An air miles programme looks pointless for someone who flies once a year, and much of the time it is. But if you fly three or four times a year, the figure gathering in the account turns after a few years into a free ticket or an upgrade. The point is not the collecting but the spending in the right place. Below I have written the logic of the system and the points where most is lost.
How air miles work
Every big airline has its own programme, and the companies are grouped into alliances. That is, into an account you open with one company you can also earn miles on the flights of the other companies in that alliance. So it is more logical to open the account not with the company you fly most, but in the widest alliance.
Miles are no longer calculated everywhere by distance; in many programmes the price of the ticket and the fare class are taken as the basis. On the cheapest fares miles either accrue slowly or do not accrue at all. You can check that line in the fare conditions when you buy the ticket. Seeing the fare classes on one screen shows immediately which ticket brings miles.
When miles gain value
| The most rewarding | A long-haul business class award ticket |
| A good option | An upgrade, especially on night flights |
| A weak option | A cheap short-haul economy ticket |
| The weakest | Exchanging miles for goods from a catalogue |
The simple arithmetic is this: to find what a mile is worth, divide the cash price of the ticket by the number of miles required. On a long-haul business ticket that ratio usually comes out highest, while on short flights you are spending your miles almost for nothing. Do not forget either that on an award ticket the taxes and charges are still paid in cash.
Read more: When to buy an air ticket: why the price changes and how to save
What to look at when choosing an air miles programme
The first criterion is which companies fly from Baku, because the earning comes from real flights. The second is the breadth of the alliance, that is, with how many companies you can spend the miles. The third is how long it takes for miles to expire, and that differs seriously between programmes.
There are also programmes that let family members’ miles be combined in one account, and that is a serious advantage for people who travel together. Look at the status tiers too: extra baggage, the lounge and priority check-in are sometimes more useful than the miles. When you are building the route, comparing airline and fare options also shows which programme suits you.
Stopping miles from expiring
The greatest loss simply comes from forgetfulness. In most programmes miles are deleted when there is no activity for a certain period, and a notification does not always arrive. A small piece of activity on the account, for example a purchase from a partner shop, often resets the counter.
The second rule is to check after a flight that the miles have landed in the account, because sometimes they do not transfer automatically. In that case you can claim them later with the boarding pass and the ticket number, and the window for it is limited. General information on consumer rights is given on the European Commission’s consumer page.
In brief
Open the account in a wide alliance, save the miles for a long-haul ticket or an upgrade, do not buy goods from the catalogue. Write the expiry period in your calendar, check after a flight that the miles have landed, count the taxes on an award ticket. To plan the route, fill in the application form.
Note: programme conditions change often, so read the company’s current rules before spending miles.
