The 42 Best Ways To Redeem Capital One Miles [for Max Value]

BY 

Stephen Au

- UPDATED: May 8, 2021   |    46

1. Credit Cards

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Capital One continues to make headlines in the points game by announcing a slew of new transfer partners for its miles and adjusting ratios for some partners to be even more beneficial. With more banks than ever offering transferable points and miles, it’s now vital to understand the best ways to redeem these different currencies.

Previously, you could only redeem Capital One miles at 1 cent per mile — but now you can get tons more value by transferring to airline or hotel partners for your award redemptions.

This guide is an absolute must-read before you do anything with your Capital One miles, as we’ll focus on demonstrating the value you can get from transferring Capital One miles to airline and hotel partners.

The other way to redeem is as a statement credit (towards a travel purchase) at 1 cent per point — in other words, if you redeem 50,000 miles, you would receive a $500 travel statement credit.

As we will illustrate below, there are now tons of ways to get significantly better value than that.

Let’s get to it!

Earn Capital One Miles

This option for redeeming miles has many adventurers and points enthusiasts very excited!

Currently, you can earn Capital One miles from 4 different credit cards.

Recommended Capital One Cards (Personal)

Recommended Capital One Cards (Business)

Transfer Capital One Miles to Airline and Hotel Partners

Capital One currently has a number of airline and hotel transfer partners. Depending on which transfer partner you use, your Capital One miles will transfer at a 2:1, 2:1.5, or 1:1 ratio.

Remember that transfers cannot be undone, so you will need to be certain of your travel plans and award availability before committing.

With Capital One’s transfer partners, you will actually have access to all 3 major airline alliances: Star Alliance, Oneworld, and SkyTeam.

Also, don’t bet on these transfer partners being the only ones — Capital One has been slowly adding more partners over time.

In addition, you will have access to some interesting airlines that don’t partner with any other currency besides Marriott Bonvoy, including Finnair Plus!

Without further ado, here are the Capital One miles transfer partners:

The 42 Best Ways To Use Capital One Miles

As we talked about above, there are 2 main ways to use Capital One miles:

• Statement credit for travel purchases at 1 cent per point
• Transfer to airline partners for up to 20 cents per point!

There’s greater flexibility with using the statement credit option since you don’t need to search for award availability and deal with calling airlines and such.

You can technically transfer your Capital One miles to hotel partners, but we don’t recommend this approach due to the low value you will get from hotel partners.

But we’re going to focus on the second method, which will definitely multiply the value you get out of your miles. Your miles are precious, and we should treat them as such!

1. Fly Lufthansa First Class Without Surcharges to Europe (87,000 Miles Transferred to LifeMiles)

Lufthansa first class is, rightfully, on the top of many travelers’ bucket lists. But if you’ve done any research or have experience in award travel to Europe, you’ll know that there are tons of fuel surcharges on flights to Europe.

These fuel surcharges are often deal-breakers for award travelers, because what’s the point of using your miles if you have to pay ~$1,500 on top of that? The way around this is to use a frequent flyer program that doesn’t pass on fuel surcharges.

Since Lufthansa is quite an aspirational first class product, the biggest challenge is in finding award availability.

Remember that Lufthansa first class almost never releases award availability to its partners more than 15 days in advance. This means planning ahead can be difficult.

Here are some example routes you can fly that generally has good availability. All prices are 87,000 Capital One miles one-way transferred to Avianca LifeMiles, plus $31 in taxes and fees:

• Chicago (ORD) – Frankfurt (FRA)
• Dallas Fort-Worth (DFW) – Frankfurt (FRA)
• San Francisco (SFO) – Munich (MUC)

2. Fly Etihad Business Class Without Surcharges to Abu Dhabi (110,000 Miles Transferred to Air Canada)

Moving your Capital One miles to Air Canada is an excellent way to fly Etihad’s business class between New York City and Abu Dhabi.

By transferring 110,000 Capital One miles to your Air Canada account, you’ll end up with 82,500 Aeroplan points — the exact amount you need for your booking! Better yet, Air Canada does not pass on carrier-imposed surcharges on flights with Etihad.

Here are a few example routes you can take:

• London (LHR) – Abu Dhabi (AUH) for 60,000 Capital One miles + ~$45 in taxes and fees
• New York City (JFK) – Abu Dhabi (AUH) for 110,000 Capital One miles + ~$45 in taxes and fees

3. Fly SWISS Air Business Class to Europe (63,000 Miles Transferred to LifeMiles)

Using Avianca LifeMiles is fantastic, especially for Star Alliance redemptions to Europe. It’s one of the only ways to avoid fuel surcharges and still pay reasonable mileage prices to fly to Europe.

Flying on SWISS Air one-way in business class is another solid way to use your Capital One miles. By transferring just 63,000 Capital One miles to Avianca LifeMiles, you’ll be able to fly from the U.S. to Europe!

Your total taxes and fees will be around $31, which is an excellent way to save big for business class flights to Europe.

