Flying to Southeast Asia with Points in Economy {Guide}

Once you get there, Southeast Asia offers a budget-friendly experience for families. But figuring out the best flight deals can be a challenge. Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Singapore are some of the most popular destinations in the region. Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Brunei also hold hidden gems waiting to be explored.

This guide will help you strategize and find the best flights to Southeast Asia for your vacation! Like all our posts, this focuses on economy flights. Thanks to Mahogany from Deal Duchess for contributions to this post!

If you’re new to booking flights with points, be sure to check out this overview for important background information. You can also sign up for our free course. You’ll want to be sure you understand how to find the best routes, price compare with Google Flights, how to search for available flights, and how to leverage transfer partners and airline alliances.

Earn More Points

Each airline option I list in this article has more than one credit card that can earn you a welcome bonus and the points you need to fly to SouthEast Asia. This article is already long enough without listing out every single card you could get for each of these programs to earn points.

So how can you figure out how to earn the right points? First step: get my free airline transfer partner guide — inside I have a chart that shows which kinds of points transfer to which airlines. Then work backwards! Let’s say you figure out that you want to fly on Korean Air but you want to book via Virgin Atlantic (this article explains exactly how to do that).

You can look at the chart in my Travel Points 201 guide and see that American Express Membership Rewards®, Chase Ultimate Rewards®, Capital One miles, and Citi ThankYou® Points all transfer 1:1 to Virgin. Then you could browse my Best Offers page, where I list all my favorite current offers–to see which cards currently have good bonuses and earn those kinds of points.

Pro Tip: Transfer Bonuses

Most points transfer 1:1 when you transfer from a program like Chase Ultimate Rewards® to an airline or hotel. But! Banks run promos throughout the year and certain transfers may offer a bonus. I don’t currently maintain an updated list of transfer bonuses but you can find one here.

 

 

 

Routing Tips for Flights to Southeast Asia

There are very few non-stop routes from the United States to Southeast Asia. Many countries — like Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia — have zero nonstops from the United States. And even of the few that are offered, some aren’t easily bookable with points. That’s because airlines like PAL – Philippine Airlines – are not in any airline alliance and so currently doesn’t have a way to book its flights with any kind of easily attained miles.

For almost everyone, flying to Southeast Asia will require one or more connections. If you’re based near a large airport like Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, or Chicago you can likely get to most major airports in Southeast Asia in one stop. If you’re based by a smaller airport, you will likely need to have two stops in order to get to most places in Southeast Asia. Check out this overview for important background information on how to find good routes to book with points.

Pro Tip: Add a Stopover

It’s a long way from the United States to Southeast Asia. It’s quite literally almost halfway around the world! One of the best strategies to help make the long travel time bearable is to intentionally add in stopovers. The good news is that there are some options with points where you can add stopovers of a couple days for free.

This means a few days to explore an additional destination for no fee. Even an overnight stopover can really help break up the journey: you get off the plane, book an airport hotel and get a good night’s sleep, and then continue to your final destination.

We have a complete guide that walks you through how to add a stopover with Aeroplan. Several other airlines allow you to add stopovers as well including Alaska Airlines, Singapore Airlines, and more.

 

 

 

Top Three Options: Singapore KrisFlyer or American Airlines or Virgin Atlantic

There are three strong programs that offer a balance of good pricing and lower taxes and fees. What makes the most sense for you may depend on your home airport and preferred routings. Keep in mind that you can use one airline alliance one direction and a different one on the return. And don’t forget that booking via a travel portal is still a strong option. It’s not uncommon for flights to SouthEast Asia to be in the $900-$1000 range which can put them as low as 60,000 points and include taxes.

Singapore KrisFlyer: Free Stopovers + Easy to Earn Points

Overall, I think best program for booking flights in economy to Southeast Asia is Singapore KrisFlyer.

KrisFlyer miles are easy to earn because points from Chase, American Express, Citi, and Capital One can all be transferred to Singapore KrisFlyer at a 1:1 ratio. It’s also one of the cheaper redemptions for both points and taxes.

You can use KrisFlyer miles to book onto Singapore airlines flights for 42,000 miles each way to Southeast Asia: just 84,000 miles + $46 round trip. This is the pricing for Saver tickets. To find this price, you should be booking 9 months – 12 months in advance.

