• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

The Globetrotting Teacher

Experience the World Point by Point

  • Destinations
  • Miles and Points
    • Miles & Points Guides
    • Travel Hacking Basics
    • Student Course Log-In
  • Credit Cards
    • Travel Rewards Credit Cards
    • Airline Credit Cards
    • Hotel Credit Cards
    • Business Credit Cards
  • New York City
  • Travel Tips
    • Travel Resources
    • Travel Gear
  • About
    • Work With Us
    • Blogging Tools I Use

Updated on August 20, 2020 By Jackie Sills-Dellegrazie 18 Comments
This post contains affiliate links which earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Please read my Disclosure and Privacy pages for more info. Additionally, The Globetrotting Teacher has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. The Globetrotting Teacher and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers.

airplane economy seats

How I Use Airline Alliances and Partners to Earn and Redeem for Free Flights

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links that earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. The Globetrotting Teacher has also partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. The Globetrotting Teacher and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. Please read my Disclosure to learn more.

Updated on August 20, 2020

Most people interested in learning more about award travel naturally start with how to earn miles and points. Of course, this makes perfect sense. You need miles and points to book that free flight or hotel night!

Beginners want to know about credit cards and sign-up bonuses and how much they’ll have to spend in order to earn enough for a travel award.

And, there’s certainly no shortage of travel hacking myths.

Another frequently asked question involves travel itself.

Can’t you just earn miles from actually traveling?

Family Travel Stock

Seemingly simple, yet earning airline miles from traveling has become harder to do. In fact, it’s by far the least lucrative way to earn airline miles. 

Credit cards, shopping portals, and dining programs all earn more miles and points in a shorter amount of time.

The short answer is airlines have changed their earning structures to favor higher-priced tickets and big spenders.

That means a cheap economy flight purchased on a third-party travel website will earn fewer miles than a full-price economy ticket bought directly from the airline. Premium seats will earn more than those in economy class.

Nevertheless, if you paid for a flight with money and not miles, you should do your best to earn every last mile possible. Travel hacking is all about getting a return on your money. You always want to make your money work harder for you.

It’s exactly in this space where you realize how airline alliances are like the friends you never knew you had. In this guide, I’ll show you exactly how I earn and redeem airline miles with airline alliances and partners for free flights.

earn and redeem airline miles with airline alliances and partners
Pin this post to your Pinterest travel board.

Earn Airline Miles with Alliances & Partners.

Before continuing, you’ll want to make sure you know a few airline alliance basics.

Most airline loyalty program members know to put their frequent flyer number on their itinerary when they fly that particular airline. But, what happens when flying on another airline?

Savvy travelers know that because of airline alliances you can earn miles even when flying on “another airline.”

It’s also a smart idea to funnel all the airline miles you earn into specific airline loyalty accounts in each of the 3 major alliances as opposed to spreading out your miles across many accounts.

Airplane Delta stock

For example, if you fly on Aeromexico but are a Delta SkyMiles member, you can put your Delta frequent flyer number on your itinerary.

Delta and Aeromexico are both in the SkyTeam Alliance. These alliance partnerships have reciprocal benefits that let you fly on one airline alliance member but credit those miles earned to another airline alliance member.

Why is this important?

First, you’ll lose value on your paid ticket by earning nothing in return.

Second, it does no good to earn miles with each individual airline. These miles can’t be merged or transferred to other accounts.

Avoid having small mileage balances spread out across many loyalty programs. They’ll likely go to waste or expire before you have time to use them.

So, what steps should you take?

No matter which airline you’re flying, check to see which alliance they’re in (if any) and whether or not they have any non-alliance partnerships with other airlines. All of the airlines’ partners are potential accounts to credit earned miles.

Once you know this, you can decide which airline loyalty program to credit earned miles.

How do you figure this out?

First, a helpful site to figure out potential earnings is Where to Credit. You can see what you’d earn for your cash airline ticket across all possible airline loyalty programs.

Second, think about any flexible points programs you earn with, like Chase Ultimate Rewards or American Express Membership Rewards. Who are their airline transfer partners?

