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Seychelles is an African destination that ranks high on the exotic beach scale. Similar to Bora Bora and the Maldives, Seychelles is a remote place offering secluded beaches and incredible views.
Located in the Indian Ocean off of the coast of East Africa, Seychelles is known for its beaches, reefs, and rainforests. Its main airport is located in Mahé (SEZ), which is where all international flights fly into.
In this guide, we’ll show you how best to use your points and miles to fly from the U.S. to Seychelles!
Seychelles does not have any nonstop flights to or from the U.S., which is one of the main reasons why American travelers may look elsewhere for their beach fix.
But if you’re planning a honeymoon, crave exotic beach spots, or just want to get away from hordes of tourists, this is one of the best spots to do so.
As is the case when booking most long-haul flights, it’s best to search for award availability far in advance to increase your chances of booking the flights that you want.
What you may have not realized is that Seychelles is serviced by all of the major airline alliances in Oneworld, Star Alliance, and SkyTeam, as well as non-alliance airline partners like Emirates.
As we dive into the article, keep in mind that all award pricing shown is one-way unless otherwise specified (ANA only allows round-trips).
Here are all of the major airlines that operate 1-stop flights from the U.S. to Mahé (SEZ):
There are plenty of routes you can fly to Seychelles, and even more frequent flyer programs you can use. So to avoid completely overwhelming yourself, stick to the frequent flyer programs outlined in the next sections to get the best prices and experiences.
Our top method to fly to Seychelles with points and miles is, undoubtedly, the most glamorous option available.
Emirates first class is world-famous for its opulence, including showers aboard its A380 aircraft, seemingly unlimited food, a phenomenal wine selection, fantastic service, and so much more.
In the case of Seychelles, Emirates first class is literally the only airline that operates first class itineraries the whole way from the U.S. to Seychelles (via Dubai).
So if you find yourself sitting on a ton of points, want the best luxury experience, and have an appreciation for 100% first class tickets, this will be the best option.
When you book first class award tickets using Emirates miles, you can add a complimentary stopover in Dubai for no additional cost, thanks to the Flex Plus fare type you’re booking.
You’ll spend around $300 in taxes and fees one-way, a relative steal compared to the $10,000+ in cash prices. Here are some phenomenal routes you can book using points:
Follow these directions to book your Emirates first class flight online:
Emirates miles can be earned multiple ways since the program is a Chase transfer partner, American Express transfer partner, Citi transfer partner, Brex transfer partner, Capital One transfer partner, and Marriott transfer partner.
As you can tell, it’s easier than ever to earn Emirates miles.
Emirates is 1:1 transfer partners with Chase, Amex, Brex, Capital One, and Citi. All of these partners process transfers instantly.
Marriott Bonvoy is 3:1 transfer partners with Emirates, and transfers take 3 business days. Plus, if you transfer 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points to Emirates, you’ll get a bonus of 5,000 miles.
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!
A Star Alliance airline program to keep your eye on is the ANA Mileage Club program. This program is known for having a competitive award chart when booking its own and partner airline flights.
| Cabin Class | ANA Miles Cost (Round-Trip) | Taxes & Fees |
| Economy | 65,000 | ~$73 |
| Business | 104,000 | ~$73 |
The main drawbacks with ANA are that partner award flights must be booked round-trip and its search engine isn’t the easiest to navigate.
ANA considers the Seychelles part of its Africa and the Middle East region, joining the likes of South Africa, Mauritius, Jordan, and Lebanon, among others.
When you’ve built up enough points and miles to book a flight, here are a couple of options to consider:
With the ANA miles in your account, it’s helpful to follow these steps when you going through the booking process:
ANA doesn’t offer a co-branded credit card, so the best way to earn ANA miles is to transfer them since they are an Amex transfer partner and a Marriott transfer partner.
When you have enough points to book one of these award flights, transferring from Amex to ANA takes 2 to 3 days at a 1:1 ratio and the Marriott to ANA point transfer takes 4 days at a 3:1 ratio (you’ll get a 5,000-mile bonus when you transfer 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points).
If you’re looking for recommendations on American Express credit cards, here are the ones we recommend:
Terms Apply / Rates & FeesThis card is undoubtedly the #1 card for luxury travel benefits. From the best lounge access (of any card) to statement credits, to complimentary elite status, you can’t go wrong.
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 go-to card for food lovers who dine out at restaurants and those who want big rewards at U.S. supermarkets!
The American Express® Gold Card is definitely 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 a number of other benefits of the Gold Card as well, including extra monthly dining rewards and more.
Bottom Line: ANA has the most competitive award pricing; however, Aeroplan and United allow you to book one-way Star Alliance award flights while ANA is less flexible with its round-trip requirement.
One of the least-known secrets of the United MileagePlus program is the ability to book Edelweiss Air and SWISS Air award flights on the same itinerary.
Admittedly, this is a bit niche, but if you love SWISS Air and want to fly to Seychelles, one of the only ways to book a single itinerary is with United miles; Aeroplan and Avianca don’t partner with Edelweiss!