I also love that Singapore will let you add a free stopover on your award ticket! As long as you book a round trip Saver ticket with KrisFlyer miles, you can be eligible for one free stopover of up to 30 days. If you decide not to take a stopover, you can get a free tour of Singapore if your layover is at least 5 hours long.

The Singapore Changi airport is widely considered to be one of the best airports in the world with a butterfly garden and waterfall inside the airport to enjoy. The main disadvantage of aiming to use KrisFlyer miles to book a trip to Southeast Asia is that Singapore Airlines only flies to Singapore out of LAX, SFO, SEA, EWR, and JFK.

If you don’t live near one of these airports, you’d need to “reposition” yourself — or book a separate flight from your home airport to one of these airports. This does, of course, add time, money, and miles to the equation. Our favorite option for repositioning would be using our Southwest Companion Passes.

Sample Card Strategy for a Family of Four

Stockpile flexible points that transfer to Singapore KrisFlyer. If you follow my Three Year Plan, you’d almost earn enough points just in the first year!

• Open cards that earn Chase Ultimate Rewards®. A great option are the Chase Ink family of cards.
• Open cards that earn Capital One miles. One of my favorites for perks is the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card (earn 75,000 miles) but you can also earn 75,000 miles with a $95 fee Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card.

Using AA miles to book onto JAL or Cathay Pacific

JAL (Japan Airlines) has the most leg room of any of the TransPacific flights in economy If you book via American Airlines on either JAL or Cathay Pacific, it costs 75,000 points round trip and less than $100 in taxes and fees.

Sample Card Strategy for a Family of Four

American Airlines miles are relatively easy to earn via credit card bonuses because both Citi and Barclay issue them. You’d need 300,000 AA miles for 4 people to fly round trip from the US to Japan. How can you get that? Earn the following sign up bonuses (these were current as of May 2024).

• AAdvantage^® Aviator^® Mastercard 70,000 miles- Each parent can get 1 of these. That’s already 140,000 miles! {see this offer on my Best Offers page, it’s only available via personal referral}
• CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® – 75,000 miles – Each parent can get one of these. That’s another 150,000 miles! Alternatively you could get the personal version of this card.
• You’ll be very close and can use American Airlines EShopping to try to earn the rest or spend a little more on your cards.

Using Virgin Atlantic miles to book onto Korean Air

First a cautionary note: sometimes Virgin Atlantic will show “phantom availability” for Korean Air flights. That means that they may display flights that once you actually click all the way through aren’t really available to book. Before transferring any points to Virgin, it’s best to call them to confirm availability.

Korean Air flights connect to a variety of destinations and it is easy to earn these points. Virgin Atlantic also has frequent bank transfer bonuses to their Flying Club program. That means, for instance, if Chase is running a 30% transfer bonus that if you transfer 1,000 Ultimate Rewards® points to Virgin Atlantic, you’ll end up with 1,300 Flying Club miles. Round trip routes start from 85,000 + $96.

Sample Card Strategy for a Family of Four

Stockpile flexible points that transfer to Virgin Atlantic. If you follow my Three Year Plan, you’d almost earn enough points just in the first year!

• Open cards that earn Chase Ultimate Rewards®. A great option are the Chase Ink family of cards.
• Open cards that earn Capital One miles (these transfer to Virgin Red and can then be moved to Virgin Atlantic). One of my favorites for perks is the Capital One Venture X (earn 75,000 miles) but you can also earn 75,000 miles with a $95 fee Capital One Venture card.

 

 

Star Alliance Overview: Routes

The Star Alliance includes a lot of airlines that are based in Asia. So while there are few nonstops from the US to Asia, there are a lot of connections within the Star Alliance. Singapore Airlines is our favorite option thanks to the free stopover options but doesn’t seem like a good option for you, you can look at other possibilities.

All of these airlines also depart from Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, and Seattle. Some have flights from Chicago, Houston and/or Washington DC as well. I mention the routing, too (which is typically where an airline is based) in case a particular route catches your eye to include as a stopover.

ANA (All Nippon Airlines) – route through Tokyo

ANA is a Japan based airline. It flies from Chicago, Washington DC and Houston, in addition to LAX, SFO, SEA, and New York.

