Flight Creditor

Flight Creditor: Which Frequent Flyer Program Should You Credit Your Flight To?

The number you type at booking decides how many miles you earn

Most travelers enter the frequent flyer number of the airline they're flying. Fly United, type your MileagePlus number. It's the obvious choice, and on a cheap long-haul ticket it can also be the worst one.

Because of airline alliances and partnerships, you can usually credit the same flight to a partner's program instead. Those programs use different earning rules, so one flight can earn a few thousand miles in one program and more than double that in another.

Flight Creditor does the math for you. Enter the airline, your fare class and your route, and it compares what you'd earn across 25 frequent flyer programs for flights on more than 60 airlines, both in redeemable miles and in elite-qualifying credit.

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Why the same flight earns different miles

Programs calculate earnings in one of two ways.

Revenue-based programs pay you for what you spent. United MileagePlus, Delta SkyMiles and American AAdvantage all work this way on their own flights, starting at 5 miles per dollar for members without status and rising with elite tier. United, for example, goes from 5 miles per dollar for general members up to 11 for Premier 1K. British Airways Club and Iberia Plus also earn by spend, in pounds and euros.

Distance-based programs pay you for how far you flew. You earn a percentage of the miles flown, set by your fare class: the single letter on your ticket, like Y, K or T. Full-fare and premium cabin letters often earn 100% or more. Discount economy letters might earn 50%, 25% or nothing.

That leads to a simple rule of thumb:

• Cheap ticket, long flight: a distance-based partner usually wins.
• Expensive ticket, short flight: the airline's own revenue-based program usually wins.

Everything in between is where Flight Creditor earns its keep.

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How to use Flight Creditor

1. Pick the operating airline. That's the airline flying the plane, which isn't always the one that sold you the ticket.

2. Enter your booking class. It's a single letter on your receipt or e-ticket, often listed next to the cabin (for example, "Economy (K)"). Don't confuse it with the longer fare basis code.

3. Add your segments. Enter each flight's origin and destination. Use Add Connection for each extra flight, including the return if you're crediting a round trip. Flight Creditor calculates the distance of each segment and shows the Total Miles Flown.

4. Add the ticket price (optional). Revenue-based programs need it. Leave it blank and they'll show zero. You can enter USD, EUR or GBP. For the most accurate number, use the base fare plus any carrier-imposed surcharges, and leave out government taxes, since that's what United and similar programs count.

5. Click Calculate Earnings. You'll get a Top Pick: Redeemable (the most miles you can spend) and a Top Pick: Elite Qualifying (the most status credit), followed by tables for every program that earns on that airline and fare class, including what each elite tier earns.

Tip: Fare class matters more than most people expect. On the same United flight, moving from fare class K to T changes the best partner's earning rate from 50% to 75% in our data.

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Worked example: a cheap United ticket to Singapore

You buy a round trip on United from San Francisco (SFO) to Singapore (SIN) in economy fare class K. The base fare plus carrier surcharges comes to $700. Flight Creditor calculates 16,878 miles flown (8,439 each way).

Crediting to Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles or Avianca LifeMiles earns more than twice what MileagePlus pays for the exact same seats. If the fare had booked into class T instead, Miles&Smiles would pay 75% of distance, or 12,658 miles.

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Worked example: when the airline's own program wins

Now flip it around. You buy a one-way United business class ticket from Newark (EWR) to Frankfurt (FRA) in fare class P for $5,000. The flight is 3,859 miles.

On an expensive ticket, revenue-based earning wins by a mile. MileagePlus pays more than four times what the best distance-based partner does. Same airline, same route network, opposite answer. That's why it pays to check every time instead of following a rule.

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Redeemable miles vs. elite-qualifying credit

Flight Creditor shows two different things, and they don't always point to the same program.

Redeemable miles are the points you spend on award flights. If you just want the biggest balance, follow the redeemable top pick.

Elite-qualifying credit counts toward status. If you're close to a tier in one program, crediting there can be worth more than a few thousand extra miles somewhere else. You can only credit a flight to one program, so decide which goal matters more before you book.

Keep in mind that many programs now award status based on spend or on their own point systems rather than miles flown. For those, use a program-specific calculator, like our United PQP Calculator or the Alaska Miles Calculator for Atmos Rewards.

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Make sure the miles are actually useful

The program that earns the most isn't always the best place for your miles. Before you credit to a program you don't normally use, check three things:

Can you top it up? Miles are most useful in programs you can add to with credit card points. In our transfer data, Air Canada Aeroplan receives transfers from Chase, Amex, Capital One and Bilt. Turkish Miles&Smiles receives transfers from Citi, Capital One and Bilt. Avianca LifeMiles receives transfers from Amex, Citi, Capital One and Bilt. The Transfer Tool shows the full list.

Will you ever redeem there? A small balance in a program that doesn't book the airlines you fly is hard to use. The Award Flight Pricer shows which programs price well on the routes you care about.

Do the miles expire? Expiration rules vary widely. Some programs expire miles after a period of inactivity, others after a fixed term. Check before you credit to a program you'll rarely touch.

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What Flight Creditor doesn't do

• It doesn't apply every program rule. Segment minimums, promotions, co-branded card bonuses and route-specific exceptions aren't included.
• Distances are airport-to-airport estimates. Programs may use their own published mileage, so your actual credit can differ slightly.
• Who issued the ticket can matter. Revenue-based programs generally only count spend on tickets they issued. A United flight sold on a partner's ticket may earn by distance and fare class instead.
• Earning charts change. Programs revise their partner earning tables from time to time. Confirm on the program's earning chart before you fly, especially for a big trip.
• No result means no data. If you see "No earnings found," we don't have earning data for that airline and fare class yet.

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Frequently asked questions

Can I credit a United flight to Air Canada Aeroplan?

Yes. United and Air Canada are both in Star Alliance, so you can add your Aeroplan number to a United booking. How much you earn depends on the fare class. In our data, United fare class K earns 25% of distance in Aeroplan and fare class T earns 50%.

Where do I find my fare class?

It's a single letter on your booking confirmation, receipt or e-ticket, usually shown next to the cabin name. You can also find it in the airline's app under your trip details. It's sometimes called the booking class or booking code.

Is it better to credit a flight to the airline I'm flying?

On expensive tickets, often yes, because revenue-based programs like United, Delta and American pay per dollar spent. On cheap long-haul tickets, a distance-based partner often earns more. Flight Creditor shows you which applies to your flight.

Can I credit one flight to two frequent flyer programs?

No. Each flight can only be credited to one program. Choose based on whether you care more about redeemable miles or elite status.

Can I add my frequent flyer number after I fly?

Usually. Most programs let you request credit for a past flight, but the time limit and the documents they ask for vary by program. It's easier to add the number before you check in.

Where should I credit American Airlines flights?

It depends on the fare. For a $600 round trip from New York (JFK) to London (LHR) in fare class S, Flight Creditor shows Finnair Plus and Etihad Guest at 3,442 miles each, AAdvantage at 3,000 and Alaska's Atmos Rewards at 1,722. A pricier ticket would tip the result toward AAdvantage.

What's the difference between redeemable and qualifying miles?

Redeemable miles are what you spend on awards. Qualifying miles (or points, or credits, depending on the program) count toward elite status. Some flights earn one and not the other.

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The bottom line

The frequent flyer number you type at booking is a small choice with a big effect. On cheap long-haul tickets, a partner program can earn twice as much. On pricey tickets, the airline's own program usually wins. Enter your flight in Flight Creditor before you book, credit to the program that fits your goals, and use the Award Flight Pricer to plan where those miles go next.