How Much Are Your Airline Miles Worth? Here's How to Find Out

Here’s what you need to know to determine how much your airline miles are worth.

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Published on January 8, 2024

How to Determine the Value of Airline Miles

The first thing you’ll want to understand when determining how much your airline miles are worth is the cents per mile value.

Once you know this number, you can compare it to the average valuation (see below) to determine whether or not you’re getting a good deal.

To figure out cents per mile, all you need to do is divide the cost of the ticket in cash by the cost in miles and then multiply by 100.

For example, if you’re purchasing a $500 ticket using 25,000 airline miles, you would be getting 2 cents per mile in value.

500/25,000 = 0.02

0.02 x 100 = 2

You can use that number to help you understand if you’re getting good value from your miles. For example, if an airline’s miles are typically valued at 1.2 cents each, and you’re getting 2 cents per mile for a redemption, you can be confident you’re getting good value from those miles.

However, if you calculated a value of 0.7 cents per mile, you’ll know that it may not be the best time to use your miles since you’d be redeeming miles for less than what they are typically worth.

A man using a laptop to choose and book specific seats on a flight. — glegorly/Getty Images

Factors That Impact the Value of Airline Miles

It’s important to understand that you can get more or less value for your miles depending on how you redeem them.

Let’s look at some examples using American Airlines AAdvantage miles, which are valued at 1.4 cents each. (Note that these are just examples, and actual costs and valuations may vary.)

You could use 140,000 American Airlines miles to fly in business class on Qatar Airways (an American Airlines Oneworld Alliance partner) between New York City and Doha on a round-trip flight that would otherwise cost $12,000. That would give you a value of 8.6 cents per mile. Or you could fly in economy on that same flight for $1,300 or 80,000 miles, giving you a value of 1.6 cents per mile.

On the other hand, you could redeem 17,000 American Airlines miles for a round-trip flight between Charlotte and Dallas that would have otherwise cost $400. That redemption would give you a 2.3 cents per point value. However, if you booked a first-class seat on that flight for 53,000 miles (with a cash cost of $841), you’d only be getting 1.6 cents per mile.

All of these examples offer more than the 1.4 cents that American Airlines miles are valued at, so they could all be considered good redemptions. However, the real worth of your airline miles comes down to your specific goals.

If your goal is to use your miles for expensive flights in premium cabins that you wouldn’t otherwise pay cash for, then getting over 8 cents per mile for a business-class seat flying halfway around the world is an excellent deal.

However, if you have no plans for big international trips and just want to use your miles to keep your out-of-pocket expenses as low as possible, redeeming miles for that less expensive domestic flight could be a great option.

Some airlines, like Southwest, tie the price of the airline ticket in cash to the cost in points, which gives the points a relatively fixed value. That means when redeeming Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards points, you’ll never get much more or much less than the 1.3 cents they are worth.

If these numbers are making your head spin, just remember this: If your miles can get you to somewhere you couldn’t otherwise go, whether that’s halfway around the world or to visit family in a neighboring state, then you’re getting good value from them, regardless of what the numbers say.

Major Airline Miles Valuations

It’s good to know the approximate value of your airline miles as a jumping-off point, but how do you go about figuring out those values? Thankfully, those numbers have already been established by points and miles experts, so you don’t have to do the heavy lifting.

Keep in mind that these values can fluctuate and change over time, so use them as a point of reference and not a set-in-stone value.

Air Canada: 1.5 cents per mile
Air France/KLM: 1.2 cents per mile
Alaska Airlines: 1.6 cents per mile
American Airlines: 1.4 cents per mile
Breeze Airways: 1 cent per mile
British Airways: 1.2 cents per mile
Delta Air Lines: 1.2 cents per mile
Frontier Airlines: 1.1 cents per mile
Hawaiian Airlines: 0.9 cents per mile
JetBlue: 1.3 cents per mile
Southwest Airlines: 1.4 cents per mile
Spirit Airlines: 1.1 cents per mile
United Airlines: 1.2 cents per mile
Virgin Atlantic: 1.4 cents per mile

These valuations are based on using miles for flights. You’ll get a different value when you use miles for other things like shopping, magazine subscriptions, or vacation packages.

When redeeming miles for these types of things, the value you’ll get is fixed, and it can be much lower than the value you can get by redeeming your miles for flights. Here are a few examples:

Delta vacation packages: 1.1 cents per mile
American Airlines vacation packages: 1 cent per mile
JetBlue vacation packages: 0.7 cents per mile
Southwest More Rewards Shopping: 0.3 to 0.6 cents per mile

Rear view of young Asian female traveller holding her boarding pass, walking down the aisle in the airplane looking for her seat. Travel and vacation concept — d3sign/Getty Images

Tips for Maximizing the Value of Airline Miles

To maximize the value of your airline miles, you need to know how much they are typically worth, how to calculate the value you’ll get from a specific redemption, and what your goals for your miles are.

Calculate the cents per mile before making a redemption.

Calculating the cents per mile value you’ll be getting before making a redemption is a great habit to get into. This will help you understand the value you’re getting from your miles compared to their estimated worth. Then you can make an informed decision about whether it’s a good opportunity to use miles or if it’s a flight you’d rather pay cash for so you can save your miles for a better redemption.

Have a clear goal.

Knowing your goal for your airline miles can help you determine when to use them to get the most value. Let’s say you fly a few times a year, and your goal is to spend as little out of pocket as possible. Then, using your airline miles for less expensive flights that give you solid but not outsized value will be worth it.

However, if your goal is to enjoy more far-flung trips and luxury experiences, like flying in international business class, then you may be better off paying cash for those inexpensive domestic flights and saving your miles for big redemptions that will get outsized value.

Learn about airline partnerships.

Airline miles can be redeemed not only for that airline’s own flights but also flights on partner airlines. Going back to our American Airlines example, it’s good to know that you can use American Airlines miles to book not only flights on American but also flights on partner airlines like Qatar Airways, British Airways, Japan Airlines, or Qantas.

Understanding how these airline partnerships and alliances work is one of the keys to getting the most value out of your airline miles.