Souqalmal.com launches new Air Miles Calculator

A total of 38 million passengers departed from UAE airports in the first four months of 2015, 17 percent higher than the numbers recorded last year. Whether you frequently travel abroad for work, love to explore new destinations, or if you’re part of the over 80 percent expat population of the UAE who plan their trip back home with meticulous detail – air mile credit cards are for you.

Credit cards that reward you for your everyday purchases with air miles are a smart choice for anyone who travels. Instead of shelling out the extra cash, you can simply redeem these miles for flight tickets or upgrades.

But this leaves one with a few important questions – How many miles can you earn based on your credit card spend? How would you estimate the number of flight tickets these miles can get you? How can you accurately compare various mile-earning credit cards?

To address these questions, Souqalmal.com has launched its Air Miles Calculator, which will not only simplify the spend-to-flights conversion but also enable you to compare miles credit cards and choose the one that offers the best deal.

The unique calculator, which is the first of its kind in the UAE, helps you calculate the number of flights you can get to some of the most popular destinations around the world, based on how much you spend on your credit card.

How does the Air Miles Calculator work?

All you have to do is enter your estimated monthly credit card spend, both local and international, and the calculator does the rest. Here’s how the calculator works:

Converting your credit card spend to miles

With an air miles credit card, whether you’re using your credit card to buy groceries, new furniture or pay for your purchases overseas, you continue to accumulate miles. For example, with XYZ credit card you earn 0.5 miles on every AED 1 spent locally and 0.8 miles on every AED 1 spent internationally. We help convert that spend into miles for you.

Converting your annual air miles to number of flights

So you’ve accumulated enough miles, time to reap the rewards. Why pay cash when booking flights when you can pay with your miles? Based on your yearly air miles, the final results will show how many return economy flights you can get on average to some of the most popular expat destinations like London, Mumbai, Beirut and New York. According to a study by Expedia.com, these cities feature amongst the top 20 most-visited destinations amongst UAE residents.

The cost of a flight in terms of miles may vary depending on the miles program, destination or dates. Regular updates by Souqalmal.com will ensure that you get up-to-date results.

Compare multiple air mile credit cards

You can compare these results across a broad range of miles-linked credit cards available in the UAE. The results can also be filtered based on your monthly salary and nationality, to show the credit cards that you are eligible to apply for. Once you’ve shortlisted a credit card you can read more about it or apply for it on Souqalmal.com.

Who can use this calculator?

The Air Miles Calculator is a useful tool not just for potential credit card applicants but for existing cardholders as well. If you’re a looking to apply for a credit card which gives you the best deal on air miles, you can compare a range of options, all in one place. If you already have a credit card that earns you air miles, you can do a quick check on how many flights your average credit card spend can get you. You can also compare the results with other cards in the market.