Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles program often flies under the radar, yet it presents savvy travelers with exceptional value, particularly for economy and business class award flights. While a recent adjustment to the award chart in February 2024 did reduce some of the program’s most extreme sweet spots, Miles&Smiles remains a compelling option, especially when leveraging its valuable transfer partners.
Even with updated redemption rates, booking domestic flights within the U.S. for just 10,000 miles each way, especially to destinations like Hawaii on United Airlines, still offers significant savings compared to programs with dynamic pricing that can demand upwards of 200,000 miles for similar routes.
One of the most compelling aspects of Miles&Smiles is its network of 1:1 transfer partners, encompassing three major transferable currency programs. This access dramatically increases the ease of accumulating miles and unlocking those valuable award flights.
If you’re looking to explore an international frequent flyer program that can still deliver incredible value, including flights to Hawaii for a mere 10,000 miles, understanding Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles and its transfer partners is key.
Unlock Miles&Smiles: Leveraging Transfer Partners
Credit Card Transfer Programs: A Fast Track to Miles
While Turkish Airlines doesn’t offer branded credit cards in the U.S., the program opens its doors to points transfers from three prominent transferable currency programs at a 1:1 ratio. This means every point you transfer becomes a mile in your Miles&Smiles account. The partners include:
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Bilt Rewards: Bilt Rewards stands out with the Bilt Mastercard®. This unique card lets you earn points on rent payments without transaction fees, earning 1 point per dollar (capped at 100,000 points annually). Beyond rent, you’ll also earn 3 points per dollar on dining and 2 points per dollar on travel, provided you make at least five eligible transactions each billing cycle (see rewards and benefits for details). While lacking a welcome bonus, its rent rewards make it a standout for renters seeking travel rewards.
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Capital One: Capital One provides a range of credit cards that accumulate transferable miles, offering multiple avenues to boost your Miles&Smiles balance. Some popular options include:
The information for the Capital One Spark Miles Select for Business has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
- Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card: Known for its premium travel perks and generous rewards earning, including on everyday spending.
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card: A simpler option with a strong earning rate on all purchases, making it easy to accumulate miles.
- Capital One Spark Miles for Business: Designed for business owners, offering a solid miles earning rate on business expenses.
These cards, and others in the Capital One ecosystem, funnel seamlessly into Miles&Smiles, providing a flexible way to earn miles through everyday and travel spending.
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Citi ThankYou Rewards: Citi ThankYou Rewards partners with Miles&Smiles, giving you access to miles through a variety of Citi credit cards. Consider these popular choices:
The information for the Citi Custom Cash Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
- Citi Premier® Card: A versatile card with bonus categories on dining, groceries, gas stations, air travel and hotels, accelerating your ThankYou points earnings.
- Citi Rewards+® Card: Maximizes rewards on small purchases and offers a points bonus, making every purchase more valuable.
- Citi Custom Cash® Card: Adapts to your spending, rewarding your top eligible spend category each billing cycle.
Citi’s ThankYou program provides diverse earning opportunities, and its partnership with Turkish Airlines enhances the value of these points for international travel aspirations.
Related: The ultimate guide to Citi ThankYou Rewards transfer partners
Hotel Transfer Programs: Marriott Bonvoy as a Partner
Beyond credit card programs, Marriott Bonvoy points can also be converted to Miles&Smiles, albeit at a 3:1 ratio. While less favorable than the 1:1 credit card transfers, this option can be valuable for topping off your account or utilizing orphaned Marriott points.
Notably, for every 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points transferred, you receive a bonus of 5,000 Miles&Smiles points. This effectively improves the transfer ratio to a slightly better, though still less ideal, rate.
Related: 17 ways to earn lots of Marriott Bonvoy points
Earning Miles by Flying: Turkish and Star Alliance Partners
Of course, flying with Turkish Airlines directly or its Star Alliance partners is a traditional way to accrue Miles&Smiles. The number of miles earned depends on your fare class, Miles&Smiles elite status, and the flight distance.
