Instead of just looking at the award rates, travellers should also consider the fuel surcharges and other taxes/fees that come with an award flight booking.
When and why do you want to check the taxes/fees?
A traveller may want to check the taxes and fees of an award flight for a number of reasons, mainly to:
- Compare redemption options before converting credit card miles/points
- Avoid unexpected costs
- Check alternative routes/airports/airlines
Method 1: Use the FFP
Pros of this method
• Accurate (all applicable fees included)
Cons of this method
• Slower
• May require extra steps like logging in and 2FA
• May require adequate miles balance
The most accurate method to check the taxes/fees for an award flight is, obviously, through the frequent flyer program’s (FFP’s) booking page. This would include the total cost in miles and cash for your preferred flight, which includes all kinds of fees like:
- Fuel surcharge (YQ)
- Carrier-imposed surcharge (YR)
- Airport tax
- Partner booking fee (e.g. on Air Canada Aeroplan)
- Segment fee (e.g. on Qatar Privilege Club)
- Other miscellaneous charges
This method is most convenient for FFPs that don’t require you to log in and/or have sufficient miles in your account.
Let’s have a look at a couple of examples:
When trying to check the award availability of a flight using Aeroplan miles, a traveller can simply do so on aircanada.com, without needing to log in or have sufficient miles. Logging in is only required to check the taxes/fees.
Air Canada Aeroplan | Log in required? | Sufficient miles required? |
---|---|---|
Check Award Availability | ❌ | ❌ |
Check Taxes/Fees | ✅ | ❌ |
When trying to check the award availability and taxes/fees of a flight using KrisFlyer miles, a traveller can visit singaporeair.com and log in. Sufficient miles are not required.
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer | Log in required? | Sufficient miles required? |
---|---|---|
Check Award Availability | ✅ | ❌ |
Check Taxes/Fees | ✅ | ❌ |
Method 2: Use Matrix Airfare Search (ITA Matrix)
Pros of this method
• Faster
• No log in required
• Does not require adequate miles balance
• Great for planning a multi-airline itinerary (e.g. round the world)
Cons of this method
• Does not reflect FFP fees (if any)
• Does not work well on FFPs with no fuel surcharges
• Does not work well on flights departing certain countries with different tax rules for award flights (e.g. USA, India)
Matrix Airfare Search (also known as ITA Matrix) allows members to quickly check the taxes and fees of every flight.
In this example below, I am finding out the taxes and fees when flying EVA Air Business Class from Vienna to Singapore.
Step 1: Enter flight details
You only need to enter the 5 fields shared below. Remember to select One Way. The flight date does not matter, as taxes and fees usually remain the same all year.

Step 2: Click on the flight
Click the airline of choice, so that only relevant flights are shown. Then, click on the air fare of the flight that you are checking.

Step 3: Calculate total taxes and fees
Lastly, take the grand total fare (see red arrow) and deduct the base fare (see blue arrow).
S$3,716.20 – S$3,503.54 = S$212.66
In this case, the total taxes/fees is S$212.66, which is what you’d pay when making an award booking for this flight on EVA Air Infinity MileageLands, on top of 75k miles.

This matches the taxes/fees shown on EVA Air’s award booking page:


This method is great for EVA Air Infinity MileageLands, as it requires you to log in and have enough miles to check award availability and see the total taxes/fees.
EVA Air Infinity MileageLands | Log in required? | Sufficient miles required? |
---|---|---|
Check Award Availability | ✅ | ❌ (EVA Air flights) ✅ (non-EVA Air flights) |
Check Taxes/Fees | ✅ | ✅ |
However, this method will not give you a good estimation of taxes/fees on FFPs with special rules/fees like:
- Partner booking fee (e.g. C$39 on Aeroplan)
- Segment fees (e.g. Qatar-operated flights with Qatar Privilege Club)
- No fuel surcharges* (e.g. Qatar-operated flights with Qatar Privilege Club, Aeroplan, Alaska Mileage Plan, Lifemiles)
*Technically, you can simply take away the YQ portion in the ITA Matrix breakdown, but take note of other FFP fees, if any.
Related: Compare the best ways to redeem your miles and points