Asiana Airlines – route through Seoul

Asiana Airlines is based in Seoul, South Korea. This airline currently flies from LAX, SFO, SEA, and New York.

EVA Air – route through Taiwan

EVA Air is based in Taipei, Taiwan. It boasts a Hello Kitty themed flight on some routes (currently suspended for maintenance but we hope to see them back soon)! EVA Air flies from Chicago and Houston, in addition to LAX, SFO, SEA, and New York.

Singapore Airlines – route through Singapore

Singapore Airlines is based in Singapore. It flies from LAX, SFO, SEA, and New York.

United Airlines – to Manila or Singapore

United has flights from San Francisco to Manila and Singapore. United also flies to Japan from airports like Houston IAH, Chicago ORD, and Denver DEN.

Star Alliance Sweet Spots

The best way to book flights onto these Star Alliance carriers is not necessarily with their own points and miles currencies. Star Alliance airlines release certain seats to other Star Alliance airlines to allow bookings with points. So you could use United miles to book onto ANA and vice versa.

The major options for booking Star Alliance flights with points are via ANA, Air Canada Aeroplan, Avianca Lifemiles, Singapore Krisflyer, and United Mileage Plus. As you’ll see, pricing in miles varies a lot — and even the taxes and fees can vary a lot.

Here is what each program is best for:

ANA Mileage Club: If you have a lot of American Express Membership Rewards and don’t mind higher fees to save 30,000 miles.

Air Canada Aeroplan: Fairly easy to earn these points — lots of banks transfer to them. Also good when you want to add a Star Alliance stopover. Can work for flights from smaller regional airports. Pricing was the same, for instance, on a flight from Chicago to Bali as it is from Kansas City to Bali.

Avianca Lifemiles: Cheaper prices on Star Alliance partners. Best for when you know your trip is going to happen (big change fees)

Singapore Krisflyer: Best overall. Especially for flying on Singapore Airlines and including a free stopover. Departures from LAX, SFO, SEA, and NYC airports. Easy to earn these miles — all major banks transfer to them.

United Mileage Plus: Best if you want to book the United nonstop from San Francisco to Manila. Scroll down to find more details on each program.

ANA Mileage Club: from 45,000 miles + $603

Best for: If you have a lot of American Express Membership Rewards and don’t mind higher fees to save 30,000 miles. ANA Mileage Club requires booking roundtrip or open jaw flights when using points. A downside, however, is that ANA tacks on fuel surcharges, which can result in significant taxes and fees.

Transferring Points: American Express Membership Rewards points can be transferred to ANA at a 1:1 ratio. Transfers take up to 48 hours, and ANA does not hold award space while transfers are pending.

Cost: The mileage required for ANA and partner-operated flights is based on their award charts. Southeast Asian countries are mostly located in either:

• Zone 3/Asia 1 (Philippines)
• Zone 4/Asia 2 (Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, and Singapore)

For booking onto an ANA flight, the award chart is based on seasonality (low, regular, high) and location. Low season, of course, is the cheapest and typically occurs at the beginning of the year. The exact dates change each year. Find them here.

Zone 3/Asia 1 (Philippines) offers the most affordable option during low season, with award prices as low as 45,000 miles roundtrip. Zone 4/Asia 2 (including Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, and Singapore) requires more points, starting at 55,000 miles.

The ANA Partner Award Chart is less complicated and based solely on zones, with economy flights to the South East Asia as low as 60,000 miles roundtrip.

Notes: Visit ana.co.jp/en/us/. To see prices in USD, you must be logged into the US website. If your travel dates are flexible, use the “Compare Seat Availability +/-3 days” tab. When using points with ANA, you can only search roundtrip or open jaw itineraries.

Booking Tip: Flights operated by United and Singapore Airlines may have lower taxes and fees.

ANA Booking Example: SEA to MNL (on ANA): 45,000 miles + $603

Low cost in miles but very high fees.

ANA Booking Example: SFO to MNL (on EVA Air): 60,000 miles + $374

Lower fees but still almost $400!

