How Can I Redeem Miles if I Don't Have Enough for a Flight?
TPG reader Rashmi sent me an email to ask about what to do with small point balances:
"I have some leftover Virgin Atlantic Flying Club miles. Are there any redemption options that are under the 10,000-mile minimum for transfers to Hilton, or should I just let them go?"
Travel rewards come and go in odd numbers, so it's not easy to get your loyalty account balance to a neat zero. You'll usually have some points or miles leftover, and since letting them expire is a mistake, it's important to know what options you have for redeeming small amounts.
Virgin Atlantic lets you transfer miles to Hilton HHonors at a rate of 2:3, but as Rashmi pointed out, you have to transfer a minimum of 10,000 miles. You can also redeem for flights on a number of airline partners, including Virgin America, Singapore Airlines and more, though you won't get far (if anywhere) with a small balance.
You can also take advantage of the Miles Plus Money rate and redeem 3,000 miles for a $45 discount on round-trip economy fares or 7,500 miles for a $120 discount on round-trip premium economy fares. Or you can donate as few as 1,000 miles to Virgin Atlantic's charity partner, Free The Children.
If you want to get good value out of those miles, then instead of looking for ways to burn them up, you should figure out how to get more of them. Fortunately, there are several easy options. Virgin Atlantic is one of only two airlines that partners with all four of the major transferable points programs: Chase Ultimate Rewards, Amex Membership Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest. You can use those points to boost your Flying Club balance and then redeem as you see fit.
You could just send your miles to Hilton and be done with it, though I don't think that's a good trade. I list Flying Club miles at 1.5 cents apiece in my latest monthly valuations, while HHonors points are just 0.5 cents apiece. That means you're giving up 50% of the total value by converting. I'd look for opportunities to redeem on Virgin America, as the shorter flights are a bargain at 10,000 miles round-trip and you won't have to pay any surcharges.
For more ideas, check out these posts:
- How to Use Virgin Atlantic Miles Without Fuel Surcharges
- What to Do with Small Points and Miles Balances
- How Do I Redeem Leftover Rewards from a Foreign Airline?
If you have any other questions, please tweet me @thepointsguy, message me on Facebook or send me an email at info@thepointsguy.com.
[card card-name='Citi ThankYou® Premier Card' card-id='221410120' type='javascript' bullet-id='1']
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- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
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Rewards Rate
| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
| 5X miles | 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel |
| 10X miles | 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel |
Intro Offer
Earn 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200K miles when you spend $150K in the first 6 monthsLIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus milesAnnual Fee
$395Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.740-850Excellent
Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
- The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month