Free-Night Certificate Value Calculator
Marriott 35k FNA? Hyatt Cat 1-4? Hilton weekend night? IHG 40k? Pick a cert, enter the cash price of the night you're considering, and we'll grade the burn against the program's typical cpp baseline.
Your cert + night
Free-night certs win when the cash price of the night blows past what your points would normally buy.
Override typical cpp (advanced)
Result
vs typical 0.8¢ for Marriott Bonvoy
Solid use of the cert
Comfortably above typical Marriott Bonvoy redemption value. Most people would burn it here.
Cash value
$400
Cert points cap
35,000 pts
Earned annually via Marriott Boundless / Bold anniversary. Caps at 35,000 points — top off with up to 15,000 points if the night costs more.
FAQ
What's a good cpp on a free-night cert?
It depends on the program's baseline. Marriott points are normally worth ~0.75¢; a Marriott 35k FNA on a $400 night nets 1.14¢ — solid. The same cert at a $1,000 night nets 2.86¢ — sweet-spot territory. We grade against the program baseline: 3× = excellent (burn it), 1.5× = good, 0.8-1.5× = fair, below = save it.
Should I add points to top off the cert?
If your cert has a cap (Marriott 35k/50k/85k, IHG 40k/50k), you can top off with up to 15,000 points on Marriott and unlimited on IHG. The math: every point you add comes out of your stash at the program's normal cpp, so toppping off only makes sense if the cash savings still beats burning those points elsewhere. Calculator above shows the cert-only effective cpp — add to it the topped-off points' value separately.
What if my cert expires in two weeks?
Imminent expiry shifts the math toward 'burn it'. A poor-grade burn at 0.7× baseline still beats a 0¢ burn from letting the cert expire. The calculator doesn't factor in expiry urgency — that's a judgment call the user has to make. The PointsCraft iOS app does track every cert's expiry date and sends a 60/14/1-day reminder.
Is this calculator saving my inputs?
No. Browser-only. Nothing leaves your device. The iOS app's free-night cert tracker (#33) keeps a permanent log of every cert you hold, its cash-value estimate, and its expiry — with auto-reminders at 60/14/1 days out.