The Best Ways To Fly to Southeast Asia With Points and Miles [Step-by-Step]

Key Takeaways

• Using points from programs like American Airlines AAdvantage, Alaska Mileage Plan, or ANA Mileage Club can provide great value for business and first-class flights to Southeast Asia on airlines like Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, and Singapore Airlines.
• Transfer partners such as American Express Membership Rewards and Chase Ultimate Rewards can help build balances quickly for these redemptions.

Whether you’re planning your next big vacation or passively looking for travel destinations, you are sure to have encountered the picturesque scenery of Southeast Asia. Unfortunately, Southeast Asia hasn’t always been the most accessible travel destination for those coming from the U.S.

This guide will look at the best programs to utilize for award tickets between the U.S. and Southeast Asia. Best of all, your points and miles will provide great value, as cash fares to Southeast Asia tend to be expensive.

There are few nonstop flights from the U.S., so you’d most likely have to take a connecting flight to reach your final destination. However, that’s not necessarily a bad thing, as there are incredible airlines you can fly to get there.

For our analysis, we will consider Brunei, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam as Southeast Asia. We’re not covering China, Taiwan, Japan, or South Korea (commonly known as East Asia), or India, Pakistan, or Sri Lanka (generally considered South Asia).

Nonstop Flights Between the U.S. and Southeast Asia

Since the Southeast Asia is quite far from the continental U.S., nonstop flight options are limited.

That being said, check out all of the following foreign airlines with nonstop flights between the U.S. and Southeast Asia:

• Cathay Pacific
  • Boston (BOS) – Hong Kong (HKG)
  • Chicago (ORD) – Hong Kong (HKG)
  • Los Angeles (LAX) – Hong Kong (HKG)
  • New York (JFK) – Hong Kong (HKG)
  • San Francisco (SFO) – Hong Kong (HKG)
• China Airlines
  • Los Angeles (LAX) – Taipei (TPE)
  • New York (JFK) – Taipei (TPE)
  • San Francisco (SFO) – Taipei (TPE)
• Philippine Airlines
  • Honolulu (HNL) – Manila (MNL)
  • San Francisco (SFO) – Manila (MNL)
  • Los Angeles (LAX) – Manila (MNL)
  • New York (JFK) – Manila (MNL)
• Singapore Airlines
  • Los Angeles (LAX) – Singapore (SIN)
  • New York (JFK) – Singapore (SIN)
  • Newark (EWR) – Singapore (SIN)
  • San Francisco (SFO) – Hong Kong (HKG)
  • San Francisco (SFO) – Singapore (SIN)
  • Seattle (SEA) – Singapore (SIN)

Here are the U.S. airlines offering nonstop flights between the U.S. and Southeast Asia:

• United Airlines
  • Newark (EWR) – Hong Kong (HKG)
  • San Francisco (SFO) – Hong Kong (HKG)
  • Los Angeles (LAX) – Hong Kong (HKG)
  • San Francisco (SFO) – Singapore (SIN)
  • San Francisco (SFO) – Manila (MNL)

Best Programs To Use To Book Flights

Because of the diverse route network of connecting flights from the U.S. to Southeast Asia, you can utilize an endless number of award programs.

We’ve analyzed all the booking programs and come up with the best frequent flyer programs to focus on when booking flights.

All Nippon Airways (ANA) Mileage Club

Regarding award redemptions to Asia, few programs are as valuable as the All Nippon Airways frequent flyer program, Mileage Club. This loyalty program has incredible redemption rates, particularly for business class redemptions. It also features a great set of routing rules and excellent access to Southeast Asian routes from major U.S. hubs.

ANA has several award booking restrictions; you cannot book one-way flights using miles. Depending on which airline you fly, ANA may also pass on fuel surcharges. Even so, paying a couple hundred dollars in fuel surcharges is worth saving tens of thousands of points.

With ANA being a member of Star Alliance, you can fly to Southeast Asia on partner airlines, including United Airlines and EVA Air.

