10 Best Uses of Turkish Miles and Smiles

It’s amazing how much one’s points and miles strategy can change in a year. In summer of 2019, Citi ThankYou Points weren’t really on my radar. I’d picked up the Citi Premier card and then transferred the bulk of the points to Avianca LifeMiles, which is a currency I routinely use. I was aware that Turkish Miles and Smiles existed, but I didn’t have any idea how useful they are. Now I do, and today I want to talk about all the best uses of Turkish Miles and Smiles.

I’ve written multiple times about the unbeatable Hawaii sweet spot, my adventures trying to book a ticket online, and why the Turkish juice is worth the squeeze. Not everyone agrees, as the Miles and Smiles can be more challenging to use than other loyalty programs. But the value I’ve gotten is fantastic.

So going forward, I’ll be collecting as many ThankYou Points as I possibly can. I always want to have a stash for transferring to Turkish Airlines for any of these 10 best uses of Turkish Miles and Smiles:

Awards to Hawaii Starting at 7,500 Miles

This is hands-down the best use of Turkish Miles and Smiles, in my opinion. No other program charges anything close to this for flights to Hawaii. Sure, you may be able to score a cash deal departing a West Coast gateway or use Avios on nonstop Alaska or American flights. However, the beauty of Miles and Smiles is that this is the price from anywhere within the United States.

Live in Los Angeles with lots of Hawaii options? Awards cost 7,500 miles. Do you call Omaha, Nebraska home? Still 7,500 miles. Is your abode away from it all in Presque Isle, Maine? Yup, still just 7,500 Miles and Smiles.

Even better is the ability to book business class flights from the U.S. to Hawaii for just 12,500 miles. The tricky part here is finding space. United business class saver awards to Hawaii can be very hard to find.

But if you can make either work, they are solidly your best options.

United Premium Transcontinental Flights

In the summer of last year I booked a round-trip itinerary to Newark to see if I could really enjoy a premium cabin with lie-flat seats across the U.S. for 12,500 miles each way. I booked it very last minute, when United tends to release this space. The outbound was on a 777-300ER with the Polaris hard product, and the return was on a United 757-300 with their premium business class configuration.

The cost? Just 25,000 miles. I didn’t spend any time in New York, but that was fine. It was a fun little points and miles adventure that cost me $11.20 out of pocket rather than the $2,200+ the ticket would have cost.

Economy Awards Within the U.S. for 7,500 Miles

Although flights to Hawaii are the sweetest U.S. sweet spot, compared to other programs, you can actually fly anywhere within the 50 states for 7,500 miles. This includes basically anywhere in United’s network. I’ve booked multiple trips out of our tiny regional airport that would have otherwise been cost prohibitive, for just 7,500 miles and $5.60.

I have noticed that award inventory that Turkish Airlines sees doesn’t always match the space available if you search united.com. For example, I couldn’t get an itinerary to Des Moines booked for one trip, and to Daytona Beach for another. In each case, Turkish reported one segment of the itinerary did not have award space available.

Still, if the space is bookable, simple domestic United economy awards are one of the best uses of Turkish Miles and Smiles.

Business Class from the U.S. to Europe for 45,000 Miles

Aside from ANA Mileage Club and the Korean programs, no airline offers business class awards between North American and Europe this cheaply. Where you’ll spend 70,000 or more United miles for a flight on Star Alliance partners, Turkish Airlines charges 36% less.

The one drawback is that Miles and Smiles does pass along fuel surcharges. There are a few carriers where these are very low. But other Star Alliance airlines, namely those in the Lufthansa Group, charge massive fuel surcharges. If faced with a choice, I’d be more inclined to book Lufthansa business class for 63,000 LifeMiles and $5.60 (plus $25 award redemption charge) than the $500 or so you’ll pay through Turkish Miles and Smiles.

For flights on United metal, Miles and Smiles are gold, since United doesn’t levy fuel surcharges. The downside is simply that you’re flying United.

Business Class from the U.S. to Middle East for 47,000 Miles

Pricing in business class barely increases if you want to continue to the Middle East. Turkish charges just 47,000 miles in business class, which beats all the competition. You can fly via Istanbul on their own metal, or fly any of the European partners. Another option is El Al. United also has multiple flights to Tel Aviv as well.

