Which airlines include carrier-imposed surcharges on award flights to Taiwan?

The fuel surcharges levied on flights to Taiwan are typically up to $45 each way. If you factor in taxes and other fees, the typical out-of-pocket cost is around $70 to $100 each way per person. ANA, EVA Air, China Airlines, United, Korean Air, and Cathay Pacific all levy fuel surcharges. The key programs that don’t pass on fuel surcharges are Delta SkyMiles, Avianca LifeMiles, Air Canada Aeroplan, and United MileagePlus.

What is the fewest number of miles you can use to book an economy class award flight to Taiwan?

The cheapest economy class flights you can book with points and miles is by using 60,000 ANA miles for round-trip economy on EVA Air. If you are open to having a connecting flight or stopover through Tokyo, you can spend 55,000 ANA miles for round-trip economy on ANA. ANA is transfer partners with American Express Membership Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy.

What is the fewest number of miles required to fly business class to Taiwan?

You can pay 80,000 to 95,000 ANA miles for a round-trip connecting flight via Tokyo to Taiwan on ANA business class. The exact mileage price depends on the seasonality of your travel. If you want to fly nonstop on Star Alliance partners in business class, you’ll pay 95,000 for round-trip flights. Other options include using 100,000 Alaska miles to book round-trip Cathay Pacific business class via Hong Kong to fly to Taiwan. There are no nonstop options available with the Alaska Airlines method.

What is the fewest number of miles required to fly first class to Taiwan?

The cheapest mileage cost to fly first class is on Cathay Pacific first class using Alaska Airlines miles. You’ll pay 70,000 miles each way, and it includes a free stopover on one-way flights. Marriott Bonvoy is the sole transfer partner of Alaska Airlines. Other options include 80,000 Korean Air miles each way for Korean Air first class during off-peak season. Unfortunately, the only transfer partner for Korean Air is Marriott Bonvoy.

The Best Ways To Fly to Taiwan With Points & Miles [2023]

Taiwan is a destination that many hold close to their hearts.

There are tons of reasons why you would want to visit Taiwan. For many, the food is incredible. Taiwan is a little more spread out than metropolis giants like Hong Kong, but it’s also got a more casual personality. Many also love the balance of big-city life in Taipei and the tranquil nature in cities like Beitou.

Taiwan is known for amazing food, tech, beautiful national parks, and the best universal healthcare system in the world.

This island nation, located near South China, is a great vacation destination for all travelers. We’re going to discuss the best ways to fly nonstop to Taiwan with points and miles.

We’re going to touch on the best award sweet spots, particularly for business class tickets. Taiwanese airlines have business class products that are akin in quality to many first class products, and it’s an absolutely phenomenal experience.

Let’s get started!

Table of contents

Nonstop Flights Between the U.S. and Taiwan
Best Programs To Use To Book Flights
Final Thoughts

Table of Contents

Nonstop Flights Between the U.S. and Taiwan
Best Programs To Use To Book Flights
Final Thoughts

Nonstop Flights Between the U.S. and Taiwan

At the moment, there are 3 foreign airlines and 1 U.S. airline offering nonstop flights to Taiwan.

Luckily, all of these airlines boast impressive business class products on U.S.-Taiwan flights, making it a pleasure to fly to Taiwan, regardless of what exact airline you fly.

Here are the foreign airlines with nonstop service to Taiwan:

China Airlines

Los Angeles (LAX) – Taipei (TPE)
New York (JFK) – Taipei (TPE)
Ontario (ONT) – Taipei (TPE)
San Francisco (SFO) – Taipei (TPE)

EVA Air

Chicago (ORD) – Taipei (TPE)
Houston (IAH) – Taipei (TPE)
Los Angeles (LAX) – Taipei (TPE)
New York (JFK) – Taipei (TPE)
San Francisco (SFO) – Taipei (TPE)
Seattle (SEA) – Taipei (TPE)

Singapore Airlines

Los Angeles (LAX) – Taipei (TPE)

As you can tell, Singapore Airlines offers a fifth freedom flight, while EVA Air and China Airlines are both based in Taiwan.

Here’s the sole U.S. airline that flies to Taiwan:

United Airlines

San Francisco (SFO) – Taipei (TPE)

Since Taiwan is one of the largest cultural strongholds in Asia, there’s a lot of demand for flights from the U.S. Taiwan enjoys a strong business economy supported by U.S. and foreign travelers alike. There are lots of different options you can utilize when booking with points and miles.

One important distinction to make is that award availability is best far in advance, meaning you’ll want to plan ahead as much as you can.

Some exceptions to this rule exist, such as the case with booking Cathay Pacific first class, which is best booked 1 to 5 days before departure.

When picking the option that best fits your needs, it’s important to remain flexible and be open to changing your departure airports and travel dates so you can get the best deal.

