Who here has always wanted to fly business class but couldn't fathom shelling out that much money for a plane ticket? 🖐️ Considering that you're reading a website called The Frugal Expat, I'm going to take a wild guess and say that it's..most of you.
I can relate. I was in the same boat till I realized that I could pay for those first-class seats with my credit card travel points and airline miles. Let’s zoom ✈️ through the best airline miles programs and see which credit cards you can transfer points from.
5 Best Airline Loyalty Programs
The A-Z of how these airline miles programs work and how you can make them work for you.
1. AAdvantage by American Airlines
Earn points by:
- Flying with American or partnered airlines
- Using an AAdvantage affiliated credit card
- Staying at partnered hotels
- Shopping at an AAdvantage partner
- Booking vacations, cruises, or car rentals with AAdvantage partners
AAdvantage is great for domestic and global fliers alike and comes with several loyalty tiers. All you need to do to move up the tiers is to rack up your Loyalty points – something that you can do just by shopping at one of AAdvantage’s 1200+ retail partners. This means you can earn Loyalty points (or miles) without ever flying!
AAdvantage lets you redeem your Loyalty points on airfare – both when you fly with American and with their oneworld® partners. This list includes premium airlines such as Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Malaysia Airlines, and more. This means you can fly all over the world by using your miles, while enjoying some exclusive oneworld® benefits.
According to AAdvantage’s award chart, you can get a business class ticket from US/ Canada to Europe for as little as 60,000 miles. Being an AAdvantage member gets you several other attractive perks, too, such as complimentary auto upgrades, priority check-in, lounge passes, no blackout dates for American Airlines flights, free checked bags, and more. (Note that most of these benefits are available only from the gold tiers.)
You’ll also earn a minimum of 5 miles per dollar spent on airfare, with higher tiers earning more. But, your miles have an expiration date of 24 months, so plan your travels accordingly.
2. All Nippon Airlines (ANA) Mileage Club
Earn miles by:
- Flying with ANA or its partnered airlines
- Shopping in-flight
- Staying at partnered hotels
- Shopping with eligible American Express cards
- Booking car rentals or shopping with eligible partners
If you want to get the best bang for your buck, ANA is the best airline miles loyalty program for you. As part of the Star Alliance, which is made up of 25 airlines, ANA gives you connectivity throughout the world. So, whether you want to go to Asia, Africa, or Europe, ANA has got you covered.
ANA’s most attractive benefit lies in the fact that you can book round-trip business class flights to international destinations (such as Tokyo) for as little as 100,000 points. These are numbers that are hard to beat. Ana’s business suite called “The Room” is spacious and oozes luxury. Moreover, ANA is a 1:1 transfer partner of AmEx, so you can rack up miles pretty quickly just by using your AmEx credit cards. These benefits make the ANA Mileage Club one of the best airline loyalty programs.
3. Flying Blue by Air France + KLM
Earn miles by:
- Flying with SkyTeam partnered flights
- Use a Flying Blue or partnered credit cards
- Shopping at Air France
- Booking hotel stays or car rentals with partners
- Paying rent and making other purchases using Bilt Mastercard®
Flying Blue is part of the SkyTeam Airline Alliance, which means you can use your miles to book tickets with any airline that comes under this (including Delta). Being a transfer partner of several reward programs makes this one of the easiest airline loyalty programs to stock up on your miles. Their partners include AmEx, Bilt Rewards, Capital One miles, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Wells Fargo, Citi ThankYou Rewards, and HSBC USA. This gives you a lot of flexibility in terms of earning miles.
With Flying Blue, you can book free flights for a relatively low number of miles. Keep an eye out on their Promo Rewards program, which offers huge discounts on flights to and from Europe. For example, a one-way economy ticket from Europe to NY costs around 15,000 miles, while you can get a one-way business class ticket from Europe to Montreal, Canada for just 37,500 miles, which is a very attractive offer! You also have the option of booking your preferred seats when you fly!
4. Mileage Plan by Alaska Airlines
Earn miles by:
- Flying with Alaska Airlines and all its partnered flights
- Using the Alaska Airlines credit card
- Booking hotel stays, cruises, or car rentals with partners
- Paying rent and making other purchases using Bilt Mastercard®
- Shopping with partners
As part of the oneworld® alliance, Alaska Airlines has 30+ domestic and international airline partners, giving you access to 1000+ destinations worldwide. Booking flights using your miles is based on an award chart. The number of airline miles needed depends on the distance of your destination. You can book a one-way business class seat from the US to Europe, the Middle East, or Africa by spending an average of 55,000 miles!
Some other perks include adding a free international stopover when booking flights using your airline miles. There are also no blackout dates when booking an Alaska Airlines flight. You can also move up the tiers to access even more benefits.
5. Air Canada Aeroplan
Earn points by:
- Flying with Air Canada or its partnered airlines
- Staying at HotelSaver partner hotels
- Booking vacations and car rentals with partners
- Shopping at retail partners
- Using a Chase, AmEx, CIBC, or TD Aeroplan card
Air Canada Aeroplan is one of the best airline miles programs – and for good reason. With a partnership with 200+ significant retailers like Amazon, Apple, Starbucks, Uber, lululemon, Sephora, Dyson, and Wayfair, the Aeroplan eStore makes it very easy to earn miles. Combine your e-shopping sprees with an Aeroplan credit card, and you’ll rack up those miles pretty fast.
As part of the Star Alliance, Air Canada has an extensive network of partner airlines, so you can fly to pretty much anywhere in the world. This airline loyalty program is also one of the best ways to book business class seats inpremium airlines such as Singapore Airlines and Emirates. The number of miles you need to book a flight depends on your travel distance. You can get a one-way business class ticket from the US to Europe starting at 70,000 points, which is pretty decent. You can include a stopover for an additional 5,000 points (as long as the time between your two flights is between 24 hours and 45 days). And if you don’t have enough points to cover the fare? Pay the rest with cash!
Some great benefits of Air Canada Aeroplan include no seat restrictions and blackout dates, Preferred Pricing discounts for Aeroplan card holders, and no cash surcharges. All Aeroplan members also get free texting over Wi-Fi in-flight and the chance to share points with family members. As you move up the tiers, even more Priority Rewards, such as a 50% discount voucher on flights, become available to you.
What To Look For in an Airline Loyalty Program
Before jumping feet-first into joining an airline miles program, you need to consider whether it’s the right choice. Here are some things to keep in mind.
- Airline destinations and alliances: The airline rewards program you choose should cater to two things: the destinations you frequently fly to and the airport(s) you frequently fly from. In other words, look for access. Also, check for partner airlines, if any. More partner airlines means more flexibility in terms of airlines and destinations for you to choose from.
- Earning and redeeming miles: How easy is earning and redeeming miles? Some airline loyalty programs have retail and credit card partners, which can be a bonus when it comes to earning points. You should also be able to redeem miles for flight tickets easily without too many restrictions.
- Miles expiration date: Some airline programs have an expiration date on the miles you’ve accrued, while some don’t. The former can be a problem if you don’t fly frequently.
- Other partners: Many airline miles programs have partnerships with hotels, car rental companies, retailers, and vacation booking service partners. You can earn points and even redeem them with these partners. These bonus perks might be really beneficial if you’re a globetrotter, so keep your eye peeled for these extra benefits.
Which of these airline miles programs would you consider? Are there any other ones that you swear by? Let me know in the comments below!
