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Hong Kong is a bustling city. A capital of global finance, the city also has amazing cultural traditions and an unmatched international atmosphere. Unsurprisingly, this city sits at or near the top of the priority list for many travelers.
Though very small geographically (the city measures just 1,063 square miles), it manages to be an economic powerhouse, a tourist hotbed, foodie heaven, and luxury travel oasis all at once. Thanks to all of this, it sees a huge amount of inbound and outbound travel in a typical (non-pandemic) year.
There are many airlines and different routes you can choose from to fly to Hong Kong, primarily with Star Alliance and Oneworld alliance carriers.
In this post, we’ll cover the best programs to use for round-trip flights in all cabin classes, including economy and business class, across a healthy variety of airlines. We’ll also share a few “sweet spots” which allow you to redeem points and miles at a great value for business and first class flights between North America and Hong Kong.
Let’s get to it!
Since Hong Kong is one of the primary hubs of the global financial system, it boasts a huge number of airlines that offer service to and from the city. This also means there are many options for booking flights with points and miles.
We’re going to be focusing this section on Star Alliance and Oneworld alliance carriers because SkyTeam carriers don’t offer any nonstop flights into Hong Kong from North America.
Here’s a look at the foreign airlines that offer nonstop flights to Hong Kong from the U.S. or Canada:
And here are all of the U.S. airlines that have nonstop flights to Hong Kong:
As we jump into each redemption, it’s important to note that booking premium cabin award space will require you to plan ahead.
There are some exceptions (particularly with Cathay Pacific first class close-in award bookings), but the general rule of thumb is to plan as far in advance as possible.
Hot Tip: Remember that the key to award travel is flexibility in both the points you earn as well as the dates you are looking to travel!
All Nippon Airways (ANA) is at the top of our list for several reasons, but the main one is value.
ANA offers some of the best round-trip redemptions in the business. Keep in mind that ANA only allows round-trip bookings, so one-ways are not an option here.
Because ANA doesn’t offer nonstop flights from North America to Hong Kong, our best bet will be to utilize its partners that do offer nonstop service between North America and Hong Kong: Air Canada, Singapore Airlines, and United Airlines.
Hot Tip: ANA offers 1 free stopover AND 1 open-jaw OR 2 open-jaws on round-trip award bookings. If Hong Kong is not your final destination, you could work in any number of routes using this rule.
Unfortunately, Singapore Airlines does not allow premium cabin partner award bookings. If you want to book Singapore Airlines’ flight from San Francisco to Hong Kong on its Boeing 777, you’ll need to use the Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer program, which we’ll cover later on in this post.
Here are the round-trip redemption rates and an estimate of the taxes and fees you’ll pay for nonstop Air Canada and United flights from North America to Hong Kong:
| Cabin Class | ANA Miles Cost | Fees |
| Economy | 60,000 | ~$80 to $136 |
| Business | 95,000 | ~$80 to $136 |
| First | N/A | N/A |
Here are some example routes you can consider:
Once you’re ready to book, follow these steps:
Hot Tip: Need help booking this award? Here’s our step-by-step guide to booking business class award tickets on ANA.
Utilizing the ANA award program is made easier by the fact that ANA is an American Express transfer partner and a Marriott transfer partner.
Amex points transfer to ANA at a 1:1 ratio in around 2 to 3 business days.
Marriott Bonvoy transfers to ANA at a 3:1 ratio with a transfer bonus of 5,000 extra ANA miles after transferring 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points at once. Marriott transfers to ANA usually take around 4 business days.
Amex has many personal and business cards to choose from that earn Membership Rewards points, making it easy to accumulate the points necessary for a redemption.
Terms Apply / Rates & FeesThe Amex Platinum reigns supreme for luxury travel, offering the best airport lounge access plus generous statement credits, and complimentary elite status.
When it comes to cards that offer top-notch benefits, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better card out there than The Platinum Card® from American Express.
Make no mistake — the Amex Platinum card is a premium card with a premium price tag. With amazing benefits like best-in-class airport lounge access, hotel elite status, and tremendous value in annual statement credits, it can easily prove to be one of the most lucrative cards in your wallet year after year.
Terms Apply / Rates & FeesThis is the best card for food lovers who dine out at restaurants (worldwide), order take-out and want big rewards at U.S. supermarkets!
The American Express® Gold Card is a game-changer.
With this card, you can earn 4x Membership Rewards points at restaurants and you’ll also earn 4x Membership Rewards points at U.S. supermarkets on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1x.
There isn’t another card on the market that offers a 1-2 punch like this. Of course, there are several other benefits of the Gold Card as well, including extra monthly dining rewards and more.
Terms Apply / Rates & FeesThis card is ideal for business travelers who enjoy luxury travel and are looking for a card loaded with benefits!