Here are some example routes you can take. All prices are 63,000 Capital One miles one-way transferred to Avianca LifeMiles, plus $31 in taxes and fees:

• Los Angeles (LAX) – Zurich (ZRH)
• Miami (MIA) – Zurich (ZRH)
• New York City (JFK) – Geneva (GVA)

Hot Tip: Have you checked out our article on the best ways to earn lots of Avianca LifeMiles?

4. Fly Transcontinental Business Class in the U.S. on United Airlines (25,000 Miles Transferred to LifeMiles)

Another fantastic way to use Capital One miles is for transcontinental business-class flights in the U.S. on United Airlines.

Since United has moved away from first class on flagship products in favor of its Polaris business class, award travelers now benefit from business class pricing for award flights.

By transferring 25,000 Capital One miles to LifeMiles, you’ll have enough for a one-way business class flight on United Airlines.

Here are the route options we’re talking about:

• New York City (JFK) – Los Angeles (LAX) for 33,333 Capital One miles + ~$31 in taxes and fees
• New York City (JFK) – San Francisco (SFO) for 33,333 Capital One miles + ~$31 in taxes and fees
• Newark (EWR) – Los Angeles (LAX) for 33,333 Capital One miles + ~$31 in taxes and fees
• Newark (EWR) – San Francisco (SFO) for 33,333 Capital One miles + ~$31 in taxes and fees

Hot Tip: This is a fantastic way to try out United Airlines’ brand-new flagship Polaris product on the 787-10. Be sure to book your Polaris flight with the newest widebody seats, direct aisle access, and lie-flat capabilities, or you may be sorely disappointed.

5. Fly to Ghana in Business Class on South African Airways (78,000 Miles Transferred to LifeMiles)

For those interested in travel to Africa, you can rejoice to know that South African Airways flies an awesome A330-300 with direct aisle access, fully lie-flat seats, excellent service, and loads of privacy from Washington, D.C.

Here’s the route we are talking about:

• Washington, D.C. (IAD) – Accra (ACC) one-way in business class on South African Airways for 78,000 Capital One miles transferred to Avianca LifeMiles, plus $31 in taxes and fees

6. Fly From Tokyo to New Zealand in Business Class on Air New Zealand (40,000 Miles Transferred to LifeMiles)

Yet another great use of Capital One miles is for flights between North Asia and Australia or New Zealand.

Air New Zealand is an exotic airline that offers a fantastic business class product. You can expect locally inspired cuisine, a fantastic reverse herringbone layout, totally lie-flat seats, and warm service throughout the flight.

How much is this 10- to 11-hour flight? Only 40,000 Capital One miles transferred to LifeMiles! Here’s a great example route you can take:

• Tokyo-Narita (NRT) – Auckland (AKL) one-way in business class on Air New Zealand for 40,000 Capital One miles transferred to Avianca LifeMiles, plus $31 in taxes and fees

Hot Tip: The challenge here will be in finding award availability, but it tends to be much better for Air New Zealand flights outside the U.S.

7. Fly From Tokyo to Australia in Business Class on ANA (40,000 Miles Transferred to LifeMiles)

Good news: the same price is valid for flights in the other direction! If you’ve already tried Air New Zealand, you will be pleased to find out that ANA also offers flights between Japan and Australia.

Of course, this slightly shorter flight of ~9 to 10 hours will cost the same as flights to New Zealand! Here’s an example route that you can take:

• Tokyo-Haneda (HND) – Sydney (SYD) one-way in business class on ANA for 40,000 Capital One miles transferred to Avianca LifeMiles plus $31 in taxes and fees

8. Fly From Tokyo to Hong Kong in Business Class on ANA (22,500 Miles Transferred to LifeMiles)

Let’s pivot for a second to another little-known sweet spot: business class flights within North Asia.

When using LifeMiles, you can fly an astonishing 5 to 6 hours on Star Alliance flights within this region for only 22,500 Capital One miles!

Here’s an example route you can take:

• Tokyo-Narita (NRT) – Hong Kong (HKG) one-way in business class on ANA for 22,500 Capital One miles transferred to Avianca LifeMiles, plus $31 in taxes and fees

Bottom Line: This is a phenomenal redemption — you’ll be able to spend over 5 hours in a completely lie-flat business class seat for only 22,500 Capital One miles!

9. Fly From Bangkok to New Zealand in Business Class on THAI (40,000 Miles Transferred to LifeMiles)

The last couple of Capital One mile redemptions with Avianca LifeMiles we’ll discuss are from Southeast Asia to Australia or New Zealand.

We love THAI here because it has a phenomenal hospitality record, particularly in business and first class. However, we wouldn’t normally suggest THAI for business class flights, seeing as how the seating arrangement is typically bizarre and lackluster.

But it’s a totally different story on its 787-900 to Auckland. Great LifeMiles prices coupled with the fact that it’s flying some new business class seats on routes between Bangkok and the South Pacific, and we’d be doing a disservice if we didn’t discuss this.

Thai Airways is flying its brand new 787-900 on some flights between Bangkok (BKK) and Auckland (AKL). This 11- to 12-hour flight in amazing reverse-herringbone business class seats with superb service will run you only 40,000 Capital One miles!

