Do you include your points in your net worth?

[arebelspy]

Question for you folks who use points to travel for "free":

Is it actually free or do you have to pay some sort of tax or booking fee for each flight?

Yeah, it's $5.60/flight for 9/11 airport taxes and fees.  So I'm flying to Newark this weekend, costing me 11.20.

Flying to Seattle in a month for Camp Mustache with the wife, costing us $22.40 (5.6/person x 4 flights, 2 up, 2 back).

There are sometimes fuel surcharges and stuff, but that's most common in Europe, and you just watch out for and avoid them.

So it's not 100% free.  But it's pretty close (and you can even get those fees refunded w/ certain cards like Chase Venture or one of the Barclay ones, to make it 100% free).

[Guses]

In Canada, those fees and taxes can be several hundreds per flight. Something to watch out for I guess.

[YK-Phil]

Question for you folks who use points to travel for "free":

Is it actually free or do you have to pay some sort of tax or booking fee for each flight?

Here in Canada, I remember seeing one of those consumer protection show that was saying that a "free" flight bought with point was sometimes costing more in fees and taxes than the entire cost of an equivalent flight bought on sale.

I don't know about trips taken with Air Miles, but with Aeroplan, taxes, surchages and other fees are not included in the free ticket. Regardless, an Aeroplan ticket would still be cheaper than any ticket, even those purchased during seat sale or other promotions, because taxes, surchages and fees are the same whether the ticket was obtained with Aeroplan points or bought outright.

[Guses]

I don't know about trips taken with Air Miles, but with Aeroplan, taxes, surchages and other fees are not included in the free ticket. Regardless, an Aeroplan ticket would still be cheaper than any ticket, even those purchased during seat sale or other promotions, because taxes, surchages and fees are the same whether the ticket was obtained with Aeroplan points or bought outright.

For the same ticket, yes it will be cheaper. However, for an alternative flight, it might be more expensive since part of the fees are airport dependent (e.g., in the case of non direct flights).

[NICE!]

My answer is no, but that is because I never even considered it.

Now, after consideration, I still say no. That's because I use them for spending and I don't plan on converting them to cash. I guess that makes them a kind of untracked slush fund.

[Prairie Stash]

I only count them after the cash hits my account. Some points have expiration dates, others get devalued. If they have significant value its easy to turn them into currency.

[dunhamjr]

No not really.

I cash in my points quite regularly, so they technically are counted by the cash they give me.