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express is a premium travel rewards card tailored toward business owners who are frequent travelers with a high number of annual expenses.
When you factor in the large number of perks that the card offers like the best airport lounge access at over 1,400 lounges, along with tons of annual credits, it’s easy to see why this card can is a top option for frequent traveling business owners.
Hot Tip: Check to see if you’re eligible for a huge welcome bonus offer of up to 170,000 points with the Amex Business Platinum. The current public offer is 120,000 points. (This targeted offer was independently researched and may not be available to all applicants.)
Terms Apply / Rates & FeesGet 4x points in 2 select categories where your business spends the most each month (on your first $150,000 spent each year).
The American Express® Business Gold Card is excellent at racking up rewards for your business spend.
The card earns a whopping 4x points per $1 in the 2 categories (from a list of 6) that your business spends the most money on each month. With no need to opt-in or preselect your categories, so you can focus on what matters most — running your business.
Terms Apply / Rates & FeesEarn Membership Rewards for your business spending the easy way: get 2x points for the first $50,000 in purchases per year.
As a business owner, getting a credit card that maximizes each dollar you spend does not have to be complicated or expensive. Especially when you opt for The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express.
With the Amex Blue Business Plus card, you’ll earn 2x Membership Rewards points on everyday business purchases throughout the year (up to $50,000; 1x thereafter) and receive purchase protections and no-additional-charge employee cards all for no annual fee (see rates and fees).
The simple and straightforward earning structure makes it a great fit for those looking to earn flexible rewards, without having to fixate on which purchases earn the most points.
Let’s take look at all that the Amex Blue Business Plus card has to offer.
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan offers some incredible value on premium award flights on a variety of carriers. We’re focusing on flying to Hong Kong today, so there are 2 options — Cathay Pacific and American Airlines. However, the real star is Cathay Pacific, a frequent pick of aspirational travelers.
Known for massage chairs, flawless service, Krug Champagne, and amazingly comfortable bedding, Cathay Pacific is definitely towards the top of the bucket list when it comes to first class. And its business class product is no slouch, either!
Though first class availability is difficult to book far in advance, economy and business award space is abundant. Sometimes you’ll find 5 to 7 business class seats per flight!
Booking Cathay Pacific flights through Alaska Airlines is the best way to get outsize value for your miles — here’s a look at the round-trip redemption rates and an estimate of the taxes and fees for nonstop flights from the U.S. to Hong Kong:
| Cabin Class | Alaska Airlines Miles Cost | Taxes and Fees |
| Economy | 60,000 | ~$40 to $275 |
| Business | 100,000 | ~$40 to $275 |
| First | 140,000 | ~$40 to $275 |
You’ll notice that Alaska Airlines offers extremely competitive redemption rates. In fact, these rates are the lowest you will find for flying in Cathay Pacific premium cabins to Hong Kong.
Here are some great example routes you can book:
Booking with Alaska Airlines requires a phone call:
Hot Tip: Alaska Airlines’ award tickets allow stopovers on one-way tickets, but you can only fly 1 partner per itinerary, limiting you to stopovers in Hong Kong when flying Cathay Pacific. Use this to construct trips that add even more value!
Need help booking? See our step-by-step guide for booking Cathay Pacific first class. If you don’t need first class but still want a lie-flat bed and awesome service, check out our guide for booking Cathay Pacific business class.
Unfortunately, the main drawback of the Mileage Plan program is its limited number of transfer partners. The best option you have for transferring points is from Marriott Bonvoy. You can transfer Marriott Bonvoy points to Alaska Airlines at a 3:1 ratio in approximately 3 business days. Also, for every 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points transferred to Alaska in a single transaction, you’ll get a bonus of 5,000 Alaska miles.
Another way to earn lots of Alaska miles is by applying for its co-branded credit cards offered by Bank of America.
Finally, you can purchase Alaska miles if you have a specific redemption in mind. You can buy up to 150,000 miles per year, though you’re limited to 60,000 miles per transaction. Alaska often offers bonuses of up to 60% on purchased miles, so try to limit your purchasing to those times.
Bottom Line: Alaska Airlines offers the best redemption rates on Cathay Pacific from North America to Hong Kong. Redeeming 100,000 and 140,000 miles, respectively, for round-trip business and first class flights between the U.S. and Hong Kong makes it very difficult to beat Alaska Airlines!
Cathay Pacific may have some of the best products in the sky, but its award chart is crazily confusing. Looking at it may be enough to overwhelm you, but we’re here to help!
Cathay Pacific has a distance-based award chart, which means the cost of a redemption is closely tied to the actual distance flown on a particular award flight.
