How to Buy Airline Miles

The majority of outdoor enthusiasts who fly to vacation destinations enroll in frequent flyer programs in order to take advantage of discounts toward future travel, upgrades, hotel rooms and other travel-related discounts. Depending on the frequency that you travel, you may need to buy airline miles to reach the milestone required to cash in your miles for rewards. To purchase airline miles, you can use a third-party broker or buy miles directly from your airline rewards program.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Step 1

Select a third-party airline miles broker and register online. Some popular miles brokers are Biz Travel Brokers, Points.com, and Corp Flyer, which are listed in the Resources section of this article. Each reseller offers slightly different terms and conditions for the purchase of miles, so read conditions and terms carefully before choosing a reseller.

Step 2

Enter your rewards program account number, username, and account password with the third-party airline miles broker. Enter the number of miles you need to purchase and pay with a credit or debit card. Some mileage brokers will require you to call their agents via the phone at this part of the transaction.

Step 3

Log in to your miles reward account to confirm that your third-party purchase has been successful and you have received credit for your purchase. Some brokers may have a delay in the transfer of miles to your frequent flyer account, so if you do not see immediate credit check your account again later in the day. If you are purchasing miles as a gift for another individual, you will need to have that person's account information in order to transfer the miles to it.

Step 4

Log in to your frequent flyer account. Many of the major airlines have started letting customers buy or gift miles directly through the airline. If your program allows this, you will see a menu option on the main page of your frequent flyer account to select to buy miles. American Airlines and U.S. Air are two major airlines that let you buy miles directly from the airline.

Step 5

Select the number of miles to purchase directly from the airline. Then complete your transaction by entering credit or debit account information on the airline's website and finalize your transaction.

Tips & Warnings

Verify your frequent flyer program's policy on purchase and sale of airline miles. Some programs will terminate your account if you are caught violating the terms of service for the account.

Resources

Article Written By Jackson Lewis

Based in Memphis, Jackson Lewis has been writing on technology-related material for 10 years with a recent emphasis on golf and other sports. He has been freelance writing for Demand Media since 2008. Lewis holds a Master of Science in computer science from the United States Naval Postgraduate School.

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