Which Airlines Offer Cash + Miles Redemptions?
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"Reader Questions" are answered twice a week by TPG Associate Editor Brendan Dorsey.
Stretching points and miles can be an important priority for many travelers. Fortunately, many hotel programs have introduced the option to use a combination of points and miles when redeeming for an award night, which can sometimes deliver outsized value. But TPG reader Michaela wants to know if airline mileage programs offer a similar redemption choice ...
[pullquote source="TPG Reader Michaela"]Do either United or American do like a cash plus miles thing? If so, what are some tips for that?[/pullquote]
The short answer to Michaela's question is no, neither United nor American offers a way to pay for flights with a combination of cash and miles. However, a few other airline programs allow you to redeem both cash and miles. Generally this won't be the best use of your miles and can leave money on the table, but it can be useful if you're short on miles for a regular redemption.
Delta's Pay With Miles allows Delta co-brand cardholders to redeem miles and cash for Delta flights if you hold one of these cards:
- Gold Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express
- Gold Delta SkyMiles® Business Credit Card from American Express
- Platinum Delta SkyMiles® Business Credit Card from American Express,
- Platinum Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express
- Delta Reserve® Credit Card from American Express
This option allows you to redeem SkyMiles in increments of 5,000 miles to take $50 off your ticket cost. So for a $200 ticket, you could redeem 10,000 miles $100 in cash for the ticket. It only gives SkyMiles a value of 1 cent each, slightly lower than TPG's valuations of 1.2 cents per mile, but not horrible considering Delta no longer publishes an award chart and rates can be astronomical. Another nice perk of the program is that you'll still earn MQMs, MQSs and redeemable miles on the portion paid with cash.
For those who don't have a Delta credit card, there's the Miles + Cash option for general SkyMiles members. This method can allow you to use a smaller portion of your points + cash, however the rate appears to be random and there's no way you can control how many points you'd like to use. Regardless, we've found that it's usually not a great use of miles.
Alaska Airlines offers a "Money & Miles" option that seems to be a combination of Delta's Pay with Miles and Miles + Cash. With Alaska's program, you can get up to 1 cent per mile, redeeming them at two tiers — either 10,000 miles for up to $100 off a fare or 20,000 for up to $200 off a fare.
After doing some rate comparisons, you're definitely not guaranteed to receive the full 1 cent per mile. It's better to save your miles for a standard award redemption since Alaska miles are some of the most valuable in the points and miles world.
British Airways offers "Part Payment" for British Airways and American Airlines flights departing from the UK. You can use five to six different set amounts of Avios to knock down the price of your ticket. This can sometimes be a decent deal, netting a little more than 1 cent per point — but usually the more Avios you use, the more they go down in value. Iberia, British Airways' sister company, has its own "Avios & Money" scheme that can offer solid value when redeeming for BA' business class award flights.
Additionally Alitalia, Singapore KrisFlyer, Lufthansa's Miles & More and Emirates Skywards give loyalty members the ability to pay with a combination of miles and cash, but again, we've found that they're usually poor redemptions if you value your miles at more than 1 cent apiece.
Vacation Packages
There's one creative way you can redeem miles with cash, and that's with vacation packages. American allows you to book vacation packages (i.e., a flight, hotel and rental car) through American Airlines Vacations. This allows for the entire vacation, or just part of it (except taxes and fees), to be paid with miles. You'll be getting about 1 cent per mile.
If you have any JetBlue points laying around, its vacation website offers a similar option to American's but without a slider tool.
Finally, it's possible to redeem a combination of flexible bank points and cash, like Chase Ultimate Rewards or Citi ThankYou points, for flights or hotels. By booking through either bank's travel portal, you'll be able to choose the exact amount of points and cash you want to redeem for your tickets.
So while it's possible to use a combination of cash and miles with some airlines, it's generally not the absolute best use of the currency, especially if you're trying to maximize their value by redeeming for premium cabin awards.
Thanks for the question, Michaela, and if you're a TPG reader who'd like us to answer a question of your own, tweet us at @thepointsguy, message us on Facebook or email us at info@thepointsguy.com.
*The post was updated to include mentions of British Airways and Iberia.
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- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
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- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.
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| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. |
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You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.As High As 100,000 points. Find Out Your Offer.Annual Fee
$325Recommended 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.Excellent to Good
Why We Chose It
There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.