Best Frequent Flyer Award Redemptions to Europe (2019)

  Award Ticket Strategies

Usually, when there is regular ("saver") award space available on a flight, you can book your ticket using many different types of frequent flyer points. For example, if you want to book a frequent flyer ticket on American airlines, you use any of two dozen different Oneworld frequent flyer programs.

Each frequent flyer program has a it's own award chart, and may require a different number of miles to book the exact same trip. They also have different rules about stopovers, fees, and fuel surcharges. That means that, for any given trip, some programs are less expensive than others.

If you have Ultimate Rewards, ThankYou Points, Membership Rewards, Marriott Points, or Diners Club points you can transfer them to many different frequent flyer programs. As a result, you can take advantage of each program's sweet spots, and book your trip for less than the normal number of points. 2. Choose the Least Expensive Frequent Flyer Program for Your Ticket

Periodically, Membership Rewards, ThankYou Rewards, Venture Points and Marriott Rewards offer transfer bonuses that give you extra miles when you transfer your points to a specific frequent flyer program. This temporarily reduces the number of points you need to make a redemption, potentially changing which program is your best option for booking an award. See Take Advantage of Transfer Bonuses to Get More Value from Your Reward Points for more information or visit Frequent Miler’s Current Transfer Bonuses page for a list of current promotions. TravelStrategies:*Best Europe Frequent Flyer Award Options/Box

Jump to

• Factoring in fuel surcharges
• Good options (Coach)
• Good options (Premium cabin)
• Promo awards

Factoring in fuel surcharges

Most airlines add expensive fuel surcharges to award tickets going to and from Europe. For example, British Airways, one of the worst offenders, can add over $700 in fees to an economy award ticket, and over $1200 to a business class ticket.

For trips to Europe, it is critical that you take these fuel surcharges into account when determining your best options for booking an award ticket.

• If you are flying on the following airlines, you’ll generally won’t be charged a surcharge on an award trip:
• United
• Delta (except one-ways from Europe)
• American Airlines (except when using British Airways points)
• Aer Lingus
• If you are flying another airline, it often makes sense to use a frequent flyer program that requires some extra miles, but lets you avoid these fees. We’ve included some specific advice in the table below.  Avoid Fuel Surcharges on Award Travel.

Good options (Coach)

Star Alliance

If you are flying United, you aren't going to be paying fuel surcharges, and can take advantage of whichever frequent flyer program requires the fewest points. For most people, that is Singapore Airlines (or ANA). But, if you have Marriott points, you can get an even better rate, and an additional free stopover, by using Lufthansa instead.

If you are flying one of the other Star Alliance airlines, you are usually better off using a few more miles, and booking through United (Ultimate Rewards), Avianca (ThankYou Rewards), or Air Canada (Membership Rewards), to avoid fuel surcharges.