Luckily, this shouldn’t be an issue, as both Taiwanese airlines offer generous award availability in advance. We’re going to be focusing on Star Alliance and SkyTeam carriers. This is because EVA Air is a Star Alliance member and China Airlines is a SkyTeam airline.

As a result, Taiwan is a strategic hub for Star Alliance and SkyTeam. Keep in mind that if you’re looking to fly to mainland China, we’ve put together a separate guide of the best ways to fly to mainland China with points and miles.

Best Programs To Use To Book Flights

ANA Mileage Club

ANA Business Class — ANA business class. Image Credit: Stephen Au

The first option we’re going to examine is the option that costs the least number of points. We love ANA Mileage Club because it offers phenomenal redemption rates, a lot of ways to earn ANA miles, and a great stopover/open-jaw allowance.

Furthermore, its booking process is relatively simple and can be completed entirely online.

ANA employs region-based award pricing as follows:

ANA-operated flights subject to seasonality (cheaper)
Partner flights (more expensive)

We’ll be analyzing both award charts for optimization purposes. If you fly on ANA, you can use its phenomenal stopover policy to visit Japan before continuing to Taiwan. Best of all, flying on ANA uses the least miles.

This means that flying from North America to Taiwan via Japan on ANA will cost as little as 80,000 miles round-trip in business class. This is the mileage cost during the low season, and the cost during regular and high season is 90,000 and 95,000 miles, respectively.

ANA Award chart — The best deal flying from North America to Taiwan is on ANA in business class, which will only cost 80,000 to 95,000 miles round-trip! Image Credit: ANA

Keep in mind that this fantastic award pricing for a 2-in-1 trip from North America to Taiwan via Japan is not a non-stop option.

Hot Tip: If you’ve decided on flying ANA via Japan, check out our definitive guide to ANA’s U.S. routes to learn all about the various departure cities.

ANA charges 165,000 miles for round-trip first class in the low and regular season and 180,000 miles for round-trip first class in high season. For round-trip economy, ANA charges 45,000 miles during the low season, 55,000 miles during the regular season, and 60,000 miles during the high season.

Total taxes and fees for award flights on ANA range between $190 to $200 per person, round-trip.

Many travelers want a nonstop flight to Taiwan, and ANA has got your back in this case, too. Flying round-trip to Taiwan via partners will cost 60,000 miles in economy, 95,000 miles in business, and 180,000 miles in first.

Some routes you can take either on ANA or ANA’s partners include:

Chicago (ORD) – Taipei (TPE) round-trip in EVA Air economy class for 60,000 miles + ~$132 in taxes and fees
Houston (IAH) – Tokyo (NRT/HND) – Taipei (TPE) round-trip in ANA business class with a stopover in Tokyo during the low season for 80,000 ANA miles + ~$279 in taxes and fees
New York (JFK) – Taipei (TPE) round-trip in EVA Air business class for 95,000 miles + ~$143 in taxes and fees
San Jose (SJC) – Tokyo (NRT/HND) – Taipei (TPE) round-trip in ANA business class with a stopover in Tokyo during the low season for 80,000 ANA miles + ~$279 in taxes and fees
Seattle (SEA) – Tokyo (NRT/HND) – Taipei (TPE) round-trip in ANA business class with a stopover in Tokyo during the low season for 80,000 ANA miles + ~$279 in taxes and fees
Washington, D.C. (IAD) – Tokyo (NRT/HND) – Taipei (TPE) round-trip in ANA business class with a stopover in Tokyo during the low season for 80,000 ANA miles + ~$279 in taxes and fees

EVA Air offers a stellar business class product; in fact, it ranks among our top 25 best international business class airlines.

You can book awards completely online with ANA. Here are the steps you’ll need to take to complete your booking online for ANA and partner flights:

Visit ANA’s website.
On the top-right side of the website, click on ANA Mileage Club.
On the left side of the page in the Flight Awards section, click International followed by Award Reservation.
Log in with your Member Number and Password.
Fill in the search query by typing in your route, travel dates, class of service, number of passengers, and then click Search.
If you need to transfer points, you may have luck holding awards for up to 3 days by calling ANA at 800-235-9262. This is dependent on what representative you get, but it may be worth a shot.
Finish transferring your points and confirm your reservation by paying for taxes and fees.

Earning ANA Mileage Plan Miles

Currently, ANA is a Marriott transfer partner and an Amex transfer partner.

Keep in mind that Amex transfers are not instant. They typically take 2 to 3 business days and transfer at a 1:1 ratio. Marriott Bonvoy takes up to 7 business days to transfer at a 3:1 ratio.

For Marriott Bonvoy, you’ll receive a bonus of 5,000 ANA miles for each 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points transferred. This brings your total up to 25,000 ANA miles from transferring 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points.

