You've Been Using Your Chick-Fil-A Reward Points Wrong This Whole Time

Most Chick-fil-A regulars probably already know about Chick-fil-A One, the chain's membership program. Chick-fil-A One members are able to earn points on every purchase, which they can then redeem for select items off the Chick-fil-A menu, per Chick-fil-A. What members might not know, however, is that they probably aren't getting the best possible value out of their rewards points.

To remedy this, Reddit user u/Plaguei5 posted a helpful spreadsheet to the r/Chick-fil-A subreddit, outlining the best way to spend your rewards points to ensure you get the best bang for your buck. The detailed document listed the menu items from best value to worst, according to the correlation between the item's points value and price in dollars. The prices are based on Chick-fil-A locations in Dallas, Texas, although the fast food chain's reward points should be comparable across regions.

"Lower Points/$ correlates to better value," u/Plaguei5 explained (via Google Docs). For example, "medium Waffle Fries are the best value when using points. Small Mac and Cheese is the worst. Salads are all particularly bad values when using points." 

Although the small mac and cheese costs 500 rewards points, its dollar value is just $2.55, giving it a points per dollar score of 196.08 — not a particularly good deal. Chick-fil-A's Market Salad, Spicy Southwest Salad, and the Cobb Salad all have a rewards points value of 1,500 points, making them a fairly pricey option to redeem. According to u/Plaguei5's calculations, the item with the best value is a side of medium waffle fries. The chocolate chunk cookie, a large drink, or a side of hash browns are also particularly good choices to help you stretch your rewards budget.

Grateful Reddit users were quick to praise the u/Plaguei5 for his helpful spreadsheet. "You're doing the Lord's work," u/nadroj37 wrote (via Reddit). "This might be the most important post I've ever read on Reddit," another appreciative user, u/Joeybish, remarked, and u/EngineerGunter agreed, "THIS is what the internet is for. This is the way... to Reddit."

So the next time you have a chicken sandwich craving, don't forget to double-check this nifty spreadsheet before placing your next Chick-fil-A order.