What to spend your miles on. Aeroflot, tickets for miles and pitfalls. Features of purchasing Aeroflot award tickets

Olga Stepanova

Reading time: 9 minutes

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Today, everyone who frequently flies by plane has heard of the term “airline loyalty programs.” Programs like this are a kind of incentive that air carriers use to please their regular customers for their choice. Each flight brings the client “points”, with which you can later become the lucky owner of a free air ticket.

What are miles, what are they used for, and are they really that profitable?

What are bonuses, loyalty programs and mileage accumulation programs - defining the concepts

Of course not!

Each air carrier is looking for its own benefit, which, in this case, consists of returning the client to the cabin of his aircraft.

Of course, you shouldn’t expect excessive generosity - flights through which you can accumulate bonuses are strictly regulated (there is a limited number of award tickets per flight, especially during the season), and miles can be used only under certain conditions. Still, miles are beneficial for those who have to fly constantly, and loyalty programs can benefit you. If, of course, you keep track of the expiration date of your accumulated miles, follow promotions, and regularly upgrade your status.

Miles – what are they and why are they needed?

Today, the term “miles” is used to describe the unit in which air carriers measure our customer loyalty.

Bonus programs of companies are similar in their scheme to similar programs operating in large retail chains: bought products (ticket), received bonuses (miles), spent on other products (air tickets, car rental, etc.).

Miles are classified as follows:

1. Premium. You can spend these bonuses directly on tickets or on upgrading your service class. The shelf life of such miles is 20-36 months, after which they simply expire.
2. Status . And these miles can be exchanged for bonuses. In addition, they can improve the level of service. The more miles you have, the more important you will be. For example, you will be able to be checked in for your flight without a queue or allowed into the VIP lounge area for free. Status miles are reset on December 31st.

Bonus programs are beneficial...

• On regular flights. At least more than 3-4 per year. Constant flights for work and business very clearly demonstrate the benefits of bonus programs.
• When flying on planes of the same carrier (carriers included in 1 alliance).
• With consistently frequent and high expenses and a large number of bank cards (note – most carriers are partners of banking organizations). The more purchases and cashback, the more miles.

Where do the miles come from?

The number of miles you can earn depends on...

1. Your loyalty card status.
2. From the route and distance (the greater it is, the more bonuses).
3. From booking class.
4. And from the tariffs (some tariffs do not provide miles at all).

All information is usually provided on the carriers’ websites, where you can even calculate how many miles you will be given for a particular flight.

Types of bonuses and airline loyalty programs

You become a member of the loyalty program through...

1. Registration on the carrier's website. You receive your personal number and then track how many miles you have, where you spent them and how many more you need.
2. Carrier's office. Fill out the form, receive your number and loyalty card.
3. When applying for a bank card , which is in partnership with the carrier. With such a card, you pay for purchases and at the same time accumulate miles.
4. During the flight itself . Some companies may also issue loyalty cards in the aircraft cabin.

What are the bonus programs?

IATA has about 250 air carriers, most of which offer their own programs and different algorithms for accruing miles.

The largest airline alliances - and their bonus programs:

• Star Alliance. Consists of 27 companies, including Lufthansa and SWISS, Turkish Airlines and THAI, United and South African Airways. The key BP of these companies (note: bonus program) is Miles & More.
• SkyTeam . The alliance consists of about 20 companies, including Aeroflot and KLM, Air France and Alitalia, China Airlines, etc. The main BP is Flying Blue.
• Composition – 15 air carriers , including S7 Airlines and British Airways, American Airlines and airberlin, Iberia, etc. Each company has its own program.

Considering that each carrier has its own program (most often), it simply does not make sense to list all types of programs - you can familiarize yourself with them on the official websites of the companies.

For example, the S7 Airlines BP is called S7 Priority, the Aeroflot BP is Aeroflot Bonus, and UTair offers several programs at once - for business, family trips and ordinary ones.

How to choose the right program and earn miles?

