Where to Credit

Look up mileage earning rates for any airline and booking class across 50+ frequent flyer programs. Covers both redeemable miles (the ones you spend) and qualifying miles (the ones that count toward elite status).

Source: wheretocredit.com — No API key required. Data is scraped via webfetch.

URL Patterns

All data lives at predictable URLs on wheretocredit.com:

Airline booking class detail (PRIMARY)

https://www.wheretocredit.com/en/{IATA_CODE}/{BOOKING_CLASS}

Returns: cabin type, fare types, redeemable miles table, qualifying miles table.

Example: https://www.wheretocredit.com/en/AY/Z (Finnair class Z)

Airline overview (all classes)

https://www.wheretocredit.com/en/{IATA_CODE}

Returns: list of all booking classes with cabin, fare types, and top earning program for each.

Example: https://www.wheretocredit.com/en/AY (all Finnair classes)

Program overview (all partner airlines)

https://www.wheretocredit.com/en/programs/{PROGRAM_CODE}

Returns: list of all airlines that credit to this program.

Example: https://www.wheretocredit.com/en/programs/AA (AA AAdvantage partners)

Common IATA Codes

| Code | Airline | |------|---------| | AA | American Airlines | | AS | Alaska Airlines | | AF | Air France | | AY | Finnair | | BA | British Airways | | CX | Cathay Pacific | | DL | Delta | | EK | Emirates | | IB | Iberia | | JL | Japan Airlines | | KL | KLM | | LH | Lufthansa | | NH | ANA | | QF | Qantas | | QR | Qatar Airways | | SK | SAS | | SQ | Singapore Airlines | | TK | Turkish Airlines | | UA | United Airlines | | VS | Virgin Atlantic |

Common Program Codes

| Code | Program | |------|---------| | AA | American Airlines AAdvantage | | AS2 | Alaska/Hawaiian Atmos Rewards | | AFB | Flying Blue (Air France/KLM) | | BA2 | British Airways Club | | CX | Cathay Marco Polo / Asia Miles | | DL2 | Delta SkyMiles | | IB2 | Iberia Plus | | JL | Japan Airlines Mileage Bank | | LH | Miles & More | | QR | Qatar Privilege Club | | SK | SAS EuroBonus | | SQ | Singapore KrisFlyer | | UA | United MileagePlus | | VS | Virgin Atlantic Flying Club |

Reading the Results

Redeemable Miles Table

Shows the percentage of flown distance you earn as spendable miles.

| Column | Meaning | |--------|---------| | Base | Earning rate with no elite status | | Tier 1 | First elite tier bonus | | Tier 2 | Second elite tier bonus | | Tier 3 | Third elite tier bonus | | Tier 4 | Highest elite tier bonus | | Minimum | Floor (e.g., "500 Miles" means you earn at least 500 regardless of distance) | | Restriction | Limitations (e.g., "Countries Excluded: CU" = no earning on Cuba routes) |

Qualifying Miles Table

Shows the percentage of flown distance that counts toward elite status.

Same column structure. Often different rates from redeemable. Some programs earn 0% qualifying on discounted fares even when they earn redeemable miles.

Key distinction: A flight can earn redeemable miles but zero qualifying miles. Always check BOTH tables.

Tier Levels by Program

Programs use different names for their tiers. Map your status to the right tier column:

| Program | Base | Tier 1 | Tier 2 | Tier 3 | Tier 4 | |---------|------|--------|--------|--------|--------| | AA AAdvantage | Base | Gold | Platinum | Platinum Pro | Executive Platinum | | Alaska Atmos | Base | MVP | MVP Gold | MVP Gold 75K | MVP Gold 100K | | Delta SkyMiles | Base | Silver | Gold | Platinum | Diamond | | United MileagePlus | Base | Silver | Gold | Platinum | 1K | | Flying Blue | Base | Silver | Gold | Platinum | Ultimate | | BA Executive Club | Base | Bronze | Silver | Gold | Gold Guest List |

Traveler Profiles

Before using the decision algorithm, define each traveler's profile. You need:

• Which FF programs they have accounts in
• Their elite status tier in each program
• Which program is their "primary" (the one they're actively building status in)

Example profile:

Traveler: Alex
Programs: AA AAdvantage (Platinum, Tier 2), Alaska Atmos (Base), Flying Blue (Silver, Tier 1)
Primary: AA AAdvantage (retaining Platinum status)

Only recommend programs someone has an account in. Don't suggest crediting to Etihad Guest if nobody has one, unless the earning is dramatically better AND the program is useful for future redemptions.

