Case study · City breakWith proof

Sofia, June 2026

2 flights, 9 days.

Bulgaria
Florian HartlFounder of Benefit SystemsData as of 30 June 2026
The sunny pedestrian Vitosha Boulevard in Sofia with outdoor cafes and a view of Mount Vitosha in summer.
Illustrative image, AI-generated
Short answerSofia in June 2026: 2 flights for $73 paid, against a documented comparison value of $506. We used 15,500 points and miles, 2.8¢ per point on average. Anything paid in cash appears without a comparison value. The comparison value is not money paid out.

Key figures

$73 paid, $506 documented comparison value. The 86% difference came from 15,500 points and miles.

Paid
$73
flights, hotels and transfers
Comparison value
$506
documented cash value
Difference
86%
$433 documented
Points and miles
15,500
2.8¢ per point

At a glance

Booking classes
Economy (2)
Flight numbers
  • Outbound flight Airport → Sofia
  • Return flight Sofia → Airport
Airports
Sofia (SOF)

Day by day

22 June 2026
AirportSofia SOFEconomy
Outbound flight
Paid
$52
Value
$291
points
7,500
per point
3.2¢
30 June 2026
Sofia SOFAirportEconomy
Return flight
Paid
$21
Value
$215
points
8,000
per point
2.4¢

The whole trip

The whole trip: paid, comparison value, difference and points used.
CategoryPaidComparison valueDifferencePoints and miles
Flights (2)$73$506$433 86%15,500
Total (2 bookings)$73$506$433 86%15,500

Proof

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

United MileagePlus award booking: return flight from Sofia on 30 June 2026, economy, 8,000 miles plus 20.80 US dollars, destination, flight number and time made unreadable
United MileagePlus award booking: return flight from Sofia on 30 June 2026, economy, 8,000 miles plus 20.80 US dollars, destination, flight number and time made unreadable

1 record · swipe or use the arrows, click to enlarge1 record · 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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