• Bangkok (BKK) – Auckland (AKL) one-way in business class on THAI for 40,000 Capital One miles transferred to Avianca LifeMiles, plus $31 in taxes and fees

10. Fly From Bangkok to Australia in First Class on THAI (60,000 Miles Transferred to LifeMiles)

The story is a little different with THAI first class. While you have to be quite careful which plane you pick on THAI business class, THAI first class is consistent throughout the various planes in its fleet.

And THAI first class has been touted as among the best in the world for good reason.

If you’re interested in flying from Bangkok to Australia, you can fly in THAI first class for only 60,000 Capital One miles. Considering that this flight is over 9 hours, you can get tons of value if you’re fine with starting in Southeast Asia!

Here’s an example route:

• Bangkok (BKK) – Sydney (SYD) one-way in first class on THAI for 60,000 Capital One miles transferred to Avianca LifeMiles, plus $31 in taxes and fees

11. Fly to Hong Kong in American Airlines Flagship Business Class (55,000 Miles Transferred to Etihad Guest)

Now we’ll begin discussing transferring your Capital One miles to Etihad Guest. There are a bunch of ways to use Etihad Guest Miles for maximum value.

We’re going to begin this discussion by using Etihad Guest miles to book business and first class flights on American Airlines. American Airlines operates its Flagship business and Flagship first class on select routes from its main hubs, and one of its focus cities is Hong Kong.

You can fly from Los Angeles to Hong Kong for 55,000 Capital One miles transferred to Etihad Guest.

Here, you can expect one of the best business class hard products out there in a 1-2-1 reverse herringbone seat (taxes and fees are very low, too!).

Here’s the route we’re talking about:

• Los Angeles (LAX) – Hong Kong (HKG) one-way in Flagship business on American Airlines for 55,000 Capital One miles transferred to Etihad Guest, plus ~$87 in taxes and fees

Hot Tip: Be sure to try the American Airlines Flagship Lounge at LAX!

12. Fly to Hong Kong in American Airlines Flagship First Class (67,500 Miles Transferred to Etihad Guest)

We consider American Airlines to have one of the best business class hard products. In first class, the cabin is much more private and service is a bit more refined — but we think the biggest perk of flying AA’s Flagship first class is the ability to access the Flagship First Class Lounge!

This might seem trivial, but these lounges are reputed to be among the best in the world (which is saying a lot for a U.S.-based airline in the face of competition from the likes of Singapore, Emirates, etc.)

Flying to Hong Kong is possible on AA from 2 cities: Los Angeles (LAX)f and Dallas Fort-Worth (DFW). AA operates the same exact aircraft, so the experience will be consistent.

First class will run at 67,500 Etihad Guest miles transferred from Capital One miles.

Here’s the example route we’re talking about:

• Dallas Fort-Worth (DFW) – Hong Kong (HKG) one-way in Flagship first class on American Airlines for 67,500 Capital One miles transferred to Etihad Guest, plus ~$87 in taxes and fees

13. Fly to Europe in American Airlines Flagship Business Class (50,000 Miles Transferred to Etihad Guest)

Want to fly on AA’s Flagship 777 somewhere else besides Hong Kong?

You’re in luck! AA also flies the 777 from Los Angeles (LAX) to London-Heathrow (LHR).

As usual, we always suggest business class on AA over first class, simply because the hard product is excellent and you don’t have to shell out very much to try it.

Award availability is very sparse on this flight, as is the case for many of AA’s Flagship products. Here’s what you’re looking at for this redemption:

• Los Angeles (LAX) – London-Heathrow (LHR) one-way in Flagship business class on American Airlines for 50,000 Capital One miles transferred to Etihad Guest, plus ~$28 in taxes and fees

14. Fly to Europe in American Airlines Flagship First Class (62,500 Miles Transferred to Etihad Guest)

If you’re intrigued by the idea of flying on the same route as above in first class, then we have some good news. The Etihad Guest award chart for flights on AA continues to amaze us. Why? Because you can fly to London from Los Angeles in first class for not much more than business class!

The cabin is only 8 seats spread across 2 rows in a 1-2-1 configuration, so it’s ridiculously private.

On the flip side, award availability for 2 passengers is nearly impossible to find. Availability for 1 passenger is significantly more doable. Nevertheless, if you’re able to find it, you might want to book now and figure everything out later.

Here’s a great example redemption:

• Los Angeles (LAX) – London-Heathrow (LHR) one-way in Flagship first class on American Airlines for 62,500 Capital One miles transferred to Etihad Guest, plus ~$28 in taxes and fees

15. Fly to Brazil in American Airlines Flagship Business Class (50,000 Miles Transferred to Etihad Guest)

Thinking of more exotic destinations? How about something like South America?

Booking with Etihad Guest miles on AA flights is still a great use of your Capital One miles. Currently, American Airlines operates a Flagship 777 from New York to São Paulo.

This ~10-hour flight is quite a journey. Here are the route details:

• New York City (JFK) – São Paulo (GRU) one-way in Flagship business class on American Airlines for 50,000 Capital One miles transferred to Etihad Guest, plus ~$28 in taxes and fees

Hot Tip: Despite having the same Flagship products, award availability is much better on flights to/from South America than, say, London or Hong Kong.

