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Earning airline miles with a credit card can be a great way to score free flights or boost your frequent flyer miles balance. You can also earn different kinds of miles that can be used on other types of travel. Knowing how credit card miles work can allow you to maximize your rewards -- and your travel options.
However, because there are so many different kinds of points and miles you can earn and redeem, it can be hard to know how to use them. We'll discuss the types of miles, as well as how to use them for free travel.
Miles are a type of rewards currency that you can earn with certain travel credit cards. In other words, when you make purchases with a miles credit card, you earn miles as a reward for using that card.
Learn more: The best travel rewards credit cards
The number of miles you earn on your purchase will depend on the card and the purchase type. Some cards offer a flat rate, meaning you earn the same number of miles per dollar spent no matter what you buy. Other cards will offer a flat rewards rate, plus bonus miles for purchases that fit into specific bonus categories.
However, not all miles you earn are the same. In fact, every card can earn an entirely different kind of miles. Knowing what kind of miles your card earns is key to figuring out how best to use them.
RELATED: The Ascent's Travel Credit Cards Hub
Learn more about the three types of credit card miles:
What the different types of mile rewards credit cards have in common is that they can all be used to travel for free. Next, we'll talk about how you can use your credit card miles.
Learn more: How to travel for free with credit cards
Each type of miles requires a different method to make the most of them. Let's take a look at how to use each type.
If you have a cobranded airline credit card, you'll earn frequent flyer miles on your purchases. This means you're directly earning airline miles that show up in your airline account. (You can think of them as credit cards with flight miles, since they earn miles that you redeem directly for free flights.)
You can only use these miles with the specific airline, so you'll need to log into your airline account to redeem them.
Each airline's miles program works a little differently:
United Airlines offers a variety of cobranded cards issued by Chase that earn United MileagePlus Miles on purchases. All of their cards earn at least 2X MileagePlus miles per dollar on United purchases, and 1X miles per dollar on other purchases.
Learn more: Best United credit cards
United uses dynamic award pricing, which means figuring out the United miles to dollars exchange can be difficult. The number of miles you need for a flight will vary based on the price, distance, and demand. The best way to figure out how many miles you need to travel is to look up your exact itinerary on United's website or mobile app.
Delta has a nice variety of cobranded credit cards offered via its partnership with American Express. These cards earn Delta SkyMiles on purchases that then show up automatically in your Delta account. Cardholders earn at least 2X SkyMiles on Delta purchases and 1X miles on other purchases.
Learn more: Best Delta credit cards
Delta uses dynamic award pricing, which means there is no official Delta SkyMiles redemption chart. Instead, the miles cost of a trip depends on factors like distance and demand. To see how many miles you need for a Delta flight, head to the Delta website (or mobile app) and look up that specific flight.
American Airlines has cobranded credit cards from two issuers: Citi and Barclays. Regardless of the issuer, these cards all earn American Airlines AAdvantage miles that will be deposited into your AAdvantage account. AA's cobranded cards earn a minimum of 2X AAdvantage miles per dollar on AA purchases, and 1X mile per dollar on other purchases.
Learn more: Best American Airlines credit cards
As with most other airlines, American Airlines now uses dynamic award pricing. This means the miles needed for a free AA flight vary based on demand (and other factors). The best way to plan your redemption is to look up the flight you want to see what it will cost. You could also check out any number of free third-party American Airlines miles calculator tools available online (note that these are not official tools, so your mileage may vary -- literally and figuratively).
Some of our favorite cobranded credit cards for airline miles include:
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Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card | Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card |
United℠ Explorer Card |
Rating image, 4.00 out of 5 stars.
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4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
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Rating image, 4.00 out of 5 stars.
4.00/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best = Excellent = Good = Fair = Poor |
Rating image, 4.00 out of 5 stars.
4.00/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best = Excellent = Good = Fair = Poor |
Apply Now for Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card
On American Express' Secure Website. Terms apply |
Apply Now for Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card
On Chase's Secure Website. |
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Credit Rating Requirement:
Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.
Recommended Credit Score required for this offer is: Good/Excellent (670-850)
Good/Excellent (670-850) |
Credit Rating Requirement:
Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.
Recommended Credit Score required for this offer is: Good/Excellent (670-850)
Good/Excellent (670-850) |
Credit Rating Requirement:
Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer. An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.