Recommended American Express Cards (Personal)

Recommended American Express Cards (Business)

Bottom Line: ANA has amazing business class redemptions. Its stopover policy allows for some fantastic 2-for-1 trips to Japan and Taiwan for 80,000 to 95,000 miles round-trip in business class. If that doesn’t fit you, you can book nonstop flights in business class with its partners for 95,000 miles! ANA has 2 transfer partners in Amex and Marriott Bonvoy, which makes this redemption a no-brainer.

Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan

Cathay Pacific First Class Seat — Flying on Cathay Pacific first class is sublime. Image Credit: Alex Miller

Cathay Pacific is one of the most aspirational products to book for travelers. If you can get your hands on first class, you’ll enjoy the world’s widest first class seat, unbelievable dining, and top-notch service.

Alaska Airlines’ Mileage Plan presents one of the best ways to fly to Taiwan with points and miles as it makes first class redemptions available on Cathay Pacific.

Here are the redemption rates for round-trip flights on Cathay Pacific. One-way is simply half the cost.

Cabin Class	Alaska Airlines Mileage Cost (Round-Trip)	Taxes and Fees
Economy	60,000	~$241
Business	100,000	~$243
First	140,000	~$243

The number that catches our eye is first class on Cathay Pacific. Alaska Airlines’ generous routing rules allow for a stopover, even on one-way flights. This means that for 70,000 Alaska miles, you can fly one-way in first class from the U.S. to Taiwan via Hong Kong and stopover in Hong Kong en route to Taiwan.

Even though it’s a connecting flight from Hong Kong, you can treat it as an opportunity to fly to 2 countries for the price of 1, all in the comfort of Cathay Pacific’s first class, to boot.

We’ve written a complete guide on Cathay Pacific’s U.S. routes, so if you need some inspiration, check out our link.

Here are some example routes you can take:

Boston (BOS) – Hong Kong (HKG) – Taipei (TPE) one-way in Cathay Pacific first class and business class for 70,000 Alaska miles plus approximately $95 in taxes and fees
Los Angeles (LAX) – Hong Kong (HKG) – Taipei (TPE) one-way in Cathay Pacific first class and business class for 70,000 Alaska miles plus approximately $95 in taxes and fees
New York (JFK) – Hong Kong (HKG) – Taipei (TPE) one-way in Cathay Pacific first class and business class for 70,000 Alaska miles plus approximately $95 in taxes and fees
San Francisco (SFO) – Hong Kong (HKG) – Taipei (TPE) one-way in Cathay Pacific first class and business class for 70,000 Alaska miles plus approximately $95 in taxes and fees

To book Cathay Pacific first class with Alaska requires you to search for availability on British Airways and call Alaska Airlines to book. Follow these steps to book your award ticket:

Go to British Airways’ website.
Log into your account by entering your ID number and password on the top-left side of the page.
Type in your desired routing, dates of travel, cabin class, and number of passengers.
Write down your flight numbers, dates, and times when you’ve located award availability.
Call Alaska Airlines at 800-252-7522.
Feed them your flight numbers, dates, times, and cabin class.
Provide any additional information to book the award ticket.

Need help booking? Check out our step-by-step guide for booking Cathay Pacific first class. If you’d like to still enjoy a bed in the sky but don’t want to shell out tons of miles, check out our guide for booking Cathay Pacific business class.

Earning Alaska Mileage Plan Miles

Alaska miles are relatively difficult to earn, but the huge value you’ll get from Alaska miles still makes earning them a worthwhile effort. There are still a lot of ways to earn Alaska miles.

Alaska Airlines offers co-branded credit cards by Bank of America, though the biggest disadvantage is the limited transfer partners.

The best option for getting Alaska miles would be transferring points from Marriott Bonvoy. Marriott Bonvoy transfers at a 3:1 ratio with a bonus of 5,000 miles when you transfer 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points. It takes around 4 business days to transfer Marriott Bonvoy points to Alaska Airlines.

Furthermore, you can buy Alaska miles if you have a specific redemption you want to make. Often, Alaska Airlines offers sales of up to 50% more miles on and purchased miles, so be sure to hold out for a sale if you’re going to buy miles.

You can only purchase 60,000 miles per transaction, but you can actually make as many transactions as you want, effectively making the number of possible purchased miles unlimited.

Recommended Marriott Bonvoy Cards

Bottom Line: Spending 50,000 Alaska miles for one-way business class on Cathay Pacific or 70,000 miles for one-way first class on Cathay Pacific is one of the best sweet spots out there. Alaska Airlines offers the best redemption rates for this route, and you can make a stopover in Hong Kong en route to Taiwan with this booking.

