Do Award Tickets Earn Miles?
This guide explains why award tickets do not earn miles and what you do still earn.
Why award tickets do not earn miles
Airlines credit frequent flyer miles and elite-qualifying activity based on the fare you paid, so a flight you booked by redeeming miles, an award ticket, generally earns nothing back, neither redeemable miles nor status credit. From the airline’s view, you already spent miles to fly; it does not then pay you more miles for the same trip.
What you still earn
Award tickets are not entirely reward-free. You almost always pay taxes and fees, and sometimes carrier surcharges, out of pocket, and charging those to a credit card earns your normal card rewards, at your travel or base rate. It is small compared to the flight’s value, but it is not nothing, and it is worth putting on a card that bonuses travel.
Why it matters for planning
This is why enthusiasts keep paid flights and award flights straight: paid flights earn from multiple programs, while award flights earn essentially nothing beyond card rewards on the fees. If earning miles and status matters for a trip, a paid fare does that; if saving cash matters more, an award ticket wins, but do not expect it to build your balance back.
Stop guessing at point values. Look up the real award price and live availability for a specific trip before you transfer.
Search award flights on seats.aero →Frequently asked questions
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