Air Canada Aeroplan: from 100,000 miles +$135

Best for: When you want to add a Star Alliance stopover. Also can work for flights from smaller regional airports. Pricing was the same, for instance, on a flight from Chicago to Bali as it is from Kansas City to Bali.

Transferring Points From: Points from American Express, Chase, Capital One, and BILT Rewards can all be transferred to Aeroplan at a 1:1 ratio. These transfers are typically instant. There is also a co-branded Aeroplan card available from Chase.

Cost: Unlike ANA, Aeroplan avoids passing on fuel surcharges, which keeps your fees lower. Aeroplan uses a distance-based award chart, meaning redemption rates depend on how far you fly. The big advantage of the Aeroplan program is the ability to add a stopover for just 5,000 more miles.

Aeroplan divides the world into zones for award pricing. Southeast Asia is part of the Pacific zone. The program offers separate award charts for partner and Air Canada-operated flights. Most Star Alliance partner fights to Southeast Asia will fall into the distance bands that cost 50,000-60,000 miles each way. That means 100,000-120,000 round trip.

See the Aeroplan Award Chart

Booking Tips (How to book a stopover): Aeroplan offers flexibility by allowing you to book one-way flights and add stopovers for just 5,000 miles each. For instance, a one-way flight from Los Angeles to Singapore might cost 60,000 points. However, adding a two day stopover in Manila only increases the cost by 5,000 miles. This option allows you to explore another city or country for a minimal points increase, making it a great way to maximize your travel experience!

Enter your departure and arrival cities to search for either one-way or roundtrip flights. To book a stopover, select “Multi-city/Stopover” and click “Add Stopover for flight 1.” Choose the number of days you want to stay in your stopover city (up to 45 days) under “Length of Stopover.” You can then see that the total price is now 55,000 miles each way and the stopover is included.

 

For more information and tips, check out our complete guide on how to add a stopover with Aeroplan.

Aeroplan Booking Example: SFO-MNL (on EVA Air): 100,000 miles + $135

Aeroplan Booking Example: ORD-MNL (on EVA Air): 120,000 miles + $135

Booking from Chicago is further so it would cost 60,000 miles each way.

Booking from Chicago to Bali is still within the 60,000 miles cost.

Aeroplan Booking Example: MCI-DPS (on United and Singapore Air): 120,000 miles + $135

Even smaller regional airports can price the same way. The availability from smaller regional airports will depend on if United has released “saver level” seats from that smaller airport to their partners. Here is Kansas City to Bali for 60,000 miles. Keep in mind that this is still 18,000 more miles each way than booking on Singapore Airlines. So for most people, it is likely still cheaper to book a flight to a city served by Singapore Airlines.

Avianca LifeMiles: from 94,000 miles + $100

Best for: Cheapest prices on Star Alliance partners and when you know your trip is going to happen (big change fees)

Transferring Points From: Points from American Express, Citi, Capital One, and BILT can all be transferred to LifeMiles at a 1:1 ratio.

Cost: The standard price for an economy ticket to Southeast Asia is 94,000 miles round trip — or 47,000 miles each way. LifeMiles avoids passing on fuel surcharges, so you can expect lower taxes and fees. They do charge a $25 per person fee to book each ticket.

Note: their customer service can be inconsistent, so be prepared for potential challenges if you need to make changes to your booking. They also charge hefty fees to cancel or change your ticket so it’s a good idea to make sure of your dates before booking.

Booking Tips: You’ll need to create an account and log in to https://www.lifemiles.com/ Enter your departure and arrival cities to search for both one-way and roundtrip flights.

LifeMiles offers three search categories: “Smart Search,” “Avianca,” and “Star Alliance.” For Star Alliance award flights, choose either “Smart Search” (which includes Star Alliance and Avianca flights) or “Star Alliance.”

Lifemiles Booking Example: SFO-MNL (on EVA Air): 94,000 miles + $96

Here’s a quick comparison of two flights booked through the Star Alliance partners mentioned above.

Singapore Airlines: from 84,000 miles + $46

Best for: Flying on Singapore Airlines and including a free stopover. Departures from LAX, SFO, SEA, and NYC airports.

Transferring Points: Points from Chase, American Express, Citi, and Capital One can be transferred to Singapore KrisFlyer at a 1:1 ratio.