16. Fly to Argentina in American Airlines Flagship First Class (62,500 Miles Transferred to Etihad Guest)

If you want to fly to Argentina, you can also fly AA’s Flagship first class. Here’s a great example:

• Miami (MIA) – Buenos Aires (EZE) one-way in Flagship first class on American Airlines for 62,500 Capital One miles transferred to Etihad Guest, plus ~$28 in taxes and fees

Hot Tip: Be sure to check out our step-by-step guides for booking American Airlines business or first class! 

17. Fly to New Zealand in Business Class on American Airlines (62,500 Miles Transferred to Etihad Guest)

American Airlines is one of the world’s biggest airlines in terms of many metrics, including the number of planes flown.

Its fantastic long-haul network is not limited to Hong Kong, London, Brazil, and Argentina — it also recently started a 787 Dreamliner service from Los Angeles (LAX) to Auckland (AKL)!

Although not quite as awesome as the Flagship business class, the 787 business class product is solid, especially if it means you can fly straight to New Zealand without transiting. Here’s the route suggestion and associated costs:

• Los Angeles (LAX) – Auckland (AKL) one-way in business class on American Airlines for 62,500 Capital One miles transferred to Etihad Guest, plus ~$52 in taxes and fees

This pricing is phenomenal for travel between the U.S. and the South Pacific, which is a traditionally expensive route.

18. Fly From the East Coast to Europe in Business Class on Brussels Airlines (44,000 Miles Transferred to Etihad Guest)

Let’s talk about some of the other partners you can use Etihad Guest miles with. Etihad Airways partners with tons of airlines, and it employs a different award chart for each airline.

As if this couldn’t get complicated enough, some airlines use a region-based award chart, while others use a distance-based award chart.

In this example, we’ll talk about Brussels Airlines, which offers a fabulous business class product!

Unfortunately, you must fly from eastern North America and choose from 3 airports: New York City (JFK), Washington, D.C. (IAD), or Toronto (YYZ).

For 44,000 Etihad Guest miles, which can be transferred from Capital One miles, you can fly one-way to Brussels (BRU) in business class.

This is a fantastic use of points because of the solid business class product and great redemption price. The only issue is that there’s little route flexibility.

Here are the route offerings:

• New York City (JFK), Washington, D.C. (IAD), or Toronto (YYZ) – Brussels (BRU) one-way in business class on Brussels Airlines for 44,000 Capital One miles transferred to Etihad Guest, plus ~$100 in taxes and fees

19. Fly From the West Coast to Japan in Business Class on ANA (63,000 Miles Transferred to Etihad Guest)

ANA is a fabulous airline. Its Mileage Club is one of the best frequent flyer programs for round-trip/open-jaw flights in the industry, amazing premium cabin products, and tons of destinations.

Unfortunately, one of the challenges with ANA is booking one-way awards. This is where Etihad Guest comes in.

You can book one-way business class on ANA from the West Coast U.S. to Tokyo using the distance-based award chart.

It’s not a good idea to fly from other areas of the U.S., because the distance-based award chart is such that flying from Houston or New York is significantly more expensive.

For this reason, we suggest flying from either Los Angeles (LAX) or San Francisco (SFO) to Tokyo (NRT/HND).

This route will cost 63,000 Capital One miles transferred to Etihad Guest. Taxes and fees will hover at around $150 per person for one-way flights and around $300 for round-trip flights.

20. Fly From New York to Belgrade in Business Class on Air Serbia (64,000 Miles Transferred to Etihad Guest)

Want to fly to Serbia? This next redemption is pretty cool because it’s very niche and is also a solid business class product!

We’re talking about Air Serbia’s business class from New York City (JFK) to Belgrade (BEG), the capital of Serbia. For 64,000 Capital One miles transferred to Etihad Guest plus $411 in taxes and fees, you’ll be able to fly nonstop from the U.S. to Serbia in business class.

Notice that taxes and fees are pretty high here, so be mindful of that. This flight is booked at 8 hours 40 minutes, which is a bit of a journey, though not as long as some other flights.

21. Fly From the Czech Republic to South Korea in Business Class on Czech Airlines (25,610 Miles Transferred to Etihad Guest)

Yet another interesting but awesome redemption is using Etihad Guest miles to book Czech Airlines business class. We’re actually talking about a very specific flight:

• Prague (PRG) – Seoul-Incheon (ICN) one-way in business class on Czech Airlines for only 25,610 Capital One miles transferred to Etihad Guest, plus $207 in taxes and fees!

This honestly has got to be one of the best sweet spots of all time — this flight is booked at 10 to 11.5 hours!

The only downside is that it’s a very specific redemption. Still, if you can make it work and find award availability, we strongly recommend you try this out!

22. Fly to China in Business Class on Hainan Airlines (From 81,000 Miles Transferred to Etihad Guest)

Another valid (if a bit pricey) redemption is to fly to China. As one of the economic powerhouses of the world, this Far East country might be interesting to you as a tourist.

If you decide to visit, using Etihad Guest miles is a fabulous way to book Hainan Airlines business class. Hainan Airlines is one of the best airlines that flies to China, primarily because of its great soft product and hospitality.