Decision Algorithm

When a flight is booked, run this logic to determine where to credit:

Step 1: Gather inputs

• Operating airline IATA code (from ticket, NOT ticketing airline)
• Booking class letter (from ticket or fare details)
• Route distance in miles (estimate or look up)
• Which traveler(s) are on the ticket

Step 2: Fetch earning rates

• Fetch https://www.wheretocredit.com/en/{IATA}/{CLASS}
• Extract redeemable AND qualifying rates for all of that traveler's programs

Step 3: Calculate actual miles earned

For each reachable program, for each traveler:

raw_miles = route_distance × (base_rate + tier_bonus) / 100
actual_miles = max(raw_miles, minimum_floor)

If a program uses fare-price earning (e.g., "6 Miles/EUR"), calculate based on ticket price instead of distance.

Step 4: Apply decision rules

Rule 1: Short-haul floor advantage. On flights under ~1,500 miles, programs with a 500+ mile minimum floor (like Alaska) can earn MORE than programs offering a percentage of distance. Calculate both and compare. At Base tier, Alaska's 500 floor beats 25% earning on any flight under 2,000 miles. At higher tiers with bonus percentages, the crossover point drops.

Rule 2: Qualifying miles matter for status chasers. If a traveler is actively building or retaining elite status, qualifying miles matter. If a flight earns qualifying miles on their primary program but not on the higher-earning alternative, flag the tradeoff.

Rule 3: Highest redeemable wins (all else equal). If qualifying miles are a wash or irrelevant, credit to whichever program earns the most spendable miles.

Rule 4: Don't split for tiny differences. If two programs are within 50 miles of each other, default to the traveler's primary program for simplicity.

Step 5: Output the recommendation

Format:

✈️ {AIRLINE} {FLIGHT} ({CLASS}) · {ORIGIN}→{DEST} · ~{DISTANCE} mi

{Traveler} → Credit to {PROGRAM}: {MILES} redeemable miles ({QUALIFYING} qualifying)
  Why: {one sentence reason}

Worked example (Finnair AY806, class Z, BGO→ARN, ~770 mi)

Traveler A: AA Platinum (Tier 2), Alaska Base Traveler B: Alaska Base only

✈️ Finnair AY806 (Z) · BGO→ARN · ~770 mi

Traveler A → Credit to AA AAdvantage: ~308 redeemable (770 × 40%), ~193 qualifying (770 × 25%)
  Why: Tier 2 bonus pushes AA past Alaska's 500 floor. Qualifying miles help retain status.

Traveler B → Credit to Alaska Atmos: 500 redeemable (floor), 0 qualifying
  Why: 500 mile floor beats 25% of 770 (= 193). Only program available.

Reference Workflows

"What does class X earn on airline Y?"

1. Fetch https://www.wheretocredit.com/en/{IATA}/{CLASS}
2. Read both redeemable and qualifying tables
3. Note cabin type and fare types listed at the top

"Which airlines credit to program X?"

1. Fetch https://www.wheretocredit.com/en/programs/{CODE}
2. Lists all partner airlines with links to their booking class charts

Fare Type Mapping

Booking classes map to fare brands, but every airline names them differently. The wheretocredit page header shows which fare types apply for that airline.

Common patterns (names vary by carrier):

• Full flex / Refundable = fully flexible, changeable, refundable
• Standard / Classic = some flexibility, partial refund
• Basic / Light / Saver = restricted, limited changes
• Ultra-basic / Superlight = cheapest, most restrictions, often no checked bag

Examples: Finnair uses Superlight/Classic/Flex. SAS uses SAS Go Light/Go/Plus/Business. Norwegian uses LowFare/LowFare+/Flex. United uses Basic Economy/Economy/Economy Flex. Always check the specific airline's fare page for exact names.

The same booking class letter can map to different fare types on different airlines.

Important Notes

• The calculator page requires JavaScript and won't work via webfetch
• Data is maintained by Travel-Dealz.com (took over from original WTC team)
• Some programs earn based on fare price (e.g., Finnair Plus: "6 Miles/EUR") rather than distance percentage
• Always check the "Restriction" column for country exclusions or other limitations
• Earning rates change. When in doubt, verify against the airline's own partner earning page

When to Use

Load this skill when:

• Booking a flight and deciding which FF program to credit it to
• Comparing earning rates across programs for a specific airline/class
• Checking if a discounted fare earns qualifying miles
• Need to know tier bonus rates for elite status holders
• Any "where to credit" or "how many miles will I earn" question

Do not:

• Assume the calculator works via webfetch (it needs JS)
• Confuse redeemable miles with qualifying miles. Always specify which.
• Forget that operating carrier matters, not ticketing carrier