Airline Miles vs. Cash Calculator
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Let’s say you’re booking a last-minute flight on Delta and you have the option of either:
Paying $450 cash.
Paying 30,000 Delta miles + $40 in fees.
Which is the better deal? Should you book that flight with cash or miles? What should you do when booking hotels?
To help answer this common conundrum, we created a point value calculator that pairs our airline mile valuations with your own booking options.
» Learn more: Which travel credit cards give travelers the best value?
Airline miles to dollars calculator
To use NerdWallet's airline miles to dollars calculator, enter the airline award program, cash fare, equivalent award fare and any fees associated with your award fare. Our points and miles to dollars calculator will do the rest.
Keep in mind that our valuations, while based on real-world data, are only estimates for how much miles and points are worth. If the cash and award values are similar, use your best judgment for which option is better for you.
Mile-redeeming whizzes might opt to save miles for better redemptions, but in general, we encourage spending miles rather than saving them because they devalue over time.
How to earn more airline miles
The typical way to earn miles is to fly with the airline, which earns miles based on either the distance flown or the amount spent on the fare. Yet there are many other ways to earn airline miles, including:
Flying with partner airlines.
Using shopping and dining programs.
Using co-branded airline credit cards.
Many airlines offer several co-branded cards, which offer different ways to earn miles as well as other benefits, such as complimentary checked bags. here are some of our favorite cards that earn miles:
$0 intro for the first year, then $95.
$69.
$0 intro for the first year, then $150.
$99.
• 2 miles per $1 on United purchases.
• 2 miles per $1 at restaurants and hotels (when booked directly with hotel).
• 1 mile per $1 on all other purchases.
• 2 points per $1 on Southwest purchases.
• 2 points per $1 on Rapid Rewards hotel and car rental partner purchases, local transit and commuting (including rideshare), and on internet, cable, phone services and select streaming.
• 1 point per $1 on all other purchases.
• 2 miles per $1 on purchases made directly with Delta and at U.S. supermarkets and restaurants (including takeout and delivery in the U.S.).
• 1 mile per $1 on all other eligible purchases.
Terms apply.
• 6 points per $1 with JetBlue.
• 2 points per $1 at restaurants and grocery stores.
• 1 point per $1 on other purchases.
• 1 Mosaic tile per $1,000 spent.
The bottom line
Airline miles are basically a currency and, like any currency, their value shifts with time. NerdWallet collects thousands of data points each year to determine the value of these miles, which means you don't have to.
That said, the actual value you get from your miles will depend on how you use them. Just because we saw 10,000 American Airlines AAdvantage miles are worth a certain amount doesn't mean you'll actually get that value for a given redemption. You could get more or less.
How to maximize your rewards
You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are our picks for the best travel credit cards of 2024, including those best for:
Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
No annual fee: Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit 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
Points75,000
Points
on Chase's website
1.5%-6.5%
Cashback$300
2x-5x
Miles75,000
Miles
