Get to Europe using airline miles: Economy class edition

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Note that given the current COVID-19 situation, many flights have been canceled or suspended. This guide is meant for a reference while planning post-pandemic travel.

How do you get to Europe using airline miles in economy class? This post has the best sweet spots from airline programs that are partnered up with the major transferable currencies. We’ve recently completed a series of premium cabin sweet spots posts from the US to each of the major world regions (find all of our similar sweet award travel sweet spot posts here), but some readers are interested in economy class travel whether to stretch their mileage as far as possible or to fly an entire family on a single flight, which can be hard to do in premium cabins. This post features the best options.

a map of europe with different colored areas

Cheaper Paid Flights

There are frequent fare sales to Europe in economy class, especially from the east coast of the US. It is not uncommon to see sale prices under $400 round trip from East Coast cities during shoulder seasons and occasionally in the $200’s on low cost carriers (or even occasionally on major carriers). If you are located in a city with cheap fares or can position to one easily, it often makes more sense to pay cash or use points to book a paid fare through your credit card rewards travel site if traveling in economy class. For example, a $400 round trip ticket would cost less than 27K Chase Ultimate Rewards points round trip if you have the Chase Sapphire Reserve card since your points can be used at a value of 1.5c each to book through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal. Note that when you’re comparing mileage prices to those paid fares booked through your credit card rewards portal, remember to consider any taxes or fuel surcharges added on the award ticket as the added cost might make the cash ticket a better value overall.

Of course, Frequent Miler is likely to report the best of these fare sales (you’ll want to subscribe to our instant alerts if you want to be notified of those deals quickly). You can also search for your own great fare deals in economy class using the same techniques discussed in our resource about How to find great business class fares with Google Flights.

For those who live or travel between particularly expensive markets or during times when cash tickets are expensive, economy class award travel can sometimes be a solid value.

Transferrable Currencies

If you want to use airline miles, it’s great to have transferable points.  Transferable point programs let you transfer your points to any of a number of airline programs.  This is great because it gives you the freedom to book many different flights through many different methods, some of which are strikingly cheaper than others.  If you’re not familiar with transferable points programs, please check out our guides:

Amex Membership Rewards Complete Guide Capital One “Rewards miles” Complete Guide Chase Ultimate Rewards Complete Guide
Citi ThankYou Rewards Complete Guide Marriott Bonvoy Complete Guide

 

Best ways to get to Europe using airline miles (in economy class)

The deals below are sorted alphabetically. Remember that the lowest price isn’t the entire picture: be sure to consider which airlines levy fuel surcharges and the ease of amassing the miles for your chosen award. See each description for where to search, how to book, and which partners you can use to transfer. It is always best to confirm availability before transferring miles to be sure that the award you seek can be booked with the miles you intend.

Note that most major airline programs charge either 25K or 30K miles each way in economy class. For example, flights booked through American Airlines AAdvantage or United Mileage Plus generally cost 25K-30K each way for saver awards in economy class (though note that with variable pricing in effect at all three of the major US carriers, it’s always worth checking those airlines’ sites for unadvertised specials). We have focused on programs below that regularly offer better values for those same flights and flights with other partners, which provide a plethora of options between the US and Europe.

ANA (for Star Alliance)

  • The short story: ANA charges an excellent rate for round trip Star Alliance flights to Europe which is particularly good for those looking to take advantage of a free stopover on a round trip.
  • Miles required: 55K round trip in economy class. Fuel surcharges are passed on, but are avoidable with the right carriers. See: How To Find Business Class Awards To Europe For 88,000 Miles Or Points for info on the business class sweet spot that is applicable to economy class as well (but note the changes in business class pricing in April 2024)
  • How to find awards: Search for available space at ANA’s website. (you’ll need to create a free ANA Mileage Club account and log in to search for space)
  • How to book awards: Book online at ANA’s website.
  • Key warnings: You must book round trip (though you can book open jaw and have a stopover). High fuel surcharges are assessed by some carriers, others have none or low fuel surcharges. The ANA website interface is not particularly user-friendly or modern-looking, so it may take some time to get used to the search features. Note that transfers to ANA are not instant. Transfers typically take 2-3 days from Amex Membership Rewards or a week or more from Marriott, so there is risk of award space disappearing while you wait for a transfer.
  • No fuel surcharges on: Air Canada, Scandinavian Airlines, Air China, Air New Zealand, Avianca, Copa Airlines, Etihad, United
  • Low fuel surcharges on: Asiana, LOT Polish, Turkish (higher than the others but low by comparison to some)
  • Transfer from: Amex Membership RewardsMarriott Bonvoy

