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Turkish Airlines has a ridiculously generous Star Alliance award chart.
Here is the North America version of the chart with one-way award pricing:
| Between the US and: | Economy | Business | First |
|---|---|---|---|
| US, including Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and USVI | Was 7.5K Now 10K | Was 12.5K Now 15K | N/A |
| North America | Was 10K Now 30K | Was 15K Now 40K | N/A |
| Western Europe (2) | Was 30K Now 55K | Was 45K Now 90K | Was 67.5K Now 135K |
| Eastern Europe (1) | Was 30K Now 50K | Was 45K Now 85K | Was 67.5K Now 130K |
| Turkey | Was 30K Now 40K | Was 45K Now 65K | Was 67.5K Now 100K |
| Middle East | Was 32K Now 58K | Was 47K Now 93K | Was 68.5K Now 140K |
| North Africa | Was 30K Now 60K | Was 49K Now 105K | Was 73K Now 160K |
| Central Africa | Was 30K Now 65K | Was 49K Now 125K | Was 73K Now 190K |
| Southern Africa | Was 45K Now 75K | Was 67.5K Now 140K | Was 100K Now 210K |
| Central Asia | Was 34K Now 60K | Was 52.5K Now 100K | Was 77K Now 150K |
| Far East | Was 45K Now 75K | Was 67.5K Now 130K | Was 100K Now 195K |
| South America and Oceania | Was 52.5K Now 90K | Was 75K Now 140K | Was 115K Now 210K |
As part of the Star Alliance, Turkish can book award travel on airlines like United and Air Canada.
That’s right, for just 7,500 miles in coach or just 12,500 miles in business class, you can fly one-way from anywhere in the US on any domestic flight, even to Alaska and Hawaii!
A flights to Hawaii for 7.5K miles? A lie-flat business class seat from Newark to Los Angeles for just 12.5K miles?
It sounds too good to be true.
You can even fly between the US and Bermuda, Canada, Mexico, or Netherlands Antilles for just 10K in coach or 15K in business class!
You can’t book these awards online. Until now you have had to go into a Turkish Airlines office or had to email them to book, but now you can book awards over the phone at 800-874-8875.Â
I searched for saver award space on United.com. Once upon a time Continental business class space to Hawaii, such as Newark-Honolulu, was plentiful:
But that was 2012 and this is 2019 and Continental and business class saver awards to Hawaii only exist in our memories or for those with a PhD in mileage redemption:
I opened a Turkish Airlines mileage account online (Hint: Your password must be exactly 6 numbers or else it will give an error) and then called Turkish Airlines to see if they were able to book the saver awards that I saw on United.com.
Alas, they were not able to find any nonstop flights from Chicago, Houston, Newark, or Washington DC to Hawaii. Others have had success booking these nonstop flights, but even after multiple HUCAs I did not have any luck.
But they were able to find nonstop flight and connections to Hawaii via Denver, Los Angeles, and San Francisco and it priced out at just 7.5K miles+$5.60 each way!
They were also able to price out a business class award from Newark to LA for 12.5K miles and a business class award from Newark to Tel Aviv for 47K miles with no fuel surcharges!
Fuel surcharges will apply with most other airlines besides United, though at these rates it may be worth paying them.
As you can see from this chart, you can transfer points to Turkish Airlines from Citibank at a 1:1 ratio from from Marriott at a 60K:25K ratio. Transfers from Citi take a day, while Marriott transfers can take slightly longer.
Miles expire after 36 months and won’t be extended with activity. But you should never transfer miles unless you’re ready to book an award.
Turkish allows you to hold an award for 3 days, which will allow you to transfer in miles after the award is on hold.
Just to test that out I held an award from Newark to Honolulu via San Francisco (as they didn’t see availability on the nonstop flight to Honolulu) and I was given 72 hours to ticket it for 7.5K miles+$5.60.
