/trip-calculator

name: trip-calculator
description: Cash vs points trip cost comparison. Factors in transfer ratios, taxes, fees, CPP valuations, and opportunity cost to recommend the best redemption strategy for flights and hotels.
category: orchestration
summary: Cash vs points decision answered with math. Transfer ratios, taxes, opportunity cost.
api_key: None (free, local data)

Trip Cost Calculator

"Should I pay cash or use points?" answered with math.

Compares the true cost of booking with cash versus each available points currency, accounting for transfer ratios, taxes/fees, and the opportunity cost of burning your points.

**No API key needed.** Uses local JSON data files plus flight/hotel search results.

Data Files

| File | Purpose | |------|---------| | `data/points-valuations.json` | CPP valuations per program (floor/ceiling) | | `data/transfer-partners.json` | Credit card → loyalty program transfer ratios |

When to Use

• User has both cash prices (from Duffel/Ignav/Google Flights) and award prices (from seats.aero)
• User asks "should I pay cash or use points?"
• User wants to know the CPP of a specific redemption
• User is deciding between multiple booking strategies for a trip

Core Concepts

Cents Per Point (CPP)

The value you're getting per point when redeeming:

cpp = (cash_price - taxes_on_award) / points_needed × 100

A CPP **above** the floor valuation from `points-valuations.json` means you're getting above-average value. Below floor = poor redemption.

Opportunity Cost

Points have value even when unspent. Burning 100K Chase UR at 1.7 cpp (floor) means you're "spending" $1,700 in future travel flexibility:

opportunity_cost = points_needed × floor_cpp / 100

If the cash price is lower than the opportunity cost, pay cash. If higher, use points.

The Decision Framework

IF cash_price < opportunity_cost → PAY CASH (points are worth more saved)
IF cash_price > opportunity_cost → USE POINTS (good redemption)
IF cash_price ≈ opportunity_cost → PAY CASH (preserve flexibility)

The tie goes to cash because points maintain optionality.

Workflow

Step 1: Gather Prices

**Cash prices** (use one or more sources):

Duffel API → exact bookable fares
Ignav API → fast comparison prices
Google Flights → browser-based, includes Southwest

**Award prices** (use seats.aero):

Seats.aero API → cached availability across 25+ programs
Seats.aero web → live search (local Patchright only)

Step 2: Calculate CPP for Each Award Option

For each award option with a corresponding cash price:

cpp = (cash_price_usd - award_taxes_usd) / award_miles × 100

Award taxes come from seats.aero trip details (`TotalTaxes` field, in cents) or estimate $5.60 per segment for domestic US, $50-$200 for international (varies wildly by carrier and routing).

Step 3: Factor in Transfer Ratios

If using transferable points (Chase UR, Amex MR, etc.), the effective points cost changes:

effective_points = award_miles / transfer_ratio
effective_cpp = (cash_price - award_taxes) / effective_points × 100

Example: Flying Blue award at 50,000 miles via Capital One (1:1):

• Effective points: 50,000
• Cash price: $1,200, taxes: $100
• CPP: ($1,200 - $100) / 50,000 × 100 = **2.2 cpp**

Contrast: a separate Emirates award at 72,500 Skywards miles via Capital One (4:3 ratio, the worst Cap One transfer rate):

• Effective points needed: 72,500 / 0.75 = 96,667 Cap One miles
• Same $1,200 cash equivalent: ($1,200 - $100) / 96,667 × 100 = **1.14 cpp**. Worse than the Flying Blue path.

**Important: pick the best currency for the destination program.** Emirates Skywards has a 1:1 transfer from Bilt Rewards (no fee, instant). For the same Emirates redemption, 72,500 Bilt = 72,500 Skywards = ($1,200 - $100) / 72,500 × 100 = **1.52 cpp**. Always check `data/transfer-partners.json` for every transferable currency the user holds before recommending a transfer — Bilt's 1:1 to Emirates beats Capital One's 4:3 by a wide margin. The skill enforces this in Step 0 (load `transfer-partners` first to enumerate every viable path).

Step 4: Compare Against Valuations

Load valuations from `points-valuations.json`:

jq -r '.credit_card_points.chase_ultimate_rewards | "Chase UR: floor \(.floor)cpp, ceiling \(.ceiling)cpp"' data/points-valuations.json

| Rating | CPP vs Floor | Meaning | |--------|-------------|---------| | Excellent | > ceiling | Exceptional redemption. Book it. | | Good | > floor | Above average. Solid use of points. | | Fair | 0.8× to 1× floor | Mediocre. Consider cash instead. | | Poor | < 0.8× floor | Bad deal. Pay cash. |

Step 5: Present Comparison

**Always use markdown tables.**

Flight: SFO → NRT Business Class, Aug 15

| Option | Program | Miles/Points | Taxes | Cash Equiv | CPP | Rating | |--------|---------|-------------|-------|------------|-----|--------| | Cash | — | — | — | $4,200 | — | — | | United via Chase UR | United | 88,000 UR | $45 | $1,496 | 4.72 | Excellent | | Aeroplan via Chase UR | Aeroplan | 75,000 UR | $120 | $1,275 | 5.44 | Excellent | | Alaska via Bilt | Alaska | 55,000 Bilt | $30 | $935 | 7.58 | Excellent | | Virgin Atlantic → ANA via Chase UR | VA | 52,500 UR | $200 | $893 | 7.62 | Excellent |

**Recommendation:**

• **Best value:** Virgin Atlantic at 7.62 cpp, but $200 in taxes and must call to book.
• **Best convenience:** Aeroplan at 5.44 cpp, bookable online, low taxes.
• **Cash price ($4,200) vs opportunity cost ($893-$1,496):** Points win decisively. Use points.

Step 6: Round-Trip and Multi-Segment

For round trips, calculate each direction separately. Award pricing is usually one-way, cash pricing is often round-trip. Make sure you're comparing apples to apples:

If cash = round-trip $4,200:
  Compare against: outbound award + return award
  e.g., 75K out + 75K return = 150K total vs $4,200 cash
  CPP = ($4,200 - $240 taxes) / 150,000 = 2.64 cpp

jq Recipes

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