Program	Transfer From	Miles
Lufthansa	MR UR TY C1 Mar	50
Along with Asiana, Lufthansa requires the fewest miles for Star Alliance award tickets. However, you can't transfer Ultimate Rewards or Membership Rewards points, so points can be hard to come by. You will also need to pay fuel surcharges, but that isn't a problem if you are flying United, as they don't charge any. Up to two free stopovers on round trip flights, which can make it extra valuable if you are planning several stops.
Asiana	MR UR TY C1 Mar	50
Requires the same number of miles, and has the same potential issues, with fuel surcharges and point transfers, as Lufthansa.
Singapore	MR UR TY C1 Mar	55
If you are flying United, and you can't take advantage of Lufthansa or Asiana, Singapore is your best option. If you are flying on a different Star Alliance airline, that normally charges fuel surcharges, you'll usually want to pay 5,000 extra points to use a different program, which won't pass them on. Conveniently, Singapore participates with all of the major transferable reward point programs. One free stopover on round trip awards.
ANA	MR UR TY C1 Mar	55
ANA is essentially the same as Singapore, but participates in fewer credit card programs.
United	MR UR TY C1 Mar	60
When you are flying on an airline that ordinarily charges fuel surcharges, it is worth paying paying an extra 5-10,000 points to use United points, and avoid paying them. For example, if you fly on Lufthansa, you'll save hundreds of dollars by using 60,000 United points, instead of 55,000 Singapore Airlines points, or 50,000 Lufthansa points.
Avianca	MR UR TY C1 Mar	60
If you can't get United points, Avianca is another option for avoiding all Star Alliance fuel surcharges.
Air Canada	MR UR TY C1 Mar	60
Using Air Canada only avoids fuel surcharges on some Star Alliance airlines (such as Swiss, Turkish, Scandinavian, Brussels, and Croatia), not all. If you are flying one of those airlines, they are as good option like United or Avianca, and they participate in the Membership Rewards program. Plus, you'll get two free stopovers. SkyTeam If you are flying Delta, Virgin Atlantic is usually the best option. If you are flying any other SkyTeam airline to Europe, such as Alitalia, your best option tends to be Flying Blue or Korean. TravelStrategies:*Best Europe Frequent Flyer Award Options/Table Oneworld It is harder to determine your best options for Oneworld flights, as the cost of many awards depends on the specific cities you are flying between, or the airline you are flying. If you are flying off-peak, your best option is usually using Etihad or American Airlines miles. If you are flying American during peak season, Cathay Pacific is usually the cheapest option. For British Airways, Iberia, and Aer Lingus, you'll generally want to use the airline's own points. For all other airlines, you are usually best off using American Airlines miles, as they won't pass through the fuel surcharges. Program Transfer From Miles Virgin Atlantic (Delta - Offpeak) MR UR TY C1 Mar 20-30 If you are flying Delta to Europe, using Virgin Atlantic miles is a steal. Depending on your departure city, awards range from 20-30,000 miles round trip. During the summer, and Spring and Christmas breaks, rates are higher. Virgin Atlantic will tack on fuel surcharges for flights to the UK, even though Delta doesn't normally charge them. So, using Virgin miles is a much better option, when you are flying to the continent. Virgin Atlantic (Delta - Peak) MR UR TY C1 Mar 40-50 During the summer and Spring and Christmas breaks, Virgin charges 40-50,000 miles, rather than 20-30,000 miles. Prices are still good, just not as good as during the rest of the year. Flying Blue MR UR TY C1 Mar ??? Unlike Virgin Atlantic and Alaska, Flying Blue works with every SkyTeam airline. However, they use dyanamic award pricing, rather than an award charts, so sometimes they require fewer miles than the alternatives, and sometimes they require more. Alitalia and Korean both require round trip flights, and don't participate in all the credit card programs. Korean MR UR TY C1 Mar 50 Korean airlines provides reliable pricing on SkyTeam flights. Round-trips only. Delta (Delta) MR UR TY C1 Mar 60 If you are flying to the UK on Delta, this can be a better option than using Virgin Atlantic miles, as you won't pay fuel surcharges. Program Transfer From Miles British/ Aer Lingus (on Aer Lingus - Offpeak) MR UR TY C1 Mar 26-32.5+ If you can access an off-peak nonstop flight on Aer Lingus to Ireland, this is the cheapest way to get an award ticket to Europe (along with using Virgin Atlantic miles on Delta). However, you'll need to make your own way from Ireland to your final destination. Aer Lingus doesn't charge fuel surcharges. British /Aer Lingus (on BA - Offpeak) MR UR TY C1 Mar 26 – 32.5+ If you are flying on British Airways, you are going to pay fuel surcharges no matter which program you use, so you might as well use the program that requires the fewest points. For nonstop flights, that is likely to using British Airway's own points. If you need to make a connection, it may be cheaper for you to use another program. Iberia (on Iberia - Offpeak) MR UR TY C1 Mar 34-42.5+ Iberia's own point are the best option for off-peak, nonstop flights on Iberia. If you need to make a connection, it may be cheaper for you to use another program. JAL MR UR TY C1 Mar 39-50+ Award costs are based on the total mileage flown. During peak travel times, JAL generally requires the fewest miles to get to Europe on Oneworld airlines. However, they will pass through any fuel surcharges, so if you are flying on any airline other than British Airlines or American Airlines, you are better off paying more miles to use American Airlines miles. For off-peak travel, you can get better deals with other programs. Iberia (on Iberia) MR UR TY C1 Mar 40-50+ If you are flying nonstop on Iberia, they can require fewer miles than JAL, and you can transfer points from both Membership and Ultimate Rewards. American Airlines is a better option during their off-peak travel dates. Etihad (on American - offpeak) MR UR TY C1 Mar 40 Usually the best option for off-peak flights on American. They are cheaper than using American's own points, and work with a larger set of credit card programs. JAL (Multi-carrier) MR UR TY C1 Mar 40-60+ Mileage is based on the total distance flown. You’ll need to pay these higher prices if you are mixing airlines on your trip. Awards prices are still generally lower than you’d pay elsewhere. But, if you are flying airlines other than British or American, you'll usually want to use American Airline miles to avoid paying fuel surcharges. British Airways MR UR TY C1 Mar 42-50+ Mileage cost is based on distance and you will need to pay additional miles for any connection. British Airways is the only airline that charges fuel surcharges on American Airlines flights, so if you are flying American, you are always better off using another Oneworld program instead. If you are flying any other program, other than British Airways, you are probably better off using American Airlines (if you can) to avoid fuel surcharges. If you can't use American Airlines miles, and you aren't flying on American, British Airlines can be the cheapest option for nonstop flights. American (Offpeak) MR UR TY C1 Mar 45 Almost always the best option for off-peak flights. The only exceptions are for flights only on American Airlines, which are cheaper with Etihad points (and occasionally JAL points); and nonstop flights on British Airways and Aer Lingu which are usually cheaper with BA and Aer Lingus points. Iberia MR UR TY C1 Mar 42-65+ Award costs are based on the total distance flown. If you only have Ultimate Rewards points, they are likely to be cheaper option than British Airways for flights on American Airlines, or that require a connection. Otherwise, they can sometimes be a cheaper alternative on American Airlines at peak times, or on other Oneworld carriers, when you can't get American Airlines miles (to avoid fuel surcharges). Alaska (AA - Offpeak) Alaska (AA) Alaska (Condor) Alaska (BA) Alaska (Icelandair) MR UR TY C1 Mar 45 60 50-80 65 55-90 Allows one free stopovers on one-way awards and two stopovers on a round trip. You can only fly with a single partner each way. Can be the best option for longer flights that get more expensive with Oneworld distance based programs. Also a good option if you have a bunch of Alaska miles. Cathay Pacific MR UR TY C1 Mar 50 While Cathay's program is distance based, almost all flights to Europe will cost 50,000 points. American MR UR TY C1 Mar 60 While American Airlines usually requires more miles than the programs listed above, they don't pass through fuel surcharges, except with British Airways. So, if you are flying any airline other than British, Aer Lingus, or American itself, it is usually worthwhile to pay extra miles to avoid paying for any fuel surcharges. Virgin Atlantic Virgin Atlantic requires the fewest number of miles for award tickets to Europe. Economy tickets can require as little as 20,000 miles round trip, as long as you are only flying to the UK, and not travelling during the most popular travel times of the year. This is less than half the cost of a typical award ticket. And you can transfer every type of transferable credit card points to Virgin Atlantic to redeem an award. However, there are a number of caveats. All Virgin Atlantic award tickets are priced as flights to or from the United Kingdom. If you are travelling anywhere else in Europe, you'll need to pay for your award tickets to London, and then for an additional ticket to your final destination. So, this award is only a bargain, if you are flying to London, or continuing on using a low-priced airline. You'll need to pay fuel surcharges of about $450. In many cases, you'll be better off just buying cash tickets, or using more miles to fly on another airline. The 20,000 point rate only applies from Boston, New York, and Washington DC. Flights from Atlanta, Miami, Orlando, and Seattle require 25,000 points, and flights from Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and San Francisco are 30,000 points. You'll pay more if you travel during the "peak season". During the summer, and Spring and Christmas Breaks, the mileage cost increases by 20,000 points, to 