You can get a free stopover on Star Alliance awards with round-trips that cost at least 60K Turkish miles in coach or 90K Turkish miles in business.
Another nice perk is that changes or cancellations cost just $25!
Marriott cards with transferable points to Turkish Airlines include:
- Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Consumer Card
- Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card
- Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™Â American Express®Card
- All 3 of these cards offer 75K points for spending $3K in 3 months, elite status, and free annual nights at Marriott hotels.
-  Marriott Bonvoy Bold Card offering 50K points for spending $2K in 3 months and no annual fee. Here is a comparison of all Marriott cards.
Citi cards with transferable points to Turkish Airlines include:
- Citi Premier® Card offering 60,000 points for a limited time for spending $4,000 in 3 months, 3 points per dollar on travel and gas, and 2 points per dollar on dining and entertainment. $95 annual fee.
- Citi Prestige offering 50,000 points for spending $4,000 in 3 months, 5 points per dollar on airfare and dining, and 3 points per dollar on hotels. $495 annual fee.
- The Citi Rewards+® Card offering 15,000 points for spending $1,000 in 3 months. This card can’t transfer points on its own, but can transfer points if you have one of the Citi cards above. This card automatically rounds up rewards earned on every purchase to the nearest 10 points, meaning you earn 10 points on a $0.50 Amazon balance reload. Earn 2 points on $6K in annual spending at supermarkets, 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months, and a 10% points rebate when you redeem points, up to a 10K points rebate per year. If you also have a Citi Premier® Card Card you can transfer points into miles or get a 25% added value for paid airfare, plus get a 10% points rebate on transferred or redeemed miles. No annual fee.
Post a comment about which awards you book and what works or doesn’t work for you!
HT: Nick
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135 Comments On "Turkish Airlines’ INSANELY Generous Star Alliance Awards Can Now Be Booked Over The Phone, But You’ll Need Luck On Your Side"
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Nice
Well now this sweet spot is going to die too…
Funny that South America is lumped together with Australia
Bizarre without a doubt.
Southern half of the globe.
Any opportunities here for flights from Miami to Israel?
Sure.
What credit cards will allow a transfer to Miles & Smiles and what are their rates?
It’s in the post.
Added more detail to the post.
Turkish only charges 47k points to Tlv?
Correct.
Aegean only charges 45K in business to TLV, though they only partner with Marriott.
How do you book Aegean from EWR to TLV with Marriott points?
Transfer Marriott points to Aegean. Should be bookable on Aegean’s website or their call center.
it used to be that air canada and united were nearly mirror image on award availability,now their availability is completely different. is turkish’s award availability a mirror of united’s award availability? this q is for you dan.
I’d guess United’s availability when you’re not logged into a United account. But then again their phone reps didn’t see several routes for me at all, so hard to say what exactly is the deal.
If I have ANA miles, can I transfer those to Turkish?
No. Only Citi or Marriott at any sort of decent ratio.
Thanks. Any decent redemptions for ANA miles (pref domestic travel)??
got it, thank you
Any idea where Central America fits into this chart? Thanks
North America: Netherlands Antilles, Bermuda, Canada, Mexico, United States.
Everything else is South America.
Muito obrigado.
De nada.
Which date did you find business ewr to lax? Haven’t seen it in ages
Use United’s 2 month calendar search and limit to nonstop only.
a link pls whould be really appreciated tnx!
What is the cancellation and change the policy?
Read the post.
What is there email adress to book ?
Try info.nyc@thy.com
Doesnt work.
i did a trial run today and put on hold ewr – hnl rt for 15k, took 5 minute to do
Nonstop both ways?
Thanks Dan I read this post today and I tried it- EWR TO OGG was not available (that’s what I really wanted) Buy EWR TO HNL was available round trip for 15k so I put it on hold…. will decide.. Thank you! PS:Do you think to EWR TO LIH will have availability?
what about surcharges on other star alliance partners ?
Read the post.
