19 Best Ways to Redeem TAP Air Portugal Miles for Maximum Value

BY 

Stephen Au

- UPDATED: May 7, 2021   |    16

1. Travel  / 
2. Airlines

16

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TAP Air Portugal is the flag carrier of Portugal. Also a Star Alliance partner, this airline connects the world to Portugal and Portugal to many former Portuguese colonies.

With a fleet of around 92 aircraft operating to 90 unique destinations across approximately 34 different countries, you’re bound to find a way to get to/from Portugal.

One interesting fact about TAP Air Portugal is that all of its aircraft (except for the TAP Express fleet, its wholly-owned regional subsidiary) are Airbus aircraft!

TAP Air Portugal maintains a normal route network, which a hub and spoke model out of Lisbon (LIS), where its headquarters are located. There are also 2 secondary hubs located at Porto (OPO) and Madeira (FNC).

TAP Air Portugal’s mileage program is called Miles&Go. Most importantly, there are several different ways to use Miles&Go miles for free/upgraded flights. You can even redeem them for Emirates first class, though you’ll find out that the redemption costs across the board are massive.

Let’s talk about some of the best redemptions you can make using TAP Miles&Go miles.

The Pros and Cons of TAP Air Portugal Miles

The problem with using an obscure mileage system such as TAP Miles&Go is that it falls under the radar for the most part. When devaluations occur, there’s not much press coverage or push-back — but TAP Miles&Go has experienced gigantic devaluations over the years.

We’ve dissected the TAP loyalty program and are ready to provide you with the best redemptions with TAP Air Portugal miles.

The main pros of using TAP Miles&Go are:

1. Great pricing for intra-zone redemptions
2. Generous zone definitions
3. Emirates is an airline partner
4. Great routing rules for Star Alliance flights

Here are the main cons of TAP Miles&Go:

1. Much of the value, particularly for long-haul flights, has been decimated, resulting in insane award prices, for the most part
2. TAP miles are hard to earn
3. You need miles to search for award space

Using Your TAP Air Portugal Miles

TAP Air Portugal applies zone-based pricing in all cases. In particular, it has 2 award charts — an award chart for TAP Air Portugal flights and an award chart for partner flights.

We’ll first talk about the TAP Air Portugal award chart, then move to the Star Alliance chart, then the non-alliance partner award chart, and lastly, discuss award booking rules.

TAP Air Portugal Award Charts

If you’re flying on TAP Air Portugal flights only, you can book one-way or round-trip flights. Here’s the one-way award chart you’ll be subject to (round-trips are double the price):

As you can see, you can book economy or business class. TAP Air Portugal does not offer premium economy nor does it offer a first class product.

Star Alliance Airline Partners

As we mentioned, TAP Air Portugal is a Star Alliance airline. TAP Air Portugal displays round-trip award ticket prices. One-way tickets are permitted, and you can get the price by dividing the round-trip price by 2.

You will have access to and can redeem miles for Star Alliance flights on these airlines:

Here’s the round-trip award ticket award chart. To get the one-way price, simply divide the price by 2.

Non-Alliance Airline Partners

TAP Air Portugal is also partners with Azul, Capital Airlines, Emirates, GOL, and SATA. Award tickets on these airlines are the exact same price as tickets on Star Alliance partners, so the above award chart will apply.

Awards Bookable vs. Phone

You can book TAP Air Portugal flights and Star Alliance flights online. However, to search for award availability, you’ll need to have miles in your account.

For non-alliance partner award flights like Emirates, you’ll need to call the TAP Miles&Go Service Center at 800-221-7370 to book your flights.

Award Redemption Rules

There are different award redemption rules depending on which award chart you’re using. If you’re flying solely on TAP Air Portugal flights, you’ll need to follow these rules, according to TAP Air Portugal:

• You can’t upgrade an award ticket.
• Award tickets are valid for 1 year from the date of issue, except for promotional tickets.
• Changes to date, time, flight number and booking class may be made after the ticket is issued with a €50 ($55) fee.
• Stopovers are not allowed.
• Round-trip tickets are allowed a maximum of 4 segments.
• One-way tickets are allowed a maximum of 2 segments.
• To book tickets for other people, you need to send an authorization form signed by you. Authorizations must be received 24 hours after the booking is made. If the authorization isn’t sent to [email protected] within the deadline, the reservation will be canceled.
• You may not use miles to book flights departing from Brazil.
• An award ticket for children will have a 25% discount on the miles price.

