How much are airline miles and points worth?
Every currency Points Plug buys, valued in cents per mile or point. The published value is the range across The Points Guy, Upgraded Points, Frequent Miler, One Mile at a Time and NerdWallet as of September 2026; the typical figure is their average. Each currency's page shows the sources, what real redemptions return, and a calculator for your balance. No publisher values Virgin Australia Velocity points, so they are valued through their 1.55 to 1 conversion into Singapore KrisFlyer miles.
Written and reviewed by the Points Plug team. Last reviewed .
Airline miles, highest value first
| Airline program | Published value | Typical | 100,000 worth | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska Atmos Rewards | 1.40¢ to 1.60¢ | 1.51¢ | $1,510 | Details |
| American AAdvantage | 1.40¢ to 1.70¢ | 1.49¢ | $1,490 | Details |
| Air Canada Aeroplan | 1.40¢ to 1.50¢ | 1.45¢ | $1,450 | Details |
| Korean Air SKYPASS | 1.30¢ to 1.60¢ | 1.40¢ | $1,400 | Details |
| ANA Mileage Club | 1.40¢ to 1.40¢ | 1.40¢ | $1,400 | Details |
| Avianca LifeMiles | 1.30¢ to 1.55¢ | 1.39¢ | $1,390 | Details |
| Virgin Atlantic Flying Club | 1.10¢ to 1.50¢ | 1.36¢ | $1,360 | Details |
| JetBlue TrueBlue | 1.30¢ to 1.40¢ | 1.34¢ | $1,340 | Details |
| Air France-KLM Flying Blue | 1.30¢ to 1.40¢ | 1.33¢ | $1,330 | Details |
| Singapore KrisFlyer | 1.30¢ to 1.35¢ | 1.32¢ | $1,320 | Details |
| JAL Mileage Bank | 1.30¢ to 1.30¢ | 1.30¢ | $1,300 | Details |
| Qatar Airways Privilege Club | 1.20¢ to 1.40¢ | 1.28¢ | $1,280 | Details |
| Lufthansa Miles & More | 1.20¢ to 1.30¢ | 1.27¢ | $1,270 | Details |
| Qantas Frequent Flyer | 1.20¢ to 1.30¢ | 1.25¢ | $1,250 | Details |
| United MileagePlus | 1.20¢ to 1.30¢ | 1.24¢ | $1,240 | Details |
| British Airways Avios | 1.10¢ to 1.40¢ | 1.24¢ | $1,240 | Details |
| Cathay Pacific Asia Miles | 1.10¢ to 1.30¢ | 1.23¢ | $1,230 | Details |
| Etihad Guest | 1.10¢ to 1.40¢ | 1.23¢ | $1,230 | Details |
| Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles | 1.10¢ to 1.30¢ | 1.20¢ | $1,200 | Details |
| Emirates Skywards | 1.10¢ to 1.20¢ | 1.17¢ | $1,170 | Details |
| Delta SkyMiles | 1.10¢ to 1.20¢ | 1.16¢ | $1,160 | Details |
| Virgin Australia VelocityValued through Singapore KrisFlyer at 1.55 to 1 | 0.84¢ to 0.87¢ | 0.85¢ | $850 | Details |
Credit card points
| Bank program | Published value | Typical | 100,000 worth | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chase Ultimate Rewards | 1.50¢ to 2.05¢ | 1.81¢ | $1,810 | Details |
| American Express Membership Rewards | 1.30¢ to 2.20¢ | 1.74¢ | $1,740 | Details |
| Capital One Rewards | 1.45¢ to 1.85¢ | 1.70¢ | $1,700 | Details |
| Citi ThankYou Points | 1.50¢ to 1.90¢ | 1.68¢ | $1,680 | Details |
Bank points are valued above airline miles because they can be moved to whichever partner offers the best award that month. The catch is the floor: cashing out directly pays a cent or less per point at every issuer. See the transfer partner matrix for where each currency can go.
How to read these numbers
A valuation is an estimate of what a mile saves you on the flights members typically book, not a price anyone will pay for it. Publishers arrive at their figures differently: NerdWallet takes the median of hundreds of real economy awards, Frequent Miler the median of observed award searches, and The Points Guy and Upgraded Points weigh premium-cabin awards more heavily, which is why their figures run higher.
The value you actually get depends on three things: whether the program prices from a chart or dynamically, whether it adds fuel surcharges, and whether award seats exist on your dates. A member who can book Star Alliance business class through Aeroplan a year out will beat every figure in the table. A member redeeming Delta SkyMiles for a domestic flight over Thanksgiving will not.
We also show AwardWallet's member-reported averages on each currency page. Those run well above the published values because they are skewed toward enthusiasts booking premium cabins; treat them as a ceiling, not a baseline. If your balance is idle, nearing expiry, or larger than your travel plans, the honest comparison is between the typical value above and a cash quote.
Points valuation FAQ
- How much is one airline mile worth?
- Most airline miles are worth between 1.1 and 1.7 cents each according to the September 2026 valuations from The Points Guy, Upgraded Points, Frequent Miler, One Mile at a Time and NerdWallet. Transferable bank points are worth more, typically 1.5 to 2.2 cents, because they can be moved to whichever airline offers the best award.
- How are points valuations calculated?
- Publishers estimate the cash price of the flights members typically book with miles and divide by the miles spent. Some, like NerdWallet, use medians of hundreds of real economy awards; others, like The Points Guy, weigh premium-cabin awards more heavily. That is why figures for the same currency differ by up to half a cent.
- Which airline miles are worth the most?
- Among the programs Points Plug buys, Alaska Atmos Rewards (1.4 to 1.6 cents) and American AAdvantage (1.4 to 1.7 cents) carry the highest published values, followed by Aeroplan and Virgin Atlantic. Delta SkyMiles, Emirates Skywards and Turkish Miles&Smiles sit at the bottom of the range. Virgin Australia Velocity points, which no publisher values, work out at about 0.85 cents each through their 1.55 to 1 conversion into Singapore KrisFlyer miles.
- Is a valuation the same as what I can sell miles for?
- No. A valuation estimates what miles save you when redeemed well, which takes flexible dates and available award seats. A cash offer is a certain amount paid now. Points Plug publishes what it pays for every program on its rates page, set as a share of the same typical values shown here, so you can compare the two directly.