40-50,000, depending on your departure city, and are no longer a good deal. Good options (Premium cabin) Star Alliance When you are flying United, you aren't going to pay fuel surcharges, so you can take advantage of whichever program requires the fewest number of miles. For Business class flights, that is Asiana (Marriott), ANA (Membership Rewards), Turkish (ThankYou Rewards), and United (Ultimate Rewards). For First Class, that is Asiana (Marriott), Turkish (ThankYou Rewards), Air Canada (Membership Rewards) or United (Ultimate Rewards). When you are flying other Star Alliance partners, you will usually need to pay fuel surcharges. However, you can avoid fuel surcharges on every Star Alliance airline using United miles and Avianca miles, and on many airlines using Air Canada miles. If you can avoid fuel surcharges with Air Canada, they can easily be your best option. If not, Avianca may be your next best option. Program Transfer From Business First Asiana MR UR TY C1 Mar 80 100 Requires the fewest number of miles for Star Alliance business and first class tickets. Award prices are so low, that it can sometimes be worthwhile to use Asiana, even when could save fuel surcharges with Air Canada, and certainly Avianca and United. Awesome if you can find tickets on United, or in First Class. Unfortunately, they don't participate in the Membership, Ultimate, or ThankYou Reward programs. ANA MR UR TY C1 Mar 88 165 ANA is your lowest cost option for redeeming Membership Rewards points for Star Alliance business class awards. However, it can make sense to pay 22,000 more miles to use Air Canada, if this lets you avoid fuel surcharges. First class award tickets are comparatively expensive. Etihad (Brussels) MR UR TY C1 Mar 88 - A low cost option for business class awards on the Brussels airlines flights from JFK, Washington D.C., and Toronto, with very low fees. But you’ll need to pay separately to connect elsewhere in Europe. Turkish MR UR TY C1 Mar 90 135 If you can't take advantage of Asiana, and you have ThankYou points, Turkish Airways requires the next fewest miles for both business and first class Star Alliance award tickets. However, you are often better off using another program, if it helps you avoid fuel surcharges. Lufthansa MR UR TY C1 Mar 105 170 Lufthansa offers good pricing for business class awards. But, unless you already have a bunhc of Lufhtansa points, you are usually better off using Asiana. Air Canada MR UR TY C1 Mar 110 140 Air Canada doesn’t pass through fuel surcharges on award tickets with many Star Alliance airlines. If you are flying one of those airlines, they are often the lowest-priced choice for both business and first class awards. However, depending on the surcharge amounts, you might be better off using Asiana (Marriott), ANA (Membership Rewards), or Turkish (ThankYou points). For any airlines where Air Canada will pass through the surcharges, such as with Lufthansa, you may be better off using United or Avianca. United (On United) MR UR TY C1 Mar 115 160 If you are flying United, there are less expensive options than using United miles. However, using United miles can make sense for people with a lot of Ultimate Rewards or United points. Avianca MR UR TY C1 Mar 126 174 Avoids fuel surcharges on every Star Alliance flight. However, they don't participate in the Membership Rewards or Ultimate Rewards program. Depending on the amount of the fuel surcharges, you might be better paying the fuel surcharges, and using fewer miles by using Asiana or Turkish Airlines. Singapore MR UR TY C1 Mar 130 190 Unless you have have Ultimate Rewards points, and you aren't flying United, there isn't much reason to use Singapore for business or first class Star Alliance awards. United (partners) MR UR TY C1 Mar 140 220 If you only have Ultimate Rewards points, and fuel surcharges are high, it is worth using United. Otherwise, they are only interesting for people who have a lot of United points. SkyTeam Alitalia (Membership Rewards) and Korean Airlines require so many fewer miles than the other options, that they are almost always the best choice for business class awards on SkyTeam flights—even if you can avoid paying fuel surcharges with Alaska. Program Transfer From Business First Alitalia MR UR TY C1 Mar 80 Along with Korean, they have the cheapest price for SkyTeam business class awards. Round trip only.  Korean MR UR TY C1 Mar 80 - Along with Alitalia, they have the cheapest price for SkyTeam business class awards. Round trip only, but it is one of the few SkyTeam options that allows a free stopover.  