Advertiser Disclosure

Many of the credit card offers that appear on this site are from credit card companies from which we receive financial compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). However, the credit card information that we publish has been written and evaluated by experts who know these products inside out. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse. This site does not include all credit card companies or all available credit card offers that are on the market. See our advertising policy here where we list advertisers that we work with, and how we make money. You can also review our credit card rating methodology.

26 Best Ways To Redeem EVA Air Miles for Maximum Value [2024]

Stephen Au's image
Stephen Au
Stephen Au's image

Stephen Au

Former Senior Content Contributor

483 Published Articles

Countries Visited: 24U.S. States Visited: 22

Stephen is an established voice in the credit card space, with over 70 to his name. His work has been in publications like The Washington Post, and his Au Points and Awards Consulting Services is used...
Edited by: Juan Ruiz
Juan Ruiz's image

Juan Ruiz

Senior Editor & Content Contributor

191 Published Articles 828 Edited Articles

Countries Visited: 41U.S. States Visited: 28

Juan has extensive experience in writing and editing content related to credit cards, loyalty programs, and travel. He has been honing his expertise in this field for over a decade. His work has been ...

We may be compensated when you click on product links, such as credit cards, from one or more of our advertising partners. Terms apply to the offers below. See our Advertising Policy for more about our partners, how we make money, and our rating methodology. Opinions and recommendations are ours alone.

Key Takeaways

  • EVA Air miles can be used to book flights on EVA Air and Star Alliance partner airlines such as Air Canada, ANA, Lufthansa, and SWISS.
  • EVA Air miles are best redeemed for round-trip itineraries in regions such as North Asia, South West Pacific, and Central America.
  • Transferring points from programs like Citi ThankYou Rewards and Capital One Miles can boost your EVA miles balance for more redemption options.

EVA Air’s mileage program is known as Infinity MileageLands. These miles aren’t known to be of particularly high value, but they can present decent redemption avenues for niche travelers. While EVA Air isn’t always one of the recommended ways to use your points and miles, it’s still possible to get some good value from these miles.

The Taiwanese airline is known for offering amazing business class flights — EVA Air actually holds the second-best business class product in the world — according to our ranking of the best international business class airlines and cabins.

Its headquarters in Taipei — specifically Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) — makes EVA Air a springboard of activity to Asia, Europe, the U.S., and even the South Pacific. The airline’s wholly-owned subsidiary, UNI Air, operates regional flights as well.

EVA Air is a Star Alliance member, which is the largest alliance globally. Though EVA Air’s redemption rates are quite expensive, they are useful if you have a large balance of miles you need to burn.

Here are EVA Air’s best mileage redemptions to gain maximum value.

The Pros and Cons of EVA Air Miles (Quick Overview)

To start with the pros and cons of EVA Air miles, as mentioned above, there aren’t a lot of situations in which EVA Air is a superior transfer partner. In fact, having a balance of Capital One miles or Citi ThankYou Points is a much better situation than having EVA Air miles.

That’s because there simply isn’t much flexibility with EVA Air miles, and you’ll be stuck paying high prices for awards you could get cheaper with, say, Air Canada Aeroplan points. But if you are already accruing EVA Air miles, it’ll be worth it to find a great mileage redemption opportunity.

When discussing the pros and cons, the main advantage of EVA Air miles is that Infinity MileageLands offers generous routing rules for round-trip travel. You are allowed open jaws and 2 free stopovers on round-trip award bookings. If you can’t commit to a round-trip award itinerary, EVA Air offers one-way awards, though you won’t enjoy the stopover and open-jaw allowance to the same extent.

Additionally, there are no additional fees for flight date changes, which can be very useful in many cases.

There are other aspects travelers may find favorable, but here are some of the main selling points of EVA Air miles:

  1. Great redemption value for flights solely within North Asia
  2. Both one-way and round-trip awards are bookable
  3. Low- to no-change fees on awards
  4. Transfer partner of Citi ThankYou Rewards and Capital One Miles

And here are the reasons why you wouldn’t want to use EVA Air miles:

  1. Expensive mileage awards for most routes
  2. Fuel surcharges are passed on (similar to Aeroplan)
  3. Stopovers are not allowed on one-way awards

Using Your EVA Air Infinity MileageLand Miles

Though it’s not the most straightforward frequent flyer program to understand, EVA Air’s program is among many that can be used to book Star Alliance flights.

Hot Tip: EVA Air is a member of the Star Alliance, and flights on EVA Air can be booked completely online. However, if you want to book partner flights (which will be the case for most travelers), you’ll need to call to book. Here’s a great guide on how to best search for Star Alliance award availability.

Star Alliance EVA Air Airline Partners

SCROLL FOR MORE

Star Alliance Partners

Aegean Airlines

Ethiopian Airlines

Air Canada

EVA Air

Air China

LOT Polish Airlines

Air India

Lufthansa

Air New Zealand

Shenzhen Airlines

ANA

Singapore Airlines

Asiana Airlines

South African Airways

Austrian

SWISS

Avianca

TAP Air Portugal

Brussels Airlines

Thai Airways

Copa Airlines

Turkish Airlines

Croatia Airlines

United Airlines

Egypt Air

Here are the Star Alliance partners that EVA Air is affiliated with:

Generally speaking, you can book awards on all these airlines, though award availability is subject to the inventory provided to EVA Air.