Thanks Dan. Do they fly a nonstop from NYC to Greece ? Do I just check the United site , and whatever is available there on points I should call Turkish to try and book it?
Who is they?
Yes, check United.com for saver award space and then call Turkish.
Thanks Dan. By They I meant United Airlines, or other star alliance airlines. What other sites besides United should We check before calling Turkish?
Unites searches nearly everything, but you can also try searching Air Canada Aeroplan.
Thank you. I Bh am planning on going to Crete, Greece. I checked Heraklion airport but it’s 2 stops on United. Any other airport I should check ?
Best way to become SA gold?
Can I transfer amex points into Marriott and then transfer them into Turkish?
Sure, but you’ll get butchered with the transfer ratios.
So Dan, If my understanding of what you’re saying is correct. If I see availability on United and then transfer Marriott points to turkish, it’s very possible that Turkish will not see that availability. And then I’d be stuck with my unusable (at least for this trip) Turkish miles.
Call Turkish first to hold the award for 3 days.
Will Marriott transfer go through within 3 days?
No Newark option on their search
Read the post.
last i checked, they only allow you to book for eligible family members.. is this the same? especially now that it is over the phone?
thanks Dan!
Does Turkish charge big taxes on J flights to TLV with Star Alliance partners?
Can I transfer amex points to Marriott eventhow I dont have card and than transfer to turkish?
Yes, but the transfer ratio will be brutal. 60K AMEX will become 25K Turkish.
Enriching yourself via clicks while killing every deal in sight. I can already hear your entitled readers squawking in their nasaly voice at the Turkish agents what they are owed. You are a parasite.
I actually specifically waited until this was covered on several other blogs before deciding to post it as well, but I hope that comment made your day!
Why are you even answering this guy?? Even more so, why did you even let his comment through???
Wow, what a selfish comment that is.
What a coincidence! While I was on the phone with Turkish Airlines, squawking away in my nasaly voice, I could swear I heard you on the line with another agent, squawking away in your redneck twang.
(Nice that you have no compunction following Dan’s Deals & then kv*tch about it. So who’s the real parasite?)
LOL, most of us have seen this on many other blogs a while ago now. Davka Dan waited pretty long on this one.
Does Turkish charge close-in redemption fees on United bookings like United does? Also, would these bookings still include 24-hour risk-free cancellation if made 7+ days before departure?
No close-in fee.
I’m not sure about a 24 hour cancellation policy.
mary: i feel sorry for selfish people like you.
couldn’t find any business class tickets from Chicago – OGG/LIH in Jan 2020 even with stopovers. Am i doing something wrong?
yes nonstop both ways
POIDH (Photo Or It Didn’t Happen)
Thanks! Is this new or only the fact u can book by phone? Is there a reason bloggers have woke up to this over the past month?
The phone part.
Does united allow for extra stop on award tickets? This way can visit 2 islands
Are economy tickets that good of a deal if transferring from Marriott?
It doesn’t seem so since I would have to convert 120,000 Bonvoy for 50,000 Turkish to buy 3 RT tickets from USA to Hawaii.
Help?
120000 Bonvoy miles for 3 rt tickets to Hawaii is an absolute steal of a deal. Plus you’d have 5k Turkish miles left over
Remember, that 120000 Marriott points is really only 40000 SPG points. 40000 points for 3 round-trip trip to Hawaii is unbelievable
What are Turkish stopover rules for Star Alliance awards?
You can get a free stopover on Star Alliance awards with round-trips that cost at least 60K Turkish miles in coach or 90K Turkish miles in business.
you always write about free stopovers which i never understood. if im booking to israel business rt ? just look for award avail on 2 seperate tickets like award avail ny to vienna then search again for avail from vien to israel and then call turkish to book it as one award price of 94k ?evenif they fly you on 2 different airlines like austria to vienna and lufthansa to israel etc
Correct.
thanks
You are correct. Last succos I flew Business class through Istanbul to Israel for 45k. But I secured the ticket by physically walking into a Turkish Airlines office in downtown Boston because it wasn’t showing up online and the people on the phone couldn’t fond availability.