Ideally, you’d credit miles earned for flying with airlines who have a high earn rate and are also a transfer partner for a flexible points currency you earn.

Not to worry if you’re feeling overwhelmed. Earning and redeeming points and miles comes with a learning curve! Enroll in my FREE Travel Hacking Basics course to learn more about airline alliances.

Free Travel Hacking Basics Course Sign Up Form

Redeem Airline Miles with Alliances & Partners.

Once you’ve earned enough miles for an award flight, the thrill comes when you actually book that award ticket!

In case you don’t already realize…

The airline miles you’ve accrued can be used for flights on that airline, but also with many, if not all, of their alliance and partner airlines.

Awesome, right!? 🙂

United Airplane

Now consider, United has 26 alliance partners plus 13 more partnerships.

Even accounting for limitations or restrictions with a few of them, that’s a dizzying number of flight options to think about, let alone research.

Overwhelming, right!? 🙁

First, whether you’re a miles and points beginner or not, keep in mind these must-know principles.

  • Airline miles cannot be transferred, converted to, or merged with other airline miles.

For example, United miles are always United miles. You can, though, use your United miles to book an award flight on an alliance partner right on United’s website.

  • You follow the award chart and the rules of the miles you have are redeeming, not the airline you’re flying.

If you use United miles to fly on Swiss Air, you’d pay United’s price and follow United’s award booking rules.

  • There is a real learning curve to booking flights and maximizing airline alliances and partners.

Your first award itinerary won’t be your best and that’s ok. 🙂 But, if you’re in the points and miles game for the long-haul, you’ll want to invest in learning more.

If you’re ready to go beyond the basics, my course Booking Award Flights Made Easy is a deep dive into maximizing your points and miles with partner redemptions. You’ll learn a step-by-step booking strategy and get video tutorials for each must-know airline loyalty program.

You can join the course waitlist to be the first to know when the next enrollment period opens.

Booking Award Flights Mock Up

So, what are the basics for getting started?

The first step is finding available award seats.

But, with so many airlines and each airline charging their own award price, where do you search for award flights and how do you know which has the best award price?

airplane economy seats

A good place is to search the airline website that’s regarded as a “good tool” for that particular alliance.

Not all airline websites are created equal. Some do a better job than others Some do a fairly decent job of showing as much partner award space as possible, while others only show certain partners, or do an altogether lousy job of returning useful results.

As a general rule:

  • Search United or ANA to search Star Alliance award availability
  • Use American Airlines, British Airways, or Qantas to find Oneworld Alliance award availability.
  • For SkyTeam Alliance award availability, use Air France or Delta’s website.
  • Non-alliance partners not belonging to any alliance may have to be searched on their own website or on the partner airline’s website.
Star Alliance Airpane

You may also want to learn a few award flight basics to help you understand how to know which airlines fly to your destination.

What do you do when you find the award space?

When partner awards show on a website like United or American and you plan to use those miles to book the award, you’ll book the award flight directly on their websites.

For example, if you search on United for a flight to Germany and the results show a flight operated by Lufthansa, you’ll book the award flight with your United miles just the same as if you were booking a United-operated flight.

how to earn and redeem airline miles with airline alliances and partners

However, sometimes it’s not possible to book the award flight you need online.

When this happens, write down all the flight details and call the airline whose miles you’re using to pay for the award flight to book.

Have as much information as possible for the agent. Not all airline phone agents understand loyalty program booking rules so it’s best to make it as easy as you can. If the agent is having a hard time, call back to get another agent.

Remind the agent the award was not bookable online to hopefully get any phone booking fee waived.

For example, when I flew to Patagonia, I found award space for SkyTeam partner, Aerolineas Argentinas, on their website. But I didn’t have Aerolineas Argentinas miles.

But, I did have Delta SkyMiles, also a SkyTeam partner. I noted all the flight details and called Delta to reserve the Aerolineas Argentinas award flight with my SkyMiles.

