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Can you pay with miles and cash?

Miles + Cash is a redemption option on Award Tickets offered to all SkyMiles Members where you can pay for your flight using a combination of miles and dollars.



Yes, most major airlines in 2026 offer a "Miles + Cash" or "Pay with Miles" option to provide more flexibility for travelers who don't have enough points for a full "Award Flight." For example, United Airlines has a "Money + Miles" feature at checkout that allows you to apply miles as a form of payment to reduce the total ticket price. Delta Air Lines offers "Pay with Miles" exclusively to SkyMiles Credit Card members, allowing them to redeem miles in 5,000-point increments (typically worth $50) to discount their fare. Southwest Airlines recently introduced a "Cash + Points" option that lets Rapid Rewards members use as few as 1,000 points toward a flight. While this is a convenient way to use up a small balance of miles, travel experts often point out that the "value per mile" in these hybrid transactions is usually lower (around 1 cent per mile) than what you would get by redeeming for a traditional "Saver" award ticket. However, for those who want to save on out-of-pocket costs without waiting to hit a high points threshold, it remains a highly popular payment method.

People Also Ask

Our new valuation pegs United miles at 1.1 cents apiece, so 30,000 miles are worth $330. Naturally, the value of your miles can vary, but you should aim to get around $330 in value from these United miles.

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Key takeaways. Cash back credit cards are generally the better choice if you want to earn simple rewards on your regular purchases. A points or miles card may be a better option if you travel often or want to start earning travel rewards on your purchases.

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Miles and points earned on co-branded hotel and airline travel rewards cards do expire usually if you are not active in redeeming them for 12 to 24 months, depending on the terms of the hotel or airline loyalty program.

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Is 20,000 miles per year a lot? Given that the average mileage is 13,476 per year, 20,000 miles can be deemed a lot.

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95 Cash Miles are worth $10, and you can redeem miles in $10 increments up to a total of $750 per day.

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