Case study · City breakWith proof

Vienna, August 2025

2 flights, 4 days.

Austria
Florian HartlFounder of Benefit SystemsData as of 19 August 2025
The Vienna State Opera along the sunny Ringstrasse boulevard with a red tram in summer afternoon light.
Illustrative image, AI-generated
Short answerVienna in August 2025: 2 flights for $103 paid, against a documented comparison value of $402. We used 14,000 points and miles, 2.1¢ per point on average. Anything paid in cash appears without a comparison value. The comparison value is not money paid out.

Key figures

$103 paid, $402 documented comparison value. The 74% difference came from 14,000 points and miles.

Paid
$103
flights, hotels and transfers
Comparison value
$402
documented cash value
Difference
74%
$299 documented
Points and miles
14,000
2.1¢ per point

At a glance

Booking classes
Economy (2)
Flight numbers
  • Outbound flight Airport → Vienna
  • Return flight Vienna → Airport
Airports
Vienna (VIE)

Day by day

16 August 2025
AirportVienna VIEEconomy
Outbound flight
Paid
$24
Value
$240
points
6,000
per point
3.6¢
19 August 2025
Vienna VIEAirportEconomy
Return flight
Paid
$79
Value
$162
points
8,000
per point
1.0¢

The whole trip

The whole trip: paid, comparison value, difference and points used.
CategoryPaidComparison valueDifferencePoints and miles
Flights (2)$103$402$299 74%14,000
Total (2 bookings)$103$402$299 74%14,000

Proof

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

United MileagePlus award booking: outbound flight to Vienna on 16 August 2025, economy, 6,000 miles plus 24.40 US dollars, departure airport, flight number and time made unreadable
United MileagePlus award booking: outbound flight to Vienna on 16 August 2025, economy, 6,000 miles plus 24.40 US dollars, departure airport, flight number and time made unreadable
Avianca LifeMiles redemption: return flight from Vienna on 19 August 2025, 8,000 miles plus 78.90 US dollars in taxes and fees, destination, flight number and time made unreadable
Avianca LifeMiles redemption: return flight from Vienna on 19 August 2025, 8,000 miles plus 78.90 US dollars in taxes and fees, destination, flight number and time made unreadable

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.

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