What is Mile?

A mile is the currency unit of a frequent flyer programme: a credit in an airline account that can be exchanged for flights and other awards.

Also called: Airline mile, Frequent flyer mile.

How it works#

A mile long ago stopped corresponding to distance flown; most programmes now credit it against ticket price or card spending. It is not money: the issuer alone decides what it buys, can reduce that at any time and owes the holder nothing. Treating miles like cash and stockpiling them means carrying that risk for no return.

Not to be confused with#

A mile is not the same as a transferable bank point: the mile sits with exactly one airline, while the bank point still has several possible destinations.

In German#

The German term is Meile. German version of this term

Related terms#

• Transferable points: Transferable points are points held by a bank or card issuer that can be converted into the currencies of several airline and hotel programmes.
• Elite qualifying miles: Elite qualifying miles are miles that count only towards reaching a frequent flyer tier and cannot be redeemed for awards.
• Devaluation: A devaluation is a worsening of a programme’s redemption terms: the same award costs more miles afterwards, or it stops being bookable at all.

Articles that use this term#

• What is the difference between points and miles?
• What is a point actually worth, and how do you work it out yourself?
• Do miles expire, and how do you stop it?
• What is the difference between an award chart and dynamic pricing?
• Why award space disappears while you’re booking it
• How do you find award space an airline’s own site won’t show?