You have 2 main options for booking nonstop flights between North America and Hong Kong using Asia Miles: American Airlines and Cathay Pacific. Oddly enough, the best place to book Cathay Pacific flights is not using the carrier’s own Asia Miles program if you’re looking for simple itineraries.
The main advantage of using Asia Miles is that you’ll be able to utilize its incredibly powerful (albeit confusing) routing rules.
Cathay Pacific has indicated different award redemption rules depending on which award chart you’re using for redemption. The program maintains separate award charts — 1 for flights on Cathay Pacific itself and 1 for flights on partner airlines.
For the Cathay Pacific award chart, here are a few of the most important rules:
There are additional rules associated with award bookings. For more information, please visit Asia Miles’ dedicated page for flight award redemption terms and conditions.
Since American Airlines currently only flies from Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) to Hong Kong (HKG), let’s quickly examine the Asia Miles redemption costs on American Airlines flights:
| Asia Miles Cost for Redeeming on American Airlines Flights to Hong Kong | |
| Cabin Class | Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) – Hong Kong (HKG) |
| Economy | 94,000 + $247 |
| Business | 180,000 + $247 |
| First | 270,000 + $247 |
Let’s compare this to Cathay Pacific’s own flights:
| Asia Miles Cost for Redeeming on Cathay Pacific Flights to Hong Kong | |||||
| Cabin Class | 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) |
| Economy | 84,000 | 84,000 | 60,000 | 84,000 | 60,000 |
| Business | 170,000 | 170,000 | 140,000 | 170,000 | 140,000 |
| First | 250,000 | 250,000 | 220,000 | 250,000 | 220,000 |
You can search for award space on the Cathay Pacific website, which is where you’ll also book the ticket. Follow these steps:
Hot Tip: Asia Miles has the distinct advantage of receiving access to award space about 12 months before departure. Additionally, Asia Miles has access to more Cathay Pacific award space, making it much easier to book through this program.
One of the biggest upsides of the Asia Miles program is its abundant transfer partners, which means that earning Asia Miles is not difficult.
Unlike Alaska Mileage Plan (which only has a single transfer partner), Cathay Pacific partners with American Express Membership Rewards (1:1 ratio), Citi ThankYou Rewards (1:1 ratio), Capital One (1:1 ratio), and Marriott Bonvoy (3:1 ratio with a 5,000-mile bonus for every 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points transferred).
Amex usually transfers in a few hours, while Citi transfers almost instantly. Capital One takes up to 36 hours, and Marriott Bonvoy takes up to 5 business days.
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles can also be earned directly by signing up for its co-branded credit cards offered by Synchrony Bank.
Bottom Line:Using the Asia Miles program is great for more plentiful award availability, leveraging award routing rules, or using the ability to earn through multiple credit cards. On the other hand, the award redemption rates are a bit higher, so it’ll cost you more miles.
Recommended Citi Cards
Frequent flyers will enjoy 3x ThankYou Points at restaurants, gas stations, supermarkets, air travel, and hotels.
The Citi Premier® Card is an excellent option for anyone looking for an all-around travel rewards credit card. The card helps you earn points fast with great 3x bonus categories such as restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, airfare, and hotels. Plus, it offers access to airline and hotel transfer partners, doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees, and has a reasonable annual fee!
This no annual fee card rewards cardholders for everyday purchases. Earn bonus points at supermarkets and gas stations, plus your points are rounded up on every purchase.
Great card for the average spender with no specific focus category; worry-free cash-back earning on everything!
The Citi Double Cash® Card has long been one of the top cash-back credit cards on the market, and the card now has the ability to earn Citi ThankYou Points!
This means that cardholders of the Double Cash card will now earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases. Cash back is earned in the form of ThankYou Points. This means each billing cycle, you will earn 1 ThankYou point per $1 spent on purchases and an additional ThankYou point for every $1 paid on your purchase balance as long as there is a corresponding balance in your Purchase Tracker.
Citi has turned the Double Cash card into a top choice for those who are looking for an everyday, no-fuss credit card.
Earn big on purchases in your top eligible spend category, up to the first $500 each billing cycle, with no annual fee!
The Citi Custom Cash® Card is inventive when it comes to cash-back credit cards. Instead of earning a set amount of cash-back on predetermined bonus categories, the Citi Custom Cash card earns 5% cash-back on your highest eligible spend category each billing cycle, without an annual fee.
Thanks to that unique perk, you’ll never need to worry about whether you’re using the right card for the right purchase, as your Citi Custom Cash card will always pay you 5% back on whichever category you end up spending the most on each month.
Etihad Airways is known for its extravagant First Class Apartment and out-of-this-world Residence. And its loyalty program, known as Etihad Guest, actually provides one of the best ways to fly to Hong Kong.