Recommended Credit Score required for this offer is: Good/Excellent (670-850)
Good/Excellent (670-850) |
Welcome Offer: Earn 40,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. 40,000 Bonus Miles |
Welcome Offer: Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Earn 50,000 points |
Welcome Offer: Earn 60,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open. Earn 60,000 bonus miles |
Rewards Program: Earn 2X Miles on Delta purchases, at U.S. Supermarkets and at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S. Earn 1X Mile on all other eligible purchases. 1X-2X Miles |
Rewards Program: Receive 7,500 anniversary points, 4 upgraded boardings per year when available, and a $75 Southwest® travel credit each year. Enjoy benefits including 3X points on Southwest purchases, 2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare, 2X points on internet, cable, and phone services; select streaming, 10,000 Companion Pass® qualifying points boost each year, and more. 1X-3X points |
Rewards Program: Earn 2 miles per $1 spent on dining, hotel stays and United® purchases. 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases N/A |
Intro APR: Purchases: n/a Balance Transfers: n/a |
Intro APR: N/A Purchases: N/A Balance Transfers: N/A |
Intro APR: N/A Purchases: N/A Balance Transfers: N/A |
Regular APR: 20.99%-29.99% Variable |
Regular APR: 21.49%-28.49% variable |
Regular APR: 21.99% - 28.99% Variable |
Annual Fee: $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150. |
Annual Fee: N/A $149 |
Annual Fee: $0,First Year $95 |
Highlights:
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Apply Now for Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card
On American Express' Secure Website. Terms apply |
Apply Now for Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card
On Chase's Secure Website. |
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Some cards earn miles that can also be -- or only be -- redeemed for statement credit towards travel purchases. In this case, you would make an eligible purchase with your card. Then, you would use your online account to redeem miles to cover the cost of the purchase after it hits your account.
Travel rewards cards with transferable points and miles are often the most complicated travel cards to use. That's because there are a lot of different ways to use your rewards. That said, the best value will usually come from transferring your rewards to a partner airline or hotel brand.
The exact method you use to transfer your rewards will depend on the rewards program. For more details on the four most popular rewards programs, check out our detailed guides:
With so many different mile rewards credit cards, it can be hard to pick just one. Here are some factors to consider when comparing your options:
The plus side to so many options is that most travelers can find a miles card that works for them. If you travel frequently, you may even benefit from multiple cards, such as one airline cobranded card and one transferable rewards card. Explore your options for the best way to maximize your rewards.
Learn more: How to maximize credit card rewards
Whether an airline credit card is worth it for you will depend a lot on how -- and how often -- you travel. For instance, if you frequently travel and always use the same airline, an airline credit card can be worth getting for the extra perks, like free checked bags and priority boarding.
Learn more: The best airline credit cards
However, if you don't travel often, or if you simply choose whichever airline is least expensive, then the airline-specific perks will be of limited use to you. In this case, you may be better off with a card that earns transferable points or miles.
Don't you wish you could take a peek inside a credit card expert's wallet sometimes? Just to see the cards they carry? Well, you can't look in anybody's wallet, but you can check out our experts' favorite credit cards. Get started here:
The value of credit card miles depend on how you redeem them. As a general rule of thumb, consider credit card miles to be worth a baseline of $0.01 per mile.
Airline miles with dynamic pricing tend to be worth $0.01 to $0.0125 per mile.
Miles that are redeemed for statement credit are typically valued at $0.006 to $0.01 per mile.
Cards with transferable points and miles can be worth $0.006 to $0.02 per mile -- or more -- depending on how you choose to use them. The best value usually comes from transferring your rewards to an airline or hotel partner for free flights and hotel stays.
The number of credit card miles you need will vary depending on the program and redemption type.
If you pay the cash fare for your flight and redeem miles as statement credit to cover that purchase, you will typically need 100 miles per $1.
If you are redeeming airline frequent flyer miles -- either from earning them directly or from transferring other points or miles -- it's more complicated. Most airlines use dynamic award pricing, which means the number of frequent flyer miles you need for a given flight will vary based on factors like distance and demand. In these cases, you'll need to look up your specific itinerary to see the cost in miles.
Here are some other questions we've answered:
Our Credit Cards Experts
We're firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers. The Ascent, a Motley Fool service, does not cover all offers on the market. The Ascent has a dedicated team of editors and analysts focused on personal finance, and they follow the same set of publishing standards and editorial integrity while maintaining professional separation from the analysts and editors on other Motley Fool brands.