award trip meaning

Award Travel: A Complete Guide to Booking Flights with Points and Miles

An award ticket is a flight purchased with airline miles earned through a frequent flyer program. To qualify, travelers must meet specific eligibility criteria and redeem their miles directly with the airline. This option provides access to lower fares and various travel benefits while maximizing loyalty program rewards.

Research the best credit cards for accumulating points. Some cards provide generous sign-up bonuses and additional rewards for travel-related purchases. Next, familiarize yourself with the booking process. Award seats may be limited, so flexibility with travel dates and destinations is crucial.

Know the value of your points or miles. Each program has distinct redemption values, influencing how you should use rewards for flights. Utilize online tools to compare options and ensure you maximize your benefits.

Stay informed about transfer partners. Some loyalty programs allow you to transfer points to airline programs, increasing your booking flexibility.

As you dive deeper into award travel, consider strategies for managing your rewards effectively. Understanding expiration policies and keeping track of your points can enhance your travel experiences significantly. Next, we will explore tips for finding the best award seats and how to avoid common pitfalls in the booking process.

Table of Contents

What is Award Travel?

Award travel refers to the use of accrued travel points or miles to book flights, hotel stays, or other travel-related expenses without spending cash. This system allows travelers to redeem loyalty rewards from frequent flyer programs or hotel loyalty programs for free or discounted travel experiences.

The definition of award travel aligns with the American Express Travel, which states that “travel rewards allow you to earn points or miles for travel-related expenses, which can then be redeemed for free travel options.”

Award travel encompasses several aspects, including earning points through airlines, hotels, and credit cards, redeploying these points for travel purchases, and understanding the terms and conditions associated with their use. Different loyalty programs offer varied point valuation and redemption options.

According to a report from the U.S. Travel Association, “in 2019, travelers earned approximately $27 billion in loyalty rewards through frequent flyer and hotel programs.” These programs incentivize travelers to remain loyal to specific brands while encouraging repeated engagement.

Award travel involves factors such as credit card usage, promotional offers from airlines, and the duration of loyalty to specific programs. These influences shape how travelers accumulate and redeem points for travel experiences.

In 2020, approximately 20% of travelers utilized award travel, showcasing its relevance in the travel industry, according to the Airline Reporting Corporation. The growing trend indicates that award travel will remain prominent, with millions seeking points collection and redemption opportunities.

Award travel impacts various sectors, including the economy, as airlines and hotels benefit from customer loyalty. It also influences consumer behavior and spending patterns while shaping the travel landscape.

In the economy, award travel helps to promote tourism, generate income for travel-related businesses, and offer consumers cost-effective travel solutions, enhancing overall customer satisfaction.

Examples of this impact include travelers enjoying vacations at reduced costs as a result of using miles, or airlines filling seats that would otherwise go empty through incentive programs. Additionally, hotels experience increased occupancy rates.

To further improve award travel experiences, experts recommend maximizing earning potential through strategic spending, leveraging bonus point promotions, and staying informed about loyalty programs.

Strategies to enhance award travel include signing up for travel credit cards, participating in partner promotional programs, and systematically tracking point accrual and redemption opportunities.

How Does Award Travel Work with Points and Miles?

Award travel works with points and miles by allowing travelers to use accumulated rewards for free or discounted flights. Points typically come from travel credit cards or loyalty programs, while miles often represent distance traveled with specific airlines.

First, a traveler earns points or miles through purchases. These can be from flights, hotel stays, or everyday spending. Next, the traveler needs to check how many points or miles they have accumulated. Each airline or rewards program has a specific value for points or miles, which can determine their worth in relation to ticket prices.

After confirming the available balance, the traveler searches for eligible flights using the specific airline’s rewards portal or a travel booking site. They need to pay attention to blackout dates or limited award seats, which can restrict availability.

Once the traveler identifies a suitable flight, they redeem their points or miles for the ticket. This usually involves selecting the reward option during the booking process and confirming the number of points or miles required.

Finally, the traveler receives a confirmation after booking. It’s essential to plan ahead, as some flights require more points or miles during peak travel seasons.

This process enables travelers to maximize their rewards and enjoy lower travel costs through efficient use of points and miles.

How Do Airlines’ Loyalty Programs Influence Award Travel?

Airlines’ loyalty programs significantly influence award travel by providing incentives for frequent flyers, offering tiered rewards, and impacting flight availability and pricing.

These factors can be explained in detail as follows:

Incentives for frequent flyers: Loyalty programs reward travelers with points or miles for every flight taken. These rewards incentivize customers to choose one airline over competitors. For example, frequent flyers may earn double points on specific routes or promotional periods, encouraging them to book their flights with the same airline.

Tiered rewards: Many loyalty programs have tier levels, such as Silver, Gold, and Platinum. Each level offers increasingly valuable benefits. For instance, members at higher tiers may access priority boarding, free checked bags, or upgrades to premium cabins. This structure motivates travelers to fly more often to achieve higher tiers, enhancing their overall travel experience.

Impact on flight availability: Loyalty program members often have access to a broader range of award flights. Airlines typically reserve certain seats on flights for members redeeming points. A study by Crowley and O’Connell (2020) found that loyalty members were 20% more likely to find available seats for award travel compared to non-members.

Influence on pricing: Loyalty programs can also affect travel costs. Frequent flyer miles may offset the cost of flights, allowing members to book free or reduced-price tickets. During high-demand periods, airlines may raise cash fares but keep award prices stable, making it attractive for loyalty members to redeem points.

In summary, airlines’ loyalty programs create a structured environment that rewards frequent travelers, influences their purchasing decisions, and enhances their travel experience through various incentives and benefits.

What Are the Benefits of Using Award Travel for Flights?

Using award travel for flights provides various benefits including cost savings, flexibility, and enhanced travel experiences.

• Cost Savings
• Flexible Travel Dates
• Opportunities for Upgrades
• Access to Exclusive Perks
• Travel Rewards Programs
• Environmental Impact Consideration
• Possible Negative Aspects

Effective planning can maximize the benefits of award travel. Understanding each aspect of using travel rewards can help you make informed choices.

Cost Savings: Cost savings represent one of the primary benefits of using award travel for flights. Award travel allows travelers to redeem points or miles instead of paying cash. For example, a round-trip flight that costs $500 may only require 25,000 airline miles. According to a 2021 report from the Points Guy, travelers can save an average of 1.4 cents per mile redeemed when booking flights. This can significantly reduce travel expenses, especially for frequent flyers.

Flexible Travel Dates: Flexible travel dates provide travelers with options when using award travel. Airlines often offer different point levels depending on the time of travel. For instance, traveling during off-peak times might require fewer points compared to peak seasons. A study conducted by Expedia in 2020 showed that altering travel dates could save travelers up to 30% in points, allowing them to stretch their travel budget further.

Opportunities for Upgrades: Opportunities for upgrades exist when using award travel. Travelers can often use points to upgrade to a higher class of service, such as from economy to business class. This can enhance comfort and provide additional benefits like more legroom and better service. According to a survey conducted by Skyscanner, over 60% of travelers indicated that upgrades make a significant difference in their travel experience.

Access to Exclusive Perks: Access to exclusive perks can enhance the overall travel experience. Many airlines offer special benefits such as lounge access, priority boarding, and additional baggage allowance to travelers using award travel. For instance, American Airlines provides access to their Admirals Club lounges for elite members when using miles, according to their loyalty program guidelines.

Travel Rewards Programs: Travel rewards programs offer various benefits through partnerships. Many airlines collaborate with hotels, car rental companies, and other service providers. Travelers can earn additional points or miles through everyday purchases, which can be redeemed for flights. A 2019 report published by College Investor highlighted that travelers could convert everyday spending into travel rewards, amplifying their earning potential.

Environmental Impact Consideration: Environmental impact consideration is an emerging perspective in travel decision-making. Many airlines are starting to promote carbon offset programs for award travelers. These programs allow travelers to contribute to environmental projects that mitigate the ecological footprint of flying. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) reports that approximately 31% of travelers are willing to pay more for eco-friendly options.

Possible Negative Aspects: Possible negative aspects should also be considered when using award travel. Availability can be limited, and certain flights may have blackout dates. Additionally, some travelers may feel frustrated with the complexity of navigating points and redeeming them effectively. According to a 2021 study by NerdWallet, nearly 40% of people expressed difficulty in understanding airline loyalty programs, which can deter some travelers from fully utilizing their rewards.

What Steps Should You Follow to Book Flights Using Award Travel?

To book flights using award travel, follow these essential steps: search for award availability, choose the right flight, and complete the booking process.

• Search for Award Availability
• Choose the Right Flight
• Understand Programs and Their Rules
• Transfer Points if Necessary
• Book the Flight
• Pay Attention to Fees and Taxes

Transitioning from these steps, let’s explore each one in more detail to ensure a smooth booking process.

Search for Award Availability : Search for award availability involves checking various airline websites or travel booking platforms for flights that can be booked using points or miles. Many airlines have specific calendars showing when award seats are available. For example, airlines like Delta and American Airlines provide tools to view open seats for miles. It is critical to initiate this search well in advance of your desired travel dates, as peak seasons will have limited availability. According to frequent traveler Gary Leff, flexibility with dates often results in better options for award seats.

Choose the Right Flight : Choosing the right flight means considering factors like departure times, layovers, and travel duration. It is beneficial to compare multiple options, as different airlines offer varying value for the same route. For example, using points on a non-stop flight might provide more convenience than choosing a route with multiple connections. Additionally, traveler preferences can vary, with some prioritizing convenience over cost, making this a personal choice in the booking process.

Understand Programs and Their Rules : Understanding programs and their rules entails familiarity with the specific loyalty program you are using, including the number of points required for flights and any blackout dates. Each airline has unique rules governing how points can be used. For instance, programs like Southwest Airlines’ Rapid Rewards allow for no blackout dates, making it a favorite among travelers. Conversely, some airlines may impose strict usage rules, impacting how easily you can book a desired flight.

Transfer Points if Necessary : Transferring points if necessary refers to the process of converting points from one rewards program to another, which can sometimes allow for better flight options. For example, credit card points from programs like Chase Ultimate Rewards can often be transferred to partner airlines, potentially unlocking better flights. Be aware of the transfer ratio and any transfer fees, as these can affect the overall value gained. Researching transfer partners beforehand helps in strategic planning.

Book the Flight : Booking the flight involves confirming your selected flight using your points and completing any additional information required. This step also includes entering passenger details and double-checking travel insurance options. Booking in advance is often recommended, as some airlines allow for changes after booking for a fee. Having a clear understanding of the airline’s cancellation policy can also help avoid unexpected issues.

Pay Attention to Fees and Taxes : Paying attention to fees and taxes is crucial, as many airlines impose additional costs that need to be covered even when booking with miles. These charges can vary widely, affecting the overall cost of your award ticket. For instance, booking a flight with low miles but high taxes may not be a great deal. Understanding these fees beforehand can help in making an informed decision about the best use of your points.

By following these detailed steps, you can effectively book flights using award travel while maximizing the use of your points and ensuring a smooth travel experience.

What Strategies Can You Use to Search for Award Flight Availability?

To search for award flight availability, consider using multiple strategies.

• Use Airline Websites
• Utilize Flight Search Engines
• Set Up Alerts
• Check Partner Airlines
• Monitor Off-Peak Travel Times

The next section will delve into these strategies in detail.

Using Airline Websites : Using airline websites is a fundamental strategy for searching award flight availability. Each airline’s website allows users to search for available flights directly with their points or miles. Many airlines offer a calendar view, making it easier to identify open dates. For instance, Delta Air Lines offers a straightforward interface for SkyMiles members to check availability.

Utilizing Flight Search Engines : Utilizing flight search engines expands your options for discovering award availability. Websites such as Google Flights or Skyscanner allow users to filter results based on various criteria, such as flexible dates, which can uncover hidden availability. It may not display all airline specifics, so checking individual airlines afterward is advisable.

