Your Guide to Buying Airline Miles

If you are interested in buying air miles, but you are new to travel, then you may be wondering how to accrue, buy and use them to your advantage. The fact is there are many benefits to buying miles, and this guide will help you through the process.

Obtaining Air Miles

Today I’ll show you how you can buy miles online on your Favorite Airlines in 3 easy steps.

Normally the typical way you earn miles is by frequent flying, or by spending a lot of cash on your credit card. But let’s be real, it would take you many, many trips or a lot of spending on your credit card to accrue enough points for a single trip.

Well, I am here to tell you, no more waiting to earn miles, no taking trips to rack up miles, and no more shopping on your credit card to earn points.

As one of the best kept secrets in air travel, you can buy miles to get tickets in the first and business class without breaking the bank. You get the best bang for your buck when you use these miles on long-haul flights between countries. Most people are not excited about flying in coach for 10 to 12 hours, so sitting in the better, premium cabins is a great way to travel.

Buying miles is a simple task. Some people go directly to the airlines to buy their miles,(way too expensive and limited to the number of miles you may purchase in a year) others use their credit cards to accrue them, and some have discovered that you can go to Mileage Brokerage Websites and buy as many miles as you need for as low as 1.6 -1.8 cents a mile and any number of times with no restrictions.

Compare the Cost of Using Miles Versus Paying in Cash

International Travel is where it works best, the general consensus is that buying miles for Business and First Class tickets in the case of international travel will save you around 30-70 percent of the published Airline price.

A Business Class ticket to Europe requires 80,000 miles. The average cost of a mile is 0.016-.02cents. This amounts to $ 1600-$2000, Now compared to the published fare of Airlines and other travel sites. The average business class fare to Europe varies from $3400 – $5000. It is evident that in this scenario, buying miles is way cheaper.

Asia: A Business Class ticket from New York to Hong Kong costs anywhere between $8000-$10,000. Let’s apply the same calculation as before: The miles required are 145000 with an average cost of 0.02 cents a mile. This gives a cost of $2900-$3000. Again a massive difference.

Of course, keep in mind you still have to pay the airline taxes. So the long and short of it is that whether you are contemplating buying miles for a Domestic ticket or International ticket, be it for coach , business or first class, check for fares online on sites like Kayak, Expedia among others and then compare the fares with the cost of the miles you wish to purchase. If the ticket price is cheaper online, buy that. If buying miles is cheaper then go with this option. It’s straightforward.

Are Air Miles Right for You?

It is important to note that air miles may not be the best fit for everyone. If you only take one trip per year across state lines, then you are probably better off just buying a ticket. However, if you travel more often and you want to sit in the premium cabins without breaking the bank, then purchasing air miles is a must.

66 thoughts on “Your Guide to Buying Airline Miles”

dana on May 30, 2019 at 3:29 pm said:

Logical advice

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christina Moore on May 30, 2019 at 5:00 pm said:

I would love to win this, I want to go to Hawaii

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Chemy Torres on May 30, 2019 at 5:44 pm said:

I was looking to buy some a year ago and didn’t know about this to be honest, I lost some because got expired so I actually would be in a better level with some airlines, nice info.

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Jeanne Coulombe on May 31, 2019 at 10:30 am said:

This is great for someone who flies for business I only fly twice maybe 3 times a year so this wouldn’t be something for me great for people who do fly to Asia , Thanks for the info.

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Patricia Anderson on May 31, 2019 at 4:13 pm said:

Very informative video!

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Donna Evans on May 31, 2019 at 9:17 pm said:

I am not a frequent flyer so it doesn’t apply to me but it is an awesome feature

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monique s on May 31, 2019 at 10:15 pm said:

I love air miles and it is a great way with travel to get some free travel

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Lucy Barlow on May 31, 2019 at 10:17 pm said:

Wow I never thought of this – super clever way to go!
I’ve always wanted to go business class!

