Travel Rewards / Airline programs
Airline miles: earn, redeem and compare programs
Airline miles are rewards held in a frequent-flyer account. Learn how programs earn, price and protect those balances, then use the directory to check the rules that matter for your trip.
Updated 2026-10-18 · Camli Editorial Team
Miles belong to a program, not to an alliance
A frequent-flyer program holds your redeemable balance. The airline you fly, the program you credit and the program you later use to book an award can be different. That does not make their currencies interchangeable.
A bank’s transferable points start in an issuer account. Eligible points may move into supported airline programs, but those relationships have their own terms. Owning airline miles does not usually let you move them freely to another airline’s program.
Compare airline program rules
Twelve representative U.S. and international programs—not a ranking. Search by airline, program or currency. Read each qualified expiration rule, then open its earning, award and source details. Missing evidence is stated, not filled with assumptions.
Program rules can change. Check the linked official terms and your own account before relying on a balance, transferring points or booking an award.
| Program and currency | Expiration and activity | Research this program |
|---|---|---|
American Airlines AAdvantageAmerican Airlines Currency: AAdvantage miles Alliance / partners: oneworld and other participating airline partners. | Unless an exception applies, miles expire after 24 months without qualifying activity. Members under 21 need a valid birth date on file; after turning 21, activity is required within 24 months. Primary AAdvantage cardmembers are exempt while the eligible card account remains open. Qualifying mileage activity extends unexpired miles for 24 months. Confirm the recorded activity and your personal expiration date. Sources checked: 2026-10-18. Review due: 2026-11-17. | American Airlines AAdvantage: official program American Airlines AAdvantage: earning, awards and sources
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Delta SkyMilesDelta Air Lines Currency: SkyMiles miles Alliance / partners: SkyTeam; Delta identifies itself as a founding member. | SkyMiles miles do not expire. Delta can close or deactivate accounts and remove miles for fraud, requested closure, death, repeated unanswered account-status communications, duplicate accounts, prohibited residence or rule violations. There is no ordinary inactivity-expiry reset. Account access and forfeiture remain subject to Delta’s rules. Sources checked: 2026-10-18. Review due: 2026-11-17. | Delta SkyMiles: official program Delta SkyMiles: earning, awards and sources
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United MileagePlusUnited Airlines Currency: MileagePlus miles Alliance / partners: Star Alliance; United also identifies additional airline partners. | MileagePlus miles do not expire based on time or inactivity. Miles can be forfeited under program, carriage or fare rules, prohibited conduct, law, requested closure, death or repeated unanswered account-status communications. No activity is needed to reset ordinary mileage expiration; this is not an irrevocable lifetime-balance guarantee. Sources checked: 2026-10-18. Review due: 2026-11-17. | United MileagePlus: official program United MileagePlus: earning, awards and sources
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Southwest Rapid RewardsSouthwest Airlines Currency: Rapid Rewards points Alliance / partners: Individual airline partnerships; no alliance membership is claimed. | Rapid Rewards points do not expire. Points are forfeited if the member closes the account. Southwest can change the program and take action under its terms. There is no ordinary time-based expiry-reset requirement; account and program terms still apply. Sources checked: 2026-10-18. Review due: 2026-11-17. | Southwest Rapid Rewards: official program Southwest Rapid Rewards: earning, awards and sources
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Atmos RewardsAlaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines Currency: Atmos Rewards points Alliance / partners: Alaska and Hawaiian program with oneworld and other airline partners; eligibility depends on the specific relationship. | Camli has not established the current expiry rule from a public official source. Confirm your personal expiration date with Atmos Rewards. Confirm your personal expiration date with Atmos Rewards. Sources checked: 2026-10-18. Review due: 2026-11-17. | Atmos Rewards: official program Atmos Rewards: earning, awards and sources
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JetBlue TrueBlueJetBlue Airways Currency: TrueBlue points Alliance / partners: Selected individual airline partners; partnership is not an established alliance-membership claim. | TrueBlue points do not expire. Closing the account terminates its points. JetBlue can cancel points for rule violations, fraud, misrepresentation, abuse or other improper conduct. No activity is needed to reset ordinary point expiration. Status tiles have separate rules and are not the redeemable points balance. Sources checked: 2026-10-18. Review due: 2026-11-17. | JetBlue TrueBlue: official program JetBlue TrueBlue: earning, awards and sources
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Air Canada AeroplanAir Canada / Aeroplan Inc. Currency: Aeroplan points Alliance / partners: Star Alliance; official page lists 26 member airlines, including Air Canada and United. | Points expiry is paused through November 29, 2026. Air Canada says normal policy applies effective November 30, 2026. Under normal policy, 18 months without qualifying activity can expire points. Protection applies while the stated primary TD/CIBC Aeroplan card, Amex Aeroplan card or Aeroplan Elite Status is held. Eligible activity includes earning, redeeming, donating, transferring or converting points. A Family Sharing redemption counts for members with at least one point; pool membership alone is not protection. Check the account before the pause ends. Sources checked: 2026-10-18. Review due: 2026-11-17. | Air Canada Aeroplan: official program Air Canada / Aeroplan Inc. guide Air Canada Aeroplan: earning, awards and sources
