Why not cover international options? While it’s true that long-haul premium redemptions are often the most valuable (and the best use of bank points by far), domestic travel is often the much more practical option in this Omicron world. Not only do entry requirements change by the day, some countries where you can get the best value are simply just shut off. For example, you can no longer transit Hong Kong (HKG) on your way to Johannesburg (JNB) for , and Japan is largely shut off to foreign tourists, even those taking ANA First Class from the West Coast (LAX/SFO/SAN) to Tokyo (HND/NRT) for .