Here’s how much it will cost (relatively similar to the 78,000 LifeMiles charged by Avianca in business class):
| Cabin Class | United Miles Cost (One-Way) | Taxes & Fees |
| Economy | From 44,000 | ~$21 |
| Business | From 80,500 | ~$21 |
If you’re wanting to use your United miles, below are a couple of example flights that you can book:
When the time comes to book your next flight with United, use the steps below:
Hot Tip: If you’re wanting to book a SWISS Air business class flight and are struggling with connecting your itinerary to Seychelles, use the United MileagePlus program to be able to fly on Edelweiss Air onwards from Zurich to Seychelles!
United is both a Chase transfer partner and a Marriott transfer partner. The points that you earn in each of these programs can be transferred directly to United MileagePlus to book an award flight.
Points transfer instantly at a 1:1 ratio for Chase. It’ll take around 3 business days for your Marriott Bonvoy points to transfer at a 3:1 ratio; and if you transfer 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points, you’ll receive a 5,500-mile bonus.
You’ll want to consider the United co-branded credit cards below if you’re looking to earn United miles directly:
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.
One additional way to earn more United miles is to buy them when a bonus is offered (up to 100%).
The Air Canada Aeroplan program is best known for the ability to maximize open-jaws and stopovers and should be on the radar for those looking to fly Star Alliance partner airline flights.
Also, Aeroplan has a handy partnership with Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways that could be instrumental in helping you plan a vacation to Seychelles. That’s because Etihad Airways has a solid business class product, and you can even book Etihad Airways first class from select U.S. cities using Aeroplan points!
Currently, Air Canada Aeroplan uses a distance-based award chart for flights between the U.S. and the Atlantic region (which includes Seychelles):
| Aeroplan Points Cost | ||||
| Distance (Miles) | Economy | Business | First | Taxes & Fees |
| 0 to 4,000 | 35,000 | 60,000 | 90,000 | ~$41 |
| 4,001 to 6,000 | 40,000 | 70,000 | 100,000 | |
| 6,001 to 8,000 | 55,000 | 85,000 | 120,000 | |
| 8,001+ | 70,000 | 100,000 | 130,000 | |
If you’re ready to book a flight, below are a couple of example flights that can be booked with Aeroplan points:
With Aeroplan points, you’ll want to focus your efforts on booking Ethiopian through Addis Ababa (ADD), Turkish Airlines through Istanbul (IST), or Etihad Airways through Abu Dhabi (AUH).
When you have enough Aeroplan points in your account, the steps below will help you to book your next award flight:
It’s easy to earn Aeroplan points because the airline partners with Chase, American Express, Capital One, and Marriott Bonvoy.
You can also opt to acquire the co-branded Chase Aeroplan® Credit Card, which earns 3x points per dollar spent on dining, groceries, and Air Canada, as well as 1x point per $1 spent everywhere else.
For those of you looking to transfer points from Amex, Chase, Capital One, and/or Marriott Bonvoy to Aeroplan, keep these transfer ratios and transfer times in mind: Amex, Capital One, and Chase points transfer instantly at a 1:1 ratio and Marriott Bonvoy point transfers take 5 days at a 3:1 ratio.
To earn more Capital One miles, here are some of the personal cards that we recommend:
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!
As a frequent traveler with excellent credit, you’re always on the lookout for a credit card that comes with all the bells and whistles. And the easier it is to understand, the better!
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 sign-up bonus, high rewards rates, and flexible redemption options.
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?
The first Oneworld member on our list is American Airlines. The AAdvantage program has been gutted over the years of many of its sweet spots, however, you may be able to find value when booking its partner airline flights (such as Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways) to the Middle East.
| Cabin Class | American Airlines Miles Cost (One-Way) | Taxes & Fees |
| Economy | 40,000 | ~$16-$67 |
| Business | 75,000 | ~$16-$67 |
For flights to Seychelles, American Airlines considers Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Morocco, Seychelles, South Africa, and Tanzania among those in its Africa region.
Here are a couple of flight options to consider if you have the necessary American Airlines miles to book a flight:
You’ll want to follow the steps below to a flight with American miles:
It’s easy to earn American Airlines miles due to the number of co-branded American Airlines credit cards that are available and its partnership with Marriott Bonvoy.
The easiest way to earn miles is by putting your spending on an American Airlines credit card. A second way to earn American miles is to earn Marriott Bonvoy points, and then transfer those points to American Airlines.
For those looking to transfer Marriott Bonvoy points to American Airlines, the point transfer takes 2 days at a 3:1 ratio.
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: Delta and United have now moved their award programs to dynamic award pricing. Both American Airlines and Alaska Airlines have kept award charts, however, based on some award pricing we’re seeing on the American Airlines website, dynamic award pricing seems eminent.
Our second Oneworld program to use to book flights to Seychelles is Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, known for its ability to book Qatar Airways Qsuites flights at reasonable mileage prices.
