Start here: Air Europa SUMA — join free, earn and redeem Miles, family accounts and moving up a level

Step 1: What Air Europa SUMA is and who it suits

You will learn: what the programme is for, how the terms define its basic parts, and what Air Europa may change.

The terms state that the purpose of the programme is to reward the loyalty of members by allocating Miles that can be redeemed for services or products offered by Air Europa SUMA partners, and that Miles earned by natural persons can be redeemed to purchase flight tickets and other products and services offered by Air Europa and other companies affiliated with the programme [1].

Air Europa reserves the right to cancel the programme and to modify the terms and conditions at any time without prior notice; if the programme is cancelled, members are entitled to redeem the Miles in their account within three months, after which the Miles expire [1]. The terms are governed by Spanish law, and the parties submit to the courts and tribunals of Palma de Mallorca [1].

Membership is open to any individual regardless of country of residence [1], and earning is tied to flights operated by Air Europa or a partner airline and to the services of affiliated partner companies [1].

Go deeper: Start here: airline miles for how mileage currencies work in general.

Step 2: How to join

You will learn: how to open an account, what a family account allows, and how membership ends.

Registration and membership are free and unlimited in time, subject to the terms [1]. Membership is open to any individual, regardless of country of residence, provided that they register through the official membership form, and legal entities cannot register [1]. Registering implies accepting the terms and any future modifications, and a valid and unique email address is required for each customer to confirm the registration process; a link is then sent to that address, which the customer uses to activate the account [1]. Once the requirements are met, Air Europa sends an email confirming registration together with a membership number, which must be given when booking to earn Miles [1].

Accounts registered in the name of minors must be linked to the account of a legal guardian, who is responsible for managing the account, including the accumulation and use of Miles [1]. When the minor reaches legal age, an email is sent to the guardian asking whether to keep the now adult individual in the family account or to unlink them [1].

A family account may have up to 4 adults and 3 minors, any member may leave after a minimum period of 6 months without incurring penalties, and the administrator decides which members can redeem Miles accumulated by the family account; under no circumstances can a minor redeem Miles, and the administrator may modify the members once per year [1]. Suma Miles earned by members are credited to the family account balance, but Level Miles are personal and non-transferable and cannot be shared among members of the same family account [1].

Participation may be terminated by voluntary withdrawal at any time through the SUMA section at aireuropa.com, effective from confirmation, which cancels the account and any accumulated Miles that cannot be recovered [1]; by 24 months of inactivity [1]; on death, when the account is closed and all Miles cancelled once the death certificate is received [1]; and for non-compliance or inappropriate conduct, including commercial use, resale or offering of tickets to third parties, failure to comply with the rules, aggressive or harassing behaviour towards staff, and refusal to follow the instructions of staff, airport personnel or crew [1].

Go deeper: Air Europa SUMA programme hub for every page about this programme, grouped by task.

Step 3: How earning works

You will learn: which flights and which amounts earn Miles, and what stops a flight from counting.

Miles are earned on flights operated by Air Europa or any partner airline of the Air Europa SUMA programme [1]. Miles are not earned, and flight segments do not count towards level upgrades, for tickets on charter flights, flights booked using Miles redemption classes, or tickets purchased with special airline employee discounts [1].

The total is calculated on the amount paid by the member, with Miles earned for each euro paid exclusively for the published rate and fuel surcharge; fees, taxes, public charges and other fees, including management expenses, are not eligible [1]. For an upgrade to Business class, Miles are earned on the amount paid for the fare difference but not on any penalties or additional charges the change may incur, while for other types of upgrades such as Plusgrade only the Miles corresponding to the original ticket are registered [1]. On a mixed payment of money plus Suma Miles, only the total amount paid in money earns Miles, and payments made with Suma Miles never earn Miles [1].

To earn, members must identify themselves when booking or purchasing an eligible service by giving the membership number, and staff may ask for documentation to prove identity; it is not possible to earn Miles if the number is not provided for each reservation, service booking or request for unrecorded Miles [1]. Miles for flight tickets are not credited until the flight has been taken or the service provided [1]. Flights, services or products obtained in exchange for Miles generate no Suma Miles [1]. No Suma Miles are earned on Air Europa flights operated by airlines that are not part of the SkyTeam Alliance, or on flights operated by an airline with which the programme has no frequent flyer agreement [1].

