Glossary
Sure, let's define a few commonly used terms in the world of points and miles.
Let us know if there are other terms you want to learn more about. We're here to help!
Airline Alliance:
A global partnership network of airlines. The major airline alliances are Star Alliance, oneworld, and SkyTeam. Typically the loyalty programs of all airlines within an alliance have the ability to book reward flights on flights operated by other members of the alliance. For example, United Airlines is a member of the Star Alliance. Therefore, United Airlines Mileage Club members can redeem their points on other Star Alliance operating carriers such as Lufthansa, Asiana, Turkish Airlines, and Ethiopian Airlines.
Airline Program / Ticketing Carrier:
An airline-affiliated loyalty program that allows members to earn points and miles and redeem them for reward flights. Typically these programs allow members to redeem for travel on flights operated by the affiliated airline or any of their airline partners. Examples of airline loyalty programs include United MileagePlus, American Airlines AAdvantage, and British Airways Executive Club. See Our Services page for a full list of the airline loyalty programs we support on point.me.
Concierge:
One of our experienced booking experts with an extensive background in redeeming points and miles for great flights. They are available anytime to assist you with booking a reward flight.
Confirmation Code:
This is usually a 6-digit alphanumeric identifier that is typically issued when a flight itinerary has been put on hold or ticketed. A 'Confirmation Code' can sometimes also be referred to as the "PNR" (Passenger Name Record) or "record locator". You will need your confirmation code to manage a booking, select seats, or request special services. In some cases you may need to contact your airline booking program to request the partner confirmation code that can be used to manage the booking.
Credit Card Rewards:
Points issued by a bank in exchange for spending on a credit card. Typically credit card rewards are highly valuable because they can be transferred to multiple airline loyalty programs. Examples of credit card rewards include American Express Membership Reward, Chase Ultimate Rewards, and Citi ThankYou. See Our Services page for a full list of the credit card reward programs we support on point.me
Elite Status:
Typically airlines offer elite status to members who spend a certain amount of money and fly a minimum number of miles or segments with them. Elite status can come with a variety of perks including, upgrades, lounge access, priority boarding and check in, and access to dedicated customer support agents. Examples of elite status designations include 'Delta Diamond Medallion' and 'American Airlines Executive Platinum.' A point.me concierge can offer guidance on how to achieve or maintain elite status.
Layover:
Typically a layover is defined as a flight connection of less than 24 hours.
Mileage Run:
The practice of booking an inexpensive flight for the purpose of earning elite qualifying miles that help you reach or keep elite status with an airline. A point.me concierge can assist with identifying mileage run opportunities to earn or maintain elite status.
Mixed Cabin:
A mixed-cabin itinerary is one that features at least one segment in economy class and another segment in a premium cabin (e.g. business or first). For instance, you may see a short domestic flight in economy class that connects to a longer transatlantic flight in business class. The point.me self-service tool always clearly labels mixed cabin itineraries and provides the approximate percentage of total travel time that is in the premium cabin.
Operating Carriers:
Refers to the airline company that will operate a specific flight. This is what it says on the outside of the plane! In some cases, you might book with a loyalty program or Ticketing carrier that is affiliated with an airline other than the Operating carrier. For example, you might use United MileagePlus as the Ticketing carrier to book a flight where Lufthansa is the Operating carrier. You will typically interact with an Operating carrier to select seats and to check in at the airport.
Points Transfer:
Typically a points transfer is an exchange of credit card reward points for those of an airline loyalty program. For example, American Express Membership Reward points can be transferred to programs such as Singapore Air KrisFlyer and Delta SkyMiles at a 1:1 ratio of 1:1 ( e.g. 10,000 American Express Membership Rewards can be exchanged for 10,000 Delta SkyMiles). Once a transfer has been initiated, it cannot be reversed.
Reward Availability:
Indicates if a reward flight is available on a given flight or a given route. Airlines release a limited number of seats as reward flights and they can be sold out quickly. In some cases, there may be limited or zero reward availability for very popular routes or dates of travel. For instance, reward availability is typically very limited during the summer months on routes between North America and Europe.
Reward Flight:
A flight that is available to be booked with points. Airlines only open up a limited number of seats on any given route to be booked as a reward flight. Additionally, most booking programs will charge some additional taxes and fees to be paid with money in addition to the points required to book.
Reward Hold:
A feature offered by some airline programs that allows you to hold a reward flight for a limited period of time before ticketing. A reward hold can be useful to guarantee the reward flight availability while waiting for a points transfer to complete. The point.me booking instructions will indicate when a reward hold is possible.
Round-the-World (RTW):
Typically a flight itinerary that circumnavigates the globe with crossings over both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. These can sometimes be specialized 'RTW' tickets or they can be constructed as a series of one-ways. We recommend working with one of our RTW expert Concierges to book these complex multi-stop itineraries.
'Saver' Availability:
‘Saver availability’ is a generic term for reward flights that an airline program makes available to partner airline programs for booking. Typically ‘Saver’ availability is the lowest priced option available. The concept of Saver Availability is important because many airline programs only release saver availability to partners and offer more, typically higher-priced, availability to their own members. For example, Singapore KrisFlyer might release 2 seats as ‘Saver’ availability for a specific flight that can be booked by partners such as United MileagePlus and Air Canada Aeroplan. Singapore Air KrisFlyer members may see additional options to book seats on the same flight. That’s why you’ll sometimes see flights on point.me that can only be booked directly with the airline program affiliated with the operating carrier. Note that many airline programs have a other names for ‘Saver availability' (e.g. Emirates offers ‘Classic Rewards’ and Singapore Airlines refers to it as ‘ Saver’).
Let us know if there are other terms you want to learn more about. We're here to help!