Setting Up Alerts : Setting up alerts is an effective way to be notified of award seat availability. Tools like ExpertFlyer or the Skyscanner app allow users to create alerts for specific routes and dates. This proactive approach enables travelers to act quickly when availability arises, especially for popular routes.

Checking Partner Airlines : Checking partner airlines can significantly enhance the likelihood of finding award availability. Many airlines belong to alliances, such as Star Alliance or OneWorld. By checking partner airlines’ availability, travelers can book flights with different carriers using their points. For example, a United Airlines member can use points to book flights on Air Canada.

Monitoring Off-Peak Travel Times : Monitoring off-peak travel times provides insight into award seat availability. Airlines often release more seats during non-holiday periods or mid-week flights. Researching these times can yield better chances for booking sought-after routes, such as flying to popular destinations during less busy seasons.

What Are the Best Practices for Maximizing Your Award Travel Points and Miles?

Maximizing award travel points and miles involves strategic planning and smart choices. By following best practices, you can enhance your travel experiences and benefits.

Here are the best practices for maximizing your award travel points and miles: 1. Choose the Right Credit Card 2. Understand Airline Alliances 3. Monitor Promotions and Deals 4. Book Early and Be Flexible 5. Use Points for Upgrades 6. Transfer Points Wisely 7. Utilize Ever-Changing Program Benefits

Understanding these practices can help travelers make informed choices about their award travel.

Choose the Right Credit Card : Choosing the right credit card is essential for maximizing award travel. Credit cards that offer travel rewards typically provide bonus points for specific categories, such as airline bookings, hotel stays, and dining. Many cards offer sign-up bonuses that can significantly boost your points. For instance, the Chase Sapphire Preferred offers a substantial bonus if you meet the spending requirement within the first three months. A 2022 study by Bankrate revealed that the average sign-up bonus can result in 50,000 to 100,000 points, enough for multiple flights.

Understand Airline Alliances : Understanding airline alliances can broaden your options for redeeming points. Major alliances include Star Alliance, Oneworld, and SkyTeam. These groups allow travelers to use points across various airlines, providing more routes and availability. For instance, if you have points with United Airlines, you can often book flights with Lufthansa or other Star Alliance members. An analysis by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) in 2021 indicated that leveraging alliances can lead to savings of up to 30% on ticket costs when using miles.

Monitor Promotions and Deals : Monitoring promotions and deals can yield significant rewards. Airlines frequently offer flash sales, bonus miles for specific routes, or limited-time redemption options. Joining airline newsletters and following them on social media can keep you informed. According to a survey by The Points Guy in 2023, savvy travelers using promotions saved an average of $500 per trip by booking during sales.

Book Early and Be Flexible : Booking early and maintaining flexibility can maximize reward availability. Airlines release award seats several months in advance. Flexibility with travel dates allows you to take advantage of the lowest mileage costs to various destinations. For example, flights on weekdays typically require fewer miles than weekend flights. Research by Skyscanner in 2023 found that adjusting travel dates by just a few days can reduce miles needed by as much as 40%.

Use Points for Upgrades : Using points for upgrades enhances travel experiences. Many airlines allow you to use points to upgrade from economy to business or first class. This can provide premium services while using an economy fare. The airline British Airways offers a method to use Avios points for upgrades, making a significantly more comfortable flight more accessible. Frequent travelers noted that an upgrade can be worth more than three times the cost of an economy ticket.

Transfer Points Wisely : Transferring points wisely between programs can unlock better redemption options. Loyalty programs often allow transfers at varying rates. For example, transferring points from a hotel loyalty program to an airline program could yield more value for flights. A report by NerdWallet in 2022 highlighted that careful transfers can increase the value of points by 20-50% when properly aligned with reward redemption.

Utilize Ever-Changing Program Benefits : Utilizing ever-changing program benefits can significantly enhance travel experiences. Many loyalty programs offer additional features like free checked bags, priority boarding, and lounge access for elite members. Regularly reviewing these benefits can help you offset travel costs and improve comfort. A case study from the Frequent Flyer Gazette in 2023 emphasized that top-tier members reported saving up to $600 annually by leveraging such benefits.

By following these best practices, travelers can effectively maximize their award points and miles, leading to enhanced travel satisfaction and potential savings.

What Common Mistakes Should You Avoid in Award Travel?

Avoiding common mistakes in award travel can significantly enhance your travel experience and point utilization.

• Not researching award availability
• Waiting too long to book
• Underestimating fees and taxes
• Ignoring transfer partners
• Failing to read the fine print
• Overlooking expiration dates

Understanding these mistakes is crucial for optimizing your award travel strategy. Here’s a deeper exploration of each common mistake to avoid.

Not researching award availability : Not researching award availability leads to missed opportunities. When planning award travel, it’s essential to check if seats are available for your desired flights. Many airlines have limited seats allocated for award travel. Additionally, award seats can vary by date and flight, so be flexible with your travel dates to increase your chances of securing a seat. A survey by the Points Guy in 2022 found that 68% of travelers did not check award availability before planning.

Waiting too long to book : Waiting too long to book award flights can cost you valuable points. Many airlines release award seats months in advance, and popular routes fill quickly. Booking early, typically 3 to 6 months ahead, is advisable. According to a 2021 report by Hopper, travelers who booked fares 3-4 months in advance saved approximately 40% on points compared to last-minute bookings.

Underestimating fees and taxes : Underestimating fees and taxes can lead to unexpected costs. While miles can cover the ticket price, many airlines still charge fees, which can be significant. Be sure to check the total cost associated with redeeming points, as some airlines charge high fuel surcharges. The Department of Transportation reported that average taxes and fees can make up 15%-25% of the ticket’s fare for award bookings.

Ignoring transfer partners : Ignoring transfer partners can result in lost value. Many loyalty programs allow you to transfer points to airline frequent flyer programs. This can unlock better redemption options. For example, American Express Membership Rewards can transfer to several partner airlines, often providing better award availability. According to a study by NerdWallet, savvy travelers saved more than 30% on average by transferring points effectively.

Failing to read the fine print : Failing to read the fine print can lead to misunderstandings. Each airline has different rules regarding awardpoint redemption. This includes blackout dates, required points, and fare classes permissible for booking with points. For instance, low-cost carriers often have strict policies on changes and cancellations that can lead to added fees if not understood upfront.

Overlooking expiration dates : Overlooking expiration dates can cause points to vanish. Many frequent flyer programs have expiration policies, usually requiring account activity every 12 to 18 months. Failing to book travel or make other qualifying transactions can lead to the loss of points. A 2020 survey by Travel + Leisure indicated that 25% of travelers had lost miles due to inactivity, stressing the importance of staying engaged with your airline loyalty programs.

How Can You Stay Updated on Award Travel Offers and Changes?

You can stay updated on award travel offers and changes by subscribing to travel blogs, following airline social media accounts, and using mileage management apps.

Travel blogs provide insights and alerts. Many travel bloggers specialize in award travel. They share tips, promotions, and new offers. Popular blogs often include real-time updates and thorough analyses of programs. Following these blogs allows travelers to learn about opportunities immediately.

Airline social media accounts offer timely announcements. Airlines frequently post the latest deals, promotions, and updates on platforms like Twitter and Facebook. Social media is often the first place to learn about flash sales or new loyalty program features.

Mileage management apps help track individual mileage accounts. Apps like AwardWallet or TripIt allow users to see balances and upcoming expirations. These tools often send alerts regarding changes in award availability or program terms. Keeping track of different airline programs in one place simplifies staying informed.

Email newsletters deliver curated content directly to your inbox. Many airlines and travel websites send newsletters with exclusive offers and updates. Subscribing ensures you receive firsthand information on changes to programs and limited-time offers.

Forums and community groups facilitate discussion. Online forums such as FlyerTalk provide a platform for travelers to share experiences and tips. Participants often share rumors and news that may not yet be official. Engaging with a community can reveal hidden opportunities and strategies.

Consistent monitoring of these resources helps travelers adapt to changes quickly. Being proactive in gathering information can lead to better travel experiences and the ability to maximize rewards.

What Are the Best Resources and Tools for Learning More about Award Travel?

The best resources and tools for learning more about award travel include travel blogs, online forums, books, and mobile apps.

• Travel blogs
• Online forums
• Mobile apps
• Frequent flyer loyalty programs
• Webinars and online courses

These resources provide different perspectives and insights into the complexities of award travel. They cater to various learning preferences, such as reading, interactive discussions, or visual learning, offering unique tips tailored to both beginners and seasoned travelers. Understanding these alternatives can enhance your learning experience.

Travel Blogs: Travel blogs serve as valuable resources for learning about award travel. Bloggers share personal experiences, tips, and tricks for maximizing points and miles. Many well-known bloggers, like The Points Guy, provide in-depth analysis of credit card offers and strategies. Additionally, they often share detailed guides and case studies to illustrate effective ways to redeem points. Following a range of blogs offers multiple viewpoints on each aspect of the award travel process.

Online Forums: Online forums create platforms for discussions about award travel. Websites like FlyerTalk and Reddit feature specialized communities where travelers exchange strategies about booking flights and using points. Participants often discuss recent promotions and share personal insights on the best ways to leverage points, which can help users uncover hidden opportunities or hear conflicting opinions on different loyalty programs. This collaborative learning environment encourages users to ask questions and gain experiences from others.

Books: Books on award travel provide comprehensive information and structured approaches to maximizing travel rewards. Titles like “How to Travel the World on $50 a Day” by Matt Kepnes emphasize budget travel strategies alongside points and mileage systems. Readers can find step-by-step guides and insider tips that present a more traditional, in-depth learning experience compared to online content. Books often compile various expert opinions into one cohesive guide.

Mobile Apps: Mobile apps enhance the experience of managing and utilizing travel points efficiently. Applications like AwardWallet and Points.com help users track their points across multiple programs. They also offer reminders for expiring points and educational resources on how to use them wisely. The convenience of mobile access allows users to stay informed and discover opportunities on the go.

Frequent Flyer Loyalty Programs: Frequent flyer loyalty programs are inherent resources for learning about award travel. Programs like Delta SkyMiles or American Airlines AAdvantage provide extensive information about earning and redeeming points. Members receive newsletters, promotional offers, and educational resources that help them navigate award travel strategies. Understanding the nuances of these programs leads to more informed decision-making.

Webinars and Online Courses: Webinars and online courses democratize expert knowledge on award travel. Organizations and seasoned travel experts frequently host sessions that delve into specific topics such as advanced strategies for using miles or optimizing loyalty programs. Users can engage with instructors, ask questions, and participate in discussions, creating a dynamic learning environment that encourages deeper understanding and application of award travel concepts.

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How Are Award Flight Tickets Priced and Why Is It Important?

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Table of Contents

Why should i care about award ticket pricing, major award ticket pricing structures, award sales, final thoughts.

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In the realm of points travel, people often brag about booking “free travel.” Unless you’re booking a ticket through the Chase Travel Portal , for example, you’re probably not going to get an outright free ticket.

When you use points to book travel, particularly when you use transferable rewards points via an airline partner such as United MileagePlus, you’ll pay a certain amount in miles and a certain amount in cash.

The reason why this exists is that airplane tickets consist of 2 pieces: the fare and the taxes and fees.

The miles or points you pay will cover the fare, while you’ll be responsible for paying the remaining taxes and fees. In many cases, your taxes and fees will be minimal, thanks to the absence of fuel surcharges .

When we compare different frequent flyer programs, we pay the most attention to the cost of the miles for a particular flight . But how do airlines price award tickets?

Let’s walk through all of the different award pricing schemes. As you’ll find out, different airlines follow different pricing structures!

The most basic reason why you should care about award ticket pricing is that you want to get the best points and miles deal out there.

