Quick answer: Award cash ranges from $5.60 to $900 or more per person, depending on program, airline, and departure country. Compare points plus cash, not points alone, because surcharges follow the operating carrier.

Here’s the mistake almost every family makes with points: they compare the points price and ignore the cash price. But every award ticket has a cash copay — and it ranges from $5.60 to $900+ per person depending on the program, the airline, and the country you’re leaving. Count the cash part too, or you’re not comparing real prices.

Details verified October 13, 2026.

Two kinds of cash on every award ticket

1. Government taxes and airport fees. Mandatory, set by regulators, and wildly different by country. A US domestic award costs $5.60 in TSA fees. A premium-cabin award leaving the UK carries hundreds in departure tax.

2. Fuel surcharges (carrier-imposed surcharges). Set by the airline, not the government — and this is where programs diverge. Some programs pass them to you; others don’t. Same seat, different program, very different cash.

The UK example: £244 per person before you even start

The UK’s Air Passenger Duty is the classic gotcha. Since April 1, 2026, flying premium class long-haul out of the UK costs £244 per person (about $310) in departure tax alone — Band B covers the entire USA. Fly business class to Australia or Asia and it’s £253.

For a family of four in business class leaving London: ~$1,240 in departure tax alone. That’s before a single fuel surcharge. (Small consolation: kids under 16 don’t pay APD in economy, and under-2s without their own seat are exempt entirely.)

The $650 vs $0 example: surcharges follow the metal

Here’s the one that stings. New York to London in business class:

• BA178, operated by British Airways: ~$650 in fuel surcharges, one-way
• AA100, operated by American: $0 in fuel surcharges, one-way

Same corridor. Similar lie-flat seat. The difference isn’t the miles you use — surcharges follow the operating carrier’s metal, not your program. Book a BA-operated flight with American miles and you still pay BA’s surcharge. Book the AA-operated flight and you pay nothing extra.

Which programs charge them (and which don’t)

Generally no fuel surcharges: United MileagePlus, Southwest Rapid Rewards, JetBlue TrueBlue, Air Canada Aeroplan, Avianca LifeMiles.

Surcharges on some or all awards: British Airways Executive Club (BA-operated flights), American AAdvantage (BA and Iberia flights), Alaska Mileage Plan (BA and Icelandair only), Delta SkyMiles (many Europe departures), Virgin Atlantic, Emirates, Flying Blue, Singapore KrisFlyer (non-Singapore Airlines flights).

The pattern: European and Gulf carriers are the usual surcharge offenders; US carriers mostly don’t add them on their own flights.

The rule: compare points + cash, not points alone

This is where the comparison flips. Take that JFK–London business seat:

• Option A: 57,500 miles + ~$700 cash (BA metal, surcharges + US departure taxes)
• Option B: 70,000 miles + ~$100 cash (AA metal, minimal fees)

Option A “costs” fewer miles. Option B costs $600 less cash. Which is the better deal depends on what you value your miles at — but you can’t know until you price both halves. A “cheap” award with brutal surcharges routinely loses to a pricier-miles award with clean fees.

For a family of four, multiply everything. A $600-per-person fee gap is a $2,400 swing on one trip — more than most signup bonuses are worth.

The bottom line

Points buy the seat; cash buys the exit row of fees around it. Before you transfer a single point, price the full checkout — miles plus dollars — across two or three programs. The best award isn’t the one with the lowest miles. It’s the one with the lowest total cost.