When to Use Airline Miles vs. Paying Cash for Flights in 2026

By Joseph Hellman-Benjamin, Founder and CEO of The Points King. Last updated: October 12, 2026. Editorial Policy

Should you use airline miles or pay cash for a flight? Work out what each mile buys: take the cash price, subtract the taxes you would pay on the award ticket, and divide by the miles required. Use miles when the answer beats what your miles are worth, which is about 1.2 to 1.55 cents for the big US programs in October 2026. Pay cash when it falls below that. Then check two things the arithmetic leaves out: what you would have earned on a paid ticket, and how easily each ticket can be cancelled.

I am Joseph Hellman-Benjamin, and I have run The Points King since 2017. We buy miles, so what a mile is worth is my business, and I cover selling at the end of this page as a third option, with its risks. There are no affiliate links on this site.

Contents hide
1 The Cents per Mile Test
2 Benchmarks for October 2026
3 What Changed in 2026
4 When Paying Cash Wins
5 When Miles Win
6 The Cost People Miss: Taxes and Surcharges
7 What You Give Up on an Award Ticket
8 Cash Plus Miles: Usually the Weakest Option
9 A Five Line Decision
10 If the Test Never Comes Out in Favor of Miles
11 Frequently Asked Questions
11.1 What is a good value for airline miles?
11.2 Is it worth using miles for economy flights?
11.3 Do I earn miles when I fly on an award ticket?
11.4 Should I use miles or cash for a basic economy fare?
11.5 What if my miles are about to expire?
11.6 Do miles lose value over time?
12 Sources

The Cents per Mile Test

The formula: (cash price minus taxes and fees on the award) divided by miles required, times 100.

Example: a ticket costs $450, or 30,000 miles plus the $5.60 security fee. $450 minus $5.60 is $444.40. Divided by 30,000 miles, that is 1.48 cents a mile. For a Delta or United mile, valued at 1.2 cents, that is a good use. For an American mile at 1.45 cents it is about even.

Miles vs. cash calculator





The benchmark box starts at 1.2 cents. Change it to the figure for your program from the table below. NerdWallet has a calculator with program values built in.

Benchmarks for October 2026

Program The Points Guy NerdWallet
American AAdvantage 1.45 cents 1.7 cents
Delta SkyMiles 1.2 cents 1.2 cents
United MileagePlus 1.2 cents 1.2 cents
Southwest Rapid Rewards 1.25 cents 1.4 cents
Atmos Rewards (Alaska, Hawaiian) 1.55 cents 1.4 cents
JetBlue TrueBlue 1.35 cents 1.4 cents

Sources: The Points Guy, October 1, 2026, and NerdWallet, updated October 6, 2026. NerdWallet’s figures are the median value on ordinary economy round trips, so they are the safer benchmark for everyday bookings. How these numbers are built is in what airline miles are worth.

The cash you still pay on an award ticketTypical cash due on top of the miles, from the surcharge table on this page.
US domestic awardEach way, TSA fee
$5.60
Partner awardsUnited, LifeMiles, Aeroplan
Taxes only, no fuel surcharges
British Airways businessUS to UK and back
About $1,700
Lufthansa businessUS to Germany and back
About $1,700
$0$500$1,000$1,500$2,000

From the table on this page (TSA; Upgraded Points, February 2026). British Airways business class from London to New York and back, booked with Avios, was 176,000 Avios plus 499 pounds (May 2026). Partner awards on United, Avianca LifeMiles and Air Canada Aeroplan carry taxes only.

What Changed in 2026

  • Fares rose faster than award prices. NerdWallet found airfare up 26% in a year, which lifted its value for an American mile from 1.3 to 1.7 cents and for Atmos and Southwest as well. When cash fares are high, miles go further.
  • Paid tickets earn less. American Basic Economy tickets bought since December 17, 2025 earn no miles, per American. Since April 2, 2026, United members with no United card earn 3 miles per dollar, down from 5, and nothing on basic economy, per NerdWallet. That lowers the cost of using miles: you give up less.
  • American added cash and miles. Announced October 2, 2026, for flights within the contiguous 48 states and not on Basic Economy, under terms American has posted.
  • Foreign programs got dearer. On September 8, 2026, Flying Blue split Air France and KLM awards into Light, Standard and Flex. Light keeps the old price but drops changes, checked bags in economy and lounge access in business; Standard costs about 25% more miles, Thrifty Traveler reported. LifeMiles raised Star Alliance prices by about 21% in April 2026, per AwardWallet, and British Airways raised the cash portion of its awards on May 27, 2026.

When Paying Cash Wins

  • The fare is cheap. A $100 flight that costs 12,500 miles returns 0.76 cents a mile after the security fee. That is below every benchmark above.
  • The award carries a large surcharge. See the next section. A “free” ticket with $800 in fees is rarely worth the miles.
  • You are chasing status with American or Southwest. Award tickets earn nothing toward status in either program.
  • The paid fare earns well. At 5 miles per dollar, a paid American ticket gives back about 7% of the base fare in miles at 1.45 cents each. An award ticket gives back nothing.

