Award availability
Seats or rooms a program currently offers for points. It can differ from cash availability.
Reference
The rewards glossary
Forty useful definitions. Less jargon between you and a better travel decision.
Award fees
Cash charges that still apply to a points booking, including taxes and any carrier or program charges.
Base points
A program-defined earning category that may count toward hotel status. Bonus points are not automatically base points.
Blackout dates
Dates a reward or benefit excludes, subject to the program’s actual terms.
Bonus category
An eligible type of spending that earns more than a card’s base rate; merchant coding and limits matter.
Cents per point (CPP)
Cash savings divided by points used, multiplied by 100. The cash comparison and all award fees matter.
Co-branded card
A card associated with a particular airline, hotel or other brand, with benefits defined by its agreement.
Dynamic award pricing
An award price that can change rather than following a single fixed price for every booking.
Earning rate
Points earned for an eligible unit of spending or activity, before exceptions and caps.
Elite status
A membership tier with program-defined privileges. Redeemable points and qualification progress are separate.
Elite-night credit
A qualifying night unit recorded by a hotel loyalty program, which may differ from nights physically stayed.
Foreign transaction fee
A card fee for certain foreign transactions. Currency conversion can involve separate costs.
Free-night certificate
A reward for an eligible hotel night, often with expiration, brand, category or points-price restrictions.
Fuel / carrier surcharge
An airline-imposed cash charge that can remain payable on some awards; it is not necessarily a tax.
Hotel status match
An offer to recognize status from another program, usually subject to evidence, eligibility and a deadline.
Incremental value
The benefit you gain compared with your realistic alternative, not the total advertised retail value.
Lounge access
Permission to enter a participating lounge under specific card, ticket, guest and capacity conditions.
MQD
Medallion Qualification Dollar: Delta’s qualification metric, distinct from redeemable SkyMiles.
Minimum spend
Eligible purchases required for a welcome offer, within the issuer’s time window and exclusions.
Opportunity cost
The value of your best alternative use of money, points, time or spending.
PQP / PQF
United qualification terms: Premier Qualifying Points and Premier Qualifying Flights. Use current official rules.
Partner award
A booking using one program’s currency for travel supplied by another participating airline or hotel.
Points pooling
A program feature allowing eligible members to combine or share points; restrictions vary.
Portal booking
A reservation made through a bank or third-party travel platform rather than directly with the supplier.
Qualifying spend
Spending a program counts toward a target; taxes, fees, refunded purchases or selected products may be excluded.
Redemption
Exchanging rewards for an eligible booking, credit or other benefit.
Redemption floor
A usable lower-value redemption alternative, when the program actually provides it. It is not always cash.
Repositioning flight
An extra journey to reach the departure point for an award; include its cash, time and disruption costs.
Saver award
A program-specific lower-priced or partner-accessible award bucket; the term does not guarantee availability.
Status challenge
An offer to earn or retain status by completing qualifying activity within a specific window.
Status points
A qualification currency, such as Atmos Rewards status points, distinct from spendable rewards.
Status run
Travel primarily to meet a status threshold. Compare its marginal cost with benefits you will actually use.
Stopover
An extended intermediate stay; permitted duration and award treatment depend on the program and ticket.
Sweet spot
A potentially attractive redemption under specific conditions, not a guarantee of seats, rooms or price.
Transfer bonus
A time-limited extra amount awarded on an eligible transfer, with account and timing conditions.
Transfer ratio
Destination rewards received for a given number of source points, before eligible bonuses or fees.
Transferable points
Rewards that can be converted into supported partner currencies under the source program’s rules.
Welcome offer
An issuer’s introductory reward with eligibility, spending and time requirements; offers change.
Working valuation
Your editable cents-per-point planning assumption. It is not an issuer guarantee or resale price.
Yield on spending
Estimated reward value divided by eligible spending. It does not include all fees, interest or trade-offs.