What are redeemable miles?

Redeemable balance versus status counter

American Airlines splits AAdvantage miles into Base Miles, which also earn Loyalty Points, and Bonus Miles, which do not, and its terms say the two are treated the same for redemption purposes and together make up “AAdvantage mileage”. [1] They are earned differently: miles from offers, from Buy, Gift and Transfer Miles transactions and from converting another programme’s currency only earn Bonus Miles and do not earn Loyalty Points. [1] Status is measured separately, by Loyalty Points earned in the 12-month period that starts on 1 March each year. [1]

Delta splits the two ideas into different units. SkyMiles members earn miles on Delta-marketed flights at 5, 7 or 2 miles per US dollar of eligible fare depending on the fare type, while Medallion status is earned with Medallion Qualification Dollars. [2] Redemption can even feed the status counter: members earn MQDs on award tickets operated by Delta and Delta Global Airline Partners, in Delta Main Classic or above and Delta Comfort Basic, when booked through a direct Delta channel, calculated as the miles redeemed divided by 100. [2]

Emirates defines Skywards Miles as the points that can be redeemed for Rewards and states that they exclude Tier Miles, which exist for Membership Tier qualification. [3] Silver requires 25,000 Tier Miles or 25 qualifying flights, Gold 50,000 Tier Miles or 50 qualifying flights, and Platinum 150,000 Tier Miles plus one qualifying Business or First flight. [3] Tier Bonus Miles sit on the redeemable side: Platinum members earn 100% of Base Miles, Gold 75% and Silver 30% on Emirates qualifying flights, and those bonuses are Skywards Miles. [3]

KrisFlyer describes its miles as the base units of measurement in the programme and keeps Elite miles apart as status credits that cannot be used to redeem awards or airfares and are reset to zero at the end of each membership year. [4]

What a balance can buy

American lists flight awards and upgrades among the ways to use AAdvantage miles, and states that redemption opportunities are determined in its sole discretion, can change at any time and may not be available on all flights. [1] A flight award is one-way travel unless otherwise noted, with a maximum of three segments per one-way award within the United States or Canada and four segments for other destinations. [1]

Delta sets out several ways to spend miles: Award Travel, Miles + Cash on select round-trip flights, Pay with Miles for holders of an eligible Delta SkyMiles American Express card, and Upgrade with Miles on eligible flights within the U.S. 50. [2]

Emirates calls a flight redemption a Classic Reward, in which Skywards Miles cover the full base fare but not taxes and other fees where applicable, and also offers Cash+Miles, a combination of a cash payment and a miles redemption. [3]

KrisFlyer miles can be used for award and upgrade tickets on Singapore Airlines, Star Alliance and other partner airlines, for part or all of airfares and taxes on singaporeair.com, for selected Scoot bookings, for service fees such as extending expiring miles, for KrisShop and KrisFlyer vRooms purchases, for conversion to partner programme points and KrisPay miles, for partner vouchers and for the voluntary carbon offset programme. [4] They cannot be exchanged for cash or vouchers. [4]

What to check before spending

• Availability. An AAdvantage flight award may be withdrawn, or made subject to higher mileage requirements or new restrictions, at any time before ticketing. [1] Delta says award seats may be limited and may not be available on all Delta Connection or airline partner-operated flights. [2]
• Price. American determines redemption opportunities in its sole discretion. [1] For KrisFlyer, both the minimum miles per redemption and the Miles Redemption Rate are published on singaporeair.com and can change, and the rate in force when a ticket is issued applies. [4]
• Taxes and fees. Delta makes taxes and fees on Award Travel the passenger’s responsibility, payable when the ticket is booked. [2] AAdvantage flight awards are subject to immigration fees, surcharges, departure fees, taxes and other charges assessed by authorities or partner airlines. [1] An Emirates Classic Reward covers the base fare but excludes taxes and other fees where applicable. [3]
• Time limits. AAdvantage award tickets give one year from the date of ticketing to complete all flight award travel unless otherwise noted. [1] Delta requires a 72-hour advance purchase for award tickets for travel within or originating in China, Russia, Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam, Brazil and any country in Africa, with no exceptions. [2]
• Names. American may issue an award ticket in any name designated at the time of ticketing, and the recipient cannot be identified later. [1] Delta does not permit name changes once an award ticket has been issued. [2] A KrisFlyer member can redeem for their own airfare or that of up to five redemption nominees. [4]
• Expiry. Delta’s program rules state that miles do not expire under its Mileage Expiration policy, although Delta may still deactivate or close an account, which removes all miles in it. [2]

Exceptions and limits

• The balance is not property. AAdvantage Rewards and Benefits are not property of the member, carry no residual property rights value and are not transferable except as the terms allow. [1] Delta states that miles are not the property of any member and may not be transferred except through routes it authorises, such as the SkyMiles Transfer Miles Program. [2]
• Closure, error and forfeiture. Terminating an AAdvantage account results in immediate forfeiture of accrued and unused rewards. [1] American also reserves the right to revoke rewards, including mileage, if it decides they were improperly given, including through its own or a partner’s error and even if through no fault of the member, and the revocation may take effect immediately and affect travel already booked. [1] Delta forfeits miles and status when an account is closed, and terminating membership means losing all accumulated mileage credit. [2] Emirates forfeits Unused Miles when a member deletes an account, a step it describes as permanent, and defines Unused Miles as those not yet redeemed or transferred and not yet expired. [3]
• Personal use. KrisFlyer membership is strictly personal and miles may not be pooled; transfer is limited to a minor’s miles moving to a linked parent or guardian account. [4] Emirates does not let members under 18 buy or transfer Skywards Miles or redeem Rewards on its website or app. [3]
• Changes and refunds. Delta award tickets for travel originating in the United States or Canada can be changed or cancelled without a redeposit or change fee, except Delta Basic experience fares, while some travel originating elsewhere may be non-cancelable or changeable for a fee. [2] Tickets redeemed fully or partly with KrisFlyer miles are non-endorsable regardless of fare conditions. [4] KrisFlyer miles cannot be used for tickets bought through travel agents, Singapore Airlines or Scoot ticket offices and call centres, for corporate or group fares, or for fares including a segment not operated by Singapore Airlines. [4]
• Skysurfer balances. Since 1 April 2024, Skywards Miles in a Skysurfer account no longer expire, but on turning 18 the miles then held expire on the last day of the month in which the member turns 21, and miles earned from the 18th birthday follow the standard validity rule. [3]

Related pages

Guides: how to redeem miles, what are miles worth. Terms: award availability, base miles, bonus miles, status points. Or browse the full glossary.

Sources

Sources checked on 18 October 2026. Other programmes, including United MileagePlus, Flying Blue, Aeroplan and the British Airways Club, are not covered here; see the glossary for the terms that are.

1. AAdvantage terms and conditions, American Airlines, checked 18 October 2026
2. SkyMiles Program Rules, Delta Air Lines, checked 18 October 2026
3. Emirates Skywards Programme Rules, checked 18 October 2026
4. KrisFlyer Terms and Conditions, Singapore Airlines, checked 18 October 2026