When choosing a bonus program for yourself, consider the following:

1. Where do you fly most often? . For flights within the country, it is better to choose Aeroflot Bonus, and when traveling to Asia, the Qatar Airways BP may be suitable for you.
2. Purpose of participation in the program. Why do you need points? They can be exchanged for a free ticket (one time) or for bonuses (for example, skip-the-line registration).
3. — or still achieve comfort during flights? This answer determines the type of miles you earn.
4. Business class or economy? The first option is more profitable in miles.

How to earn miles?

Take from primary sources. Namely:

• Fly with companies of the same alliance - or with planes of the same company if it is not part of any alliance.
• Use the services of carrier partners.
• Use bank cards with mile cashback.

You can also earn miles for…

1. Entry into the program.
2. Holidays and birthdays.
3. Participation in surveys, quizzes, and carrier competitions.
4. Subscribe to the newsletter.
5. Actively writing reviews.

And you can also get additional miles...

• Buy on the carrier's website.
• Buy from other holders of similar cards. Cardholders often sell miles that they don't have time to use if they're about to expire and don't expect to travel.
• Choose indirect flights. More transfers - more miles.
• Receive through the use of co-branded cards.
• Get it using the services of partners. For example, a night at a carrier partner hotel can earn up to 500 miles.
• Look for the “Every nth flight is free” program (if you fly often to one point).

And don't forget to spend your miles before they expire!

The maximum “expiration date” of a mile does not exceed 3 years.

Remember, that…

1. There are prohibitions on bonuses when flying on special routes.
2. Miles are not awarded for tickets purchased on a hot sale or at special rates.
3. Tickets purchased with miles are most often non-refundable.

How to use airline miles correctly to save on air tickets - tips from experienced

What is the best way to spend your accumulated miles?

• Study calculators and the programs themselves on the websites.
• Fly long routes.
• Look out for family and package deals with upgrades.
• Choose your alliance of companies carefully to make even international flights more profitable.
• Explore catalogs that offer services and products for miles. You can use them to pay for a hotel room or rent a car. It is more profitable to pay only for part of the goods or services.
• Sell ​​miles if they expire and you don't have any travel plans.

How many miles will get you a free ticket?

The price of one award ticket starts from 20000 miles. Some carriers offer from 9,000 miles.

But remember that the miles will be counted towards the fare, but you will have to pay the fees yourself (and they can amount to up to 75% of the ticket price). There are companies that allow you to pay even fees with miles, but such carriers are rare (for example, Lufthansa).

Be sure to check before exchanging miles for a ticket whether this exchange will be in your favor.

Comparison of loyalty programs of different airlines

The choice of program primarily depends on “point B”. If you live in the capital, and usually fly, for example, to Krasnodar, then the Aeroflot companies' BP will be most suitable for you Aeroflot Bonus) and Transaero (BP Privilege), Ural Airlines ( Wings), S7 ( A priority) and UTair ( Status) and Family status.

Remember that programs for comparison should be chosen from carriers of the same alliance! Low-cost airlines also have BP, but you will have to pay for membership.

Special Internet services will help you avoid getting confused in the BP, allowing you to choose your program and compare it with others.

Passengers of the Aeroflot carrier can participate in a loyalty program, thanks to which they can receive rewards in the form of miles. Bonuses can be spent on purchasing an air ticket, as well as using other company services.

Conditions for receiving bonus units

The client can receive bonuses provided that he has the required number of miles on his account. An additional requirement for the participant is to have completed at least one paid flight over the previous 2 years on a regular Aeroflot flight under one of the tariff plans included in the mileage program.

If awards are issued through the website of Aeroflot or a partner company, the passenger must be identified using a confirmation code received in an SMS message to the number specified by the participant. To subscribe to the service, use the personal account menu.

Attention! Awards are allowed to be transferred up to 10 times in 1 calendar year. The number of miles gifted by one member of the privilege program to another is not limited.

If an award upgrade to the service level is applied with the transfer of miles at the registration counter, then the procedure is not included in the established limit (10 times every 12 months). Prizes include:

• a ticket purchased for mileage units on flights of the carrier Aeroflot or its partners;
• receiving goods or services from companies cooperating with Aeroflot by exchanging for a set number of miles;
• an increase in service class for points (Economy - Comfort or Comfort - Business), if the reservation is confirmed and the ticket is issued at the fare allowed by the program.

