Short answer: buying airline miles is usually a bad deal for economy tickets and often a good deal for business class, but only when you buy at a good price and the award seat is actually available. It all comes down to one comparison: what you pay for each mile versus what each mile is worth on the ticket you want.

At full price, most US airlines sell miles for about 3.76 cents each, which includes the 7.5% federal excise tax on purchased miles. Meanwhile, NerdWallet’s September 2026 valuations put the average American AAdvantage mile at 1.7 cents and Delta and United miles at 1.2 cents. So buying at full price only works when a specific redemption gets you far more than an average mile is worth.

Check your own trip with the calculator

Enter the cash fare, the miles the award costs and the award taxes and fees. The calculator fills in each program’s base purchase price as of October 1, 2026, prices only the miles you are short, and shows which option costs less.

The rule of thumb

Take the cash fare, subtract the award taxes and fees, and divide by the number of miles the award costs. That is the redemption value per mile. If it is higher than the price you would pay per mile, buying miles can make sense. If it is lower, pay cash.

6 worked examples

All examples are one-way. Award prices come from published award charts and program guides; the cash fares are example fares used for illustration. Prices change daily, so run your own dates through the calculator.

1. American Airlines business class to Europe: buying wins

American charges 57,500 miles one-way for saver business class to Europe, according to Upgraded Points. Against an example cash fare of $3,800 with $90 in award taxes and fees, buying all 57,500 miles at 3.76 cents costs $2,162, for a total of $2,252. That is $1,548 less than cash, and the redemption value works out to 6.45 cents per mile, well above the purchase price.

A sale improves this further. With a 40% discount like the one listed for October 2026, the price falls to about 2.26 cents per mile and the total drops to roughly $1,390.

2. United Polaris to Europe: it depends on saver space

At United’s published saver level of 60,000 miles one-way in business class, an example $3,500 fare with $70 in fees looks good: 60,000 miles at 3.76 cents is $2,256, a total of $2,326, saving $1,174. But United prices its own flights dynamically. If the same seat costs 120,000 miles on your dates, the total jumps to $4,582 and paying cash wins by $1,082. Always check the actual award price before you buy a single mile.

3. Delta One via Virgin Atlantic: cheap points, expensive fees

Virgin Atlantic points cost about 1.5 cents each, and Delta One to Europe from the East Coast starts at 47,500 points off-peak. The catch, reported by AwardWallet when Virgin changed this pricing in July 2024: taxes and fees of roughly $1,030 one-way. The points cost $712.50, so the total is about $1,742.50. Against a $4,000 Delta One fare that still saves around $2,257, but on cheaper fares those fees can wipe out the savings. This is why the fees field matters as much as the miles.

4. Southwest domestic economy: cash wins

Southwest prices award seats from the cash fare, and AwardWallet’s analysis puts points at about 1.1 to 1.3 cents each. A $250 fare might cost around 21,000 points. Buying those at the standard 3 cents costs $630, plus the $5.60 security fee, for $635.60: $385.60 more than paying cash. Even at 50% off, the total of $320.60 still loses to the fare. Because the points are pegged to the price of the ticket, buying Southwest points rarely beats cash.

5. Delta domestic economy: cash wins by a lot

A $300 Delta fare that costs 25,000 miles values each mile at about 1.2 cents. Buying 25,000 miles at 3.76 cents costs $940, or $945.60 with the fee. That is more than three times the cash price.

6. Topping up a balance: the most common winning case

Say you have 45,000 American miles and the business class award to Europe costs 57,500. You only need 12,500 more, which you buy as 13,000 because miles are sold in blocks of 1,000. That costs $488.80, plus $90 in fees. Even if you count your own 45,000 miles at 1.7 cents each ($765), the total is $1,343.80 against a $3,800 fare. Small top-ups that unlock a high-value award are where buying miles makes the most sense.

Example (one-way)	Total using miles	Example cash fare	Cheaper option
American business to Europe	$2,252	$3,800	Buy miles
United Polaris, saver price	$2,326	$3,500	Buy miles
United Polaris, 120,000-mile price	$4,582	$3,500	Pay cash
Delta One via Virgin Atlantic	$1,742.50	$4,000	Buy points
Southwest domestic economy	$635.60	$250	Pay cash
Delta domestic economy	$945.60	$300	Pay cash
American top-up (13,000 miles)	$1,343.80	$3,800	Buy miles

When buying miles makes sense

• Business or first class on long-haul routes, when saver award space is open
• Topping up a balance that is a few thousand miles short of a specific award
• During a bonus or discount sale, which can cut the effective price by 30% to 50% or more
• When the cash fare is unusually high, such as peak travel dates or last-minute trips

When it does not

• Domestic economy tickets, where miles are rarely worth more than about 1 to 1.5 cents
• Programs that price awards from the cash fare, such as Southwest
• Flights where dynamic award pricing has pushed the miles far above the saver level
• Buying miles “for later” without a trip in mind: programs devalue over time, and AwardWallet estimates Southwest points lost about 27% of their value after its 2025 pricing changes

Four checks before you buy

1. Find the award seat first and confirm its price. Purchased miles are generally non-refundable.
2. Check the airline’s own buy miles page, such as Delta’s buy miles page, for the current price and any promotion.
3. Check the annual purchase limit, since most programs cap how many miles you can buy each year.
4. Add up taxes, fees and carrier surcharges, which can run from a few dollars to over $1,000.

Buying from the airline vs. a broker

Buying miles directly from the airline is fully within program rules. Buying miles from a third party, including a broker, is against the published terms of most major programs, and the risk of account action sits with the account holder. We cover this in detail in our guide to what airline program rules say. Whichever route you consider, get the per-mile price in writing and compare it with the airline’s own price in the buy miles vs. pay cash calculator.

Frequently asked questions

Is it cheaper to buy miles or pay cash?

For most economy tickets, paying cash is cheaper. For business and first class, buying miles is often cheaper when saver award space is available, especially if you only need a small top-up or the airline is running a sale.

How much does it cost to buy airline miles in 2026?

American, Delta, United and Alaska all charge about 3.76 cents per mile at their standard rate, including tax. Some international programs are cheaper per mile, and frequent promotions lower the effective price. See current base prices in the calculator and on our buy miles page.

What are my miles worth if I don’t use them?

That depends on the program and how you redeem them. Our guide to how much airline miles are worth breaks down typical values by program.

Ready to check a trip? Run your numbers in the buy miles vs. pay cash calculator, or contact The Points King for a written quote.