Indonesia’s flag carrier, Garuda Indonesia, is a generally beloved airline. It has a long history, and started as a successor of KLM Interinsulair Bedrijf, due to Indonesia’s previous status as the Dutch East Indies.
At its peak in the mid-1990s, this full-service airline had extensive service to all corners of the world, including Australia, Egypt, South Africa, the U.S., and Europe.
Since then, Garuda Indonesia’s footprint has shrunk dramatically due to financial hardships.
Today, it’s the second-largest airline in Indonesia after Lion Air, but it’s essentially the country’s only full-service carrier, making it an attractive option for those looking to enjoy a luxurious premium cabin experience.
Let’s take a look at how you can book Garuda Indonesia business class using points.
A Look Inside Garuda Indonesia Business Class
Image Credit: Garuda IndonesiaGaruda Indonesia is a member of the SkyTeam alliance alongside partners like Delta Air Lines, Air France, KLM, and Korean Air.
Headquartered in Indonesia’s capital city of Jakarta, it maintains 4 hubs in Jakarta (CGK), Bali-Denpasar (DPS), Makassar (UPG), and Medan (KNO).
When flying through select airports like Jakarta (CGK), Bali-Denpasar (DPS), and Surabaya (SUB), you’ll have access to a premium ground experience, including access to excellent lounges.
When flying business class, you’ll be able to skip the long check-in lines, freshen up with a shower, indulge in a large selection of hot food and beverage choices, and more.
Even if you’re not originating in Indonesia, you’ll have access to a wide range of SkyTeam partner lounges, including business class lounges from KLM, Korean Air, and even SkyTeam-operated lounges!
When you board the aircraft, you’ll enjoy forward-facing staggered seats that recline completely flat, have direct aisle access, and are equipped with a personal side table.
Some newer aircraft even have reverse herringbone seats for more privacy!
How To Fly Garuda Indonesia Business Class Using Points
It’s important to note that while a few of Garuda Indonesia’s Boeing 777-300ER aircraft are equipped with an exceptional first class cabin, there’s no way to book award tickets besides using GarudaMiles (which has no U.S. transfer partners).
That being said, Garuda Indonesia business class is surprisingly easy to book using points.
You can generally find availability both far in advance and close to departure, and often you’ll find long-haul routes with 4 business class seats available at a given time.
Even if you couldn’t find award space all at once, Garuda routinely offers attractive cash upgrade deals at the airport.
Garuda Indonesia no longer offers direct flights from the U.S., but its international network reaches across Asia, Australia, Europe, and the Middle East.
Let’s dive into the best ways to book Garuda Indonesia business class with points.
ANA Mileage Club
Undoubtedly, ANA Mileage Club is the best frequent flyer program for booking Garuda Indonesia business class flights.
At first glance, it’s not an intuitive pick because ANA is in Star Alliance while Garuda Indonesia is in SkyTeam. But, ANA is actually one of Garuda Indonesia’s non-alliance partners, making it possible to redeem ANA miles for Garuda Indonesia flights.
Unfortunately, first class isn’t allowed, but we’ll “settle” for business class.
ANA Mileage Club only permits round-trip award bookings, but with an abundance of award availability, it shouldn’t be difficult to find outbound and inbound award tickets at the same time.
Also, ANA Mileage Club makes it easy to book award tickets completely online, which is a huge plus.
Here’s how much you can expect to pay for round-trip Garuda Indonesia flights to/from Jakarta:
| Jakarta (CGK) To/From | Cabin Class | ANA Miles Cost (Round-Trip) | Taxes and Fees |
| Amsterdam (AMS) | Economy | 59,000 | ~$410 |
| Business | 94,000 | ~$410 |
| Seoul (ICN) | Economy | 37,000 | ~$82 |
| Business | 62,000 | ~$82 |
| Sydney (SYD) | Economy | 45,000 | ~$115 |
| Business | 72,000 | ~$490 |
| Tokyo (HND) | Economy | 35,000 | ~$129 |
| Business | 60,000 | ~$129 |
ANA Mileage Club passes on fuel surcharges most of the time, but you’ll notice that the fuel surcharges levied by Garuda Indonesia are mostly reasonable to begin with.