TAP Air Portugal also indicates these terms and conditions for Star Alliance flights:

• Round-trip tickets are allowed a maximum of 6 segments.
• One-way tickets are allowed a maximum of 3 segments.
• Waitlists and side trips are not permitted.
• 1 stopover per award ticket is permitted.
• Open jaws are permitted and the miles charged is based on the highest award ticket area.
• Once the ticket is issued, clients can change the schedule but must keep the same route and period of validity.
• Award tickets are usually valid for up to 1 year after issue.
• Award tickets are refundable only if none of the flights have occurred.
• No-shows and miles refund request fees apply if you don’t cancel your ticket and don’t fly.
• Blackout dates apply for certain airlines.
• You’ll be charged the mileage price for the highest class flown on any part of your journey.

If you’re flying on the miscellaneous airlines that are non-alliance partners of TAP Air Portugal, you’ll need to follow the Star Alliance award booking rules, in addition to the following rules:

• Permitted combinations include TAP partner airlines, TAP Air Portugal, and Star Alliance airlines.
• For an award flight within the Azorean Islands only, 10,000 miles are required.

How to Boost Your TAP Air Portugal Miles

TAP Air Portugal’s 2 transfer partners are Marriott Bonvoy and Capital One.

Capital One transfers at a 1:1 ratio. Marriott Bonvoy points transfer at a 3:1 ratio with a 5,000-mile bonus for every 60,000 points transferred to Miles&Go. That means that instead of getting 20,000 miles after transferring 60,000 Marriott points to TAP, you’ll end up with 25,000 miles.

Hot Tip: If you want to learn more about accelerating your Marriott balance, check out our detailed guide on how to earn lots of Marriott Bonvoy points.

Recommended Marriott Bonvoy Cards

Recommended Capital One Cards (Personal)

The 19 Best Ways to Use Your TAP Air Portugal Miles

TAP Air Portugal has undergone endless devaluations, so much of the value is unfortunately sucked out of the loyalty program, at least when it comes to redeeming miles.

After tons of research and analysis, we’ve located several sweet spots and decent redemptions you can make. These redemptions will net you solid value for your points, but it probably won’t be as amazing as redeeming Alaska miles, for instance.

With all this being said, let’s get to the best redemptions you can make with TAP Miles&Go miles.

1. Fly From Oceania to the U.S. via Dubai in Emirates First Class (180,000 Miles)

If you’re reading this guide, you’re probably taken aback by the partnership between TAP Air Portugal and Emirates. Your confusion is most likely warranted, though this partnership is nothing but beneficial for travelers.

Emirates’ first class is one of the most aspirational flights you can take. With utter opulence and crazy price tags to match, you’ll get exceptional value.

Lately, booking Emirates’ first class with points has become increasingly expensive. Although it’s not much cheaper, booking Emirates’ first class is doable with TAP miles.

Here are great example redemptions you can make:

• Auckland (AKL) – Dubai (DXB) – Houston (IAH) one-way in Emirates first class with a stopover in Dubai for 180,000 miles + ~$25 in taxes and fees (~34 hours in first class!)
• Brisbane (BNE) – Dubai (DXB) – Los Angeles (LAX) one-way in Emirates first class with a stopover in Dubai for 180,000 miles + ~$110 in taxes and fees
• Melbourne (MEL) – Dubai (DXB) – San Francisco (SFO) one-way in Emirates business class with a stopover in Dubai for 130,000 miles + ~$110 in taxes and fees
• Sydney (SYD) – Dubai (DXB) – Washington, D.C. (IAD) one-way in Emirates business class with a stopover in Dubai for 130,000 miles + ~$111 in taxes and fees

2. Fly Nonstop Between Dubai and Asia in Emirates First Class (65,000 Miles)

This particular redemption is extraordinary. Let’s just say that it’s possible to get up to 12 hours of Emirates first class with no fuel surcharges for 65,000 miles. If this sounds unbelievable to you, it’s because it certainly has flown under the radar for a long time.