Etihad’s sole partner that flies nonstop to Hong Kong is American Airlines, currently from its hub at Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) only. And although Cathay Pacific’s premium cabin products are superior to American’s, its Flagship Business class is still an excellent way to get to Hong Kong.
Hot Tip: Basically, the only time you would want to fly American Airlines when Cathay Pacific is flying the same route is when you can’t book Cathay Pacific or if the same Cathay Pacific flight is way more expensive than American’s. This is one of those situations.
American’s Flagship First product features a spacious open suite with swiveling chairs on board, Flagship First Dining access in private rooms within the airline’s Flagship Lounges, and more. It’s a great way to fly overall.
Here’s what it’ll cost you to book round-trip American Airlines flights to Hong Kong with Etihad Guest miles:
| Cabin Class (American Airlines) | Etihad Guest Miles Price: DFW – HKG Round-Trip | Fees |
| Economy | 75,000 | ~$274 |
| Business | 110,000 | ~$274 |
| First | 135,000 | ~$274 |
With these prices, there is tremendous value to be had here! Etihad Guest, without a doubt, presents the absolute best way to fly to Hong Kong on American Airlines.
Booking with Etihad requires a phone call. In fact, it’s basically the same process to book, as you’ll see below:
You can earn Etihad Guest miles without ever setting foot on its planes.
Etihad is transfer partners with American Express Membership Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards, and Capital One.
Amex and Citi both transfer to Etihad Guest miles at a 1:1 ratio almost instantly, while Capital One transfers at a 1:1 ratio in around 36 hours.
Bottom Line: Etihad Guest provides a nearly unbeatable way of booking American Airlines flights to Hong Kong. Unless you’re sitting on a pile of Marriott Bonvoy points, you’re going to get better value from Etihad Guest Miles. The ease of earning transferable points along with the amazing value could get you nearly 20 cents per point!
Recommended Capital One Cards
Terms Apply / Rates & FeesThe Capital One Venture X card is an excellent option for travelers looking for an all-in-one premium credit card.
The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is the premium Capital One travel rewards card on the block.
Points and miles fans will be surprised to see that the Capital One Venture X card packs quite the punch when it comes to bookings made through Capital One, all while offering the lowest annual fee among premium credit cards.
Depending on your travel goals and preferences, the Capital One Venture X card could very well end up being your go-to card in your wallet.
Terms Apply / Rates & FeesGet 2x miles plus some of the most flexible redemptions offered by a travel credit card!
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is one of the most popular rewards cards on the market. It’s perfect for anyone in search of a great welcome offer, high rewards rates, and flexible redemption options.
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.
Terms Apply / Rates & FeesThe card offers unlimited miles at 1.25x per $1 and no annual fee. When you consider the flexible rewards, frequent travelers come out on top.
Interested in a travel rewards credit card without one of those pesky annual fees? Then say hello to the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card, the no-annual-fee version of the more popular Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card.
In addition to no annual fee, the Capital One VentureOne card offers no foreign transaction fees.
But is this card worth its salt, or is it merely a shell of the more popular Capital One Venture card?
Booking flights to Hong Kong through American Airlines offers 2 distinct advantages (pun intended): access to Oneworld airline partners and simplicity of booking awards.
And, you won’t be on the hook for paying fuel surcharges (except for flights on British Airways and Iberia). This will keep your out-of-pocket costs to a minimum.
If you’re looking to fly nonstop to Hong Kong with your AA miles, you have the option of flying either on American Airlines or Cathay Pacific. If the cost is the same, you’ll always want to choose Cathay Pacific. Plus, it has many more gateways from North America to Hong Kong than American does.
Here’s the AAdvantage award chart for round-trip flights operated by Oneworld partner airlines between North America and Hong Kong:
| Cabin Class | AA Miles Price | Fees |
| Economy | 75,000 | ~$50 to $100 |
| Business | 140,000 | ~$50 to $100 |
| First | 220,000 | ~$50 to $100 |
You’re going to pay more miles than with some other programs, but you won’t be charged much in fees.
In some instances, you may find Web Special award tickets on AA-operated flights that can drop the mileage price.
Here are some example flights that can be booked with AA miles:
Follow these steps to book your AAdvantage award ticket:
Hot Tip: Looking for more information about finding award availability for American and its partners? Check out our guide to searching for Oneworld award availability.
Need help booking? See our step-by-step guide for booking American Airlines business class. The process for booking American Airlines first class is pretty much the same as business class, only the award availability will be more sparse.
AAdvantage miles are easy to stockpile, as American has a variety of co-branded credit cards issued by both Barclays and Citi.
If you’re short on AA miles, you can transfer Marriott Bonvoy points at a 3:1 ratio.
Keep in mind that it can take up to 2 business days for transfers from Marriott Bonvoy to American AAdvantage to complete.