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mj rudy on May 31, 2019 at 11:39 pm said:

anything to get free miles is a help

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Reba Coutermarsh on May 31, 2019 at 11:40 pm said:

This would help with my business

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Lucinda Knelsen on May 31, 2019 at 11:44 pm said:

This is a lot of great information. Thank you! I had no idea about a lot of this.

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Francis Woods on May 31, 2019 at 11:52 pm said:

Great website

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Suzanne Hardy on May 31, 2019 at 11:54 pm said:

This sounds like an awesome service!! We love to travel and are always looking for the best airfare.

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Kerry Watts on June 1, 2019 at 11:38 am said:

Great prize liked and shared

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Patricia Guner on June 1, 2019 at 11:55 am said:

Good program for someone who flies a lot; not me. Thanks anyway

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Dana on June 1, 2019 at 2:00 pm said:

This is a great idea because it’s tough to earn the miles you need from regular credit card usage.

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Richard Dinwiddie Jr on June 1, 2019 at 2:23 pm said:

Good explanation of possible benefits from buying miles

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Jeremy Fister on June 1, 2019 at 4:06 pm said:

Winning the miles would be awesome!!

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Deborah Butler on June 1, 2019 at 5:06 pm said:

Thank you for the info.

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Sandi Tymchuk on June 1, 2019 at 8:23 pm said:

Thank you for this helpful information. I see that it is best for business class or higher. But it’s nice to know that there is a nice option for a once-in-a-lifetime splurge to travel internationally in comfort!

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Young M on June 1, 2019 at 9:37 pm said:

Thanks for the info. I’ll refer to this guide the next time I plan on flying. 🙂

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Catherine Robichaud on June 1, 2019 at 10:13 pm said:

Great information. I had no clue that by buying miles you may actually save money. I will definitely check this option out the next time I fly.

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Denise M on June 1, 2019 at 11:12 pm said:

Thanks for the article. Gives you something to consider. I love using airmiles!

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Calvin on June 2, 2019 at 12:15 am said:

Understanding the unit pricing of the airline miles is important, definitely some good tips here to utilize to get the most value out of your next purchase.

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Lesley Miller on June 2, 2019 at 12:26 am said:

Great information. Good advice.

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Susan Piaggio OKeefe on June 2, 2019 at 12:55 pm said:

Sounds simple. Haven’t done it yet but when the right deal comes along I’m set to pounce on it. Thanks, Mileage Club!!

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Kathy Eyre on June 2, 2019 at 6:05 pm said:

Hmmm, I’ve never looked at it from that perspective, I’ll do the math before I buy my next ticket. Thanks

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Lisa Nelson on June 2, 2019 at 7:56 pm said:

interesting article!

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Carol S Moore on June 2, 2019 at 8:25 pm said:

Good Information!

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Anne Zee on June 2, 2019 at 8:56 pm said:

I never found miles to be really helpful to me. If I am able to use the info here, I may be able to change that.

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jason kinnin on June 3, 2019 at 12:38 am said:

Would love to go to Hawaii or anywhere warm!

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J Clark on June 3, 2019 at 4:08 am said:

I have to say, I have never heard of Broker Mileage sites. I travel about 4 times a year, two in-state and two out of the country, and my wife and I do work moderately hard to obtain miles by purchasing household items on a certain airline-miles linked card. But it’s very slow-going and I am going to read more about this topic and bring it up to my wife. I’d like to get her take on it and then we may move forward on checking it out!

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Asifb on June 3, 2019 at 4:07 pm said:

It’ll definitely make taking a vacation a little more affordable

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Brooke L on June 3, 2019 at 7:46 pm said:

Air miles are definitely a benefit to help you get somewhere at a discounted or Free rate!

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Stefanie Nicholas on June 4, 2019 at 1:17 am said:

Might be a good option- I just don’t fly enough to rack up much!

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Cathleen Clark on June 5, 2019 at 4:57 am said:

Airline miles are a great concept for people that travel for work or pleasure. I have many more questions for people that are proficient at using miles!

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AJ Petit on June 5, 2019 at 5:37 pm said:

I’m all about the air miles!