Cost: Singapore Airlines Saver Award fares to Southeast Asia start at 42,000 miles for a one-way economy flight. It is possible to book other Star Alliance flights with Singapore Airlines and those will cost 60,500 miles each.

You’ll want to find a Singapore Saver Awards which are the cheapest.

To find availability, you may need to book 9 months to a year in advance. The Singapore award chart categorizes the United States as Zone 12, while Southeast Asian countries fall within Zones 1, 2, and 3 — all of which cost 42,000 miles each way.

Singapore Saver Award Chart

Booking Tips (How to Book a Stopover): Singapore offers a lot of connecting flights to Southeast Asia. Certain Singapore Airlines itineraries may be eligible for a free stopover. You’ll receive an alert during the online booking process if a stopover is possible on your chosen route. This is typically available on a round trip itinerary but not a one-way.

You can see that your route is eligible for a free stopover if you see this button while booking.

Singapore Booking Example: SFO-MNL (on Singapore Airlines): 84,000 miles + $46

Singapore Booking Example: LAX-MNL (on Singapore Airlines, stopover in Tokyo): 84,000 miles + $46

Los Angeles to Singapore is 42,000 miles one-way in economy on Singapore and is eligible for a stopover in Tokyo.

United Airlines: 89,000-115,000 miles + $50ish

Best for: If you want to book the United nonstop from San Francisco to Manila.

Transferring Points: Chase Ultimate Rewards points transfer to United at a 1:1 ratio (instant transfer).

Cost: The lowest one way redemption rate currently available on a United flight is 88,400 miles + $50ish in taxes and fees for a roundtrip economy class ticket (“Saver Award” fare). The standard round trip price for United flights would be 110,000 miles + $50ish in taxes and fees. Star Alliance partner flights have a slightly higher cost and will be 115,700 miles round trip.

United flights and Star Alliance flights can be booked online through United.com. Pricing on United flights are variable. United MileagePlus Cardholders have access to more “saver award space” (flights with lower mileage requirements) than non-cardholders.

Note: The United flight from San Francisco has not yet been available to book via United’s Star Alliance partners so if you want to book that route, you will need to book directly via United.com.

Booking Tip: With the Excursionist perk, you can essentially add a stopover for free.

Or you can often include a connection from a regional airport for a low cost. United often allows adding a connection for as low as 10,800 additional miles, or it may be included for the same price. This offers a more convenient alternative to booking a separate repositioning flight to reach San Francisco.

United Booking Example: SFO-MNL (on United Airlines) from 88,400 miles

United Airlines launched a direct flight to Manila, Philippines, from San Francisco in 2023. Currently, United is the only U.S.-based airline offering nonstop flights to the Philippines. The 44,200 mile saver fares are typically only available to MileagePlus cardholders. The standard price for this route is 55,000 miles each way.

United Booking Example: SFO-MNL (on EVA Air): 115,700 + $64

Flights to Southeast Asia on partners cost 60,500 miles. Return flights cost 55,200 miles.

 

 

oneworld Overview: Routes

There are much fewer oneworld routing options to Southeast Asia than there are via Star Alliance. Primary, the routing options are:

Cathay Pacific – route through Hong Kong

Cathay Pacific departs from West Coast cities like LAX, SFO, and SEA. It also leaves from Chicago ORD, New York airports and Boston.

Japan Airlines (JAL) – route through Japan

Japan Airlines flies to most major cities in Southeast Asia via a layover in Japan. You can depart from US cities like Chicago ORD, New York, San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas DFW, and Seattle.

Starlux – route through Taipei, Taiwan

To be clear, Starlux isn’t in the oneworld alliance but is bookable with Alaska Airlines miles — and Alaska is in the oneworld alliance which is why it is included in this section. Starlux departs from the West Coast — LAX, SFO, and SEA.

Other airlines

Malaysia Airlines is based in Malaysia but doesn’t have flights to or from the United States. You might take a connecting flight on Malaysia Airlines from a city like Tokyo.

oneworld Sweet Spots

The best way to book flights onto these oneworld carriers is not necessarily with their own points and miles currencies. Oneworld airlines release certain seats to other partner airlines to allow bookings with points.

