How many points do you need for a free flight?

We sampled flight awards available with U.S. carriers and found that consumers need between about 8,000 and 57,000 miles to get a free one-way coach flight. Free flights in business or first class start at around 25,000 miles and climb to well over 150,000 miles one-way.



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The value you can get for 20,000 miles varies based on the airline or credit card rewards scheme you're enrolled in. I've used the best credit cards for getting travel points for flights all around the world. Typically, this amount equates to a minimum of $200 in-flight rewards and travel benefits.

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100,000 Chase points are usually worth $1,010, whether you spend them on travel, cash back, gift cards, experiences or shopping. With a few Chase cards, 100,000 points can be worth 25% - 50% more when redeemed for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards.

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At 1.4 cents per point, you'll need around 21,400 points for a ticket that costs $300. On average, it will cost approximately 7,700 points to 16,000 points to travel with a Blue fare ticket (one of the airline's economy-class tickets) and 82,000 to 165,000 points for a Mint fare (or business/first-class) ticket.

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So, if your flight costs $200, you'll need 20,000 miles. That's a pretty standard rate for reward redemption. Because not all flights are equal (in terms of distance, seating, time of year, etc.), their dollar cost varies a lot. So, credit card companies can't charge the same number of points or...

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50,000 American miles are worth about $850. How much are 80,000 American miles worth? 80,000 American miles are worth about $1,360.

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Airline miles are oftentimes the most valuable award travel currency. While many travel rewards are worth around 1 cent each, airline miles can be worth up to 6 cents each for first-class flights. Despite the potentially high valuations, miles are not always worth earning.

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60,000 American Airlines Miles Within the United States: 12,500 miles (main cabin) and 25,000 miles (business/first) Hawaii: 22,500 (main cabin) and 55,000 miles (business/first) Mexico: 15,000 (main cabin) and 25,000 miles (business/first) Carribbean: 15,000 (main cabin) and 25,000 miles (business/first)

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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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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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