Here are some spectacular redemptions:

• Osaka (KIX) – Dubai (DXB) one-way in Emirates first class for 65,000 miles + ~$107 in taxes and fees
• Osaka (KIX) – Dubai (DXB) one-way in Emirates business class for 50,000 miles + ~$107 in taxes and fees
• Tokyo-Narita (NRT) – Dubai (DXB) one-way in Emirates first class for 65,000 miles + ~$104 in taxes and fees
• Tokyo-Narita (NRT) – Dubai (DXB) one-way in Emirates business class for 50,000 miles + ~$104 in taxes and fees

3. Fly Nonstop Between San Francisco and Lisbon in TAP Business Class (100,000 Miles)

TAP Air Portugal offers several nonstop flights to the United States. While it doesn’t offer as many U.S. routes as British Airways, for example, it is still a fabulous airline to take on transatlantic flights.

TAP Air Portugal’s award chart is favored towards flights on its own metal, which means that the best value will generally be on TAP flights.

TAP charges 100,000 miles for flights between Portugal and the United States. The bad news is that you’ll probably be responsible for around $200 in fuel surcharges out of the total $600 levied.

The most effective way to redeem miles in this instance would be to fly as long as possible in business class, which is achieved through San Francisco (SFO). Best of all, the San Francisco (SFO) – Lisbon (LIS) route features the brand-new A330-900neo aircraft with an amazing business class product.

Here’s the exact redemption you can make:

• San Francisco (SFO) – Lisbon (LIS) one-way in TAP Air Portugal’s brand-new A330-900neo business class for 100,000 miles + ~$640 in taxes and fees

4. Fly From the U.S. to the Azores via Lisbon in TAP Business Class (100,000 Miles)

If you’re not all that interested in flying to mainland Portugal nonstop from the U.S., you can head to the Azores, 1 of 2 autonomous regions located around 850 miles west of mainland Portugal in the Atlantic Ocean.

This archipelago is famed for amazing nature, fishing villages, and some of the most unique plant species. It’s absolutely a niche place that you might be interested in visiting.

The most logical way to get to the Azores is via TAP Air Portugal. Best of all, you won’t pay any additional miles for adding the connecting flight from Portugal to the Azores. Here are some great example redemptions you can make:

• Chicago (ORD) – Lisbon (LIS) – Ponta Delgada (PDL) one-way in TAP Air Portugal’s older A330 business class for 100,000 miles + ~$211 in taxes and fees
• Washington, D.C. (IAD) – Lisbon (LIS) – Ponta Delgada (PDL) one-way in TAP Air Portugal’s A321neo business class for 100,000 miles + ~$211 in taxes and fees

5. Fly Nonstop From Portugal to Brazil in TAP Business Class (113,000 Miles)

If you wanted to fly on some of TAP Air Portugal’s longest routes, you’d do well to fly from Portugal to a variety of destinations in Brazil. Most of the routes feature the A330-900neo business class seats.

You’ll pay 113,000 miles for a 9-10 hour flight. This isn’t the best value option, but it’s still a great way to get solid value when you think about how the cheapest business class tickets are around $2,500-$3,500.

Here are some great example routes you can take:

• Lisbon (LIS) – Brasilia (BSB) one-way in TAP Air Portugal’s A330-900neo business class for 113,000 miles + ~$212 in taxes and fees
• Lisbon (LIS) – Rio de Janeiro (GIG) one-way in TAP Air Portugal’s A330-900neo business class for 113,000 miles + ~$212 in taxes and fees
• Porto (OPO) – São Paulo (GRU) one-way in TAP Air Portugal’s older A330 business class for 113,000 miles + ~$187 in taxes and fees

6. Fly From Russia to Brazil via Portugal in TAP Business Class (113,000 Miles)

TAP Miles&Go prices tickets from mainland Portugal to Brazil the same price as from Europe to Brazil, which means you can originate from a further location and get even more value from your miles.

