Everyday Money
May 19, 2023 - Daniel Dreier
Find detailed information about how to maximize the benefits of popular airline miles and frequent flyer programs in Switzerland in this comprehensive guide.
Airline customer loyalty programs, commonly known as frequent flyer programs, let you earn rewards in the form of airline miles or points. These miles can be redeemed for award flights.
Which airlines offer airline miles?
Of the major airlines which are most widely used in Switzerland, all but Easyjet and Ryanair give you the option of being rewarded with airline miles for flights.
Easyjet does offer a frequent flyer program, Easyjet Plus. But this program differs from classic frequent flyer programs in that it has an annual fee, and entitles subscribers to privileges instead of rewarding them for purchases or flights.
How can I join a frequent flyer program?
In order to earn airline miles, you have to join the frequent flyer programs used by the airlines you will be flying with. The easiest way to join is to open an account online via the website of the airline or frequent flyer program. Depending on the airline, you may also be able to sign up through a customer service center.
How can I earn airline miles for flights?
You can get rewarded with airline miles when you make purchases from airlines. In addition to tickets, most airlines also reward you with miles for spending on options (extra checked luggage, for example) and upgrades as well.
In order to earn miles for flights, you have to provide your frequent flyer membership number when making the booking. You can find this number in your online account, and on the physical or virtual membership card. When you make online bookings directly on an airline’s website, you may have the option of logging into your frequent flyer account. If you are logged in when you make your booking, then your frequent flyer number will normally be entered automatically.
Many frequent flyer programs let you request miles for a flight in arrears if you failed to enter your membership number during the booking.
Are there other ways to earn airline miles?
Yes. Depending on the frequent flyer program, you can get rewarded with miles when you make purchases from certain merchants.
Some frequent flyer programs have airline miles credit cards which let you earn miles as rewards for credit card spending. It is worth noting though, that Swiss airline miles credit cards typically have annual card fees. Depending on the specific card and your spending habits, you may get better value using a cash back credit card with no annual fee, and then using your cash back rewards for flights. You can compare credit cards based on your specific needs using the interactive Swiss credit card comparison.
You may also have the option of converting points from other customer loyalty programs and credit card reward programs into miles.
Table 1: Ways to earn airline miles
| Miles & More (SWISS, Lufthansa, Eurowings) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Earn miles for flights | Earn miles for other spending | Earn miles with Swiss credit cards | Convert reward points to miles |
You can also earn miles |
|
|
|
| Flying Blue (Air France, KLM) | |||
| Earn miles for flights | Earn miles for other spending | Earn miles with Swiss credit cards | Convert reward points to miles |
You can also earn miles |
|
|
|
| Avios (British Airways Executive Club, Iberia Plus) | |||
| Earn miles for flights | Earn miles for other spending | Earn miles with Swiss credit cards | Convert reward points to miles |
You can also earn miles |
| No Swiss miles credit cards |
|
| Skywards (Emirates) | |||
| Earn miles for flights | Earn miles for other spending | Earn miles with Swiss credit cards | Convert reward points to miles |
You can also earn miles |
| No Swiss miles credit cards |
|
| Etihad Guest (Etihad) | |||
| Earn miles for flights | Earn miles for other spending | Earn miles with Swiss credit cards | Convert reward points to miles |
|
| No Swiss miles credit cards |
|
Can I combine my miles with my friends and family?
If you have close friends or family members who are also frequent flyers, pooling the miles from all of your accounts into a single joint account can make it easier to collect enough miles for an award flight.
Most of the frequent flyer programs commonly used in Switzerland give you the option of pooling miles.
Miles & More Mileage Pooling: Up to two adult accounts plus up to five child accounts.
Flying Blue Family: Up to two adult accounts plus up to six child accounts.
British Airways Executive Club Household Account: Up to seven Avios accounts (members of one household).
Skywards My Family: Up to eight Skywards accounts (immediately family only).
Etihad Guest Family Membership: Up to nine Etihad Guest accounts (extended family only).
How much is an airline mile worth?