Asiana Club

EVA Air 777-300ER Business Class — EVA Air 777-300ER business class. Image Credit: Stephen Au

Asiana Airlines’ Asiana Club frequent flyer program flies under the radar for the most part. There are a ton of different ways to use Asiana miles for maximum value, but using miles for travel to Asia is an excellent redemption opportunity.

Since Asiana is a Star Alliance partner, you can book travel on EVA Air nonstop to Taiwan. Specifically, the round-trip award cost from the U.S. or Canada is as follows:

Cabin Class	Asiana Miles Cost (Round-Trip)	Taxes and Fees on EVA Air
Economy	80,000	~$143
Business	120,000	~$143
First	160,000	N/A

One-ways cost exactly half of the above prices, and taxes and fees will vary depending on which partner you fly on. Asiana passes on all fuel surcharges, so that’s something you may consider. It isn’t an issue with these particular airlines and routes.

Using Asiana miles makes the most sense for nonstop redemptions to Taiwan using Marriott Bonvoy points.

Here are some great example redemptions you can make:

Chicago (ORD) – Taipei (TPE) one-way for 60,000 Asiana miles and ~$109 in taxes and fees in EVA Air business class
Houston (IAH) – Taipei (TPE) one-way for 60,000 Asiana miles and ~$109 in taxes and fees in EVA Air business class
Los Angeles (LAX) – Taipei (TPE) one-way for 60,000 Asiana miles and ~$109 in taxes and fees in EVA Air business class
New York (JFK) – Taipei (TPE) one-way for 60,000 Asiana miles and ~$109 in taxes and fees in EVA Air business class
San Francisco (SFO) – Taipei (TPE) one-way for 60,000 Asiana miles and ~$109 in taxes and fees in EVA Air business class
Seattle (SEA) – Taipei (TPE) one-way for 60,000 Asiana miles and ~$109 in taxes and fees in EVA Air business class

You’ll need to call Asiana to book all partner awards. To get started, follow these steps:

Search for award availability by visiting Air Canada Aeroplan.
At the top right corner, click Sign in and Sign in. Enter your Aeroplan number and password. Click Sign in.
Hover over Book travel at the top-middle section of the landing page and click Flights.
Enter all of your travel details, including trip type, route, travel dates, number of passengers, and cabin class. Click Search.
Write down all the flight information, including flight numbers, dates, and times.
Call Asiana’s U.S. call center at 800-227-4262 between 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. PST Monday through Friday.
Tell the representative that you want to book an award on EVA Air
Provide the flight numbers, travel dates, and any other flight information.
Once the rep has confirmed the award space, provide them with your credit card to pay for taxes and fees.

Earning Asiana Miles

Asiana Mileage Club is a transfer partner with Marriott Bonvoy at a 3:1 ratio. You’ll receive a bonus of 5,000 miles when transferring 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points, which brings your received total up to 25,000 Asiana miles for every 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points transferred.

Asiana also offers co-branded Bank of America credit cards to earn miles directly.

For more information, check out our guide on the best ways to earn lots of Asiana miles.

Avianca LifeMiles

Asiana Airlines business class spacious seat — Asiana Airlines business class. Image Credit: Asiana Airlines

Avianca LifeMiles is one of the simplest ways to book award travel. Its booking process is as straightforward as you can get and you get all of these benefits:

Instantaneous mileage transfers
Plenty of transfer partners
No fuel surcharges
Seamless online booking process

If these are things you value, you’ll be pleased to know that Avianca LifeMiles provides some great redemption values. Avianca LifeMiles is a great program because it never passes on fuel surcharges. This will keep your out-of-pocket costs at a minimum. It does, however, charge a $25 award booking fee one-way.

You can use your LifeMiles to book travel on any Star Alliance partner. Here’s the award chart for one-way flights to Taiwan:

Cabin Class	LifeMiles Cost (One-Way)	Fees
Economy	35,000	~$51
Business	75,000	~$51
First	90,000	~$51

Hot Tip: You’ll save at least $200 round-trip in cash when booking with LifeMiles since it doesn’t pass on any fuel surcharges.

Sadly, Avianca LifeMiles won’t allow open-jaws or stopovers on its awards flights.

