How this calculation works
Flights = adults x adult round-trip fare + children x child round-trip fare. Lodging = rooms x nights x nightly room rate x (1 + lodging tax / 100) + stay fees. Add whole-group car, food, activities and other costs before any points reduction. Reserve = that subtotal x reserve percentage. Cash needed = subtotal + reserve - costs covered by card points. The reserve stays in cash; the points offset cannot exceed the subtotal.
Assumptions and limits
All prices are entered by you, in USD. Hotel tax is applied to the nightly room subtotal only; put taxes on other fees in the stay-fees amount. Add baggage, parking, fuel, tips, resort fees and car taxes as needed. Verify occupancy, age restrictions, travel documents and cancellation terms separately. Enter the actual dollar amount covered by points, not the number of points. Do not subtract points twice: use costs before redemption, or leave the offset at zero if prices are already net of points. Include cash taxes, award fees and any incremental card fee in other costs. This cash budget does not value points or establish insurance coverage.
Put the result to workCheck the final checkout totals and room occupancy before booking, then recalculate with a 10%, 15% or 20% reserve.
Privacy: this calculator does not send or save your entries. It uses no OpenAI API, cookies or local storage. Existing site ads, analytics and the site privacy policy still apply. Educational scenarios only; not financial, tax, lending or contractor advice.