Why pay 500,000 points for a first class flight when you can book the same flight for 80,000?

By having a deep understanding of what pricing strategies frequent flyer programs employ in pricing award tickets, you’ll be able to effectively find the cheapest price for the same flight!

For example, a business class flight on Lufthansa from San Francisco International (SFO) to Munich International (MUC) can cost:

• 56,000 Lufthansa Miles & More miles
• 63,000 Avianca LifeMiles
• 65,000 EVA Air Infinity MileagePlus miles
• 70,000 Air Canada Aeroplan points
• 70,000 United MileagePlus miles
• 72,000 Singapore KrisFlyer miles

If you know where to look, you can get the best redemptions and save some miles . With that being said, let’s group pricing structures together and talk about the differences across various loyalty programs.

Airline frequent flyer programs incorporate tons of different nuances into their business model. Although we’ll strictly be talking about pricing structures in this guide, they can also differ across the board in terms of stopover/open-jaw allowances and much more.

When talking about award pricing structures, there are 5 major categories:

• Region-based pricing
• Distance-based pricing
• Dynamic pricing
• Fixed-value pricing
• A combination of award pricing schemes

Region-Based Frequent Flyer Programs

Region-based frequent flyer programs, also known as zone-based frequent flyer programs, divide up the world into zones, effectively grouping countries together .

This method of consolidating dozens of countries into a single region is then followed by consistent pricing for flights between 2 specific regions. The key point to remember here is that where you fly to/from within a specific region doesn’t usually matter.

For example, if you look at American Airlines AAdvantage’s award chart , you’ll find that zone “South America 1” consists of many countries. If you were planning on flying to Germany in business class, you’ll pay the same price as long as you originate from any location within South America 1.

In other words, flights from Bolivia will cost the same as flights from Peru or Colombia. It doesn’t matter where specifically you’re flying from or to — as long as the route falls within a specific pair of regions, you’ll pay the same price.

Examples of Region-Based Frequent Flyer Programs

Anytime you see an award chart that is split up into regions on the left-most column and on the top-most row, you’re probably looking at a region-based award chart.

Some examples include:

• American Airlines AAdvantage
• Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
• Virgin Atlantic Flying Club (mostly)
• Turkish Airlines Miles&Smile

How to Maximize Region-Based Frequent Flyer Programs

There is no standard way of deciding which countries fall into specific regions — every frequent flyer program chooses which countries fall into its respective regions differently.

Generally speaking, flying further will cost more miles. Therefore, if you can fly further for the same number of miles, you’d be hitting a “sweet spot.”

For example, if you were considering flying to Colombia, you’d find most frequent flyer programs categorize Colombia as part of South America. However, some frequent flyer programs categorize Colombia as part of “Northern South America.” Since U.S.-Northern South America flights command lower mileage prices compared to U.S.-South America flights, you’d be saving a bundle of miles by locating programs that have unique region categorization.

Distance-Based Frequent Flyer Programs

The second-most-common frequent flyer program redemption structure is described as distance-based. Overall, the easiest way to describe this structure is: the further you fly, the more you’ll pay in miles .

Distance-based frequent flyer programs separate flight distances into distance brackets. The way it works is that your flight’s distance falls into a distance bracket. From there, you will pay a fixed price for the award redemption.

You can compare these distance brackets loosely to tax brackets. With tax brackets, you’ll pay a certain percentage of your income depending on which range your income falls into.

Let’s take 2 flight examples:

• John K. Kennedy International-New York City (JFK) to Hong Kong International (HKG): This route measures 8,072 miles
• Beijing Capital International (PEK) – Cape Town International (CPT): This route measures 8,051 miles

If we’re looking at a distance bracket of 8,001 to 10,000 miles, you’ll find that these 2 redemptions should cost the same in miles, despite being completely different routes geographically.

In all, distance-based frequent flyer programs charge a fixed number of miles for all flights within a specific distance bracket , regardless of where you’re flying to globally.

Examples of Distance-Based Frequent Flyer Programs

The easiest way to tell if you’re looking at a distance-based award chart is if you see a column that delineates a series of distance brackets.

Some examples of distance-based frequent flyer programs include:

• Japan Airlines Mileage Bank
• Qantas Frequent Flyer
• British Airways Executive Club .

How to Maximize Distance-Based Frequent Flyer Programs

Distance-based frequent flyer programs were designed to level the playing field for award redemptions. In general, succeeding looks like booking a longer award flight for the same mileage price.

Since distance-based frequent flyer programs split up the distance spectrum into distance brackets, a “sweet spot” would be considered booking towards the upper bound of a distance bracket .

For example, if you find a distance bracket of 6,001 to 8,000 miles and are looking to book a flight from Logan International-Boston (BOS) to Hong Kong International (HKG), you’ll find a total flight distance of 7,970 miles.

This 15-hour 35-minute flight is at the top end of the spectrum, and booking this would cost the same as booking a flight from Vancouver International (YVR) to Hong Kong International (HKG), which is only 13 hours 55 minutes long. In other words, you’ll enjoy a longer flight for the same price.

Dynamically-Priced Frequent Flyer Programs

Our next frequent flyer program structure is one that gets endless hatred . Dynamically-priced frequent flyer programs are unique in the sense that there could be many different award prices quoted on an identical flight .

Simply put, the award price you’ll pay for a specific ticket will vary by factors including, but not limited to:

• Seasonality
• Cabin load factor
• Number of award tickets already redeemed in the same cabin
• Number of tickets desired

The way it works is as follows:

• An airline will create fare buckets for award tickets, just like for revenue tickets. These are commonly referred to as award levels or award buckets.
• An airline will allocate a certain number of seats to each award level.
• As travelers book these award tickets, the number of seats in each award level will decrease, with the cheapest award buckets disappearing first.
• As the number of travelers booking award tickets increase, the lowest available award level will get more and more expensive.

This, in a nutshell, is how dynamic award pricing works. One of the main criticisms of dynamically-priced frequent flyer programs has been the lack of transparency . When airlines don’t publish and standardize their award pricing practices, travelers lose faith in and get spooked by constant devaluations .

Because there isn’t an official document that confines the award prices to a specific number, dynamically-priced frequent flyer programs can get devalued within a blink of an eye.

Let’s take an example route of a nonstop Air France business class flight from Los Angeles International (LAX) to Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG). Because Air France/KLM Flying Blue is a dynamically-priced frequent flyer program, you’ll see several different award prices, ranging from decent to exorbitant:

• 67,500 miles
• 72,000 miles
• 118,500 miles
• 141,500 miles
• 209,000 miles
• 285,000 miles

Depending on when you book, you’ll find award prices that change over time, hence dynamically-based.

Examples of Dynamically-Priced Frequent Flyer Programs

One of the telltale signs of a dynamically-priced frequent flyer program is the appearance of numerous different award prices for the same flight on different days.

If you see this, you’re most likely looking at a dynamic award pricing system. Examples of dynamically-priced frequent flyer programs include:

• Delta SkyMiles (on its own flights)
• Air France/KLM Flying Blue
• Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles .

How to Maximize Dynamically-Priced Frequent Flyer Programs

It can be difficult to eke out amazing value from dynamically-priced frequent flyer programs. When trying to do so, you’ll be starting at a disadvantage, knowing that these programs are designed to make attaining great redemption value as difficult as possible .

Anecdotally, there have been reports of people making terrible redemptions for Delta business class for 395,000 Delta SkyMiles one-way to Africa!

One of the best ways to maximize dynamically-priced frequent flyer programs is to research what exactly the cheapest level awards cost on specific routes. Then, you’ll know, for example, that a solid redemption value would be to snag low-level award tickets. For example, if you know that a flight’s cheapest price is 50,000 miles, then you’ll know to look for tickets that cost 50,000 miles to get the absolute best deal.

Fixed-Value Frequent Flyer Programs

Fixed-value frequent flyer programs are less common and difficult to maximize. As the name suggests, these frequent flyer programs assign a fixed value to their points. Specifically, they assign a narrow range of values to their points.

The amount of miles you’ll pay for a flight is tied to:

• The revenue ticket’s cost
• The mile’s fixed value range

For example, if you are booking a ticket that is worth $500 and you see a fixed value of 1-1.1 cents per mile, you will pay anywhere from 45,454 miles to 50,000 miles for this ticket.

There’s no special optimization or routing rules to implement here. In a sense, this scheme is the most “boring.”

Examples of Fixed-Value Frequent Flyer Programs

One of the telltale signs of a fixed value frequent flyer program is you research lots of different flights in the same program and you find that the mathematical value is always around the same ballpark .

Another sign is that you see mileage quotes that are not “nice, clean, round numbers” — for example, 18,362 miles compared to 20,000.

Some examples of fixed-value frequent flyer programs are:

• Air New Zealand Airpoints (1 Airpoint Dollar is worth NZ$1)
• Southwest Rapid Rewards points (1.4-1.6 cents per point)
• JetBlue Plus miles (1-1.4 cents per point).

How to Maximize Fixed-Value Frequent Flyer Programs

The only way to get outsized value from these frequent flyer programs is if your redemptions can fall within a spectrum of values.

If you take JetBlue Plus points, for example, you’ll see that the value of your miles is 1-1.4 cents per point. To get closer to the 1.4 cents per point end of the spectrum, you’ll need to take out your calculator and start doing some math to figure out the cents per mile value on several different redemptions you’re considering.

Besides that, it’s – by definition – impossible to extract much-added value from fixed-value frequent flyer programs.

Mixed Programs

The very last program we’ll be talking about is what’s known as a mixed program. Mixed programs are simply those that incorporate a combination of the above-discussed programs.

When airlines offer award redemptions, they often separate the pricing as follows:

• Award structure for their own flights
• Award structure for alliance flights (if applicable)
• Award structure for all other partner flights

Examples of Mixed-Based Frequent Flyer Programs

A particular frequent flyer program may employ different award structures for each of the 3 sub-programs. This concept isn’t new, but it’s an important distinction nonetheless.

An example of a mixed program is Delta SkyMiles . For flights on Delta Air Lines, you’ll find a dynamically-based structure, while partner flights command a region-based structure.

Another example of a mixed program is Etihad Guest . Etihad isn’t in any major alliance and Etihad Guest charges for its own award flights in a semi-region-based scheme. For its partners, Etihad Guest will either use a distance-based or region-based structure, depending on which exact partner you’re looking to book.

How to Maximize Mixed Frequent Flyer Programs

The easiest way to maximize mixed frequent flyer programs is to understand sweet spots within each sub-program. What does that mean?

For example, you can redeem 25,610 Etihad Guest miles for Czech Airlines business class flights between Václav Havel Airport Prague (PRG) and Incheon International-Seoul (ICN). This outlandishly good redemption is only possible if you know the pricing structures for these loyalty programs.

Hot Tip:  If you’re looking for more redemptions to maximize value, explore our ways to redeem Delta SkyMiles as well as redeem Etihad Guest Miles to get the most out of your points.

This isn’t a loyalty program structure. Rather, award sales are released to incentivize specific groups of people in loyalty programs by offering great discounts on mileage redemptions

Some of these programs include:

• Air France/KLM Flying Blue ( Promo Rewards )
• Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer ( Spontaneous Escapes )
• Avianca LifeMiles ( Star Alliance Award Sale )
• American Airlines ( Web Specials )
• Delta SkyMiles ( Flash Deals )
• and Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles ( Award Ticket Promos )

The only real way to maximize this is to wait for an award sale to occur before redeeming miles. That way, you can lock in a fantastic discount for business and even first class award tickets.

In closing, award travel is complex. Pricing out award travel is many times more complex than pricing out revenue travel. When you’re booking cash tickets, you can simply go to Google Flights and you’ll get one of the lowest, if not the lowest, quotes on prices.

The same isn’t true for award travel. You need to study airline award programs extensively and have an idea of which particular redemptions are the best and cheapest.

