How to Use Airline Miles

Frequent flyer miles are great for saving money on traveling. But they are not always easy to use so let us demystify airline miles and figure out how to use them.

What are Airline miles?

Airline miles or frequent flyer miles are a part of a loyalty program offered by airlines and credit cards. You typically accumulate a set amount of miles based on how far you fly or how much you spend on your credit card. You can then cash these miles in to buy airline tickets.

The Difference Between Credit Card Rewards and Airline Rewards:

You can earn miles two ways: by signing up for a service through the airline or by signing up for one of their credit cards. Every airline has their own frequent flyer program. These are free to sign up for and you can accumulate miles by flying with them. You can sign up for a frequent flyer account with the big three to earn frequent flyer miles for most flights:

1. American Airlines

2. Delta Airlines

3. United Airlines

When you sign up for an account you will get an account number that you can use for future flight purchases. You can earn miles for each flight you take and when you accumulate enough, you can redeem those miles for a free flight on that airline. Depending on the airline, these miles do not expire as long as you keep your account active.

How to Redeem Airline Miles

Once you have earned enough miles, you go to the airlines website and search for the flight that you want after logging into your account. After you choose your airports, you “pay” for your flight using the miles on your account. The only “catch” for redeeming airline miles is that you have to pay cash for the taxes associated with your trip.

Using airline miles can be cheaper than buying the flight with cash. I was able to book a flight to JAX for $11.20 using airline miles!