How to buy airline miles: prices and promotions
Most airline programs sell their miles, but the price, the yearly limit and the bonus on offer differ a lot from one to the next, and a few don't sell at all. This page compares 11 programs, and each one that sells has its own page on how to buy, what it costs, the limits and fees, gifting and transfers, and the promotion running now. Every figure comes from the airline's own pages or the store its site sends buyers to.
Written and reviewed by the Points Plug team. Last reviewed .
Every program's price for buying miles
| Program | Sells miles? | Standard price | Yearly limit | Promotion now |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines AAdvantage | Yes | US$23 to US$35 per 1,000 miles by quantity, plus tax | 300,000 miles (buy and gift combined) | None shown |
| Delta SkyMiles | Yes | US$35 per 1,000 miles, plus tax | 60,000 miles | None shown |
| Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer | Top-ups only | US$40 per 1,000 miles, or the local currency equivalent | Top-ups only, up to 50% of an award | None shown |
| Virgin Australia Velocity | Yes | A$36 for 1,000 points, GST included, falling to A$5,850 for 250,000 | 250,000 points | None shown |
| Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles | Yes | US$30 per 1,000 miles, VAT included | 250,000 miles | None shown |
| Virgin Atlantic Flying Club | Yes | US$25 (£15) per 1,000 points, plus a US$22 (£15) fee per purchase | 200,000 points (400,000 until October 4, 2026) | Up to 70% bonus Virgin Points until October 4, 2026 |
| Emirates Skywards | Yes | US$30 per 1,000 miles | 100,000 miles (200,000 for Gold and Platinum) | Targeted offers only |
| Qatar Airways Privilege Club | Yes | Shown after login; falls as you buy more, fees included | 250,000 Avios (buy, gift and transfer) | None shown |
| JAL Mileage Bank | No | Not sold | ||
| ANA Mileage Club | No | Not sold | ||
| Lufthansa Miles & More | No | Not sold |
Standard prices in the currency each program quotes, as checked on September 23, 2026. Some include tax and some add tax or a transaction fee at checkout; each program page lists them.
Buy miles promotions running now
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
Up to 70% bonus Virgin Points
Virgin Atlantic adds bonus points to points you buy or gift, and the more you buy the bigger the bonus. The bonus starts at 5,000 points and reaches 70% from 125,000. The yearly limit rises from 200,000 to 400,000 points while the offer runs.
See every bonus bandCheapest miles to buy, against what they are worth
The programs that sell miles to any member and price them in US dollars, cheapest first, next to the typical value of their miles from our valuations page. When the price is above the value, buying only pays to finish off an award you have already found.
| Program | Standard price | With current bonus | Typical value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virgin Atlantic Flying Club | 2.50¢ | 1.47¢ | 1.36¢ |
| Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles | 3.00¢ | 1.20¢ | |
| Emirates Skywards | 3.00¢ | 1.17¢ | |
| American Airlines AAdvantage | 2.30¢ to 3.50¢ | 1.49¢ | |
| Delta SkyMiles | 3.50¢ | 1.16¢ |
Who actually sells the miles
Many airlines don't run their own miles store. Their site links to a storefront run by a partner, which takes the payment and posts the miles to your account. Buying there is the airline's official channel.
- Points.com: Virgin Australia Velocity, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, Emirates Skywards and Qatar Airways Privilege Club
Programs that don't sell miles
JAL Mileage Bank
JAL doesn't sell miles. Its JMB Rules and Conditions contain no purchase option and its Accumulating Mileage page lists none, and rule 14 bars pooling or transferring miles between members, apart from JAL Family Club members combining miles when they redeem.
Source: JAL Mileage Bank: JMB Rules and Conditions, JAL Mileage Bank: Accumulating Mileage
ANA Mileage Club
ANA doesn't sell miles. Its Mileage Club pages list flights and partners as the ways to earn, with no purchase option, and article 9 of the terms says members may not sell, share, combine or donate their miles unless ANA specifically provides for it. Members living outside Japan can pool miles for awards through the Family Account Service.
Source: ANA: ANA Mileage Club terms and conditions, ANA: ANA Mileage Club overview
Lufthansa Miles & More
Miles & More doesn't sell miles: its help page answers "No, you cannot buy Miles or Points with Miles & More." It points instead to Bundle&Go, travel bundles sold through Points.com that come with miles, to promotions that multiply the miles you earn, and to a limited exchange of miles for Points and Qualifying Points.
Before you buy
- Find the award first. Search for the seats and note the exact price in miles, then buy only the shortfall.
- Check the yearly limit and the minimum. Most programs cap how much you can buy in a calendar year, and some raise the cap during promotions.
- Count the fees. Taxes and per-transaction fees are added at checkout in several programs and change the real price per mile.
- Check the refund and status rules. Most purchases are final, a few programs allow a short cancellation window, and bought miles don't earn elite status in the programs that say; each program page quotes its rule.
- Compare with transfers. If you hold bank points, moving them to the airline may cost you nothing; see the transfer partners table.
Buying miles guides by program
- How to buy American Airlines AAdvantage miles: US$23 to US$35 per 1,000 miles by quantity, plus tax
- How to buy Delta SkyMiles: US$35 per 1,000 miles, plus tax
- How to buy Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer miles: US$40 per 1,000 miles, or the local currency equivalent
- How to buy Virgin Australia Velocity points: A$36 for 1,000 points, GST included, falling to A$5,850 for 250,000
- How to buy Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles: US$30 per 1,000 miles, VAT included
- How to buy Virgin Atlantic Flying Club points: US$25 (£15) per 1,000 points, plus a US$22 (£15) fee per purchase
- How to buy Emirates Skywards miles: US$30 per 1,000 miles
- How to buy Qatar Airways Privilege Club Avios: Shown after login; falls as you buy more, fees included
Buying miles FAQ
- Which airlines sell miles?
- Of the 11 programs on this page, 7 sell miles to any member (American Airlines AAdvantage, Delta SkyMiles, Virgin Australia Velocity, Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, Emirates Skywards and Qatar Airways Privilege Club), Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer sells them only as a top-up, and JAL Mileage Bank, ANA Mileage Club and Lufthansa Miles & More do not sell them at all.
- Which airline miles are cheapest to buy?
- Among programs that sell miles to any member and quote a US dollar price, the lowest standard price for a small purchase, before taxes and fees, is Virgin Atlantic Flying Club at 2.50¢ per point and the highest is Delta SkyMiles at 3.50¢. Bonus promotions often cut these prices sharply, so the cheapest program to buy from changes from month to month.
- Are there any buy miles promotions right now?
- As of September 23, 2026, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club (until October 4, 2026) shows a bonus on its own buy page. The other programs showed no public offer when checked.
- Is buying miles ever worth it?
- Usually only to top up a specific award. Standard prices sit well above what miles are typically worth when redeemed, so buying a large balance to hold rarely pays. It makes sense when you have found award space, you are a little short, and the cash fare costs more than the miles you would buy. Bonus sales narrow the gap.
- Do bought miles count toward elite status?
- Not in the programs that say so on their own pages: American Airlines AAdvantage, Delta SkyMiles, Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles, Emirates Skywards and Qatar Airways Privilege Club all state that bought miles don't count toward status. Status is tracked in a separate counter, explained in our elite status guide.