I’ve been traveling around the United States—and the world—for years using points and miles. While I’ve never managed to snag some of the most legendary sweet spot redemptions, I’ve had a few memorable wins: flying from New York to Frankfurt on Singapore Airlines in business class and using a Marriott suite upgrade to stay in the Chambers Wing of the St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel in London.
But if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s this:
Sweet spot redemptions only exist because loyalty programs allow them to exist.
That may sound a little cynical, but it’s also true. Programs design these outsized-value opportunities—and they can just as easily take them away.
The Life and Death of Sweet Spots
One of the most well-known sweet spots in recent years was booking ANA First Class between the U.S. and Japan using Virgin Atlantic Flying Club points. For just 55,000–60,000 miles one-way plus taxes and fees, you could enjoy a premium cabin experience that would cost thousands of dollars in cash. That value? Incredible.
However, when too many people caught on—whether through word of mouth, blogs, or Reddit—the deal became unsustainable. Virgin Atlantic dramatically increased the award pricing with zero warning.
This wasn’t an isolated case. ANA also made headlines recently for eliminating their Round-the-World award tickets, long considered one of the most aspirational ways to spend miles. That move came alongside broader changes to their award chart—some good, some not so much. One-way awards are now bookable with ANA miles, a positive change; however, round-trip pricing for premium cabins has increased. You can read a full breakdown of those changes in this Frequent Miler post.
As with many sweet spots, once the value proposition tips too far in the customer’s favor, programs step in to reset the balance.
Why Programs Allow Sweet Spots (For a While)
If you graphed the value of every redemption a member makes in a loyalty program, it would probably resemble a bell curve. Most bookings fall into the “meh, decent value” range. A few redemptions are truly terrible (think 50,000 points for a $100 hotel night), while others are phenomenal.
Programs want that balance. High-value redemptions keep savvy members engaged, while the average redemption cost stays within a target range because most people redeem for convenience, rather than maximum value.
But if too many people start booking those top-tier awards? That curve skews. The average value per redemption increases, and suddenly, the math doesn’t work anymore for the program. The result? Devaluations—usually targeting the most valuable bookings first.
How to Protect Yourself
You can’t stop devaluations. But you can plan for them.
- Use transferable points. Chase Ultimate Rewards, AMEX Membership Rewards, Bilt Points, and Capital One Miles give you flexibility. If one program makes a sudden change, you’re not locked in.
- Redeem points before they’re devalued. Holding out for the “perfect” trip can backfire if the deal vanishes overnight. Don’t hoard for too long.
- Avoid tunnel vision. Planning your entire strategy around a single sweet spot is risky. Use them when you can—but have a backup plan.
Final Thought
I’m not saying you shouldn’t write about, chase, or use sweet spot redemptions. If you can grab one, do it! I once used a Flying Blue quirk to book a Delta flight for far fewer miles than Delta wanted. It was a fun little win. But I also know it won’t last forever.
Programs give us sweet spots.
Programs take them away.
Make peace with that—and redeem wisely.
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