Flying Blue MR UR TY C1 Mar ??? - Mostly interesting for people who only have ThankYou points, and can't use Korean or Alitalia. With Flying Blue's dynamic award pricing, prices can sometimes be lower than the alternatives, but will often be higher. Delta (Partners) MR UR TY C1 Mar 150 - When you are flying Delta, you usually won't have to pay fuel surcharges and should try to take advantage of Korean or Alitalia's program, if you can. When you are flying Air France and KLM, everyone but Alaska, will pass through fuel surcharges, so you should either use Alaska, or use Korean or Alitalia. With some airlines, Delta might not pass through fuel surcharges, making it a good choice. Virgin Atlantic (Delta)' MR UR TY C1 Mar 95-155 - Flights require 95,000 points from the East and Central parts of the US, but 135,000 points from the West coast. If you travel during the busiest times of the year, you'll need to pay an extra 20,000 points. You are better off using Korean or Alitalia miles instead. However, if you only have ThankYou points, you are flying Delta, and aren't leaving from the Western part of the US, it is cheaper to use Virgin Atlantic miles than Flying Blue. Even then, avoid using Virgin Atlantic to fly to the UK, as they will tack on fuel surcharges even when Delta doesn't charge them. Oneworld If you are flying American or Aer Lingus, you won't be charge fuel surcharges, and you should use whichever program requires the fewest number of miles. That is usually JAL (Marriott points), Etihad or Cathay Pacific (Membership and ThankYou Rewards), and Iberia (Ultimate Rewards). For other airlines, depending on the distance you are travelling, whether you need to mix airlines, and the amount of the fuel surcharges, you are either better off using fewer miles with JAL or Cathay Pacific, or saving fuel surcharges with American. Program Transfer From Business First JAL MR UR TY C1 Mar 63-80+ 100-115+ JAL almost always requires the fewest miles for Oneworld business and first class tickets to Europe. Award costs are based on the total distance flown. You'll pay a premium if you need to combine multiple airlines on the same award trip. When fuel surcharges are high, you may be better off using more miles with American Airline's program, especially for longer flight distances. Iberia (on Iberia) MR UR TY C1 Mar 68-87.5 - If you are flying on Iberia airlines, Iberia's own frequent flyer program requires fewer points than Cathay Pacific. JAL's program is still cheaper, but Iberia participates with both Membership and Ultimate Rewards, so points are easier to come by. JAL (Multi-carrier) MR UR TY C1 Mar 80-110+ 100-160+ If you are combining airlines, you'll need to pay higher prices for your trip, but JAL still usually requires fewer miles than your other options. Etihad (on American) MR UR TY C1 Mar 100 125 Depending on the distance you are travelling, can be a better deal than JAL and Cathay Pacific on American Airline flights., especially in First Class. Cathay Pacific MR UR TY C1 Mar 100 150 If you can't use JAL, Cathay Pacific usually requires the fewest miles for Oneworld business and first class tickets. Even though the mileage costs are based on the total miles flown each way, almost any flight to Europe will cost 100,000 in Business and 150,000 in First. American MR UR TY C1 Mar 115 170 While American Airlines generally requires more miles than JAL and Cathay Pacific, they don't pass through fuel surcharges, and their award price doesn't depend on distance. Depending on the amount of the underlying airline's fuel surcharges, and the distance you are travelling, it can make sense to use more miles with American. On American's own flights, you are better using other programs. Iberia (Partners) MR UR TY C1 Mar 100-150+ 150-225+ If you only have Ultimate Rewards points, Iberia is usually your best option. Award cost is based on total distance travelled. British Airways MR UR TY C1 Mar 124-150+ 165-200+ For one way flights, British Airways is a better Ultimate Rewards option than Iberia. Other Program Transfer From Business First Kuwait MR UR TY C1 Mar 60 80 Requires very few miles, but they don’t have useful partners, and their only US flight is from New York to Shannon, Ireland. Alaska (American) Alaska (Condor) Alaska (BA) Alaska (Icelandair) MR UR TY C1 Mar 115 110 120 110 170 - 140 - Allows one free stopovers on one-way awards and two stopovers on a round trip. You can only fly with a single partner each way. Virgin Atlantic MR UR TY C1 Mar 95-155 - Award tickets are only good for flights to the UK. If you want to fly elsewhere, you'll need to pay separately for an additional ticket from Virgin's UK gateways. Due to there high fuel surcharges, you are usually better off using another program. However, Virgin may offer the only award availability. Rates are 95,000 miles from the East and Central parts of the country, and 135,000 miles from the West. You'll need an extra 20,000 miles if you want to fly in the Summer or during Spring or Christmas break. Promo Awards Every month, Flying Blue (Air France and KLM) and Miles & More (Lufhtansa, Swiss, Austrian, LOT Polish) offer a new set of promotional awards that let you fly to Europe, for 25 to 50% fewer miles than normal. When these promotions are running this is often the cheapest way to travel to Europe. For example, on Flying Blue, economy tickets run 25-37,500 miles, and business class tickets can be had for 62,500-93,750 miles. Fly to Europe Using Half the Number of Miles Using Promo Awards Award Tickets 101: The Basics 2. Choose the Least Expensive Frequent Flyer Program for Your Ticket Stretch Your Frequent Flyer Miles by Taking Advantage of Great Award Redemption Options TravelStrategies:*Best Europe Frequent Flyer Award Options/Page