Bottom Line: American Airlines’ AAdvantage program is easy to understand, and the program is especially useful because it’s easy to miles through co-branded credit card bonuses, it’s easy to use, and you can book everything online. The main drawback is that your miles won’t get you as far as Etihad Guest miles or Alaska miles would.
Japan Airlines Mileage Bank is similar to Cathay Pacific Asia Miles in that it has a distance-based award chart with excellent routing rules. If you combine these 2 factors — and spend enough time planning itineraries and routes — you can get some serious value!
Mileage Bank is an excellent rewards program, without a doubt. However, it sits at the bottom of the list for booking Oneworld partner airlines for these specific routes and flights.
It’s very difficult to earn these miles (it only has a transfer relationship with Marriott Bonvoy and its co-branded U.S. credit card is a niche option that lacks bonus categories found on many other cards), and you can get some serious value out of these miles elsewhere, such as booking JALs’ first class product!
Hot Tip: Japan Airlines’ award routing rules allow up to 7 stopovers! We would not recommend using Japan Airlines miles to book Hong Kong routes due to the relatively poor redemption value and opportunity costs. Instead, you can use its miles for multi-segmented routes that can exceed $100,000 in value.
Still, it is a possibility — and we’ll explore it here.
Award tickets on partner airlines are distance-based according to this chart. For more details on JAL’s award redemption rules, visit JAL’s dedicated page here.
Here are some example routes you can book:
You can book flights through Japan Airlines online by following the steps below:
Hot Tip: When you select your flights, make sure there actually is availability, since Japan Airlines will also list flights you can be waitlisted for.
You can earn Marriott Bonvoy points and then transfer those to JAL at a 3:1 ratio. For every 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points that you transfer, you’ll receive an extra 5,000 JAL miles bonus. Transfers take around 2 business days.
Recommended Marriott Bonvoy Cards
A great option for Marriott hotel fans who want a no annual fee card and automatic Marriott Bonvoy elite status.
Casual travelers who like to frequent properties that are part of the Marriott Bonvoy collection of brands may want to consider the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card.
The Marriott Bold card rewards cardholders for Marriott stays and gives them a boost towards Marriott Bonvoy elite status.
Marriott loyalists will love this card's annual free night award, automatic elite status, and up to 17x points per $1 on Marriott hotel stays.
If you’re a frequent traveler and a Marriott loyalist, there’s a lot to love about the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card. The card comes packed with several great benefits like a free hotel night once a year, automatic Silver Elite status (with a fast-track to Gold Elite status), and multiple options for redeeming points.
Terms Apply / Rates & FeesThe Marriott Bonvoy Bevy card gives you automatic Marriott elite status and helps you earn more Marriott Bonvoy points on your everyday purchases.
The Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card, the latest mid-tier offering in the Marriott Bonvoy lineup of cards, offers cardholders automatic elite status and ways to earn more Marriott Bonvoy points on each of their stays and daily purchases.
Terms Apply / Rates & FeesA premium card for Marriott fans who want perks like an annual statement credit and Free Night Award, plus a fast track to Marriott elite status.
The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card is a premium card designed with road warriors and Marriott Bonvoy loyalists in mind.
So is the card a worthwhile addition to your wallet?
Bottom Line:Unless you have a huge stockpile of Marriott Bonvoy points, we don’t suggest using this method to book flights to Hong Kong. If you wanted to fly American Airlines, you can utilize the Etihad Guest Miles method above. If you wanted to fly Cathay Pacific (as you should), you can utilize the Alaska Airlines miles method above.
Avianca’s LifeMiles program has proven to be very useful for booking Star Alliance award flights. And it’s no different for flights to Hong Kong — the cost of business class seats booked with LifeMiles for flights to Hong Kong is indeed very competitive. Since we’re looking at nonstop flights between North America and Hong Kong, you have 2 main options for flights: Air Canada and United Airlines.
You can earn LifeMiles through several different avenues, as LifeMiles has transfer partnerships with a number of transferable points programs, has its own co-branded credit card, and even offers the option to purchase LifeMiles!
It sometimes can be easiest to just purchase the miles necessary for a redemption and then complete your booking with those purchased miles. However, this method does involve spending more than $1,000 on purchased miles, so we wouldn’t suggest it unless you have a specific redemption in mind.
Another advantage of the LifeMiles program is that you could save a significant amount of miles round-trip over Aeroplan if you’re planning to fly first class to other parts of Asia.
Here’s the award chart for round-trip flights between North America and Hong Kong:
| Cabin Class | LifeMiles Cost | Fees |
| Economy | 70,000 | ~$121 |
| Business | 150,000 | ~$121 |
| First | 180,000 | ~$121 |
Hot Tip: LifeMiles does not pass on any fuel surcharges — a huge advantage!
