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If you’re a beginner to the points and miles world, you might be confused as to the terms miles vs points- are they different? What do they connote? If you’re already familiar with these terms check out my post on Award Search Tools for Points, Miles, & Hotel Perks.
You might have heard the term points and miles being used interchangeably, but we see those two as uniquely different.
Miles
Miles are generally a static award that can only be used within the earned program, for example United miles can only be used for flights, travel packages, etc on United.com- it cannot be used to book an award ticket on airlines that are not part of its alliance.
- As an example, Air Canada, Singapore, and United are both part of Star Alliance, so you can transfer points to either airline, and book flights on other Star Alliance partners pending availability. Star Alliance partners include 25+ airlines including Austrian Airlines, Avianca, Brussels Airlines, Copa Airlines, ITA Airways, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Singapore, SWISS, TAP Air Portugal, and more.
- The three main alliances are Star Alliance, OneWorld, and SkyTeam.
Points
Points refers to the award currency that can be utilized for various uses, usually earned via non-branded credit cards and banking institutions. They can often be redeemed for cashback, for travel via the issuers travel portal across a wide range of airlines and hotels, or transferred to a set list of partners, which turns the points into miles.
- Cashback- redeem your points as a statement credit against a purchase. You can essentially pay for a purchase using your points, for example Amex allows you to redeem 1 point for 0.6 cents (10,000 points for $60)
- Travel Portal- redeem your points for a travel booking. You can log into your credit card issuers travel portal for flights, hotels, and attractions- note that low cost carriers and basic economy tickets are often unavailable via travel portals. Travel portals have a set redemption value, for example Amex allows you to redeem 1 point for 1 cent ($10,000 points for $100)
- Transfer Partners- transfer your points into miles via your credit card issuers transfer portal. Transfers are permanent and cannot be reversed, and each credit card issuer has a set list of airlines you can transfer your points to, at a set value.
- Transferring points to miles often provides the best value, as mileage redemption rates are often static, unlike travel portal prices which are essentially the cash price, and fluctuate often. Note that these are also the hardest to learn how to use effectively, due to the many alliances and redemption rates. We suggest comparing pricing before transferring points, to ensure the best value. As an example, booking a $500 ticket from JFK to CPH would cost 50,000 Amex points via the portal, while the same ticket could be available via Virgin Atlantic for just 12,000 miles- you can transfer 12k points from Amex to Virgin Atlantic, and save yourself 38k points! On the other hand, if a United flight from EWR to MIA is available for $100 on the Amex travel portal (10k points), but costs 12k miles on United, the Amex travel portal is the clear winner.
- Note that for flights booked via points you can add your frequent flier number to earn miles with the airline. Flights booked via miles do not earn frequent flier miles.
- A premium card is often required to unlock the transfer points feature- many basic (free) cards to not offer this feature.
- While you can only transfer points into miles for the set list of transfer partners your credit card issuer offers, most airlines are part of a larger alliance that allows you to book flights across many other airlines.
- As an example Chase allows transfers to 10 airlines, include Air Canada, Singapore, and United.
- Air Canada, Singapore, and United are all part of Star Alliance, so you can transfer points to either airline, and book flights on other Star Alliance partners pending availability. Star Alliance partners include 25+ airlines including Austrian Airlines, Avianca, Brussels Airlines, Copa Airlines, ITA Airways, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Singapore, SWISS, TAP Air Portugal, and more.
- The three main alliances are Star Alliance, OneWorld, and SkyTeam.
- Each credit card issuer has a set transfer value- while Chase’s transfer value is 1:1, meaning 1,000 points= 1,000 miles, Amex’s transfer value can vary, such as 250 Amex points transferring to 200 JetBlue miles.
- Credit card issuers occasionally offer transfer bonuses- for example a 20% transfer bonus from Amex to Air France/KLM Flying Blue would mean that 1,000 points becomes 1,200 miles.
- Transferring points to miles often provides the best value, as mileage redemption rates are often static, unlike travel portal prices which are essentially the cash price, and fluctuate often. Note that these are also the hardest to learn how to use effectively, due to the many alliances and redemption rates. We suggest comparing pricing before transferring points, to ensure the best value. As an example, booking a $500 ticket from JFK to CPH would cost 50,000 Amex points via the portal, while the same ticket could be available via Virgin Atlantic for just 12,000 miles- you can transfer 12k points from Amex to Virgin Atlantic, and save yourself 38k points! On the other hand, if a United flight from EWR to MIA is available for $100 on the Amex travel portal (10k points), but costs 12k miles on United, the Amex travel portal is the clear winner.
Hotel Points
Hotel Points function similarly to miles, and are generally only usable within the earned program- Hilton hotel points can only be used for Hilton hotels. There are some exceptions, such as Marriott points which can be transferred to various airlines, though at a reduced value (3 Marriott hotel points converts into 1 airline point).
- Most large hotel chains have various brands under their umbrella, for example Marriott offers 30+ brands under its umbrella including Ritz Carlton, St Regis, Sheraton, Westin, Le Meridian, and more.
- Marriott Brands, Hilton Brands, Hyatt Brands, IHG Brands
Confused on how to turn the above knowledge into a bookable airline ticket or hotel room? Check out my post on Award Search Tools for Points, Miles, & Hotel Perks.
Have any questions or comments? Reach out in the comments section below, and I’ll do my best to respond!
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