What is the best way to book EVA Air business class?

If you need a round-trip award booking, ANA Mileage Club will require the fewest miles to book EVA Air business class between the U.S. and Asia. If you need a one-way award booking, Avianca LifeMiles or Air Canada Aeroplan might be your best bet. United MileagePlus is also an option, but it generally charges more miles.

What credit cards can help me earn miles to fly EVA Air business class?

There are a number of credit cards that can help you earn the necessary miles to fly business class on EVA Air. If you want to book with ANA Mileage Club, you can use cards that earn Amex Membership Rewards as ANA is one of Amex’s airline transfer partners. Chase Ultimate Rewards points transfer to Air Canada Aeroplan or United MileagePlus. You can also earn United miles directly through its numerous co-branded credit cards. Capital One Miles can be transferred to Aeroplan and LifeMiles, while Brex Rewards and Citi ThankYou Points transfer to LifeMiles.

What should you expect in business class on EVA Air?

EVA Air has a great lie-flat business class seat with direct aisle access. However, the airline’s standard of service, inflight amenities, and catering really set it apart from the competition.

Does EVA Air have flat beds?

Yes, EVA Air offers lie-flat seats in a reverse-herringbone configuration with direct aisle access at every seat.

Best Ways To Book EVA Air Business Class Using Points [2023]

Taiwan’s EVA Air has an amazing business class product known as Royal Laurel Class, but it seems to consistently fly under the radar as opposed to some of its peers like Singapore Airlines or All Nippon Airways of Japan.

And while EVA Air doesn’t have a massive fleet of aircraft, it does operate several routes to and from the U.S., and you should certainly consider the carrier when planning a trip to Asia.

Let’s take a look at the EVA Air business class experience, how to book it, some great redemption options, and tips for earning the necessary points and miles.

Table of contents

A Look Inside EVA Air Business Class
How To Book EVA Air Business Class
Great Business Class Redemptions on EVA Air
How To Earn Miles To Fly EVA Air Business Class
When Should You Search for Award Space?
What Do You Get With EVA Air Business Class?
Final Thoughts

Table of Contents

A Look Inside EVA Air Business Class
How To Book EVA Air Business Class
Great Business Class Redemptions on EVA Air
How To Earn Miles To Fly EVA Air Business Class
When Should You Search for Award Space?
What Do You Get With EVA Air Business Class?
Final Thoughts

A Look Inside EVA Air Business Class

Eva Air Royal Laurel Class business passenger sleeping — Enjoy direct aisle access and a lie-flat seat in business class on EVA Air. Image Credit: EVA Air

EVA Air uses a popular reverse-herringbone configuration in business class, which means every seat in the cabin has direct aisle access. Of course, each seat can recline into a fully flat bed, so you can rest comfortably during flights that can be up to 16 hours long.

You’ll also notice that business class is actually divided into 2 cabins, with the further-forward cabin being a bit larger. Not to worry though — the cabin layout and seats are identical in each cabin.

Unlike certain other airlines (Emirates’ business class is the first that comes to mind), EVA Air takes an understated approach to business class. You won’t find the glitz and glamour of wood paneling and gold like you will on Emirates, but that doesn’t take away from a fantastic experience.

EVA Air doesn’t have a first class product, but it’s elevated elements of its business class product that make it feel almost like first class. For example, when you board, you’ll be greeted by a cabin crew member at the door and then escorted to your seat. In addition, EVA Air offers pajamas to all business class passengers and will serve high-end Champagne throughout the flight.

The airline also offers generally consistent and reliable Wi-Fi at a reasonable price so you can stay connected to work, family, or friends during your flight.

If you’re departing from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) in Taipei, make sure you stop by EVA Air’s business class lounge where you can enjoy a nice meal, have a drink, and relax.

Hot Tip: For even more ideas, check out this post on the best ways to redeem EVA Air miles for maximum value.

How To Book EVA Air Business Class

Now that you have a bit of an idea of what to expect during your business class adventure with EVA Air, let’s talk about how you can book a flight. As a Star Alliance member, you have plenty of options to book award tickets.

All Nippon Airways (ANA) Mileage Club

ANA Mileage Club Partner Award Chart — ANA Mileage Club is perhaps the best way to book EVA Air business class if you need a round-trip ticket. Image Credit: ANA

Often overlooked, All Nippon Airways (ANA) Mileage Club is a great way to book Star Alliance partner award tickets. We love ANA Mileage Club because its round-trip business class awards are so competitively priced that it makes it a no-brainer to use this program.