There’s tons of information out there, but booking fantastic business and first class tickets is only getting harder and harder. Getting a hang of the fundamentals and the underlying logic of award pricing structures will be instrumental to your success in booking coveted first class tickets and not bankrupting yourself in the process.

Now, you have all the knowledge you need on how award travel is priced!

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UP's Bonus Valuation

This bonus value is an estimated valuation  calculated by UP after analyzing redemption options, transfer partners, award availability and how much UP would pay to buy these points.

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The Basics of Booking an Award Flight with United

Reviewed by Tyler Glatt

AwardWallet receives compensation from advertising partners for links on the blog. Terms Apply to the offers listed on this page. The opinions expressed here are our own and have not been reviewed, provided, or approved by any bank advertiser. Here's our complete list of Advertisers .

The United Airlines MileagePlus program is one of the most popular and easy-to-use frequent flyer programs. There are many ways to earn miles, and finding and booking award flights is pretty straightforward.

Today, we'll go over the basics of how the United award chart works. Then, we'll show you the step-by-step process for finding and booking award flights with United miles. Finally, we will show you how to earn MileagePlus miles.

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United uses a dynamic pricing model , meaning the prices can change from day to day. Take a look at the picture below, and you'll see that a flight from San Francisco to New York costs 15k one day, 19.4k another day, and 27.7k a different day.

This is important to remember when looking to book award flights with United. You can save a lot of miles if you're flexible with your dates! Thankfully, you can view both seven-day and 30-day charts, which will show you the cheapest flight dates.

MileagePlus Premier members and qualified MileagePlus Chase Cardmembers are eligible for exclusive award travel availability. So, those with a United credit card or United elite status get access to extra award seats that aren't available to everyone else .

When it comes to booking an award flight on a partner airline, prices can be all over the place. It depends on dates, times, connections, which partner airline, and more. To provide some clarity, we have compiled an unofficial United award chart .

Now it's time to book your United award flight! If you have earned miles directly with United, they're already in your account. If you have earned points through a credit card with flexible points, you should find flights before transferring your points to your United account. We generally do not recommend speculatively transferring points as you can't transfer them back if there's an award devaluation.

To book an award flight, log on to your MileagePlus account. Then, click “book” and fill out the search information. Make sure to select “book with miles.” When you've filled all of that out, click “find flights.”

The next screen shows all of your flight options. At this point, we suggest clicking either the seven-day or 30-day calendar to show the surrounding dates and prices. This is very helpful if you're able to adjust your dates to save some miles. Next, select both your departing and returning flights (if it's a round-trip booking).

After selecting your flights, enter all of your personal information. Make sure that your MileagePlus number is included. You can also include your TSA PreCheck information (if you have it) and any special travel requests.

Finally, you will see a breakdown of the cost and be able to pay for your flight. And when you pay the award taxes and fees, don't forget to use a card offering travel insurance benefits .

How to Earn United MileagePlus Miles

Before you can book United award flights, you need to earn United miles. To do that, ensure you've signed up for a free United MileagePlus account. If you haven't yet, you can do that here . This will be where all your United miles go, so you can use them to book award flights. You can use AwardWallet to track your United account for new miles you earn, bookings you make, and more.

When it comes to earning miles, you have many options. Let's review each one.

An easy way to earn United miles is to open one of its co-branded cards from Chase. There are six options total: four personal cards and two business cards. After qualifying spending, each of these cards has a sign-up bonus that can help jumpstart (or boost) your stash of United miles, putting you on your way to booking an award flight.

Related: Which United Credit Card Is Right for You?

• Earn 20,000 bonus miles
• No annual fee
• Earn 2 miles per $1 spent on United ® purchases, at gas stations and on local transit and commuting
• Earn 2 miles per $1 spent on United ® purchases
• Earn 2 miles per $1 spent at gas stations, on local transit and commuting
• Earn 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases
• 25% back as a statement credit on purchases of food, beverages and Wi-Fi on board United-operated flights and on Club premium drinks when you pay with your Gateway Card
• Member FDIC
• 2 miles per $1 spent on United ® purchases
• 2 miles per $1 spent at gas stations
• 2 miles per $1 spent on local transit and commuting
• 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases

The entry-level United Gateway℠ Card earns 20,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open. Plus, 0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases. Here's how you'll earn United miles when using this $0-annual fee card:

• Earn 50,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
• $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $95.
• Earn 2 miles per $1 spent on dining, hotel stays, and United ® purchases
• Up to $100 Global Entry, TSA PreCheck ® or NEXUS fee credit
• 25% back as a statement credit on purchases of food, beverages and Wi-Fi on board United-operated flights and on Club premium drinks when you pay with your Explorer Card
• Free first checked bag - a savings of up to $160 per roundtrip. Terms Apply.
• Enjoy priority boarding privileges and visit the United Club℠ with 2 one-time passes each year for your anniversary
• 2X miles per $1 spent on purchases from United ®
• 2X miles per $1 spent at restaurants and on hotel stays
• 1X mile per $1 spent on all other purchases

The United℠ Explorer Card is by far the most popular United card — for good reason! You earn 50,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open. This card's annual fee is $95 ($0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95) and the benefits far outweigh the nominal annual fee.

• First checked bag free for you and a companion
• Two United Club one-time passes each year
• Up to $100 TSA PreCheck or Global Entry fee application credit
• Earn up to 1,000 Premier Qualifying Points toward United status through credit card spending

Here's how you'll earn miles using the United Explorer Card :

• Earn 60,000 bonus miles and 500 PQP after qualifying purchases
• Earn 3 miles per $1 spent on United ® purchases
• Earn 2 miles per $1 spent on all other travel, dining and select streaming services
• Free first and second checked bags - a savings of up to $360 per roundtrip (terms apply) - and priority boarding
• Up to a $125 United ® purchase credit and up to 10,000 miles in award flight credits each year (terms apply)
• Earn up to 6,000 Premier qualifying points per calendar year (25 PQP for every $500 you spend on purchases)
• 3 miles per $1 spent on United ® purchases
• 2 miles per $1 spent on all other travel
• 2 miles per $1 spent at restaurants
• 2 miles per $1 spent on select streaming services

The mid-tier United Quest℠ Card will earn you many miles and more perks — with an annual fee that reflects it. You can earn 60,000 bonus miles and 500 Premier Qualifying Points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open. The annual fee is $250. If you are a frequent United flyer, this card may be a good choice for you due to these perks:

• Two free checked bags for you and a companion
• $125 annual purchase credit
• Two 5,000-mile anniversary award flight credits
• Earn up to 6,000 Premier Qualifying Points through spending

Plus, earn miles on purchases at the following rates:

• Earn 80,000 bonus miles after qualifying purchases
• Earn 4 miles per $1 spent on United ® purchases
• Earn 2 miles per $1 spent on all other travel and dining
• Free first and second checked bags - a savings of up to $360 per roundtrip (terms apply) - and Premier Access ® travel services
• 10% United Economy Saver Award discount within the continental U.S. and Canada
• Earn up to 10,000 Premier qualifying points per calendar year (25 PQP for every $500 you spend on purchases)
• Earn 2 miles per $1 spent on all other travel
• Earn 2 miles per $1 spent on dining

The United Club℠ Infinite Card is made for United loyalists. New applicants can earn 80,000 bonus miles bonus miles after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

This card charges a hefty $525 annual fee, but there is one big benefit that may make it worth it: lounge access ! This card comes with an annual subscription to United Club , which is valued at $650. In addition to your United Club subscription, you will get:

• Premier Access travel services such as priority check-in, security screening, plus priority boarding and baggage handling
• Earn up to 10,000 Premier Qualifying Points through spending
• Automatic IHG One Rewards Diamond Elite status

Earn United miles on purchases at the following rates:

In addition to the four personal cards above, United also has two business cards.

• Earn 75,000 bonus miles after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
• $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $99.
• Receive a 5,000-mile "better together" bonus each anniversary when you have both the United℠ Business Card and a personal Chase United ® credit card.
• Earn 2 miles per $1 spent on United ® purchases, dining including eligible delivery services, at gas stations, office supply stores, and on local transit and commuting.
• Earn 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases. Plus, employee cards at no additional cost - miles earned from their purchases accrue in your account so you can earn rewards faster.
• Enjoy a free first checked bag - a savings of up to $160 per roundtrip (terms apply), 2 United Club℠ one-time passes per year, and priority boarding privileges.
• $100 United ® travel credit after 7 United flight purchases of $100 or more each anniversary year.
• 2x on United ® purchases
• 2x on local transit and commuting — including train tickets, taxicabs, mass transit, tolls and ride share services
• 2x at gas stations, restaurants and office supply stores
• 1x on all other purchases

The United℠ Business Card offers the following benefits:

• $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $99
• First checked bag free
• 2 miles per $1 spent on United, local transit and commuting and at gas stations, office supply stores and restaurants. Plus, earn 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases
• Earn up to 1,000 Premier Qualifying Points through spending

The United Club℠ Business Card has an annual fee of $450. Like the name says, it comes with lounge access! Benefits include:

• Annual membership to United Club
• 50,000 bonus miles + 1,000 Premier qualifying points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
• Premier Access travel services

Another way to earn United miles is to transfer flexible reward points from other programs to United. You have three options for transferring points to United to boost your mileage balance.

The first is Chase Ultimate Rewards . Because United is one of Chase's transfer partners , you can transfer points from Chase to United at a 1:1 ratio in increments of 1,000 (1,000 Ultimate Rewards equals 1,000 United miles). Several credit cards earn Chase Ultimate Rewards points . However, you'll need one of three cards to access Chase's transfer partners — Chase Sapphire Preferred ® Card , Chase Sapphire Reserve ® , or Ink Business Preferred ® Credit Card . Transfers are typically immediate .

• Earn 90k bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $900 cash back or $1,125 toward travel when redeemed through Chase Travel℠
• Earn 3 points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent on travel and select business categories each account anniversary year. Earn 1 point per $1 on all other purchases
• Round-the-clock monitoring for unusual credit card purchases
• With Zero Liability you won't be held responsible for unauthorized charges made with your card or account information.
• Redeem points for cash back, gift cards, travel and more - your points don't expire as long as your account is open
• Points are worth 25% more when you redeem for travel through Chase Travel℠
• Purchase Protection covers your new purchases for 120 days against damage or theft up to $10,000 per claim and $50,000 per account.
• 3X points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases on travel, shipping purchases, Internet, cable and phone services, advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines each account anniversary year
• 1X point per $1 on all other purchases

Related: How To Transfer Chase Points to United MileagePlus

Bilt Rewards

You can transfer points from Bilt Rewards to United at a 1:1 ratio in increments of 2,000. To earn Bilt Rewards, you need to pay your monthly rent through Bilt or hold The Bilt Mastercard ® — or do both. This card has a $0 annual fee ( Rates & Fees ) and can be used to pay rent with no transaction fees, plus you'll earn 3x on dining and 2x on travel. Just be sure to use the card five times each statement period to be eligible to earn points.

• 3x points on dining
• 2x points on travel
• 1x points on rent payments without the transaction fee (up to 100,000 points each calendar year)
• 1x points on other purchases

You can also transfer Marriott Bonvoy points to over three dozen airlines , and United may offer the best deal among them. Transfers happen at a 3:1 ratio, plus you'll get 10,000 bonus miles for transferring 60,000 Marriott points. That means you'll end up with 30,000 United miles in the end. It involves an extra step, but any credit card earning Marriott points can effectively earn United miles.

Note that transfers can take up to five days .

