Best mileage program asia

Redeem points from each internal and external flight within the SkyTeam alliance to begin earning flights, upgrades, and various rewards.

Just like in China, the best way to get an instant infusion of up to 60, bonus miles is to sign up for the Delta Skymiles credit card from American Express. The alliance has affordable flights to and from this international hotspot. Maintain Silver or Gold member statuses through frequently flying Asia to enjoy the lounge, flight, and other benefits throughout each trip.

Thailand has become a major hotspot for travelers, businessmen and retirees all over the globe and is a perfect place to take advantage of the best frequent flyer programs for Thailand. Jumping aboard a United Airlines flight will again give you access to the distinguished Star Alliance; a partnership of top commercial aviators throughout the world, including Thai Airways. Once inside the country, an option of destinations enables one to avoid the long bus or train rides often associated with domestic Thai travel.

Additional frequent flyer service to another countries allows quick connections throughout the world. Utilizing the best frequent flier program in Asia can be a huge help while traveling this complex and diverse continent. Airlines alliances help combine the efforts of companies by sharing flights and codes. Related: How I booked a round-the-world ticket in business class for , miles.

You can also use your Asia Miles to upgrade paid Cathay Pacific flights and take a companion with you on your journey. The upgrade award chart is also split up by distance and priced based on a one-way upgrade. There are a couple of restrictions to keep in mind with upgrade awards. The second is that only certain fare classes are upgradeable for upgrades:. Companion rewards are another interesting touch to the Asia Miles program. While this may look like an excellent deal on paper, you can only use these awards when your paid ticket is in certain fare classes.

These fare classes are generally the most expensive, so always do a cost-comparison to see if a Companion Ticket is a good deal for your travel plans. Related: A guide to airline credit card companion tickets. Of course, you can also choose to use your Asia Miles for merchandise, hotel stays and other non-air travel redemptions. That said, this is rarely a good idea. For example, you can redeem 69, Asia Miles for a Fitbit Sense smartwatch.

My advice is to skip these redemptions if you can. Frankly, they provide a poor value, especially if you travel often and can use your Asia Miles for flights later down the road. So, what are the best ways to use your Asia Miles? Sure, it costs a pretty big chunk of miles to book a round-trip business or first class trip from the U. This equals a huge 7. As discussed earlier, the Oneworld Multi-Carrier award chart can be extremely valuable for booking round-the-world tickets on Oneworld carriers.

You can use these awards to book a ticket with five stopovers, but be sure to refer to the redemption section for more information. These tickets can span multiple regions so long as your ticket is 50, miles or less. Asia Miles charges lower fuel surcharges than other Oneworld partners on British Airways award tickets — even in premium cabins. You may slightly pay more miles than when booking with other carriers, but the savings may be enough to warrant the extra points cost.

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Sign-up Successful! JAL awards are bookable directly on the Alaska website. When you mix a free stopover with low taxes and a world-class product, this sweet spot makes it worthwhile to collect Alaska miles.

Alaska also regularly sells miles at an attractive discount , which can be another way to top up your balance quickly. Booking a Lufthansa first-class award is a badge of honor in the award travel community, as it requires you to jump through several hurdles.

Second, picking which loyalty program to book with is a headache in its own right. Some like ANA Mileage Club offer low mileage rates but pass on sky-high fuel surcharges , while others Avianca LifeMiles offer slightly higher mileage rates but no surcharges. Asiana Club is often overlooked because of how hard it is to earn these miles.

However, that would be a mistake. Take a look at this round-trip Star Alliance partner award chart:. Other programs charge more than that for business class , making this a phenomenal redemption. You can also book one-way awards for half the price, which can be especially valuable given how Lufthansa releases award inventory. That puts a one-way first-class ticket from the U.

Asiana miles are challenging to earn. Your best option other than crediting Star Alliance flights to Asiana Club is to transfer points from Marriott. Related: 6 tips for booking Lufthansa first class awards. Flights from the West Coast to Hawaii that cover less than 3, miles in distance can be booked for only 13, Avios each way in economy.

Even during peak season, you should be able to find a decent amount of saver economy space, and the British Airways website will often show you exactly how many award seats are left on a given flight. Related: The best ways to get to Hawaii using points and miles. For Korean Air flights, 80, miles will get you a one-way first-class award from the U. Korean Air also offers a generous award chart for SkyTeam partner flights , particularly to Europe and the Middle East.

While not disastrous, premium tickets, in particular, require far more miles than they used to. Still, you can book business class seats from the U. Phenomenal redemption opportunities on Delta specifically, as well as the best customer service in the industry, set this U.

The airline fields its own credit card in the U. Advantages: Virgin Atlantic posts different award charts for its various partners, but nearly all feature favorable rates. To compare, Delta now charges prices of up to , miles each way for tickets in its fancy Delta One Suites between the U.

By contrast, Virgin Atlantic charges just 50, miles between the U. Even better? Members can put award tickets on hold for 24 to 72 hours depending on the airline partner, which gives you enough time to hold a ticket before transferring points from your credit card account to book it.

Solid partnerships and a decent award chart might have you looking north for your new mileage program. Folks with Amex Membership Rewards points can also transfer them to Aeroplan. Advantages: Earning Elite 50K status by flying 50, elite-qualifying miles or 50 elite-qualifying segments per year confers Star Alliance Gold status.