EVA Air/UNI Air and Star Alliance Award Charts

EVA Air charges awards by the origin and destination regions. There are no Africa and Middle East prices because EVA Air does not operate its own product to these regions.

Requirements for Redeeming EVA Air/UNI Air International Round-Trip Award Tickets

SCROLL FOR MORE

Destination

Economy Class

Premium Economy Class

Business Class/Premium Laurel Class/Royal Laurel Class

Taiwan – Hong Kong / Macau

20,000 miles

N/A

50,000 miles

Within Asia (Includes Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau and Mainland China, Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia) (Excludes Taiwan – Hong Kong / Macau)

35,000 miles

40,000 miles

50,000 miles

Between Asia and Oceania

100,000 miles

N/A

150,000 miles

Between Asia and America (Excludes Chicago, New York, Houston, and Toronto)

100,000 miles

110,000 miles

150,000 miles

Between Asia and America (Includes Chicago, New York, Houston, and Toronto)

110,000 miles

120,000 miles

160,000 miles

Between Asia and Europe

100,000 miles

110,000 miles

150,000 miles

Requirements for Redeeming EVA Air/UNI Air International One-Way Award Tickets

SCROLL FOR MORE

Destination

Economy Class

Premium Economy Class

Business Class/Premium Laurel Class/Royal Laurel Class

Taiwan – Hong Kong / Macau

10,000 miles

N/A

25,000 miles

Within Asia (Includes Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau and Mainland China, Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia) (Excludes Taiwan – Hong Kong / Macau)

17,500 miles

20,000 miles

25,000 miles

Between Asia and Oceania

50,000 miles

N/A

75,000 miles

Between Asia and America (Excludes Chicago, New York, Houston, and Toronto)

50,000 miles

55,000 miles

75,000 miles

Between Asia and America (Includes Chicago, New York, Houston, and Toronto)

55,000 miles

60,000 miles

80,000 miles

Between Asia and Europe

50,000 miles

55,000 miles

75,000 miles

The airline uses a more granular region definition for Star Alliance partner awards than flights operated by EVA Air, which makes sense given EVA Air’s smaller route network. Here’s the chart of how countries are sorted into regions:

SCROLL FOR MORE

Zones

Origin / Destination

HONG KONG, MACAU

Hong Kong, Macau

CHINA

China

NORTH ASIA

Guam, Japan, Micronesia, Palau, Russian Far East, South Korea, Marshall Islands, Mongolia, Saipan

SOUTH EAST ASIA

Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam

CENTRAL, SOUTH ASIA

Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan

SOUTH WEST PACIFIC

Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, New Zealand, Niue, Norfolk Island, Samoa, Tahiti, Tonga, Vanuatu

NORTH AMERICA

Canada, USA (excluding Hawaii)

HAWAII, CENTRAL AMERICA

Bermuda, Caribbean, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Hawaii, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Belize, Haiti

SOUTH AMERICA

Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela

EUROPE

Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Iceland, Turkey

MIDDLE EAST

Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Cyprus, Egypt, Georgia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Yemen

NORTH AFRICA

Algeria, Canary Islands, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia

CENTRAL, SOUTH AFRICA

Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe

And here is the partner award chart, which is denoted in round-trip pricing (one-way tickets are simply half-price):

EVA Air Partner Award Chart
EVA Air Partner Award chart. Image Credit: EVA Air
EVA Air Partner Award Chart Continued
EVA Air Partner Award chart, continued. Image Credit: EVA Air

Hot Tip: Note that the only awards that are bookable online are for EVA Air or UNI Air flights. Otherwise, you’ll need to call EVA Air to book partner travel at 310-362-6600. If you want to reach the Taiwanese headquarters, you can do so at +886-2-25017899.

Award Redemption Rules

EVA Air has a bunch of rules indicated for Star Alliance award redemptions; here are the main ones to keep track of:

  1. If you have an award ticket that has been partially used already, the return flight date or flight number can be changed up to 3 days before departure. You can’t change the carrier or route.
  2. If you double book, you risk cancellation of the award reservation.
  3. A round-trip ticket allows 2 stopovers, one in the outbound segment and one in the inbound segment. The turnaround point and stopovers can’t be the same as the origin or destination’s nation. A maximum of 6 sectors are allowed for each round-trip award ticket.
  4. Stopovers aren’t allowed on one-way tickets. You can have a maximum of 3 sectors on a one-way award ticket.
  5. Only 1 open-jaw is allowed for the entire itinerary. The open-jaw must be in the same area as your turnaround point (i.e. TPE-SFO and then SFO-LAX).
  6. You can change flight dates and numbers for free. For any other changes (including route or carrier), there’s a change fee of $50. This fee is waived for Infinity MileageLands members who are Silver, Gold, or Diamond.
  7. Your award ticket is valid for a year after issuance with no extensions permitted.
  8. The redemption cost for a child’s ticket is the same as an adult’s. Infants are 10% of an adult fare.

There are a few other conditions, which you can find out about on the EVA Air website.