Here are some great example redemptions you can make:
Here are the steps to take if you’ve decided on redeeming LifeMiles for nonstop Air Canada or United flights between North America and Hong Kong:
LifeMiles has a transfer relationship with Amex Membership Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards, Brex Rewards, Capital One, and Marriott Bonvoy.
Amex, Brex, Capital One, and Citi transfer at a 1:1 ratio, and Marriott Bonvoy points transfer at a 3:1 ratio.
Amex, Citi, and Capital One transfers should process immediately, while Brex and Marriott Bonvoy usually take 1 business day to transfer.
The last resort would be to purchase LifeMiles. There are periodic sales that offer bonuses of up to 200%, so be sure to take advantage of that if you can.
Let’s move on to Aeroplan, the loyalty program associated with Air Canada. Aeroplan is typically one of the first options we think of when the objective is to book Star Alliance flights.
Technically, you can use Aeroplan points for flights on Oneworld member Cathay Pacific, but only between Hong Kong and Bangkok, Cebu, Chiang Mai, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, and Phuket.
Today, of course, we’ll be focusing on booking long-haul nonstop flights between North America and Hong Kong, which means flights will be operated either by Air Canada or United Airlines.
The one-way award redemption rates are based on the total distance flown as shown here:
| Flight Distance (Miles) | Operating Airline | Economy | Premium Economy | Business | First |
| 0 to 5,000 | Air Canada | 35,000 to 65,000 | 45,000 to 120,000 | 55,000 to 150,000 | 90,000 to 200,000 |
| Partner Airlines | 35,000 | N/A | 55,000 | 90,000 | |
| 5,001 to 7,000 | Air Canada | 45,000 to 80,000 | 60,000 to 140,000 | 75,000 to 175,000 | 110,000 to 250,000 |
| Partner Airlines | 50,000 | N/A | 75,000 | 110,000 | |
| 7,001 to 11,000 | Air Canada | 50,000 to 90,000 | 70,000 to 160,000 | 85,000 to 200,000 | 130,000 to 300,000 |
| Partner Airlines | 60,000 | N/A | 85,000 | 130,000 | |
| 11,000+ | Air Canada | 65,000 to 110,000 | 80,000 to 180,000 | 105,000 to 250,000 | 140,000 to 350,000 |
| Partner Airlines | 75,000 | N/A | 105,000 | 140,000 |
Air Canada will not charge fuel surcharges on any award flights, which is fabulous news!
Here’s the award chart for Aeroplan redemptions to Hong Kong:
| Cabin Class | Aeroplan Points Cost | Fees |
| Economy | 100,000 to 120,000 | ~$50 |
| Business | 150,000 to 170,000 | ~$50 |
| First | 220,000 to 260,000 | ~$50 |
Check out some of our recommended flight redemptions with Aeroplan points:
Hot Tip: If you’d like to treat Hong Kong as an intermediate destination and spend a few days there en route to your final destination, you can book Aeroplan award tickets over the phone and add a stopover for just 5,000 miles extra!
Follow these steps to book your ticket:
You can acquire the co-branded Chase Aeroplan® Credit Card, which earns 3x points per $1 spent on dining, groceries, and Air Canada, as well as 1x point per $1 spent everywhere else.
Aeroplan is also a transfer partner of American Express Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Capital One, and Marriott Bonvoy.
Amex, Chase, and Capital One transfer to Aeroplan at a 1:1 ratio. Transfers from those 3 programs are almost instant.
Marriott Bonvoy points transfer at a 3:1 ratio with a 5,000-mile bonus for every 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points transferred at once. Transfers from Marriott take 5 business days to complete.
A fantastic travel card with a huge welcome offer, good benefits, and perks for a moderate annual fee.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® card is one of the best travel rewards cards on the market. Its bonus categories include travel, dining, online grocery purchases, and streaming services, which gives you the opportunity to earn lots of bonus points on these purchases.
Additionally, it offers flexible point redemption options, no foreign transaction fees, and excellent travel insurance coverage including primary car rental insurance. With benefits like these, it’s easy to see why this card is an excellent choice for any traveler.
A top player in the high-end premium travel credit card space that earns 3x points on travel and dining while offering top luxury perks.
If you’re looking for an all-around excellent travel rewards card, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® is one of the best options out there.
The card combines elite travel benefits and perks like airport lounge access, with excellent point earning and redemption options. Plus it offers top-notch travel insurance protections to keep you covered whether you’re at home or on the road.
Don’t forget the $300 annual travel credit which really helps to reduce the annual fee!
Bottom Line: If you’re booking flights to Hong Kong and have Chase points, you’ll get great value from the Aeroplan program!
