One of the biggest differences between experienced award travelers and those who are new to points and miles is how they search for award space.
Seasoned travelers know to study partner award charts, strategically transfer flexible credit card points and miles and look out for sweet spot deals. Those more green to travel rewards may just log into their airline loyalty program of choice, search their destination and book the first option, regardless of value, not knowing that they could be paying more than they need to for their flight.
While anyone can earn a significant number of points and miles through generous welcome bonuses, using the right partner program can reduce redemption costs. With dynamic pricing now common and one-way business-class flights to Europe often over 300,000 miles, maximizing rewards value is crucial.
So, whether you’re a beginner or a points and miles expert, we’ve saved you time by finding some of the best airline loyalty program sweet spot redemptions.
Virgin Atlantic Saver fares to London with Virgin Atlantic Flying Club points
- Economy: 6,000 Virgin points
- Premium economy: 10,500 Virgin points
- Upper Class: 29,000 Virgin points
This is a full-service experience, where even a 6,000-point economy redemption includes perks like checked baggage, standard seat selection, food, beverages and inflight entertainment. You can use Virgin’s reward seat checker to easily find the cheapest Saver seats.
Do be aware that taxes, fees and surcharges are payable, and the Air Passenger Duty is payable on all redemptions departing the U.K.
Earning Virgin Atlantic Flying Club points
Virgin points are among the easiest to earn. You can transfer points and miles at a 1:1 rate (unless otherwise indicated) to Virgin’s Flying Club program from:
Reward your inbox with the TPG Daily newsletter
Join over 700,000 readers for breaking news, in-depth guides and exclusive deals from TPG’s experts
Note that Bilt Rewards Points and Capital One miles transfer to Virgin Red, not directly to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club. However, you can easily use your Virgin Red points with Flying Club by linking your accounts, where the combined Virgin points balance will show in both.
There are also regular transfer bonuses to Flying Club that could drop the award cost of your flight even further.
Related: How I booked lie-flat business-class seats to London for just 21,000 points
Iberia business class to Spain with Avios
Iberia Club can offer one of the most affordable ways to fly to Europe in business class.
The key to this sweet spot is to fly a nonstop, Iberia-operated flight of 3,001 to 4,000 miles, which includes the following routes to Spain’s Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport (MAD):
- Boston Logan International Airport (BOS)
- John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York City
- Dulles International Airport (IAD) near Washington, D.C.
- Luis Muñoz MarÃn International Airport (SJU) in San Juan, Puerto Rico
Where availability exists, you’ll pay just 40,500 Iberia Club Avios on off-peak dates and 59,000 Avios on peak dates, one-way per person in business class.
Related: A review of Iberia’s business-class suite on the Airbus A350-900 from Madrid to Mexico City
Earning Avios
Avios is one of the easiest currencies to earn. At least one Avios program partners with all major transferable currencies, and you can easily transfer Avios between any Avios program at a 1:1 rate with the improved transfer tool.
Related: 5 versions of Avios: When to use Aer Lingus, British Airways, Finnair, Iberia and Qatar Airways
Qatar Airways Qsuite business class to the Middle East with Avios
Qatar Airways has won numerous awards for its innovative Qsuite business-class product, regarded as one of the world’s best business-class experiences.
Qatar Airways Privilege Club charges just 70,000 Avios for a saver award seat in business class from the U.S. to Qatar (the more readily available flexible awards are charged at twice the number of Avios). This includes ultra-long-haul flights from the West Coast, where you can enjoy up to 15 hours of luxury in Qatar Airways’ premium product.
On a per-hour basis, for the level of comfort you will receive, this is one of the absolute best ways to redeem your points and miles.
You can use the time-saving Seats.aero tool to quickly find availability between U.S. airports and Hamad International Airport (DOH) in Doha.
However, we always recommend confirming availability with the airline before transferring your rewards.
Earning Avios
As mentioned above, there are several Avios-earning programs. Though you cannot directly transfer Chase points or Wells Fargo Rewards points to Qatar Airways Privilege Club, you can transfer your points to another program that uses Avios as its rewards currency. After doing that, you can then use the tool to transfer your Avios into your Qatar Airways account.
Air France-KLM Flying Blue Promo Rewards
Few redemption discounts are as reliable as Air France-KLM Flying Blue’s monthly Promo Rewards. This deal offers up to a 25% discount on standard-level award redemptions on select routes.
