Turkish Airways’ Miles&Smiles frequent flyer program is extremely helpful, and sometimes flies beneath the radar. If it’s a program you’re not conversant in, it’s in all probability value having a look.
Why you must care about Turkish Airways’ loyalty program
Why must you care in regards to the Turkish Airways Miles&Smiles program? There are a number of causes:
- It’s simple to earn Turkish Airways Miles&Smiles miles with some main transferable factors currencies
- Miles&Smiles saver degree award pricing for journey on Turkish Airways is phenomenal, among the many most cost-effective of any program
- For conditions the place Turkish Airways doesn’t have saver award area, Miles&Smiles has surprisingly enticing award charges that supply final seat availability
- Turkish Airways has an exceptional enterprise class product (amongst my favourite on the planet), and the airline flies to extra international locations than every other airline on the planet
- Miles&Smiles has some distinctive award alternatives on Star Alliance companions, together with some nice award pricing for home United Airways flights (although I’m not fairly as obsessed with this redemption possibility as others)
The best way to earn Turkish Airways miles
Turkish Airways companions with two transferable factors currencies, giving these with bank cards easy accessibility to those miles:
The perfect makes use of of Turkish Airways miles
I wished to spotlight the Turkish Airways Miles&Smiles redemptions that I contemplate to be notably profitable. To begin, you will discover Turkish Airways’ award tables on this web page. Let’s speak extra in regards to the following:
- Turkish Airways’ saver degree award prices — these are a spectacularly good worth, if you will discover availability
- Turkish Airways’ normal degree award prices — these are surprisingly attractively priced, provided that they provide final seat availability
- Turkish Airways’ Star Alliance accomplice award prices — redeeming on Star Alliance companions is usually a nice deal, however reserving is usually a little bit of a ache
Redeem miles on Turkish Airways at saver degree
The worth of redeeming Miles&Smiles miles on Turkish Airways is unbelievable, and among the many greatest values of any program. Listed below are Turkish Airways’ one-way enterprise class award redemption prices for journey originating in the US (Turkish Airways calls these “promotional rewards”):
- Fly from the US to Europe for 45,000 miles
- Fly from the US to the Center East for 47,000 miles
- Fly from the US to Central Asia for 52,500 miles
- Fly from the US to North Africa for 60,000 miles
- Fly from the US to the Far East for 67,500 miles
- Fly from the US to Central Africa for 72,500 miles
- Fly from the US to South Africa for 85,000 miles
Critically, the values listed below are distinctive:
- Los Angeles to Istanbul to Frankfurt in enterprise class? That’ll value you 45,000 miles
- Chicago to Istanbul to Dubai? That’ll value you 47,000 miles
- Newark to Istanbul to Bishkek? That’ll value you 52,500 miles
- Miami to Istanbul to Cairo? That’ll value you 60,000 miles
- San Francisco to Istanbul to Ulaanbaatar? That’ll value you 67,500 miles
As you’d anticipate, there are some issues to pay attention to:
- One free stopover is allowed in Istanbul on a roundtrip award, however that requires reserving by telephone (take into accout when you’ve got an prolonged layover, you possibly can benefit from the Istanbul metropolis tour program, or the transit lodge program)
- Turkish Airways does move on gasoline surcharges on award tickets, although they’re not too dangerous in comparison with different airways; for the entire above awards you would anticipate to pay $180-270 one-way in gasoline surcharges for enterprise class
- Whereas flying from the US to Europe by way of Istanbul does contain backtracking in lots of circumstances, not less than Turkish Airways has a “correct” enterprise class on many intra-Europe flights, so which may be a preferable choice to connecting on one other airline
- Turkish Airways may be quirky with award availability; in some circumstances there’s nearly no enterprise class award availability on a flight for weeks at a time, and in different circumstances there are 4 award seats per flight nearly day by day, so do some searches earlier than transferring factors
- Should you search on Turkish Airways’ web site and see award pricing a lot greater than the quantities proven above, that merely means there’s no saver award area, and that awards are pricing on the greater prices (which I’ll speak extra about beneath)
- You may maintain award tickets for 3 days by telephone if you wish to lock in awards earlier than transferring factors
- Canceling or altering an award reservation prices $70, which is perhaps a gentle draw back in comparison with another packages
Redeem miles on Turkish Airways with final seat availability
After all you must do the whole lot you are able to do to redeem your Miles&Smiles miles on the saver degree, because it’s such worth. Nevertheless, Turkish Airways usually isn’t very beneficiant with award availability. Whereas many airways have awards providing final seat availability, the pricing is commonly dynamic, and in some circumstances you would be taking a look at redeeming 1,000,000 miles for a ticket.
That’s why I feel it’s value calling out Turkish Airways’ normal award chart, which gives final seat availability. That’s proper, so long as a seat is on the market on the market, you possibly can ebook it with miles. The pricing is surprisingly enticing. Listed below are Turkish Airways’ one-way enterprise class award redemption prices that supply final seat availability for journey originating in the US:
- Fly from the US to Europe for 105,000-115,000 miles
- Fly from the US to the Center East for 120,000 miles
- Fly from the US to Central Asia for 125,000 miles
- Fly from the US to North Africa for 150,000 miles
- Fly from the US to the Far East for 180,000 miles
- Fly from the US to Central Africa for 175,000 miles
- Fly from the US to South Africa for 200,000 miles
Like I stated, I’d favor to not redeem miles at this price if potential. Nevertheless, we’re more and more seeing saver degree award availability throughout airways be robust to return by. With the ability to redeem simply 105,000 miles for a one-way enterprise class ticket from wherever in the US to Istanbul with final seat availability is absolutely fairly enticing. I can’t consider one other main program with such good pricing for final seat availability.
