Knowledge Hub · Glossary
Fuel Surcharges (YQ/YR)
Fuel surcharges, shown on tickets as YQ or YR codes, are cash fees that some airlines tack onto award flights on top of the points. Despite the name, they no longer track fuel prices closely and function as a carrier-imposed charge. On certain programs and routes they can climb to hundreds of dollars per ticket.
What it means in practice
How much you pay depends heavily on which program you book through and which airline operates the flight, even for the same physical seat. Some programs pass these surcharges along in full, others reduce them, and a few do not charge them at all. Choosing the right program to redeem with is what keeps these fees down.
Example
The same long-haul flight might carry 400 dollars in fuel surcharges when booked through one program but close to zero through another. The points cost can be nearly identical, so the program you pick decides how much cash you hand over.
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