How to fly for miles

An Aeroflot passenger can receive a ticket in exchange for miles. To do this, there must be a sufficient number of bonus units on the bonus account. Gift tickets can be purchased one way or both. Fares allowed by the program allow up to 2 transfers. You cannot issue an open date and return the ticket.

A ticket purchased with miles is valid for 12 months. However, if there are no free seats on board, the air carrier has the right to refuse to issue a premium product. It is possible to exchange tickets with an automatic reduction in the level of service.

What can you spend miles on with company partners?

Participants in the Aeroflot bonus program have the right to use miles to purchase services or goods from 19 partner companies. Among them:

• chain of delicatessen stores Globus Gourmet;
• Novotel hotel;
• Novikov restaurants;
• pharmacy chain Samson Pharma;
• DIY format markets MosKhozTorg;
• Telo’s Beauty (dentistry and cosmetology);
• restaurant chain Ginza Project;
• French Kiss confectionery boutiques;
• Gulliver stores (teenage and children's clothing);
• pharmacies 36.6.

A complete list and rules of operation of the bonus system in companies participating in the privilege program are given.

To use miles as payment, the client must set a PIN code in advance in the personal account menu via the Aeroflot website. You can spend miles by presenting your Aeroflot Bonus card and entering your PIN at the terminal.

How to rent a hotel room using miles

Premium hotel bookings are made on the website hotels.aeroflot.ru. The algorithm includes several steps:

1. Fill out the form fields, indicating the city or name of the hotel, check-in and check-out dates, and the number of residents.
2. Then check the box next to “Use miles”.
3. Click on the “Find hotels” button.

The service will result in a list of hotels suitable for the specified parameters and the rental price in miles. All you have to do is select the desired option, room and click the “Book” button. Next, the loyalty program participant’s personal account page will open. There you must log in to write off bonus miles.

Purchasing with miles from a catalog

By following the link rewards.aeroflot.ru, you can go to the premium catalog. The available offers from bonus program partners are presented here in table form. Participants can exchange miles for souvenirs, goods or other products of the organizers.

An example is Aussie brand hair balm. Next to the product name, its cost in miles is indicated.

To purchase, click on the product image. After going to the product description page, click the “Add to Cart” button.

Then open the added products tab in the upper right corner and click on the “Place an order” button.

Attention! If the client refuses the purchase, bonus units cannot be returned to the account.

Claims regarding products and delivery should be directed to program partners, since, according to the regulations, they bear full responsibility.

Aeroflot launched a project called “Miles of Mercy” in 2008, under which participants in the bonus program can transfer the miles they receive to accounts belonging to charitable foundations. Among them:

1. Gift a life. The founders of the fund are actresses D. Korzun and Ch. Khamatova. The company was founded in 2006. The funds from the fund are used to help children with cancer, the hospitals where they are treated, and doctors. Thanks to the donated miles, children and their parents from various localities in the Russian Federation are sent for rehabilitation and treatment to Moscow and foreign countries.
2. Life line. The fund was created to sponsor high-tech surgeries for children under 18 years of age, as well as the purchase of expensive medical equipment and instruments. This allows us to improve the living conditions of children and their full recovery. The company has existed since 2004, helping citizens throughout Russia.
3. Rusfond. The mission of the foundation is financial assistance in the treatment of children, the development of society and the introduction of the latest medical technologies. The company was founded in 1996 as a charitable journalistic project.
4. Spivakov Foundation. Since 1994, the fund's funds have been transferred to support talented children in painting, choreography and music. Miles donated by participants in the Aeroflot privilege program allow young talents to take part in festivals, concerts and competitions in different countries of the world, as well as make free flights for the purpose of studying in Moscow from the regions and back.

Before transferring miles, you should familiarize yourself with a number of restrictions applied by the organizers:

• the number of bonus units on the bonus account is from 3 thousand;
• the minimum transfer size is 100 miles;
• The participant's age is more than 12 years.