In addition, there are guidelines for Around the World Travel on Star Alliance. These are:

  1. You’re allowed a maximum of 10 flight sectors for the whole ticket.
  2. Tickets are valid 1 year after issuance with no permitted extensions.
  3. You must travel in 1 direction and cross both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans back to the original location.
    • For example: Taipei (TPE) – Tokyo (TYO) – Los Angeles (LAX) – New York (NYC) – London (LON) – Frankfurt (FRA) – Singapore (SIN) – Bangkok (BKK) – Taipei (TPE)
  4. You can backtrack only within the same category area; you cannot backtrack otherwise. In addition, you can only backtrack within these regions:
    • U.S.
    • Europe/Africa
    • Asia/Oceania
  5. The period of travel must be longer than 10 days
  6. You’re allowed a maximum of 7 stopovers
  7. Each city is allowed for only 1 departure. Also, only 1 departure and 1 arrival of international flights is allowed for each country.

How To Boost Your EVA Air Miles

Although EVA Air miles aren’t as easy to earn when compared to other airline miles such as United MileagePlus, there’s still an opportunity to build up a healthy transferable balance from Citi ThankYou Rewards or Capital One Miles.

Check out our guides on how to earn Citi ThankYou Rewards Points, earn Capital One miles, and earn EVA Air miles.

The 27 Best Ways To Use Your EVA Air Miles

There are several ways to put EVA Air miles to use, especially within the North Asia region, utilizing routing rules and round-the-world trips. Unfortunately, you’ll have to call to book if your itinerary involves travel on partners.

However, if you’re only booking EVA Air travel, you can do this easily online. Let’s talk about some of the best ways to redeem your EVA Air miles.

1. Leverage Generous Routing Rules on Round-trip Itineraries

Our first and foremost method of redeeming EVA Air miles is with round-trip itineraries. This is because of the routing rules described above, which are advantageous for intra-region travel. For the purposes of clarity, here are the rules that matter most for this method:

  1. Round-trip ticket allows 2 stopovers: 1 in the outbound segment and 1 in the inbound segment.
  2. The turnaround point and stopovers can’t be in the origin or destination country.
  3. A maximum of 6 sectors are allowed for each round-trip award ticket.
  4. One open-jaw is allowed for the entire itinerary, and the open-jaw must be in the same area as your turnaround point (i.e. TPE-SFO and then SFO-LAX).

The main constraint of a round-trip award ticket is that the stopovers can’t be in the same countries as the origin or destination. To find loads of hidden value, you’ll want to look at region definitions carefully and see how you can bounce around the region while still changing countries.

In other words, the more countries there are in a region (especially if they’re geographically far apart), the more value you can get. Here are some of the regions worth dabbling with:

  1. North Asia
  2. South West Pacific
  3. Hawaii, Central America

Let’s take the example of North Asia. If you’re booking round-trip economy tickets, you’re allowed up to 2 stopovers and 1 open-jaw at the turnaround point. Here’s a great example route you can take:

  • Chuuk (TKK) – Guam (GUM) – Tokyo (NRT), Seoul (ICN) – Palau (ROR) – Chuuk (TKK) via Guam (GUM) for 30,000 miles in economy
EVA Air North Asia Award
You can get tons of added value by adding stopovers and open-jaws to your EVA Air award booking. Image Credit: Great Circle Mapper

Now let’s look at a possible South West Pacific redemption:

  • Apia (APW) – Auckland (AKL) – Melbourne (MEL), Sydney (SYD) – Nadi (NAN) – Apia (APW)
EVA Air South West Pacific Route
You can access 14 hours of travel in the South West Pacific and visit 4 cities for cheap with EVA Air miles! Image Credit: Great Circle Mapper

This entire itinerary would cost 35,000 miles in economy or 55,000 miles in business, which can be a steal.

There are plenty of other example routes we could create, but we just wanted to touch on these to give you some inspiration. Remember, the amount of success you have with this method is dependent only on the region definitions and your own creativity.

2. Round-the-World Awards

Star Alliance Round the World ticket
A round-the-world ticket allows you to circle the globe all on 1 plane ticket. Image Credit: Star Alliance

Round-the-world (RTW) awards can be had on any Star Alliance airline when booking with EVA Air. There’s a lot to digest in the rules (see above), but if you’re willing to carefully read through and plan an itinerary, you can unlock lots of value.

RTW awards when using EVA Air miles will cost 180,000 miles in economy, 325,000 miles in business, and 480,000 miles in first. For most of us, business class will be the most applicable.

Hot Tip: There’s a degree of difficulty associated with booking a first class RTW trip since first class is less prevalent than business class internationally. Stick with business to help ensure availability.

Here is an example of an epic business class RTW trip you can take inspiration from:

  • New York (JFK) – Tokyo (TYO) on ANA
  • Tokyo (TYO) – Taipei (TPE) EVA Air
  • Taipei (TPE) – Bangkok (BKK) on THAI Air
  • Istanbul (IST) – Johannesburg (JNB) on Turkish Airlines
  • Johannesburg (JNB) – Frankfurt (FRA) on Lufthansa
  • Frankfurt (FRA) – Zurich (ZRH) on Lufthansa intra-Europe
  • Zurich (ZRH) – New York (JFK) on SWISS International Air Lines

This entire itinerary would cost 325,000 miles plus any applicable surcharges. That’s a pretty incredible usage of EVA Air miles, and it’s worth doing some research and finding award availability to get some phenomenal value.