Remember that ANA Mileage Club requires round-trip award bookings, meaning you must find award space for both the outbound and return flights to complete your booking.

Mileage Club will pass on carrier-imposed surcharges when you book awards, but EVA Air does not impose these fees, so you won’t have to worry about that for this particular booking.

Follow these steps to make the booking process easy:

Visit ANA’s website.
In the top-right corner, log in to your account.
On the left side of the page, click ANA International and Partner Airline Flight Rewards.
Enter your origin and destination.
Choose your travel dates.
- If your travel dates are flexible, you can check the box next to Compare seat availability +/- 3 days.
Choose Business Class.
Click Search.
Choose your flights.
- Make sure the flight option you choose lists Operated by EVA Airways.

Hot Tip: For some travel inspiration, take a look at some of the best ways to redeem ANA Mileage Club miles.

Here are some great redemptions to consider:

Chicago (ORD) – Taipei (TPE) round-trip in EVA Air business class for 95,000 ANA miles + ~$30 in taxes and fees
Houston (IAH) – Taipei (TPE) – Bangkok (BKK) round-trip in EVA Air business class with a stopover in Taipei for 95,000 ANA miles + ~$30 in taxes and fees

Earning ANA Mileage Club Miles

Earning ANA miles is easy, thanks to a handy transfer partnership with American Express Membership Rewards. You can transfer points at a 1:1 ratio and these transfers process within 2 to 3 business days.

Furthermore, you can also transfer Marriott Bonvoy points at a 3:1 ratio to ANA miles. For every 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points you transfer in a single transaction to ANA, you’ll receive a bonus of 5,000 ANA miles!

Recommended American Express Cards (Personal)

Business Owner? Check out our article on the best Amex business cards that earn Membership Rewards.

Air Canada Aeroplan

Another airline loyalty program you should consider using to book business class awards on EVA Air is Air Canada’s Aeroplan.

You can take care of the entire booking process online, and Aeroplan’s award pricing is based on a number of factors, including the regions you’re flying to/from, the distance of your route, and your cabin class.

Here’s the award chart for flights between the U.S. and Asia:

Aeroplan North America Pacific Award Chart. Image Credit: Air Canada

As you can see, your award flight will cost either 75,000 or 85,000 points if you’re flying on any nonstop route from the U.S. to Taipei in EVA Air business class.

Here are the steps you’ll need to follow to book online with Aeroplan:

Make your way to Air Canada’s homepage.
In the top-right corner, click Sign in by hovering over the button that says Sign in.
Log in using your Aeroplan number and password.
On the homepage’s search box, remember to toggle the slider that says Points.
Select Round-trip or One-way for the trip, fill in the search box, and click Find.
Find a suitable flight, redeem your Aeroplan points, and use a credit card to book your Air Canada flight.

Aeroplan might show you several options with other Star Alliance partners, so if you want to fly EVA Air on the long-haul segment across the Pacific Ocean, make sure you check which airline is operating that segment.

Hot Tip: Check out our Aeroplan region definition guide to make it easy to find out how many miles you need to book your award.

You can also add a stopover in Taipei for just 5,000 more points, though these bookings will need to be made over the phone at 800-361-5373.

Here are some great example routes you can book:

New York (JFK) – Taipei (TPE) one-way in EVA Air business class for 85,000 Aeroplan points + ~$40 in taxes and fees
Seattle (SEA) – Taipei (TPE) – Manila (MNL) one-way in EVA Air business class with a stopover in Taipei for 80,000 Aeroplan points + ~$39 in taxes and fees

Earning Air Canada Aeroplan Points

You can transfer points to Aeroplan from your American Express Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Capital One Miles, or Chase Ultimate Rewards accounts at a 1:1 ratio. These transfers process almost instantly.

You can also transfer Marriott Bonvoy points at a 3:1 ratio with a bonus of 5,000 Aeroplan points for every 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points you transfer. Keep in mind that transfers from Marriott take about 5 business days to complete.

Recommended Chase Cards (Personal)

Business Owner? Read our article on the best Chase business cards that earn Ultimate Rewards.

Avianca LifeMiles

Avianca LifeMiles is an excellent frequent flyer program that offers great redemption rates, simple booking parameters, and lots of ways to earn points.