The charity mile donation algorithm consists of several steps. Go to page aeroflot.ru.
Select where to send incentives from the presented funds and open the appropriate tab.

Enter the username and password of the participant from your personal account, then click on the “Login” button.

In the bonus program profile menu, enter the number of miles to transfer and follow further instructions from the service.

Participants in the bonus program developed by Aeroflot airlines for passengers can use their accumulated miles for various goods and services. The most popular option is to purchase air tickets using miles.

About the conditions for accumulating miles

Aeroflot Bonus is a convenient bonus system for customers to receive a partial or 100% discount on the cost of airline tickets. Passengers using this airline's rewards program can travel anywhere in the world for virtually nothing.

Airline customers who are already 12 years old will be able to take part in this promotion. After each air flight, or when purchasing a service or product from a program partner, the bonus program participant is awarded miles. These airline points can be exchanged for various bonuses. Approximately one mile is equivalent to one ruble. It is a kind of quasi-currency for passengers, which allows them to pre-summarize the number of goods and services required to accrue miles for a discounted flight.

According to the bonus program, miles are divided into 2 types:

• Qualifying. Their clients receive from flights with Aeroflot and members of the SkyTeam alliance. The amount of total accrued conventional units is determined by the flight range and passenger service class. The conditional miles earned in this way can be spent on various awards or changed to assign an elite level to the user of the program.
• Not qualifying. Ordinary users of the bonus program are invited to receive them from cooperation with partner companies under the Aeroflot Bonus system. Members assigned to the Elite tier receive credit in addition to qualifying miles for every flight they fly. This type of currency can be transferred to another user's account and used to purchase awards. However, accumulating this type of miles does not allow you to reach the elite level in the program.

Rules for collecting bonuses and the number of bonus points

All customers wishing to become participants in the bonus system undergo mandatory registration on the airline's website. During the procedure, the client is assigned a personal number and the account is activated where ticket points will be accumulated.

There are several ways to accumulate points on an Aeroflot client bonus account:

• Using the services of an airline or a specified alliance for a long time, for example, 1-1.5 years.
• Bonuses are accumulated from non-cash payments using debit and credit cards issued in banking organizations that are partners, such as Sberbank, Alfa, Tinkoff. You can consult the amount of accumulated miles on the official Aeroflot Internet resource or on the websites of its partners. Additional information can be obtained by contacting the airline's technical support or by studying the instructions on the airline's website.
• Points can be purchased or exchanged on a specialized exchange that cooperates with the airline. Passengers can purchase and sell accumulated miles. This type of cooperation allows you to receive funds from points, which will soon be canceled after the agreed period of time has passed when they must be spent. This option is also relevant for users who have accumulated a certain amount of miles almost sufficient to make a free flight, and they will simply need to add the missing number of airline units. Thus, one physical a person can sell miles to another.
• At the time of registration, to increase customer loyalty, the air carrier awards welcome points. Additional bonuses are credited to the birthday person’s account as a gift from the company.

Attention! Points are canceled provided that the passenger has not flown on airline flights for two years.

For non-cash payments using an Aeroflot Classic Card, miles are awarded per unit of currency or for the purchase of goods with a total value of more than 50 rubles. If a passenger owns a gold card, he is awarded conventional units for the same material costs at an increased rate, that is, 1.5 points. New clients can expect an additional bonus. Obtaining a classic card is rewarded with 500 miles, and a gold card is rewarded with 1000 miles.

How to spend a bonus on air tickets and travel conditions

• by upgrading the flight class in the ticket you receive;
• by paying rent for a room in a hotel that is a partner of the bonus program;
• by spending on the purchase of various goods on the Aeroflot airline website (the range includes various products from electronics to cosmetics);
• by transferring to the needs of charitable organizations;
• by purchasing tickets for an aircraft using Aeroflot bonuses at a significant discount.