• Earn 155,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after you use your new Card to make $5,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
• Earn 6X Marriott Bonvoy® points for each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy.
• Earn 4X points at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on up to $15,000 in combined purchases at restaurants and U.S. supermarkets per calendar year, then 2X points).
• Earn 2X points on all other eligible purchases.
• Marriott Bonvoy 1K Bonus Points Per Stay: Earn 1,000 Marriott Bonvoy® bonus points per paid eligible stay booked directly with Marriott for properties participating in Marriott Bonvoy.
• With complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elites status, earn up to 2.5X points from Marriott Bonvoy® on eligible hotel purchases with the 25% Bonus Points on stays benefit, available for Qualifying Rates.
• Marriott Bonvoy Bevy Free Night Award: Earn 1 Free Night Award after spending $15,000 on eligible purchases on your Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ Card in a calendar year. Award can be used for one night (redemption level at or under 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy® points) at a hotel participating in Marriott Bonvoy®. Certain hotels have resort fees.
• 15 Elite Night Credits: Each calendar year with your Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express Card® you can receive 15 Elite Night Credits toward the next level of Marriott Bonvoy® Elite status. Limitations apply per Marriott Bonvoy member account. Benefit is not exclusive to Cards offered by American Express. Terms apply.
• Plan It® is a payment option that lets you split up purchases of $100 or more into equal monthly installments with a fixed fee. Plus, you'll still earn rewards the way you usually do.
• $250 Annual Fee.
• Terms Apply.
• Rates & Fees
• 6X points on purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy
• 4X points on up to $15,000 in combined purchases per year at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets
• 2X points on all other eligible purchases

Obviously, you can earn United miles when flying with United or one of its Star Alliance partners .

When you book a flight on United, enter your MileagePlus number (the membership number from the free account you've created) during checkout. You will then earn 5x miles for every dollar you spend, not including taxes and fees. If you have any status with United , your earning rate goes up. Here are the current earning rates:

Additionally, when you fly on a Star Alliance partner, you can enter your United MileagePlus number to earn United miles.

Along with earning miles from flying, you can book rental cars and cruises through United's transportation partners . United partners with more than 25 cruise lines, and you can earn up to 45,000 points on sailings. United also partners with Avis and Budget rental cars, providing up to 1,250 award miles per qualifying rental (depending on your United status). It is important to include your MileagePlus number when booking travel through a travel partner, otherwise you won't earn miles.

Buying something? You can earn miles when you shop through the United MileagePlus Shopping portal .

Click the shopping portal link and sign into your MileagePlus account. Then, search for the store you want to shop at. Once you find the store you want, click on it and go to the store's website to shop like you normally would.

United tracks the purchase, and you will earn miles based on how much you spend. You'll earn different rates at different stores, and rates can change often — 0.5 to 20 miles per $1 spent. Shopping portals like United's are an easy way to earn miles for shopping that you would already be doing.

Related: Beginner's Guide to Shopping Portals

You can download the MileagePlus X app to use for in-person and online shopping. In the app, you'll essentially buy a gift card to the store you're shopping at, pay with that, and then earn five miles per $1 spent. If you have a United credit card, you'll earn 25% more.

One final option for earning United miles is to buy them . Occasional United buy miles promotions may let you snag miles at a low rate, but be sure to consider your other options before pulling out your credit card to buy miles.

Despite several devaluations over the last few years, United miles are relatively easy to come by, and it's easy to book award flights with the MileagePlus program. Additionally, there are a ton of partner airlines that help make booking award travel an easy and affordable option to countless destinations.

What's your favorite award flight you've booked with United miles? Let us know in the comments.

For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: The Bilt Mastercard ® ( Rates & Fees ), and Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express ® Card ( Rates & Fees )

The comments on this page are not provided, reviewed, or otherwise approved by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.

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30,000 united miles is nearly worthless with the major inflation United just introduced.

Miles and points are my favorite currency

What You Need to Know When Booking American Airlines Award Tickets

Advertiser disclosure: The Miles Genie has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products.  The Miles Genie and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Editorial disclosure: Opinions, reviews, analyses, and recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.

Have you ever tried to book an American Airlines award ticket with AAdvantage miles only to have sticker shock when the redemption price is higher than expected? I’ll explain why the redemption price you’re seeing when running a search for an award ticket may not match the redemption price that is published on American Airlines AAdvantage’s award chart.

This post is actually one of the first posts ever on this blog, but I update it anytime the AAdvantage program makes changes that could affect award travel. I originally wrote this post after I received a message from someone who was looking for flights to and from Brazil.  Her question was about how to get flights on American Airlines without redeeming over 100,000 miles for a round trip ticket in economy.  I realized I needed to explain different types of award ticket pricing, as well as award seat availability.

According to the AA award chart , a flight between the continental US and Brazil (South America zone 2) requires 30,000 AAdvantage miles each way for a milesAAver ticket.  The reason there were no tickets for 30,000 AAdvantage miles each way was because no saver level tickets were available.  

In this post, I’ll explain why saver level tickets (and web specials, sometimes) are the only award tickets you should be booking with AAdvantage miles*. I’ll also explain why AAdvantage miles may not be the best award currency to collect even if you only fly American Airlines. This post will specifically address the AAdvantage program, but several other airline programs have the same method of pricing award tickets.

*Update: AA now has an additional type of award ticket called a web special. Redemption prices for Web specials may be priced even lower than a milesAAver ticket. Web specials can only be booked with AAdvantage miles. You cannot use a partner program’s miles to book a web special. More on that a little later.

Overview of American Airlines AAdvantage program

How to earn aadvantage miles.

• Welcome bonuses on AAdvantage co-branded credit cards
• Spend on AAdvantage co-branded credit cards
• Making purchases through the AAdvantage  shopping portal
• You can earn miles the old fashioned way which is actually flying on a paid ticket (also known as butt-in-seat miles)
• AA is not a direct transfer partner of Chase Ultimate Rewards or American Express Membership Rewards BUT you can still book AA flights indirectly. Bonus: depending on the route, you may use less miles and points by booking using British Airways Avios and other partners.

AAdvantage Partners

• American Airlines is part of the Oneworld Alliance

• Air Tahiti Nui 
• Cape Air 
• China Southern Airlines 
• Etihad Airways 
• Fiji Airways 
• GOL Airlines 
• Hawaiian Airlines *
• Interjet 
• Seaborne Virgin Islands 

*You cannot use AAdvantage miles to book flights from the US mainland to Hawaii on Hawaiian Airlines.  You can use AAdvantage miles to book flights between Hawaii and Asia or the South Pacific, or for Hawaiian inter-island routes on Hawaiian Airlines

This means you can use AAdvantage miles to book flights operated by these airlines.  Likewise, you can use the loyalty program of most of these airlines to book flights operated by American Airlines.

How many American Airlines AAdvantage miles do I need for an award ticket?

Unlike Delta and United, American Airlines publishes its award charts, which makes it easy to get an idea of how many AAdvantage miles you need for an award ticket.

For all award flights, AAdvantage has a region based (also called zone-based) pricing model. The entire world is divided into regions/zones and a fixed number of miles is required for travel from zone A to zone B.

This type of pricing model is different than that of some other programs we discuss on this site. For example, we often use the frequent flyer program of British Airways to book American Airlines flights. When we do this, the pricing is different because British Airways determines the redemption price and British Airways uses a distance based model.

With AAdvantage, the region based pricing means that the amount of miles required for a MilesAAver ticket from New York (contiguous 48 US states) to Cancun (Mexico) is the amount of miles required for a MilesAAver flight from DFW (contiguous 48 US states) to Cancun (Mexico). With British Airways, the redemption price could be different since the DFW to Cancun flight is a much shorter distance than a New York to Mexico route. Click here for more information about the different types of award ticket pricing.

AAdvantage has different pricing for award tickets operated by partner airlines, though the pricing type is still region based. I’ll discuss both scenarios.

Redeeming AAdvantage miles for partner airlines

For flights operated by partner airlines, you can refer to the partner award chart , which is pretty simple. There is only one price for each level of service (economy, premium economy, business, and first).

Note that there are off peak dates on US-Europe routes operated by partner airlines and those dates are January 10 – March 14 and November 1 – December 14.

These prices are similar to that of the milesAAver redemption prices for flights operated by AA, but remember, partner award flights are subject to availability and I’ll discuss that a little later.

Important update about partner availability: you can still use AA.com to search, but the search engine now looks different and it is sometimes tough to distinguish MilesAAver tickets from other types of AA tickets. The best way to search for AA availability to book with partner miles such as Etihad or British Airways is now with Qantas. I suggest searching Qantas (but don’t pay attention to pricing) to find space rather than trying to figure out what’s a saver ticket and what isn’t on AA. Click here for instructions .

Redeeming AAdvantage miles for flights operated by American Airlines

For flights operated by American Airlines, AAdvantage offers 2 types of award tickets in each class (economy, premium economy, business, and first). In the AAdvantage program these are called MileSAAver and AAnytime awards.  There are actually 2 tiers of AAnytime awards, but that is kind of irrelevant and I’ll explain why.

When you are looking at AAdvantage award charts for flights operated by American Airlines, you will see 4 different charts, 1 for each class of service:

• Premium Economy

Each chart has 3 tiers of pricing, with the exception of main cabin (economy), which also has off-peak MilesAAver pricing. The 3 tiers are MilesAAver, AAnytime Level 1, and AAnytime Level 2.

Also, there’s this sentence on AA’s website suggesting redemption prices could occasionally get even higher for AAnytime tickets: “AAnytime award levels vary by date and region. There are select dates that require a higher number of miles (in addition to Level 1 and 2 awards). When you search for awards while booking, you’ll see the applicable award level.”

Award seat inventory

To understand the difference between MilesAAver and AAnytime tickets, it may help if I explain award seat inventory.

With the exception of fare based pricing models such as Southwest Rapid Rewards, most airlines allocate a set amount of award seats for any given flight. Most airlines do not have an unlimited amount of award space on any given flight.  In other words, just because you see that 50 seats are available on a flight, it does not mean that 50 seats are available to book with miles.

The amount of seats varies and every airline has a different way of doing this, but this post will turn into a novel if I try to get into all of that. The point I’m trying to make is that airlines do not make every seat available to book with miles.

A good way to think about the American Airlines AAdvantage program is that the milesAAver level is their award seat inventory. These are also going to be the seats made available to book with partner programs. In other words, if you’re trying to book an AA flight with the programs of British Airways or Iberia as we often do , AA must have milesAAver availability.

For some airlines, once that award seat inventory is booked, you’re kind of out of luck. Then there are some airlines that will still let you book, but at a higher redemption price. American Airlines actually still lets you book a ticket on AA operated flights (it cannot be a partner flight) even if milesAAver seats are not available. These are the ‘AAnytime’ awards and as you can see in the chart above and the photo below, they require a lot of AAdvantage miles.  Sometimes twice as much as sAAver tickets.

The AAnytime awards are almost always available to book on any given route that is operated by American Airlines

A mileSAAver ticket from the US to Brazil in economy is 30k each way.  There is no milesAAver space on this particular route for these dates, so you are looking at the AAnytime award prices.  AAnytime awards generally cost so many miles that it’s a horrible value for your points/miles.  

So, when you see an AAnytime award, AA is basically saying ‘we have no award seats available but we will still give it to you if you’re willing to redeem a ridiculous amount of miles’. When you’re looking for award space on AA, it is generally only a good value for your miles  if there is mileSAAver space (or a Web Special) available.

If you do not see the tickets you need at first, keep checking.  American Airlines will sometimes randomly release extra award space, but there’s no way to predict if and when it will happen.

Different airlines release different amounts of award space.  Also, every airline releases award seats at different times, so it is a little tough to predict when the best time is to search for availability.  With that said, I always recommend starting your search as far out from your travel date as possible.   It helps to be a little flexible on your dates, but I realize that is not always possible for everyone.