Currently, the program charges 75,000 LifeMiles one-way for a business class flight between the U.S. and North Asia, which includes Taiwan.

There are no stopovers allowed, and if you want to fly to a destination like Thailand or India, you’ll pay 78,000 LifeMiles.

Keep in mind that Avianca’s online search engine is essentially your only shot at booking these award tickets since its customer service hotline is very difficult to work with.

To book your ticket, follow these steps:

Visit LifeMiles’s website.
In the top-right corner, toggle the language of the website to English by clicking on the flag icon.
On the English homepage, click the Log in button in the top-right corner.
Enter your LifeMiles online account login details.
On the homepage, click Travel
In the search box, enter your flight details, number of passengers, and cabin class. Click the blue arrow icon to perform the search.
Select your travel date(s).
Choose your flight, complete the booking process to redeem your points, and use a credit card to pay for taxes and fees.

Here are a few excellent flights you can book using LifeMiles:

Los Angeles (LAX) – Taipei (TPE) one-way in EVA Air business class for 75,000 LifeMiles + ~$61 in taxes and fees
San Francisco (SFO) –Taipei (TPE) one-way in EVA Air business class for 75,000 LifeMiles + ~$61 in taxes and fees

Earning Avianca LifeMiles

Avianca LifeMiles is a transfer partner of numerous programs including Amex Membership Rewards, Brex Rewards, Capital One, Citi ThankYou Rewards, and Marriott Bonvoy.

Amex, Citi, Capital One, and Brex transfer at a 1:1 ratio almost instantly (note that Brex could take up to 1 business day).

Marriott Bonvoy points transfer at a 3:1 ratio in approximately 1 business day.

Recommended Citi Cards

United Airlines MileagePlus

One of the most common ways to book business class award tickets on EVA Air from the U.S. is through United Airlines’ MileagePlus program. By following some simple steps, you can take care of the booking online.

Most likely, your nonstop flight will cost around 88,000 United miles in each direction plus minimal taxes and fees.

Here’s what you need to do:

Visit United’s website.
Sign in to your account.
Select Search for award travel.
Select your travel dates and route.
Select your cabin of choice (business).
Select your flight (make sure it’s operated by EVA Air).
Review your flight choice.

Hot Tip: Check out some of the other amazing ways to redeem United MileagePlus miles for fun flights around the world.

Earning United MileagePlus Miles

If you need more MileagePlus miles to complete your booking, you can transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points almost instantly at a 1:1 ratio. (United is one of many of Chase’s airline transfer partners.)

There are also a handful of co-branded credit cards that enable you to earn United miles directly.

Finally, you can transfer Marriott Bonvoy points to United at a 3:1.1 ratio. For every 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points you transfer, you’ll receive a 5,500-mile bonus, which means you’ll get 27,500 United miles if you transfer 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points.

Recommended United Cards

Other Options for Booking Flights on EVA Air

These are only a few of the many ways to book business class flights on EVA Air. As a Star Alliance member, you can use any of the loyalty programs from any of the alliance partners to book awards.

Other good options for booking include Asiana Club, Lufthansa’s Miles & More, and EVA Air’s own Infinity MileageLands program. Booking through Infinity MileageLands is a bit more complicated, but it can be useful if you have a lot of miles in your account.

Hot Tip: For other alternatives, check out our guide to the best ways to fly to Taiwan with points and miles!

Great Business Class Redemptions on EVA Air

Eva Air Royal Laurel Class business 777 — EVA Air business class is a great way to fly between the United States and Asia. Image Credit: EVA Air

While many airlines restrict the number of business class award seats they make available on any given flight, we have seen pretty good availability recently on EVA Air, with anywhere from 2 to 4 business class seats frequently available on the route between Los Angeles (LAX) and Taipei (TPE).

By utilizing stopovers, you can not only fly EVA Air business class, but also see more on your trip. Air Canada and ANA both allow stopovers on award bookings, so you’ll have plenty of options.

Before we dig into stopovers, let’s start with a more traditional award booking. Let’s say you want to fly from Chicago (ORD) to Taipei (TPE) on one of EVA Air’s Hello Kitty planes (more on that below).

If you book via United MileagePlus, you’ll need 198,000 United miles for a round-trip business class award. Air Canada Aeroplan will require 150,000 points, while ANA Mileage Club will only require 95,000 miles. Clearly, ANA Mileage Club provides the best option here.