Now let’s have a look at United Airlines’ frequent flyer program, MileagePlus, and how you can use it to book flights to Hong Kong from around North America.
The pros and cons are simple here: the main advantage is the ease of booking and no fuel surcharges, while the disadvantage is high award costs.
Here’s a look at what you can expect to pay for round-trip nonstop flights on United or Air Canada when booking through MileagePlus:
| Cabin Class | United Airlines | Air Canada | Fees |
| Economy | From 80,000 | 88,000 | ~$6 |
| Business | From 180,000 | 198,000 | ~$6 |
| First | N/A (United and Air Canada don’t offer international first class) | ~$6 | |
As you can see, there’s a 10% difference in pricing between United and Air Canada flights. In either case, your out-of-pocket costs are at a minimum here because fuel surcharges are not passed on.
Hot Tip: When using United Airlines’ search engine for awards, be sure to use the award calendar. You can book awards completely online using United Airlines.
For those who are set on flying United Airlines, here are the best redemptions to fly on United Airlines to Hong Kong:
Follow these steps to book your MileagePlus award ticket:
You can earn Chase Ultimate Rewards that can then be transferred to United. In many cases, this method will be the fastest way to earn lots of United miles.
Chase transfers to United at a 1:1 ratio almost instantly, and Marriott Bonvoy points transfer to United at a 3:1.1 ratio in around 3 business days. When you transfer 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points at once to United, you’ll get a bonus of 5,500 United miles!
Another great way to earn United miles is to use any of the co-branded credit cards issued by Chase.
With priority boarding privileges, no foreign transaction fees and more, MileagePlus members will definitely enjoy their partnered card.
You travel United all the time, but you have heard that there could be ways to make your travel experiences even better, including priority boarding, free bags, and more miles.
You should consider the United℠ Explorer Card, because this card does all that and more!
Perfect for frequent United flyers who want premium perks like United Club access and free baggage benefits.
The United Club℠ Infinite Card is a premium card designed for the most dedicated of United frequent flyers who are looking for a card that provides the opportunity to earn extra United MileagePlus miles and receive lounge access via a yearly United Club membership.
United frequent flyers will find that the United Club Infinite card provides an enhanced experience on their United flights thanks to the money saved on each flight and the conveniences it provides.
The United Quest card is a fantastic option for United flyers looking to earn more miles and enhance their flights.
The newest addition to United’s lineup of cards is the United Quest℠ Card. With it, you can bolster your United MileagePlus miles, thanks to the bonus categories, while enjoying the card’s many perks designed to help save you money on each United flight.
With an annual fee that falls between the United℠ Explorer Card and United Club℠ Infinite Card, the United Quest card makes for a fantastic card option for United frequent flyers.
The United Gateway card is a great option for those looking to earn more United miles without paying an annual fee.
The United Gateway℠ Card is a great option for those looking to earn more United miles without wanting to pay a credit card annual fee. Plus, the card offers other solid benefits like a 25% back on United inflight purchases, purchase protection, and rental car insurance.
The United Club Business card is a great option for frequent United flyers looking for United Club access.
The United Club℠ Business Card is a premium card option for dedicated United loyalists seeking a card that offers complimentary United Club access, helps them earn and retain status, and doesn’t skip on the benefits.
From free checked bags to upgrades on award tickets and the ability to earn Premier qualifying points, there is plenty to the United Club Business card that United flyers are sure to love.
Bottom Line: United Airlines offers an easy, completely online method of booking award flights. Though the award prices are higher than in some other programs, you’re virtually paying nothing out of pocket and it’s easy to earn miles. Partner awards are much more expensive, but they may be worth it unless you’re flying routes that feature United’s Polaris business class product.
Singapore Airlines keeps it very simple when it comes to Hong Kong: you can only fly premium cabins on Singapore Airlines if you book through its KrisFlyer program.
Furthermore, there’s currently only 1 nonstop Singapore Airlines route between North America and Hong Kong: a fifth-freedom flight between San Francisco (SFO) and Hong Kong (HKG).
The SFO-HKG route is operated by the Boeing 777-300ER, not the Airbus A380. This means you won’t get to experience the famous Singapore Suites on this route, though you’ll still get a very nice inflight experience with one of the most sought-after airlines on earth.
See below for the award chart for round-trip tickets on the SFO-HKG flight:
| Cabin Class (SFO-HKG) | KrisFlyer Miles Cost | Fees |
| Economy | 73,000 | ~$107 |
| Business | 201,000 | ~$107 |
| First | 234,000 | ~$107 |
As you can see, there’s just a small difference in the rates for business and first class (and, you’ll notice you’ll only pay a minimal amount of taxes and fees). If you had lots of KrisFlyer miles, we would recommend flying first class to experience it on Singapore Airlines.