Follow these steps to book your Garuda Indonesia flight completely online:
- Go to ANA’s U.S. homepage.
- On the left-hand side of the site, click Award Booking near the top of the search box.
- Enter your ANA Mileage Club account login details.
- On the redirected search page, click Round trip or Open-jaw. Enter the required travel information, and click Search.
- Find your desired flights, redeem your ANA miles, and use a credit card to pay for taxes and fees.
- At the top of the search results, you have the option to choose Non Star Alliance Award. Be sure to toggle this option if you’re looking to book Garuda Indonesia flights.
Here’s what a successful Garuda Indonesia business class award search on ANA’s site would look like:
Image Credit: ANAHot Tip: ANA Mileage Club has a family account service that allows you to combine and redeem miles for award tickets. Adding 2 to 8 family members for Mileage Club members who reside outside of Japan comes with a registration fee of 1,000 ANA miles per person.
Earning ANA Miles
ANA miles are pretty easy to earn — the ANA Mileage Club frequent flyer program has transfer partnerships with Amex Membership Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy, which means you can rack up tons of miles quickly!
Amex transfers to ANA at a 1:1 ratio in 3 business days, while Marriott Bonvoy transfers to ANA at a 3:1 ratio in around 4 business days.
And when you transfer 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points to ANA at once, you’ll also get a bonus of 5,000 extra ANA miles!
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Delta SkyMiles
The next program we’d recommend for booking Garuda Indonesia business class flights is Delta SkyMiles.
Although this loyalty program has been criticized for getting devalued frequently, it’s still one of the best options in the context of booking Garuda Indonesia flights.
In particular, you can get solid value for your points, as this table demonstrates:
| Jakarta (CGK) To/From | Cabin Class | Delta SkyMiles Cost (One-Way) | Taxes and Fees |
| Amsterdam (AMS) | Economy | 50,000 | $16 to $33 |
| Business | 95,000 | $16 to $33 |
| Seoul (ICN) | Economy | 17,500 | $16 to $33 |
| Business | 45,000 | $16 to $33 |
| Sydney (SYD) | Economy | 40,000 | $116 to $232 |
| Business | 70,000 | $116 to $232 |
| Tokyo (HND) | Economy | 17,500 | $17 to $45 |
| Business | 45,000 | $17 to $45 |
Delta SkyMiles doesn’t pass on many fuel surcharges, except flights between Indonesia and Australia.
Another piece of good news is that Delta SkyMiles allows you to search and book these flights directly online, thanks to a easy-to-operate user interface. Here’s how to do just that:
- Visit Delta’s website.
- On the homepage, look for the banner at the top of the screen.
- First, check off the box that says Shop with Miles. Then, click Advanced search. Under the Best Fares For box, choose Delta One.
- Enter the airport codes, number of travelers, and travel date(s).
- Perform your search, find available flights, redeem your Delta SkyMiles, and use a credit card to pay for the taxes and fees.
Hot Tip: When using Delta SkyMiles’ search engine, be sure to indicate My dates are flexible if you want to see the largest calendar view of award availability.
Earning Delta SkyMiles
Earning Delta SkyMiles is easier than ever, thanks to Amex’s co-branded credit card offerings, in addition to Delta’s 2 transfer partners: Amex Membership Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy.
Amex transfers at a 1:1 ratio almost instantly, while Marriott Bonvoy transfers at a 3:1 ratio in around 1 business day.
Additionally, when you transfer 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points to Delta SkyMiles, you’ll receive a bonus of 5,000 SkyMiles.
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Korean Air SKYPASS
Korean Air SKYPASS gets a lot of love at Upgraded Points. That’s because even though the miles are pretty hard to earn, they can be used to get excellent value.
