By Joseph Hellman-Benjamin, Founder and CEO of The Points King. Last updated: October 18, 2026. Editorial Policy
What is cents per mile? It is the cash an award ticket saves you for each mile you spend. Take the cash fare, subtract the taxes and fees the award still charges, and divide by the miles. If the result beats what the program’s miles are usually worth, about 1.2 to 1.55 cents for the large US airlines in October 2026, the award is a better deal than paying cash.
Calculator
Cents per mile calculator
Good use of miles. You save $474.40 of cash by spending 30,000 miles. At The Points Guy value those miles are worth about $360.
How the Calculation Works
The formula is simple: (cash fare minus award taxes and fees) divided by the miles, times 100. The taxes come off the fare because you pay them either way; the miles only replace the rest.
Example: a United flight costs $480 in cash, or 30,000 miles plus $5.60 in fees. $480 minus $5.60 is $474.40. Divide by 30,000 and you get 1.58 cents a mile, above The Points Guy’s 1.2 cent value for United miles. That award is a good use of miles.
What Your Miles Are Worth: October 2026 Benchmarks
A benchmark is the value a program’s miles usually return when they are used well. The two most cited estimates disagree, sometimes a lot, so the calculator shows both where they exist.
| Program | The Points Guy | NerdWallet |
|---|---|---|
| American AAdvantage | 1.45 cents | 1.70 cents |
| Atmos Rewards (Alaska and Hawaiian) | 1.55 cents | 1.40 cents |
| Delta SkyMiles | 1.20 cents | 1.20 cents |
| United MileagePlus | 1.20 cents | 1.20 cents |
| Southwest Rapid Rewards | 1.25 cents | 1.40 cents |
| JetBlue TrueBlue | 1.35 cents | 1.40 cents |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | 1.50 cents | 1.10 cents |
| Avios (British Airways, Iberia, Qatar, Aer Lingus) | 1.40 cents | 1.20 cents |
| Air France-KLM Flying Blue | 1.40 cents | 1.00 cents |
| Virgin Atlantic Flying Club | 1.50 cents | 0.80 cents |
| Emirates Skywards | 1.20 cents | 1.00 cents |
| Turkish Miles&Smiles | 1.10 cents | 0.80 cents |
| Avianca LifeMiles | 1.60 cents | 1.30 cents |
| Singapore KrisFlyer | 1.30 cents | Not listed |
| ANA Mileage Club | 1.40 cents | Not listed |
| Cathay Asia Miles | 1.30 cents | Not listed |
| Qantas Frequent Flyer | 1.25 cents | Not listed |
The Points Guy published its values on October 1, 2026 and NerdWallet on October 6, 2026. Both change monthly or after a program changes its award prices.
Three Worked Examples
- Economy, good value. The United example above: $480 fare, 30,000 miles, $5.60 in fees, 1.58 cents a mile.
- Short flight, poor value. A $100 flight that costs 12,500 miles returns about 0.76 cents a mile after the $5.60 security fee. That is below every benchmark in the table, so paying cash and keeping the miles is the better choice.
- Business class. A transatlantic business seat on sale can be about $2,500 round trip. At 60,000 miles each way, that is about 2 cents a mile, still above what most programs are worth. A first class fare can run far higher: NerdWallet found a Los Angeles to Paris first class fare of $18,606.
When Paying Cash Is the Better Choice
- The fare is cheap. Low fares rarely beat the benchmark once the fees come off.
- The award carries a large surcharge. A “free” ticket with several hundred dollars in fees often is not worth the miles; enter the full amount in the taxes box.
- You want the miles a paid ticket earns. Paid fares earn miles and status credit; most award tickets earn little or nothing. American and Southwest award tickets earn nothing toward status.
- You may need to cancel. Most US awards can be cancelled for free, but Delta basic awards, Atmos Saver awards and JetBlue Base awards carry fees.
For the full decision, read when to use airline miles vs. paying cash.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a good cents per mile value?
Anything above the program’s benchmark. For the large US programs in October 2026 that means roughly 1.2 cents for Delta and United, 1.25 for Southwest, 1.35 for JetBlue, 1.45 for American and 1.55 for Atmos, using The Points Guy’s values. Business and first class awards often return 2 cents or more.
Should I subtract taxes and fees?
Yes. You pay them on the award ticket anyway, so they are not part of what the miles save you. Leaving them in makes every award look better than it is.
Why do The Points Guy and NerdWallet disagree?
They measure differently. The Points Guy estimates what a mile is worth when used well; NerdWallet bases its figures on a sample of real award and cash prices. Virgin Atlantic is the largest gap in October 2026: 1.5 cents at The Points Guy and 0.8 at NerdWallet.
Can I use this for hotel points?
Yes. Enter the nightly cash rate as the fare, the points as the miles, and any resort fee charged on award stays as the fee. Compare the result with our hotel points value calculator.
More calculators: Airline miles to dollars, Buy miles vs. pay cash, First class miles, or see all our calculators.
Sources
- The Points Guy: monthly valuations, October 1, 2026
- NerdWallet: points and miles valuations, updated October 6, 2026
- The Points King: when to use airline miles vs. paying cash, October 12, 2026
- The Points King: cheap first class tickets with points and miles, October 12, 2026