Here are some other fun redemption options listed with round-trip award prices:

Origin	Destination	ANA Mileage Club	Air Canada Aeroplan	Avianca LifeMiles	United MileagePlus
Houston (IAH)	Seoul (ICN)	95,000 miles	170,000 points	150,000 LifeMiles	176,000 miles
Los Angeles (LAX)	Singapore (SIN)	136,000 miles	170,000 points	156,000 LifeMiles	198,000 miles
New York City (JFK)	Hong Kong (HKG)	136,000 miles	170,000 points	156,000 LifeMiles	198,000 miles

As we saw in our first example, ANA Mileage Club is the best way to book a round-trip business class award on EVA Air. However, ANA does not allow one-way bookings, while Air Canada Aeroplan, Avianca LifeMiles, and United MileagePlus do.

Now, if you want to book a stopover in Taipei, remember the flight to your final destination does not have to be on EVA Air. For example, you could fly from Los Angeles (LAX) to Taipei (TPE) on EVA Air and enjoy a stopover before continuing to Singapore (SIN) on Singapore Airlines.

How To Earn Miles To Fly EVA Air Business Class

We recommend using miles from ANA, Aeroplan, LifeMiles, and United to book flights on EVA Air primarily because they’re all pretty easy to earn.

In general, ANA offers the most attractive redemption rates, but it’s relatively restrictive in terms of not allowing one-way awards and other rules.

That said, other programs have higher redemption rates but offer more flexibility. All in all, we recommend referencing this transfer partner summary to help you decide:

Amex Membership Rewards points transfer to ANA, Aeroplan, and LifeMiles at a 1:1 ratio. ANA takes around 2 to 3 business days, while Aeroplan and LifeMiles transfer almost instantly.
Bilt Rewards points transfer to Aeroplan at a 1:1 ratio almost instantly.
Brex Rewards points transfer to LifeMiles at a 1:1 ratio in up to 1 business day.
Capital One Miles transfer to Aeroplan and LifeMiles at a 1:1 ratio almost instantly.
Chase Ultimate Rewards points transfer to Aeroplan and United at a 1:1 ratio almost instantly.
Citi ThankYou Points transfer to LifeMiles at a 1:1 ratio almost instantly.
Marriott Bonvoy points transfer to ANA, Aeroplan, and LifeMiles at a 3:1 ratio within 3 business days, 5 business days, and 1 business day, respectively. They also transfer to United MileagePlus at a slightly improved 3:1.1 ratio within 3 business days.

Hot Tip: You can also check out these ways to earn lots of EVA Air miles.

When Should You Search for Award Space?

EVA Air has been pretty good about releasing award space to its Star Alliance partners. You can start searching for award space nearly a year before departure. We’ve seen Air Canada show award space 355 days before departure and United show award space 336 days before.

Even if you need award space for a flight within 3 or 4 months, it’s not uncommon to find business class space for 1 to 4 people.

What Do You Get With EVA Air Business Class?

We’ve already touched on what you can expect from EVA Air business class, but now we’ll dive in with a little more detail.

Amazing Inflight Amenities

EVA Air Pajamas — Get comfortable in a set of EVA Air’s business class pajamas. Image Credit: EVA Air

EVA Air’s reverse-herringbone business class seats are a great way to fly, but it’s the other amenities that set it apart from the competition.

As you settle in and enjoy a glass of Champagne before departure, you can unpack your Rimowa amenity kit. It looks like a mini Rimowa suitcase and comes with Salvatore Ferragamo toiletries, an eye mask, toothbrush, toothpaste, socks, slippers, brush, and more.

You’ll even be given comfortable pajamas to wear during the flight. Though common in first class, pajamas in business class are a great perk.

Once you’re ready to sleep, you’ll have more than just a lie-flat seat — a member of the crew can provide you with a mattress pad that will make it even more comfortable. Top it off with a great pillow and blanket, and you’ll be asleep in no time!

Great Inflight Catering

Eva Air Royal Laurel Class business passenger with meal — Enjoy amazing inflight catering. Image Credit: EVA Air

Another area where EVA Air shines is its inflight catering. Plenty of airlines present food that leaves a lot to be desired, but EVA Air stands out for the quality of its cuisine. You can even preorder your main course before your flight.

As we mentioned earlier, EVA Air serves Champagne to business class passengers — but not just any Champagne. Depending on your flight, you can expect to enjoy Dom Perignon, Krug, or Veuve Clicquot. If you like Champagne, this will be a fun flight for you!