Redeem miles on Star Alliance companions
I’m not fairly as enthusiastic about this as others. Usually I wouldn’t redeem Turkish Airways miles on Star Alliance companions as a result of:
- There are gasoline surcharges in lots of areas, and there are different Star Alliance packages by means of which you’ll redeem miles with out gasoline surcharges (some Star Alliance airways cost $500+ in gasoline surcharges one-way throughout the Atlantic in enterprise class)
- Whereas Turkish Airways’ web site does have a Star Alliance award search software, in my expertise it’s damaged extra usually than it really works, so you will have to ebook by telephone
Should you ask me, there may be one explicit accomplice award candy spot. Award flights inside a single area value:
- 7,500 miles one-way in economic system class
- 12,500 miles one-way in enterprise class
Since Turkish Airways is within the Star Alliance, you would redeem these variety of miles for a United one-way award ticket inside the US, together with to & from Alaska and Hawaii. Better of all, there aren’t any gasoline surcharges on home redemptions on United.
That is completely an unbelievable redemption worth. The key problem is that really discovering saver degree award availability on United may be extraordinarily difficult, particularly in home first-class (which is priced as enterprise class). So if you wish to pursue this feature, you’ll in all probability wish to begin your search on United’s web site utilizing the calendar function, earlier than transferring over to Turkish Airways’ web site. After which there’s the entire challenge of Turkish Airways’ web site not being nice for reserving accomplice awards.
There are equally good alternatives in different areas. For instance, you would redeem simply 12,500 miles for one-way Air Canada enterprise class in a flat mattress between Toronto and Vancouver, simply to present an additional instance. There could be some gasoline surcharges there, although.
The best way to ebook Turkish Airways awards
How do you truly go about redeeming Turkish miles? Initially, you’ll must open a Miles&Smiles account to look availability on Turkish’s web site, however that is on the spot and free, and also you don’t want any miles in your account to conduct a search.
After getting an account, the method of trying to find award flights on Turkish Airways metallic is straightforward. Simply log into your account, after which comply with this hyperlink, which brings you to an award search web page. Alternatively, you possibly can entry this on the house web page by clicking the “Award ticket – Purchase a ticket with Miles” hyperlink.
On this web page you’ll simply be capable to conduct an award search. You’ll simply wish to enter your origin, vacation spot, dates, variety of passengers, and sophistication of service.
The following web page will show award flight choices, and the method from there may be fairly simple.
The method for looking out Star Alliance award flights is a little more difficult, because the airline appears to cover this feature for no matter cause. Then there’s the entire challenge of award area usually not displaying up, to the purpose that I discover this to be fairly ineffective.
I’ve warned you, however if you happen to nonetheless wish to search award availability, you’ll first must log into your Miles&Smiles account. Then on the high proper you’ll wish to hover over your identify, after which click on on the “Miles Transactions” button.
On the fitting facet of the following web page you must see a bit that reads “Star Alliance award ticket,” and also you’ll wish to click on that, which is able to convey you to the Star Alliance search web page. Alternatively, you possibly can simply comply with this hyperlink.
The Star Alliance search web page is fairly simple to make use of, although award availability gained’t at all times match what you see by means of different packages. Fairly on the contrary, I usually discover that it doesn’t work in any respect.
Personally I usually don’t have a lot luck getting award seats to indicate up even when there may be saver degree award availability. This area ought to usually be bookable by telephone, however I do the whole lot I can to keep away from reserving awards like this by telephone, particularly since Turkish Airways’ name middle may be… difficult. For me it is a main deterrent of reserving Star Alliance accomplice awards by means of the Miles&Smiles program.
Backside line
Turkish Airways Miles&Smiles is a incredible area of interest frequent flyer program that’s switch companions with each Citi ThankYou and Capital One. I wouldn’t wish to ebook most of my awards by means of this system, provided that Turkish imposes gasoline surcharges on many awards, Turkish’s web site isn’t nice, and reserving accomplice awards on-line may be difficult.
Nevertheless, for flights in Turkish Airways enterprise class, it’s robust to beat the Miles&Smiles program. Redemption charges are extraordinarily low, and whereas there are gasoline surcharges, they’re comparatively delicate. Turkish flies to extra international locations than every other airline on the planet, and has a fantastic product in addition.
I additionally assume it’s noteworthy how good Turkish Airways’ award pricing is for final seat availability. While you’re in a pinch and may’t discover any saver award seats, I can’t consider any program with higher pricing that provides you entry to any seat on the aircraft.
So far as Star Alliance accomplice redemptions go, what makes Miles&Smiles particular is the power to redeem miles for journey inside a area. You’ll pay 7,500 miles for a one-way economic system ticket, and 12,500 miles for a one-way enterprise class ticket. That’s an superior deal, assuming you will discover award availability and are prepared to undergo the effort of the reserving course of.
This program is not less than value protecting in your radar if you happen to’re selecting up a card just like the Citi Premier or Capital One Enterprise X.
Should you’ve redeemed miles by means of Turkish Miles&Smiles, what was your expertise like?