Mike FriedmanLast week, we had a discussion of using British Airways miles in the United States to maximize your reward value. Today, we’re going the other direction. How do you get the most value out of your US carrier miles? Send them abroad! (Or, we can say free flights when abroad.)
Using Airline Alliances for International Redemptions
One of the big advantages to flying with a major US carrier is that so many of them are part of a global alliance that allows you to use those miles on other airlines around the world. Every alliance has its idiosyncrasies, but the gist of it is that you determine where you want to fly, go to the site where you have your miles and look for availability.
Which Airline Should I Use For Free Flights When Abroad?
Each of the Big Three US carriers belongs to a different alliance, meaning a different mix of partners. American and Delta are stronger in Latin America and Europe, while United tends to have better partners in Asia. Note: You can search for award availability online, but your airline may not show all partner availability. For example, American’s website won’t show seats for Cathay Pacific. Thus, it’s often best to call your airline to check for seats.
United and Star Alliance, A Clear Winner
Normally, I’m not a big fan of United and Star Alliance, but they are clear winners when it comes to free flights when abroad. The reason is geography: They’re lucky enough to have several world-class partners in Asia, a region of the globe where award flights tend to be both plentiful and cheap. For example:
That’s a four-hour flight from Hong Kong to Singapore on Singapore Air, which Skytrax* named the World’s Best Airline in 2018. It’s 17,500 miles in economy, but the real play here is the 25,000 miles Business Saver redemption. “Saver” awards, or their equivalents, are low-cost awards when the airline is absolutely positive that they will not sell the space. They are rare in the US, but plentiful in Asia. To put that in perspective, even the $95 United Explorer Card gets you 40,000 miles for signing up. That’s cheap.
That’s not on any old plane, either. Intra-Asia, the carriers fly a lot of wide bodies. For this flight, you’ll be on a 777-300. That’s 60″ of pitch and a flat bed, high-quality meals and lounge access on arguably the world’s top airline. At least, it’s nicer than United.
*Airline and travel awards are an interesting topic. You can read more at GSTP: THE RIDICULOUS GAMES AIRLINES PLAY TO WIN SKYTRAX AWARDS, AND OTHERS…