In the event you find yourself with a bunch of Korean Air miles, you can book round-trip award flights on any of Korean Air’s partners (one-way award tickets are only allowed on Korean Air-operated flights).
All fuel surcharges are passed on, but it isn’t such a big deal with Garuda Indonesia, since this airline doesn’t levy large fuel surcharges on most flights.
Here’s the redemption table for Garuda Indonesia-operated flights booked with Korean Air miles:
| Jakarta (CGK) To/From | Cabin Class | Korean Air Miles Cost (Round-Trip) | Taxes and Fees |
| Amsterdam (AMS) | Economy | 75,000 | ~$410 |
| Business | 115,000 | ~$410 |
| Seoul (ICN) | Economy | 50,000 | ~$82 |
| Business | 75,000 | ~$82 |
| Sydney (SYD) | Economy | 50,000 | ~$129 |
| Business | 75,000 | ~$129 |
| Tokyo (HND) | Economy | 50,000 | ~$129 |
| Business | 75,000 | ~$129 |
The other drawback, in addition to the difficulty in earning Korean Air miles, is the booking process.
SKYPASS allows you to book award flights only for up to 5 immediate family members, and you must provide proof of relationship through Korean Air’s website, via fax, or through a local Korean Air office.
Once you’re approved, you can book award flights for your children, spouse, children-in-law, parents-in-law, siblings, grandchildren, or grandchildren.
To book your Korean Air flights, follow these instructions:
- Visit Korean Air’s website.
- In the top-right corner, click Log in. Enter your login credentials and click Log in. You’ll be redirected to the homepage after that.
- In the search box on the right-hand side of the page, click the … icon to the right of Award.
- Click SkyTeam awards.
- Enter your search details, number of passengers, and choose Prestige Class.
- Click Search Flights.
- Find your desired business class flight on Garuda Indonesia.
- Proceed with the travel booking and confirm the ticket.
Earning Korean Air SKYPASS Miles
Korean Air has just 1 transfer partner in Marriott Bonvoy.
Marriott Bonvoy transfers at a 3:1 ratio to Korean Air, and you’ll get a bonus of 5,000 SKYPASS miles whenever you transfer 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points at a time to Korean Air.
Transfers may take up to 3 weeks, but they often take as few as 2 days to transfer.
Other ways to earn Korean Air miles include signing up for U.S. Bank’s co-branded Korean Air SKYPASS credit cards.
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Aeromexico Club Premier
One of the quirkier frequent flyer programs is Aeromexico Club Premier, which belongs to Mexico’s flag carrier.
Unfortunately, this program is fairly complex due to unnecessarily complicated rules, making it a less-than-popular option for U.S.-based travelers.
Here’s how much Garuda Indonesia flights would cost if booked via Club Premier:
| Jakarta (CGK) To/From | Cabin Class | Aeromexico Points Cost (One-Way, Low Season) | Aeromexico Points Cost (One-Way, High Season) | Taxes and Fees |
| Amsterdam (AMS) | Economy | 64,000 | 72,000 | ~$178 to $191 |
| Business | 138,000 | 152,000 | ~$178 to $191 |
| Seoul (ICN) | Economy | 32,500 | 36,000 | ~$36 to $47 |
| Business | 56,000 | 62,000 | ~$36 to $47 |
| Sydney (SYD) | Economy | 75,500 | 84,000 | ~$178 to $191 |
| Business | 154,000 | 171,000 | ~$178 to $191 |
| Tokyo (HND) | Economy | 32,500 | 36,000 | ~$56 to $75 |
| Business | 56,000 | 62,000 | ~$56 to $75 |
You’ll notice there’s a seasonality element. The high season includes:
- The Monday before Easter season until the Sunday after Easter season (4 weeks)
- June 1 to August 18
- December 8 to January 16
If you decide to book a Garuda Indonesia business class flight from Tokyo-Haneda to Jakarta using Club Premier points departing on July 15, you’ll redeem at the high season rate of 62,000 points instead of the low season rate of 56,000 points.