Keep in mind that this is one of the only ways to book Hainan Airlines business class besides using Alaska miles.

To fly from the U.S. to China in business class will start at 81,000 Capital One miles transferred to Etihad Guest, plus $182 in taxes and fees.

Here’s a few great example routes you can take:

• Boston (BOS) – Beijing (PEK) one-way in business class on Hainan Airlines for 81,000 Capital One miles transferred to Etihad Guest
• Los Angeles (LAX) – Chengdu (CTU) one-way in business class on Hainan Airlines for 106,000 Capital One miles transferred to Etihad Guest
• Seattle (SEA) – Beijing (PEK) one-way in business class on Hainan Airlines for 81,000 Capital One miles transferred to Etihad Guest

Hot Tip: Hainan Airlines flies the 787-900 Dreamliner with an awesome 1-2-1 reverse herringbone configuration on this route. Other routes may feature an A330, which uses an inferior 2-2-2 configuration that doesn’t guarantee direct aisle access.

23. Fly From Brazil to Casablanca in Business Class on Royal Air Maroc (44,000 Points Transferred to Etihad Guest)

Royal Air Maroc is Morocco’s flag carrier, so it makes sense that most of its routes involve the city of Casablanca.

Fun Fact: Did you know that neither Casablanca nor Marrakesh is the capital city of Morocco! It’s actually Rabat.

Though Royal Air Maroc’s current 2-2-2 business class configuration is perfectly satisfactory, the airline actually has reverse herringbone 1-2-1 seating available on its 787-900 Dreamliners! These aren’t deployed on any routes reliably, so be sure to check before booking!

In this case, you can use Etihad Guest miles transferred from Capital One miles to book a one-way flight between Brazil and Casablanca for an awesome price! How awesome, you might ask?

This route is what we’re referring to:

• São Paulo (GRU) – Casablanca (CMN) one-way in business class on Royal Air Maroc for 44,000 Capital One miles transferred to Etihad Guest, plus just $29 in taxes and fees!

24. Fly From Sri Lanka to Beijing in Business Class on SriLankan Airlines (46,000 Miles Transferred to Etihad Guest)

Want another sweet redemption? Fly 7 hours between Colombo (CMB) and Beijing (PEK) in SriLankan Airlines’ business class for only 46,000 Capital One miles transferred to Etihad Guest! 

This flight features an awesome A330 with a 1-2-1 reverse herringbone business class arrangement. As we stated above, this seating arrangement is incredibly private, and the food seems to be decent!

25. Fly From Bali to the South Pacific in Business Class on Virgin Australia (33,800 Miles Transferred to Etihad Guest)

The last Etihad Guest redemption we’ll be talking about with Capital One miles is between Bali and Australia.

Etihad charges exorbitant amounts of miles for Virgin Australia ultra-long-haul flights, so flying on those is a great way to bankrupt yourself points-wise.

However, 1 thing we noticed is that for flights between Bali and various airports in Australia, the prices are actually quite good!

• Denpasar (DPS) – Brisbane (BNE) one-way in Virgin Australia’s business class for 33,800 Capital One miles + ~$43 in taxes and fees transferred to Etihad Guest
• Denpasar (DPS) – Sydney (SYD) one-way in Virgin Australia’s business class for 33,800 Capital One miles + ~$43 in taxes and fees transferred to Etihad Guest

For a 5 to 6 hour flight, there’s some decent value to be had here. Keep in mind that these seats are recliners on a 737, so not a fantastic product.

Nevertheless, a 6-hour flight can certainly be easier when sitting in the front of the plane, having your own room to relax, and enjoying a meal!

26. Fly to India in Business Class on Air India (113,333 Miles Transferred to Aeroplan)

Now that we’ve talked about the 2 most useful Capital One transfer partners in Avianca LifeMiles and Etihad Guest miles, let’s shift over to Air Canada Aeroplan.

Air Canada’s Aeroplan is super useful, particularly for stopovers and “mini round-the-world awards” that we’ll get to later. Let’s talk about Air India!

This airline doesn’t get a lot of love, but here’s what it offers: no-frills nonstop business class flights to India.

India is pretty far from America, so for someone who values their time highly, it might be worth it to “stick it out” in Air India’s “inferior” business class if it means you avoid the headache of transiting through airports and such.

Air Canada Aeroplan can help serve your needs here. For flights between the U.S. and India, you can transfer 113,333 Capital One miles to Aeroplan to book a one-way business class flight on Air India.

Here are several example routes you can take:

• Chicago (ORD) – Delhi (DEL) one-way in business class on Air India for 113,333 Capital One miles transferred to Air Canada Aeroplan, plus $45 in taxes and fees
• New York City (JFK) – Mumbai (BOM) one-way in business class on Air India for 113,333 Capital One miles transferred to Air Canada Aeroplan, plus $45 in taxes and fees
• San Francisco (SFO) – Delhi (DEL) one-way in business class on Air India for 113,333 Capital One miles transferred to Air Canada Aeroplan, plus $45 in taxes and fees

27. Fly Lufthansa First Class With a Stopover in Germany on Lufthansa (From 126,666 Miles Transferred to Aeroplan)

The first redemption we talked about was using Avianca LifeMiles to fly Lufthansa first class without surcharges for 116,000 Capital One miles.