If you pair this with the ability to change flight dates for free and pay $50 for any other changes, you could plan something initially and pay $50 to change each segment, truly optimizing any potential value you get.

A Note on First Class RTW Bookings

The main airlines that have first class offerings on long-haul international airlines are ANA, Lufthansa, THAI Airways, Singapore Airlines, and SWISS International Air Lines.

Unfortunately, booking SWISS first class is not doable unless you’ve got top-tier elite status. You also can’t book Singapore Airlines premium cabin flights unless you use KrisFlyer miles, leaving just 3 options. We’d recommend focusing your efforts on ANA, Lufthansa, and THAI Airways if you’re looking for a first class RTW trip.

3. Fly Turkish Airlines Business Class From the U.S. to Europe (65,000 Miles)

Turkish Airlines 777-300ER business class
Turkish Airlines 777-300ER business class. Image Credit: Turkish Airlines

Since EVA Air passes on all fuel surcharges on its partners and has high redemption costs on most flights, the general advice is to limit your expenditures as much as possible, whether it’s in the form of points or cash.

For this reason, Turkish Airlines comes to mind, since it limits fuel surcharges levied in Europe. The fuel surcharge on Turkish Airlines routes from the U.S. to Europe is $310 in business class, which is modest compared to virtually every other carrier.

Here are the cities you can fly from in North America to Istanbul (IST):

  • Atlanta (ATL)
  • Boston (BOS)
  • Chicago (ORD)
  • Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW)
  • Havana (HAV)
  • Houston (IAH)
  • Los Angeles (LAX)
  • Mexico City (MEX)
  • Miami (MIA)
  • Montréal (YUL)
  • Newark (EWR)
  • New York (JFK)
  • San Francisco (SFO)
  • Seattle (SEA)
  • Toronto (YYZ)
  • Vancouver (YVR)
  • Washington, D.C. (IAD)

Considering one-way tickets cost around $3,300+, you’ll receive a value of nearly 5 cents per mile, which is a solid redemption.

Turkish Airlines’ hard product is not industry-leading. But its seats are actually extremely comfortable and easy to sleep on, unlike many reverse herringbone seats. In addition, its catering is top-notch, and service tends to be excellent.

4. Fly LOT Polish Business Class From the U.S. to Europe (65,000 Miles)

LOT Polish Airline's Dreamliner business class
Image Credit: LOT

Another airline that remains relatively unknown is LOT Polish. The Warsaw-headquartered airline doesn’t pass on crazy fuel surcharges either. Specifically, the surcharge is around ~$285, which is only slightly more expensive than Turkish Airlines.

Its base is in Warsaw (WAW), and all U.S.-bound flights leave from there. Here are the cities offering nonstop LOT Polish flights to/from Warsaw (WAW):

  • Chicago (ORD)
  • Los Angeles (LAX)
  • New York (JFK)
  • Toronto (YYZ)

Also, you will find 2 routes to/from Krakow (KRK):

  • Chicago (ORD)
  • New York (JFK)

You can see its route network is somewhat smaller than Turkish Airlines, but LOT Polish has a reputation for its decent food and beverage program, good service, and low fuel surcharges.

While the hard product is not the best (a 2-2-2 configuration with a lack of privacy), nonstop flights to Poland are a niche redemption that can be worth utilizing to save time.

5. Fly United Airlines Transcontinental Polaris Class Within the U.S (29,000 Miles)

United Polaris Boeing 767-300
All United Polaris seats are fully lie-flat. Image Credit: Victoria M. Walker

United Airlines’ newest Polaris class is available on transcontinental routes between Los Angeles (LAX)/San Francisco (SFO) and Newark (EWR). Flights offering the improved Polaris class transcontinentally are operated with lie-flat seats.

We won’t go into massive detail here about the Polaris experience, because we have a comprehensive post on United Polaris if you’re interested. We also have a Polaris review from a short-haul domestic route that featured its newest hard product.

You can book United Polaris on transcontinental routes for 29,000 miles each way, plus minuscule taxes and fees. Some things you can expect are Saks Fifth Avenue bedding, a technologically advanced hard product, good food, and a somewhat tight seat.

6. Fly United Airlines Polaris Class to the Middle East (67,500 Miles)

United Polaris 787-10 rear cabin view
United Polaris class on the Boeing 787-10. Image Credit: Stephen Au

If flying transcontinental on Polaris doesn’t tickle your fancy, you’ll be happy to know that flights to Israel are possible in United’s flagship product. Remember that United Airlines calls all of its long-haul routes Polaris class, so you need to confirm that you’re indeed flying on the newest variation of this product.

You can fly on these routes in the new Polaris class:

  1. Newark (EWR) – Tel Aviv (TLV)
  2. San Francisco (SFO) – Tel Aviv (TLV)

These flights are typically operated using the 777-300ER. It’ll cost you 67,500 miles each way to fly nonstop on either of these routes in Polaris class. All in all, it’s not a bad deal for up to 14 hours in lie-flat business class.

7. Fly SWISS Air Business Class From the U.S. to Europe (65,000 Miles)

Swiss Air Business Class
Image Credit: SWISS Air

Another European option is to fly in SWISS International Air Lines business class. There’s a dichotomy of business class seats on its aircraft, which can be summed up as “throne” or “non-throne” seats.