These prices appear to be on the higher end, especially for long-haul flights, but, as you’ll find out in the next section, you can transfer points at a better ratio than 1:1 to Club Premier.
Whatever the case, Aeromexico Club Premier requires all award tickets to be booked over the phone. Here are the recommended steps to take:
- Perform an award search on Delta’s website to find suitable availability.
- Give Club Premier a call at 855-412-2650 and request to book a Garuda Indonesia business class flight.
- Provide the representative with your itinerary, and confirm availability.
- Use your points, provide all travelers’ information, use a credit card for taxes and fees, and process the ticket.
Earning Aeromexico Club Premier Points
Earning Club Premier points is easy, thanks to an abundance of transfer partnerships.
Amex transfers at a 1:1.6 ratio, while Citi, Brex, and Capital One transfer at a 1:1 ratio. Lastly, Marriott Bonvoy transfers at a 3:1 ratio with a bonus of 5,000 points when you transfer 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points to Club Premier.
Amex transfers take anywhere from 2 to 12 business days, while Citi and Capital One transfers are almost instant. Brex takes around 1 business day, while Marriott Bonvoy takes around 4 business days.
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Air France/KLM Flying Blue
The last loyalty program we’ll discuss is Air France/KLM Flying Blue, which is one of the most popular SkyTeam frequent flyer programs.
Unfortunately, in this situation, it doesn’t make much sense to redeem points through Flying Blue, unless you only have Chase Ultimate Rewards points.
Normally, this program has an attractive redemption scheme, especially for U.S. to Europe flights, but award fares are quite expensive on Garuda Indonesia’s main nonstop long-haul routes.
Flying Blue uses a dynamic award pricing structure, but here’s a look at the Saver award ticket pricing for Garuda Indonesia flights:
| Jakarta (CGK) To/From | Cabin Class | Flying Blue Miles Cost (One-Way) | Taxes and Fees |
| Amsterdam (AMS) | Economy | 36,000 | ~$178 to $191 |
| Business | 115,000 | ~$178 to $191 |
| Seoul (ICN) | Economy | 23,000 | ~$36 to $47 |
| Business | 57,500 | ~$36 to $47 |
| Sydney (SYD) | Economy | 36,000 | ~$178 to $191 |
| Business | 90,000 | ~$178 to $191 |
| Tokyo (HND) | Economy | 23,000 | ~$56 to $75 |
| Business | 57,500 | ~$56 to $75 |
The good news is you can complete your award booking 100% online — follow these steps to do so:
- Go to the Air France U.S. website.
- Click Log in in the homepage’s top-right corner and log into your Flying Blue account.
- On the redirected page, you’ll see a search box. Click Book with Miles on the top-left corner of the search box.
- Click Round trip or One-way.
- Fill in the search box and click Search flights.
- Redeem your Flying Blue miles, use your credit card for taxes and fees, and confirm your ticket.
Earning Flying Blue Miles
Flying Blue miles are some of the easiest to amass because of the program’s long list of transfer partners, including Amex Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards, Brex Rewards, Capital One Miles, and Marriott Bonvoy.
Amex, Chase, Citi, Capital One, and Brex transfer at a 1:1 ratio almost instantly.
Marriott Bonvoy transfers at a 3:1 ratio with a bonus of 5,000 miles when you transfer 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points at once to Flying Blue.
Lastly, Bank of America is the sole issuer of Flying Blue co-branded credit cards that earn miles directly.
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Business Owner? Check out our article on the best Chase business cards that earn Ultimate Rewards points.
Other Options for Booking Garuda Indonesia
There are a number of other frequent flyer programs you can use, including Aeroflot Plus and China Eastern Eastern Miles.
Unfortunately, these programs may have an absence of transfer partners, high redemption prices, difficult booking processes, or a combination of these.
That’s why we recommend sticking to the airline programs mentioned in each section.
Bottom Line: Your first choice for booking Garuda Indonesia business class should generally be using ANA miles. But depending on what types of points and miles you’ve accumulated, you may have to look at other partners like Delta SkyMiles, Korean Air SKYPASS, Aeromexico Club Premier, or Air France/KLM Flying Blue.
