By Francesca Shillcock

Copyright hellomagazine

If you’ve ever flown in economy and found yourself wondering how lucky people in business and first class get to nab a coveted seat, then you might be interested to learn all about airline points. Sure, some fortunate people use their hard-earned cash to upgrade their seat, but others use points by enrolling in an airline’s loyalty system, which is popular with frequent flyers. But how do they work? And how many points can you earn? We answer all of your burning questions so that you can start collecting rewards the next time you fly.

What are air miles?

Simply put, consider air miles or points as another form of currency. When you purchase a flight through relevant airlines or their partners, for example, certain credit card companies, hotels and car rentals, you collect ‘miles’ and earn points for your loyalty, which are ultimately redeemable for discounted or free (depending on how many points you have to your name) flight tickets or other related travel services.

By entering into a loyalty system with certain airlines, you can also bag other benefits the more you spend, including priority boarding, extra baggage allowance, lounge access and seating upgrades. One of the most important factors in their business model is loyalty and repeated patronage, so by offering a decent reward programme, it encourages customers to purchase their flights with the same airline in future.

How do travellers earn air miles?

In short, by flying more. However, it’s important to make sure you have signed up to whichever airline and points system you feel will suit you best. It’s usually free to join their loyalty programme, and many major airlines, like British Airways, for example, offer their own system where customers can earn points and accumulate miles. In their case, they’re known as Avios points, but most major airlines offer a loyalty service.

Another way is by signing up for co-branded credit cards. As an example, American Express have long been a partner of American Airlines and British Airways, and so if you are eligible and accepted, you can earn airline points by using the credit card. You can also earn by using other services that partner with the airline companies, like car rental companies, hotels, restaurants, supermarkets and more.

Keeping an eye on specific airlines’ promotional offers is another way to bag more miles. Like many major companies, whether it’s an airline or a retail company, they will occasionally put on promo offers where you can earn a certain number of points for a limited time by spending a certain amount or travelling to a specific destination. It could be a good way of securing more points for your next trip.

Some airlines also allow you to purchase air miles. For instance, if you’re short of just a few miles from redeeming a long-haul flight ticket for free, you might be able to look into buying the remaining number of miles you need to secure the deal. Each airline is different, and you’ll need to read the fine print.

Which airlines use an air miles loyalty system?

Traditional low-cost airlines in the UK don’t partake in a loyalty system, so you won’t find yourself earning miles if you regularly fly with companies such as easyJet or Ryanair. But other major airlines in the UK do include British Airways, Emirates, Etihad, Virgin Atlantic, and more.

However, if you earn Avios points, for example, you don’t only have to fly with BA. They are part of the ‘oneworld’ alliance, which is made up of 14 airlines, meaning you do have a bit more choice on who you book your flight with using your points. Star Alliance (26 airlines) include the likes of Air Canada, Singapore Airlines and more. Meanwhile, SkyTeam look after Air France, Delta and Virgin Atlantic. This is helpful if, for example, you want to book a flight somewhere but one airline isn’t offering you the best time or price. If one of their partner airlines is, you can use points for that instead.

How are points redeemed?

It’s always best to check the fine print of the airline you’re signing up to, as each airline will have its own way of equating points for pounds.

When it comes to redeeming them for a ‘free’ flight, it of course depends on where you’re flying to, and when you are going. There isn’t one set rule across the board, so it’s best to do your homework and research upon signing up. Companies offer their own ‘Reward Flight Finder’ and calculators so you can see how many miles you need and what value your points have.