Hello Kitty Jet

EVA Air 777-300 Hello Kitty — Book a flight on one of EVA Air’s Hello Kitty planes to make your trip just a little bit more fun. Image Credit: EVA Air

EVA Air has become famous among some flying enthusiasts for its special Hello Kitty-themed jets that can be found on a limited number of routes.

However, it’s not just the livery that gets people excited. The inflight experience is also full of Hello Kitty references. When you arrive at your business class seat, you’ll notice the pillow waiting for you has a Hello Kitty design.

In addition, other aspects including napkins, bathroom amenities, menus, snacks, and even your slippers will all feature the Hello Kitty theme!

If you want to have a little fun with your flight, see if you can find a route with the Hello Kitty livery and amenities.

Final Thoughts

EVA Air’s business class product is a hidden gem that should be near or at the top of your list. Not only is it a convenient way to fly to Asia from the U.S., but you’ll get first class service from start to finish.

With so many Star Alliance partners you can use to book a business class award, you won’t have any trouble earning enough miles and points to fly with EVA Air. Now all you have to do is figure out when you’re going to fly!

For rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, click here.
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9 comments

Yerta April 8, 2018

Do you know if it is possible to book EVA Air’s business class AFTER having booked it as ECONOMY? Does the option come up at the time of ONLINE CHECK IN? If not is it considerably more expensive to book at the check in counter?

Johnathan May 15, 2018

I tried booking a hello kitty flight out of LAX to TPE through United Mileage. The connecting SFO to LAX (United) flight was confirmed, however, the Hello Kitty flight itself was “waitlisted.” This was rather frustrating as it seemed as if space was available, but perhaps EVA was holding it for revenue passengers? Anyone have any insight to this?

jeremy August 12, 2019

The best way to book Eva business is to upgrade from Eva premium economy. I have been using the Citi ThankYou Premier to earn points for Eva, and Eva opens many slots to upgrade to business class if you book through the website. I often use around 70k point for a round-trip from any west coast city to Taipei. Then I buy an upgradable premium economy ticket which cost $600 less if you buy B class and use United miles to upgrade. Eva business cost around $5000, using the Citi points to upgrade, your points can be worth around 4 cents per point.

Richie May 28, 2021

Air Canada has changed their rules for how to upgrade an existing ticket. I am not sure if we still can use aeroplan points to upgrade to EVA business class. Can you guide us the way to do it?

Kathleen July 12, 2022

Hello,
I am trying to use ANA flights to book an EVA flight from NYC to TPE. When I try to log into ANA using the method above, I don’t see this menu as mentioned in Step 3 below:
3 On the left side of the page, click ANA International and Partner Airline Flight Rewards.

Is it possible the menu has changed or am I just blind? Any help would be appreciated, thank you!
Kathleen

tatsuki20 July 19, 2022

I searched a HKG-LAX with a TPE connection via Eva on ANA’s website. Yes, it’s 95K miles but the fees are US$478! Still a good deal total cost wise but I wonder why the fees are so high compared to the $30-40 fees you’re coming across

Johnny January 10, 2023

Since the Pandemic, EVA doesn’t seem to be offering any Business Class seats (at least through ANA) for rewards redemption to Taipei. All my searches between NYC TPE only have availability on Economy, but never Business anymore. Anyone have any workarounds or tips to share on this?

- LY January 21, 2023
  
  They are few and far between. Remember EVA FFs get first dibs when schedule opens 360 days in advance (ANA lists the awards 351 days in advance). You have to be very flexible with your schedule, and avoid all major holidays (thanksgiving, Christmas, lunar new year, and summer vacation). If you can travel outside of those periods, then you’re halfway there. The other half requires checking availability on a daily basis. Tedious but can be done.
  
Jonathan Ridder February 28, 2023

I checked for business award space on Aeroplan, both JFK to TPE and SFO to TPE, for about 100 different dates in 2023. Minimum cost, one way, is about 250K miles.

On United, for SFO to TPE, there were zero EVA flight available with business class seats for the dates I checked (about a 100 of them in 2023). United flights cost 200K miles, one way.

I did find space directly on EVA’s website. So, ThankYou points can get you there, but United miles or UR Points are pretty useless for EVA biz class awards.

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Best Ways To Book EVA Air Business Class Using Points [Step-by-Step]

A Look Inside EVA Air Business Class