So you could use American miles to book onto JAL and vice versa. The major options for booking oneworld flights are via American Airlines, British Airways Avios, Alaska Airlines, and Cathay Pacific. As you’ll see, pricing in miles varies a lot — and even the taxes and fees can vary a lot.

Here is what each program is best for:

American Airlines: It’s easy to earn American miles thanks to co-branded cards from both Citi and Barclays. This programs usually has the lowest out of pocket fees.

British Airways Avios: Really nothing. Prices are high and fees are high. Avoid this one!

Alaska Airlines: Allows a free stopover on award tickets — even on a one way! Add a destination for free.

Cathay Pacific: If you have transferrable points this may make sense. But otherwise, I’d avoid it as fees are high.

Finnair Avios: Points are reasonable but fees are high. Really only a good option if you have a lot of Avios.

American Airlines: from 75,000 miles + $58

Best for: lower taxes and fees. It’s also relatively easy to earn AA miles due to a number of personal and business cards that offer welcome bonuses.

Transferring Points From: Currently, American Airlines only has one transfer partner, BILT Rewards (and this partnership is ending in June 2024). However, you can earn American miles through various co-branded credit cards and their two shopping portals (AAdvantage Shopping and Simply Miles).

Cost: The cost of award tickets for American-operated flights uses dynamic pricing, but starts at 35,000 miles for a one-way economy flight. Partner flights booked on American for Asia 2 (which includes many Southeast Asian countries) start at 37,500 miles each way in economy.

The American partner award chart divides Asia into two regions, with countries in Southeast Asia listed as Asia 2.

AA Partner Award Chart

Booking Tips – AA Award Map: A valuable tool for flexible travelers is the AA Award Map. This map allows you to search for award flights by region based on the number of miles you have available.

AA Booking Example: SFO-MNL (on Cathay Pacific) 75,000 miles + $58

AA Booking Example: PHL-MNL (on JAL) 75,000 miles + $67

This route can also be found from other airports like Philadelphia. This one is booked on Japan Airlines instead of Cathay Pacific.

Alaska Airlines from 75,000 miles + $74

Best for: Booking free stopovers, even on a one way flight

Transferring Points: Alaska Mileage Plan only has one transfer partner: BILT Rewards. Points transfer at a 1:1 ratio. However, you can earn miles through their co-branded credit cards and their shopping portal (MileagePlus Shopping). It’s hard to earn a lot of Alaska miles. But can you look for credit card offers when they are about 70,000 miles for the business or personal version which can almost cover a round trip to South East Asia.

With the Alaska/Hawaiian Airlines merger, it’s now possible to transfer Hawaiian Airlines miles to Alaska Airlines. American Express Membership Rewards® points transfer to Hawaiian at a 1:1 ratio. That means you can transfer from American Express to Hawaiian Airlines, and then take those points and transfer them to Alaska Airlines. There is a small excise fee to transfer from American Express to Hawaiian Airlines.

Cost: Most flights will start at 37,500 miles each way. Alaska uses a distance-based award chart. This means that depending on the routing of your flight, the cost may change.

Alaska Partner Award Chart

Notes: While Alaska Airlines doesn’t fly directly to Southeast Asia, they offer partner availability with access to Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, Korean Air, and STARLUX. Korean Air and Starlux are not in the oneworld alliance but do partner directly with Alaska Airlines.

Booking Tips: One of the best perks of the Alaska Mileage program is the ability to book a free stopover on a one way flight. This lets you break up your journey and see another destination for free. Stopovers can use American Airlines and a max of one other partner airline.

To search for a free stopover, you need to select “Multi City” To view award availability and pricing by month, check the “Award Calendar” option during your search.

Alaska Booking Example: SFO-MNL (on Cathay Pacific): 85,000 miles + $102

This same sample route we just looked at booking via American Airlines costs a bit more via Alaska. Stopover in Hong Kong for free — even on a one way

Alaska Booking Example: SFO to MNL (on Korean Air) via Alaska: 75,000 miles + $74

Because Alaska Airlines prices the routes by distance, sometimes traveling on a different carrier with a different layover will offer a lower price. By flying Korean Air, the price will be 10,000 miles less because it is a slightly shorter distance.

British Airways Avios from 96,500 + $414

Best for: Nothing, really. But I left this here as a point of comparison.

