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.

July 2026 Update:

Qatar has made it very difficult to book flights for someone else, even if you’re traveling on the same reservation. It’s still possible to book flights for others by adding them to a designated list through Qatar, but you’ll need to jump through some hoops to even be able to set up your list.

August 2025 Update:

The United Excursionist Perk has ended

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. 

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 a stopover 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, 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

These three programs 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 90,000 points for a roundtrip and include taxes.

Singapore KrisFlyer: Free Stopovers + Easy to Earn Points

Overall, I think the 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 you open American Airlines cards to earn miles directly, and you can transfer Citi ThankYou points to American. 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:

• CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® – often at 75,000 miles – Each parent can get one of these. That’s 150,000 miles! You could also get the personal version of this card.
• Open cards that earn Citi ThankYou points, like the Citi Strata Elite℠ and Citi Strata Premier.

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.

 

 

JetBlue

JetBlue doesn’t belong to any alliance, but they do partner with China Airlines, which means you can use JetBlue points to book onto China Airlines flights. This is an excellent option for booking flights to Taiwan.

You can connect to another destination (like Bangkok or Manila) for additional miles, but the cost is high. If you want to book through JetBlue, you’d probably be better off booking the China Airlines flight to Taiwan, then adding a separate ticket to your final destination. 

Best for: Non-stop flights to Taipei on China Airlines.

Cost: JetBlue uses dynamic pricing so prices vary. Rates start at 39,000 points each way from New York and 46,800 points each way from Los Angeles. Taxes and fees are under $40 roundtrip.

Notes: China Airlines flies from YVR, SEA, SFO, LAX, ONT, PHX, and JFK to TPE.

JetBlue Booking Example: JFK to TPE (on China Airlines): 78,000 miles + $39

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 if it 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.

Note: Asiana is leaving the Star Alliance on December 16, 2026. Partner award tickets after that date may not be honored, so plan to complete travel by December 16, 2026, to avoid any headaches.

EVA Air – route through Taiwan

EVA Air is based in Taipei, Taiwan. It boasts a Hello Kitty themed flight on some routes! 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: Nothing really, they’ve increased pricing so much that this isn’t a good deal anymore.

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 tacks on fuel surcharges, which can result in significant taxes and fees.

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 round trip. 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 round trip.

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.

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): 130,000 miles + $135

Booking from Chicago is further so it would cost 65,000 miles each way.

Booking from Chicago to Bali is still within the 65,000 miles cost.

Aeroplan Booking Example: MCI-DPS (on United and Singapore Air): 130,000 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 65,000 miles. Keep in mind that this is still 23,000 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 133,100 miles + $159

Best for: Flights on Star Alliance partners like United, EVA Air, and Asiana.

Cost: The standard price for an economy ticket to Southeast Asia is 66,500 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.

Lifemiles Booking Example: SFO-MNL (on United, EVA Air, and Asiana): 133,100 miles + $159

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

Singapore Airlines: from 88,000 miles + $46

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

Cost: Singapore Airlines Saver Award fares to Southeast Asia start at 44,000 miles for a one-way economy flight. It is possible to book other Star Alliance flights with Singapore Airlines, and those will cost 64,000 miles each way.

Notes: 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 44,000 or 46,000 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. 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: SEA-SIN (on Singapore Airlines): 88,000 miles + $73

 

Singapore Booking Example: SFO-MNL (on Singapore Airlines): 92,000 miles + $63

Singapore Booking Example: LAX-MNL (on Singapore Airlines, stopover in Tokyo): 92,000 miles + $90

Los Angeles to Manila is 46,000 miles one-way in economy on Singapore and is eligible for a stopover in Tokyo. or Singapore

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

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

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. 

Note: The United flight from San Francisco to Manila has not 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: You can often include a connection from a regional airport for little to no cost. United often allows adding a connection for a few thousand 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

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. Primarily, 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 Atmos Rewards points — 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 Japan Airlines and vice versa. 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 Citi, plus Citi ThankYou points transfer to American. American 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.

Japan Airlines: Taxes and fees are high so I would avoid booking directly through Japan Airlines. Rates are included for your reference.

Qatar Airways: Flights to Manila on partner Philippine Airlines

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.

Cost: The cost of award tickets for American-operated flights is dynamic, meaning prices can vary, but tickets start at 35,000 miles for a one-way economy flight. Partner flights booked on American for the Asia 2 region (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 Region 2.

AA Partner Award Chart

 

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

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, Philippine Airlines, and STARLUX. Korean Air, Philippine Airlines, and Starlux are not in the oneworld alliance but do partner directly with Alaska Airlines.

Alaska Booking Example: SFO-MNL (non-stop on Philippine Airlines): 75,000 miles + $80

Alaska Booking Example: SFO-MNL (on Cathay Pacific): 85,000 miles + $102 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. The same is true when flying on Japan Airlines with a connection in Tokyo.

 

British Airways Avios from 96,500 + $414

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

Cost: British Airways uses a distance based award chart. 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.

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

This is more expensive both in points and taxes than booking through Alaska or American Airlines.

Cathay Pacific from 76,000 + $436

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

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 transferable points.

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.

Japan Airlines: From 70,000 + $378

Best for: Point prices are reasonable, but taxes and fees are high, so it’s probably not worth booking through Japan Airlines. This information is included for your reference, but it’s not a sweet spot.

Cost: Japan Airlines prices its partner awards by distance. When booking a round trip, the price is based on the total mileage, not the mileage per segment. For example, a one way ticket to Southeast Asia might fall in the 6,001-8,000 mile range and cost 45,000 miles. If you book it as two one way tickets, you would need to pay 45,000 miles each way (90,000 total). A roundtrip ticket for the same trip might fall in the 14,001-20,000 mile range. The price for that is just 70,000 miles. For this reason, it’s best to book round trip when booking through Japan Airlines.

Japan Airlines Booking Example: SFO-MNL (on Cathay Pacific) 70,000 + $378

Qatar Airways Avios From 110,000 points + $264

Best for: Non-stop flights to Manila on Philippine Airlines

Cost: 55,000 points each way from SEA, SFO, YVR, and LAX. 77,250 each way from ORD, JFK, and YYZ . Transfer bonuses are frequent to many of the Avios partners, which can bring the actual points needed down by quite a bit. 

Qatar Booking Example: LAX to MNL (on Philippine Airlines 110,000 points + $264

Note: We couldn’t confirm the taxes and fees with Qatar because you have to have Avios in your account to see them. We found the total for the taxes and fees listed on other blogs that we trust. 

 

SkyTeam Sweet Spots

SkyTeam has a 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 the 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 program 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.

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.

Cost: Virgin Atlantic uses a distance based chart. This means that flights from the West Coast are cheapest and 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.

This 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.

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.

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.