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Flying BlueAir France / KLM / Transavia Currency: Flying Blue Miles Alliance / partners: SkyTeam; SkyTeam lists Flying Blue among its frequent-flyer programs. | From May 4, 2026, an eligible earning activity extends the entire balance for 24 months for Explorer members 18+ under the non-German rule. The German market instead uses three years plus the remaining calendar year. Miles do not expire for Elite/Elite Plus, Flying Blue Extra subscribers, co-branded cardholders or members under 18. Use eligible earning activity, not “any activity.” The Family FAQ separately gives two-year validity after a Family transfer; its interaction with the general/German rules is not established. Confirm your personal expiration date. Sources checked: 2026-10-18. Review due: 2026-11-17. | Flying Blue: earning, awards and sources
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The British Airways ClubBritish Airways Currency: Avios Alliance / partners: oneworld; eligible flights with British Airways and oneworld partners earn Avios. | Collect, spend, share or buy at least one Avios every 36 months; without that activity, Avios expire. In a Household Account, each member must maintain the qualifying activity for that member’s individually collected Avios. Child account eligibility is not an established expiry exemption. Check that the qualifying activity has been recorded and confirm your own account’s expiration date. Sources checked: 2026-10-18. Review due: 2026-11-17. | The British Airways Club: official program The British Airways Club: earning, awards and sources
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Virgin Atlantic Flying ClubVirgin Atlantic Currency: Virgin Points Alliance / partners: SkyTeam is part of the airline-partner network; Silver/Gold receive tier-qualified recognition/benefits. | There is no prescribed redemption timeframe while the member remains in Flying Club and complies with its terms. The terms reserve account cancellation and point forfeiture after substantial non-interaction or other contractual events. No exact inactivity period or age exemption was established. Do not treat the advertised nonexpiration of Virgin Points as an unconditional guarantee. Check account access and current terms. Sources checked: 2026-10-18. Review due: 2026-11-17. | Virgin Atlantic Flying Club: official program Virgin Atlantic Flying Club: earning, awards and sources
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Qatar Airways Privilege ClubQatar Airways Currency: Avios Alliance / partners: oneworld plus partner airlines; official directory places Alaska and American in oneworld and JetBlue among partners. | By default, Avios expire after 36 consecutive months without qualifying activity. Collecting, spending, buying or gifting at least one Avios within 36 months prevents ordinary expiry. Paid revalidation within one year after expiry is a separate remedy, not advance protection. Confirm the account’s current expiry date and any member-specific exception; the quoted rule is the default, not a guarantee for every tier or promotion. Sources checked: 2026-10-18. Review due: 2026-11-17. | Qatar Airways Privilege Club: official program Qatar Airways Privilege Club: earning, awards and sources
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Singapore Airlines KrisFlyerSingapore Airlines Currency: KrisFlyer miles Alliance / partners: Star Alliance earning/redemption where eligible; other partners have separate channels and restrictions. | Basic, Elite Silver and Elite Gold miles expire after three years, at month-end at 23:59 Singapore time in the equivalent earning month. Contest miles have a one-year rule. Valid miles are protected while PPS Club membership is maintained, except stated promotional miles. A one-time paid extension is six months for Basic or one year for Elite Silver/Gold; expired miles cannot be extended. Ordinary activity does not reset the earned-mile age. Check the exact earning month, membership category and promotional conditions before relying on the balance. Sources checked: 2026-10-18. Review due: 2026-11-17. | Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer: official program Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer: earning, awards and sources
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How airline miles are earned
Eligible flights are one earning path, not the whole system. A program may also credit eligible airline-partner flights, co-branded card purchases, hotels, rental cars or shopping and dining partners. Enrollment, account linking and partner terms can matter. Not every purchase or ticket qualifies.
Miles do not always follow distance flown. Depending on the program and ticket, earning may use eligible ticket spending, distance and booking class, or another defined basis. Marketing, ticketing and operating carriers can affect which rule applies; status and fare exclusions may change the result. Use the program’s rule for your exact ticket rather than one rate for every flight.
Keep the ticket and account details until the activity posts. A pending purchase or an uncredited flight is not proof that an expiring balance has been protected. Buying miles is a separate purchase decision, not a necessary step in joining a program.
Compare card fees, earning categories and issuer rules on the credit-card guide; this page does not recommend a card.
What determines award pricing and availability?
An award flight is a seat offered for redemption through a loyalty program. A cash seat may still be for sale when your program shows no award seat. The program’s eligible inventory, carrier restrictions and booking rules—not the size of your balance—decide whether you can book it.
Some programs vary award requirements with dates, demand or the cash fare. Others use charts with regions, distance bands or cabins, and a program can use different models for its own airline and its partners. A chart or advertised starting price is not a promise that your flight will be available at that amount.
Check the operating airline, cabin on every segment, connection, required miles and full cash charge together. Also read the award’s change and cancellation terms; those can differ by fare, route, booking channel and membership status.
Use the award guide for the fuller search, availability and booking workflow.