Here is are 2 great example routes you can take that maximizes the distance you can fly at the same price:

• Moscow (DME) – Lisbon (LIS) – Belo Horizonte (BHZ) one-way in TAP Air Portugal business class for 113,000 miles + ~$50 in taxes and fees
• Stockholm (ARN) – Lisbon (LIS) – Salvador da Bahia (SSA) one-way in TAP Air Portugal business class for 113,000 miles + ~$260 in taxes and fees

7. Fly From Europe to Austral Africa via Lisbon in TAP Business Class (120,000 Miles)

If you don’t feel like heading down to South America, you can also redeem miles to head to Southern Africa. TAP Air Portugal offers nonstop flights to 2 unique destinations. Unsurprisingly, these destinations are former Portuguese colonies.

Additionally, flying from deeper in Europe as opposed to originating in Portugal is the same price. The best part is that the flights from Lisbon to Southern Africa feature the A330-900neo business class.

So, let’s look at 2 solid redemptions you can make as follows:

• Moscow (DME) – Lisbon (LIS) – Maputo (MPM) one-way in TAP Air Portugal business class for 120,000 miles + ~$212 in taxes and fees
• Oslo (OSL) – Lisbon (LIS) – Luanda (LAD) one-way in TAP Air Portugal business class for ~$170 in taxes and fees

8. Fly Nonstop Between Hong Kong and Johannesburg in South African Airways Business Class (50,000 Miles)

Here’s where things really start to get interesting.

South African Airways, a Star Alliance partner, offers nonstop flights from Hong Kong to Johannesburg. This ~13-hour flight normally costs $4,000-$5,000 if paid for in cash.

However, you can actually book this flight in business class thanks to:

• The broad definition of Asia
• The attractive pricing of Asia-Southern Africa flights

The drawback, though, is that South African Airways’ airplane used on this route is the older A340-300. Similarly, the seats are older, and they’re arranged in a 2-2-2 configuration. They’re still lie-flat, though!

Here’s the redemption:

• Hong Kong (HKG) – Johannesburg (JNB) one-way in South African Airways’ A340-300 business class for 50,000 miles + ~$145 in taxes and fees

9. Fly Nonstop Between Shenzhen and Johannesburg in Air China First Class (65,000 Miles)

One of the most incredible uses of TAP Air Portugal miles is to fly on Air China first class between Asia and Southern Africa.

The most useful route in this case is:

• Shenzhen (SZX) – Johannesburg (JNB) one-way in Air China first class for 65,000 miles + ~$148 in taxes and fees

Air China operates a 777-300ER on this 13-14 hour route. When you consider the fact that this flight costs around ~$11,000 one-way, you’ll immediately realize an unbelievable 15-17 cents per point in value.

10. Fly Nonstop From Tokyo to India in ANA Business Class (50,000 Miles)

ANA is Japan’s largest airline, and it’s got an amazing business class. Basically, you’ve got plenty to look for if you have a chance to fly ANA.

There’s yet another sweet spot here, and it’s for flights wholly within Asia. You can travel all the way from Japan to India in business class for a price of 50,000 miles one-way. Not a bad value for 10-11 hours in an excellent lie-flat business class product!

Here are some great example routes you can take:

• Tokyo-Narita (NRT) – Chennai (MAA) one-way in ANA business class for 50,000 miles + ~$90 in taxes and fees
• Tokyo-Narita (NRT) – Delhi (DEL) one-way in ANA business class for 50,000 miles + ~$89 in taxes and fees
• Tokyo-Narita (NRT) – Mumbai (BOM) one-way in ANA business class for 50,000 miles + ~$90 in taxes and fees (10-11 hours)

11. Fly Nonstop From Tokyo to Indonesia in ANA Business Class (50,000 Miles)

Not that interested in flying to India? You can check out the deep parts of Southeast Asia like Indonesia and pay the same, excellent price for ANA business class using TAP Miles&Go miles. The flights aren’t as long as flights to India, but it’s still a great value redemption.