Hot Tip: We go into detail about the best seats to pick, cabin configurations, and nonstop routes in our definitive guide to SWISS Air Lines U.S. routes.

Generally speaking, SWISS offers a variable business class product, which fluctuates depending on the type of seat you get. If you can secure a throne seat, it’s reputed to be one of the best ways to fly to Europe in business class. Otherwise, it can be an average experience.

Here are some example routes you can take:

  • Chicago (ORD) – Zurich (ZRH)
  • Los Angeles (LAX) – Zurich (ZRH)
  • Miami (MIA) – Zurich (ZRH)

These flights will cost you 65,000 EVA Air miles plus around $900 in fuel surcharges one-way. The fuel surcharges are high, but for a potentially awesome business class experience flying to Switzerland, it may be worth it.

8. Fly United Airlines Polaris Class to Europe (65,000 Miles)

United Polaris 787-10 seat
Flying on United Polaris is a great way to try a new product en route to Europe. Image Credit: Stephen Au

Let’s say you want to fly on United Airlines Polaris class, but not on a transcontinental or Middle Eastern route. United’s Polaris class is also offered on European routes, which cost 65,000 miles one-way. All seats are lie-flat, and you’ll encounter good service with lots of privacy and comfortable bedding.

As you likely expected, the regular frequencies are from the San Francisco (SFO) hub airports. Here are the main routes:

  • San Francisco (SFO) – Frankfurt (FRA)
  • San Francisco (SFO) – London (LHR)

The biggest challenge lies in finding Star Alliance award availability — but if you’re flexible, you can find yourself on a Polaris flight bound for Europe in no time.

Hot Tip: Flights between mega hubs like Newark (EWR) and London (LHR) tend to have the best award availability, while point-to-point flights between smaller cities like Washington, D.C. (IAD) and Edinburgh (EDI) tend to lack award availability.

9. Fly Brussels Airlines Business Class to Europe (65,000 Miles)

Brussels Airlines business class
Brussels Airlines business class offers nonstop routes to Belgium in comfort. Image Credit: Brussels Airlines

The flag carrier of Belgium, Brussels Airlines is yet another airline that offers potentially great value for niche redemptions. Most believe that Brussels Airlines offers an inconsistent business class product, but one can never underestimate nonstop route offerings as a selling point.

Here are the routes offering nonstop business class service to/from Belgium:

  • New York (JFK)
  • Toronto (YYZ)
  • Washington, D.C. (IAD)

Fuel surcharges will be just as heavy as on SWISS International Air Lines, so prepare yourself for that. And Brussels Airlines also offers a throne seat configuration, so be sure to select those for maximum enjoyment.

Bottom Line: If you’re originating from one of the 3 airports above and want to head to Belgium, using EVA Air miles to book Brussels Airlines business class is a solid redemption strategy.

10. Fly to the South Pacific in Economy (60,000 Miles)

Air New Zealand Economy
Air New Zealand economy class. Image Credit: Air New Zealand

Let’s talk about a decent economy redemption. If you wanted to fly to the South Pacific area (see region definitions near the beginning of this guide), you can get there for 60,000 miles.

It’s not the greatest bang for your buck considering you can fly to Europe for 65,000 miles in business class, but it can be a good idea if you’re planning a trip there and have a decent balance of EVA Air miles.

Other booking programs like Avianca LifeMiles and United MileagePlus charge just 40,000 miles each way, so only use EVA Air miles if you already have them.

Here are some example routes you can take:

  • Chicago (ORD) – Auckland (AKL) on Air New Zealand
  • Los Angeles (LAX) – Auckland (AKL) on Air New Zealand
  • Los Angeles (LAX) – Sydney (SYD) on United Airlines
  • San Francisco (SFO) – Melbourne (MEL) on United Airlines

As you can see, we’re sticking strongly to the theme of EVA Air being good for niche redemptions.

11. Fly SAS Business Class to Scandinavia (65,000 Miles)

SAS A350 business
SAS business class. Image Credit: SAS

SAS, also known as Scandinavian Airlines, is the flag carrier of Sweden, Norway, and Denmark. It has a good business class product with nice Thompson Vantage XL staggered seats in a 1-2-1 configuration. The food tends to be delicious, but the service tends to be a major let-down.

Nonetheless, it’s a great option to fly a full-service airline to Scandinavia. You’ll definitely be hit with taxes and fees, but that’s simply the nature of the beast when it comes to European flights, for the most part.

Here are some example routes you can take:

  • Boston (BOS) – Copenhagen (CPH)
  • Chicago (ORD) – Copenhagen (CPH) and Stockholm (ARN)
  • Los Angeles (LAX) – Copenhagen (CPH)
  • Miami (MIA) – Oslo (OSL)Copenhagen (CPH), and Stockholm (ARN)
  • New York (JFK) – Oslo (OSL), Copenhagen (CPH)
  • Newark (EWR) – Copenhagen (CPH) and Stockholm (ARN)
  • San Francisco (SFO) – Copenhagen (CPH)
  • Toronto (YYZ) – Stockholm (ARN)
  • Washington, D.C. (IAD) – Copenhagen (CPH)

Overall, a decent number of cities enjoy a variety of nonstop options on SAS, which is helpful. To maximize time spent in business class, you’ll want to depart from Los Angeles or San Francisco. As far as costs go, it’ll run 65,000 miles in business class plus ~$600 in taxes and fees.