Delta Airlines

Again, booking award flights and maximizing airline alliances and partners to get the most from your miles can be tricky. There’s a lot to learn, which is why I’ve streamlined the process in Booking Award Flights Made Easy.

A couple of tips to keep in mind as you learn…

  • Learn which airlines charge high taxes and fees. 

If the award ticket you’re looking at has hundreds (or thousands!) of dollars in fees, it’s likely not worth paying the miles and the fees.

using british airways avios
  • Award pricing is not created equal, nor is it determined by the alliance.

It pays to compare prices. You follow the pricing set by the airline whose miles you’re using to pay not the pricing for the airline operating your flight.

Each airline sets their own prices. You want access to the airline with the best price to get the most from your miles. (Flexible points for the win!)

Let’s use the Delta and Aerolineas Argentinas example from the Patagonia trip I mentioned above. If I hypothetically had miles for both airlines, I could have compared pricing and booked with the airline program who was offering the best award price for the flight I needed. 

Instead, I had only Delta miles so I paid Delta prices no matter what Aerolineas Argentinas was charging.

Join the waitlist for Booking Award Flights Made Easy to learn more.

Or if you’re new to points and miles, enroll in my Free Travel Hacking Basics course.

The more you learn about airline alliances and partner redemptions…the more you’ll get from points miles!

How have you used airline alliances to get the most from your miles and points?

Like this post? Please share it on social media using the share buttons below.

How I use Airline Alliances to earn and redeem for free flights
Pin this post to your travel hacking Pinterest board!

Other Posts You're Sure to Love

  • Which Travel Rewards Credit Cards to Look at Right Now (February 2021)Which Travel Rewards Credit Cards to Look at Right Now (February 2021)
  • 15 Mistakes You Don’t Want to Make as a Points and Miles Beginner15 Mistakes You Don’t Want to Make as a Points and Miles Beginner
  • United Basic Economy: How to Overcome It (and Even Benefit!)United Basic Economy: How to Overcome It (and Even Benefit!)
  • How to Get to South Africa with Points and MilesHow to Get to South Africa with Points and Miles
  • 742shares
  • Facebook20
  • Twitter4
  • Pinterest718
  • LinkedIn0
  • Reddit0
  • Flipboard

Filed Under: Miles and Points Tagged With: miles, points, travel hacking

Affiliate Disclosure

The Globetrotting Teacher is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Additionally, The Globetrotting Teacher has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. The Globetrotting Teacher and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers.

Comments & responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Lillie says

    April 1, 2017 at 8:56 pm

    I think it’s so funny that paying for travel is NOT the best way to earn travel miles. Your tips are fascinating, and ones I wouldn’t have thought of. I’m sloooowly getting onto the miles bandwagon (especially now that we have a family of four to pay for), and each piece of advice is helpful.

    Reply
    • Jackie Sills-Dellegrazie says

      April 1, 2017 at 9:36 pm

      I agree, Lillie! That most logical way to earn travel miles would seem to be travel. But, alas! Check out my free course if you’d like to learn some more of the basics. 😉

  2. Donna Meyer says

    April 1, 2017 at 10:59 pm

    What great tips! I had no idea there was such a steep learning curve to figuring this all out. But you’ve taken me a good part of the way.

    Reply
    • Jackie Sills-Dellegrazie says

      April 2, 2017 at 11:54 am

      Great, Donna! Glad the guide was useful for you. 🙂

  3. Kelly @ TastingPage says

    April 2, 2017 at 9:12 am

    Such great, comprehensive info on airline miles. It’s sad it’s become such a game and traveling simply isn’t the best way to earn but at least there are options. Thanks for the info!

    Reply
    • Jackie Sills-Dellegrazie says

      April 2, 2017 at 11:52 am

      It’s a total game, Kelly. But, once you know the rules, you can get so many advantages. 🙂

  4. Nathan says

    April 2, 2017 at 7:45 pm

    Great writeup! I’ve been able to get free flights with my miles before but I’m by no means an expert. It’s something I could definitely learn more about.

    Reply
    • Jackie Sills-Dellegrazie says

      April 2, 2017 at 7:52 pm

      Thanks for reading, Nathan. 🙂 I’m happy this guide will useful for you.

