Can you combine miles and dollars?

Using a combination of money and miles to save on your next flight is easier than ever before. When searching for your trip, select Money + Miles to see prices for each flight option as a combo of cash and miles. Then, at checkout you can customize how many miles you want to use to save cash on your trip.



Yes, in 2026, almost all major airlines offer a "Gold Standard" way to combine miles and dollars to pay for a flight, though the value of your miles can vary. Programs like Delta "Pay with Miles" (for Amex cardholders) and United "Money + Miles" allow you to apply your points as a "Bujan" cash discount at checkout. For example, Delta typically lets you shave $50 off your fare for every 5,000 miles used. A grounded reality check: using your miles this way often yields a lower "cents-per-mile" value than booking a full "Award Ticket." However, it is a supportive option if you don't have enough miles for a free flight or if you want to fly on a specific high-fidelity date when award seats are "hard-failed" or unavailable. Many European carriers like British Airways (Avios Part Payment) also allow this, sometimes for as little as £5 off. A supportive peer tip: when you pay with a mix of miles and cash, you usually still earn frequent flyer miles on the "cash" portion of the fare, which isn't always possible on 100% award bookings, making it a "smart" move for those looking to maintain their 2027 elite status.

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Pay with Miles is a benefit of select Delta Amex Cards where you can use miles to pay for all or part of the cost of eligible flights. It is always available as a payment option on all Delta operated flights as long as you have 5,000 miles in your SkyMiles account.

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You typically aren't able to transfer miles between partner airlines (or any airlines). But what you can do is use your loyalty program points to book an award flight on a partner airline. While searching for a flight on your favorite airline's website, choose the option to book or redeem using points or miles.

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United MileagePlus members can transfer their United miles to another family member, though it's normally not worth it because of the fees involved. This month, members will get a 20% discount and won't have to pay the $30 processing fee.

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As an AAdvantage member, you must have some mileage earning or redeeming activity once every 24 months or have an open AAdvantage credit card account to retain your miles. If not, your AAdvantage miles will expire unless you pay a fee to reactivate them.

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Here's the catch. Air Miles themselves do not expire. But, if your account “expires” by being “dormant” (or inactive) for 24 consecutive months, then the points on it will disappear. An account is considered inactive if there are no points transactions within that period.

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  • Traveling with points and miles.
  • Use rewards for premium flights.
  • Book luxury hotels closer to home.
  • Consider low-category extended stays.
  • Find deals on peak travel.
  • Travel during off-peak seasons.
  • Look for sweet-spot redemptions.
  • Redeem for good-enough value.


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Call The Airline Even though many airlines permit you to book a ticket for somebody else spending your own miles, there are few airlines which entail you to inform them about the usage of your miles by somebody else on phone or over the ticket counter.

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United award flight prices vary substantially based on the cabin class and when you're flying. Example: Economy Saver Award prices for the short hop from San Francisco to Los Angeles run as low as 5,100 miles, while a first-class Everyday Award for the same hop costs around 30,000 miles.

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Chip Lupo, Credit Card Writer 1,000 United miles are worth an average of $11.9, according to WalletHub data.

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The good news is that this is certainly possible — you can transfer American Airlines miles from your account to your wife's. Simply head to AA's transfer page, select the number of miles you'd like to transfer and pay the fee.

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Focus on earning points that either partner can use Airline and hotel rewards credit cards can offer lucrative bonuses and cardholder perks. However, hotel points and airline miles generally can't be transferred to another member — at least without prohibitively expensive fees.

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