What can I purchase with miles?

Some airline loyalty programs also let you use miles or points for hotel stays, car rentals, magazine subscriptions, merchandise or flight upgrades. In most cases, these types of redemptions will get you a low value for your miles. To get the best value, you'll want to plan to redeem your airline miles for flights.



In 2026, airline miles are highly versatile and can be used for far more than just "Free Flights." The most valuable redemption remains Reward Flights and Cabin Upgrades (moving from Economy to Business or First Class). However, most major programs like Delta SkyMiles, United MileagePlus, and American AAdvantage now allow you to use miles for Hotel Stays, Rental Cars, and Vacation Packages. You can also purchase "on-board" perks such as Wi-Fi access, Extra Legroom seats, and Lounge Passes. Many airlines feature an online "Mall" where miles can be exchanged for Gift Cards, Electronics, and Home Goods. For elite members, miles can sometimes be used for exclusive "Member Experiences," such as VIP tickets to sporting events, concerts, or gourmet dining tours. While redeeming for flights generally offers the highest "cents-per-mile" value, the ability to pay for a rental car or a new pair of noise-canceling headphones with miles provides excellent flexibility for those who find themselves with a surplus of rewards.

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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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Most airlines allow travelers to redeem their miles for flights, seat upgrades, or other travel-related perks, but they don't convert them directly to cash. Some airlines also permit the transfer of miles to other reward programs, such hotel loyalty programs, which may include the option of cash redemption.

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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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To use Miles instantly in-store, just show your AIR MILES Card at checkout and let the cashier know that you want to use your Cash Miles. Every 95 Cash Miles gets you $10 towards your purchases at select Partners.

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It Rarely Makes Sense To Buy Miles. As tempting as some offers may seem, there are many cases when it doesn't make sense to buy miles. This includes buying miles from programs with fixed values, buying miles at full price and buying miles as an add-on to airfare purchases.

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More Ways to Use Miles Your miles are good for so much more than just flights. Turn them into everything from a premium drink at Delta Sky Club to seat upgrades on your next flight. Plus, you can use your miles for Delta Gift Cards, vacation packages and more.

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AIR MILES Hotels + Cars provides access to 300,000+ hotels, resorts and independent boutiques around the world and thousands of car rental locations around the world. For your hotel booking, use your Dream Miles towards bookings or get Reward Miles when you pay for your complete hotel booking using a credit card.

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95 Cash Miles gets you $10 towards your purchases, and can be redeemed in $10 increments up to $750 per collector account per day at most AIR MILES Cash Partners. That means if you shop at Metro and you have 475 Cash Miles in your Cash account, you can turn that into $50 off your grocery bill.

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If you search online, you'll find various airline miles brokers and airline points brokers willing to pay you cash for your travel rewards. That said, I don't recommend selling your miles for a multitude of reasons. Here's what you need to know, including other ways to get value from airline miles you don't want.

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You need to spend a minimum of $10 before tax; then every 95 Cash Miles will get you $10 off your purchase. Miles can be used in $10 increments up to $750 per Cash Account, per day. Exceptions may apply. AIR MILES Cash Terms and Conditions.

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