Transferring Points: Points from Chase, American Express, Capital One, and BILT can all be transferred to British Airways at a 1:1 ratio. Marriott Bonvoy points transfer at a 3:1 ratio. It’s generally not a good idea to transfer Marriott Bonvoy points to British Airways because the transfer rate is so low.

Cost: British Airways uses a distance based award chart. That means their prices vary depending on what airline you’re flying and where you’re going. British is also notorious for passing on fuel charges so their taxes and fees are typically high, even when booking partner airlines.

Booking Tips: Go to Britishairways.com and under book choose “book a flight with Avios”. You’ll need to sign in to search. Input your departure and arrival cities along with your preferred dates.

British Airways Booking Example: SFO-MNL (on Cathay Pacific): 96,500 miles + $414

This is more expensive both in points and taxes than Alaska or American airlines.

Cathay Pacific from 76,000 + $436

Best for: If you want to fly on Cathay Pacific and only have transferrable points.

Transfer Points From: Points from American Express, Capital One, Citi, and BILT can all be transferred to Cathay Pacific Asia Miles at a 1:1 ratio.

Cost: Cathay Pacific uses a distance based chart — but the longest distance caps out at 38,000 Asia Miles each way which means all economy round trips will cost a max of 76,000 miles plus taxes. Cathay Pacific, like British Airways, passes on large fuel surcharges on award tickets.

Cathay Booking Example: SFO-MNL (on Cathay Pacific): 76,000 miles + $436

High taxes and fees make this a less appealing option that booking on American or Alaska — but Asia Miles can be easier to earn.

 

Finnair from 70,000 miles + $426

Best for: If you want to fly on Cathay Pacific and have a lot of Avios or transferrable points.

Transfer Points From: Points from American Express can be transferred to Finnair at a 1:1 ratio. Another way to get Finnair miles is to connect your existing Avios account with Finnair. For example, Capital One, Citi, and BILT (along with American Express) can all be transferred to British Airways Avios at a 1:1 ratio. Once you have the points in your British Airways account, you can transfer them to your Finnair account.

Cost: Finnair uses an award chart for booking partner airlines. The price from North America to Asia is 35,000 miles each way, plus taxes and fees. Like British Airways and Cathay, Finnair passes on large fuel surcharges on award tickets.

Finnair Booking Example: SFO-MNL (on Cathay Pacific): 70,000 miles + $426

Note: 1,826 HKD equals about $233 USD at time of writing.

 

SkyTeam Sweet Spots

SkyTeam few airlines that offer routing from the US to Southeast Asia–most of these options are for Korean Air.

Here is what each program is best for:

Delta: Good for flights via Korean Air from Chicago and West Coast. Prices are high for the Korean Air flights from Atlanta.

Flying Blue (Air France and KLM): It’s easy to earn Flying Blue miles because all of the major banks transfer to the program and transfer bonuses are frequent. This programs usually has low out of pocket fees.

Virgin Atlantic: Easy to earn these points and often banks will have transfer bonuses. Good option for flying on Korean Air.

Delta Airlines from 72,000 + $96

Best for: Korean Air flights from Chicago or the West Coast.

Transferring Points: Points transfer from American Express but you will pay a small fee for the transfer. You can also earn Delta miles from co-branded American Express cards.

Cost: Delta uses variable pricing, but connecting routes to Manila seemed to price as follows on Korean Air:

From the West Coast (SFO, LAX, SEA, LAS) – from 72,000 miles + $93. For some reason the SFO to MNL route would not price out on the Delta website.

From Chicago – 78,000 miles + $93

From JFK – 96,000 miles + $96

From ATL – Extremely high at 187,500 miles + $102.

Delta Booking Example: LAX to MNL (on Korean Air) 72,000 miles + $96

This is a good price for the West Coast routes. I also found this same pricing on flights to other destinations like Bangkok.

Delta Booking Example: ORD to MNL (on Korean Air) 78,000 miles + $96

From Chicago, the price in miles is slightly higher at 78,000 miles.

Virgin Atlantic: from 85,000 + $96

Best for: Korean Air flights connecting to a variety of destinations. Easy to earn these points. But watch out for phantom space!