For example, a flight from Los Angeles to Istanbul on Turkish Airlines (approximately 6,865 miles) in a discounted economy fare class might earn you 25% of the flown miles, or around 1,716 redeemable miles. While not the most lucrative earning method, it contributes to your balance.
Turkish Airlines’ membership in the Star Alliance opens up a vast network of partner airlines for earning miles. For U.S.-based travelers, United Airlines is a particularly relevant partner, especially considering recent changes in other programs. Crediting United flights to Miles&Smiles can be strategic.
Alt text: Turkish Airlines Boeing 787-9 business class cabin interior, showcasing comfortable lie-flat seats.
Earning charts vary for each Star Alliance partner, so it’s crucial to verify your fare class eligibility and mileage accrual rate before assigning your Turkish Miles&Smiles number to a partner booking. Different earning charts are available for each partner airline, ensuring you maximize your mile accumulation.
Miles&Smiles points are valid for three years from the date of earning. Extending expiring miles is possible for a fee, but it’s generally more advantageous to plan to redeem miles before they expire.
Related: How to keep your points and miles from expiring
Redeeming Miles&Smiles: Unlock Award Flight Value
Booking Turkish Airlines Award Flights
To book award flights specifically on Turkish Airlines, initiate your search from the Turkish Airlines homepage. Check the “Award ticket” box to access the award booking engine.
Alt text: Turkish Airlines homepage highlighting the “Award ticket” checkbox for accessing award flight booking.
Logging into your Miles&Smiles account is required. When logging in, remember to omit the “TK” prefix from your account number. The initial search interface is tailored for Turkish Airlines operated flights only.
Alt text: Turkish Airlines award flight search engine interface, prompting for origin, destination, dates, and class.
After selecting a flight, you’ll see details including aircraft type and award availability, categorized as “promotional pricing” or “regular pricing,” aligning with the program’s award charts.
Alt text: Turkish Airlines award flight selection screen showing flight details, aircraft type, and pricing options.
The subsequent page displays the total cost, encompassing taxes and fees, even if your account lacks sufficient miles.
Alt text: Turkish Airlines award flight cost breakdown, including miles, taxes, and fees.
Booking Star Alliance Partner Award Flights
For booking award flights on Star Alliance partners (like United, Lufthansa, Air New Zealand), you’ll need to access the dedicated Star Alliance award search engine.
After logging into your Miles&Smiles account, navigate to “Miles Transactions” from the dropdown menu under your name.
Alt text: Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles account dropdown menu highlighting the “Miles Transactions” link.
On the “Miles Transactions” page, you’ll find the link to the Star Alliance award ticket booking engine.
Alt text: Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles “Miles Transactions” page with a link to the Star Alliance award booking engine.
The Star Alliance search engine mirrors the Turkish Airlines engine but is labeled “Star Award Ticket” at the top.
Alt text: Turkish Airlines Star Alliance award flight search engine, labeled “Star Award Ticket”.
The booking process for partner flights then follows a similar flow as booking directly with Turkish Airlines.
Related: The best websites to search for Star Alliance award availability
Key Aspects of Turkish Miles&Smiles
Award flights are the prime use for Miles&Smiles. While other redemption options exist, maximizing value typically involves booking flights on Turkish Airlines or Star Alliance partners.
Important program nuances include:
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Region-Based Award Charts: Miles&Smiles utilizes region-based award charts to price award flights.
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Promotional vs. Regular Awards: Turkish Airlines flights have two award availability levels: “promotional” (limited availability, lower mileage) and “regular” (standard award ticket pricing).
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One-Way Awards: One-way awards are bookable at half the round-trip price, offering flexibility.
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Redeeming for Others: Miles can be redeemed for anyone, but you must first register them in your Miles&Smiles account.
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Buying Miles: You can purchase miles at $30 per 1,000 miles (up to 50,000 miles annually) if needed to complete an award booking.