Purchasing air travel using bonuses is similar to the standard procedure for purchasing a ticket at the airline's offices. To obtain this attribute, you will need to present a passport and a privileged program card for company clients to a company employee. A personalized card will be sent to the address indicated on the website using Russian Post if the account has accumulated 2000 conventional units. If the card is damaged or lost for any reason, you just need to print a temporary copy downloaded from your personal account on the Aeroflot website on a regular printer.

You can also apply accumulated bonuses when making a reservation for tickets by phone, providing the necessary information to the voice assistant.

When purchasing a ticket through the World Wide Web, you also earn points. By placing the cursor on the “Aeroflot Bonus” button, a pop-up list will open in which you should select the “Join the program” item. After this, the website will open the login page for your personal account; in the lower right part there is an icon with the text “Become a participant in the program”, which you will need to click on.

• e-mail;
• Your full name should be entered using the English keyboard layout;
• day, month and year of birth;
• mobile phone contact number.

Additionally, you will need to check the box to confirm that the form was filled out by a person and not by a program. After this, you need to click in another field to accept the terms of the bonus program. After studying all the legal nuances of the agreement, the user just needs to click on the word “Register”.

As a result, a digital letter will be sent to your e-mail to confirm the registration procedure.

Note! You should create an individual e-mail for each user, since using the same account by 2 participants is unacceptable.

The interactive search system on the website allows you to select a suitable flight and buy an air ticket online without Aeroflot commission.

Having opened the “Buy a ticket” item, the user will need to enter information about the flight of interest: departure date, direction of flight, number of passengers on the aircraft. Next, you need to decide on the class of service and tick the “For miles” box. After which you can buy a ticket at Aeroflot using bonuses.

To identify the most suitable flights, you will need to click on the “Find” button, as a result of which the website will automatically sort out suitable air travel options. The search is carried out taking into account accumulated points and providing several discount options. The purchase of an air ticket is carried out within a couple of minutes after the flight number is selected. To confirm, it is recommended to print out the itinerary receipt received by email. When a client decides to buy a ticket using Aeroflot miles, the accrual of points for this flight is not implied. When returning tickets back to the airline, the miles for which they were purchased will be refunded accordingly.

Miles allow you to pay for a ticket for anyone. Relatives, friends and acquaintances can use free tickets. Since a participant in the bonus system can buy an electronic ticket for any name, including babies.

This Aeroflot bonus system is very convenient for those who use an electronic method of paying for goods and services. The miles accumulation program provides an opportunity to save costs on travel to any city on the planet.

If you regularly fly with Aeroflot, you probably take part in the loyalty program: the carrier provides bonus miles for flights made. They can be spent in a variety of ways, but travelers prefer to take reward tickets. However, clients are in for some unpleasant surprises: for example, they have to pay fees out of their own pocket in any case. To understand the real benefits of the proposals, you need to understand how to buy a ticket with Aeroflot miles: how much you will have to save, how to pay and how to spend bonuses wisely.

The essence of the Aeroflot Bonus program: what to consider

What is an Aeroflot award ticket? This is a travel document that is provided to loyalty program participants if they collect the required number of bonuses. At first glance, the option seems attractive, but there are also a lot of disadvantages. To avoid any unpleasant surprises, understand how the program works:

• For each flight on flights of an air carrier or partner companies, you are provided with bonus units (miles). They are called qualifying points: such points are needed not only for purchases, but also for increasing your level within the program. There are also non-qualifying miles that can be earned by using co-branded cards, booking rooms at certain hotels, etc.
• The number of bonuses depends on the direction of travel, class of service, and your status within the program. Having collected a certain number of units or sectors of flights, you will receive a silver, gold or platinum card. It gives you the right to enjoy additional privileges: you will be awarded more miles and will be allowed access to business level lounges.
• Miles can be used to pay for flights or for access to a premium cabin. In this case, you have the right to buy a ticket for yourself or for another person. True, you will have to pay a fuel surcharge, and its size sometimes makes flying with bonuses unprofitable.
• Miles can be spent not only on tickets or class upgrades. Aeroflot has a catalog with goods for which you can pay with bonuses.