Can I credit miles I flew on LOT Airlines (Star Alliance) To Turkish Airlines? If yes, how about if flight was taken 2 months ago in June?
The award space that show up on United do not show up when I call Turkish. Anyone have a solution for this?
Read the post
Thanks. I was asking if anyone had more success maybe via email
Would it be possible to book ewr-tlv through Turkish if there are saver seats available? I can’t tell from the post if ewr is a problem only for Hawaii trips or always
As I said in the post, yes.
dont contribute to erdogans economy!
So I should pay United 22.5K miles instead of Turkish 7.5K to fly to Hawaii?
is the ”INSANELY Generous Star Alliance Awards” also available from tlv to ewr?
Read the post.
Hi. I know I’m missing something. But after reading Dan’s post and then doing a deep dive on Turkish Airlines website and Miles&Smiles Awards page – the awards listed for a Star Alliance ticket are way higher than the above chart. ie North America to South America is 105.000. Even an upgrade on a paid ticket in this route is 75.000. Is there a direct link to a Turkish Airlines page/chart that mirrors the above numbers?
Please no snarky comments – I have read everything and clicked on the links. I could use some guidance understanding where/how to find the saver fares listed above. Thank you!
My chart is broken down to one-way fares as you can book them that way. I always book one-ways whenever possible.
i did it a few times before i asked not fully understanding the post. i also tried looking up this route but was coming up a bit costly. so i just want to know if this INSANELY Generous Star Alliance Awards is also from tlv to ewr/jfk or not? Thanks
Please read the post.
Tried booking NYC – LAX thursday, LAX – HNL Sunday, HNL – NYC following Thursday.
22.5k miles was the price. shouldnt there be a free stopover and only 15k total? Dan can you please clarify?
No, you only get a free stopover on Star Alliance awards with round-trips that cost at least 60K Turkish miles in coach or 90K Turkish miles in business.
Thanks!
does that mean we can get free stopovers on the way to israel business class?
Yes.
so when looking on united.com for tickets to Hawaii, which flights can i get for 7.5k Turkish? the lowest i aam finding is 22.5 for economy and 45k for business.
You can’t book online, please read the post.
i understand will have to call. but how do i know re: availability? basically which united flights correlate to Turkish 7.5 & 12.5 ones?
Looks for the ones that say saver award, like from the United.com image in the post.
Will have to try this
Thanks for the hat tip and link to Frequent Miler, Dan!
Thank you Nick! I really love the content that you guys put out. Especially this 40k challenge.
Dan – I’m a bit of a Newbe – if I’m sitting on a lot of united and marriot points is there a scenario where I would be better off using with my united points? As in when does booking directly with united offer an advantage?
Off the top of my head:
-United can be booked online instead of the Turkish HUCA center.
-If you have a United card you get much better saver award availability that Turkish doesn’t have access to.
-United never charges fuel surcharges on their or on partner airline flights, while Turkish does for most airlines besides for United.
-The Turkish award chart isn’t good for all destinations, such as Central/South America.
Etc.
Thanks, very helpful. Appreciate the expertise
What is the YQ like on Turkish metal to TLV?
1 year ago it was around $265, however not sure which direction
kosher bc meals on turkish? a cheap, low-quality, meal in a plastic box, from a mediocre “caterer” in LA. that’s for the kosher traveler. for the non-kosher traveler, beautiful meals, nicely served. flight attendants were very nice; ground personnel were under the impression that turkish passengers were there to serve them; they could not have been less helpful.
dan what’s the price for if i find availability for Turkish itself from nyc to tlv do they add fuel charges to there own flights? tnx!
want to visit 2 islands, but cant book turkish doing so. cheapest/best way for OGG-LIH (or reverse)?
aka interisland fights — options?
seems to me that the good “deal” really applies for travel from the USA to anywhere else in north america excl Caribbean islands.