12. Fly Egyptair Business Class to North Africa (80,000 Miles)

Egyptair 787 business
Egyptair business class aboard the 787-9. Image Credit: Egyptair

This next redemption is not showcasing a great product. Rather, it’s demonstrating a nonstop option for those who don’t care that much about an industry-leading experience.

Egyptair offers a pretty lackluster business class product overall, but the newer 787-9 Dreamliners with lie-flat seats in a 1-2-1 reversed herringbone configuration still represent a huge improvement over the old angled-flat seats in a 2-3-2 configuration.

However, award availability is excellent, and you can fly nonstop to Cairo seamlessly.

Here’s where you can book Egyptair business class to/from Cairo (CAI):

  • New York (JFK)
  • Toronto (YYZ)
  • Washington, D.C. (IAD)

All things considered, you’ll shell out 80,000 miles for this particular redemption.

13. Fly Ethiopian Airlines Business Class to Ethiopia (92,500 Miles)

Ethiopian Airlines business class
It’s going to be easy to wake up from a good night’s sleep after flying Ethiopian’s business class to Africa! Image Credit: Ethiopian Airlines

Ethiopian Airlines offers an opportunity to fly on some interesting routes. For whatever reason, it chooses to operate connecting flights on many of its routes, as opposed to nonstop.

These are:

  • Addis Ababa (ADD) – Dublin (DUB) – Chicago (ORD) – Addis Ababa (ADD)
  • New York (JFK) – Abidjan (ABJ) – Addis Ababa (ADD)
  • Newark (EWR) – Lome (LFW) – Addis Ababa (ADD)
  • Washington, D.C. (IAD) – Lome (LFW) – Addis Ababa (ADD)

The nonstop routes currently being offered from the U.S. are:

  • Chicago (ORD) – Addis Ababa (ADD)
  • Washington, D.C. (IAD) – Addis Ababa (ADD)

If flying to Ethiopia is at the top of your priority list, you can do so for 92,500 miles one-way. Ethiopian Airlines offers an overall upbeat experience for the most part, and it’s a way to avoid some connections if you want.

14. Fly South African Airways Business Class Within South Africa (59,000 Miles)

South African Airways JNB VFA business class seat
South African Airways A320-200 business class. Image Credit: Keri Stooksbury

If you want to fly on a lie-flat seat within South Africa, it’ll cost 59,000 miles one-way, and there’s only 1 route:

  • Cape Town (CPT) – Johannesburg (JNB)

You’ll be flying on South African Airways, which generally offers a hip, energetic experience.

15. Fly to Deep South America in Economy (30,000 Miles)

United B737 800 Island Hopper HNL PNI economy cabin
United Airlines economy. Image Credit: Ryan Smith

Luckily for travelers, EVA Air groups all of South America into 1 region, which is different from many booking programs. This means you’ll get better value the deeper south you go into South America. Airports that come to mind are Buenos Aires (EZE), Santiago (SCL), Montevideo (MVD), São Paulo (GRU), and Asunción (ASU).

If you’re looking for nonstop routes, your only choices are Buenos Aires (EZE), Santiago (SCL), and São Paulo (GRU).

Your best luck will be routing through Houston (IAH), but here are some example routes you can take:

  • Chicago (ORD) – São Paulo (GRU) on United Airlines
  • Houston (IAH) – Buenos Aires (EZE) on United Airlines
  • Houston (IAH) – Santiago (SCL) on United Airlines
  • Houston (IAH) – São Paulo (GRU) on United Airlines
  • Newark (EWR) – São Paulo (GRU) on United Airlines
  • Toronto (YYZ) – São Paulo (GRU) on Air Canada
  • Toronto (YYZ) – Santiago (SCL) on Air Canada
  • Washington, D.C. (IAD) – São Paulo (GRU) on United Airlines

All of these flights cost only 30,000 miles one-way, which is impressive — especially if you’re taking a connecting flight to a smaller city in South America as your final destination.

16. Fly to Central and South Asia in Economy (60,000 Miles)

Central and South Asia contain a bunch of countries with tickets that are basically price-gouging consumers at costs of $2,000+. As such, using EVA Air miles might be a great way to minimize your out-of-pocket costs if you want to visit.

17. Fly ANA Business Class From Tokyo to Australia (77,500 Miles)

ANA Business Class Cabin
ANA business class cabin. Image Credit: Stephen Au

ANA business class gets great marks all around — I flew it myself from Los Angeles (LAX) to Tokyo (NRT) aboard the 777-300ER. At the moment, ANA flies this sole nonstop route:

  • Tokyo (HND) – Sydney (SYD)

You can fly on this route for 77,500 miles one-way, which isn’t a bad deal considering the flight is ~9.5 hours long. If you find yourself in need of a nonstop flight featuring excellent food, comfortable seats, and awesome service, you can count on ANA to deliver that (and much more).