In the past year, AA has rolled out one more type of award ticket: Web Special awards

Recently, AA has introduced a new type of award ticket called web specials. Web specials are award tickets that are priced differently than what is published on AA’s award charts for milesAAver and AAnytime tickets. Sometimes web specials are great deals and they are often priced lower than a milesAAver ticket on the same route. Web specials are exclusive to AAdvantage. You cannot use partner miles (such as British Airways or Iberia) to book web specials unless the seat is also available as a milesAAver ticket.

Web Specials are often great deals, but there is a catch: no changes are allowed. You can cancel and have your miles redeposited, but a fee may apply.

How to book award flights with AAdvantage miles:

For flights operated by AA and most partners, you can search for availability and redeem AAdvantage miles at AA.com :

• American Airlines
• Air Tahiti Nui
• Alaska Airlines
• British Airways
• Cathay Pacific
• Fiji Airways
• Hawaiian Airlines
• Japan Airlines
• Malaysia Airlines
• Qantas Airways
• Qatar Airways
• Royal Air Maroc
• Royal Jordanian Airlines
• S7 Airlines
• Seaborne Virgin Islands
• SriLankan Airlines

To redeem AAdvantage miles on these carriers, you have to call the reservations department:

Fees that you may have to pay for American Airlines AAdvantage award tickets:

• Phone booking fee: $25-35, but if you are booking a ticket with a partner that cannot be booked online, this fee is waived.
• Changing an award ticket: no fee within North America as long as the origin, destination, and ticket type (economy, etc) remain the same
• Canceling an award ticket: The charge to reinstate miles is $150 per ticket

NEW: Through the rest of 2020, due to the pandemic, AA is waiving change and cancel fees for most award travel. Award tickets booked after January 1, 2021 continue to have more lenient change and cancel policies than in the past, but some fees may apply. You can read all of the terms here .

Can I upgrade from an economy milesAAver ticket to a business milesAAver ticket if it becomes available?

Technically, this is a redeposit ($150 fee), but some agents will allow you to change from an economy milesAAver ticket to a business milesAAver ticket without making you pay the fee.  Some agents will charge only the difference in miles.  This is only possible IF a milesAAver ticket becomes available.

If you switch from a milesAAver to any AAnytime ticket or vice versa, you will most likely be charged the redeposit fee. Again, agents have some discretion, so you could try to hang up and call again if you don’t like the first answer 🙂

Again, for the remainder of 2020, most fees that would normally apply are waived.

A few tips for booking American Airlines award tickets:

Look for availability patterns .  If you have a trip in mind, I suggest searching availability periodically even if you do not know your dates.  This may give you a general idea of their availability patterns.  For example, when I was searching for tickets to Brazil as mentioned at the beginning of this post, I noticed that there is generally good economy milesAAver award ticket availability any time of the year except for the months of December and January.  Checking for availability patterns in the early phase of trip planning may help you figure out dates that work best for your schedule and for award ticket availability!

Don’t forget about partners that aren’t bookable on AA’s website.  For example, LATAM (a South American carrier) is an AA partner, but those flights cannot be booked online with AAdvantage miles.  If you do an award search on AA, LATAM will not show up as an option even if it’s available.  The best way to check availability for LATAM flights is on the British Airways website.  If you find award availability on LATAM on the British Airways website, you can call AA and book the LATAM flight with AAdvantage miles.

There is no magic trick to make American Airlines release more award seats.  But here are a few more tips:

• If you have transferable points such as American Express Membership Rewards and Chase Ultimate Rewards, you aren’t limited to American Airlines and Oneworld partners.  Check other airlines that partner with American Express Membership Rewards and Chase Ultimate Rewards.
• Start your search as early as possible.  You’re a lot more likely to find tickets if you are 6 months out vs. 2 months out.
• Check alternate dates if possible
• Consider flying into/out of other cities.  For example, if Dallas to Paris is not available, try Dallas to another European city.  Then either take a train or a cheap intra-Europe flight to Paris.
• Wait it out.  This is risky, but sometimes airlines open more space as the departure date approaches.

You can book flights operated by American Airlines with several partner airline loyalty programs

You do not necessarily have to have AAdvantage miles to book an American Airlines flight.  Frequent flyer miles with partner programs, such as British Airways and Etihad, can be used to book flights operated American Airlines flights as long as milesAAver award tickets are available.

This is important because it is how we are able to book American Airlines flights with transferable points such as Chase Ultimate Rewards points and Amex Membership Rewards points.

Here are instructions for booking American Airlines flights with British Airways Avios (miles). As always, never transfer points from Ultimate Rewards, American Express, etc., until you have confirmed availability for your dates.

Why I generally do not use credit cards that earn American Airlines miles

I fly American Airlines quite a bit since DFW, an AA hub, is my home airport.  I generally do not use AAdvantage co-branded credit cards for everyday spending, though.  Here are my main reasons:

• I prefer flexible (transferable) points such as American Express Membership Rewards and Chase Ultimate Rewards.  That way, I have several airline transfer options when I am ready to redeem my points.
• I can book AA flights by transferring American Express Membership Rewards or Chase Ultimate Rewards to partner airline programs.  Neither of these directly transfer to American Airlines, but they transfer to programs that I can use to book AA flights.
• American Airlines can be stingy with ‘SAAver’ award ticket availability, particularly in international business and first class.  If the only miles I have are with American Airlines and there is no availability on AA or its partners for my date and routes, I have no other options.  But with transferable points such as Chase UR and Amex MR, I can check other airlines for availability.
• When award tickets are available on American Airlines, some of their routes require less miles if you book the flight with miles from a partner.  For example, AAdvantage requires 57,500 AAdvantage miles each way in business class from the US to Europe.  Etihad, a non-alliance partner of American Airlines, currently requires 50,000 Etihad miles each way on the exact same American Airlines flight . I can transfer 50,000 Amex MR points to Etihad and then use the Etihad miles to book the American Airlines flight.

Earn 60,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points

No matter what your travel goals are, opening a Chase Sapphire Preferred should be your top priority.  The welcome bonus is worth at least $750 in travel, the annual fee is reasonable, and the rewards (Chase Ultimate Rewards) are easy to earn and redeem.

Current offer:  Earn 60,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months.

Check out our list of 36 Ultimate Rewards redemption ideas !

As of August 16, bonus categories have been added and/or improved!

• Earn 5 points per dollar on all travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards
• Earn 2 points per dollar on other travel purchases
• Instead of the old earn rate of 2, you can now earn 3 points per dollar on dining (including eligible delivery services and takeout)
• 3 points per dollar on online grocery purchases (this excludes Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs)
• 3 points per dollar on select streaming services
• Earn 1 point per dollar on all other purchases

Also, receive credit of up to $50 annually on hotel stays purchased through Ultimate Rewards. New cardmembers will receive this credit immediately and existing cardmembers will start earning after the next anniversary.

Each anniversary, you’ll receive bonus points equal to 10% of total purchases made the previous year. This excludes any sign up bonus points, so it’s only on points earned from spending.

The annual fee is $95, but the welcome offer alone is worth a lot more than that.

Related: 3 ways to redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards points for American Airlines flights

If you already have a Chase Sapphire Preferred card, click here for other Chase and Amex cards that earn rewards that I feel are more valuable than AAdvantage miles.

Are you an American Airlines AAdvantage loyalist?

I get it, I am too, but it doesn’t mean you should only collect AAdvantage miles. Overall, the American Airlines AAdvantage program and award chart is decent (for milesAAver tickets).  There are some great routes for AAdvantage miles if you can find saver availability. For example, you can book a roundtrip award ticket to Italy for 45,000-60,000 miles (depending on peak and off-peak dates).

As I stated above, I prefer to earn flexible points that can be transferred to several different airlines and hotels.  If you only use an AAdvantage credit card to collect miles, you are limited to American Airlines and its partners when it’s time to redeem.

With that said, AAdvantage credit cards should not be overlooked when it comes to the best cards for benefits, especially if you frequently fly AA.

Is an AAdvantage credit card right for you?

If you fly AA more than twice a year, it may be a good idea to open an AAdvantage card.  First of all, the welcome bonus on American Airlines co-branded credit cards is often 50,000-60,000 AAdvantage miles.  After the first year, keeping an AAdvantage card provides benefits that may outweigh the annual fee, even if you do not use it for everyday spending.

There are two banks that issue AAdvantage credit cards, Citi and Barclay.  Since neither of these are issued by Chase, you should make sure you have the Chase 5/24 cards you want prior to opening one of the AAdvantage cards.  You can read more about that here .

I keep an AAdvantage co-branded credit card open year after year despite the fact that it has a $99 annual fee.  I rarely use it for purchases.  In fact, I don’t even use it for American Airlines tickets. Instead, I use my Chase Sapphire Reserve for the trip protection benefits. My AA card sits in a folder in our safe with my other “sock drawer credit cards.”  I only keep it for the perks.

• First of all, it allows free checked bags for up to 4 people on my reservation.  American Airlines raised its baggage fees for travel in the US and Caribbean to $30 each way (up from $25).  If Ryan and I fly once a year and each check a bag, that would cost $60 roundtrip for each of us or $120 total.  We usually try to carry on our luggage , but for some trips such as a ski trip or a trip with our kids , it’s nice to check bags for free.
• By having this card, we also get a higher boarding group.  This means that if we do not check bags, we will be able to board the plane while there is still room in the overhead bins for our carry on baggage!
• I get access to reduced mileage awards .

Final Thoughts

Here are step-by-step instructions on searching for milesaaver availability .  Award space availability at the saver level is essential for maximizing credit card miles and points.  This is true for any airline program, not just AAdvantage.

Using an airline’s credit card may not be my favorite for everyday spending, but airline credit cards are great for welcome bonuses and benefits.  Opening an AAdvantage card is a great way to earn a free flight to places like Europe and South America!  For everyday spending, there are other cards to consider.  Now is a great time to open the Chase Sapphire Preferred. The welcome bonus is currently 60,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points.

Advertiser disclosure:  The Miles Genie has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products.  The Miles Genie and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers.

Comments below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.

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25 thoughts on “what you need to know when booking american airlines award tickets”.

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Can you buy an anytime award ticket in business with lots of miles, and if a mile saver appears swap out and get a refund of miles with no penalty?

Also, can you buy a business milesaver award with high BA/LHR charges and fees, and swap out if a better connection opens with low taxes and fees and get a money refund?

Great questions! I might need to address this in a post! The official policy is that you would have to pay the redeposit fee of $150 to get the difference of the miles refunded, but a phone agent may be able to waive that. I’ve seen many reports of AA not charging anything on a MilesAAver economy ticket that is changed to a MilesAAver business ticket (except the extra miles of course), but I am not sure about changing AAnytime tickets to MilesAAver.

You are supposed to receive a refund of fuel surcharges if you change. I don’t have any personal experience but I know when I looked into this not too long ago there were several reports of people fighting AA to get fuel surcharges refunded in this situation. So to answer the question, yes you should be refunded, but it may be a pain and require several phone calls to receive the refund!

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Wow, great post! I’m currently trying to learn the ins and outs of americans program before i call and book our outbound flight for my honeymoon and this almost everything i needed!

Awesome! Email me if you have any other questions!

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Thanks for a clear and succinct wrap up for using AA miles. Can I use AA points for inter-island travel on Fiji Airways…i.e. NAN-TVU.

Yes, you can. I believe the cost is 5,000 miles for inter-island Fiji flights. Fiji Airways now shows up on AA.com, so you should be able to book Fiji Airways with AA miles without having to call.

I fly quite quite often between the US and Korea (& Japan). In checking aa.com, Business/First MileSAAver seats are NEVER available between ICN and DFW (that option is grayed out every day between now and 1 year out) and I can only book Business/First AAnytime awards. Is this normal policy for AA (and/or other airlines) to simply not make business class saver award seats available without any announcement? If I had known this would be their policy I would have spent my money flying United instead since they do offer business class saver award seats between ICN and SFO…

It’s so frustrating! I noticed about a month ago that AA was doing this with business class seats on routes between DFW and Tokyo, too. Don’t expect announcements about this sort of thing from any airline. Technically, AA isn’t obligated to release any MilesAAver seats, but is it a good way to treat AAdvantage members? Absolutely not. Same goes for other airlines. A while back, AA promised to make more saver seats available system-wide. Not sure they’ve lived up to that.

