How to use Avios and air miles

Updated 2 June 2026 · by Priya Nair · 8 min read

Points schemes are deliberately confusing — which is exactly why so much value goes unclaimed. This guide cuts through it: how to earn sensibly, how to know what a point is actually worth, and how to redeem where it counts. We'll keep it to principles that stay true even when the schemes change their numbers.

1. Earn sensibly — don't chase points for their own sake

The healthiest way to think about points is as a bonus on spending you'd do anyway, not a reason to spend more. You typically earn through flying, through co-branded credit cards, and through online shopping portals and partners. The trap is letting a points goal drive bad decisions — paying interest on a card, or buying things you didn't need to "hit a bonus". If chasing points ever costs you more than the points are worth, it isn't working.

• Everyday spending on a rewards card can quietly build a balance — but only if you clear it in full each month.
• Shopping portals can add points on purchases you were making anyway; check before you buy.
• Welcome bonuses can be valuable, but read the spend requirement and fees before committing.

2. Learn what a point is worth — before you spend it

This is the skill that separates people who get value from people who don't. A point has no fixed worth; it's worth whatever it saves you on a specific booking. Work it out like this: take the cash price of the flight you'd actually buy, subtract the taxes and fees you'd still pay on the reward, and divide by the number of points required. That's your value per point.

Many travellers use a rough personal benchmark — often somewhere around a penny per point — as a sense-check. Above it, a redemption looks good; below it, you might do better paying cash and saving the points. The exact figure is personal and depends on how easily you earn.

3. Redeem where points punch above their weight

Not all redemptions are equal. As a rule of thumb, points tend to stretch furthest on premium-cabin and longer flights, where cash prices are high relative to the points required — and least far on cheap, short cash fares you could easily pay for. The art is matching your points to the redemptions where the cash alternative is genuinely expensive.

• Be flexible. Reward seats are limited; flexible dates and destinations dramatically improve what you can book.
• Book early or pounce late. Award space often appears when schedules open, and sometimes again close to departure.
• Compare the cash alternative every time using the value-per-point method above.

4. Watch the surcharges

The headline "points required" is only half the story. Some reward flights carry significant taxes, fees and carrier surcharges payable in cash — and a high surcharge can quietly turn a great-looking redemption into a mediocre one. Always include those fees when you value a booking; routes and airlines vary a lot, so it's worth comparing.

5. Keep your points alive

Points can expire if an account goes inactive, and programmes can change their rules or devalue their charts with little notice. Two habits protect you: keep some activity on your account (even a small earn or spend can reset the clock on many schemes), and don't hoard endlessly — a point you redeem at good value today beats a point devalued tomorrow.

The short version