You can get a free stopover on Star Alliance awards with round-trips that cost at least 60K Turkish miles in coach or 90K Turkish miles in business.” really even if i go from ny to paris onto tlv and then tlv back to stopping in rome and then back to ny?
Worth spending 120k Marriott points (currently have) or 50k Citi (open a premier card for SUP) to book tickets?
do u get a 5k bonus for transferring 60k from marriott?
It’s included in the ratio in the post.
I called the number in the post. They told me I need to call United directly. I signed up for a Miles and Smile account. Their website has a button to book using Star Alliance miles. It took me to another page. I filled in all my info but would not proceed to book anything once I specified dates. I called Turkish airlines using my Miles and Smiles account number and was still told I needed to contact United directly. Nothing in the post seems to work for me and I tried.
HUCA.
I’m new to the mileage game and would really appreciate an experts input: I have 120K Amex Bonvoy (marriott) points. How many miles would that translate into once transferred to Turkish Airlines?
It’s in the post 🙂
Dan, does it make sense that they said over the phone $700 taxes ewr to TLV one way biz class on Swiss? I just called them and that’s what the agent said. Thanks
I found an award flight on united and called Turkish but they couldn’t find it. Do I need to huca?
Same. i found United “Saver Award” flight, and Turkish couldn’t find it. Maybe as posited here //bit.ly/2YzrXpB that Turkish reps only see what’s visible when *not* logged in as a United card holder. It’s especially telling that the quoted flights i found on United specifically say “Exclusively available to you as a MileagePlus Chase Cardmember”.
Anyone have luck getting one of these booked through Turkish?
Turkish Airlines always passes on Fuel Surcharges. I think this is pretty important to know
Dan-I tried to sign up for an account and used 6 numbers as posted and I keep getting an error? Any idea?
Using mobile? Try computer.
Just called Turkish to try to book a first class ticket on Lufthansa. They said they can only book economy or business. True or huca?
What about booking on Turkish for Turkish flight. Costs more ?
How can I transfer Amex to book a Turkish award ticket?
I’ve been playing HUCA with Turkish Airlines and they all insisted that I can only use Star Alliance awards if I go in person to the airport??? They said they can only book Turkish flights over the phone, but not Star Alliance. Advice please. Thanks
You can now search on Turkish website for award tickets on United.
There are many dates that have business class saver awards available to TLV in the winter (in fact, so many, that it is no longer worthy of a Dan’s “super hot – 3 seats available on United business….”)
If you log in to your Turkish account and search for flights, it will not show you United flights. However, if after you log in, you click on your name (top right), and select ‘miles transactions’ from drop down menu, then click on ‘book now’ for Star Alliance award ticket, you will be able to see United direct flights from EWR to TLV (business class eats only 47k!!!). Their site is EXTREMELY buggy, and very slow. If you need to go back, your session will probably freeze and you will need to log out and log back in… So it is definitely worth going on United’s site without logging in and searching for the exact dates and flights that you want, before checking Turkish’s website.
I did not actually book online, so I don’t know if it works, I booked a few tickets over the phone. It does take over 20 minutes to book it, and you might need a HUCA when they tell you they don’t see flights from New York (u gotta specify Newark)…
But 94k for RT in business, direct on United is an unbelievable deal.
Oh, and it took 48 hours to transfer citi TYP into Turkish
A friend just booked an award ticket on Turkish website (EWR-TLV on United in business for 47k). One ticket at a time
Transferred 180k Bonvoy points to Turkish (about a week ago), and only got 60k. Did not get the bonus 15k. Who do I speak to, Bonvoy or Turkish?
Thanks Dan! Just booked 9 tickets for my family to eretz for succos through chase sapphire reserve just 650000 points!