Case study · City breakWith proof

Vienna, July 2025

2 flights, 1 night in 1 hotel, 4 days.

Austria
Florian HartlFounder of Benefit SystemsData as of 31 July 2025
The grand Michaeler Wing of the Vienna Hofburg on a sunny summer day with a carriage on cobblestones.
Illustrative image, AI-generated
Short answerVienna in July 2025: 2 flights and 1 hotel night for $80 paid, against a documented comparison value of $467. We used 20,000 points and miles, 1.9¢ per point on average. Anything paid in cash appears without a comparison value. The comparison value is not money paid out.

Key figures

$80 paid, $467 documented comparison value. The 83% difference came from 20,000 points and miles.

Paid
$80
flights, hotels and transfers
Comparison value
$467
documented cash value
Difference
83%
$387 documented
Points and miles
20,000
1.9¢ per point

At a glance

Booking classes
Economy (2)
Flight numbers
  • Outbound flight Airport → Vienna
  • Return flight Vienna → Airport
Airports
Vienna (VIE)
Hotels
Lindner Hotel Belvedere, Vienna (1 night)

Day by day

28 July 2025
AirportVienna VIEEconomy
Outbound flight
Paid
$26
Value
$113
points
6,000
per point
1.5¢
30 July 2025
Lindner Hotel Belvedere
Vienna · 1 night to Thu 31 Jul
Paid
$0
Value
$212
points
8,000
per point
2.7¢
31 July 2025
Vienna VIEAirportEconomy
Return flight
Paid
$54
Value
$142
points
6,000
per point
1.5¢

The whole trip

The whole trip: paid, comparison value, difference and points used.
CategoryPaidComparison valueDifferencePoints and miles
Flights (2)$80$255$175 69%12,000
Hotels (1 stay, 1 night)$0$212$212 100%8,000
Total (3 bookings)$80$467$387 83%20,000

Proof

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

United MileagePlus award booking: outbound flight to Vienna on 28 July 2025, economy, 6,000 miles plus 25.50 US dollars, departure airport, flight number and time made unreadable
United MileagePlus award booking: outbound flight to Vienna on 28 July 2025, economy, 6,000 miles plus 25.50 US dollars, departure airport, flight number and time made unreadable
Hyatt reservation confirmation: Lindner Hotel Wien Am Belvedere, 30 to 31 July 2025, standard room free night
Hyatt reservation confirmation: Lindner Hotel Wien Am Belvedere, 30 to 31 July 2025, standard room free night
World of Hyatt points account: 8,000 points for 1 night at Lindner Hotel Wien Am Belvedere, 0 US dollars paid
World of Hyatt points account: 8,000 points for 1 night at Lindner Hotel Wien Am Belvedere, 0 US dollars paid
United MileagePlus award booking: return flight from Vienna on 31 July 2025, economy, 6,000 miles plus 53.80 US dollars, destination, flight number and time made unreadable
United MileagePlus award booking: return flight from Vienna on 31 July 2025, economy, 6,000 miles plus 53.80 US dollars, destination, flight number and time made unreadable

4 records · swipe or use the arrows, click to enlarge4 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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