Booking a flight using points or miles feels like you're getting to travel for free—until you get hit with fees applied on top of your award ticket. Sometimes, these surcharges end up costing you more than a ticket bought in cash, essentially rendering those miles useless.
Airline fuel surcharges (also called carrier-imposed fees) appear on regular tickets too, but they are included in the total advertised price and therefore don't come with sticker shock. Surcharges are different across airlines and loyalty programs, so before you book award travel, make sure you understand these fees and look for ways to avoid them so you can actually flying for free.
Know which airlines add fuel surcharges onto award tickets
Awareness is the first step to minimizing the shock of unexpected surcharges. According to The Points Guy, there are a handful of loyalty programs that may add or pass on carrier-imposed fees to some award tickets, including those booked on partner airlines:
Air France-KLM Flying Blue
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
ANA Mileage Club
American Airlines AAdvantage
British Airways Executive Club
Delta SkyMiles
Emirates Skywards
Japan Airlines JAL Mileage Bank
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
Not all award travel through these programs will carry a surcharge. For example, KrisFlyer tickets on Singapore Airlines itself are exempt, and American Airlines adds carrier-imposed fees only to flights booked on British Airways and Iberia. (British Airways is a major offender when it comes to fuel surcharges.) Delta-operated flights will carry hefty fees when booked through Virgin Atlantic Flying Club but will be mostly fee-free with Delta SkyMiles and Air France-KLM Flying Blue.
If you are redeeming rewards on JetBlue, Southwest, Spirit, United, Air Canada, or Avianca, you're in luck: these carriers do not add fuel surcharges to tickets booked with points or miles, either on their own flights or those operated by partners. Obviously, if you can book award travel on one of these airlines instead, you could save some cash.
Stay flexible with your itinerary
If you are willing to adjust the date, time, or even route for your travel, you may be able to minimize or eliminate fuel surcharges from your award fare. Since some airline partners within your rewards program may not pass on fees to travelers, you may find alternative options in or out of nearby airports, with different connections, or at other departure and arrival times.
Note that some airports in some countries levy taxes on departing international passengers, varying by flight length and fare class. The UK has an especially high tax—known as the Air Passenger Duty—on long-haul flights, so you may want to look for award tickets that originate in other parts of Europe when returning to the U.S. (Plus, many long-haul flights from London are on British Airways and Virgin Atlantic, both of which have reported hefty surcharges.)
Book with transferable points
If you have points or miles outside of an airline loyalty program, you may be able to transfer them to a carrier that doesn't have fuel surcharges. Examples include American Express Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Capital One, Chase Ultimate Rewards, and Citi ThankYou Rewards. Alternatively, you could find fee-free options for tickets booked directly through these programs' travel portals.
Book with a travel credit card
Some travel rewards cards offer benefits that can offset surcharges, if you can't avoid them on your chosen carrier and award itinerary. These benefits range from the $300 annual travel credit on the Chase Sapphire Reserve and up to $600 in reimbursement for taxes and fees on the British Airways Visa Signature to mileage redemption toward travel expenses on Capital One Venture cards.