Air France / KLM Flying Blue (for Air France / KLM or other SkyTeam airlines)


Avios (for British Airways, Aer Lingus, or Iberia)

  • The short story: You can use British Airways, Iberia or Aer Lingus Avios to fly on those airlines for low mileage prices on nonstop routes.
  • Miles required (Note that this gets confusing, particularly for Iberia. For more on the Iberia charts, I recommend reading this post at Travel is Free):
    • For flights on British Airways or Aer Lingus booked via British Airways, Aer Lingus, or Iberia (prices shown off-peak/peak):
      • 13K / 20K for flights 3,000-4,000 miles flown
      • 16,250 / 25K for flights 4,001 to 5,500 miles flown
    • For flights on Iberia booked via Iberia Avios only (prices shown off-peak/peak):
      • 17K / 20K for flights 3,001-4,000 miles one way
      • 21,250 / 25K for flights 4,001-5,000 miles one way
  • How to find awards: Search for British Airways available space at britishairways.com for Aer Lingus at United.com or Avios.com. For Iberia, use the Advanced Avios tool. It's always best to search before transferring.
  • How to book awards: Book British Airways flights online at britishaiways.com or over the phone at 1 800 452 1201. You can book Aer Lingus over the phone with British Airways or use Avios.com
  • Key warnings: Note that it may be worth checking all 3 booking options (Avios.com, BritishAirways.com, and Iberia.com) to determine your best deal, though keep in mind that things like cancellation policies differ (note that Iberia offers no changes or refunds at all on most partner flights whereas British Airways offers cheap cancellation). Aer Lingus and British Airways charge for each segment separately, so multi-segment trips can get expensive quickly (Iberia charges based on cumulative distance each way, which can be cheaper on connecting itineraries).
  • Transfer from: Amex Membership Rewards, Capital One, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Marriott Bonvoy

Avianca LifeMiles (for Star Alliance)

  • The short story: Avianca LifeMiles offers competitive pricing for Star Alliance awards, with some routes to Europe inexplicably pricing lower than the award chart.
  • Miles required: Officially, the LifeMiles award chart offers economy class at 20K one-way from the Northeastern US to the British Isles, Scandinavia, and Russia or 30K one-way on all other routes between the US and Europe. However, there is some inexplicable variance (See: The secret LifeMiles award chart), with some routes pricing well under the expected 30K economy class price (such as Denver to Brussels for 23K). Also see: Trying to crack  the LifeMiles secret code to Europe.
  • How to find awards: Search for available space at LifeMiles.com (you’ll need to create a free Avianca LifeMiles frequent flyer account)
  • How to book awards: Book online at LifeMiles.com. Can also book via email. Phone bookings are known to be a hassle but also possible.
  • Key warnings: Availability at LifeMiles.com does not always match what you’ll find at United.com. Phone agents generally do not see better availability than what is shown at LifeMiles.com and it seems that manual bookings via email have ended. Always check the LifeMiles site before transferring points. Keep in mind that the mandatory $25 booking fee (added to all bookings) is the same whether one-way or round trip, so book round trip to save.
  • Transfer fromAmex Membership Rewards, Brex Cash, Citi Thank You, Capital One, Marriott Bonvoy

Cathay Pacific Asia Miles (for flying a single Oneworld partner airline)