Great Garuda Indonesia Business Class Redemptions
Garuda Indonesia business class is readily bookable using a few different programs.
And while the exact program you choose will depend on what types of credit cards you have, what routes you’re planning on flying, and even your preexisting mileage balances, it’s incredibly valuable to compare each option head-to-head.
That’s exactly what we’ve done. In the table below, you’ll be able to see how much each program charges on specific Garuda Indonesia business class flights:
| Route (Round-Trip To/From Jakarta (CGK)) | ANA Miles Cost | Delta SkyMiles Cost | Korean Air Miles Cost | Aeromexico Points Cost | Flying Blue Miles Cost |
| Amsterdam (AMS) | 94,000 + ~$410 | 190,000 + ~$49 | 115,000 + ~$410 | 276,000 + ~$410 | 230,000 + ~$410 |
| Seoul (ICN) | 62,000 + ~$82 | 90,000 + ~$49 | 75,000 + ~$82 | 112,000 + ~$82 | 115,000 + ~$129 |
| Sydney (SYD) | 72,000 + ~$348 | 140,000 + ~$348 | 75,000 + ~$129 | 308,000 + ~$348 | 180,000 + ~$348 |
| Tokyo (HND) | 60,000 + ~$129 | 90,000 + ~$62 | 75,000 + ~$129 | 112,000 + ~$129 | 115,000 + ~$129 |
As you can see, ANA Mileage Club is the undisputed winner across all the major routes we looked at. Behind ANA, Korean Air is the runner-up, while Delta is a great option for intra-Asia flights. Aeromexico and Flying Blue also work, but they are generally significantly more expensive than their peers.
If you have Amex points, you should always be redeeming through ANA Mileage Club. With Chase, though, your best bet is Air France/KLM Flying Blue.
If you happen to have Citi ThankYou Points, Brex points, or Capital One miles and are flying intra-Asia, you should probably book through Aeromexico Club Premier (if you feel confident in navigating its quirks).
If you have Citi ThankYou Points, Brex points, or Capital One miles and are flying between Asia and another continent, Flying Blue is a great choice.
Keep in mind that Flying Blue offers transfer bonuses of 15% to 30% relatively frequently — Aeromexico has also offered these from time to time.
Now, let’s talk about stopovers:
- Air France/KLM Flying Blue and Delta SkyMiles do not allow stopovers.
- ANA Mileage Club allows 1 stopover and 1 open-jaw on award bookings.
- Korean Air allows 1 stopover on SkyTeam award bookings.
- Aeromexico Club Premier allows 1 stopover on round-trip flights only.
Here are some example redemptions in Garuda Indonesia business class that ought to inspire you:
- Jakarta (CGK) – Amsterdam (AMS) round-trip for 115,000 Korean Air miles + ~$410 in taxes and fees
- Jakarta (CGK) – Hong Kong (HKG) one-way for 56,000 Aeromexico Club Premier points + ~$81 in taxes and fees
- Jakarta (CGK) – Seoul (ICN) round-trip for 62,000 ANA miles + ~$82 in taxes and fees
- Jakarta (CGK) – Sydney (SYD) one-way for 90,000 Flying Blue miles + ~$191 in taxes and fees
- Jakarta (CGK) – Tokyo (HND) one-way for 45,000 Delta SkyMiles + ~$31 in taxes and fees
How To Earn Enough Miles for Garuda Indonesia Business Class
As we mentioned, Garuda Indonesia business class is easy to book. It’s also easy to find award availability, as virtually all of its regional and long-haul routes have an abundance of award space.
You can book Garuda Indonesia business class using any transferable rewards program available.
The best program overall is ANA Mileage Club, while Korean Air SKYPASS is a solid runner-up.
ANA Mileage Club, Delta SkyMiles, Korean Air SKYPASS, and Flying Blue all allow you to make Garuda Indonesia bookings completely online, while Aeromexico Club Premier requires a phone call.
