14 Best Ways To Redeem Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles Miles for Maximum Value

Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles miles have historically been difficult to earn due to the lack of transfer partners available, which made it increasingly difficult to earn enough points without flying a ton and crediting your flights to earn Turkish Airlines miles.

However, Turkish Airlines is now transfer partners with Capital One Miles, Citi ThankYou Rewards, Marriott Bonvoy, and Bilt Rewards.

Miles&Smiles has a lot of excellent award sweet spots — and because it hasn’t received a lot of coverage in the frequent flyer world, these sweet spots have stayed below the radar for the most part.

For example, one-way flights are allowed (but you cannot fly more than 1 carrier on inbound or outbound flights), you can have up to 4 segments on one-way awards, and you can have up to 8 segments on round-trip awards.

It also uses a region-based award chart, so there are definitely lots of opportunities for optimization and award sweet spots.

Let’s get started!

The Pros and Cons of Turkish Miles&Smiles (Quick Overview)

Although there are lots of opportunities to optimize Turkish Airlines miles, we’ll first go over some of the pros and cons before deep-diving into all the sweet spots.

To begin with, fuel surcharges are always passed on, so be aware of that when booking award flights.

If you are booking Turkish Airlines flights only, you can reserve your flights completely online. Otherwise, you’ll need to call the sales office at 800-874-8875.

Turkish Airlines has an online search engine that could potentially allow you to book partner flights online. The major downside to this is that the search engine is very buggy and often doesn’t show all possible availability.

We recommend starting your search first on United.com and then locating flights under the Saver award bucket. Once you’ve located options, ring up the Turkish Airlines sales office to book Star Alliance tickets.

There are a few fees Turkish Airlines charges as well:

• Redeposit Fees: $25 for international or ₺100 (~$5.84) for domestic flights
• No-show Redeposit Fees: $25 for international or ₺100 (~$5.84) for domestic flights
• Any Changes (Time/Date/Routing) On Turkish Flights and Partner Flights: $25 for international flights and ₺50 (~$2.92) for domestic flights

On all award tickets operated by Turkish Airlines, 1 stopover is allowed. You are allowed 1 open-jaw (instead of a stopover) for round-trip awards.

Miles&Smiles miles expire 3 years after they are earned, but you can pay $10 per 1,000 miles and extend them for 3 years.

Mixed cabin awards are allowed, but you’ll pay the price for the higher class on the itinerary. You also can’t mix carriers for 1 direction of the flight.

For example, if you’re flying from the U.S. to the Middle East, you cannot fly to Turkey on Turkish Airlines and to Cairo on Egyptair; you must fly on Turkish Airlines the whole way.

Your entire itinerary may have up to 8 segments if it is round-trip, and 4 if it is one-way.

You can backtrack, but the same airport can’t be in your itinerary more than once in the inbound and outbound legs. This would normally be a great opportunity for optimization, but it’s pretty much nullified because of the restriction on mixed carriers.

If you’re short on Turkish Airlines miles and need 10,000 miles or less, you can pay €25 (~$26) per 1,000 miles to top off your balance.

You can redeem miles for someone else, but they need to be registered in your Miles&Smiles account beforehand.

Whew! Now that we have that business out of the way, let’s dive into this guide.

How To Boost Your Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles

Capital One Miles Credit Cards

Capital One miles transfer to Turkish at a 1:1 ratio in up to 1 business day and are easy to earn!

Recommended Capital One Cards

Citi ThankYou Rewards Credit Cards

As we stated above, Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles is a transfer partner of Citi ThankYou Rewards.

There is no shortage of ways to earn lots of Citi ThankYou Points, so give this method a lot of thought if you want to earn Turkish Airlines miles!

Citi transfers at a 1:1 ratio in 1 to 2 business days.

Recommended Citi Cards

Marriott Bonvoy Credit Cards

Another great way to earn a lot of Turkish Airlines miles is with Marriott Bonvoy.

Marriott is an invaluable transfer partner for so many airlines, and there are many ways to maximize Marriott Bonvoy points for flights and hotel stays.