Here is a great example redemption you can make:

• Jakarta (CGK) – Tokyo-Narita (NRT) one-way in ANA business class for 50,000 miles + ~$67 in taxes and fees
• Tokyo-Haneda (HND) – Jakarta (CGK) one-way in ANA business class for 50,000 miles + ~$88 in taxes and fees
• Tokyo-Haneda (HND) – Singapore (SIN) one-way in ANA business class for 50,000 miles + ~$88 in taxes and fees
• Tokyo-Narita (NRT) – Kuala Lumpur (KUL) one-way in ANA business class for 50,000 miles + ~$90 in taxes and fees

12. Fly Nonstop From Seoul to Phuket in Asiana Airlines Business Class (50,000 Miles)

Traveling from Korea to Thailand? Since TAP Miles&Go considers all of Asia to be a single region, you can go all the way from North Asia to the depths of Southeast Asia for 1 great price.

Asiana Airlines flies from Seoul to Bangkok, but it also flies to Phuket, a beach paradise. Here’s the exact redemption you can take:

• Phuket (HKT) – Seoul-Incheon (ICN) one-way in Asiana Airlines A330-300 regional 2-2-2 business class for 50,000 miles + ~$52 in taxes and fees
• Seoul-Incheon (ICN) – Phuket (HKT) one-way in Asiana Airlines A330-300 regional 2-2-2 business class for 50,000 miles + ~$41 in taxes and fees

13. Fly Nonstop From Seoul to Uzbekistan in Asiana Airlines Business Class (50,000 Miles)

This particular redemption falls under niche redemptions, to say the least. Asiana Airlines offers a unique nonstop flight to Central Asia.

You can fly to Uzbekistan from Seoul with the following redemption:

• Seoul-Incheon (ICN) – Tashkent (TAS) one-way in Asiana’s A330 regional 2-2-2 business class for 50,000 miles + ~$41 in taxes and fees
• Tashkent (TAS) – Seoul-Incheon (ICN) one-way in Asiana’s A330 regional 2-2-2 business class for 50,000 miles + ~$86 in taxes and fees

14. Fly Nonstop From Beijing to Dubai in Air China Business Class (50,000 Miles)

Let’s venture out of the intra-Asia region. When you fly from Asia to the Middle East, you’ll pay the same price as intra-Asia flights! This is yet another opportunity for exceptional value.

Flights offered by Star Alliance airlines nonstop to the Middle East are rare. You can book Singapore Airlines’ premium cabins using points, but it’s not possible with TAP Miles&Go miles.

Luckily, Air China operates a nonstop flight that you can redeem as follows:

• Beijing (PEK) – Dubai (DXB) one-way in Air China business class for 50,000 miles + ~$164 in taxes and fees
• Dubai (DXB) – Beijing (PEK) one-way in Air China business class for 50,000 miles + ~$197 in taxes and fees

15. Access Singapore Business Class Partner Availability on Intra-Asia Awards (50,000 Miles)

If you follow points and miles closely, you might have heard that booking Singapore Airlines first class or business class is impossible without using Singapore Airlines’ own miles.

This is true, for the most part. However, on intra-Asia flights, Singapore Airlines releases a healthy amount of availability to partners.

When you couple this with the fact that TAP Miles&Go treats Asia as a single large region, you can get some fabulous value. Here are some great example redemptions you can make:

• Singapore (SIN) – Beijing (PEK) one-way in Singapore Airlines business class for 50,000 miles + ~$14 in taxes and fees
• Singapore (SIN) – Seoul-Incheon (ICN) one-way in Singapore Airlines business class for 50,000 miles + ~$14 in taxes and fees
• Singapore (SIN) – Tokyo-Haneda (HND) one-way in Singapore Airlines business class for 50,000 miles + ~$14 in taxes and fees
• Singapore (SIN) – Tokyo-Narita (NRT) one-way in Singapore Airlines business class for 50,000 miles + ~$14 in taxes and fees

Hot Tip: You can technically also book Singapore Airlines’ first class (including Suites) using this method, but award availability is nearly impossible to find. This makes business class a much more realistic goal.

