding dates). Remember that the award rates you see on this page of the AAdvantage website are for one passenger.
However, if I click through on the same flight option I'd found via the Points Path extension, the trip summary shows pricing for two passengers.
From here, booking your American AAdvantage award should be straightforward. Your experience using Points Path should be similar for Delta and United awards, round-trip awards and premium-cabin awards. Here's an example search for round-trip premium economy transatlantic awards that illustrates the potential usefulness of the Points Path extension:
The best way to determine how the Points Path extension can help you is to try it out. After all, you can always remove the extension and unsubscribe from the email list if you don't find Points Path useful.
Related: Award chart sweet spots that can save you money on domestic flights
How much does Points Path cost?
Points Path is currently free to install and use. However, the frequently asked questions section on the Points Path website mentions there may be a "small monthly fee for advanced features" in the future, but "the basic Points Path search extension will always be free."
Points Path recommendations
One useful aspect of the Points Path extension is a recommendation on whether you should redeem rewards or book a paid rate.
At a high level, the recommendation is made by setting a value for each airline's points or miles. According to its frequently asked questions, Points Path has determined median values of Delta, United and American miles by gathering pricing for thousands of flights. It then considers the taxes and fees on award flights and calculates whether you should redeem rewards or book a paid rate. At the time of writing, Points Path uses the following median values:
| Program | Points Path median value | TPG's valuation |
|---|---|---|
| American AAdvantage | 1.3 cents per mile | 1.5 cents per mile |
| Delta SkyMiles | 1.1 cents per mile | 1.2 cents per mile |
| United MileagePlan | 1.25 cents per mile | 1.45 cents per mile |
Points Path median values are slightly lower than TPG's valuations, which we calculate according to the data-driven valuations framework we introduced in September 2023.
But, what is lost in many decisions on whether to redeem rewards or book a paid rate is the differences in what you are purchasing. For example, if you charge an American Airlines flight to your favorite travel rewards credit card and then decide to cancel, you'll almost always get a credit for use on a future trip instead of a refund (and if you booked a basic economy fare, you'll need to pay a $99 fee to get a partial credit). But if you book an AAdvantage award flight, you can cancel and redeposit your miles without any fees. Likewise, you'll earn miles and Loyalty Points on paid flights, but not award redemptions, with American AAdvantage.
Each airline and loyalty program has its own policies, which may vary depending on your cabin, fare and booking method. It's a lot to consider and isn't reasonable to be included in Points Path recommendations. This being said, it's always smart to understand your ticket's change, cancellation, seating and baggage policies before you book. Sometimes, paying more to fly a specific airline may make sense if you have elite status or a cobranded airline credit card. And if your travel plans aren't firm, you might book via a specific method to secure a fare you can freely or inexpensively cancel.
Related: The best airline credit cards with annual fees under $100
Bottom line
As I search for flights with Google Flights, I'm excited to use Points Path to get a feel for award pricing with select programs. And although I'm not the target audience for Points Path, I'll recommend it to others as they get started with points and miles. Even if you're just starting with points and miles, it's a good way to become accustomed to how many points or miles popular programs charge for flights.
The Points Path extension will also help travelers know when they can get good value from their points and miles with select programs. As Kheel noted in the Points Path press release when the extension exited its beta phase, "Points Path is designed for travelers who don't have the time to become experts at using frequent flyer miles, but who want to quickly find the best flights available with their travel rewards and know whether they're getting a good deal when using them."
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