How to Book Flights with Points and Miles: A Complete Beginner Guide

I booked a round-trip flight from Los Angeles to Tokyo in business class for 60,000 United MileagePlus miles plus $56 in taxes. The cash price for the same flight was $6,200. I earned those miles through a credit card sign-up bonus that cost me nothing beyond normal spending. That single redemption was worth more than every dollar I had ever spent on annual fees for travel credit cards combined. Booking flights with points and miles is the single most powerful tool in a budget traveler's arsenal, but it can be confusing for beginners. Here is the complete guide I wish someone had given me when I started.

Understanding the Basics

Airline miles, also called points or frequent flyer miles, are a currency that airlines issue to reward loyalty. You earn miles by flying, by using co-branded credit cards, by shopping through airline portals, and through various promotions. You redeem miles for flights, upgrades, and other travel-related expenses. The value of a mile varies depending on how you redeem it, but a good rule of thumb is that each mile is worth 1.5 to 2.5 cents when redeemed for flights.

There are three major airline alliances: Star Alliance (United, Lufthansa, ANA, Thai, and 24 other airlines), Oneworld (American, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, and 13 others), and SkyTeam (Delta, Air France, KLM, Korean Air, and 17 others). Miles earned on one airline in an alliance can typically be redeemed for flights on any other airline in the same alliance. This means you can earn miles on domestic flights with United and redeem them for a flight on ANA to Japan, all within the Star Alliance.

The two types of awards are "saver" awards and "standard" awards. Saver awards require fewer miles and have limited availability, while standard awards require more miles but have better availability. Always look for saver awards first. A saver award in economy from the US to Europe typically costs 30,000 to 35,000 miles each way. A standard award for the same route costs 60,000 to 80,000 miles each way. The difference in miles is enormous, and finding saver availability is the key to getting good value from your miles.

Earning Miles Efficiently

The fastest way to earn miles is through credit card sign-up bonuses. The Chase Sapphire Preferred offers 60,000 Ultimate Rewards points after spending $4,000 in the first three months. These points transfer 1:1 to United MileagePlus, British Airways Executive Club, and several other airline programs. The annual fee is $95, but the sign-up bonus alone is worth $900 to $1,500 in flight redemptions. The Capital One Venture X offers 75,000 miles after spending $4,000 in the first three months, with an annual fee of $395. These miles can be redeemed for any flight at 1 cent per mile or transferred to 15 airline partners.

Strategic credit card use is the second most important earning method. I put every possible expense on my travel credit card: groceries, gas, dining, utilities, and even rent (through a service called Plastiq that charges a 2.85 percent fee). Over a year, I spend about $40,000 on my travel credit card, which earns me 40,000 to 80,000 miles depending on the card's earning rate. That is enough for one to two domestic round-trip flights, earned from spending I would have done anyway.

The manufactured spending game is where points and miles enthusiasts really maximize their earnings. Manufactured spending is the practice of buying cash equivalents, like gift cards or money orders, with a credit card to earn points, then converting those cash equivalents back to cash to pay off the credit card. It is a complex game with risks, including account shutdowns and legal issues if done incorrectly. I do not recommend it for beginners, but I mention it because it is how some travelers earn millions of points per year.

For most people, the simpler path is to focus on category bonuses. My American Express Gold card earns 4 points per dollar at restaurants and grocery stores. My Chase Sapphire Reserve earns 3 points per dollar on travel and dining. By using the right card for each purchase, I earn 50 percent more points than I would using a single card for everything. Over a year, this optimization adds 10,000 to 15,000 extra points, enough for a free domestic flight.

Shopping portals are a third earning method that most people ignore. Every major airline has an online shopping portal that gives you bonus miles for shopping at retailers like Amazon, Target, and Macy's. The bonus is typically 1 to 5 miles per dollar spent. If I need to buy something from Amazon anyway, I click through the United shopping portal first and earn 3 miles per dollar. Over a year, this adds 3,000 to 5,000 miles, which is not life-changing but costs nothing extra.

Finding award availability is the hardest part of booking with miles. I use two tools: ExpertFlyer (now part of RedVentures) and AwardHacker. ExpertFlyer lets you search for award availability across all airlines and set alerts when saver awards become available. AwardHacker is a free tool that shows you the best way to redeem miles for any given route, including which airline program to use and how many miles the award costs. Both tools dramatically reduce the time it takes to find award availability, which is the main barrier for beginners. Booking flights with points and miles is not a get-rich-quick scheme. It is a system that rewards patience, organization, and strategic thinking. But once you understand it, it can transform your travel budget from "I can barely afford one trip a year" to "I can go wherever I want for almost nothing."