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Fuel Surcharges: No fuel surcharges on United flights, reasonable surcharges on Turkish flights, but potentially high surcharges on some Star Alliance carriers (e.g., Lufthansa, Swiss).
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Change/Cancellation Fees: Award ticket changes or cancellations incur a $70 fee.
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Open Jaw Flexibility: One open jaw is permitted on round-trip tickets, allowing you to fly into one city and depart from another.
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Stopovers: One stopover is allowed on Turkish Airlines-operated award itineraries (outbound or return).
Top Redemption Sweet Spots with Miles&Smiles
Alt text: Aerial view of Hawaiian islands coastline with turquoise waters and lush green landscape.
Hawaii for 10,000 Miles One-Way (Economy) or 15,000 Miles (Business)
Flights within the same Turkish Airlines region cost 20,000 miles round trip. Hawaii, specifically Honolulu (HNL), falls within the North America region alongside the continental U.S., making one-way flights to Hawaii just 10,000 miles. These awards are bookable online and have no fuel surcharges, even from the East Coast.
Business class to Hawaii is theoretically 15,000 miles each way, a fraction of what United might charge (over 40,000 miles). However, business class award availability to Hawaii is extremely scarce.
Alaska, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands for 10,000 Miles One-Way (Economy) or 15,000 Miles (First Class)
Similar to Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands are categorized within the U.S. region. This translates to 10,000-mile one-way economy awards or 15,000-mile first-class awards. While lie-flat seats are uncommon on these routes, domestic first class at 15,000 miles is still a valuable redemption, if available.
US to Mexico for 30,000 Miles One-Way (Economy) or 40,000 Miles (Business)
A beach getaway to Mexico from the U.S. is attainable for 30,000 miles in economy or 40,000 miles in business class. Destinations like Cancun (CUN), Puerto Vallarta (PVR), or Mexico City (MEX) are all priced the same for United-operated flights via Turkish Miles&Smiles. United might charge less in economy (starting at 7,300 miles each way), but business class via United can be significantly more expensive (35,000+ miles each way).
US to Turkey for 65,000 Miles One-Way (Business Class)
Alt text: Turkish Airlines business class cabin ambiance with mood lighting and comfortable seating during arrival at Istanbul Airport.
Turkish Airlines distinguishes between its own flights and Star Alliance partner flights in its award charts. Flights from North America (including Mexico and Canada) to Istanbul are 65,000 miles in business class, whether on Turkish Airlines, Star Alliance partners, or a combination. This pricing is competitive, especially from the West Coast, where similar flights via Air Canada Aeroplan can exceed 90,000 miles.
Intra-Oceania for 50,000 Miles One-Way (Business Class)
The Oceania region, spanning French Polynesia to Australia and New Zealand, is accessible for 50,000 miles one-way in business class with Miles&Smiles. These awards can be challenging to secure, with Air New Zealand often being the best option. However, they represent excellent value when available. Booking awards to Tahiti (PPT) might require calling, as online search recognition can be inconsistent.
Understanding Award Pricing
Miles&Smiles operates with two distinct award charts: one for Turkish Airlines flights and another for Star Alliance partner flights. The Star Alliance partner chart generally has slightly higher redemption rates.
Alt text: Turkish Airlines award chart for flights operated by Turkish Airlines, showcasing mileage requirements for different regions and classes.
Alt text: Turkish Airlines award chart for Star Alliance partner flights, indicating mileage costs for various regions and travel classes.
Award pricing can vary compared to other programs, so comparing across programs is recommended to identify the most advantageous option, considering both miles and any additional taxes and fees.
Additive Segment Pricing
Miles&Smiles employs additive pricing for itineraries with multiple segments crossing different regions.
Alt text: Example illustrating Turkish Airlines additive segment pricing for a Dubai to London flight via Istanbul.
For example, a Dubai-London flight routing through Istanbul is priced by summing the miles for Dubai-Istanbul and Istanbul-London segments. This shift from previous Miles&Smiles policies impacts the value of certain multi-region redemptions.
Final Thoughts
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