Here are some great example routes you can take:

Chicago (ORD) – Taipei (TPE) round-trip for 150,000 miles and $61 in taxes and fees in EVA Air business class
Houston (IAH) – Taipei (TPE) round-trip for 150,000 miles and $61 in taxes and fees in EVA Air business class
Los Angeles (LAX) – Seoul (ICN) – Taipei (TPE) one-way for 75,000 miles and $30.60 in taxes and fees in Asiana business class
New York (JFK) – Taipei (TPE) round-trip for 150,000 miles and $61 in taxes and fees in EVA Air business class
San Francisco (SFO) – Taipei (TPE) one-way for 35,000 miles and $30.60 in taxes and fees in United economy class
Seattle (SEA) – Taipei (TPE) round-trip for 150,000 miles and $61 in taxes and fees in EVA Air business class

Once you’ve decided on the route you want to take, follow these steps to finish your booking 100% online:

Visit Avianca LifeMiles. Change the language as necessary by clicking on the flag icon in the top right corner and choosing English.
Click Log in on the top right corner using your LifeMiles Number and Password.
Click Fly at the top banner. Type in your origin and destination airports, number of passengers, and cabin class. Click Find Flights.
Click and select your flights and reserve them by paying with LifeMiles and any taxes with your credit card.

Earning Avianca LifeMiles

LifeMiles is transfer partners with American Express Membership Rewards, Capital One Miles, Citi ThankYou Rewards, Brex Rewards, and Marriott Bonvoy.

American Express, Citi, Brex, and Capital One transfer almost instantly at a 1:1 ratio. They’re also known to offer periodic transfer bonuses of up to 35%, so be sure to wait for an opportunity like that when transferring points.

Marriott Bonvoy is transferred at a 3:1 ratio and transfers take around 1 business day.

You can also earn LifeMiles directly by applying for the Banco Popular co-branded credit card.

You may also consider buying LifeMiles. Avianca is known to offer huge sales with up to 200% mile bonuses, so be sure to wait for the right opportunity to buy miles.

Recommended Citi Cards

Hot Tip: Need some help earning LifeMiles? Check out our best ways to earn lots of Avianca LifeMiles!

United Airlines MileagePlus

United Polaris Middle Seats — United Polaris class. Image Credit: United Airlines

When you use United Airlines MileagePlus, you’ll very rarely get the best bang for your buck. However, what you will get is a simple booking process, a lot of ways to earn United miles, and no fuel surcharges.

United offers great opportunities to redeem points and miles for flights to Taiwan. In particular, United offers a spectacular and unique route to Taiwan:

San Francisco (SFO) – Taipei (TPE)

Additionally, this aircraft features United’s brand-new Polaris business class. This is simply one of the best business class seats in the world. Here’s the award chart for one-way flights:

Cabin Class	United Mileage Cost (One-Way)	Taxes and Fees
Economy	From 38,500	$5.60
Business	From 77,000	$5.60
First	N/A	N/A

Currently, United charges around 77,000 miles (using dynamic pricing) plus $5.60 for one-way tickets in Polaris business class from San Francisco (SFO) to Taipei (TPE), which is an excellent deal.

Additionally, you can book partner awards using the following award chart:

Cabin Class	United Mileage Cost (One-Way)	Taxes and Fees
Economy	From 38,500	$5.60 to $80.60
Business	From 88,000	$5.60 to $80.60
First	From 132,000	$5.60 to $80.60

Earning United Airlines MileagePlus Miles

One of the biggest strengths of United MileagePlus is the ability to easily earn miles using Chase.

United MileagePlus is transfer partners with Chase Ultimate Rewards as well as Marriott Bonvoy. The transfer ratio with Chase is 1:1 and points transfer instantaneously to United.

Marriott Bonvoy transfers at a ratio of 3:1.1 in around 3 business days. Also, if you transfer 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points to United, you’ll get a bonus of 5,500 miles!

Additionally, there are a lot of opportunities to directly earn United miles by leveraging the United co-branded credit cards from Chase.

Recommended Chase Cards

Hot Tip: Check out our in-depth guide on how to earn lots of Chase Ultimate Rewards points.

Air Canada Aeroplan

Air Canada Aeroplan makes our list because it offers some of the best routing rules for round-trip flights between 2 different continents. In other words, you can work in extra flights for free by maximizing open-jaws and stopovers. Here’s what the award chart looks like for flights between the U.S. and the Pacific region, of which Taiwan is a member:

Aeroplan North America Pacific Award Chart — Aeroplan North America Pacific award chart. Image Credit: Aeroplan

Remember that the above award chart is for flights between North America and the Pacific, which actually includes Australia, most of Asia, and the rest of Oceania.

At first glance, it may look like Air Canada Aeroplan is less appealing than another program like Avianca LifeMiles, but upon closer examination, you’ll find tons of extra value.

