How can I check my frequent flyer miles balance?

You need at least 6,500 Delta miles for a free one-way flight and 9,000 miles for a free round-trip flight on Delta. The exact miles you need for a free Delta flight depend on where you want to go and when. Those minimums apply to flights from Los Angeles to Las Vegas booked months in advance. Delta stopped disclosing its Award Miles Chart, so there are no published minimums and maximums for various routes.… read full answer

Examples of How Many Delta Miles Are Needed for Free Flights:

• One-way flight from Los Angeles to Las Vegas: 6,500+ award miles
• One-way flight from New York City to Chicago: 7,000+ award miles
• One-way flight from Los Angeles to New York City: 8,000+ award miles.
• One-way flight from New York City to Seattle: 8,500+ award miles
• One-way flight from Miami to Boston: 10,500+ award miles

To get a free flight for the fewest number of Delta miles, you’ll want to book the flight far in advance, and be open to different dates. In many cases, you could pay at least 10,000 miles less for a flight if you’re flexible on your departure date.

If you’re a loyal Delta flyer and looking to earn miles faster for more free flights, you should look into a Delta credit card. The Gold Delta SkyMiles Credit Card from American Express is an excellent option with a signup bonus of 30,000 miles after you spend $1,000 in the first three months. And if you make a Delta purchase within that same timeframe, you’ll earn an additional $50 statement credit. Altogether, that’s worth roughly 1-5 free Delta flights.

How many miles you need for a free flight depends on the dollar cost of the flight. On average, a one-way domestic flight will cost between 6,000 miles and 20,000 miles, depending on the airline. A one-way international coach flight will cost 35,000-50,000 miles.

Airline miles and points are generally worth around 1 cent each, but their value can vary. For instance, when redeeming Southwest points for a free flight, each point is worth 1-1.5 cents, depending on the route and date of the flight. United miles are worth between 1 and 2.5 cents each.… read full answer

How Many Miles You Need for Free Flight by Major Airline:

• American Airlines: 7,500+ miles needed for a free one-way domestic flight.
• United Airlines: 10,000+ miles needed for a free one-way domestic flight.
• Southwest Airlines: 2,372+ miles needed for a free one-way flight from Las Vegas to Los Angeles (cheapest option).
• Frontier Airlines: 10,000+ miles needed for a free one-way domestic flight.
• JetBlue Airlines: 3,400+ miles needed for a free one-way flight from Long Beach, CA to Las Vegas (cheapest option).

Getting an airline credit card can help you earn miles and free flights faster than a frequent flyer program alone, especially with large signup bonuses. The Citi/AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard, for example, comes with a signup bonus of 50,000 miles for spending $2,500 in the first three months. Since the $99 annual fee is waived the first year, you can get those bonus miles and redeem for free flights before having to pay any annual fee.

How much 40,000 miles are worth depends on the airline or credit card you earn them from and when you book your flight. On average, 40,000 miles are worth about $400. But it can vary widely. For example, 40,000 AAdvantage miles are worth roughly $456 in American Airlines airfare. With United, 40k miles get you $416 in flights. And 40k Delta miles are worth $532.… read full answer

Here’s how much 40,000 miles are worth by airline:

1. Lufthansa: $916
2. Southwest: $616
3. JetBlue: $572
4. Delta: $532
5. American: $456
6. United: $416

Credit card miles that aren’t tied to a particular airline typically get you a penny each. But how you redeem your miles is really important, too. For example, the Capital One Venture Card’s 50,000-mile initial bonus is worth $500 when used for travel but just $250 when redeemed for cash.