Airline miles do not have a fixed value in Swiss francs. The value of a mile varies depending on how you redeem it.
How can I spend airline miles?
All frequent flyer programs let you redeem your miles for award flights. Typically, you get the most value from your miles when you use them for airline tickets. Miles can generally be redeemed for upgrades and options as well. Depending on the program, you may also be able to cover the cost of airport taxes and other third-party charges with miles.
But depending on the frequent flyer program, you can also redeem tickets for in-flight purchases (food, drinks, or onboard shopping, for example), through special travel booking platforms, or at stores and other merchants which partner with the program.
Table 2: Ways to use airline miles
| Miles & More (SWISS, Lufthansa, Eurowings) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Redeem miles for flights | Redeem miles for goods and services | Other ways to redeem miles |
You can also redeem miles |
|
|
| Flying Blue (Air France, KLM) | ||
| Redeem miles for flights | Redeem miles for goods and services | Other ways to redeem miles |
You can also redeem miles |
|
|
| Avios (British Airways Executive Club, Iberia Plus) | ||
| Redeem miles for flights | Redeem miles for goods and services | Other ways to redeem miles |
You can also redeem miles |
|
|
| Skywards (Emirates) | ||
| Redeem miles for flights | Redeem miles for goods and services | Other ways to redeem miles |
You can also redeem miles |
|
|
| Etihad Guest (Etihad) | ||
| Redeem miles for flights | Redeem miles for goods and services | Other ways to redeem miles |
You can also redeem miles |
|
|
Do airline miles expire?
Yes. One of the biggest drawbacks of frequent flyer programs is that your miles expire if you do not redeem them within a certain time frame after you earn them. This is particularly problematic if you only fly with certain airlines occasionally, as you will not likely collect enough miles for an award flight.
You can find the validity periods in table 3. Miles which are not redeemed within the validity period simply disappear from your account. Some programs give you the option of extending the life of your miles for a fee, but the cost of doing this greatly diminishes the savings value of your miles.
Table 3: Miles validity periods and expiry
| Frequent Flyer Program | Miles expiry period | Exceptions | Status benefits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles & More | 36 months | Miles do not expire if you charge at least one purchase per month to a Miles & More credit card | Frequent Travellers, Senators, HON Circle Members: Miles do not expire for as long as you keep your status |
| Flying Blue | 2 years | The expiry period is extended for another 2 years when you earn miles for a flight or for a purchase with a Flying Blue credit card | Elite and Elite Plus members: Miles do not expire for as long as you keep your status |
| Avios (British Airways Executive Club, Iberia Plus) | 36 months | The expiry period is extended for another 36 months when you earn, buy, spend, or transfer Avios | |
| Skywards | 3 years | You have the option of extending the validity of your miles for a fee | |
| Etihad Guest | 18 months | The expiry period is extended for 18 months when you earn or redeem miles | Platinum members: Miles do not expire for as long as you keep your status |
How can I avoid losing my miles?
If you do not fly with the same airlines frequently enough to collect enough miles for awards flights before your miles expire, then you have these options:
- Pay for award flights with both miles and Swiss francs, if possible. For example, Miles & More lets you redeem anywhere upwards of 3000 miles for a flight, and pay for the remainder of the cost with money. Flying Blue lets you cover 25 percent of award flights with money, and 25 percent of regular tickets with miles.
- If you will not use your miles for a flight, redeeming them for purchases which you would otherwise spend money on is better than letting them expire.
With some frequent flyer programs, your miles do not expire if you have a high-ranking frequent flyer status.
Is it possible to sell unneeded miles?
There are online service providers which offer to buy airline miles. However, the terms and conditions of nearly all frequent flyer programs expressly discourage the buying and selling of miles using third-party service providers.
However, many programs give you the option of transferring miles to another person’s account for a fee. This can be worth doing in some cases, but only if your miles would otherwise expire.
More on this topic:
Compare Swiss credit cards (including miles credit cards)
Compare Swiss travel insurance offers
Guide to earning miles using credit cards
Tips for getting cheaper flights
How to get online while flying