HomeHK · Miles journal
Everyday spending. Your next journey.
Explore cards, compare rewards and learn to redeem flights. Start with a clear plan.
How many miles in a year?
Change the example figures to your own. Excludes caps, bonuses and fees; calculated only on this page.
Compare using these figuresUNDERSTAND BEFORE YOU CALCULATE
Six essentials for earning miles
Start with everyday spending. Understanding reward units, earning rules and redemption costs helps you choose a plan for your own trip.
Bank points and airline miles
Bank reward units require a programme-specific conversion into airline miles; some cards credit airline miles directly. Check your card, reward units and eligible partners, as rules can differ between cards.
HK$ per mile
This is the eligible spend needed to earn one mile. At HK$5 per mile, HK$1,000 earns 200 miles. It measures earning efficiency, rather than the cash value of a mile.
Eligible transactions
Total spend may differ from eligible spend. Check the treatment of online purchases, foreign currency, wallets, bill payments, refunds and instalments, plus merchant categories, posting dates and registration.
Caps and base rewards
A cap may apply to spend, bonus rewards or all rewards. Some cards still earn base rewards after the bonus cap is reached. Do not assume all spending above a cap earns zero miles.
Award seats and cash fares
A cash seat does not guarantee an award seat. Check dates, cabin, every flight and the number of travellers. A sufficient miles balance does not guarantee immediate ticketing.
Expiry and transfer timing
Bank rewards and airline miles have their own expiry rules. Transfers may take time. Before requesting one, check posting time, account names, minimum blocks and reversibility, and allow time for ticketing.
HYPOTHETICAL EXAMPLE · NOT A CARD OFFER
Same HK$10,000 spend. What does a cap change?
Assume monthly spending of HK$10,000 at HK$5 per mile, a starting balance of 6,000 and a target of 30,000. There are no welcome rewards, extra bonuses or fees, and spending stays constant.
| Measure | HK$8,000 cap | No cap |
|---|---|---|
| Eligible monthly spend | HK$8,000 | HK$10,000 |
| Miles earned each month | 1,600 | 2,000 |
| Miles earned in a year | 19,200 | 24,000 |
| Balance after one year | 25,200 | 30,000 |
| Time to reach the target | 15 months | 12 months |
In this example, HK$2,000 each month earns no miles under the cap. You earn 4,800 fewer miles in a year and reach the target 3 months later.
This example caps all earning at the eligible-spend limit. If your card caps only bonus rewards and still earns base miles above it, calculate those separately. Actual posting and rounding follow the card’s terms.
From choosing a card to booking: three checks
Start with your normal spending
List the amount and categories you actually spend each month, then exclude ineligible transactions. Compare annual fees, foreign-currency fees and welcome-spend requirements without adding unnecessary purchases.
Check availability before transferring
Check award availability, required miles and cash charges on the airline’s official site, then verify the transfer ratio, minimum block and posting time. Availability can change while a transfer is pending; a search result does not reserve a seat.
Check the full cost before ticketing
Compare a cash fare for the same dates, route and cabin. Include taxes, surcharges, transfer fees and change or refund rules. Check companions, baggage and insurance separately, and retain the terms and confirmation emails.
Reference pages checked on 2 October 2026. Terms can change; recheck official information before applying, transferring or booking.
Featured · Card essentials
Miles or cashback? Start with how you spend.
Start with your normal spending, account for eligible purchases, caps and transfer costs, then compare first-year bonuses separately from ongoing rewards.
THE READING LIST
Miles & card guides
10 guides found
Cards & cashback · 6 min read
Compare card rewards without hiding fees inside miles
Start with your normal spending, account for eligible purchases, caps and transfer costs, then compare first-year bonuses separately from ongoing rewards.
Points & miles · 6 min read
Six rules to check before transferring points
Confirm your redemption goal, check six transfer rules, then use your actual shortfall, transfer blocks and crediting time to decide how much to move.
Flight awards · 7 min read
Multi-segment award estimates: inspect every segment
List every segment, establish whether pricing applies per segment, direction or whole itinerary, and check seats, connections and cash charges together.
Travel protection · 6 min read
Keep insurance cover separate from promotional rewards
Check suitability and ongoing affordability first, then inspect miles or discount conditions and verify the application channel and policy documents.
Points & miles · 6 min read
Your first miles plan: choose a trip and understand bank points
Start with everyday spending and one travel goal. Understand bank points, airline miles, and cashback, then build a monthly plan you can follow.
Cards & cashback · 6 min read
Calculate your real HK$ per mile after reward caps
Work through HK$18,000 of hypothetical spending to combine bonus rates, base rewards, caps, and conversion ratios into your actual average earning rate.
Cards & cashback · 6 min read
Plan a welcome bonus with deadlines, net spending, and repayments
Break an offer into eligibility, start date, eligible net spending, and crediting time. Test it against planned purchases before applying.
Flight awards · 6 min read
Miles or a cash ticket? Value the fare you would actually buy
Subtract award cash charges and relevant extra costs before calculating cash saved per mile. A HK$3,600 hypothetical fare shows how to make the comparison useful.
Flight awards · 6 min read
A practical award-seat search: dates, passengers, and backup routes
Set your essential travel conditions, then expand dates and routes in an official search. Build a usable shortlist before moving points.
Points & miles · 6 min read
Manage miles expiry and transfer timing with posting dates
Track bank points, airline miles, and bonus miles separately. Check when qualifying activity posts and build reminders before the deadline.
CARDS & REWARDS
Credit cards & cashback
Compare spending categories, reward caps and annual fees to find a suitable reward type.
Loading card information…
PARTNER LINK · TRIP.COM
Start looking for your next flight and stay.
Explore flights, hotels and other travel booking options on Trip.com.
HomeHK may receive a commission on eligible bookings through this partner link. Trip.com handles bookings, payments and support.
MAKE A PLAN
Your miles-earning plan
BEFORE YOU START
A few miles questions, answered
What should I enter for HK$ per mile?
Use the HK dollar amount per mile in your bank’s official terms for the relevant spending category. Quick-calculator figures are examples. Add reward caps and extra miles in the plan comparison.
Open the plan comparisonDoes reaching my target guarantee a flight?
Target progress uses the miles you enter. For a redemption, check routes, cabin, award-seat availability, taxes and surcharges against the airline’s current official information.
Open the flight-award estimatorHow can I compare miles with cashback?
Compare rewards using the same spend, then check annual fees, caps and eligible transactions separately. Miles value depends on your redemption. Read the guide, then use your own valuation in the comparison tool.
Read the rewards comparison guideHow do I turn a points earning rate into HK$ per mile?
Divide points required for one mile by points earned per HK dollar. If HK$1 earns 2 points and 10 points convert to one mile, the result is HK$5 per mile. Account separately for transfer fees, minimum blocks and caps.
Use the points converter and plan comparisonWhat is easy to overlook before a transfer?
Check matching account names, minimum conversion blocks, fees and posting time. Some confirmed transfers cannot be reversed, and a pending request is not a usable miles balance. Check availability and expiry before choosing the amount.
View the full transfer checklistDoes an award ticket require no cash payment?
Taxes and charges usually remain, with possible carrier surcharges, transfer fees and change or refund fees. To estimate value, subtract redemption cash charges from a comparable fare you would actually buy, then divide by miles used. Avoid valuing miles against a fare you would never pay.
Read the miles valuation example