How many miles will you earn? And where to credit them?

Wondering how many miles your next trip will earn you? Not sure which program you can credit miles to for your next trip? Then this article is for you.

Our readers often ask us two questions about earning miles on flights:

1°) How many miles will I earn?

2°) On which program can I credit them.

The first question is usually answered quite clearly in the terms and conditions of the airline’s frequent flyer program with which you fly. But this generality should not make us forget more complex cases

– When the program in question is complex and nebulous. It’s rare but it happens, especially for passengers with little air travel experience.

– When crediting to a partner airline. For example, you fly on Delta as a member of Air France’s Flying Blue frequent flyer program and you wonder if the miles you earn will be transferred to your favorite program and on what basis. En effet toutes les compagnies ne “créditent” pas tous les vols effectués chez des partenaires et quand elles le font c’est avec des barêmes qui changent d’un cas à l’autre.

– There are some people who simply when flying on an airline that is not their regular airline, do not even have the idea that they can still credit the miles earned on one of their programs.

To answer all these questions there is a magic tool: Wheretocredit.com

When you arrive at the Home Page, you tell which airline you are traveling with and what class you are booking (this is mentioned on your ticket).

For example here I fly on Air France in K class (a booking class of the economy class).

Not surprisingly, you will find that you credit on all the airlines of the Skyteam alliance but at very different rates. You can also see that you can credit Japan Airlines for flights to Japan even if the airline is a member of a competing alliance.

But if you are reading this blog, chances are that you are French and that Air France is your usual airline and Flying Blue your loyalty program. You go to the United States and travel in class K on Delta. What do you get out of it on Flying Blue?

Delta Airlines mileage credit on Air France Flying Blue

You can see that Flying Blue will credit 50% of the distance traveled. It’s better than zero but less generous than others.

At Skyteam they are quite “clean” on partner credit. At Star Alliance it is more complicated…..

Imagine that you are flying on Lufthansa in K class (discounted economy).

There it is much less exciting…. most of the airlines in the alliance tell you “thank you…but no thank you”.

Borderline but if it’s a discount fare…why not.

And what about Lufthansa’s P class, a discounted business class (a very competitive European medium-haul fare that I love)…?

Credit of lufthansa P-class miles on Star Alliance airlines

A little better but for example one of the favorite programs of the frequent flyers, Miles&Smiles of Turkish Airlines does not credit it, neither TAP or Thaï. For a business class flight, this is annoying, even infuriating.

In short, if you use Lufthansa a lot in discount, economy or business fares, either you credit at Lufthansa or you choose to create an account in a program that credits all its booking classes. Besides, why ask yourself the question of crediting in another airline than the one on which you make the majority of your flights? This will be the subject of a future article.

In short, if you want to know how many miles you will earn depending on your flight and your loyalty program, Wheretocredit is for you. If you are traveling on an “unusual” airline and wonder if you can credit “somewhere” where you would or could open an account, this is for you too.