However, keep in mind that you’ll be responsible for hefty fuel surcharges of $450 to $550 each way.
| Cabin Class | Cathay Pacific Asia Miles Cost (One-Way) | Taxes & Fees |
| Economy | 47,000 | ~$450 to $550 |
| Business | 90,000 | ~$450 to $550 |
The Cathay Pacific Asia Miles program doesn’t have an award chart when you’re flying 1 Oneworld airline partner. To figure out the number of miles needed for award flights to Seychelles, you’ll need to use the flight awards calculator.
Here are some great example redemptions you can make:
For those who want to book a flight with Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, use the steps below to your next award flight:
Asia Miles partners with American Express, Capital One, Citi ThankYou Rewards, and Marriott Bonvoy, making it easy to earn Asia Miles.
For each of these programs, keep the transfer ratios and transfer times in mind: American Express point transfers take 1 to 4 days at a 1:1 ratio, Capital One mile transfers take 36 hours at 1:1 ratio, Citi point transfers take 24 hours at a 1:1 ratio, and Marriott Bonvoy point transfers take 5 days at a 3:1 ratio.
Cathay Pacific also offers a co-branded credit card from Synchrony Bank for another way to earn Asia Miles. When you spend money on this credit card, you will earn miles directly with your spending.
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.
The very last frequent flyer program is Air France/KLM Flying Blue, which is essentially the only program you should use to book SkyTeam flights.
In almost all cases, Flying Blue has better award pricing than Delta SkyMiles — plus, it has more transfer partners than Delta, so it’s almost all upside.
The most relevant airlines to examine for flights between the U.S. and Seychelles are Air France via Paris (CDG), Kenya Airways via Nairobi (NBO), and Aeroflot via Moscow (SVO).
Although Flying Blue doesn’t publish an award chart, you can click here to access an award flight calculator.
Here are some of our favorite redemptions you can make:
Follow these instructions to book a SkyTeam ticket using Flying Blue miles:
Earning Flying Blue miles is easier than ever, thanks to transfer partnerships with Amex Membership Rewards, Brex Rewards, Capital One Miles, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards, and Marriott Bonvoy.
Amex, Brex, Chase, Capital One, and Citi all transfer almost instantly at a 1:1 ratio.
Marriott transfers in around 3 business days at a 3:1 ratio with a bonus of 5,000 miles if you transfer 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points to Flying Blue.
Seychelles is an exotic place that you’ll hear and see on many travelers’ lists. It’s not the easiest to get to from the U.S., but once you’re there, you’ll experience some of the best beaches on the planet.
What’s important to know is how best to get there. With this article, you have all of the award programs at your fingertips and an outline of how to earn points and miles to get you to Seychelles.
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 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.
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 Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® card, click here.
If you’re looking to fly business class, American Airlines, Asia Miles, and Japan Airlines will offer the cheapest options.
Iberia Avios is the cheapest award program to use to book economy flights.
ANA is the best award program to check out to book both economy and business class flights to Seychelles. However, ANA passes on fuel surcharges on all bookings, so avoid Lufthansa, SWISS Air, and other airlines that charge massive surcharges.
Alternatively, you can redeem Aeroplan points or Avianca LifeMiles to get around the issue of fuel surcharges entirely.
Air France/KLM Flying Blue is the primary SkyTeam partner that you can use to book SkyTeam partner flights to Seychelles.
Even though Korean Air offers better mileage pricing, it’s incredibly difficult to earn Korean Air miles.
Delta SkyMiles is also an option, but its prices are almost always going to be higher than Flying Blue.
Our only non-alliance frequent flyer program to make this list is Emirates, simply because it offers incredible first class opportunities.
With that said, Emirates Skywards is definitely not the cheapest option — it’s best for those who want a first class experience from beginning to end and are willing to redeem more points.
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Born and raised in Mobile, Alabama, Michael took his first international trip in 2013 with friends to the Bahamas. Although he didn’t travel much in his younger years, on that trip, he caught the travel bug and has been hooked ever since.
Michael first caught wind of the points and miles game in 2014 while at a bar in Washington, DC where the conversation amongst friends was quickly derailed because of an alert on a friend’s phone about a mistake fare. That’s where the love affair with points and miles began.
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5 comments
Wes
July 02, 2021
Great article. However there appears to be a disconnect between the number of ANA miles needed as displayed in the table (104k miles for biz) vs the written example (150k). Similar issue with economy.
Jarrod West
July 08, 2021
Hi Wes,
Thank you for pointing that out. I’ve just corrected that mention in the post!
Bryan
July 23, 2022
AA’s will find an itinerary for cash but gives an error when trying to book with miles.
Dave
April 22, 2023
I’m confused on the Emirates booking – when I search, I find flights, but the taxes/fees are in the thousands – close to $2500 on top of the miles needed. Am I missing something?
Carissa Rawson
April 24, 2023
Emirates is one of those airlines that adapts its surcharges as fuel prices rise and climb. It’s been a particularly brutal year or so where they’ve been consistently increasing those charges — but hopefully they’ll go back down!
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