When Miles Win

  • Long-haul business class. American’s partner chart charges 57,500 miles one way to Europe in business, per Frequent Miler. Against a cash fare of $2,500 or more, that is over 4 cents a mile.
  • Expensive dates. Holiday weeks and last-minute trips are when cash fares peak. Award prices rise too in the dynamic programs, so run the test: the gap can still favor miles.
  • You may need to cancel. American, United, Southwest and most Delta and Atmos awards can be cancelled for free with the miles returned, per AwardWallet’s October 2026 table. The exceptions are Delta basic awards, Atmos Saver awards and JetBlue Base awards. A basic economy cash ticket usually cannot be changed at all.
  • Your American miles are close to expiring. A modest redemption beats losing the balance. American is the only large US program where miles expire; see how to keep American miles from expiring.

The Cost People Miss: Taxes and Surcharges

Award Typical cash due Source
US domestic, any program $5.60 each way TSA
United, Avianca LifeMiles or Air Canada Aeroplan on partner airlines Taxes only; no fuel surcharges Upgraded Points
British Airways business class, US to UK and back About $1,700 in surcharges Upgraded Points, February 2026
Lufthansa business class, US to Germany and back About $1,700 in surcharges Upgraded Points, February 2026
British Airways, London to New York and back in business, booked with Avios 176,000 Avios plus 499 pounds Upgraded Points, May 2026

Always subtract these before you divide. On the British Airways example, the 499 pounds comes off the cash fare first, and the Avios only have to cover what is left.

What You Give Up on an Award Ticket

Program Miles on a paid standard fare Status credit on an award ticket
American 5 per dollar; none on Basic Economy None
Delta 5 per dollar; none on Main Basic Yes: 1 MQD per 100 miles redeemed
United 3 per dollar without a United card; none on basic economy Yes: 1 PQP per 100 miles on United flights
Southwest 2 to 14 points per dollar, by fare None
Atmos Rewards 1 point per mile flown; none on Saver Yes: status points on award flights

Sources: Frequent Miler for American, Delta, The Points Guy for United, Frequent Miler for Atmos. The old advice that award tickets never count toward status is out of date at Delta, United and Alaska.

Cash Plus Miles: Usually the Weakest Option

The big US programs now let you split a fare between cash and miles. The value per mile is fixed and low:

  • Delta Pay with Miles: 1 cent a mile, for Delta Amex cardmembers, per The Points Guy.
  • United Money + Miles: about 0.75 cents for general members and about 1 cent for elites and some cardholders, per AwardWallet.
  • Southwest Cash + Points: about 1 cent a point, per AwardWallet.
  • American cash and miles: American has not published the rate. The Points Guy expects about 1 cent.

All of these sit below the benchmarks in the table. They make sense for a small balance that cannot reach a full award, and for little else.

A Five Line Decision

  1. Run the test. Below your benchmark: pay cash.
  2. Above it, check the surcharge. Recalculate with the real cash due.
  3. If you need status at American or Southwest this year, lean toward cash.
  4. If your plans might change, lean toward the award, unless it is a basic or saver award.
  5. If the miles are American and near their 24 month limit, use them.

More on spending well in my five rules for using airline miles. If you are unsure whether your program calls them miles or points, airline points vs. miles explains why it does not matter.

If the Test Never Comes Out in Favor of Miles

Some people find they never have a good use for a balance. A sale is the third option. Brokers, including The Points King, buy airline miles for cash. Selling miles is against the terms of the programs on this page, and a program can take the miles back or close the account of a member who sells them. A cash offer will also be lower than the value of a good award, so sell only what you would otherwise leave unused. How to turn airline miles into cash compares a sale with each airline’s own options, the risks of selling miles and points page explains what an airline can do, and the quote form is on the sell airline miles page.

For a standalone version with October 2026 benchmarks for 17 programs, use our cents per mile calculator.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a good value for airline miles?

For the big US programs in October 2026, 1.2 cents a mile or better is a fair use and 1.5 cents or more is a good one. Business class awards on partner airlines can reach 4 cents or more.

Is it worth using miles for economy flights?

Yes, when the test gives you at least your benchmark, or when you want to keep cash in the bank. Economy awards rarely give outstanding value, but they often give fair value.

Do I earn miles when I fly on an award ticket?

You do not earn redeemable miles. Delta, United and Atmos Rewards do give status credit on award tickets; American and Southwest do not.

Should I use miles or cash for a basic economy fare?

Basic economy now earns nothing at American, at United without a card, or on Delta Main Basic, so you give up little by using miles. A standard award is also easier to cancel than a basic economy ticket.

What if my miles are about to expire?

Use them, or reset the clock. Only American expires miles among the big US programs, after 24 months without activity, and any small earning or redemption resets it.

Do miles lose value over time?

Often, though not every year. Several foreign programs raised prices in 2026. For the US programs NerdWallet found values flat or higher this year because cash fares rose faster than award prices.

The October 2026 benchmarks: two sources, six programsCents per mile from the benchmark table on this page.
The Points GuyNerdWallet
American AAdvantage
1.45 | 1.7
Delta SkyMiles
1.2 | 1.2
United MileagePlus
1.2 | 1.2
Southwest Rapid Rewards
1.25 | 1.4
Atmos Rewards
1.55 | 1.4
JetBlue TrueBlue
1.35 | 1.4
1.01.21.41.61.8

From the benchmark table on this page (The Points Guy, October 1, 2026; NerdWallet, October 6, 2026). Delta and United agree; Southwest and American differ most in NerdWallet’s favor and Atmos in The Points Guy’s.

Sources

The Points King
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