Although the time to transfer Turkish Airlines points is unknown, it will probably take around 1 business day for transfers to complete. See our list of the best Marriott credit cards in our detailed guide.

Bilt World Elite Mastercard^® Credit Card

You can earn Bilt Rewards points (especially by paying rent!) and transfer them to Turkish at a 1:1 ratio with a minimum of 2,000 points transferred.

Hot Tip: Don’t miss our dedicated piece on the best ways to earn lots of Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles.

The 14 Best Ways To Use Your Turkish Airlines Miles

Let’s discover the best ways to redeem your Turkish miles!

In general, unless you are planning on booking a flight aboard Turkish Airlines, we always recommend starting your search on United’s website.

It’s just so much easier to use, and if you find availability for Saver awards, you should be able to redeem your Turkish Airlines miles for those partner flights.

1. Fly From Asia to the Maldives (7,500 Miles)

Singapore Airlines is a Star Alliance partner and thus eligible for use with your Turkish Airlines miles, and one of the best ways to do so might be the trip from Asia to the Maldives.

As a highly popular tourist destination, flights to the Maldives can be overpriced, and finding award availability can be difficult.

However, if you’re able to find a flight, you can take off from anywhere within Asia, including Tokyo (HND/NRT), Hong Kong (HKG), and Singapore (SIN), and get all the way to the Maldives from just 7,500 miles one way in economy. You can’t get much cheaper than that.

2. Fly SWISS Air Business Class to Switzerland (45,000 Miles)

SWISS Air has an excellent route network, a great business class product, and flies to a huge tourist destination: Switzerland.

It, unfortunately, does levy fuel surcharges. Nevertheless, if you’re able to pony up $750 to Europe or $365 from Europe each way, it’ll be worth it to use Turkish Airlines miles here.

SWISS flies to Geneva (GVA) from New York (JFK) and Zurich (ZRH) to these 7 cities:

3. Fly SAS Business Class to Scandinavia (45,000 Miles)

SAS is the main flag carrier for 3 countries: Norway, Sweden, and Denmark.

It flies the A330 with a great staggered 1-2-1 configuration. You’ll have plenty of room to stretch out, a comfortable bed to rest in, and great food en route to Scandinavia!

For each of the 3 countries mentioned above, SAS flies to the respective country’s largest hub airport: Copenhagen (CPH) in Denmark, Oslo (OSL) in Norway, and Stockholm (ARN) in Sweden.

Nonstop Flights on SAS to Copenhagen (CPH):

Nonstop Flights on SAS to Oslo (OSL):

Nonstop Flights on SAS to Stockholm (ARN):

Bottom Line: If flying out of the U.S., expect your costs to be 45,000 Turkish Airlines miles plus ~$730 to $750 in taxes and fees. If returning to the U.S., expect around $375 to $425 in taxes and fees.

4. Fly Austrian Airlines Business Class to Austria (45,000 Miles)

Austrian Airlines generally operates 2 aircraft on flights from the U.S. to Austria: the 767 and 777.

If possible, choose the 767 over the 777 when flying Austrian Airlines.

The 767 has a better business class product, with a staggered 1-2-1 configuration that offers direct aisle access for every seat. The 777 alternates rows with a 1-2-1 and 2-2-2 configuration, so direct aisle access is a luxury you’ll have to hope for.

You’ll be able to fly one-way for 45,000 miles plus $750 in taxes and fees to Austria and return to the U.S. for 45,000 miles plus $370 in taxes and fees.

The 767 is flown from Vienna (VIE) to New York (JFK) and Washington, D.C. (IAD), while the 777 is flown from Vienna (VIE) to Chicago (ORD), Los Angeles (LAX), and Newark (EWR).

Bottom Line: Overall, this is an excellent way to comfortably get to Austria in business class at a low mileage cost if you can pay for the fuel surcharges.

5. Fly Transcontinental in the U.S. (From 10,000 Miles)

Flying across the country in America can be exceedingly expensive. With economy flights in excess of $500 to $1,000 at times, and business and first class in excess of $2,000, you definitely want to save money where you can.