18. Fly THAI Airways Business Class From Southeast Asia to North Asia (40,000 Miles)

Thai Airways Royal Silk business class 777 300er seat 11B
Image Credit: Ehsan Haque

EVA Air’s Southeast Asia region chart contains locations such as Indonesia, Brunei, Singapore, and Malaysia, which can be used for considerable value to get to North Asia (places like Seoul or Tokyo).

Each business class flight will cost 40,000 miles, so let’s talk about some example routes:

  • Bali-Denpasar (DPS) – Bangkok (BKK) – Tokyo (NRT)
  • Jakarta (CGK) – Bangkok (BKK) – Sapporo (CTS)
  • Singapore (SIN) – Bangkok (BKK) – Tokyo (HND) 

Considering that many of these flights add up to ~10 hours of total flying time, paying 40,000 miles can be a steal!

19. Fly THAI Airways First Class From Southeast Asia to North Asia (62,500 Miles)

Thai Airways Boeing 747 - First Class
Thai Airways Boeing 747 first class. Image Credit: Cherag Dubash

At the moment, you can fly on THAI Airways first class from its hub in Bangkok (BKK) to North Asia, which includes cities like Osaka (KIX) and Tokyo (TYO).

It’s difficult to find routes that operate a first class cabin, but if you do it can result in 5 to 6 hours of first class flying time. These flights will run you 62,500 EVA Air miles per person one-way.

Here are a few example routes:

  • Bangkok (BKK) – Osaka (KIX)
  • Bangkok (BKK) – Tokyo (TYO)

20. Fly Asiana Airlines Business Class Wholly Within North Asia (27,500 Miles)

Asiana Airlines business class
Enjoy Asiana Airlines business class. Image Credit: Stephen Au

Asiana Airlines operates flights from its Seoul (ICN) hub to international destinations all over Asia. However, for this particular redemption, you can spend 27,500 miles to fly business class between destinations in North Asia.

One of the more high-value redemptions is the following route:

  • Seoul (ICN) – Saipan (SPN) 

Paying with miles can be a good deal since cash tickets can get expensive on this 4.5-hour flight.

Hot Tip: If North Asia is your destination of choice, don’t miss our dedicated article on the best ways to fly to North Asia with points and miles

21. Fly EVA Air Business Class Wholly Within Asia, Excluding Hong Kong and Macau Routes (25,000 Miles)

Eva Air Business Class cuisine
EVA Air business class on the A330. Image Credit: EVA Air

EVA Air’s long-haul business class is simply exceptional. For those who want to try its regional business class, an excellent option is using EVA Air miles for flights wholly within Asia. Note that this excludes Hong Kong and Macau — the Hong Kong/Macau routes are actually shorter and cheaper!

If you want to fly on the A330 in business class, you’ll enjoy a 2-2-2 configuration with the newest cabins featuring fully lie-flat seats.

A few great routes you can try this on are Taipei (TPE) – Jakarta (CGK), Taipei (TPE) – Bali-Denpasar (DPS), and Taipei (TPE) – Singapore (SIN). This route is approximately 4 to 5 hours in duration and costs anywhere from $500 to $1,000 if paid in cash.

If you wanted to connect through Taiwan to another destination, you could pay the same price and fly even longer in business class. Check out a couple of value-added routes:

  • Bali-Denpasar (DPS) – Sapporo (CTS) via Taipei (TPE) 
  • Kuala Lumpur (KUL) – Tokyo (TYO) via Taipei (TPE)

Both of these routes have long layovers, so you could take the MRT to a night market and grab some amazing Taiwanese street food en route to your final destination.

22. Fly on ANA Business Class Between Hong Kong and Tokyo (30,000 Miles)

ANA Business Class Seat
If your flights are picked correctly between Hong Kong and Tokyo, you can try ANA business class on this 4-hour flight for a fraction of the long-haul price! Image Credit: Stephen Au

ANA’s lie-flat business class is offered on all major long-haul routes, as well as on regional routes to major hubs such as Hong Kong. This 4-hour flight retails for ~$1,000 to $1,500 per person, so it’s a huge way to extract lots of value from your miles.

You’ll want to reserve the flight operated by ANA, not Air Japan, on the 787 (as opposed to the 767) for the experience closest to long-haul business class.

This will cost you 30,000 miles each way, which is a good deal.

23. Fly on TAP Portugal Business Class to Portugal (65,000 Miles)

TAP A330 900neo business class cabin
TAP A330-900neo business class. Image Credit: Daniel Ross

If flying to Portugal is high on your priority list, you’ll find that TAP Portugal flies to many U.S. airports — though not as many as you’d expect. You can book these routes for 65,000 miles each way, though taxes and fees add up to an absurd ~$650 each way.

Look out for flights on the A330-900neo specifically, since its business class is significantly better!

  • Boston (BOS) – Lisbon (LIS)
  • Miami (MIA) – Lisbon (LIS)
  • New York (JFK) – Lisbon (LIS)
  • Newark (EWR) – Lisbon (LIS)
  • San Francisco (SFO) – Lisbon (LIS)
  • Toronto (YYZ) – Lisbon (LIS)

24. Fly on THAI Airways Business Class to Australia (77,500 Miles)

Thai Airways 787-8 Silk Class
Thai Airways’ 787-8 business class features seats in a 2-2-2 configuration. Image Credit: Thai Airways

Flying on THAI Airways’ new 787-9 features reverse herringbone business class seats, which makes this product THAI Airways’ best business class product.

