How Much Are Airline Miles Worth in 2025?
Key takeaways
- We found the average airline mile to be worth around $0.013.
- Alaska Airlines offers the highest value at $0.018.
- Southwest, United and American offer the most user-friendly rewards.
- The value of an airline mile depends on a few factors, including the airline, the type of flight (economy or business, domestic or international) and the day of the week that you’re flying on.
LendingTree examined how valuable American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines and Alaska Airlines miles are. We found that Alaska Airlines had the most valuable miles, worth $0.018 by our estimates. We also found that international flying is sometimes — but not always — the best way to squeeze value out of your airline miles, offering more value over domestic routes with some airlines.
But when it comes to using your miles, Southwest, United and American Airlines come out on top. These airlines’ miles were the best compared to other airlines when it came to factors like daily departures, ease of booking award flights and award availability.
Value of airline miles by airline
The average airline miles is worth $0.013, with Alaska Airlines offering the most value at $0.018 on average. In order to calculate this value, we collected dozens of itineraries for popular one-way domestic and international routes in both economy and business class. We then divided the price for each flight by the number of miles it takes to fly the same route. We sampled peak and off-peak dates for each route, and then calculated an average of all itineraries to get a single number for the value of an airline mile.
We discovered that Alaska Airlines miles are worth 38% more than average and 39% more than Delta Airlines and United Airlines miles, which are the least valuable of the group.
| Airline | Frequent Flyer Program | Average Value of One Mile | Compared to Average (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska Airlines | Atmos Rewards | $0.018 | 38% |
| JetBlue | TrueBlue | $0.013 | 0% |
| Southwest Airlines | Rapid Rewards | $0.012 | -8% |
| American Airlines | AAdvantage | $0.012 | -8% |
| Delta Air Lines | SkyMiles | $0.011 | -15% |
| United Airlines | MileagePlus | $0.011 | -15% |
| Average | $0.013 |
We detected large differences in the value of airline miles depending on the details of the flight. The most interesting differences exist when looking at international flights, selecting business class and flying during the weekend.
Airline miles value: Domestic vs. international
If you’re trying to maximize the value of your miles, you may be better off booking international travel over domestic with some airlines. Among the itineraries we surveyed, international bookings sometimes had a higher mile value than domestic flights.
Alaska Airlines — which has limited international routes — is an exception to this trend, offering a lower value on international flights. Southwest, Delta, American and United‘s international routes offer better value, but JetBlue has the same value no matter where you travel.
| Domestic | International | |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska Airlines | $0.019 | $0.017 |
| JetBlue | $0.013 | $0.013 |
| Southwest Airlines | $0.012 | $0.013 |
| Delta Air Lines | $0.011 | $0.012 |
| American Airlines | $0.010 | $0.015 |
| United Airlines | $0.010 | $0.012 |
| Average | $0.013 | $0.014 |
Airline miles value by seat class
On average, the value of an airline mile is slightly higher when booking Economy Class versus Business Class. However, this doesn’t hold true for every airline rewards program.
American offers slightly more value for a Business Class fare. On the other hand, JetBlue generally offers the same value for both fare types.
| Economy | Business class | |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska Airlines | $0.019 | $0.018 |
| JetBlue | $0.013 | $0.013 |
| Southwest Airlines | $0.014 | $0.011 |
| Delta Air Lines | $0.012 | $0.011 |
| American Airlines | $0.012 | $0.013 |
| United Airlines | $0.012 | $0.011 |
| Average | $0.014 | $0.013 |
Airline miles value by peak vs. off-peak
While the value of your miles can vary throughout the year, airline miles are often worth more during off-peak seasons than they are during busier ones. With dynamically priced programs, including JetBlue, Southwest, Delta and United, miles were more valuable during off-peak travel times. Meanwhile, Alaska Airlines and American Airlines — which still use charts to price their awards — had better values during peak times, which is good news for those who need more flexibility.
Note that the difference was small across all the airlines in our survey, so you’re likely to get a solid value for your miles regardless of whether you book an award flight during peak or off-peak season.
| Peak | Off-peak | |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska Airlines | $0.019 | $0.017 |
| JetBlue | $0.012 | $0.014 |
| Southwest Airlines | $0.011 | $0.014 |
| Delta Air Lines | $0.011 | $0.012 |
| American Airlines | $0.014 | $0.011 |
| United Airlines | $0.011 | $0.012 |
| Average | $0.013 | $0.013 |
Reward program usability
Mile value isn’t the only thing to take into consideration when determining the best rewards program for you. How easy it is to use your miles and how complicated the rewards program is to navigate also play important factors.
Overall, Southwest offers overall the most usable miles. That’s because it has an easy redemptions and booking experience, as well as good award availability.
JetBlue, on the other hand, had the lowest usability score. In particular, we found that its flight network isn’t as robust, it has no transfer partners and the terms and conditions of its program are particularly dense.
| Usability overall score = 3.66 out of 5 (Good) | |
|---|---|
| Miles expiration | 5 out of 5 |
| Flight network | 4.5 out of 5 |
| Award availability | 4.69 out of 5 |
| Ease of booking | 4 out of 5 |
| Complexity | 0.25 out of 5 |
| Usability overall score = 3.81 out of 5 (Good) | |
|---|---|
| Miles expiration | 5 out of 5 |
| Flight network | 4.5 out of 5 |
| Award availability | 4.69 out of 5 |
| Ease of booking | 5 out of 5 |
| Complexity | 0 out of 5 |
| Usability overall score = 3.3 out of 5 (Good) | |
|---|---|
| Miles expiration | 5 out of 5 |
| Flight network | 2.5 out of 5 |
| Award availability | 5 out of 5 |
| Ease of booking | 4 out of 5 |
| Complexity | 0 out of 5 |
| Usability overall score = 4.03 out of 5 (Good) | |
|---|---|
| Miles expiration | 5 out of 5 |
| Flight network | 2 out of 5 |
| Award availability | 4.75 out of 5 |
| Ease of booking | 5 out of 5 |
| Complexity | 3.5 out of 5 |
| Usability overall score = 3.81 out of 5 (Good) | |
|---|---|
| Miles expiration | 5 out of 5 |
| Flight network | 5 out of 5 |
| Award availability | 4.37 out of 5 |
| Ease of booking | 4 out of 5 |
| Complexity | 1 out of 5 |
| Usability overall score = 3.85 out of 5 (Good) | |
|---|---|
| Miles expiration | 5 out of 5 |
| Flight network | 3.5 out of 5 |
| Award availability | 5 out of 5 |
| Ease of booking | 5 out of 5 |
| Complexity | 0.75 out of 5 |
Best way to earn airline miles
The best way to earn airline miles is to mix and match different strategies. Use a co-branded airline credit card for everyday purchases, join your airline’s frequent flyer program to earn miles when you fly and take advantage of any shopping or dining portals for extra miles without leaving the ground. Keep an eye out for bonus mile promotions and partnerships to maximize your rewards.
See LendingTree’s picks for the best airline credit cards.
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