If you are planning a transcontinental flight involving Los Angeles (LAX), Newark (EWR), New York (JFK), or San Francisco (SFO), you might want to read this section.

United Airlines is going to be your best bet here since Turkish Airlines is a Star Alliance partner.

Its premium transcontinental routing includes United’s fabulous Polaris business class product. Even better, flying this product will only cost 15,000 miles each way and 30,000 miles round-trip.

This is probably the best deal you’re ever going to get on United Polaris class across the U.S.! 

Here’s the breakdown for the other cabin classes:

Cabin Class	Turkish Airlines Miles Cost (Transcontinental Flights)
Economy	10,000
Business	15,000
First	25,000

Taxes and fees will generally be minimal, with a maximum of $50 levied each way.

Hot Tip: Using Turkish miles to fly across the U.S. in Polaris business class is one of the best ways to get maximum value on domestic award redemptions.

6. Fly Air Canada Business Class to India (52,500 Miles)

While flying to India can be excruciatingly expensive and a distant journey, Star Alliance partner Air Canada operates some fantastic business class flights to India.

With an average flight time of 14 hours from Canada, your trip to India will definitely be more comfortable in business class.

Air Canada levies fuel surcharges of $560 each way, so your total taxes and fees will be approximately $610 each way.

However, spending the few hundred dollars extra might be worth it because it only costs 52,500 miles each way to fly to India in business class from Canada. 

Air Canada operates 2 nonstop routes to India as follows:

• Toronto (YYZ) – Delhi (DEL)
• Toronto (YYZ) – Mumbai (BOM)
• Vancouver (YVR) – Delhi (DEL)

On these routes, Air Canada utilizes the Boeing 787 Dreamliner with an excellent business class product.

This is a 1-2-1 reverse herringbone configuration with direct aisle access, loads of privacy, and solid catering.

Bottom Line: Overall, if you want to fly business class to India from Canada, definitely consider using Turkish Airlines miles to do it, with a one-way cost of 52,500 miles + $450 in taxes and fees.

7. Utilize the Generous Oceania Zone Definition (From 15,000 Miles)

Turkish Airlines has an extremely generous definition of Oceania, which we can use to our advantage. Specifically, the region includes these islands, countries, and territories:

• Australia, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Guam, Marshall Islands, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Norfolk Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Samoa, Tonga, amd Vanuatu

Notice that Guam and Tahiti are included with Australia, New Zealand, and the like. This is an astonishing observation because flights from Oceania regions to Australia can be more than 7 hours long!

You will mainly be searching for Air New Zealand flights here, since Virgin Australia, Qantas, and Hawaiian Airlines are not Star Alliance partners.

“Intra-Oceania” Flights in Each Cabin Class
Economy	15,000
Business	25,000
First	35,000

And here is an example route you can take:

• Rarotonga (RAR) to Sydney (SYD) one-way for 25,000 miles + ~$85 in taxes and fees in Air New Zealand’s 787 business class (7 hours each way!)

8. Fly Within the “Far East” in Business Class (35,000 Miles)

The Far East, as defined by Turkish Airlines, contains the following:

• Brunei, Cambodia, China (except Hong Kong and Macao), China Taipei, Hong Kong – SAR of China, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam

Basically, the Far East includes all of Asia with the exception of India, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, and Central Asia.

Since this is such a huge region, you can get tons of value from flying business class within the Far East for only 35,000 miles each way.

Of course, you’re still limited to 1 carrier, but there’s still some room for optimization. As always, you’ll be on the hook for all fuel surcharges.

Here are some example routes:

• Seoul (ICN) – Singapore (SIN) one-way for 35,000 miles + ~$75 in taxes and fees in Asiana’s A330 regional business class
• Taipei (TPE) – Bali (DPS) one-way for 35,000 miles + $60 in taxes and fees in EVA Air’s A330 regional business class
• Tokyo (HND/NRT) – Jakarta (CGK) one-way for 35,000 miles + ~$136 in taxes and fees in ANA business class

9. Fly Between Europe 2 and the Far East in Business Class (45,000 Miles)

Another sweet spot is flying from Europe 2 to the Far East or vice-versa in business class.

