The Turkish Airlines Miles and Smiles loyalty program is one that may not get as much attention as other Star Alliance programs like Air Canada Aeroplan, United Airlines Mileage Plus, ANA Mileage Club, and Avianca Lifemiles. However, the Miles and Smiles program has the potential to be as valuable if not more valuable than other Star Alliance programs.
Before getting our hopes up, it’s important to note that Turkish Airlines has limited credit card transfer partners and a few program quirks. All of this is covered in more detail below so let’s dive in.
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Credit Cards to Earn Turkish Airlines Miles
Citi ThankYou and Marriott Bonvoy are the two programs that allow you to transfer its points directly to Turkish Airlines. Once transferred to Turkish Airlines, these points become airline miles that you can then use to book an award flight. Citi points transfer to Turkish Airlines at a 1:1 ratio. Your Marriott points transfer to Turkish Airlines at a 3:1 ratio.
With respect to credit cards, the Citi Prestige Card, Citi Premier Card, and Citi Double Cash Card are Citi cards to keep on your radar. Marriott cards to consider applying for include the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant, Marriott Bonvoy Boundless, and Marriott Bonvoy Business.
Additional Ways to Earn Turkish Airlines Miles
Flying Turkish Airlines and/or crediting its partner airline flights to your Turkish Airlines Miles and Smiles account are additional ways to earn Turkish Airlines miles. Check out wheretocredit.com to determine how best to credit these flights.
Through a combination of strategic credit card earning and flying, you are likely to earn enough points and miles that can be used to book the award flights highlighted below.
Basic Turkish Airlines Redemption Rules
Turkish Airlines has terms and conditions to review before booking award flights. With that said, here are a few of the most important rules to keep in mind:
- Taxes and fees vary by the airline partner that you fly
- The number of miles in the Promotional Award Ticket Table is shown as the round trip cost
- Star Alliance award flights can be booked one-way
- The Award Region Table shows the countries within each award region
- Award flights can be booked via email or over the phone per Frequent Miler
- The intra domestic Star Alliance award chart (i.e. within North America) is not online but can be found on Frequent Miler here
Using the Turkish Airlines Search Engine
There are two ways to use the Miles and Smiles search engine. If you’re looking for Turkish Airlines flights, first log in to your account. Click your name on the top right of the login screen followed by clicking “Award Ticket”. From there, run an award search.
For Star Alliance flights, log in to your account. Click your name on the top right of the screen followed by clicking “Miles Transactions”. Click “Book Now” under “Star Alliance award ticket”. From there, run an award search. If united.com shows saver level award space but Miles and Smiles does not, call 800-874-8875 or email to make your Turkish Airlines booking.
Best Ways to Use Turkish Airlines Miles
1. US to Europe
Europe is broken into Europe 1 and Europe 2 in the Miles and Smiles award chart. However, the award pricing is the same for flights from North America to both regions. With that said, you can book a one-way business class flight with 45,000 miles. A one-way economy flight is 30,000 miles, the same price charged by Avianca Lifemiles and United Mileage Plus.
Examples of flights you can book include:
- Los Angeles (LAX) > Warsaw (WAW) on LOT Polish
- Newark (EWR) > Copenhagen (CPH) on SAS
- Boston (BOS) > Lisbon (LIS) on TAP Portugal
2. US to Asia
The Far East region in the Miles and Smiles award chart is massive. It includes countries like Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, the Maldives, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam. With 67,500 miles, you can book a one-way business class flight from the US to any of these countries. Check out Air Canada Aeroplan and United Mileage Plus if you want to fly economy. Both of these programs require fewer miles to fly to Asia than Turkish Airlines.
Examples of flights you can book include:
- Chicago (ORD) > Tokyo (HND) on ANA
- Los Angeles (LAX) > Seoul (ICN) on Asiana Airlines
- Houston (IAH) > Taipei (TPE) on EVA Air
3. Mainland US to Hawaii
The Miles and Smiles program should be one of the first ones you check when flying from the mainland US to Hawaii. With 7,500 miles, you can book a one-way economy flight. Business class is more challenging to find but if you do, a one-way flight is 12,5000 miles. For comparison, Air Canada Aeroplan, Avianca Lifemiles, and United Mileage Plus charge 22,500 miles in economy and 40,000 miles in business class.
Examples of flights you can book include:
- Denver (DEN) > Kauai (LIH) on United
- Chicago (ORD) < Maui (OGG) on United
- San Francisco (SFO) > Kona (KOA) on United
4. US to Australia or New Zealand
The Oceania region in the Miles and Smiles award chart includes countries like Australia, Fiji, French Polynesia, and New Zealand. With 52,500 miles, you can book a one-way business class flight to any of these countries. Another option is to use 36,750 miles to book a one-way economy flight.
Examples of flights you can book include:
- San Francisco (SFO) > Sydney (SYD) on United
- Houston (IAH) > Auckland (AKL) on Air New Zealand
5. North America to southern South America
South America is one region in the Miles and Smiles award chart. As a result, award prices for flights to southern South America, versus northern South America, are more competitive. You can book a one-way business class flight with 52,500 miles. For comparison, Air Canada Aeroplan charges 55,000 miles for the same flight.
Examples of flights you can book include:
- Houston (IAH) > Santiago (SCL) on United
- Chicago (ORD) > São Paulo (GRU) on United
Common Turkish Airlines Questions
Is Turkish Airlines a good airline?
Turkish Airlines is considered to have one of the best business class products in the sky. Check out this Turkish Airlines review and this Turkish Airlines Review to determine for yourself the quality of the airline.
Is Turkish or Emirates better?
I have yet to fly either airline so I recommend this Emirates review, this Emirates review, and this Emirates review to compare Emirates business class to Turkish Airlines business class.
Conclusion on the Miles and Smiles Program
What’s great about the Miles and Smiles program is that it’s yet another Star Alliance program to use. The program downsides, like having to call the airline to book some award flights, may be outweighed by the few number of miles you need to use.
How do you use your Turkish Airlines miles for maximum value? Please let me know in the comments below or by sending me an email on my contact page.
Disclaimer: If you click and/or sign up for a credit card through certain links on this site or any of my related social media platforms, I may make a commission from that click-through. The editorial content on this page and the user comments are not provided by any of the companies mentioned and have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. The opinions expressed here are mine alone.
