Buying airline miles, answered

It depends on the program — each has its own per-mile rate, shown on its page. Price the amount you need with the calculator and we'll confirm the exact figure on your quote, before any payment is made. The quote is free and no-obligation.

Yes. Miles are transferred into the loyalty account you already hold, and you book directly with the airline afterwards. You don't open anything new, and you keep control of the reservation. The exception is American Airlines AAdvantage and Emirates Skywards: those are sold only into a new account, so they arrive as a ready account with the miles already in it, which we hand over to you. We are not affiliated with any airline or loyalty program.

Most transfers land in your account within 3 business days. The exact window is shown on each program's page, and you'll get confirmation the moment the transfer completes.

We cover 22 programs today, from Air Canada to United Airlines, across Star Alliance, Oneworld, SkyTeam and the independent carriers. Each has its own page with its rate, order limits and delivery window. If yours isn't listed, send a request — not listed doesn't mean not available.

Price the amount on any program page, then send the request with your name and email. We reply with a firm quote confirming the exact rate and delivery window. Nothing is charged on this website, and we only ask for your loyalty account number once you've approved that quote.

No. The miles are transferred into the loyalty account you already hold, and you book the award yourself, directly with the airline. The reservation is in your name and stays under your control. The exception is American Airlines AAdvantage and Emirates Skywards: those can only be sold into a new account, so we hand over a ready account with the miles already in it, and you don't need to open anything yourself. We are not affiliated with any airline or loyalty program.

No. You're buying miles; the airline bills award taxes and any carrier surcharges separately when you book the seat. Those vary by route and program, and some programs pass on far less than others, which is worth checking before you decide how many miles to buy.

Availability moves with sourcing, and a program showing limited availability today may open up shortly. Send the request anyway and we'll confirm whether we can fill it, and when.

Tell us on the request and we'll confirm what's possible for that specific program. Rules on transferring into another person's account differ from program to program, so it's a question we answer per case rather than with a blanket yes.

Some programs let you pay part of an award in miles and settle the rest in cash. Others don't, and want the full mileage price or nothing. Where a program has no cash-and-points option, topping the account up to the full amount is the way through, which is the situation most people are in when they find us.

It depends on the route and the cabin far more than on the fare: a short domestic economy seat can go for a fraction of what a long-haul business class one costs, and the same seat is priced differently by each program. The airline's own award search, or its pay-with-miles option, gives you the exact number for your dates. Our guide to how many miles a flight costs works through the typical amounts by region and cabin.

It depends on the program. Some expire after a stretch of account inactivity, some carry a hard expiry date regardless of activity, and a few don't expire at all. Because a single qualifying transaction often resets the clock, an account that looks dormant may be fine. Our guide lists the current rule for every program we cover, with the date it was checked.

From the airline directly, or from an independent broker like us. Buying direct is always available and is usually the most expensive route, because a program has little reason to undercut the cash fares it is also trying to sell. Whichever way you go, compare the per-mile price against the cash fare for the seat you actually want before you buy.

There's no single number, because every program prices its own miles and every broker prices differently again. Across the 14 programs where our rate is confirmed, it runs from 1.5¢ to 2¢ per mile, and each program page shows its own rate beside its order limits and delivery window. The figure that decides it is whether the miles come to less than the cash fare for your seat, which the calculator on each page works out.

Sometimes, and it's worth checking rather than assuming. It's most often true for premium cabins, one-way fares and upgrades, where the cash price runs high relative to the mileage price. It's least often true for a cheap domestic economy seat. Every program page has a calculator that puts your real cash fare against the cost of buying the miles, and when cash wins it tells you to pay cash.

It depends on what you're booking. Buying miles makes sense when you're short of a specific redemption and the miles cost less than the cash fare — a premium-cabin seat is the usual case. It rarely makes sense to buy speculatively, without a booking in mind. Confirm the award seat is available first, then buy the shortfall.

We'll confirm the accepted payment methods when we send your quote. Payment is always handled off this site.

Yes. We've completed 5,000+ transfers. You get a firm quote confirming your exact rate and delivery window before any payment is made, and the miles go into an account you already control.

We handle every transfer carefully to protect your account. If you have questions about a specific program, reach out before ordering and we'll walk you through it.