FlyerfolioMiles and membership
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Status: reviewed / pending release

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FREQUENT FLYER GLOSSARY

What is Cash + Miles?

Cash + Miles (also sold as Miles + Cash, Cash + Points or Avios part payment) lets you pay for one flight with a mix of miles and money.

Facts checked: 18 October 2026 (Asia/Shanghai)

Key takeaways

  • Offers fall into two broad kinds: an award ticket with a cash top-up, and a paid fare part-paid with miles. Rules on earning, changes and refunds differ by programme, so check your programme's terms.
  • Earning differs: some programmes normally earn no miles on these tickets, others earn only on the cash part. [1] [2] [3]

How it works

The booking page usually shows how much is miles and how much is cash. Some programmes cap the share either currency may cover or set a minimum in miles. [2] [5] After booking, check how the programme treats each part: at Delta a Miles + Cash ticket is an award ticket, while Flying Blue and Southwest earn only on the cash part. [1] [2] [3]

Check before you book

  • Is it an award ticket or a paid fare?
  • Does the cash part earn miles or status credit?
  • Is there a cap, a minimum or an excluded fare type?
  • On a change or cancellation, what happens to each part?
  • Would the same miles do more on a full award?

What three programmes say

Delta SkyMiles. The program rules offer Miles + Cash on award tickets for select round-trip flights. Unless Delta permits otherwise in writing, these are award tickets and are ineligible for mileage accrual. The cash portion counts as a mileage purchase, is nonrefundable, and any refund of it comes back as miles. It may not be available in all markets or on all flights. [1]

Flying Blue. KLM lets you pay up to 25% of a reward ticket in cash, or up to 25% of a regular ticket in Miles. Miles are earned only on the part paid in cash. [2]

Southwest Rapid Rewards. Cash + Points started on 22 April 2024. Points are earned only on the base fare paid in dollars; taxes and fees start at $5.60 per one-way trip. Exclusions include military and government fares and travel-agent bookings. [3] [4]

Checked 18 October 2026 (Asia/Shanghai). Check the programme's current terms before booking.

How to price it

  1. Sign in and price the flight twice: all cash and full award.
  2. Open the mixed option and note the miles and cash.
  3. Divide the cash saved against the all-cash fare by the miles spent. That is what each mile buys here.
  4. For a paid fare, check likely earning in the mileage calculator.
  5. Read the change and refund terms, then book.

Common mistakes and limits

  • Treating the cash part like a cash fare: at Delta it is not. [1]
  • Moving a part-paid British Airways booking from a peak to an off-peak date: BA says it cannot refund the difference in the money portion, but you can cancel the original flights for a full refund, if you cancel at least 24 hours before the first flight, and make a new booking instead. [5]
  • Expecting one name. Emirates says Cash+Miles; Cathay calls it Miles Plus Cash and offers it on flight tickets; AAdvantage publishes cash and miles terms. We have not checked their caps, earning or refund rules; check each programme's current terms. [6] [7] [8]

Sources

Sources checked on 18 October 2026 (Asia/Shanghai). This explainer does not report a live booking search or quote a current price.

  1. Delta SkyMiles program rules, checked 18 October 2026 (Asia/Shanghai)
  2. KLM: spending Flying Blue Miles, checked 18 October 2026 (Asia/Shanghai)
  3. Southwest Rapid Rewards terms and conditions, checked 18 October 2026 (Asia/Shanghai)
  4. Southwest: how to redeem points, checked 18 October 2026 (Asia/Shanghai)
  5. British Airways: Reward Flights, checked 18 October 2026 (Asia/Shanghai)
  6. Emirates Skywards: spend Miles, checked 18 October 2026 (Asia/Shanghai)
  7. Cathay: Miles Plus Cash, checked 18 October 2026 (Asia/Shanghai)
  8. AAdvantage terms and conditions, checked 18 October 2026 (Asia/Shanghai)