If you want to fly Egyptair to Cairo, you’ll need to shell out just a few more miles, as flights to the North Africa zone cost 49,000 miles one-way.

First Class between Europe and the Far East for 67,500 Miles

The pricing between Europe and the Far East is the same as between Europe and North America: 45,000 miles in business class. This isn’t a bad deal, and you have tons of options considering all the various Star Alliance airlines that fly between these two continents. But the real play here is first class. There are a limited number of first class options between the U.S. and Europe bookable with Turkish miles (only Lufthansa), but you can fly ANA first class from London to Tokyo (as an example) for just 67,500 miles one way. And surcharges will be far less!

Business Class from the U.S. to India for 52,500 Miles

Getting to India from the United States is quite the feat. The flights are long, and typically involve a connection, although there are a handful of nonstop options from the U.S. You can use just 52,500 miles to fly one of these nonstops on Air India or United, or transit via another continent with other Star Alliance partners. Business is definitely the way to go if you’ll end up flying two long-hauls.

While rare, flying between Central Asia and South America is another interesting play. You can do this for just 60,000 Miles and Smiles. This solidly wins over pretty much any other award option.

Intra-North America Awards: Best Uses of Turkish Miles

Expanding on the domestic sweet spot is Turkish’s pricing for awards within North America. You can fly between the U.S. and Canada or Mexico for just 10,000 miles in economy. For those based in Canada, this is an excellent deal, as you can reach Hawaii (still part of North America zone) for just 10,000 miles one-way.

Business class pricing at 15,000 Miles and Smiles one-way is also excellent. Considering that business class includes flights like the haul between San Francisco and Toronto on one of Air Canada’s 787-9 aircraft, you can score a seriously nice flight experience for very few miles.

The unfortunate part is how Turkish defines the regions. North America is essentially the USA, Canada, and Mexico, plus Hawaii and Bermuda. All of Central America and the Caribbean islands are lumped in with South America. You might think this would make intra-South-America travel an interesting corollary (if you can make it cheaply into the zone), but the pricing isn’t especially attractive to make it worth the effort.

Business Class between South America and Europe for 52,500 Miles

It’s a long haul between Europe and South America, and this is a trek you’ll likely want to fly in business. Turkish Miles and Smiles offers one of the better deals for getting between these two regions. You can fly Turkish Airlines or any of the Europe-based Star Alliance partners for just 52,000 miles one-way in business class.

The only bummer here is going to be the fuel surcharges. These are somewhat reasonable with Turkish Airlines, but you can get killed by what the Lufthansa Group airlines levy. Do note that Brazil is (was?) one of the few countries to ban fuel surcharges on award tickets. I know for certain that these aren’t levied for British Airways, Air France, and KLM flights, so it’s possible that Turkish doesn’t levy these either for flights departing Brazil. I don’t know. I haven’t priced out a ticket myself.

Air New Zealand Flights within Oceania

Awards within the Oceania region are an excellent deal with Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles. You’ll need to get there first, probably using another currency. But once you’re there, consider hopping around with Miles and Smiles. The Oceania zone includes:

“Australia, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Guam, Marshall Islands, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Norfolk Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu”

Awards cost just 15,000 miles one-way in economy. Air New Zealand is a Star Alliance partner, and you can fly between multiple countries in Polynesia via Auckland.

Best Uses of Turkish Miles: Final Thoughts

Have you had your eyes opened to the power of Turkish Airlines with these 10 best uses of Turkish Miles and Smiles? I sure hope so. Make sure you check out the award region table for which countries fall within each region. There are some oddballs, such as the Maldives falling within the Far East zone rather than the Central Asia zone. Turkish also breaks Europe into two zones, and Africa into three. I don’t of any other program that does the latter.

Overall, there is a ton of value to be gained with the Miles and Smiles program. You do need to put in some legwork for a lot of awards, but in some cases, Turkish Airlines’ program offers the cheapest award flight option comparing all program on a mile-to-mile basis. I know there are other factors than come into play, but being able to earn 2x ThankYou points on all purchases with the DoubleCash and 3x ThankYou points on grocery with the Citi Premier, you’ll soon rack up enough for some amazing awards!