With Aeroplan, you will pay as little as 90,000 miles for a one-way first class ticket on Lufthansa, and you can add a stopover on one-way tickets for 5,000 miles!

This is one of the only ways you can get a stopover in Germany on Lufthansa for an excellent price using Capital One miles.

Here are a few Lufthansa first class itineraries:

• Boston (BOS) – Frankfurt (FRA) – Milan (MXP) one-way in Lufthansa first class with a stopover in Frankfurt for 126,666 Capital One miles transferred to Air Canada, plus $46 in taxes and fees
• Boston (BOS) – Frankfurt (FRA) – Prague (PRG) one-way in Lufthansa first class with a stopover in Frankfurt for 126,666 Capital One miles transferred to Air Canada, plus $46 in taxes and fees
• Chicago (ORD) – Frankfurt (FRA) – Johannesburg (JNB) one-way in Lufthansa first class with a stopover in Frankfurt for 180,000 Capital One miles transferred to Air Canada, plus $46 in taxes and fees

28. Fly to Europe in Business Class with a Stopover in Switzerland on SWISS Air (100,000 Miles Transferred to Aeroplan)

Here’s another great way to use Aeroplan to your advantage.

The second redemption we talked about in this guide is on SWISS Air in business class. With Avianca LifeMiles, you can book this for 84,000 Capital One miles. But with Aeroplan, you can book the same flight for 93,333 Capital One miles and add another 6,667 Capital One miles for a stopover!

Also, you will absolutely not need to pay for fuel surcharges! Taxes and fees will be around $46.

Here are several example routes:

• Boston (BOS) – Zurich (ZRH) – Venice (VCE) one-way in business class on SWISS Air with a stopover in Zurich for 100,000 Capital One miles, plus $46 in taxes and fees
• Chicago (ORD) – Zurich (ZRH) – Athens (ATH) one-way in business class on SWISS Air with a stopover in Zurich for 100,000 Capital One miles, plus $46 in taxes and fees
• Los Angeles (LAX) – Zurich (ZRH) one-way in business class on SWISS Air for 93,333 Capital One miles, plus $46 in taxes and fees

29. Fly to New Zealand in Business Class on Air New Zealand (106,667 Miles Transferred to Aeroplan)

Let’s fly to New Zealand on Air New Zealand!

You can book Air New Zealand’s fabulous business class one-way for 100,000 Capital One miles transferred to Aeroplan, plus $45 in taxes and fees.

Here’s a great example route:

• Chicago (ORD) – Auckland (AKL) one-way in business class on Air New Zealand’s 777 business class for 113,333 Capital One miles transferred to Aeroplan
• Houston (IAH) – Auckland (AKL) one-way in business class on Air New Zealand’s 777 business class for 100,000 Capital One miles transferred to Aeroplan
• San Francisco (SFO) – Auckland (AKL) one-way in business class on Air New Zealand’s 777 business class for 100,000 Capital One miles transferred to Aeroplan

30. Fly From Hawaii to Southern South America in Business Class on United Airlines (93,333 Miles Transferred to Aeroplan)

Flying from Hawaii to southern South America is significantly cheaper than flying from the continental U.S.

We can take advantage of these generous award prices by piecing together United Airlines flights in business class.

Though not the real Polaris business class, you can still fly comfortably from Hawaii to southern South America for only 80,000 Capital One miles.

Here’s the sole route you can take:

• Honolulu (HNL) – Houston (IAH) – Buenos Aires (EZE) one-way in (fake) Polaris business class on United Airlines for 80,000 Capital One miles transferred to Aeroplan plus $45 in taxes and fees

31. Fly to Asia in Business Class (100,000 Miles Transferred to Aeroplan)

For 100,000 to 113,333 Capital One miles, you can fly one-way from the U.S. to Asia, which includes countries like Taiwan.

Of course, we love EVA Air business class, so this should definitely be on your list.

Here’s a great example route:

• Houston (IAH) – Taipei (TPE) one-way in Royal Laurel business class on EVA Air for 100,000 Capital One miles, plus $45 in taxes and fees
• Los Angeles (LAX) – Taipei (TPE) one-way in Royal Laurel business class on EVA Air for 100,000 Capital One miles, plus $45 in taxes and fees
• New York City (JFK) – Taipei (TPE) one-way in Royal Laurel business class on EVA Air for 113,333 Capital One miles, plus $45 in taxes and fees

32. Fly to Asia in First Class (146,666 Miles Transferred to Aeroplan)

Flying to Asia in first class is also a great use of your miles! Traveling in ANA first class would be our go-to option here.

These are some example routes you can take:

• Chicago (ORD) – Tokyo-Haneda (HND) one-way in first class on ANA for 146,667 Capital One miles transferred to Aeroplan, plus $45 in taxes and fees
• New York City (JFK) – Tokyo-Haneda (HND) one-way in first class on ANA for 146,667 Capital One miles transferred to Aeroplan, plus $45 in taxes and fees
• Washington, D.C. (IAD) – Tokyo-Narita (NRT) one-way in first class on ANA for 146,667 Capital One miles transferred to Aeroplan, plus $45 in taxes and fees

33. Fly to South Korea in Business Class (100,000 Miles Transferred to Aeroplan)

Aeroplan lumps the South Pacific and Asia into 1 main region called the Pacific. After that, a distance-based award chart applies.