With Air Canada Aeroplan, you can book a stopover on one-way tickets for just 5,000 more miles! Here are some example routes you can take to visit more countries and squeeze out extra value:

Chicago (ORD) – Tokyo (NRT) – Taipei (TPE) – Seoul (ICN) – Chicago (ORD) for 175,000 Aeroplan points in ANA business class, EVA Air business class, and Asiana business class with an added stopover in Tokyo or Seoul
Los Angeles (LAX) – Tokyo (HND/NRT) – Taipei (TPE) one-way for 80,000 Aeroplan points in ANA business class and EVA Air business class with an added stopover in Tokyo
Newark (EWR) – Tokyo (NRT) – Taipei (TPE) – Beijing (PEK) – Newark (EWR) for 175,000 Aeroplan points in United Polaris class, EVA Air business class, and Air China business class with an added stopover in Tokyo or Beijing

Aeroplan is an excellent program to utilize when you know how to optimize its routing rules. Once you’ve got enough points, follow these steps to book your award travel:

Go to Air Canada Aeroplan’s homepage.
Click Sign in and Sign in at the top-right corner. Type in your Aeroplan number and password. Click Sign in.
On the redirected page, enter your travel dates, trip type, origin and destination airports, number of travelers, and desired class of booking. Be sure to have Points selected instead of US $.
Click Find, select your flights, and pay with miles and for any taxes and fees using a credit card.

Earning Aeroplan Points

Earning Aeroplan points is easy because the airline partners with 4 transferable point programs: American Express, Chase, Capital One, and Marriott Bonvoy.

If you’re looking to transfer points from one of these programs to Aeroplan, you’ll want to keep the transfer ratios and transfer times in mind. Amex, Chase points, and Capital One Miles transfer instantly at a 1:1 ratio, and Marriott Bonvoy point transfers take 5 business days at a 3:1 ratio.

When you transfer 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points to Aeroplan, you’ll get an extra 5,000 points.

You can also opt to 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.

Recommended Capital One Cards

Delta Air Lines SkyMiles

China Airlines Business Class — China Airlines business class. Image Credit: China Airlines

Until now, we’ve pretty much been focusing on leveraging Star Alliance airlines, either through EVA Air, ANA, or United.

EVA Air deservedly earns the reputation for offering one of the absolute best business class products in the sky. However, sister airline China Airlines, which is the flag carrier of Taiwan, is not far behind.

China Airlines happens to be a SkyTeam partner airline, which means that you’ll be able to leverage points and miles from SkyTeam members to book travel on China Airlines.

Delta SkyMiles is the first logical choice for many of us when thinking about booking SkyTeam travel. While it has an unattractive award pricing structure for its own business class flights, partner flights remain a decent redemption avenue.

While Delta can charge up to 300,000 miles for a one-way flight in business class, it charges 147,500 miles on partners like China Airlines.

Furthermore, Delta is a great program to use because it doesn’t pass on fuel surcharges from China Airlines. This means your out-of-pocket cost is $5.60 each way. Also, business class award availability tends to be good when searching for China Airlines awards.

Here’s the award chart for redeeming Delta SkyMiles on China Airlines flights to Taiwan:

Cabin Class	Delta SkyMiles Cost (One-Way)	Taxes and Fees
Economy	46,000	$5.60
Business	147,500 (160,000 if within 21 days before departure)	$5.60

Here are some great routes you can take:

Los Angeles (LAX) – Taipei (TPE) round-trip for 295,000 miles and $11.20 in taxes and fees in China Airlines business class
New York (JFK) – Taipei (TPE) one-way for 46,000 miles and $5.60 in taxes and fees in China Airlines economy class
Ontario (ONT) – Taipei (TPE) one-way for 147,500 miles and $5.60 in taxes and fees in China Airlines business class
San Francisco (SFO) – Taipei (TPE) round-trip for 92,000 miles and $5.60 in taxes and fees in China Airlines economy class

To book your China Airlines flight, follow these instructions:

Visit Delta’s website.
At the top of the page, type in your route, travel dates, and the number of passengers. Click Advanced Search right beneath the number of passengers.
Click Show Price in Miles. Click Best Fares for Delta One if flying business class or Main Cabin if flying economy.
Click the red return arrow to search.
Select your flights and pay for any taxes and fees using your credit card.

Earning Delta SkyMiles

There are many ways to earn a lot of Delta SkyMiles. You can start by leveraging transfer partners American Express Membership Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy.

Amex transfers instantly at a 1:1 ratio almost instantly. Marriott Bonvoy transfers to Delta at a 3:1 ratio in 1 business day.

You can also utilize the Delta co-branded credit cards from American Express to earn Delta SkyMiles directly. There are a lot of options here, so don’t overlook this method!

Recommended Delta Cards

Korean Air SKYPASS

Korean Air First Class Suites — The Korean Air Kosmo Suites 2.0 (on all planes except the 787) are fantastic. Image Credit: Korean Air

Another excellent SkyTeam partner to leverage is Korean Air. Its loyalty program is known as SKYPASS, and it’s a worthwhile airline to consider transferring your points to.

Korean Air has different rules that apply to partner flights versus its own flights. With Korean Air flights, you can book one-way travel. Unfortunately, partner flights are only available round-trip, so that’s something you’ll want to consider.