Europe 2 includes:

The Far East includes:

Hot Tip: To view all of the regions under Turkish Airlines’ frequent flyer program, click this link and expand the table that says Award region table near the bottom of the page.

With flights up to 12 hours long, paying only 45,000 miles is a great deal. Your fuel surcharges will be at their lowest when originating from the Far East as opposed to Europe 2.

Here are some example routes from Europe 2 to the Far East:

• Brussels (BRU) – Tokyo (NRT) one-way for 45,000 miles + ~$221 in taxes and fees in ANA business class
• Copenhagen (CPH) – Tokyo (HND) one-way for 45,000 miles + ~$245 in taxes and fees in SAS business class
• London (LHR) – Tokyo (HND) one-way for 45,000 miles + ~$510 in taxes and fees in ANA business class
• Munich (MUC) – Bangkok (BKK) one-way for 45,000 miles + ~$223 in taxes and fees in Thai Airways business class
• Paris (CDG) – Taipei (TPE) one-way for 45,000 miles + $210 in taxes and fees in EVA Air business class
• Warsaw (WAW) – Tokyo (NRT) one-way for 45,000 miles + ~$220 in taxes and fees in LOT Polish business class

And here are some examples you can take from the Far East to Europe 2:

• Bangkok (BKK) – Frankfurt (FRA) one-way for 45,000 miles + ~$142 in taxes and fees in Thai Airways business class
• Hong Kong (HKG) – Munich (MUC) one-way for 45,000 miles + ~$45 in taxes and fees in Lufthansa business class
• Seoul (ICN) – London (LHR) one-way for 45,000 miles + ~$113 in taxes and fees in Asiana Airlines business class
• Singapore (SIN) – Zurich (ZRH) one-way for 45,000 miles + ~$338 in taxes and fees in SWISS Air business class
• Vienna (VIE) – Taipei (TPE) one-way for 45,000 miles + ~$238 in taxes and fees in EVA Air business class

Bottom Line: As you can see, there are tons of routes you can fly between Europe 2 and the Far East! This is just a taste of the possibilities. You can expect to pay 45,000 miles for one-way flights and 90,000 miles for round-trip flights.

10. Fly to the Middle East via Europe in Business Class (47,000 Miles)

If you are interested in visiting the Middle East, you can transit through Europe to fly to the Middle East for only 47,000 miles each way!

Here are the countries included in the Middle East:

• Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen

Remember that you may not fly across the Pacific, as you would be transiting through a more expensive region (Far East) and would therefore be subject to the award prices for the Far East.

You must fly transatlantic to qualify for this award price. Finding a good route shouldn’t be a problem, though, because you’ve got tons of options.

Here are some example routes:

• Chicago (ORD) – Zurich (ZRH) – Dubai (DXB) one-way for 47,000 miles + ~$790 in taxes and fees in SWISS Air business class
• Los Angeles (LAX) – Istanbul (IST) – Muscat (MCT) one-way for 47,000 miles + ~$394 in taxes and fees in Turkish Airlines business class
• San Francisco (SFO) – Frankfurt (FRA) – Tehran (IKA) one-way for 47,000 miles + ~$786 in taxes and fees in Lufthansa business class

Your taxes and fees will be pretty high, but it might be worth it — you’re basically getting another 5- to 6-hour flight from Europe to the Middle East for only 2,000 miles more.

11. Fly From Europe 2 to the Middle East in Business Class (24,500 Miles)

If you want to fly on a short-haul, international flight from Europe 2 to the Middle East in business class, it won’t cost you very much at all!

With business class flights priced at 24,500 miles, there’s some solid value to be had with this redemption.