Go deeper: How to earn miles for the general earning mechanics that apply across programmes.

Step 4: How to redeem Miles

You will learn: what Miles buy, how an award is issued, and which parts cannot be refunded.

Miles may be redeemed for Air Europa flights, for flights operated by SkyTeam Alliance airlines, for flights operated by airlines affiliated with the programme, and for products or services offered by non-airline partners [1]. Awards are issued subject to identification of the member and sufficient balance in their Miles account, and only SUMA customers can redeem Miles even if a third party is the beneficiary [1]. It is possible to combine money with accumulated Miles on Air Europa tickets [1].

The number of Miles required is subject to current fares at any given time and may vary based on the age of the person named on the ticket [1]. Children under two are charged 10% of the adult Miles rate, and children between two and twelve obtain the same discount as established for public ticket sales, subject to the selected route and fare [1].

Issuance is subject to sufficient balance and seat availability; there are no date restrictions for the use of Miles, the ticket must always be confirmed, and stand-by tickets are not permitted [1]. Award tickets issued in class X or O are non-refundable and only allow date and time changes up to 2 hours before flight departure [1]. The terms also state that the possibility of refunds and changes to the date and route of tickets issued with mixed payment will depend on whether the booking class permits it [1], while elsewhere they state that tickets charged to Miles are non-refundable [1]; both statements appear as printed in the same terms, so the conditions attached to a mixed-payment ticket are worth confirming when the ticket is issued. Members pay all airport taxes, duties and public charges payable at airports, plus administration fees and other applicable costs resulting from operations charged to their Miles account [1]. Tickets charged to Miles do not earn Miles and the flight is not counted towards level review [1], and if a member is denied boarding the same regulations apply as for standard tickets [1].

Go deeper: How to redeem miles for the booking walkthrough, and the award vs cash calculator for comparing a Miles price with a cash fare.

Step 5: Levels and keeping your Miles

You will learn: what counts towards a level, and when the Miles balance expires.

The definitions state that Level Miles are used to establish the level of members and that they "can only be earned on flights operated by Air Europa and SkyTeam Alliance airlines" [1], while the earning section states that Miles are earned on flights operated by Air Europa "or any partner airline of the Air Europa Suma Programme" [1]. The two statements are worded differently in the same terms, so a partner flight is worth checking against the current wording before you rely on it for level progress [1].

Level Miles are personal and non-transferable: inside a family account, Suma Miles are credited to the family balance, but Level Miles are recorded in the passenger's personal account and cannot be transferred or shared among members of the same family account [1]. To advance to the next level, members must complete at least 4 flights operated by Air Europa within the relevant qualification period, in addition to the other requirements, and flights operated by other airlines associated with the programme do not count towards that minimum [1]. No Level Miles threshold for any level is set out in the general terms and conditions, so this course states no number [1].

If a member does not earn and/or redeem any Miles for an uninterrupted period of 24 months from the last transaction recorded, the entire balance of accumulated Miles expires automatically and can no longer be redeemed [1]. Air Europa reserves the right to modify that period, giving notice in the SUMA section of aireuropa.com [1].

Go deeper: the status tool for tracking progress towards a level, and the mileage expiry calculator for dating the 24-month window from your last earning or redemption.

Step 6: Your first concrete action

You will learn: the five things to do now, in order, so the account is open and the first Miles are protected.

1. Register free of charge with your own valid and unique email address, then activate the account from the link sent to that address [1]; the rules are in the General Terms and Conditions Air Europa SUMA.
2. Add any child only through your own account as legal guardian, or set up a family account of up to 4 adults and 3 minors under one administrator [1].
3. Give your SUMA membership number on every booking and every service request, because Miles cannot be earned without it [1].
4. Earn or redeem at least once in every 24-month period so the whole balance does not expire [1].
5. Before redeeming, check the Miles table, and remember that award tickets issued in class X or O are non-refundable [1].

Next: How to redeem miles for the step-by-step booking process, guides for the full library, and Start here for the other learning paths.