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Loyalty guide

U.S. airline mileage programmes — what to actually know

A short, opinionated breakdown of how the four largest U.S. carriers reward miles, what their elite tiers really mean, and where the value cliff sits. We do not earn referral commission on any programme — this is a reference, not a recommendation.

Delta SkyMiles
American AAdvantage
United MileagePlus
Southwest Rapid Rewards

Delta SkyMiles

SkyMiles dropped fixed award charts in 2015. Today award prices are dynamic — they track cash fare. Earn rate is revenue-based: 5 miles per $1 spent (general member), scaling to 11 mi/$1 at top elite. The miles themselves are worth roughly 1.2¢ each on a long-haul economy redemption.

  • Where it shines: partner redemptions on Air France/KLM, Korean Air, Virgin Atlantic — fixed-charts on partners survived.
  • Watch for: dynamic pricing means the award price can spike to $1,800-equivalent for a coach seat in summer peak. Always price the cash fare first.
  • Status push: Medallion Qualifying Dollars (MQDs). $5,000 spent on Delta or co-branded Amex per year = Silver. $28,000 = Diamond.
1.2¢typical mile value
5×base earn per $1
$5Ksilver MQD bar
1 yrmileage expiry: never

American AAdvantage

AAdvantage is the oldest U.S. mileage programme (1981) and one of the more flexible. American kept partial fixed-chart pricing on partners — Cathay Pacific, Qatar, JAL — which makes it one of the better programmes for long-haul premium-cabin redemptions.

  • Where it shines: 70,000 miles in oneworld business class to Europe is still routinely available 9-12 months out.
  • Watch for: AA's own metal often charges a premium over partners — flying AA to LHR can cost 100,000 miles each way while Iberia metal on the same route prices at 57,500.
  • Status push: Loyalty Points (1 pt = 1 mile spent or earned with co-brand cards). 40,000 LPs = Gold, 200,000 LPs = Executive Platinum.
1.5¢typical mile value
5×base earn per $1
40Kgold tier (LPs)
24 momileage expiry on inactivity

United MileagePlus

United also moved to dynamic pricing on its own metal but holds award charts for Star Alliance partners. Star Alliance is the largest of the three big alliances, so MileagePlus has very wide partner reach — Lufthansa, ANA, Singapore, Air Canada, Avianca, Turkish.

  • Where it shines: ANA and Lufthansa first-class redemptions remain among the best uses of any U.S. mile, period. Singapore Suites is restricted to KrisFlyer and Singapore-issued cards.
  • Watch for: "Excursionist Perk" — a free one-way segment inside a region on a multi-segment award. Dramatically improves the per-mile value if you plan ahead.
  • Status push: Premier Qualifying Points (PQP). $5,000 PQP = Premier Silver, $24,000 PQP = Premier 1K.
1.3¢typical mile value
5×base earn per $1
$5Ksilver PQP bar
18 momileage expiry on inactivity

Southwest Rapid Rewards

Southwest is the simplest programme by design. Award price is a fixed fraction of the cash fare — about 1.4¢ per point regardless of where or when you book. No award charts, no tier-based booking advantage, no fuel surcharges. Trade-off: no premium cabin and no international long-haul.

  • Where it shines: "Companion Pass" — earn 135,000 points or 100 qualifying segments in a calendar year and a designated companion flies free (paying only taxes) for the rest of the year and all of the next.
  • Watch for: Two free checked bags is standard. No assigned seats — boarding order matters more than status.
  • Status push: A-List at 20 qualifying segments / 35,000 points; A-List Preferred at 40 segments / 70,000 points.
1.4¢fixed point value
6×base earn per $1 (Wanna Get Away)
135KCompanion Pass
0checked bag fees

One mental model for all four programmes

Earn miles where you fly most — every U.S. domestic carrier credits roughly the same 5 mi/$1 base rate. Burn miles where the partner award charts are best. The match-up nobody mentions: credit-card sign-up bonuses are still where 60–80 % of U.S. mileage portfolios actually come from. The fly-and-earn earn rate is too low to fill a long-haul business-class redemption purely from flying.

Two questions to ask before choosing a programme:

  1. What partners do they have at the destination you fly most often? (Check oneworld, Star Alliance, SkyTeam memberships.)
  2. Does their award chart on partners survive? (As of 2026: AA partial yes, UA partial yes, DL no, WN no charts.)

If you fly Hawaii routes a lot, also look at Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles — the inter-island award rate is a bargain at 7,500 points each way.