Here’s what each transferable currency looks like, in light of its transfer partnerships:
- Amex Membership Rewards points transfer to ANA, Delta, and Flying Blue at a 1:1 ratio, while transfers to Aeromexico come at a 1:1.6 ratio. Amex transfers to Delta and Flying Blue almost instantly, while ANA and Aeromexico take 3 business days and 2 to 12 business days, respectively.
- Brex Rewards points transfer to Flying Blue and Aeromexico almost instantly at a 1:1 ratio.
- Capital One miles transfer to Aeromexico and Flying Blue at a 1:1 ratio almost instantly.
- Chase Ultimate Rewards points transfer to Flying Blue at a 1:1 ratio almost instantly.
- Citi ThankYou Points transfer to Aeromexico and Flying Blue almost instantly at a 1:1 ratio.
- Marriott Bonvoy points transfer to ANA (3 days), Delta (1 day), Korean Air (2 days), Aeromexico (4 days), and Flying Blue (3 days) at a 3:1 ratio with a bonus of 5,000 miles when you transfer 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points at a time.
One last consideration: transfer bonuses. If you can, time your transfers to align with a transfer bonus, especially with Flying Blue or Club Premier. These transfer bonuses may give you anywhere from 15% to 30% bonus miles.
When You Should Search for Award Space
The good news with Garuda Indonesia is it doesn’t really matter when you search for award availability. In general, you should start searching when you have an idea of when and where you want to travel.
But, you shouldn’t have a problem finding last-minute award availability, either. We recommend searching on Delta’s website first, thanks to its easy-to-use search engine.
What Makes Garuda Indonesia a Great Redemption
Garuda Indonesia is Indonesia’s only full-service airline.
That means if you want airport lounges, a robust check-in kiosk, a customer service center, a quality premium cabin seat, and the ability to access award flights through partner frequent flyer programs, Garuda is your best bet.
The good news is that Garuda Indonesia’s business class seats are generally excellent, whether you’re on the Boeing 777-300ER aircraft or the newer Airbus A330-900neo planes.
You should expect direct aisle access, a quality food-and-beverage program, and more when you fly on any of these planes.
Here are some of the highlights of flying business with Garuda:
Convenient Schedules to Indonesia
Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park in East Java. Image Credit: Iswanto Arif via UnsplashIndonesia’s incredible landscape and culture make it one of the best countries to visit as a tourist!
If you want to hit the ground running, you ought to prioritize convenience — that’s one of the areas where Garuda Indonesia excels.
This airline optimizes its fleet, route network, and schedules for those who are flying into or out of Indonesia.
Although there are no nonstop flights between the U.S. and Indonesia, you can access convenient nonstop connectivity to Seoul, Tokyo, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and even the Netherlands.
Hot Tip: Learn about the best ways to fly to Southeast Asia and Bali with points and miles!
Excellent Service
Garuda Indonesia service. Image Credit: Garuda IndonesiaGaruda Indonesia is constantly heralded as being one of the best airlines in the world for service.
The airline has a strong service culture with the cabin crew members going out of their way to make sure you’re treated with warmth and that you’re getting everything you need.
You’ll enjoy a comprehensive pre-departure service and have your needs anticipated and met with professionalism.
Final Thoughts
Garuda Indonesia is a fraction of the airline it once was, due to financial strains.
Still, this SkyTeam airline is one of the better business class airlines you can fly, especially to/from Indonesia.
And whether you have Chase, Amex, Brex, Citi, Capital One, or Marriott Bonvoy points, there’s an option to book award tickets using points.
We recommend transferring Amex points to ANA Mileage Club as our top choice, simply because of the great deals you can find on round-trip award tickets.
That said, you can absolutely explore other options like Delta SkyMiles, Korean Air SKYPASS, Aeromexico Club Premier, or Air France/KLM Flying Blue.
For rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, click here.
For rates and fees of the American Express® Gold Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express® Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Business™ American Express® Card, click here.
