Airline Miles Value Calculator

Work out airline miles value instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.

About Airline Miles Value Calculator

Redemption value per mile is the cash price avoided, less the taxes still payable, divided by the miles spent. Anything above 1.5p per mile is a good redemption; below 1p it is usually better to pay cash and keep the miles.

Formula

Miles value

value per mile = (cash price - award taxes) / miles required

Worked example

With the default values below, Airline Miles Value Calculator returns Value per mile of $0.0112. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Miles balance: 68,000 miles
Cash price of the flight: 620
Miles required: 45,000 miles
Taxes and fees on the award: 115

Results

Value per mile: $0.0112
Value of the balance: $763.11
Saving versus paying cash: $505.00
Assessment: Fair value

Step by step

1Values used
2Miles value
3Value per mile= 0.0112
4Value of the balance= 763.11
5Saving versus paying cash= 505.00
6Assessment= Fair value

Assumptions and limits

The result is derived only from the 4 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
In particular, this calculator does not take inflation or compounding frequency into account.
Figures are rounded for display to 4 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why subtract the taxes?

Because you still pay them on an award ticket. Ignoring them overstates the value of the redemption, sometimes substantially on long-haul.

Where is the best value usually found?

Premium cabin long-haul, where cash prices are disproportionately high relative to the miles required. Short-haul economy is usually poor value.