Sometimes Virgin Atlantic will show “phantom availability” for Korean Air flights. That means that they may display flights that once you actually click all the way through aren’t really available to book. Before transferring any points to Virgin, it’s best to call them to confirm availability.

Transferring Points: Points from Chase, American Express, Citi, and Capital One can all be transferred to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club at a 1:1 ratio. Note that Capital One officially transfer to Virgin Red — but. you can link a Virgin Red account to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club to use those points to book flights. Frequent transfer bonuses make it easier to earn more points.

Cost: Virgin Atlantic uses a distance based chart. This means that flights from the West Coast are cheapest and then further east will be more expensive. Atlanta is the most expensive.

Virgin Atlantic also offers the option to book the nonstop route from San Francisco to Ho Chi Minh on Vietnam Airlines. This route has high fees and costs 100,000 miles + $369.

Here are the routes we found on Korean Air which is a good option from many cities. This is searching each of these cities to Manila. Flying further to Bangkok will increase the miles required.

West Coast (SFO, LAX, LAS, SEA) to Manila (via ICN on Korean Air) – 85,000 miles + $96-$124

Chicago ORD, Dallas DFW, Washington DC IAD, New York JFK to Manila (via ICN on Korean Air) – 97,000 miles + $96-$124

Atlanta to Manila (via ICN on Korean Air) – 123,000 miles + $123

Virgin Booking Example: SFO-MNL (on Korean Air) 85,000 miles + $96

Considering that 20-30% transfer bonuses for Virgin Atlantic are fairly common, this is a good price for this flight. With a 30% transfer bonus, this would cost just 66,000 miles.

Virgin Booking Example: ATL-MNL (on Korean Air) 123,000 miles + $96

Atlanta is the most expensive route at 123,000 points

Virgin Booking Example: ORD-MNL (on Korean Air) 97,000 miles + $96

Chicago to Manila routes are 97,000 points round trip.

Flying Blue from 70,000 + $300ish (hard to find)

Best for: The Flying Blue program is worth considering if you want to fly the other way around the world (cross the Atlantic) and add a stopover in Paris or Amsterdam. Flying Blue prices partner awards high from US to SE Asia so it isn’t a great option for booking SkyTeam partners.

For the best rates, flights to southeast Asia booked through Flying Blue will be on either Air France or KLM. These flights all include a stop in Europe (usually Paris or Amsterdam).You can add a stopover for free in either city when flying on Air France or KLM. T

his route makes for a long journey, but it’s an affordable option for anyone trying to get to Southeast Asia from the Eastern US. It can be hard to find the best rates though. It helps if you’re flexible on dates.

Transfer points from: Chase Ultimate Rewards®, American Express Membership Rewards®, Capital One miles and Citi ThankYou® Points

Cost: Cost will depend on your route. The base cost for award flights to Southeast Asia with Flying Blue starts at 35,000 miles each way. Taxes and fees vary but are typically around $150.

Booking Tips: Follow the tips outlined here to learn more tricks to finding these awards. If you live in a smaller airport. You’ll need to first find dates where Delta has award seats available to book on the trans-Pacific flights from LAX, SEA, MSP, etc to Japan. But then you’ll be able to search directly on Flying Blue.

Note that sometimes if you start your search with Virgin, it can show “phantom availability” meaning you will appear to have availability but not actually be able to book. You’ll need to run the same search on FlyingBlue’s website to make sure you can find the same flight available there, too.

Sample routes bookable via Flying Blue (if you get lucky!):

Los Angeles to Paris to Bangkok is 35,000 miles one-way in economy on Air France. New York City to Amsterdam to Jakarta is 35,000 miles one-way in economy on KLM.

Chicago to Paris to Manila is 55,000 miles each way in Premium Economy (for some reason, regular economy costs more on this route). You can also find this rate from New York area airports. It’s an especially good deal on the flight back, the taxes and fees are only around $75. 

 

 

Award Redemption Comparison

If maximizing points savings is your priority, ANA Mileage Club often offers the lowest redemption rates. However, be prepared for potentially high taxes and fees. Alternatively, airlines like American, Alaska, and Aeroplan may have slightly higher points requirements but often come with significantly lower taxes and fees, potentially leading to a more overall savings.