Credit Cards
  Visa credit cardsMasterCard credit cardsAmerican Express credit cardsDiscover credit cards
Credit Cards Menu
Low Interest Credit Cards
Balance Transfer Cards
Instant Approval Cards
Reward Credit Cards
Cash Back Credit Cards
Airline Credit Cards
Business Credit Cards
Student Credit Cards
Prepaid & Debit Cards
Credit Card Specials
Search by Credit Quality
Excellent Credit
Good Credit
Fair Credit
Bad Credit
No Credit History
Bank Credit Cards
Advanta
American Express®
Bank of America®
Capital One®
Chase
Citi® Credit Cards
Discover®
First National Bank of Omaha
First Premier Bank
HSBC Bank
MasterCard®
Orchard Bank®
Visa®
Credit Card News and Advice
News About Credit Cards
Credit Card News Archive
Credit Card Blogs
RSS News Feeds
Credit Card Newsletter
Credit Card Tools
Credit Card Calculators
Credit Card Terms & Glossary
PrivacyWise™
Credit Card Site Map
Accept Credit Cards
Merchant Account Providers
Merchant Account Articles
Online Credit Card Applications



 

Credit Cards > Credit Card News > Airline frequent flier fees and rules


 Print 
 Email 

Airline frequent flier fees and rules

By Emily Starbuck Gerson

The airline industry is changing, and frequent flier award tickets are no longer free. Here is a chart of fees you can expect to pay if you plan to cash in your air miles. Click on the tab for your airline.

American Airlines

Award processing fee
(fee for cashing in miles):
$5 for online bookings only
Service fee
(based on how you redeem award):
Free if online, $20 if on the phone, $30 if in person
Quick ticketing fee: If you book travel 7-20 days prior to departure, $50 fee. If booked 2 hours to 6 days prior, $100 fee. When multiple awards are claimed at same time, each additional award is subject to $25 fee.
If you want a paper ticket: n/a
Fees for changing dates, times and reissuing tickets: $150
Redeposit fee (if you don't use your award ticket and want the points credited back to your account): $150
Preservation fee: n/a
Reactivation fee: n/a
Standby fee: n/a
Fuel surcharge: n/a
Partner handling fee (if you fly any leg of the trip with a partner carrier): n/a
Express delivery fee: n/a
Expiration: Will not expire unless you do not redeem or earn any miles for 18 months.
Annual fee: Citi MasterCard and AmEx: $0 for 12 months; $85 thereafter. Citi Business MasterCard: $0 for 12 months; $75 thereafter. Citi debit card: $65. Non-co-branded Citi card: $0.

See related: Is it time to cash in your frequent flier miles?, The evolution of frequent flier cards and programs

Published: August 12, 2008

Comments or questions, Story archive

Three most recent Frequent flier programs, airline rewards stories:

  • Airline frequent flier fees and rules – The airline industry is changing and frequent flier award tickets are no longer free. Here is a chart of fees you can expect to pay if you plan to cash in your air miles. ...
  • Continental frequent flier fees and rules – The airline industry is changing and frequent flier award tickets are no longer free. Here is a chart of fees you can expect to pay if you plan to cash in your air miles. ...
  • Delta frequent flier fees and rules – The airline industry is changing and frequent flier award tickets are no longer free. Here is a chart of fees you can expect to pay if you plan to cash in your air miles. ...


USA (English)   |   USA (Español)   |   UK   |   Australia   |   Canada