  • The short story: Cathay Pacific has reasonable pricing for single-partner oneworld redemptions, particularly those requiring connections since they charge based on cumulative distance.
  • Miles required: 20K miles one-way for a cumulative distance of 2,751 to 5,000 miles, which covers much of the US to Europe. The next distance band, which covers up to 7,500 miles, would be 27K miles.
  • How to find awards: Search for available space at AsiaMiles.com (you’ll need to create a free Asia Miles frequent flyer account to search)
  • How to book awards: Book online at AsiaMiles.com. Can also book via phone.
  • Key warnings: Fuel surcharges are moderate depending on route and origin.
  • Transfer from: Amex Membership Rewards, Brex Cash, Capital One, Citi Thank You, Marriott Bonvoy

Etihad Guest (for American Airlines or Brussels Airlines)

  • The short story: Etihad Guest offers a reasonable value for flying on partners American Airlines or Brussels Airlines between the US and Europe at the shorter end of its distance-based award chart.
  • Miles required: 22K miles each way for flights of 2,001 to 2,500 miles flown or 27K for flights of 2,501 to 3,000 miles flown.
  • How to find awards: You should be able to find and book American Airlines award space on Etihad's website. You may need to search United.com for Brussels Airlines space.
  • How to book awards: Book on Etihad's website or call Etihad Guest at 1-877-690-0767.
  • Key warnings: Etihad phone agents have historically had trouble booking partner awards, though the new call center in Serbia appears to be quite competent. If your agent appears to be having trouble, you might want to HUCA (hang up, call again).
  • Transfer from: Amex Membership Rewards, Capital OneCiti Thank You, Marriott

Virgin Atlantic (for Air France / KLM or Virgin Atlantic)

Note that Virgin Atlantic also charges the more standard 30K miles each way for nonstop Delta flights, which is notable since Delta frequently charges many more miles for the same flights. See How to book Delta flights with Virgin Atlantic miles for more.

  • The short story: Virgin Atlantic offers excellent economy class pricing on Air France / KLM, particularly from the Eastern US to Europe but also for its own flights to the UK (albeit with somewhat expensive surcharges). Premium Economy can also be an excellent deal. See the full Virgin Atlantic award chart for travel on Air France / KLM here.
  • Miles required:
    • For flying Air France / KLM During "standard season" (not peak) dates, 12,000 miles each way in economy class between the East Coast of the US and Western Europe or 20,000 miles each way to Central Europe (and North Africa). From the Western or Central US to Western Europe is 15,000 miles or Eastern Europe is 23,000 miles. Standard Season (off-peak) dates for 2024:
      • 04 January 2024 - 21 March 2024
      • 16 April 2024 - 15 June 2024
      • 3 September 2024 - 24 October 2024
      • 06 November 2024 - 6 December 2024
    • For flying on Virgin Atlantic to/from the UK (Prices shown off-peak / peak; see: Virgin Atlantic award chart (U.S.-centric)
      • From the Northeast US: 10K / 20K
      • From the Midwest & South: 12.5K / 22.5K
      • From the Western US: 15K / 25K
      • Note that fees are about $149 one-way to London or $263 one-way from London
  • How to find awards: Search for available space at VirginAtlantic.com
  • How to book awards: Book online at VirginAtlantic.com.  See: Book Air France & KLM with Virgin Atlantic Miles.
  • Key warnings: The zone-based award chart for Air France / KLM flights can be a bit confusing at first, but the nice thing about booking Air France / KLM flights with Virgin Atlantic miles is that Virgin Atlantic does not charge each segment separately as they do with other partners or their own flights. In this case, you'll pay the region prices even if connecting. Keep in mind that Virgin Atlantic is currently facing uncertain financial times, so it may be best to hold off a while on booking any travel that isn't imminent.
  • Transfer from: Amex, Bilt, CitiChaseMarriott

How to get the miles

The following chart shows the available transferable points programs for each of the above airline frequent flyer programs:

