What are airline miles?
Airline miles are a feature of some rewards credit cards. The more you spend on the card, the more airline miles you’ll collect.
It’s a great way for regular travellers to save money on flights or treat themselves to a few perks while travelling.
How do airline miles work with credit cards?
Every time you use an airline miles credit card, you’ll earn airline miles reward points. Some credit cards also offer an initial boost of points for new cardholders.
When you’re ready to redeem your points, you can select available flights from participating airlines. Your points will count towards the cost of your flights. Each point, for example, is the equivalent of travelling a certain distance on a flight.
If you have enough airline miles, you may even be able to cover the full cost of a flight.
It isn't just flights that airline miles can be used for. Many schemes also allow you to cash in your points for things like hotels, car hire, days out, or airport parking or lounge access.
How to collect airline miles with HSBC credit cards
Both the HSBC Premier Credit Card and the HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard offer customers the opportunity to collect reward points which can be exchanged for airline miles.
For every £1 of eligible spend on a reward credit card you may earn reward points. Check the rewards information for your credit card for full details.
HSBC Premier Credit Card and HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard are available to HSBC Premier customers only.
Before taking out a credit card, take the time to understand how credit cards work and how to avoid credit card charges. It’s also a good idea to pay your balance in full each month to reduce the amount of interest you pay.
Rewards credit cards
Discover our range of rewards cards, where you can earn points as you use them. Rewards Credit Card representative 29.9% APR (variable). Eligibility criteria apply. Credit subject to status.
How to claim airline miles
When you’ve collected enough airline miles points to spend, you can choose what you want to do with them. You may have the option to spend them on flights or upgrade an existing trip with airport lounge access.
HSBC customers can turn their Premier credit card points into airline miles simply via the mobile app under the ‘rewards and benefits’ section. You can choose your preferred airline partner, add your airline membership number, and enter the number of reward points you want to convert.
Which airlines can you use airline miles on?
Many airlines accept airline miles – but not all do.
Before taking out an airline miles credit card, check which airlines the card is partnered with, and that they operate in the destinations you’re thinking of flying to. The exact details of airline miles schemes can also change, so check before you book.
HSBC Premier Credit Card and Premier World Elite Mastercard customers can redeem their reward points with a range of airlines, British Airways, Emirates, Etihad, Qatar Airways, Air India and more. Terms and conditions apply.
Can airline miles be transferred?
The short answer is – it depends. Some airline miles schemes and airlines will allow you to transfer your points to another person, say your partner or child. For example, British Airways lets you ‘pool’ your airline miles with people on your ‘friends and family’ list so you can share the benefit.
Sometimes, you can transfer your airline miles to another person or a different airline. However, if you are allowed to do this under the terms of the scheme, you might need to pay a transfer fee, which can eat into any savings you would make by using the points.
Do airline miles expire?
HSBC Premier Credit Card points (HSBC Rewards) expire 3 years after the end of the month you earned them.
If you’re planning to close your credit card account, redeem any remaining points first.
If you convert your points to airline miles, the airline’s expiry rules will apply. Always check the airline’s terms before you transfer points.
This article was last updated:29/10/2026, 04:55
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