Operating airline, loyalty program and alliance
The operating airline flies the aircraft. The loyalty program holds the rewards and sets the redemption process. An airline alliance connects member airlines, but it is not one shared mileage account. Programs can also work with airlines outside their alliance.
A partnership that permits earning is not automatically a redemption partnership. Even when award booking is supported, the program may receive limited seats, exclude a cabin or require a different booking channel. Compare the program’s own partner rules, not just an alliance logo.
- Operating airline
- The carrier that flies the aircraft; check it for every segment.
- Loyalty program
- The account and rules used to earn or spend a particular reward currency.
- Airline alliance
- A network such as oneworld, SkyTeam or Star Alliance—not a universal reward balance.
- Non-alliance partner
- A separately arranged airline relationship whose earning and redemption rules must be checked.
Expiration depends on the program and the activity
An activity-based program can extend unexpired rewards after specified qualifying activity. Another program may expire miles according to when they were earned. Some programs state that redeemable rewards do not expire, while still allowing account closure or forfeiture under their terms.
Use the directory’s qualified rule as a starting point, then confirm your personal expiration date in the account. Age, status, cardholder protection, country and promotional rewards can have different conditions. Do not assume that logging in, moving miles between family members or making any purchase counts as the activity your program requires.
Allow time for activity to post before the deadline. Expired rewards may have a separate paid reinstatement or extension process—or no remedy at all. A remedy is not the same as protection of an unexpired balance.
How bank points connect to airline miles
Supported bank or issuer points can become an airline program’s rewards. This is different from freely moving an existing airline balance into another program. Even two programs that use the same currency name may require an explicit linking or transfer arrangement.
Before transferring, confirm the supported relationship, eligible account, ratio, minimum, expected timing and whether reversal is allowed. Check award availability first, but remember that a seat or price can change while a transfer is processing. A possible transfer does not guarantee a booking.
The maintained issuer-to-program matrix and transfer mechanics belong on the specialist transfer page.
An award can still cost cash
Miles may cover the reward portion of a ticket while taxes, airport fees, carrier-imposed charges or booking-service fees remain payable. Partner awards can have different cash charges from the same program’s own-airline awards. Optional services can cost extra as well.
Compare the miles required and total payable cash with a realistic cash ticket for the same trip. Cabin, baggage, restrictions, refund rules and whether you would actually buy that cash fare all matter. The comparison does not assign one permanent value to a program’s currency.
Enter the real cash alternative, award charges and reward requirement in the dedicated calculator.
What to verify before relying on a balance
Choose programs around the routes you actually use, the airline you fly and the awards you can reasonably book. There is no defensible universal winner for every traveler. Compare the rules that affect your plans instead of treating all miles as equivalent.
- Confirm the current program and currency name; distinguish redeemable rewards from status measures.
- Check your own balance and expiration date, including the precise qualifying activity and any exception.
- Verify ticket eligibility before relying on future mileage credit.
- Find bookable award inventory through the intended program and check the operating airline and cabin.
- Review taxes, surcharges, booking fees and change or cancellation terms.
- Before a transfer, verify eligibility, timing and finality; a displayed seat can disappear.
Common questions about airline miles
What are airline miles?
Airline miles are redeemable rewards held in a frequent-flyer program. Some programs call them points. A reward mile is not necessarily one flown mile and does not have one fixed cash value. Redeemable miles are different from status-qualification measures.
Do airline miles expire?
Some programs expire rewards after specified activity deadlines; others use the age of the miles. Some state that redeemable rewards do not expire while retaining account or forfeiture conditions. Check the qualified rule in the program directory and your own account; member category, market and promotional rewards can affect it. The directory identifies any rule not established from current official terms; do not fill those gaps with assumptions.
Can I transfer miles from one airline program to another?
Airline balances generally cannot be moved freely between programs. An explicit supported linking, transfer or pooling arrangement is needed. Eligible bank points may transfer into supported airline programs, which is a different transaction with its own terms.
Can I use miles on partner airlines?
Only where the loyalty program supports partner redemption and eligible award inventory is available. Alliance membership or the ability to earn on a partner does not guarantee redemption, a seat, a cabin, an online booking channel or identical cash charges.
How many airline miles do I need for a flight?
There is no single amount. The program, route, dates, cabin, pricing model and available inventory determine the requirement. Some programs use charts; others vary prices, and own-airline and partner awards may follow different rules. Check the quote through the program you intend to use.
Are airline miles the same as credit-card points?
No. Airline miles are held in a loyalty program. Transferable issuer points begin in a bank or card-rewards account and may move into supported airline programs, subject to eligibility, ratios and transfer terms. Not every card earns transferable points.
Can I use miles and cash together?
Some programs offer a supported cash-plus-points or part-payment option, but eligibility, allowed flights, pricing and change rules vary. Paying an award’s mandatory taxes or fees in cash is not necessarily the same product as a cash-plus-points ticket.
Do award flights still have taxes and fees?
Yes, where applicable. Awards can require taxes, airport fees, carrier charges or booking-service fees in addition to miles. Amounts depend on the program and itinerary; optional services may also cost extra. Read the full cash charge before booking.