Rewards ProgramAmex Transfer RatioChase Transfer RatioCiti Transfer RatioMarriott Transfer RatioCapital One Transfer RatioBrex Transfer Ratio
Accor Live Limitless1000 to 5001000 to 500
Aegean Miles + Bonus60K to 25K
Aer Lingus Avios1 to 11 to 11 to 1 via Qatar, BA60K to 25K1 to 1 via BA
Aeroflot Bonus60K to 25K
AeroMexico ClubPremier1 to 1.61 to 160K to 25K1 to 11,670 to 1K
Air Canada Aeroplan1 to 11 to 160K to 25K1 to 1
Air China Phoenix Miles60K to 25K
Air France KLM Flying Blue1 to 11 to 11 to 160K to 25K1 to 11,670 to 1K
Air New Zealand Air Points60K to 307
Alaska MileagePlan60K to 25K
Alitalia MilleMiglia
Allegiant
Altitude Points
American AAdvantage3K to 1K
Amtrak Guest Rewards
ANA Mileage Club1 to 160K to 25K
Arrival
Asiana60K to 25K
Avianca LifeMiles1 to 11 to 13K to 1K1 to 11,670 to 1K
Best Western
Bilt
Brex
British Airways Avios1 to 11 to 11 to 1 via Qatar60K to 25K1 to 1
Capital One Miles
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles1 to 11 to 160K to 25K1 to 11,670 to 1K
China Eastern Airlines60K to 25K
China Southern Airlines’ Sky Pearl Club60K to 25K
Choice1 to 11 to 21 to 1
CNB Rewards
Copa Airlines ConnectMiles60K to 25K
Delta SkyMiles1 to 1 plus excise tax3K to 1K
EL AL Israel Airlines
Emirates Skywards1 to 11 to 11 to 160K to 25K1 to 11,670 to 1K
Etihad Guest1 to 11 to 160K to 25K1 to 1
EVA Air Infinity MileageLands1 to 11000 to 750
Expedia+
Finnair Plus+1 to 1
FlexPoints
Frontier Miles60K to 25K
Garuda Indonesia Frequent Flyer
Go Far Rewards
Hainan Airlines60K to 25K
Hawaiian Miles1 to 1 plus excise tax60K to 25K
Hilton1 to 2
Hotels.comRewards
HSBC Rewards
Hyatt1 to 1
Iberia Avios1 to 11 to 11 to 1 via Qatar, BA60K to 25K1 to 1 via BA
IHG1 to 1
JAL (Japan Airlines) Mileage Bank60K to 25K
Jet Airways Inter Miles1 to 160K to 25K
JetBlue250 to 200 plus excise tax1 to 11 to 160K to 12.5K
Korean Airlines3K to 1K
LATAM Pass60K to 25K
Leading Hotels of the World1K to 200
Malaysia Enrich1 to 1
Marriott Bonvoy1 to 11 to 1
Membership Rewards
Merrill
Miles & More
Multiplus60K to 25K
PenFed Rewards
Penny Points
Qantas Frequent Flyer1 to 11 to 160K to 25K1 to 11,670 to 1K
Qatar Privilege Club Avios1 to 11 to 1 via BA1 to 160K to 25K1 to 1 via BA
Radisson Rewards
Royal Brunei Royal Skies
Saudia Airlines60K to 25K
Shop Your Way Rewards1 to 10
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer1 to 11 to 11 to 160K to 25K1 to 11,670 to 1K
Sonesta Travel Pass
South African Airways Voyager60K to 25K
Southwest Rapid Rewards1 to 160K to 25K
Spirit
TAP Air Portugal60K to 25K1 to 1
Thai Airways International Royal Orchid Plus1 to 160K to 25K
ThankYou Rewards
Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles1 to 160K to 25K1 to 1
Uber Cash
UBS My Choice Rewards
Ultimate Rewards
United MileagePlus1 to 160K to 30K
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club1 to 11 to 11 to 160K to 25K1 to 1
Virgin Australia Velocity Frequent Flyer60K to 25K
Vueling Club60K to 25K
Wells Fargo Rewards
Wyndham1 to 11 to 1
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