Case study · City breakWith proof

Málaga and Vienna, May 2024

2 flights, 1 night in 1 hotel, 28 days.

AustriaSpain
Florian HartlFounder of Benefit SystemsData as of 27 June 2024
View of the ancient Roman theatre and the fortress walls of the Alcazaba in Malaga in warm sunlight.
Illustrative image, AI-generated
Short answerMálaga and Vienna in May 2024: 2 flights and 1 hotel night for $154 paid, against a documented comparison value of $950. We used 30,000 points and miles, 2.7¢ per point on average. Anything paid in cash appears without a comparison value. The comparison value is not money paid out.

Key figures

$154 paid, $950 documented comparison value. The 84% difference came from 30,000 points and miles.

Paid
$154
flights, hotels and transfers
Comparison value
$950
documented cash value
Difference
84%
$796 documented
Points and miles
30,000
2.7¢ per point

At a glance

Airlines
Austrian Airlines
Booking classes
Economy (2)
Flight numbers
  • Outbound flight Airport → Vienna
  • OS385 VIE → AGP
Airports
Vienna (VIE), Málaga (AGP)
Hotels
Lindner Hotel Belvedere, Vienna (1 night)

Day by day

31 May 2024
AirportVienna VIEEconomy
Outbound flight
Paid
$77
Value
$500
points
12,500
per point
3.4¢
Vienna VIEMálaga AGPEconomy
Austrian Airlines · OS385
Paid
$77
Value
$300
points
12,500
per point
1.8¢
26 June 2024
Lindner Hotel Belvedere
Vienna · 1 night to Thu 27 Jun
Paid
$0
Value
$150
points
5,000
per point
3.0¢

The whole trip

The whole trip: paid, comparison value, difference and points used.
CategoryPaidComparison valueDifferencePoints and miles
Flights (2)$154$800$646 81%25,000
Hotels (1 stay, 1 night)$0$150$150 100%5,000
Total (3 bookings)$154$950$796 84%30,000

Proof

Excerpts from the booking confirmations, personal data and booking codes made unreadable.

Air Canada Aeroplan award booking: Austrian Airlines OS385 Vienna to Málaga, economy, connecting flight made unreadable
Air Canada Aeroplan award booking: Austrian Airlines OS385 Vienna to Málaga, economy, connecting flight made unreadable
Purchase summary: 12,500 Aeroplan points per person, 25,000 points plus 210 Canadian dollars for two
Purchase summary: 12,500 Aeroplan points per person, 25,000 points plus 210 Canadian dollars for two

2 records · swipe or use the arrows, click to enlarge2 records · swipe, tap to enlarge

Editorial noteThis case study is our own trip analysis and not tax, legal or financial advice. Award prices, availability and cash prices change all the time.

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Terms in this trip

  • Award ticket: An award ticket is a flight paid for with miles or points instead of cash; taxes, fees and surcharges almost always still have to be paid in money.
  • Award availability: Award availability is the number of seats an airline releases on a given flight for redemption with miles, which is usually far smaller than the number of seats still on sale.
  • Cents per point: Cents per point is the measure of a redemption's value: the cash price avoided, minus any co-payment, divided by the number of points spent.
  • Hotel award category: A hotel award category is the price tier a loyalty programme assigns to a property, from which the points price per night follows.

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