The Korean Air award chart for round-trip flights on partners from North America to Taiwan is as follows:

Cabin Class	Korean Air Miles Cost (Round-Trip)	Taxes and Fees
Economy	90,000	Variable
Business	155,000	Variable
First	200,000	Variable

China Airlines’ total taxes and fees for one-way flights will come out to around $72 per person. However, since Korean Air passes on fuel surcharges on all airlines, the amount will vary depending on the carrier.

Furthermore, here’s the award chart for flights from North America to Taiwan via Korea on Korean Air:

Cabin Class	Korean Air Miles Cost (Round-Trip)	Taxes and Fees
Economy (off-peak)	70,000	$164
Economy (peak)	105,000	$164
Business (off-peak)	125,000	$164
Business (peak)	185,000	$164
First (off-peak)	160,000	$164
First (peak)	240,000	$164

Remember that you’re allowed one-way travel when your flights are only on Korean Air. For more information about off-peak versus peak season, click here.

Here are some great redemptions you can make for both partner bookings and Korean Air bookings:

Los Angeles (LAX) – Seoul (ICN) – Taipei (TPE) one-way for 80,000 Korean Air miles and $82 in taxes and fees in Korean Air first class (stopover in Korea included)
Los Angeles (LAX) – Taipei (TPE) round-trip for 155,000 Korean Air miles and $143 in taxes and fees in China Airlines business class
New York (JFK) – Seoul (ICN) – Taipei (TPE) one-way for 80,000 Korean Air miles and $82 in taxes and fees in Korean Air first class (stopover in Korea included)
New York (JFK) – Taipei (TPE) round-trip for 155,000 Korean Air miles and $143 in taxes and fees in China Airlines business class
Ontario (ONT) – Taipei (TPE) round-trip for 155,000 Korean Air miles and $143 in taxes and fees in China Airlines business class
San Francisco (SFO) – Taipei (TPE) round-trip for 155,000 Korean Air miles and $143 in taxes and fees in China Airlines business class

Here’s the process you’ll want to follow to book your travel using SKYPASS:

Confirm award availability using Delta’s search function above. If booking Korean Air flights, we recommend searching directly on Korean Air’s website.
Write down the flight numbers, dates, and times.
Join SKYPASS.
If booking Korean Air flights, you can book your flights directly online on Korean Air’s website; otherwise, call SKYPASS at 800-438-5000.
Feed the agent your flight numbers and book the ticket by paying for any taxes and fees.
- If booking for a family member, you’ll be subject to rules and restrictions. To avoid this, you can make an account for each person and book each ticket individually.

Earning Korean Air Miles

You can earn Korean Air miles by transferring Marriott Bonvoy points to SKYPASS at a 3:1 ratio.

You can top off your Marriott Bonvoy point balance by taking advantage of generous welcome bonuses on the various Marriott Bonvoy credit cards offered.

Air France/KLM Flying Blue

China Eastern business class. Image Credit: China Eastern

Yet another option to use your points, especially when EVA Air and China Airlines can’t provide any award availability on your desired dates, is by using Air France/KLM Flying Blue miles.

If you need some (almost) guaranteed availability, Air France/KLM Flying Blue is a transfer partner with all the major flexible points programs.

Air France/KLM Flying Blue uses a variable award pricing structure. The cost of award tickets will change depending on the day of search, travel dates, and class of service. For flights between the U.S. and Taiwan, the one-way pricing is generally as follows:

Economy	Premium Economy	Business
34,500	68,000	93,500 to 115,000

The exact pricing will vary, but the most realistic price for business class is 115,000 miles one-way per person.

You’ll pay for all fuel surcharges, which generally makes this program less attractive than Delta SkyMiles. However, the key advantage of Air France/KLM Flying Blue over Delta SkyMiles is its transfer partners, which we’ll talk about later.

Here are some example routes you can take:

Atlanta (ATL) – Seoul (ICN) – Taipei (TPE) one-way for 93,500 to 115,000 Flying Blue miles plus $81 in taxes and fees on Korean Air business class
Chicago (ORD) – Shanghai (PVG) – Taipei (TPE) one-way for 93,500 to 115,000 Flying Blue miles plus $121 in taxes and fees on China Eastern business class
Los Angeles (LAX) – Taipei (TPE) one-way for 34,500 Flying Blue miles plus $72 in taxes and fees on China Airlines economy class

Air France/KLM Flying Blue is known to offer transfer bonuses of up to 35% from American Express Membership Rewards or Citi ThankYou Rewards. This can drop the award price by a lot, and you can stretch the value of your points a lot further.