16. Fly to Deep South America in Business Class from the U.S. (50,000 Miles)

If you’re more interested in exploring South America, you can book excellent value business class tickets by utilizing 2 Star Alliance airlines:

1. United Airlines
2. Avianca Vuela

TAP Miles&Go considers all of South America to be a single region, and the award rates for flights between South America and North America are awesome.

Here are some example routes you can take:

• Houston (IAH) – Buenos Aires (EZE) one-way in United’s old 2-4-2 Polaris class for 50,000 miles + ~$29 in taxes and fees
• Houston (IAH) – Santiago (SCL) one-way in United old 2-2-2 Polaris business class for 50,000 miles + ~$29 in taxes and fees
• Houston (IAH) – Rio de Janeiro (GIG) one-way in United old 2-2-2 Polaris business class for 50,000 miles + ~$29 in taxes and fees
• Los Angeles (LAX) – Bogota (BOG) – Rio de Janeiro (GIG) with a stopover on Bogota (BOG) one-way in Avianca Vuela business class for 50,000 miles + ~$29 in taxes and fees
• Newark (EWR) – Lima (LIM) one-way in United Polaris class for 50,000 miles + ~$29 in taxes and fees
• Newark (EWR) – São Paulo (GRU) one-way on United’s best Polaris class for 50,000 miles + ~$29 in taxes and fees
• Washington, D.C. (IAD) – São Paulo (GRU) one-way on United old Polaris class for 50,000 miles + ~$29 in taxes and fees

17. Fly Transcontinental Business Class Within North America (45,000 Miles)

North America is a big continent. TAP Miles&Go considers the U.S., Mexico, Canada, and the Caribbean to be a single zone under partner award bookings, so there are opportunities to get transcontinental business class for cheap.

Air Canada uses wide-body aircraft with proper business class seats on many of its transcontinental routes. When you use TAP miles, you can get some attractive redemption value:

• Los Angeles (LAX) – Toronto (YYZ) one-way in Air Canada Signature Class for 45,000 miles + ~$170 in taxes and fees
• Vancouver (YVR) – Newark (EWR) one-way in Air Canada Signature Class for 45,000 miles + ~$139 in taxes and fees

18. Fly From North America to the Caribbean in Business Class (45,000 Miles)

Air Canada has an extensive network of flights to the Caribbean. We can leverage this to book nonstop flights from Canada to the Caribbean for great value.

Just be sure to try to find wide-body aircraft or planes with at least angled-flat seats.

Here is 1 route redemption you can make:

• Toronto (YYZ) – Bridgetown (BGI) one-way in Air Canada A330 business class (formerly Singapore Airlines aircraft) for 45,000 miles + ~$108 in taxes and fees

19. Fly From North America to the Caribbean in Economy Class (30,000 Miles)

Our very last redemption is a relatively simple one. Flights from North America to the Caribbean can be expensive, especially during high season.

If you have no desire to fly in business class or first class on a shorter flight such as this one, you can redeem TAP miles for 30,000 miles one-way for flights anywhere from the U.S. and Canada to the Caribbean.

Here are some great example routes:

• Denver (DEN) – Nassau (NAS) on United Airlines economy class for 30,000 miles + ~$29 in taxes and fees
• Houston (IAH) – Port of Spain (POS) on United Airlines economy class for 30,000 miles + ~$29 in taxes and fees
• Newark (EWR) – Grand Cayman (GCM) on United Airlines economy class for 30,000 miles + ~$29 in taxes and fees
• Washington, D.C. (IAD) – Aruba (AUA) on United Airlines economy class for 30,000 miles + ~$39 in taxes and fees

Final Thoughts

Between Emirates first class redemptions, niche Star Alliance business class flights, and even transcontinental flights within North America, there are tons of ways to redeem TAP Miles&Go miles for maximum value. This traditionally obscure mileage program has a bunch of fantastic options you can take, despite having experienced lots of devaluations over the years.

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