You can have these seats for 11 hours in business class on the route from Bangkok (BKK) – Melbourne (MEL), which you can book for 77,500 miles one-way.

25. Fly on Air New Zealand Business Class From Auckland to Tokyo (77,500 Miles)

Air New Zealand Boeing 787 business class cabin rear
If you have a chance, you can also try the Air New Zealand 787 Dreamliner business class product. Regardless of what plane you fly, Air New Zealand business class is a great experience. Image Credit: Daniel Ross

Air New Zealand operates its long-haul business class product from its home airport in Auckland (AKL) to Tokyo. This 11-hour flight will cost 77,500 miles each way.

26. Fly Lufthansa First Class to Europe (85,000 Miles)

Lufthansa Airbus A380 First Class Seat
Lufthansa’s epic first class seat. Image Credit: Greg Stone

We’d be doing a disservice if we didn’t discuss Lufthansa first class in this guide, though it ranks near the bottom of good options due to the fuel surcharges.

Though the award redemption rate is not horrible, the $1,000+ in taxes and fees really bring this redemption down.

Hot Tip: Lufthansa flies to tons of cities in the U.S. Check out our definitive guide to Lufthansa U.S. routes.

Final Thoughts

Overall, EVA Air isn’t the most stellar award-booking program out there. There are a bunch of other options that could work better, including ANA Mileage Club, Avianca LifeMiles, and Air Canada Aeroplan.

Still, if you find yourself with a large balance of EVA Air miles, it’s worth considering these best ways to redeem your miles to extract maximum value from them. We hope these ideas inspired you to think about your next redemption.

There aren’t many truly phenomenal uses of these points and miles, but there are plenty of unique ways to use EVA’s round-trip routing rules — or even book a round-the-world award trip!

The information regarding the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The information regarding the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The information for the Citi Prestige® Card has been collected independently by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The information regarding the Citi Premier® Card has expired and the card is no longer open to applicants.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I earn miles on EVA Air?

You can earn miles in EVA Air’s frequent flyer program Infinity MileageLands by flying on Star Alliance partners and crediting flights to them with your EVA Air loyalty number. You can also earn miles by booking with their hotel, car, and other partners.

There are no U.S. co-branded credit cards, but you can transfer directly to EVA Air with your Citi ThankYou Points or Capital One miles.

Is it possible to earn EVA Air Infinity MileageLands miles by using credit cards?

The main way to earn EVA Air miles using credit cards is via cards that earn Citi ThankYou Points, such as the Citi Premier® Card or Citi Prestige® Card. You can also earn Capital One miles from cards like the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit CardInformation collected independently. Not reviewed by Capital One. or Capital One Venture Rewards Credit CardInformation collected independently. Not reviewed by Capital One..

What are EVA Air miles worth?

Generally, the value of the miles will be anywhere from 1 to 3 cents each.

Are EVA Air miles refundable?

Yes, a totally unused ticket is refundable, but a $50 cancellation fee is levied. This fee is waived for Silver, Gold, or Diamond members.

When do EVA Air miles expire?

EVA Air miles expire 3 years after accrual at the end of the month. For example, if miles are earned on May 20, 2023, they will expire on May 31, 2026.

Is EVA Air part of United Airlines?

No, EVA Air is a Taiwanese airline that is in the Star Alliance with United Airlines. You can redeem EVA Air miles on travel with any Star Alliance airline. You can also redeem any Star Alliance partner’s miles for travel on EVA Air.

However, you cannot combine miles from Star Alliance partners, such as United miles and EVA Air miles.

How much does it cost to buy EVA Air miles?

You can purchase up to 50% of any required redemption. The price is 1,000 miles for $40. This is not a good price, but if you need the miles for a specific redemption, it is possible to top up your balance.

How do I join EVA Air Infinity MileageLands?

Do I need to be an EVA Air Infinity MileageLands member to search for awards?

It is not recommended to use EVA Air’s website to search for award space. Your best bets are to use United Airlines or Air Canada Aeroplan to search for award availability.

How many EVA Air miles do I have?

You can check your balance by signing into your EVA Air Infinity MileageLands account and viewing your account activity and balance.

How many EVA Air miles are required for a trip reward?

The cheapest EVA Air/UNI Air flights are 10,000 miles one-way in economy, while the cheapest Star Alliance tickets are 15,000 miles one-way.

How do I contact EVA Air Infinity MileageLands?

You can reach EVA Air Infinity MileageLands at 310-362-6600 or +886-2-25017899. Keep in mind that international calling charges may apply.

Stephen Au's image

About Stephen Au

Stephen is an established voice in the credit card space, with over 70 to his name. His work has been in publications like The Washington Post, and his Au Points and Awards Consulting Services is used by hundreds of clients.

INSIDERS ONLY: UP PULSE

Deluxe Travel Provided by UP Pulse

Get the latest travel tips, crucial news, flight & hotel deal alerts...

Plus — expert strategies to maximize your points & miles by joining our (free) newsletter.

We respect your privacy. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA. Google's privacy policy  and terms of service  apply.

Deluxe Travel Provided by UP Pulse
DMCA.com Protection Status