Additionally, Air France’s process for booking awards is simple and can be completed online as follows:

Go to the Air France/KLM Flying Blue website.
At the top-right, click My Account and enter your Username and Password.
Click Use Your Miles.
Enter your destination and origin airports, travel dates, number of passengers, and cabin classes.
- If your dates are flexible, you can search award availability via a calendar and clicking the checkbox under Dates that says You are looking for a flight around these dates.
Finalize your flights and pay for taxes and fees with a credit card.

If you want some other ideas to use Air France miles, check out our post on the best ways to redeem Air France/KLM Flying Blue miles for max value.

Earning Air France/KLM Flying Blue Miles

It’s easy to earn a lot of Flying Blue miles.

The program is transfer partners with Chase Ultimate Rewards, American Express Membership Rewards, Marriott Bonvoy, Capital One Miles, and Citi ThankYou Rewards.

Chase, Amex, Capital One, and Citi transfer at a 1:1 ratio almost instantly.

Marriott Bonvoy transfers at a 3:1 ratio with a bonus of 5,000 miles when you transfer 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points. Transfers take 3 business days, approximately.

Other Options To Fly to Taiwan

There are simply too many options to fly to Taiwan with points and miles.

The most logical nonstop flights would be on EVA Air, China Airlines, or United. However, it may make sense to take a connecting flight (which may include stopovers) if you can save a significant number of points and miles.

Some other options that we analyzed were Lufthansa Miles & More, Singapore KrisFlyer, Japan Airlines Mileage Bank, American Airlines AAdvantage, and Cathay Pacific Asia Miles. Unfortunately, these options are unattractive due to factors such as a lack of viable transfer partners or unattractive award costs.

Final Thoughts

There are tons of great ways to use points and miles for flights to Taiwan. Your main nonstop options will be using EVA Air, China Airlines, or United (from San Francisco).

If you’re open to visiting multiple countries such as Japan, Korea, or Hong Kong by utilizing stopovers and open jaws, you can get better value for your points and miles.

The information regarding the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The information regarding the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The information regarding the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.

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 Business® American Express® Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card, click here.
For rates and fees of Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, click here.

9 comments

Liz February 15, 2020

Thank you- I love this post! I really want to visit Taiwan.

I fly out of slc, no direct flights to Asia, and end up getting flights out of lax. I only have chase ultimate rewards. I’m looking at December and flying blue with air france appears to be the best deal at 46,000 round trip on an economy flight. Thoughts?

- Jarrod West February 15, 2020
  
  Hi Liz,
  
  Yes, that is a fantastic deal for a round-trip flight to Taiwan as those tickets usually cost 70k miles round-trip.
  
DD November 14, 2022

Hi
Does anyone know whether or not booking ANA business RT via Virgin Atlantic from LAX to Taiwan is possible? I’ve read that booking RT from LAX to TPE is possible (while stopping by Japan on the way) via ANA mileage club exists, however I wasn’t sure if that was the same as booking with Virgin. I think from what I understand, ANA mileage club booking and Virgin ANA booking is different?
TIA!

- Stephen Au November 19, 2022
  
  Hi DD,
  
  It is not possible – using Virgin Atlantic Flying Club points on ANA flights requires you to pay on a per-segment basis. So you’ll get charged from LAX to Tokyo and then again from Tokyo to Taiwan. That pretty much destroys the appeal of this redemption, so we’d recommend using Virgin Atlantic Flying Club strictly for flights between the U.S. and Tokyo on ANA.
  
TS April 1, 2023

How are you finding an award chart that says Economy one-way 35,000 LifeMiles to Taipei? My round-trips are 125,000 on Eva through LifeMiles. Am I missing something? Thanks!

- Jarrod West April 5, 2023
  
  Hi TS,
  
  You have to locate saver award space in order to receive the best pricing, which can often require a lot of flexibility or booking far in advance. Check out our guide on the best ways to locate Star Alliance award availability for some tips.
  
Will April 12, 2023

I have signed up for aero, delta, united, etc to be able to see the points cost for JFK to TPE on about July 13 to Aug 2, but the points all seem to be about double what’s on this article.
What am I doing wrong?

- Jarrod West April 14, 2023
  
  Hi Will,
  
  You have to locate saver award space in order to get the pricing discussed in this article. This often requires flexibility with either when you fly, the carrier you fly, and/or your departure city. The more flexible you can be the easier it is to locate the best award pricing.
  
  - Will April 17, 2023
    
    Ahh, yeah, I guess I’m missing that part as I need to depart JFK about week of July 12 and return about week of Aug 2. I guess I’m out of luck unless I pay premium points or cash. Or third party booking flights (with their own fees/seating issues) that has many bad reviews. I think many of the bad reviews are from people cancelling or making changes.
    Do you know if booking through 3rd party services deliberately assign separating seats?
    In addition, can we still pick seats directly with an airline afterwards if there are free seats available/airline will usually seat together family? Thanks