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S. Brennand on June 6, 2019 at 2:16 am said:

I hadn’t heard of this before but what a great idea! I’m definitely going to look into the Mileage Club more.

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Rose Reeder on June 6, 2019 at 2:40 pm said:

I want to travel to see sister in WA state and daughter in Tn. Awesome to win.

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Marco Lo on June 7, 2019 at 4:22 pm said:

Great way to fly with halve the price

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Iliana B. on June 8, 2019 at 1:53 am said:

Thanks for the info on Mileage broker.. had no idea..

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Sheri Darby on June 9, 2019 at 2:22 pm said:

This sounds a really great idea

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Ming on June 9, 2019 at 11:13 pm said:

Thanks for the great insights & information

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Ashley Fairbanks on June 11, 2019 at 3:26 pm said:

Great info! I have never heard of this before, until now! This is a great help.

Ashley Fairbanks

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Kate Martin on June 11, 2019 at 8:58 pm said:

I’ve never earned enough miles to make it count. Pick me, pick me 🙂

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Thomas P on June 12, 2019 at 9:22 pm said:

Nice to have resources like this to break down options … because I know I’ll never spend the time doing it myself but appreciate someone else doing it.

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Michael N on June 17, 2019 at 3:56 am said:

Maybe its time for me to look at my flight mileage.

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Ann Skamarauskas on June 17, 2019 at 3:58 am said:

A useful article, I love the upgrades to business or first are very tempting

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Eileen Deliz on June 17, 2019 at 1:15 pm said:

I had never heard or thought of this option! Thanks for the amazing information.

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George Knox on June 17, 2019 at 1:18 pm said:

Tough to get miles, good info!

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Katherine Knox on June 17, 2019 at 1:21 pm said:

Really good to know,

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William Knox on June 17, 2019 at 1:59 pm said:

This is a good to know bit. Thanks

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Jacqui Graham on June 17, 2019 at 3:54 pm said:

Airline miles are a great concept for people that travel for work or pleasure. It travel abroad 5 – 6 times a year so this would be so useful

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Susan Highland on June 17, 2019 at 8:15 pm said:

I am a true believer! We just paid one way to Venice using air miles. Round trip would have been WAAY to costly for 3 of us. I like the idea of buying air miles. Never knew that. We buy everything on our Mileage Plus card. Nice to know all this info

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Jen L on June 17, 2019 at 9:32 pm said:

I think upgrading is the best way to use miles!

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Breana Miles on June 17, 2019 at 10:23 pm said:

My mom gets miles through her work! It’s awesome when it’s family vacation time and one of us gets to fly for free or have a night free at a hotel. Traveling with my family is my favorite!

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Jeannette Harkin on June 18, 2019 at 4:19 am said:

It can be difficult redeeming miles sometimes. I appreciate the suggestions from you The Mileage Club.

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Lia Walsh on June 18, 2019 at 5:06 am said:

This is the first time I heard of this! Thanks for the informative post! 🙂

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Michael DeFren on June 18, 2019 at 11:16 am said:

when i hear an idea like this it makes me wanna hit myself for not thinking of it

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Kelly Freeman on June 18, 2019 at 12:09 pm said:

Wow, i did not know you could buy airline miles!

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KellieRose Wilson on June 18, 2019 at 1:33 pm said:

This is awesome! I am always trying to find great deals on airlines and wondered about buying miles. I would love to use them to visit Santorini!

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Lily Kwan on June 18, 2019 at 5:32 pm said:

This guide is very helpful. Thanks for sharing!

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cassandra register on June 18, 2019 at 5:43 pm said:

This is so amazing!

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JoKing on June 19, 2019 at 12:27 am said:

OMG I had no idea you could BUY miles! I wondered how people who do not travel a lot were able to score such great savings.

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michel keeler on June 19, 2019 at 3:40 am said:

super informative thanks!

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Cassandra D on June 19, 2019 at 5:50 am said:

Thank you for the information.

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