The Great Barrier Reef, Melbourne, Sydney, the Gold Coast, Brisbane, Auckland, and Queenstown. These are just a few of the many things to do in this region. Being so far from the US, you may be asking yourself, what are the best ways to fly to Australia from the USA? What about flying to New Zealand? This article will have you covered.
Even though this part of the world is far from the US, there are a number of flight options. The easiest option is to fly nonstop from a gateway city like Los Angeles to Sydney. You can also fly through Asia from the US. Whatever you choose, knowing the best points to earn will help you get there easier.
Best Credit Cards to Use to Fly to Australia
It’s hard to beat earning transferable points. These are points that are transferred directly to airlines from bank programs. American Express, Chase, and Citi are the main programs. Capital One and Marriott are additional programs you can use.
One of Chase’s top personal cards is the Chase Sapphire Reserve. It earns 3X points on travel. For American Express, its equivalent card is the American Express Gold (Learn More Here). This card earns 4X points on travel. Not to be outdone is the Citi Prestige. It earns 5X points on flights. American Express also offers the American Express Platinum (Learn More Here). It earns 5X points on flights booked with the airline and is great for lounge access.
The Chase Ink Business Preferred is the business card to check out. This card earns 3X points on travel. American Express offers the American Express Business Platinum (Learn More Here). It looks and feels like the personal card as it also earns 5X points on flights booked with the airline and offers lounge access.
Best Ways to Fly to Australia from the USA
When reading through this best ways to fly to Australia from the USA list, it’s helpful to highlight a couple of things. One, the award prices are shown as one-way. Simply double the prices shown for round-trip pricing. Two, the bank transfer partners for each program are listed below.
- Amex – ANA, Cathay, Etihad, Virgin Atlantic
- Capital One – Cathay, Etihad
- Chase – Virgin Atlantic
- Citi – Cathay, Etihad, Virgin Atlantic
- Marriott – All
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
There are many reasons to love the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan program. Two reasons that come to mind for me are stopovers on one-way flights and competitive award pricing with its partner airlines.
Easily earning enough Alaska miles for an award flight may be considered a downside with the program. Outside of flying Alaska Airlines, spending on co-branded Alaska Airlines and Marriott credit cards are the main ways to earn its miles.
When using Alaska miles to fly Australia, you’ve got a few options. With 55,000 Alaska miles, you can fly Qantas one-way business class to Australia. If you can find the award space, using 70,000 Alaska miles to fly Qantas one-way first class is also a steal.
Two other options that are worth mentioning. One, using 60,000 Alaska miles to fly Cathay Pacific one-way business class to Australia. Two, using 55,000 Alaska miles to fly Fiji Airways one-way business to the South Pacific region.
The Qantas and Cathay Pacific booking process looks like this:
- Search Qantas and Cathay Pacific on British Airways
- Confirm Qantas availability on Alaska
- Call Alaska Airlines 800-252-7522 to confirm Cathay availability
- Complete the booking online or over the phone
The Fiji Airways booking process looks like this:
- Search for flights on Alaska Airlines
- Complete the booking online
ANA Mileage Club
For Star Alliance travelers out there, the ANA Mileage Club program should be on your radar. ANA offers competitive award pricing on both its own and partner airline flights.
There are 2 important drawbacks when using ANA miles. One, ANA passes on fuel surcharges. This becomes material if you’re wanting to fly Austrian Airlines and Lufthansa. Two, partner airline flights must be booked round trip.
For those of you looking to use ANA miles, 52,500 ANA miles gets you an ANA one-way business class flight to the Oceania region. The Oceania region includes Australia. Another option is to use 30,000 miles to book an ANA one-way economy flight.
ANA’s booking process is straightforward:
- Search for flights on United
- Confirm availability on ANA
- Complete the booking online
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
US travelers flying to Australia from the west coast should check out Cathay Pacific Asia Miles. The award rates to this region are competitive assuming you fly nonstop from the west coast on 1 Oneworld airline partner.
The longer the distance of your flight, the more uncompetitive this redemption becomes. There are exceptions, but generally speaking speaking, shorter distance flights on 1 Oneworld airline partner are more competitive.
With 70,000 Asia Miles, you can book gets a Oneworld one-way business class flight to Australia. If you want to fly in economy, you’ll only need 35,000 Asia miles to book a Oneworld one-way partner airline flight.
If you’re flying American, here’s the booking process:
- Search for flights on British
- Call Cathay Pacific: 866-892-2598
- Complete the booking over the phone
If you’re flying Qantas, here’s the booking process:
- Search for flights on British
- Confirm availability on Cathay Pacific
- Complete the booking online
Etihad Airways Etihad Guest
A program that’s starting to get more love is Etihad Airways Etihad Guest. And for good reason. This program offers competitive award pricing, particularly when flying American Airlines flights.
A word of caution when using Etihad miles is that partner airline flights can’t be booked online. This means that a phone call is required to book a flight. Some will see this as a downside, however, I’ve found Etihad agents to be competent.
When booking American flights, 62,500 Etihad miles gets you a one-way business class flight to the South Pacific region. The South Pacific region includes Australia. 37,500 Etihad miles lands you a one-way economy flight.
Booking flights with Etihad isn’t too challenging:
- Search for flights on British Airways
- Call Etihad: 877-690-0767
- Confirm award availability over the phone
- Complete the booking over the phone
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
Travelers who earn Chase Ultimate Rewards are likely familiar with the value in the Virgin Atlantic Flying Club program. Virgin has a number of individual airline partnerships. One of those partners is Air New Zealand, which is great news if you’re flying from the US to New Zealand.
The inability to book most airline partners on the Virgin Atlantic website is a downside to the program. Outside of Delta, a phone call is required to book flights using Flying Club miles.
If you can find Air New Zealand business class availability, 62,500 Flying Club miles is what you need to book a one-way flight. At 40,000 Flying Club miles, you can book a one-way economy flight.
Virgin Atlantic has a straightforward booking process:
- Search for Air New Zealand flights on United
- Call Virgin Atlantic: 800-365-9500
- Confirm award availability over the phone
- Complete the booking over the phone
Bonus Option: Best Ways to Fly to Australia
The American Airlines AAdvantage program is not as competitive as what you’ll find in the list above. However, many US travelers have American Airlines miles.
With that said, 40,000 or 80,000 American miles gets you a one-way American and/or Oneworld airline economy or business class flight to the South Pacific region. Australia is included in this region. This means that the rates listed above are what you’ll need to book a flight.
Conclusion on the Best Ways to Fly to Australia from the USA
I’ve wanted to travel to Australia for a while now. And after writing this list, I need to book a trip asap! But in the meantime, I’ll live vicariously through these Kara and Nate Australia and New Zealand vlogs. I’ll also re-read the God Save the Points Sydney and Melbourne travel guides.
What are your best ways to fly to Australia from the USA? Which programs make the most sense for you? Please let me know in the comments or by sending me an email on my contact page.
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