ANA has a few award charts, including 1 for ANA-operated flights and a separate award chart for partner awards. For awards operated by ANA, prices are subject to seasonal fluctuations. Flights operated by partner airlines are not subject to seasonal pricing.

ANA divides Asia into 2 main regions, as Southeast Asia is a massive region. You can find the zone definitions here. It is worth noting that there are Southeast Asian destinations in both zones, with Hong Kong and Manila being in Asia 1 (Zone 3). Most of Southeast Asia is in Asia 2 (Zone 4).

Here are ANA’s award charts:

1. ANA-operated flights (subject to seasonality rules)
2. ANA partner-operated flights

Mileage requirements are typically lower on flights ANA operates, particularly during the low season. However, this can vary on certain routes.

For example, if you wanted to fly between Indonesia (Zone 4) and the U.S (Zone 6), you’d pay:

• 100,000 to 115,000 ANA miles for ANA business class through Tokyo (HND or NRT)
• 136,000 ANA miles for partner business class through Tokyo (HND or NRT)

Here is the ANA partner award chart for flights between the U.S. (Zone 6) and Asia 1 (Zone 3) and Asia 2 (Zone 4):

Conversely, flights operated by ANA are subject to seasonal pricing. Pricing is lowest during the low season (L) and highest during the high season (H). Regular season (R) pricing is somewhere between.

Here is the award pricing for flights between the U.S. (Zone 6) and Asia 1 (Zone 3):

Here is the award pricing for flights between the U.S. (Zone 6) and Asia 2 (Zone 4):

ANA’s mileage scheme is a bit complex, but those who take the time to learn the ins and outs of ANA Mileage Club will reap the rewards of very cheaply priced award flights.

If you’re not willing to fly on ANA business class, check out some other partners that will be useful in planning your Southeast Asia itineraries:

By putting all of this knowledge together, let’s talk about some excellent routes you can take:

• Los Angeles (LAX) – Beijing (PEK) – Singapore (SIN) round-trip in Air China and Singapore Airlines first class for 240,000 ANA miles plus taxes and fees
• New York (JFK) – Manila (MNL) round-trip in Philippines Airlines business class for 95,000 ANA miles plus taxes and fees
• Seattle (SEA) – Taipei (TPE) – Kuala Lumpur (KUL) round-trip in EVA Air business class for 136,000 ANA miles plus taxes and fees
• Washington, D.C. (IAD) – Tokyo (NRT) – Manila (MNL) round-trip in ANA business class during low season for 80,000 ANA miles plus taxes and fees

Hot Tip:

ANA Mileage Club allows for open-jaws and stopovers for itineraries booked using ANA miles.

Here are the steps you can take to begin booking your flights with ANA miles:

1. If you are searching for flights on Star Alliance partners, you can use ANA’s website directly.
2. On the right side of the top banner of ANA’s website, click ANA Mileage Club.
3. Click International on the left side of the following page. Then, click Award Reservation.
4. Log in with your ANA member number and password.
5. Type in your cities, travel dates, class of service, number of passengers, and click Search.
6. Once you’ve found award availability, you’ll want to transfer your points. Be sure to incorporate any transfer times into your booking.
7. Click on the flights you want.
8. If searching for award space separately from ANA, such as through ExpertFlyer, call ANA at 800-235-9262 after finding availability for your desired flights.
9. Confirm your reservation and pay for any taxes and fees.

Earning ANA Mileage Plan Miles

There are several ways to earn ANA miles. The easiest way is with transfer partners. ANA Mileage Club is a transfer partner of American Express Membership Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy.

Amex is a 1:1 transfer partner with ANA, and transfers typically take 2 to 3 business days to complete.

Marriott Bonvoy transfers to ANA at a 3:1 ratio and can take up to 7 business days. You also receive an additional 5,000 ANA miles for every 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points transferred.

