How to Book Award Flights

Understanding how to use points to book award flights is one of the most important skills to learn, but it can feel very overwhelming. There are multiple ways to earn the points needed, and there are quite a few options for actually booking the flights – from direct with the airline to alliance partners to bank portals.

Let’s go over all the information you need to feel confident about using your points to book flights. Before we get started, just know that the words “points” and “miles” can be used interchangeably. Most airlines (but not all) call them miles.

Earning points and miles

In order to book award flights, you will first need to earn some points and miles. There are multiple ways to earn them, and there are also multiple types.

AIRLINE MILES

These are miles earned directly with the airline program, such as United MileagePlus or Southwest Rapid Rewards. You can earn these miles by flying on that specific airline or by opening a co-branded credit card that earns those specific points. In both of these cases, you will first need to sign up for a free loyalty account with the airline. All airlines offer these accounts, and they’re just a way to keep track of flights taken and miles earned.

Here are some of my favorite co-branded cards that earn airline miles:

• United℠ Explorer Card
• United℠ Business Card
• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card
• Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card
• Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®
• AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard®

FLEXIBLE POINTS

Another way to earn miles is by transferring flexible points from bank partners. Each bank has its own cards that earn flexible points and its own set of transfer partners with which these points can be used. Check out these articles for specific information about Chase Ultimate Rewards® and Capital One Miles.

There are many great cards that earn flexible points. Here are some of my favorites:

• Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
• Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
• Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
• Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
• American Express® Gold Card
• The Platinum Card® from American Express

Booking an award flight

Once you have your miles, it’s time to book your flight. If you have earned miles directly with the airline (through flying or credit cards), your miles will already be in your account. If you plan to transfer flexible points, you will first find availability for the flight and then transfer your points from the bank to the airline.

To find availability, follow the steps below to book with the airline. Once you see the available flight and how many miles it will cost, you can transfer your points. Most transfers are instant, although some can take longer.

Booking with the airline

Booking award flights is very similar to booking cash flights. Let’s look at United as an example.

You will start on the airline’s website and enter your airports, dates, and number of people. When booking award flights, I usually book one way at a time. This allows more flexibility with dates, prices, and any possible future changes that may happen.

The most important thing is to toggle the “book with miles” button. This will change your search from a cash search to an award search.

Some airlines require you to log in to do award searches, and some do not. Additionally, some have a simple toggle button like this United example, and others have a separate page or tab for award searches.

For example, Air France requires you to select the “Book with Miles” tab and then log in.

British Airways does not require you to log in, but you have to select the “Book” tab at the top and then choose “Book a flight with Avios.”

Once you’ve found flights that work, you will proceed with the booking process the same way you do with a cash flight. Enter everyone’s personal information; don’t forget to add Known Traveler Numbers (TSA PreCheck or Global Entry) if travelers have one! You will also need to provide a credit card for any taxes. I highly recommend putting the taxes on a credit card that offers travel protections so that you’re protected in case there are any issues. The Sapphire Preferred or Venture X are excellent options for this.

Booking an award flight with an alliance partner

Another option, and the one that feels the most confusing to many people, is to book an award flight with an alliance partner. There are three main airline alliances – Star Alliance, Oneworld, and SkyTeam. Within these alliances, you can book on one airline but fly on a different one.

STAR ALLIANCE MEMBERS:

• Aegean Airlines
• Air Canada
• Air China
• Air India
• Air New Zealand
• All Nippon Airways
• Asiana Airlines
• Austrian Airlines
• Avianca
• Brussels Airlines
• Copa Airlines
• Croatia Airlines
• EGYPTAIR
• Ethiopian Airlines
• EVA AIR
• LOT Polish Airlines
• Lufthansa
• Shenzhen Airlines
• Singapore Airlines
• South African Airways
• SWISS International Air Lines
• TAP Air Portugal
• Thai Airways
• Turkish Airlines
• United Airlines

ONEWORLD MEMBERS:

• Alaska Airlines (who recently acquired Hawaiian Airlines)
• American Airlines
• British Airways
• Cathay Pacific
• Finnair
• Iberia
• Japan Airlines
• Malaysia Airlines
• Qantas
• Qatar Airways
• Royal Air Maroc
• Royal Jordinian
• Srilankan Airlines

SKYTEAM MEMBERS:

• Aerolíneas Argentinas
• Aeroméxico
• Air Europa
• Air France
• China Airlines
• China Eastern Airlines
• Czech Airlines
• Delta Air Lines
• Garuda Indonesia
• ITA Airways
• Kenya Airways
• KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
• Korean Air
• Middle East Airlines
• Saudia
• TAROM
• Vietnam Airlines
• Virgin Atlantic
• Xiamen Airlines

Not all flights will be available with each alliance partner airline. However, it’s good to have an idea of the airlines you can search if you’re trying to find the best deal.

My favorite alliance partners

As you can see, there are a ton of airlines within each alliance. It would be tedious (and likely a waste of time) to search every single one. Although, you’re welcome to try!

Instead, here are some of my favorite go-to partners that I like to check when searching for award flights.

• Star Alliance – United Airlines, Air Canada, Avianca, Singapore Airlines, Turkish Airlines
• Oneworld – American, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Iberia
• SkyTeam – Air France, KLM, Delta Air Lines, Virgin Atlantic

What can feel confusing is that you also have to consider which flexible bank points transfer to each of these programs. So, you may find a flight on Delta, but none of the banks transfer to Delta. Instead, you can search for the same flight on one of their alliance partners – like Air France, which is a transfer partner of all four major banks. Then you can transfer your points to Air France to book the flight, but you’ll be flying on Delta.

I know this feels like a lot, but I promise that the more you do it, the less confusing it feels.

Example booking

Let’s again look at United as an example of how to book an alliance partner flight. Typically, when looking for alliance partner flights, you will want to find Saver Award fares. These are the lowest-priced tickets and the ones which *may* be available with partners.

In this example, I searched the United website for a Saver Award flight.

Once I found one, I checked other Star Alliance partners. As I mentioned, one of my favorite options is Air Canada. The first date I searched didn’t have any flights available, so I adjusted my search by one day and found this. As you can see, it’s the exact same flight and is operated by United. However, the points price is a bit cheaper. The taxes are slightly higher, so it would be a personal preference whether you prefer less points or less cash.

One thing to note: be sure you’re checking alliance partners that are bank transfer partners for the points you have. If you’re not sure which banks transfer to which airlines, check out this article.

Once you find the flight you want, transfer your bank points to the airline. Transfers are usually instant, however they sometimes can take a few hours (even up to a few days, but that’s not common).

Booking award flights in the bank portal

The final way to book an award flight is in the bank travel portal. This isn’t technically an award flight because the airline considers it a cash flight. However, you’re using your points to pay the bank instead of paying cash to the airline.

All four major banks have their own travel portals, which are “aggregators,” similar to Expedia or Travelocity, and search all available flights on most airlines. You can learn more about Chase Travel℠ and Capital One Travel in these linked posts.

You can search within these travel portals and find the lowest-priced cash flights then use your points to cover the cost. With certain Chase cards, you will even receive a points boost when booking through the portal. Just remember, it’s important to do your research because even with the boost, you can often find better prices by transferring points and booking directly with the airlines.

Award flight tips

Here are a few tips that may be helpful when you’re searching for and booking award flights:

• I like to use award search tools like AwardTool or seats.aero to help find options and give me an idea of which bank points transfer.
• Having flexible dates can be very helpful since some points prices fluctuate daily (just like cash prices).
• Search early and often. This helps you get an idea of how many points you need for a particular flight, plus you start to get an idea of which flights are available which days.

Wrapping Up

Award flights can feel overwhelming, especially when you start looking at alliance partners and bank transfer partners. But it’s not hard, it’s just a new skill to learn. And I promise you can do it!