These countries include Korea and China.

Here are some example routes you can take:

• Los Angeles (LAX) – Seoul-Incheon (ICN) one-way in business class on Asiana Airlines for 100,000 Capital One miles transferred to Aeroplan, plus $45 in taxes and fees
• New York City (JFK) – Seoul-Incheon (ICN) one-way in business class on Asiana Airlines for 100,000 Capital One miles transferred to Aeroplan, plus $45 in taxes and fees
• San Francisco (SFO) – Seoul-Incheon (ICN) one-way in business class on Asiana Airlines for 100,000 Capital One miles transferred to Aeroplan, plus $45 in taxes and fees

34. Fly to China Nonstop in First Class (146,666 Miles Transferred to Aeroplan)

You can also fly first class to China nonstop using Aeroplan points.

Here’s are example routes you can take:

• Los Angeles (LAX) – Beijing (PEK) one-way in first class on Air China for 146,666 Capital One miles transferred to Aeroplan, plus $45 in taxes and fees
• New York City (JFK) – Beijing (PEK) one-way in first class on Air China for 146,666 Capital One miles transferred to Aeroplan, plus $45 in taxes and fees
• San Francisco (SFO) – Beijing (PEK) one-way in first class on Air China for 146,666 Capital One miles transferred to Aeroplan, plus $45 in taxes and fees

35. Fly to Africa in Business Class (From 113,333 Miles Transferred to Aeroplan)

Aeroplan lumps Africa into the Atlantic zone, along with Europe, the Middle East, and South Asia. There is tons of variety on which flights you can take.

Itineraries that are 6,001 to 8,000 miles in distance will cost 85,000 Aeroplan points in business class, while itineraries greater than 8,000 miles will cost 100,000 Aeroplan points in business class.

Most will be operated by either Lufthansa or South African Airways.

If you can, you might actually want to route through Turkish Airlines or SWISS Air in lieu of Lufthansa, which has mediocre business class seats.

For as little as 113,333 Capital One miles, you can fly from America to this region. Here are a few great example routes you can take:

• New York City (JFK) – Istanbul (IST) – Nairobi (NBO) one-way in business class on Turkish Airlines for 113,333 Capital One miles transferred to Aeroplan, plus $45 in taxes and fees
• San Francisco (SFO) – Frankfurt (FRA) – Johannesburg (JNB) one-way in business class on Lufthansa and South African Airways for 133,333 Capital One miles transferred to Aeroplan, plus $45 in taxes and fees

As a reminder, you can add a stopover for an additional 5,000 Aeroplan points!

36. Oneworld Complex Multi-Carrier Awards With Asia Miles

Cathay Pacific Asia Miles has an incredibly complex series of award charts and routing rules. The gist? Building huge itineraries with 5+ flights on 5+ different airlines in business or first class is ridiculously cheap… if you take the time to understand the program. 

You can learn more about Cathay Pacific routing rules, but we won’t go in-depth. We’ll just talk about an exciting example redemption you can make:

1. Los Angeles (LAX) – Hong Kong (HKG) on American Airlines 777 Flagship business class
2. Hong Kong (HKG) – Kuala Lumpur (KUL) on Cathay Pacific business class
3. Singapore (SIN) – Sydney (SYD) on Qantas A330 business class
4. Sydney (SYD) – Doha (DOH) on Qatar Airways Qsuites
5. Doha (DOH) – Hong Kong (HKG) on Qatar Airways Qsuites
6. Hong Kong (HKG) – Osaka (KIX) on Cathay Pacific 777 business class (it flies A330s, too!)
7. Tokyo-Narita (NRT) – Los Angeles (LAX) on Japan Airlines 777 Sky Suite business class

This entire itinerary, flying on 6 different business class products across 6 different countries for almost 65 hours, would only cost 210,000 Capital One miles transferred at a 1:1 ratio to Asia Miles!

Considering the round-trip between Los Angeles and Hong Kong is 150,000 Asia Miles by itself, this is a gigantic steal — almost like highway robbery!

37. Flying Blue Promo Awards

Flying Blue’s Promo Awards get a lot of attention. Every month, Air France/KLM releases a small list of routes that will be available for booking with Flying Blue miles for 25% to 50% off!

Most of the routes are economy, but some are actually in business class. Of course, availability is first-come-first-serve, so be on the lookout for these.

38. Fly to Hawaii in Economy on Delta Airlines (20,000 Miles Transferred to Air France)

If you want to fly to Hawaii for some of the cheapest mileage costs, look at Air France. You can fly on Delta for as low as 20,000 Capital One miles transferred to Air France.

Here’s a great example route you can take:

• Los Angeles (LAX) – Honolulu (HNL) one-way for 20,000 Capital One miles transferred to Air France, plus $10 in taxes and fees

39. Fly on Delta One Suites (From 146,667 Miles Transferred to Air France)

We love Delta One Suites. This fabulous new product has effectively catapulted Delta’s business class product on select flights to the top of the industry.