Japan Airlines is a Oneworld partner, though. That may not help for Korea, but for Japan, JAL has better availability than AA. JAL space will not show up on AA.com. You have to call AA to book. The best way to search for JAL space would be to use British Airways Executive Club or Japan Airlines website.

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I can’t get the search to show anything about reward type. It just shows different mile amounts for the different flights. How do I get the view shown above? Advanced search doesn’t do anything different.

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Use your Miles to discover the world

Turkish airlines award ticket.

Terms and conditions 

• Values may vary depending on exchange rates, taxes may be introduced or repealed, amounts may be subject to seasonal fluctuations, and new destinations may be added to regions. 
• Taxes may arise from flight cabin differences. 
• The departure point will be taken as a basis for taxes, and separate taxes may be charged for some arrival points. 
• Turkish Airlines reserves the right to limit or seasonally suspend the use of award tickets. 
• The Miles of an award ticket is expressed for one-way tickets, award tickets can also be issued as round-trip tickets. 
• Star Alliance award tickets can also be issued as one-way tickets. 
• For award regions in the scope of Turkish Airlines and Star Alliance flights, please see the award regions table. 
• The interpretation, application and dispute resolution of the Miles&Smiles frequent-flyer program is subject to the laws of the Republic of Türkiye.

Turkish Airlines Upgrade with Miles

Reward regions where cabin upgrade is valid

*Miles valid for direct flights with Turkish Airlines within the same region.

• The Mile values shown in the tables apply for one-way tickets.
• Upgrade awards can only be used on Turkish Airlines flights.

Award Tickets on Star Alliance and Partner Airlines

*Applicable Mile amount for direct flights with Star Alliance member airlines in the same country. 

• Star Alliance award tickets can also be issued as round-trip tickets. 
• For award regions in the scope of Turkish Airlines and Star Alliance flights, please see the award regions table.
• Effective August 31, 2024, the frequent flyer program partnership between Turkish Airlines and Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) will be terminated. As of this date, earning or redeeming Miles and enjoying status privileges on SAS flights will no longer be possible. For further information, you can contact customer service.

Star Alliance Upgrade Awards

Terms and conditions  

• Upgrades can be issued for paid tickets with their reservations confirmed up to 24 hours before scheduled departure. 
• The Star Alliance upgrade award is only valid for certain ticket fare classes. 
• On Turkish Airlines flights, only Y and B fare classes in Economy Class can upgrade to Business Class

Award Regions

The regions in the table are valid for award tickets issued for flights operated by Star Alliance member airlines, combined award tickets issued between Turkish Airlines and Star Alliance member airlines, and Star Alliance upgrade awards.

Countries in the scope of the Star Alliance flight network may vary. Over time, countries or regions may change, resulting in the use of awards no longer being valid, or new countries may be added to regions. Please contact our call center for the most up-to-date information.

How should I calculate the amount of Award Tickets?

- For flights departing from abroad - connecting in Türkiye – and arriving abroad, the sum of the Miles for flights arriving and departing from Türkiye is taken as the basis. 

For example, if you want to issue an economy class promotional award ticket from Dubai to London, you need to spend 18,000 Miles for the DXB-IST segment and 15,000 Miles for the IST-LHR segment, totaling 33,000 Miles. 

Using the Miles Calculator , you can easily calculate how many Miles you need for which flight.

Frequently Asked Questions Regarding Changes to Award Ticket Values as of February 15, 2024

For which transactions are the new miles valid as of february 15, 2024 learn more, will i be able to use award tickets issued before february 15, 2024 learn more, will the current promotional award ticket and award ticket application continue learn more, through which sales channels can i issue and change award tickets with the updated miles values learn more.

As of February 15, 2024, you can perform award ticket transactions with the new Miles values through all Turkish Airlines sales channels. You can pay any Miles difference that may occur in change transactions with your Miles and complete your transaction for the change fee. 

(Changes for tickets with taxes paid using Miles must be made at Turkish Airlines sales offices).

I would like to change a segment of an award ticket issued before February 15, 2024. How many Miles I need for this change? Learn more

I issued an award ticket before february 15, 2024, but the flight has not yet taken place. can i refund this award ticket learn more, have the award ticket change and refund fees changed learn more, which values will be valid for intra-regional and inter-regional connecting flights learn more.

As of February 15, 2024, Miles will be calculated separately for each flight for award tickets to be issued. 

For example: to travel from Europe1 to Europe2, you can add the Miles necessary for Europe1-Türkiye and Türkiye-Europe2 award tickets.

Do I need to calculate each segment separately for award tickets with stopovers from Star Alliance member airlines and partner airlines? Learn more

See the Miles&Smiles Business Upgrade page for more detailed information.

How to avoid paying fuel surcharges when redeeming points and miles

Editor's Note

Fuel surcharges — also known as carrier-imposed surcharges or YQ surcharges — are an important issue for award-travel enthusiasts. After all, these extra fees can make your award flight cost hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars in addition to your miles redeemed.

In some cases, fuel surcharges are so high that they can match or even exceed the price of an economy-class ticket.

Fuel surcharges aren't necessarily related to fuel costs. Instead, fuel surcharges often include various additional fees that airlines add to their tickets, to the point where some airlines call these surcharges "carrier-imposed surcharges" to reflect the fact they have little to do with the price of oil.

These surcharges vary based on route, direction of travel, operating carrier and loyalty program. This guide will examine which loyalty programs do and don't add fuel surcharges to award tickets and outline a few strategies to avoid paying fuel surcharges.

Airline programs that don't impose fuel surcharges

A handful of programs don't impose fuel surcharges on any awards, including on their own flights and those operated by partner airlines. These include:

• JetBlue TrueBlue
• Southwest Rapid Rewards
• Spirit Airlines Free Spirit
• Air Canada Aeroplan
• Avianca LifeMiles
• United MileagePlus

Airline programs that add fuel surcharges to some or all awards

Next, here's a list of major airline programs that impose fuel surcharges on some award flights.

• Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan (British Airways and Icelandair flights only)
• ANA Mileage Club (on flights operated by Air Dolomiti, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Eurowings, EgyptAir, Lufthansa and Swiss)
• American Airlines AAdvantage (British Airways and Iberia flights)
• British Airways Executive Club (British Airways-operated flights, though you can reduce surcharges by paying more Avios )
• Delta SkyMiles (Delta-, Air France-KLM- and Virgin Atlantic-operated flights departing Europe, many SkyTeam carriers including Air Europa, China Southern, China Eastern and Saudia)
• Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer (all airlines except Singapore Airlines)
• Air France-KLM Flying Blue (most awards, excluding Delta and Aeromexico)
• Virgin Atlantic Flying Club ( huge surcharges on flights operated by Virgin Atlantic and Delta, lesser surcharges for Air France-KLM flights)
• Emirates Skywards (large surcharges in all cabins on Emirates flights)

Tips to avoid fuel surcharges

Whether you must pay a fuel surcharge depends on various factors, including the airline you fly, the loyalty program you book through and your routing. Luckily, there are several ways to avoid hefty carrier-imposed surcharges when booking an award ticket. Here are some simple strategies to use.

Consider all the different types of Avios

Even with British Airways' Reward Flight Saver , you may still want to consider the other airlines that use Avios — Iberia, Aer Lingus, Finnair and Qatar Airways — before redeeming.

Each type of Avios has its positives and negatives, including sweet spots unique to each program . Best of all, you can transfer Avios between accounts at no cost, which can help you maximize each program's Avios currency.

Related: 5 versions of Avios: When to use Aer Lingus, British Airways, Finnair, Iberia and Qatar Airways

Earn rewards with transferable points programs

Several major rewards programs allow lucrative transfers of points to airline programs. These programs include:

• American Express Membership Rewards
• Bilt Rewards
• Capital One miles
• Chase Ultimate Rewards
• Citi ThankYou Rewards
• Wells Fargo Rewards
• Marriott Bonvoy

The best thing about these programs is the flexibility. In particular, you can transfer rewards from these programs to a loyalty program that lets you book awards with minimal or no fuel surcharges.

Related: How (and why) you should earn transferable points

Seek out destinations, origins and transit points with lower surcharges

There are many destinations where awards don't incur fuel surcharges. Additionally, some departure, destination and transit airports may unlock lower fees.

Ultimately, it would be best to go where you want. However, it sometimes makes sense to reposition to a nearby country or transit through a different airport to minimize the fees you must pay on an award. In short, pick the one with lower fees if you're trying to decide between two otherwise equal options.

Also, remember that if you are starting a long-haul flight from Europe, such as a flight back to the United States, you can avoid an additional charge, the Air Passenger Duty, by not commencing your journey in the United Kingdom .

Related: Complete guide to taxes and fees on airline tickets

Travel on a carrier with low or no fuel surcharges

Even when a program does impose fuel surcharges, the cost can vary dramatically depending on which carrier operates the flights.

So if the flight you want has high fuel surcharges through one loyalty program, check how much the fees would be through partner airlines. Especially if you have transferable rewards from your credit card, it's best to compare the cost of your award route before transferring any rewards.

Related: How to book your first award flight using airline miles

Use a credit card that reimburses you for travel expenses

Some credit cards, including the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card and the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card , allow you to redeem miles for travel expenses you charge to your card.

If you're stuck paying fuel surcharges on an award ticket, you can use the miles earned from these cards to cover the cost, which reduces your out-of-pocket expenses.

Other cards offer travel credits, such as the Chase Sapphire Reserve® $300 annual credit for travel purchases.

If you're flying British Airways, you can use the British Airways Visa Signature® Card to save up to $600 annually on award taxes and fees on BA flights. Pay your award ticket taxes and fees with the card, and you'll get a $100 statement credit for economy tickets or a $200 statement credit on business- and first-class tickets up to three times per year.

Related: The top credit cards with annual travel statement credits

Use reward points to pay for the airfare directly

Many transferable currencies also offer the ability to redeem rewards directly for paid tickets through their travel portals . This allows you to book flights that don't have fuel surcharges (or already include the surcharge in the price) and earn frequent flyer rewards.

Redeeming rewards to book flights through a transferable currency's travel portal usually won't offer the best redemption value. However, doing so can help if you're trying to minimize the cash cost of your award travel — especially if your travel plans force you to take an airline that imposes fuel surcharges.

Overall, it can sometimes be hard to avoid pesky surcharges. However, if your plans are flexible and you plan, you can save yourself money and maximize your points and miles.

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Flying Made Simple

We are simplifying the travel experience from booking to flying and giving you more control — especially when moments arise that are out of your control. By removing change fees and making it easier to manage your changes on delta.com or in the Fly Delta app  through My Trips , we are giving you peace of mind to fly when you are ready.

Travel With Flexibility

We understand that your plans may change. Enjoy more peace of mind with no change fees when you purchase Main Cabin or above tickets on flights originating from the United States, Canada and the Caribbean. For tickets originating outside of these regions, change and cancel fees may apply depending on your origin location and type of ticket. Know you have the flexibility to change the date, time or location of your trip prior to departure. When changing your ticket, sometimes your new flight may cost more than your original flight. If this happens you would need to pay the difference in price to change your ticket.