Here are some unique and awesome redemptions you can make with only 24,500 miles:

• Frankfurt (FRA) – Kuwait City (KWI) one-way for 24,500 miles + ~$288 in taxes and fees in Lufthansa business class
• Istanbul (IST) – Doha (DOH) one-way for 24,500 miles + ~$111 in taxes and fees in Turkish Airlines business class
• Zurich (ZRH) – Dubai (DXB) one-way for 24,500 miles + ~$273 in taxes and fees in SWISS Air business class

12. Fly From South America to Europe 2 in Business Class (52,500 Miles)

Turkish Airlines also has a very inclusive definition of South America, so we can use this to our advantage — especially when flying between Europe 2 and South America.

Here are the countries and territories that make up South America:

• Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Cayman Islands, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Martinique, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Saint Lucia

The list of areas governed by the South America award chart is huge!

We won’t be able to look at all the routes to Europe 2, but here are several great options you can book with 52,500 miles each way:

• Bogotá (BOG) – Barcelona (BCN) one-way for 52,500 miles + ~$106 ($38 in reverse) in taxes and fees in Avianca business class
• Buenos Aires (EZE) – Frankfurt (FRA) one-way for 52,500 miles + ~$533 ($408 in reverse) in taxes and fees in Lufthansa business class
• Panama City (PTY) – Istanbul (IST) one-way for 52,500 miles + ~$528 (no reverse route) in taxes and fees in Turkish Airlines business class
• Rio de Janeiro (GIG) – Munich (MUC) one-way for 52,500 miles + ~$33 ($396 in reverse) in taxes and fees in Lufthansa business class
• São Paolo (GRU) – Porto (OPO) or Lisbon (LIS) one-way for 52,500 miles + ~$12 ($309 in reverse) in taxes and fees in TAP Portugal business class

Bottom Line: There are plenty of ways you can fly from South America to Europe 2 in business class. These routes range anywhere from 8 to 12 hours in duration, so you’ll definitely be able to fly on these long-haul routes in comfort!

13. Fly ANA’s “The Room” Business Class to Japan (67,500 Miles)

ANA is one of the world’s few 5-star airlines as voted by Skytrax. This is, in part, due to its wonderful service — the airline is renowned for the way it treats its passengers.

Fortunately for us, you can experience ANA’s business class all the way to Japan for just 67,500 Turkish miles.

Even better, ANA launched a new seating configuration that one-ups every other business class out there.

Although its old business class seats are still excellent, “The Room,” which can be found on select B777-300ERs, features alternating seats and sliding doors that guarantee the ultimate in privacy.

Not every route features “The Room,” but here are some routes that do:

• New York (JFK) – Tokyo (HND) one-way for 67,500 miles + ~$224 in taxes and fees
• San Francisco (SFO) – Tokyo (HND) one-way for 67,500 miles + ~$224 in taxes and fees

14. Fly Star Alliance From the Continental U.S. to Hawaii (From 7,500 Miles)

The very last redemption here is on United Airlines. You can fly domestically to Hawaii for 7,500 miles one-way, or 15,000 miles round-trip.

This is an excellent deal, and one of the best, if not the single best way to fly to Hawaii from the mainland U.S. Also, it includes any East Coast flights as well.

The same flight in business class costs 25,000 miles round-trip or 12,500 miles one-way.

Considering that some of these flights contain lie-flat seats in business class, it could potentially be a huge sweet spot for travelers headed to Hawaii. Here are some example routes to fly:

• Newark (EWR) – Honolulu (HNL) one-way in United first class for 12,500 Turkish Airlines miles + ~$5.60 in taxes and fees
• San Francisco (SFO) – Kona (KOA) one-way in United first class for 12,500 Turkish Airlines miles + ~$5.60 in taxes and fees

Final Thoughts

Although Turkish Airlines is a relatively unknown frequent flyer program, there are plenty of ways to take advantage of the Miles&Smiles program by utilizing Capital One, Citi, Marriott Bonvoy, and Bilt as transfer partners.

There are a few booking quirks, and it is generally not a “beginner-friendly” award program. But if you’re willing to stick it out, you can book some awesome sweet spots!

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