Before accumulating miles, familiarize yourself with any nuances or pitfalls. After all, there are often cases when users collect bonuses for years, and then they burn out. It also happens that the fee turns out to be slightly less than the cost of the ticket itself, and competitors offer better prices.

To learn more about how to buy tickets with miles at Aeroflot, watch the video:

Aeroflot miles calculator: how much will a ticket cost?

You can find out what the mileage accrual or ticket cost will be using the calculator, which you will find on the official website. Just follow the link and open the tab "To spend". You will need to indicate the direction of travel and the availability of connections, after which you will see the available options. Please note that prices also depend on whether you are flying with Aeroflot or with companies from the Sky Team alliance. For example, when flying Bucharest - Moscow, the Russian carrier will deduct 25,000 miles from your account for a round trip, and partners - 30,000. In some cases, it is more profitable to travel with them, so be guided by the situation.

On the same page you can find out how many miles will be awarded for a flight to a certain destination. Open the “Dial” tab and enter information in the appropriate fields:

• indicate whether you are flying with Aeroflot or with partners;
• select a direction;
• determine whether the trip will be one-way or whether round-trip tickets are needed;
• if you are on a connecting flight, please fill in the relevant information;
• indicate the level in the Aeroflot Bonus program (participants with the Basic status receive the least points, and Platinum status receives the most points);
• Please note the fare of the selected ticket, as it plays an important role (there are no charges for the most budget options).

You will see the result in the graph "Total miles"; However, passengers complain that the actual receipts to the individual account in the program are less. But the difference may be due to the fact that they filled out the fields incorrectly and did not indicate the fares of the travel documents.

Aeroflot Bonus: how to check miles using your card number

You can check the availability of bonuses and their receipt in your personal account. Authorization is done using a participant ID and password; After entering them, an SMS with a verification code is delivered to the linked phone number.

Have you entered your personal page? At the top of the monitor you will see the total number of receipts and segments dialed. Qualifying accruals that bring you closer to reaching the next level of the program are displayed separately.

How to pay for an Aeroflot ticket with miles: step-by-step instructions

Please pay attention to the amount of fees: they are indicated separately. Because of these amounts, buying a ticket with miles is often unprofitable. For example, if you take a round-trip travel document from Moscow to St. Petersburg, then with the basic fare you will have to pay $38 and give up 10,000 miles. If you pay in cash, the cost of a trip to Economy Promo will be $46.8. We can say that the traveler receives a significant discount, but such a ticket cannot be called free. After all, the difference in cost will be only $8!

You can also issue a ticket on the main page of the site by opening the appropriate section, but you will have to log in during the process.

How to buy a ticket for another person using miles: Aeroflot rules

According to the carrier's rules, you have the right to issue a ticket for another person. A traveler taking a flight does not even have to register for the program. The main condition is that the person purchasing a travel document with miles must be over 12 years old. The purchase must be made at least 6 hours before departure, otherwise the required function will become unavailable. Just follow the same sequence of actions, and when filling out the forms, enter the name of the passenger for whom you are purchasing a ticket.

If you are unable to make a purchase online, go to the airline office. You may not go personally, but send a proxy, but he must have a document confirming his authority.

How many miles do you need to buy a ticket at Aeroflot?

The number of bonuses required to purchase a free travel ticket depends on the destination, flight, even time of year. To exchange credits for a service, collect 10,000 units - this is the cost of the cheapest option.

How to check the number of miles in Aeroflot Bonus? Just go to your personal account: at the top you will see the number of points you have.

How to pay for tickets at Aeroflot with miles: important nuances

When booking Aeroflot plane tickets using miles, travelers have the following questions:

• If there are not enough bonuses, is it possible to combine 2 accounts? Such a measure is not provided, but you will be able to transfer or gift miles.
• I received a ticket as a reward for my loyalty, but plans have changed. Is it possible to return it to the cashier and get bonus units back on the card? Travel documents provided as part of the loyalty program cannot be sold, returned or exchanged. They are valid for 365 days from the date of issue.
• How long before travel should I buy tickets using bonuses? According to Aeroflot rules, travel documents are issued online at least 6 hours before flight departure. If you contact the office or another point of sale, take care of the issue 2 days in advance.
• Is it possible to call the hotline, place an order and pay with bonuses? You can also fill out a document paying with miles over the phone.
• Are one-way award tickets allowed? You can purchase round-trip or one-way travel documents.
• If you transfer bonuses and purchase travel documents for them, how much extra will you need to pay? You will have to pay for fuel surcharges and airport taxes with money. There is no additional charge for office service.
• Is it allowed to buy tickets for children under 2 years old with a seat using award units? Yes, but they must be purchased at the same time as paying for a seat for an adult. If you are traveling with a child under 2 years old and are going to hold him in your arms, then pay from your mileage account, and later contact the office to issue a separate travel document for the baby.

It is important that the usual discounts provided to various categories of citizens do not apply to payments with miles. For example, a student flying on an Aeroflot flight will not enjoy privileges when calculating bonuses.

How much does 1 Aeroflot mile cost?

Program participants are wondering what 1 Aeroflot bonus unit is equal to. It depends on whether you receive it or spend it, as well as on a number of additional nuances.

Bonus units can be provided for payments with cards of partner banks. It is easiest to determine their cost, since it is indicated in the contract. Usually calculations occur according to the principle “ 1 mile for 60 rubles.“, but the conditions must be clarified in each specific case.

When it comes to expenses, the value of your miles will be determined by the benefits you get for them. For calculations, let’s take a 2-way flight “New York - Moscow”:

• If you fly in economy class, the cost of the experience will be 70,000 bonus points and $125. If you pay with money, you will pay $625: it is easy to calculate that a mile is equal to 0.7 cents.
• The price will increase when flying in the Comfort cabin: it will reach 0.96 cents.
• The best option is to travel in business class. A trip from New York to Moscow will cost $3,050 if you pay solely in money. When paying from a bonus account, you will pay 11,000 units and $240. This means savings of up to $2,800 - 2 cents per air mile.

The figures vary depending on the flight: on the Moscow - Irkutsk - Moscow route, when traveling in business class, the price of an award unit will be 4 cents. You can calculate what one mile in Aeroflot Bonus is equal to on your own by comparing the indicators on a specific route.

To buy tickets for premium units, keep an eye on promotions from partners. By booking a hotel room on time or contacting a certain bank, you will receive a promotional code for crediting miles to Aeroflot Bonus. True, they will not help those who do not actually fly: traveling by air is necessary.

Traveler review: issuing travel documents at Aeroflot

Recently I decided to spend the accumulated bonuses so that my son could fly to Bangkok. The cost of the service was 90,000 prize units and 33,000 rubles. I did the registration through the mobile application, entered the information correctly, and checked it several times. I fly often, so there are no questions about filling out forms. But after the purchase, a document was sent to my email where the traveler’s full name was indicated incorrectly: it contained my details.

I contacted the Aeroflot support service, where they told me that it was impossible to rewrite award tickets or make a cancellation with a refund of spent bonuses. I was only offered to give back part of the paid fees! I had to go to the office, where the issue was quickly resolved. Although I did not hope for a positive outcome, the carrier acknowledged the presence of a technical glitch, and the issued air ticket was reissued. Later I learned that such a case is not isolated, but decisions are always made in favor of the passenger.

Is it profitable to pay with Aeroflot miles?

If you are going to accumulate bonuses and buy tickets with them, consider the following rules:

• To benefit from Aeroflot offers, travel in business class. Paying from a bonus account for a trip in an expensive compartment is a good decision in any case, and especially on long-distance routes. You can travel from Yekaterinburg to Los Angeles for 55,000 prize units and $356. If you fly and pay with a bank card or cash, you can buy a travel document for $4,900. The benefit in such cases is obvious.
• The option of flying on transatlantic routes is good, but only those who travel for work will be able to accumulate the required number of incentive units. An ordinary person will not be able to collect several tens of thousands of bonuses to buy a seat on board an airplane. How to proceed? Pay attention to flights to Europe, as they will be cheaper, and the level of comfort in Business will not cause any complaints. To get from Yekaterinburg to Stockholm, you will need 15,000 prize units and $200.
• In some zones it is more profitable to buy tickets using the loyalty program. Aeroflot divided the map into sections and set different prices, so residents of Ufa or Yekaterinburg enjoy privileges compared to Chelyabinsk. To save money, look at the map and fly from a nearby city. You can also vary the place of arrival: buy a ticket not to Zurich, but to Munich, and get to the desired point by ground transport.
• As for fuel surcharges, they will be the least when departing from Moscow. But in any case, it’s not worth buying travel documents to an economy lounge, since additional payment in cash will make up the majority of the costs.