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American Airlines AAdvantage

American Airlines AAdvantage is excellent for award flights between the U.S. and Southeast Asia. Although the program has undergone significant devaluations over the years, it provides a ton of value, thanks to its partners.

American Airlines is a member of the Oneworld alliance. Notable Asian partners include Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, and Malaysia Airlines. By strategically leveraging these partners, you can piece together an itinerary to Southeast Asia much quicker than usual.

For its own flights, American Airlines uses a dynamic pricing model. Award pricing varies significantly from day to day. Here is the award chart for American Airlines-operated flights:

However, partner awards with American’s AAdvantage miles are not subject to dynamic pricing, unlike American’s own flights. The simple award chart lets you know exactly how many miles you need for a redemption.

American Airlines divides Asia into 2 regions, with all of Southeast Asia in Asia Region 2. Here is the award pricing for partner-operated flights to Asia from the U.S.:

Unfortunately, American AAdvantage does not allow stopovers or open-jaws on award tickets. If you want to stopover in a certain country, you must pay the mileage price for each segment.

Neither Cathay Pacific (based in Hong Kong) nor Japan Airlines (based in Tokyo) offers first class flights from their hub airports to destinations in Southeast Asia, so your connecting segment to your final destination in Southeast Asia will, at best, be in business class. However, American Airlines partners Cathay Pacific and Japan Airlines offer fantastic long-haul products.

Keep in mind that American Airlines only allows trans-Pacific routes from the U.S. to Southeast Asia, meaning you won’t be able to fly the long way across the Atlantic to get there.

Here are some great example routes you can take while trying 2 distinct premium cabin products:

• Dallas (DFW) – Tokyo (NRT) – Kuala Lumpur (KUL) one-way on Japan Airlines business class and Malaysia Airlines business class for 70,000 AAdvantage miles plus taxes and fees
• Los Angeles (LAX) – Tokyo (NRT) – Hanoi (HAN) one-way on Japan Airlines first class and business class for 110,000 AAdvantage miles plus taxes and fees
• New York (JFK) – Hong Kong (HKG) – Bali (DPS) one-way on Cathay Pacific first class and Cathay Pacific business class for 110,000 AAdvantage miles plus taxes and fees

To book an award using American Airlines miles, follow these steps:

1. Visit the American Airlines website.
2. Log in using your AA username and password.
3. In the search box, check off the box that says Redeem Miles.
4. Enter the departure city, destination city, travel dates, and number of passengers.
5. Click Search.
6. Complete the booking 100% online by using your miles and a credit card for taxes and fees.

Earning American Airlines AAdvantage Miles

Earning American Airlines AAdvantage miles is relatively easy, thanks to Citi and Barclays co-branded American Airlines credit cards and several transfer partners.

The American AAdvantage program is a transfer partner of Marriott Bonvoy. Marriott Bonvoy is a 3:1 transfer partner, and transfers from Marriott Bonvoy take around 2 business days.

Air Canada Aeroplan

Air Canada Aeroplan is another fantastic frequent flyer program to consider for partner awards. Over the years, the program has made significant changes.

The Aeroplan program offers some award redemption rates and has plenty of airline partners. The program does not pass on fuel surcharges and allows for stopovers on bookings, including one-way award tickets.

Aeroplan uses a zone-based award chart for Star Alliance partner awards and takes the total distance flown into pricing. Award pricing increases the farther you fly as you fall into a new distance band.

Aeroplan divides the world into 4 distinct travel zones: North America, the Atlantic, the Pacific, and South America. The U.S. is placed in the North America zone, and the entirety of Southeast Asia is in the Pacific zone.

As pricing depends on the total distance flown, Aeroplan’s distance-based award chart favors those on the West Coast of the U.S. Here is the award pricing for flights between the North America and Pacific zones.

For example, a United-operated flight between San Francisco and Hong Kong can be booked for 75,000 Aeroplan points one-way in business class as the total distance flown is 6,927 miles.