As a reminder, Basic Economy tickets cannot be changed in most cases. For added flexibility for Basic Economy customers, you can cancel the ticket for a charge, which is deducted from the value of your ticket; remaining value will be issued as an eCredit and can be used toward a future Delta ticket.*

By eliminating change fees on Main Cabin or above tickets, you can book, change or cancel your travel plans for domestic and certain international travel with:   

• No change fees on Delta tickets for travel within the U.S., Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands
• No change fees on Delta tickets for travel originating in the United States, Canada or the Caribbean to anywhere in the world (including flights operated by joint venture and codeshare partners)
• Basic Economy fares are excluded

SkyMiles® Members can also enjoy greater flexibility and peace of mind when traveling on an Award Ticket with the ability to change their plans at any time.

The following policies apply for Award Tickets for travel originating in the United States and Canada to anywhere in the world, excluding Basic Economy tickets:**

• Award Ticket redeposit and reissue fees have been eliminated 
• Members may change or cancel Award Tickets before departure and changes and cancellations

*Basic Economy tickets are non-refundable and non-changeable in most cases. Learn more about Basic Economy cancellation flexibility and how Basic Economy tickets may be canceled for a partial eCredit.

**Basic Economy Award Tickets cannot be changed. However, you may cancel for a cancellation charge assessed in miles, which is deducted from the value of your ticket and the remaining mileage balance will be redeposited into your SkyMiles account.

Manage Your Travel Changes With Ease

It’s easy to make changes yourself in My Trips  and the  Fly Delta app  in just a few simple steps — saving you time and helping you stay in control of your travel plans. If your travel plans have changed, be sure to make changes prior to your departure.

Follow our step-by-step guide to learn more about making changes .

If you are looking to change your flight time yourself within 24 hours of your originally scheduled departure time, you can search for alternative flights and may be able to select a standby or confirmed option using our Same-Day Change feature within the Fly Delta app.  

Giving You Even More Flexibility to Use eCredits

We are giving you even more flexibility to fly when you are ready. All tickets expiring in 2022 and all new tickets purchased in 2022 will be able to be rebooked through December 31, 2023 for travel now through 2024. As an added benefit, you can receive an eCredit from seat upgrade and Preferred Seat purchases on canceled or changed flights.*** Currently, eCredits may only be applied toward future travel, but this is the first step in the direction of offering you more flexibility with eCredits in the future.

You may continue to book tickets for travel with your existing eCredits. When you are ready to use your eCredit, visit delta.com/redeem or the Fly Delta app where you’ll be able to verify the existing value and apply the eCredit at the time of purchase.

For more information on how to locate or use your eCredit, visit our how-to page .

***Applies to Delta-operated flights canceled prior to the 24-hour check-in window only.

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One-Way vs. Round-Trip Flights: When Is It Worth Booking Separately?

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Table of Contents

What is a round-trip flight?

What is a one-way flight, when booking cash tickets, when redeeming points and miles, consider booking open-jaw flights.

Are round-trip flights cheaper? The short answer is that it depends . Where you’re traveling to and if you’re paying with cash or miles are the biggest factors in the equation.

For instance, if you’re traveling between the U.S. and Europe and paying in cash, it's cheaper to book a round-trip flight. But if you’re paying for that same flight with miles, the price of two one-way tickets will most often be the same as a round-trip flight (though the taxes paid may vary).

There are other considerations besides just price when comparing round-trip versus one-way flights. Travelers might be surprised to find that booking a round-trip award flight could lead to issues if you have a change in plans mid-trip.

Here's a look at options to weigh when booking round-trip versus one-way flights and answers to some frequently asked questions.

» Learn more: The best travel credit cards right now

When you book a round-trip flight, it means you travel from Destination A to Destination B and you return back to Destination A from Destination B. Both flights are booked as one ticket.

So when you’re purchasing the ticket, you select your origin, destination, departure and return date. You make one payment, whether it's with cash or miles.

» Learn more: How to book a flight

A one-way flight, in contrast, is a ticket booked with no return. So you’re only booking a flight from Destination A to Destination B. You can purchase a second, separate ticket from Destination B back to Destination A (should you so choose). One-way flights can be booked with cash or miles.

These types of flights are a good option for those who don’t know their return date, are only traveling in one direction or booking an open-jaw itinerary .

» Learn more: The best days to book a flight and when to fly

When booking flights paid in cash, our recommendation is pretty simple: Book the option that's cheapest for your trip. If a round-trip flight is cheaper than two one-way flights, there's no reason to book two one-way flights.

If two one-way flights are the same price as a round-trip, it might make sense to book the one-way flight (as long as you don’t mind keeping track of the two separate reservations). Even though many airlines have eliminated change fees , it's much easier to change — or even cancel — a flight when there’s only one flight on the reservation to make a change to.

If you’re flying domestically in the U.S., the cost of two one-way flights will usually be the same as a round trip; however, when flying internationally, it can be much more expensive to book two one-way tickets.

Sample flight within the U.S.

In this example flight search on American Airlines , booking two one-way tickets from Newark to Miami will cost $154 for the outgoing flight and $124 for the return, for a total of $278.

Outgoing flight

Return flight

If you were to book these two flights as a round-trip ticket, the price would be exactly the same at $278.

Sample international flight

It's a different ball game with international flights.

Take a look at this flight search from Washington-Dulles to Frankfurt, Germany, on United Airlines . If you were to book the flights as two one-way tickets, it would cost you $3,110.

However, if you book these same flights as part of a round-trip ticket, you’d have to pay $1,783, representing a significant savings over booking two one-way flights.

» Learn more: Should I be loyal to a single airline?

If you're planning on using points and miles to book award flights, you have a different set of factors to consider. In the case of award travel, it can make sense to book two one-way flights instead of a round-trip award.

Two one-way awards offer more flexibility

Most U.S. airlines have dropped change fees on both award and paid flights. So, if the price is the same, consider booking two one-way awards instead of a round-trip award to gain extra flexibility. Keep in mind that if you book a round trip, depending on the airline, you may have difficulty getting your miles redeposited if you need to change your award ticket after taking the first leg of the flight.

For example, if you cancel a United award flight midtrip, you'll retain the miles as a future flight credit. While the miles won't be refunded to your account, you'll have the chance to use them in the future.

Watch for higher taxes and fees when booking two one-way awards

When considering whether to book round-trip versus one-way awards, it's important to price out both options — particularly when flying overseas. Some airlines charge higher taxes and fees for awards that originate in certain regions of the world.

Delta SkyMiles is infamous for charging higher fees for award flights that originate in Europe. Also, particularly for international flights, Delta will often price round-trip award flights at less than the cost of two one-way awards.

For example, take a round-trip award from New York to Paris. Delta charges 50,000 SkyMiles plus $85 in taxes and fees for a round-trip main cabin award.

However, if you book the same flights as two one-way awards, you'll pay a total of 74,000 SkyMiles plus roughly $220 in taxes and fees. The outbound award costs 37,000 miles plus $6 in taxes and fees. Then, you'll need to pay another 37,000 SkyMiles plus around $220 to fly home.

In a situation like this, it makes sense to book a round-trip award. You'll save on miles and out-of-pocket costs.

Consider change fees on award flights

Most U.S. airlines have eliminated change fees on both paid flights and award tickets. However, that's not the case with all mileage programs. If you're booking through a mileage program that charges change fees, you may want to book a round-trip award to reduce the fees you could pay if you need to cancel the trip.

» Learn more: Booking flights with points or miles expands refund option

Say you're considering flying to Europe to take a cruise from Budapest to Munich. One might assume that your only options are to:

Book a round-trip flight into one of the cities plus book a one-way intra-Europe flight between them.

Book two one-way flights — one-way into Budapest and one-way back from Munich.

However, there's a third option: booking an "open-jaw" flight . Many airlines will let you book a flight into Budapest and a flight back from Munich on the same ticket. Rather than pricing these flights as two one-way flights, the airline generally prices the flights similar to a round-trip.

» Learn more: The guide to open-jaw flights with Chase points

If you're using airline miles to book these flights, check to see if it's cheaper to book two one-way awards or an open-jaw award. As outlined in the Delta example above, award flights originating in Europe can have much higher taxes and fees. So it might make sense to book the two award segments together as a multicity award.

In the past, airlines charged more for booking two one-way flights rather than a round-trip on the same route. However, this isn't the case anymore on most domestic flights and even some international flights — mostly thanks to competition from low-cost carriers.

In short, airlines charge more for one-way flights on the routes when they can get away with doing so. If only one airline is operating a particular route, it might increase the price of one-way flights to generate more revenue from business travelers and others that are willing to pay more for the nonstop flight.

However, when there's competition from other airlines, the cost of one-way flights often drops to compete with the other airlines serving that route.

Booking a round-trip flight can be cheaper than booking one-way tickets on the same flights. Before booking two one-way flights, check the round-trip price to see if it's cheaper. Even if you're flying out of a different city than you're flying into, booking a so-called "open-jaw" flight could be much cheaper than booking two one-way flights.

Most U.S. airline loyalty programs will charge the same number of miles whether you book round-trip or two one-way flights. Because of this, it can make sense to book two one-way flights instead of a round-trip award to get flexibility in case you need to change or cancel plans.

However, this isn't always the case. Some loyalty programs — such as Delta — charge fewer miles for booking a round-trip award instead of two one-way flights. We recommend pricing out award flights both ways just to be sure.

airline loyalty programs

will charge the same number of miles whether you book round-trip or two one-way flights. Because of this, it can make sense to book two one-way flights instead of a round-trip award to get flexibility in case you need to change or cancel plans.

How to maximize your rewards

You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are some of the best travel credit cards of 2024 :

Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

No annual fee: Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card

Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Luxury perks: The Platinum Card® from American Express

Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

on Chase's website

1x-5x 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases.

60,000 Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

1.5%-5% Enjoy 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and unlimited 1.5% cash back on all other purchases.

Up to $300 Earn an additional 1.5% cash back on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) - worth up to $300 cash back!

on Capital One's website

2x-5x Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day. Earn 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options

75,000 Enjoy a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel.

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Winners of Campers Choice Awards Announced for RV Travel Industry

Christian rauh | sep 19, 2024.

The moment RV lovers were waiting for has finally arrived. 

On Monday, RVshare , the largest community for RV renters and owners, announced the winners of the third annual Campers’ Choice Awards, also known as “The Campies.”

This year, the awards included more categories than ever, including nine new categories, doubling the Campies total to 18. Many of the new categories included content creators and social media users who have helped create a more positive community in the RV Travel world. 

In the opening statement of the press release the website stated “RVshare spotlights exceptional campgrounds and outstanding content creators and social media channels in the RV travel space, as chosen by voters from across the nation.” 

Among the winners in content creation categories, RV Lifestyle brought home three separate awards. The couple consider of Youtubers Mike and Jennifer are known for sharing RB travel tips and equipment reviews. They have over 1000 videos and 189,000 subscribers on their channel. They were winners of the Best RV and Camping YouTube Vlog, Best RV and Camping Blog as well as their podcast, winning for best in the RV and Camping category as well. 

Another multiple-award winner was The Everywhere Family, which won Best RV Family Travel Content Creator of the Year and the Best RV and Camping TikTok Creator award. The family of three runs a full-time travel account that shares their experiences in RV living and more. They currently have over 72,000 followers on Instagram.

If you are looking for some nice campgrounds for your next travel trip, consider one of these award-winning sites. The 2024 Campies included 11 awards for the best campgrounds for their features or experiences. 

Camp Margaritaville in Auburndale, Florida, picked up three awards for their all-around coverage during any season of the year. The campsite stays true to its roots and promises an “escape to a luxury RV resort with a license to chill.” They were awarded the Best Luxury RV Resort, Best Winter Escape, and the Best Features and Amenities of any campground.

Harvest Hosts won Best Alternative Camping Experience for their unique locations and convenient way to travel. The website includes a membership that gives you access to a network of farms, breweries, wineries, and attractions that invite RVers to stay overnight. According to their website, they currently have over 5200 different locations. 

Overall, 11 different accounts or campsites received at least one of the 18 awards. Congratulations to the winners.

CHRISTIAN RAUH