Call 1 of 7
Economy to Lisbon: $420 cash, or 35,000 miles plus $60 in taxes.
($420 − $60) ÷ 35,000 = 1.03¢ a point. That’s near the floor, so pay cash on a good card and keep the miles for a better trip.
Beginners: collect one flexible points currency, pay the card off in full, work out what a point is worth against the cash fare (pay cash under about 1¢), and confirm the seat before you transfer. Experts: book through partner programs, avoid carrier surcharges, catch seats when they are released, use transfer bonuses on confirmed seats, add stopovers and start from cheaper cities.
Train in the simulator, then log real flights
The simulator gives you 7 points-or-cash calls with made-up numbers, so a wrong answer costs nothing. The flight log is for the real thing: tick off each hack once you’ve done it on a trip, earn hours and move up from Cadet to Chief Pilot.
Cadet0 of 30 hours to Second Officer
Simulator not flown yet
Practice calls. Numbers are made up for the exercise; real fares and fees change.
Call 2 of 7
Business to New York: $3,200 cash, or 70,000 miles plus $120.
($3,200 − $120) ÷ 70,000 = 4.4¢ a point, if it’s a seat you’d really buy. A strong redemption.
Call 3 of 7
An award site shows the seat you want. You hold bank points. What do you do first?
Award sites show cached seats. Confirm it where you’ll book, then transfer only what you need and book right away. A transfer can’t be undone.
Call 4 of 7
The same London–New York business seat: program A asks 55,000 miles + £700 in fees, program B 60,000 miles + £90.
5,000 extra miles save £610 in surcharges, about 12p a mile. Always compare the fees, not just the miles.
Call 5 of 7
Your bank runs a 25% bonus to Flying Blue until Friday. You have no trip picked yet.
Points in an airline program can only go to that airline, and its prices can rise. Transfer for a bonus only when the seat is there.
Call 6 of 7
Business to New York on points: £520 in taxes from London, or £150 from Paris. The train to Paris is £60.
Starting in Paris saves about £310 for a two-hour train, if the time works for you. UK duty on premium cabins is the difference.
Call 7 of 7
You booked an award for 80,000 miles. A week later the same flight costs 60,000. The change fee is €50.
20,000 miles for €50 is a good trade: about 0.25¢ a mile. Check the rules first, and book the new seat before you cancel the old one when the program allows it.
Simulator check
Your log stays in this browser. Mila sees your rank when you ask her about a trip here, so she can suggest the next hack.
First flights8 hacks, 10 hours each
10 h
Amex Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Capital One, Citi, or in Europe Amex for your country or Revolut RevPoints. Points stay with the bank until you find a seat, then move to whichever airline has it.
10 h
One month of interest wipes out the value of a good redemption. Points only pay if the balance is zero.
10 h
Time a new card to a big expense you already planned. Buying things to hit a target costs more than the points are worth.
10 h
Cash fare minus the award’s taxes and fees, divided by the miles. Under about 1¢ a point, pay cash. Around 1.5¢ or more, points are doing well.
10 h
Find the seat, check it on the airline’s own site, then move only the points you need and book straight away. Transfers can’t be undone, and seats on search sites can be gone.
10 h
A day earlier or later can halve the miles. One-ways let you fly out on one program and back on another.
10 h
Good award seats appear at random and go fast. Let an alert do the checking.
10 h
A cheap fare paid on a good card earns points instead of spending them. Saying no to a weak redemption is a hack too.
Long haul9 hacks, 20 hours each
20 h
The same seat costs very different miles depending on which program books it. Distance or zone charts beat dynamic pricing on the right routes.
20 h
Some programs pass on carrier surcharges of several hundred per ticket. Booking the same flight through another program can cut the fees to tens.
20 h
Premium award seats often appear when the schedule opens, about 330–360 days out, or in the last two weeks before departure.
20 h
A 20–30% bonus is worth waiting for, but only when the seat is there. Seat first, then transfer while the bonus runs.
20 h
Some programs let you stop for days on the way for few or no extra miles: two places for about the price of one.
20 h
Departure taxes vary a lot. Premium cabins out of the UK carry heavy duty; a short train or cash flight to another hub can save hundreds.
20 h
With dynamic programs, book now and cancel and rebook if the miles fall, when the change fee is smaller than what you save.
20 h
Fifth night free on points stays, and hotel programs where a point goes further. Compare with the cash rate like any award.
20 h
Many airlines and hotels match status from a rival. Time it for the trip where lounges, upgrades and free bags pay off.
Total0 of 260 h
Not in the log: hidden-city ticketing (booking past your real destination and getting off early). It breaks airline rules and can cost you the account and its miles. Also not here: opening cards you don’t need for a bonus. Information, not financial advice.
Fly a real one
Tell Mila the trip and your points. She checks the cash fare, the award and which of your points reach it.
Ask Mila