However, the flight distance between Newark and Hong Kong is 8,065 miles, which places this route in the next distance band. The Newark-to-Hong Kong flight would be priced at 87,500 miles one-way in business class.

Best of all, Aeroplan allows for stopovers, including one-way redemptions. Stopovers can be booked for 5,000 points. However, you should factor in the total distance flown, as award pricing increases if you fall into the next distance band.

• Chicago (ORD) – New Delhi (DEL) – Singapore (SIN) one-way in Air India business class with a stopover in India for 92,500 Aeroplan points plus taxes and fees
• Houston (IAH) – Taipei (TPE) – Hanoi (HAN) one-way in EVA Air business class with a stopover in Taipei for 92,500 Aeroplan points plus taxes and fees
• San Francisco (SFO) – Hong Kong (HKG) – Singapore (SIN) one-way in United economy class with a stopover in Hong Kong for 65,000 Aeroplan points plus taxes and fees
• Washington, D.C. (IAD) – Tokyo (NRT) – Da Nang (DAD) one-way in ANA first class and business class with a stopover in Tokyo for 130,000 Aeroplan points plus taxes and fees

As you can imagine, there’s a huge list of possible routes. Thanks to Aeroplan’s numerous partners, you have a great selection of airlines, including United, EVA Air, and Singapore Airlines.

Here are the steps you’ll take to book using Aeroplan points:

1. Visit Air Canada Aeroplan.
2. Click Log in on the top-right corner of the homepage. Type your Aeroplan number followed by your password. Click Enter to log in.
3. On the homepage, toggle the slider bar that says Points within the main search box.
4. Fill in the search details, including travel date(s), trip type (one-way, round trip, or multi-city), destination and origin cities, and the number of travelers.
5. Search for the flights you want to book. Complete the booking by redeeming your Aeroplan points and paying taxes and fees.

Earning Air Canada Aeroplan Points

Earning Air Canada Aeroplan points is relatively simple, as the program is a transfer partner with nearly every major credit card program. Aeroplan is a 1:1 transfer partner of American Express Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, and Capital One Miles.

Aeroplan is also a transfer partner of Marriott Bonvoy. Bonvoy points transfer at a 3:1 ratio to Aeroplan; for every 60,000 Bonvoy points transferred, you get a 5,000-mile bonus.

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The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the in's and out's of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

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U.P. Rating 

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the in's and out's of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

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Frequent travelers with excellent credit may benefit from this credit card that offers a lot of bells and whistles. And it offers easy-to-understand rewards earning and redemption.

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Cons

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Capital One Miles

Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer

Another excellent Star Alliance member program that offers solid redemption options is Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer. Known for its luxurious business class and over-the-top first class products, Singapore Airlines offers one of the best ways to fly to Southeast Asia. Since it is based in the Southeast Asian city-state of Singapore, it’s one of the absolute best candidates to traverse Southeast Asia.

The KrisFlyer program still uses award charts, so you know exactly how many miles you need for an award redemption. However, there are different award charts for Singapore-operated flights, Star Alliance, and other nonalliance partner award flights. The award chart for Singapore-operated flights can be found here.

Previously, you could only book Singapore Airlines awards with KrisFlyer miles. However, that has changed, and other programs, such as Air Canada Aeroplan, can now do so.

Regarding awards, Singapore Airlines has 2 redemption prices: Saver and Advantage. Saver awards cost fewer miles, but award space is generally much more difficult to find. Advantage awards cost more miles but provide more award availability.

Singapore Airlines enjoys an incredibly versatile route network, thanks to its centralized home airport in Southeast Asia.

Hot Tip:

Interested in flying with Singapore Airlines? Check out our definitive guide to Singapore Airlines direct routes from the U.S. with plane types and seat options.