Since Flying Blue adopted dynamic pricing, this monthly offer is an excellent way to save on award travel.
Each month, the destinations, discounts and classes change, so keep an eye out for what is currently available. For the month of November, we’ve seen the following deals:
- 45,000 miles in business class from IAD to Europe
- 30,000 miles in premium economy class from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) to Europe
- 18,750 miles in economy from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD) to Europe
All discounts are only bookable through the end of the month, and a set travel window applies.
Earning Air France-KLM Flying Blue miles
Boosting your Flying Blue balance is easy since the program partners with all major transferable points and miles currencies.
You can transfer points at a 1:1 ratio from American Express Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Capital One, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards and Wells Fargo Rewards.
You can also transfer Marriott points at a 3:1 ratio, with a 5,000-mile bonus for every 60,000 points you transfer.
Related: Is KLM premium economy worth it on the 787 Dreamliner?
Japan Airlines’ first and business class to Japan with American Airlines AAdvantage miles
American Airlines-operated flights to Japan are priced dynamically, with prices (at the time of publication) starting at 98,000 American Airlines AAdvantage miles one-way in business class. American does not operate a first-class cabin to Japan.
However, you can get an even better rewards deal by booking a Japan Airlines-operated flight to Japan with your AAdvantage miles. Thanks to the AAdvantage program’s generous partner award chart, you can book a Japan Airlines business-class flight for just 60,000 miles or 80,000 miles in first class.
Though availability can be difficult to find, the AAdvantage website allows you to search by month. If possible, aim to book a flight operated by the new Japan Airlines Airbus A350 aircraft.
Related: Huge suites and phenomenal amenities: A review of Japan Airlines’ new Airbus A350 first class
Earning American Airlines AAdvantage miles
The only transferable rewards currencies that transfer to AAdvantage are Citi ThankYou Rewards points, which, at most, transfer at a 1:1 ratio (depending on the credit card), and Marriott Bonvoy points, which transfer at a 3:1 ratio.
Unfortunately, transfers from Marriott to American do not qualify for the 5,000-mile bonus for every 60,000 points you transfer.
You can also earn miles on everyday purchases with an American Airlines cobranded credit card.
Short-haul flights on American Airlines with Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards points
After transitioning from Mileage Plan to Atmos Rewards, Alaska Airlines still maintains its partner award charts. Therefore, you can snag award deals on other Oneworld partners, such as American Airlines, at a great price.
According to the Atmos Rewards partner award chart, one-way economy flights start at the following prices:
- 700 miles in length: 4,500 points
- 701 to 1,400 miles in length: 7,500 points
- 1,401 to 2,100 miles in length: 12,500 points
- 2,101 to 4,000 miles in length: 17,500 points for flights (which covers the longest mainland domestic flights)
Earning Atmos Rewards points
The Atmos Rewards program issues three cobranded credit cards that earn Atmos Rewards points. Note that Hawaiian Airlines credit cards (which earn Atmos Rewards points) are no longer open to new applicants.
Atmos Rewards is a 1:1 transfer partner with Bilt Rewards.
Domestic flights to Hawaii via Turkish Airlines’ Miles&Smiles
United Airlines’ dynamic pricing means you won’t find a set price for flights booked via the United MileagePlus program. However, when there is saver-level inventory, Turkish Airlines’ Miles&Smiles becomes one of the best options available to book United-operated domestic flights with points and miles.
Turkish requires just 10,000 miles each way in economy class between the continental U.S. and Hawaii, a terrific deal, especially since United’s own program charges a lot more for the same flight.
The key to this sweet spot is finding saver-level inventory. You can search for these fares on united.com, though note that award tickets in any fare class other than X for economy and I for business class are not bookable through partner programs.
Earning Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles miles
Miles&Smiles partners with a trio of programs: Capital One, Citi ThankYou Rewards and Bilt Rewards. You can transfer rewards from any of these programs at a 1:1 ratio, and our tests indicate that transfers should process instantly.
Bottom line
When it comes to making award reservations, sometimes, you need certain stars to align. A little bit of flexibility is required to make the process run smoothly, and that might mean changing the dates of your trip a bit or opting for a destination with more plentiful award space.
If these three things fall into place, you’ll have a solid award flight.
However, there’s a fourth element to the equation: value. If you can score one of the above sweet spots, you’re guaranteed to get incredible value from your next redemption.