If you can find Level 1 availability, seriously consider using Air France to book your Delta One Suites.

Though Air France says that Delta One Suites can be booked “from” 85,000 Air France miles, you should realistically expect to pay 110,000 miles each way.

This means you’ll transfer 146,667 Capital One miles each way to book your Delta One Suite. Here are example routes:

• Detroit (DTW) – Seoul-Incheon (ICN) one-way in Delta One Suites for 146,667 Capital One miles transferred to Air France/KLM Flying Blue, plus $10 in taxes and fees
• Los Angeles (LAX) – Shanghai (PVG) one-way in Delta One Suites for 146,667 Capital One miles transferred to Air France/KLM Flying Blue, plus $10 in taxes and fees
• Minneapolis (MSP) – Tokyo-Haneda (HND) one-way in Delta One Suites for 146,667 Capital One miles transferred to Air France/KLM Flying Blue, plus $10 in taxes and fees

40. Fly to China in Business Class With Tons of Award Availability on China Eastern (From 153,333 Miles Transferred to Air France)

If you’re in a bind and need to travel to Asia but can’t seem to find award availability for any flights in business class, China Eastern is your savior.

It has a solid hard product in a 1-2-1 reverse herringbone configuration on its 777, though its soft product has been found somewhat lacking.

Nevertheless, if you want (nearly) guaranteed award availability and a bed to sleep in — look no further.

Again, Air France says business class flights start from 85,000 miles each way, but we find the most realistic number is 115,000 miles. This translates to 153,333 Capital One miles each way.

Here’s a sample route you can take:

• Los Angeles (LAX) – Shanghai (PVG) one-way in business class on China Eastern for 153,333 Capital One miles transferred to Air France/KLM Flying Blue, plus $150 in taxes and fees
• New York City (JFK) – Shanghai (PVG) one-way in business class on China Eastern for 153,333 Capital One miles transferred to Air France/KLM Flying Blue, plus $150 in taxes and fees
• San Francisco (SFO) – Shanghai (PVG) one-way in business class on China Eastern for 153,333 Capital One miles transferred to Air France/KLM Flying Blue, plus $150 in taxes and fees

41. Fly to Europe in Business Class on SkyTeam (From 70,667 Miles Transferred to Air France)

We’re big fans of the Flying Blue loyalty program that Air France offers. For many connecting flights between the U.S. and Europe, you could be as little as 53,000 Flying Blue miles one-way.

For example, if you tried to fly from Los Angeles to Rome via Paris in Air France business class, it would cost you as little as 53,000 miles. 53,000 miles is equivalent to 70,667 Capital One miles transferred to Flying Blue.

Here are a couple of great example redemptions you can make:

• Los Angeles (LAX) – Paris (CDG) – Rome (FCO) one-way in business class on Air France (be sure to pick the 777-200ER for your first leg!) for only 70,667 Capital One miles transferred to Air France/KLM Flying Blue, plus ~$450 in taxes and fees
• San Francisco (SFO) – Paris (CDG) – Moscow (SVO) one-way in business class on Air France (be sure to pick the 777-300ER for your first leg!) for only 70,667 Capital One miles transferred to Air France/KLM Flying Blue, plus ~$450 in taxes and fees

42. East Coast to Dubai Round-Trip on Emirates: Economy for 60,000 Points or Business for 126,000 Points (Qantas)

Emirates is known to have one of the best economy products and a fantastic business class. It is currently not in an alliance and only partners with a handful of airlines, which makes these award redemptions a little tougher to snag.

There are several East Coast cities in this points range that fly direct to Dubai including Boston (BOS), New York (JFK), and Toronto (YYZ). For Emirates award flights, you should reference the first award chart; since the one-way distance is less than 7,000 flown miles, Zone 7 pricing applies.

Hot Tip: Need help booking? Read our guide on how to book Emirates business class using points.

Other Transfer Partners

There are other transfer partners that are technically options here, including Qatar Airways, Hainan Airlines, Finnair, etc.

But we don’t believe there’s much use at all for these transfer partners, because their redemption costs are high and/or it’s incredibly difficult to use its frequent flyer programs.

How To Transfer Your Capital One Miles to Transfer Partners

Step 1: Navigate to the Capital One website and log in to your account.

Step 2: Click Transfer Miles on the right side of your screen. Type in your frequent flyer number.

Step 3: Type in the number of miles to Transfer. Click Complete Transfer.

Step 4: Receive confirmation. You can download the confirmation code for your records.

Final Thoughts

There are tons of ways to redeem Capital One miles for maximum value. When transferring your points, keep the transfer ratio in mind, as it is not always a 1:1 ratio like with Chase Ultimate Rewards.

We focused mostly on Avianca LifeMiles, Etihad Guest, Air France/KLM Flying Blue, Air Canada Aeroplan, and Cathay Pacific Asia Miles here because these airlines provide consistent value with their miles and points.

Good luck redeeming your Capital One miles, and be sure to let us know your best redemptions in the comments below!

The information regarding the Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card and Capital One® VentureOne® Rewards Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.