This post will guide you through the sweet spots of the Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles program and show you how to leverage the 50% bonus in the Turkish Airlines / Citi Bank promotion when planning your family travel.
Planning a spring break getaway? With Turkish Airlines, you can fly for as low as 10,000 miles and even score a second trip for free! Turkish Miles & Smiles is an underrated gem in the frequent flyer world, especially for families. Despite a recent devaluation, there are still plenty of sweet spots perfect for family travel. If you leverage the latest Turkish Airlines / Citi Bank 50% transfer bonus promotion, you could enjoy the second trip at half price or even for free!
Before moving on, it’s important to understand the major restrictions of this campaign.
- The campaign is valid between 15 May and 15 June 2024.
- Turkish Airlines will provide 50% additional Miles to Miles & Smiles members who transfer their Citi ThankYou® Rewards Points to Miles&Smiles program.
- Members can earn Extra Miles up to a maximum of 50,000 Miles.
- The Miles earned during the campaign will be credited after the campaign has ended, i.e. after June 15.
- This offer is only valid to Miles & Smiles members. If you are not a member yet, register first to Miles & Smiles program.
The Sweet Spots of Turkish Airlines Program with 50% Transfer Bonus
Here’s how you can make the most of Turkish Airlines by booking nine months ahead.
Traveling to Hawaii on United Airlines
Aloha! As a Star Alliance member, you can use Turkish Airlines miles to book flights on partner airlines like United Airlines. It’s a well-known fact that flying domestic on United Airlines is a solid deal, despite recent changes. The sweet part? They offer a fixed redemption rate of 10,000 miles for economy class (and 15,000 for business class) on United Airlines for all cities in the United States, whereas you might see variations among cities.
Example routes like Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York (EWR), Houston – Honolulu (HNL), Denver – Kona, Hawaii are at flat rate for United Airlines reward tickets through Turkish Airlines program.
Let’s crunch some numbers comparing Turkish Airlines redemption, United Airlines, and Air Canada Aeroplan. Those two programs are commonly used in the United States, and their points are easily earned. Forget about the past and focus on the latest redemption rates. Even at 10,000 miles one way per person for economy, it’s significantly fewer miles than you’d redeem on United Airlines itself. When comparing with Air Canada Aeroplan, Turkish Airlines consistently outperforms, offering savings of 20% to 40%.
Plus, the cherry on top: there are no fuel charges tacked on to Turkish Airlines award tickets for United Airlines. So, you won’t find yourself in a scenario where you’ve redeemed low points but end up paying high out-of-pocket expenses for taxes and fees.
What it looks like when the Turkish Airlines / Citi Bank 50% transfer bonus is maximized? Let’s take a family of four as an example:
- You’d need 80,000 miles for a round trip to Hawaii. With the 50% transfer bonus, you’ll get 40,000 miles back on June 15th. This means you can plan another trip to Hawaii in the summer with one-way tickets covered for your family of four.
- If solo travel is more like your style, those 40,000 miles can get you a round trip between European cities, such as Lisbon – Munich or London – Amsterdam.
Traveling to Europe / Middle East from the United States
If you’re looking to jet off to Europe or the Middle East, Turkish Airlines has you covered with its region-based award chart, making it easy to know exactly how many miles you need. As the time I write, you can score four business class seats for your next spring break adventure!
- Los Angeles / Denver – Istanbul:
Regular rate: 65,000 miles for business on Turkish Airlines. With the 50% bonus: You’ll earn 32,500 miles back
- Denver – Amsterdam or Denver – Dubai:
Regular rate: 90,000 miles one way per person on Turkish Airlines. With the 50% bonus: You’ll get 45,000 miles back.
So, what can you do with 45,000 miles?
- One way from New York / Chicago / Los Angeles to Honolulu on United Airlines economy class for a family of four
- One round trip from Denver to Kona, Hawaii on United Airlines economy class for a couple
- One-way flying domestically within Japan on All Nippon Airways (ANA), not only Tokyo and Osaka, including routes like Fukuoka to Sapporo, from solo to a family. This is particularly appealing because of the recent changes of redemption rate with United Airlines on ANA domestic flights in Japan.
Not only can you enjoy a fabulous business class flight to Europe or the Middle East, but you also get a huge chunk of miles back to use for more amazing trips.
More Sweet Spots to Explore
Even without the 50% bonus, you can find two to four saver awards in both economy and business class on Turkish Airlines. I agree that they are high on number side, however, these are perfect for visiting home countries in Asia or embarking on new family adventures for a group of 2 to 4 at the same time.
How to Earn Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles Miles
In the United States, Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles can be easily earned through the following credit card and hotel programs partnership with:
- Capital One Miles (Transfer ratio – 1 to 1)
- Citi ThankYou Rewards (Transfer ratio – 1 to 1)
- Marriott Bonvoy (Transfer ratio – 60,000 to 25,000)
Aligning to this Turkish Airlines / Citi Bank promotion, there are several excellent cards for earning Citi ThankYou Rewards points, such as the Citi Strata Premier, and you can easily combine points between cards.
What is Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles Program?
Turkish Airlines, based in Istanbul, flies to more countries than any other airline in the world. It serves major cities in United States such as Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, New York (JFK), Boston, Miami, Atlanta, and Houston. As a member of the Star Alliance, you can redeem Turkish Airlines miles to fly on partner airlines globally, making the Miles&Smiles program both accessible and valuable.
Why You Can’t Ignore Turkish Airlines and Miles&Smiles Program?
- Hawaii in the North America Region: Unlike other programs that have a separate award redemption rate for Hawaii, Turkish Airlines includes Hawaii in the North America region.
- Domestic First Class at Business Class Rates: Turkish Airlines categorizes U.S. domestic first class on U.S.-based carriers as business class, so you only need business class pricing to redeem for domestic first class.
- No Fuel Surcharges on United Airlines Flights: When you book a United Airlines-operated flight with Miles&Smiles, you pay just the expected taxes with no additional fuel surcharges.
- Free Istanbul Tour: If your Turkish Airlines flight has an overnight connection of 6 – 24 hours, you can join a free Istanbul tour.
- Family-Friendly: Turkish Airlines is one of the most family-friendly carriers around. Infant award tickets are some of the lowest priced, and they offer a free family pooling program for elite members.
- Lenient Lounge Policies: Kids 12 years and under can enter Turkish Airlines lounges for free with an adult who has access, which is more generous compared to many clubs that cut off free child access at just two years of age.
Key Tips for Booking Process on Turkish Airlines
Focus on “Promotional” Awards: The Turkish Airlines redemption chart is divided into the “Promotional Award Ticket Table” and the “Award Ticket Table.” “Promotional” means “Saver” award rates.
Navigating the Website: When on the Turkish Airlines website, click on “Award Ticket” on the right-hand side. This will direct you to the award ticket reservation page.
- If you’re looking for Turkish Airlines-operated flights, click on Turkish Airlines.
- Use the Star Alliance option for flights operated by other Star Alliance members.
Final Thoughts
As long as you’re aware of the limitations, the 50% promotion is still a fantastic deal. While some routes have been devalued, there are still plenty of valuable domestic routes and many available award tickets. Turkish Airlines and Citi Bank are offering an incredibly rare 50% transfer bonus from now through June 15, 2024. The transfer isn’t instant, so you need to transfer the exact points required for the redemption. After June 15, you’ll get the 50% bonus credited to your Turkish Airlines account. Although it’s not immediate, this promotion offers excellent value for future family trips, covering most of the cost of air travel.
Happy travels and happy planning!