It is also worth keeping an eye on promotions, since Aeroflot periodically “throws away” tickets for certain destinations. If you regularly monitor offers, the likelihood of finding cheap options increases.

Passenger review: is it really possible to buy a ticket with miles?

I have been participating in the program for several years, and a couple of times I was able to buy a ticket with bonus points. But it’s not profitable to take Economy class, and it’s difficult to get into business class: there are only 2 such seats on board the aircraft. They may add a couple of premium options just before departure, but you also need to have tickets for the return date!

For this reason, I prefer to upgrade, but this pleasure is also controversial. First of all, it is not available in all cases, and you have to buy “Economy” at a rather expensive rate. Not every airport can improve the conditions, and they are also not allowed into the business lounge... although you don’t have to pay extra for it, and entry will be open to holders of Aeroflot status cards.

Additional nuances: what to consider when buying a ticket for premium units

To purchase a travel document, please consider the following:

• If you're planning a holiday trip, you won't be able to pay with miles. Seats on planes at this time are sold out a year in advance.
• Travelers hoping to fly with the family will find it difficult to find options for popular destinations. But those who prefer to fly on their own are unlikely to be able to get to Barcelona or Nice in the summer. As for winter, you will have to buy a ticket for money to the cities located near ski resorts.
• Pay attention to fuel surcharges from partner airlines, as they can be inflated.

Taking into account these nuances, you will cope with the task of buying inexpensive travel documents. There are also discount promotions from the air carrier, but they are valid only on unpopular flights. According to passenger reviews, you can follow the offers for a year, but not see suitable options. And if they do appear, then problems arise with dates: only those who are not tied to specific days and can easily reschedule their trip will be able to make a purchase using bonus accruals.

Who can really buy tickets with miles? Businessmen who fly 5-10 times a year in the appropriate cabin will be able to accumulate the required amount. In this case, you need to choose 1 carrier or at least use the services of partners from the alliance.

Is it worth buying tickets with Aeroflot miles in the CIS

If you go to travel forums, you will see advice from “experienced” people to buy seats on board planes flying to the CIS from Moscow using miles. The offers will indeed be cheap, but they are only available on unpopular routes. You can easily get on a flight to Tashkent or Samarkand, Baku or Vladivostok.

Should I buy a ticket to Europe with Aeroflot miles?

Do you want to travel to European capitals? To get to Vienna, Prague or Paris, you will have to pay 12,500 bonuses and pay an additional $60-100. The savings will be about $100 if you fly in a budget cabin. The option with a business compartment will be more profitable, because the full cost is $1,100, and the bonus is 20,000 miles and $120. The downside is that it is rarely possible to find more than 2 seats on board: if you are flying with a family of 3 people, you will have to monitor offers for a long time.

Is it worth buying a travel document with miles in the USA?

The most profitable way to travel long distances is to fly for bonuses from Moscow to New York, Bangkok or Hong Kong. While an impressive 55,000 premium units will be required, the savings will also be significant. If you have to pay an additional $242 for a flight to Hong Kong, then without the loyalty program the price of transportation will reach $1,600.

Conclusion

Knowing how to pay for Aeroflot tickets with miles, you will travel while saving money. True, the program is designed primarily for those who fly often and a lot, even without bonuses. The rest will need to accumulate at least 10,000 miles to purchase a ticket. To cope with the task, you need to constantly monitor offers, participate in affiliate programs and buy travel documents in advance.