Here are a couple of great redemptions we really like:
Booking first class and business class is very easy — just follow these steps:
Hot Tip: When possible, be sure to use Singapore Airlines’ “Book the Cook” option that allows you to select from a wide variety of meals in advance!
KrisFlyer miles are very easy to earn, as the program is transfer partners with Chase Ultimate Rewards, American Express Membership Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards, Brex Rewards, Capital One, and Marriott Bonvoy.
Amex, Brex, Chase, Capital One, and Citi all transfer at a 1:1 ratio. These programs take anywhere from 1 to 2 business days to process transfers.
Marriott Bonvoy points transfer at a 3:1 ratio with a bonus of 5,000 KrisFlyer miles when you transfer 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points in a single transaction to Singapore Airlines. Marriott transfers to Singapore Airlines take around 2 business days.
Bottom Line: Singapore KrisFlyer has solid redemptions for its SFO-HKG route, but not much else for Hong Kong. You can earn miles through any of the transferable programs. This is also the only way to fly Singapore Airlines from North America to Hong Kong in business/first class.
Lufthansa’s Miles and More Program is only useful in this case for booking Star Alliance flights.
The only way to earn Lufthansa miles readily is its co-branded credit card, the Miles & More® World Elite Mastercard® issued by Barclays.
With Miles & More, you will be able to book on Air Canada and United Airlines if you’re looking for nonstop flights. Lufthansa also passes on fuel surcharges, which you’ll be responsible for paying.
Here’s a look at what you’ll pay for round-trip nonstop flights from North America to Hong Kong:
| Cabin Class | Lufthansa Miles Cost | Fees |
| Economy | 80,000 | ~$325 |
| Business | 142,000 | ~$325 |
| First | 222,000 | ~$325 |
Technically speaking, Lufthansa presents a good deal for Star Alliance redemptions, behind only ANA.
However, miles are difficult to come by and fuel surcharges are high, which is why we hesitate to recommend it highly for booking these flights.
Hot Tip:You’ll want to search close-in for award space in a premium cabin. Based on a recent search, we did not find availability 10 to 11 months out in the calendar.
To book a Miles & More award ticket, follow these steps:
You can earn Miles & More miles by applying for its Barclays co-branded card.
There aren’t many other ways to snag lots of Lufthansa miles besides sign-up bonuses on credit cards. For more information, check out the best ways to earn lots of Lufthansa miles.
Bottom Line: Lufthansa business class awards on partners are a decent “sweet spot” at 142,000 points round-trip. However, because the miles are so difficult to earn and Lufthansa passes on fuel surcharges, we would suggest looking toward ANA for the equivalent routes.
We’ve explored every valuable avenue of flying to Hong Kong from North America.
There are a total of 5 airlines offering nonstop flights from North America to Hong Kong. These are:
Overall, there are plenty of ways to fly to Hong Kong on points and miles. Air Canada, Singapore Airlines, and United Airlines are Star Alliance partners, so we would look first at ANA Mileage Club for the most competitive redemption costs. Unfortunately, Singapore Airlines’ premium cabin products can only be booked using its own miles, so that’s the only option for flying Singapore Airlines business or first class.
American Airlines and Cathay Pacific are in the Oneworld alliance. For booking American Airlines, look no further than Etihad’s Guest program, which offers first and business class flights on American at the same price! Cathay Pacific is best booked with Alaska Airlines miles, but you can look at Japan Airlines, American Airlines, or Asia Miles for some great rates, too.
There’s a lot of value and variety to be had when flying to Hong Kong. Now that you’ve got the full picture, it’s time to put your points to good use and book your tickets!
The information regarding the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The information regarding the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The information regarding the United Club℠ Business Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The information regarding the Miles & More® World Elite Mastercard® was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
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 Business Platinum Card® from American Express, click here.
For rates and fees of the American Express® Business Gold Card, click here.
For rates and fees of The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express, click here.
For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® card, click here.
Lufthansa passes on all fuel surcharges from its partners.
Air Canada, Avianca, Cathay Pacific, and United do not impose fuel surcharges on any award flights.
ANA offers round-trip economy class flights on its partners for 60,000 miles.
ANA charges 95,000 for round-trip business class tickets on partners (Air Canada and United in the case of nonstop flights between North America and Hong Kong). The runner-up is Alaska Airlines at 100,000 for round-trip business class on Cathay Pacific.
You have 3 first class flight options when flying to Hong Kong: Cathay Pacific, American Airlines, and Singapore Airlines. Using Etihad Guest miles on American Airlines will cost 110,000 miles round-trip, using Alaska miles on Cathay Pacific will cost 140,000 miles round-trip, and using Singapore Airlines miles will cost 208,000 miles round-trip.
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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.
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