Here are some Singapore Airlines routes you can take to Southeast Asia:

• Los Angeles (LAX) – Singapore (SIN) one-way in Singapore Airlines business class for 107,000 KrisFlyer miles
• New York (JFK) – Frankfurt (FRA) – Singapore (SIN) one-way in Singapore Suites for 148,500 KrisFlyer miles
• Newark (EWR) – Singapore (SIN) – Siem Reap (REP) one-way in Singapore Airlines business class for 111,500 KrisFlyer miles
• San Francisco (SFO) – Singapore (SIN) – Mandalay (MDL) one-way in Singapore Airlines business class for 107,000 KrisFlyer miles

Another important part of the KrisFlyer program is stopovers. Singapore allows stopovers on award tickets, but the rules vary depending on the award ticket you book.

Saver award tickets allow for 1 stopover on a round-trip ticket, and Advantage award tickets allow for 1 stopover on a one-way ticket and 2 on a round-trip ticket. To take advantage of the KrisFlyer stopover program, Singapore Airlines must operate all flights.

Here’s how you can book your KrisFlyer itinerary:

1. Visit Singapore Airlines.
2. Log in to your Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer account.
3. Click Redeem Flights.
4. Select your dates of travel and airports.
5. Choose your booking class by selecting either Business or First/Suites if you’re a premium cabin traveler.
6. Click Search.
7. Choose your flight and pay for any taxes and fees.

Earning Singapore KrisFlyer Miles

There are several ways to earn KrisFlyer miles; however, using its credit card transfer partners is the easiest way.

Singapore Airlines is a transfer partner of nearly every major transferable currency: American Express Membership Rewards, Brex Rewards, Capital One Miles, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards, and Marriott Bonvoy.

Amex, Brex, Capital One, Chase, and Citi all transfer at a 1:1 rate — transfers typically take 1 to 2 days.

Krisflyer is also a transfer partner of Marriott Bonvoy. Bonvoy points transfer at a 3:1 rate., You receive a 5,000 KrisFlyer miles bonus for every 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points transferred. Transfers take up to 2 business days to complete.

Air France-KLM Flying Blue

Lastly, we thought we would include at least 1 SkyTeam option on this list. China Airlines, with its hub in Taipei, offers several nonstop flights to U.S. destinations. The best way to book these awards is with the Air France-KLM Flying Blue loyalty program.

Flying Blue utilizes dynamic pricing and does not have a set award chart. This means that award prices fluctuate. Despite using dynamic pricing, Flying Blue tends to have some of the best pricing for SkyTeam awards. Best of all, award space tends to be plentiful.

Air France-KLM does pass on fuel surcharges on award tickets, which can be a few hundred dollars for an award ticket.

You can search for award availability directly through the Air France-KLM site and book awards entirely online. When searching for award space through the Air France or KLM website, you’ll only see availability for a few days at a time. Leave the travel dates blank if you want to utilize a calendar view for award space.

To book an Air France-KLM award, follow these steps:

1. Go to the Air France website.
2. In the top right corner, click My Account and log in with your Username and Password.
3. After logging in and being returned to the homepage, click Use Your Miles.
4. Type in your airport information, dates, number of passengers, and class type.
5. Select your flights and pay for any taxes and fees.

Hot Tip:

Check out our guide on the best ways to redeem Air France-KLM Flying Blue miles for maximum value.

Earning Air France-KLM Flying Blue Miles

The Air France-KLM Flying Blue program is a transfer partner of several major credit card rewards programs, including American Express Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Capital One Miles, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards, and Marriott Bonvoy.

All the points transfer to Flying Blue at a 1:1 rate, except for Marriott Bonvoy, which transfers to Flying Blue at a 3:1 ratio. For every 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points you transfer, you receive a 5,000-mile bonus.

Final Thoughts

In all, we’ve presented a vast list of ways you can use points to fly to Southeast Asia. We analyzed comprehensive route information from the 3 major alliances in this guide: Star Alliance, Oneworld, and SkyTeam. With a huge list of excellent airlines, you’ll be sure to find an itinerary that fits your needs to help plan and guide your travel.

You now know the absolute best ways to fly to Southeast Asia using points and miles.