Changing the term "miles" to "points" would eliminate some types of confusion, but introduce others because several airline programs already use the term miles and the term points for different purposes. British Airways and Virgin Atlantic award miles for distance flown and partner patronage, but they award tier points to track elite status. Miles are redeemable, tier points are not.

This is somewhat easier to grasp than the typical USA based airline program which distinquishes between "redeemable miles" and "elite qualifying miles". American Airlines tracks elite status simultaneously on three systems: elite qualifying miles, segments flown, and points which reward higher fare classes.

Could programs benefit from simplification? Yes. Is changing the term "miles" to "points" the key? No.