Credit Miles

How to decide which frequent flyer credit program to credit your flights to.

1. List the programs that can be credited to the flight.
   • Check the airline's website for the list of programs that can be credited to the flight.
   • Normally, for airlines that are part of an alliance, all the airlines in the alliance can be credited to the flight.
   • Additionally, some airlines have partnerships with other airlines that allow you to credit to the other airline's program.
2. Calculate the miles you will earn for each program.
   • Air miles-based program
     • Find out the actual distance miles you will be flying ($D$)
       • Can be found on Air Miles Calculator
     • Find out the Redeemable Miles Earning Rates ($RDM$)
       • Usually denoted as a percentage of the actual miles flown
       • Percentage can vary depending on the cabin class
       • Can be found on Where to Credit
       • or the frequent flyer program's website, Search for (Name of airline, program) Mileage Table
     • The miles you will earn $M = D \times RDM$
   • Fare-based program
     • Find out the Fare of the ticket ($P$)
     • Find out the Redeemable Miles Earning Rates ($RDM$)
       • Usually denoted as n miles per dollar spent
       • Different status levels may have different rates
       • Can be found on Where to Credit
       • or the frequent flyer program's website, Search for (Name of airline, program) Mileage Table
     • The miles you will earn $M = P \times RDM$
3. Evaluate the mile value ($VPM$)
   • Denoted as cents per mile
   • This can be subjective and depends on your travel habits and goals.
   • e.g. If you are pursuing a status in a program, they may have a higher value for you.
   • The Points Guy posted their monthy valuations here
   • Nerdwallet has a list of valuations here
4. Calculate the value of the miles you will earn for each program
   • The estimated value of the miles you will earn $V = M \times VPM$
5. The highest value program is the one you should credit to.
6. Be careful of other factors
   • Some speciality tickets may have additional rules
   • Status benefits (e.g. If you are pursuing a status of a program, consider raising their $VPM$)
   • Expiration of miles (e.g. Some program expire miles, some don't)