  5. Micki says

    April 3, 2017 at 11:32 am

    Thanks for the great tips! I use my rewards credit card because it’s simple, but we really need to get better at finding the best deals for rewards travel.

    Reply
    • Jackie Sills-Dellegrazie says

      April 3, 2017 at 8:23 pm

      I’m glad the guide was helpful, Micki. 🙂 Keep learning little by little and you’ll get better and better at getting the most out of your miles.

  6. Christopher says

    April 3, 2017 at 6:01 pm

    I am fascinated by the science behind collecting points and miles but I also find it overwhelming to try to get my head around. I think I’ll sign up for your newsletter…
    Great post

    Reply
    • Jackie Sills-Dellegrazie says

      April 3, 2017 at 8:20 pm

      I’m glad to have you as part of the community, Christopher. 🙂 There is a learning curve to miles and points, but even with the basics you can get a ton a value in return.

  7. Jazzy says

    April 3, 2017 at 9:49 pm

    Thanks for the tips! I just recently got into using a travel reward credit card and collecting miles and so far it’s going well but there is definitely an art to it! Thanks again for sharing this, it has been really helpful for me 🙂

    Reply
    • Jackie Sills-Dellegrazie says

      April 4, 2017 at 8:39 pm

      Awesome, Jazzy. 🙂 There’s so much to gain. Keep learning and you’ll get some much value back.

  8. Tami says

    April 3, 2017 at 11:10 pm

    I’ve used credit cards to get miles from American and United Airlines, but I know I still haven’t learned all the tips and tricks to making the best of them! That’s why I enjoy reading posts like yours. I keep hoping if I read enough, I’ll absorb some of that travel smartness!

    Reply
    • Jackie Sills-Dellegrazie says

      April 4, 2017 at 8:36 pm

      That’s the exact way to do it, Tami. Learn little by little and. eventually, you’ll be an expert! 😉

  9. Izzy says

    April 4, 2017 at 9:32 pm

    I love the alliance benefits and am a big supporter of the Star Alliance fleet! I’ve just been super lazy clocking in my points and with the advent of budget airlines, it seems harder and harder to stay allegiant so to speak 😛

    Reply
    • Jackie Sills-Dellegrazie says

      April 4, 2017 at 10:04 pm

      I think alliance to an airline is hard. That’s why I love to be more opportunistic in how I use miles and points rather than earn for a single airline or alliance.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

About Me

Hi, I'm Jackie, the Globetrotting Teacher. Travel has been life-changing for me whether I'm traveling solo or with my favorite travel partner, Peter my husband! Learn more about my travels and how I use miles and points to travel around the globe. About Me

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Planning a Road Trip in 2021?

planning-a-road-trip

Search the Site

Get Started with Points and Miles!

12-must-have-gifts-sidebar

American Express Gold Card

Earn 60k Membership Rewards points after spending $4,000 in 6 months!
Earn 4x at U.S. Supermarkets  (up to $25k each year)
Earn 4x at Restaurants Globally
Earn 3x on Flights (booked directly or through Amex Travel)
1 $10 statement credit each month on Food Delivery services like Seamless & GrubHub

This is an excellent offer(!)
for anyone wanting to earn travel rewards points from their everyday spending!

Learn more about the
Gold Card!

Footer

Disclosure

As an Amazon Associate, The Globetrotting Teacher earns from qualifying purchases.

The Globetrotting Teacher has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. The Globetrotting Teacher and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers.

[Disclosure]

[Privacy Policy]

Copyright

All photos & content are copyrighted & belong to Jackie Sills-Dellegrazie at The Globetrotting Teacher unless otherwise cited and may not be reproduced or used elsewhere without permission. DMCA.com Protection Status
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest

Like every website with social media buttons, commenting, affiliates, and analytics embedded, The Globetrotting Teacher uses cookies. Please click ok to accept and/or visit my Privacy Policy to learn more. OK Privacy Policy
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Non-necessary

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.

SAVE & ACCEPT