Split the cabin
Book economy through the cheapest program and business through another — e.g. Air India economy + Aeroplan business to Australia. Mix and match programs on the same trip for the lowest total.
Every route. Every program. Everywhere on Earth.
The complete anywhere-to-anywhere redemption menu. Pick where you're flying from and where you're headed — we'll show you the miles, the metal, the taxes and the trade-offs across every major loyalty program.
VAVirgin VelocityEconomy
Oceania → Southeast Asia
SYD/MEL/BNE–DPS
19,500VA · + ~$90
AFAir France-KLM Flying BluePremium
North America → Europe / UK
JFK/ORD/ATL–CDG/AMS
25,000AF · + ~$180
ACAir Canada AeroplanBusiness
South Asia → Southeast Asia
DEL/BOM–SIN/BKK
50,000AC · + ~$120
Anywhere → Anywhere
Pick a corridorFrom
To
Oceania ↔ Europe / UK
Australia ↔ Europe / UK
AVAVACACSQSQ
LifeMiles and Aeroplan on *A avoid the £1,000+ fuel surcharges QFF piles onto Emirates awards. KrisFlyer on SQ is the sensible mid-tier.
Premium
1 optionAFAir France-KLM Flying Blue
65,000
miles + ~$220
AF / KL·via SIN/BKK–CDG/AMS
Promo Awards drop monthly at 25–50% off PE.
Source · The Points Guy
Business
5 optionsAVAvianca LifeMiles
87,000
miles + ~$130
LH / LX / TK·SYD–SIN/BKK–FRA/ZRH/IST
No fuel surcharges + 25–30% mileage sales monthly.
Source · One Mile at a Time
SQSingapore KrisFlyer
110,500
miles + ~$340
SQ·SYD–SIN–LHR/CDG/FRA
Default sensible option — SQ metal, no partner-award premium.
Source · Point Hacks AU
ACAir Canada Aeroplan
140,000
miles + ~$260
*A partners·SYD–SIN/HKG–FRA
Aeroplan distance chart holds even after devaluations.
Source · Frequent Miler
QRQatar Privilege Club
95,000
miles + ~$300
QR Qsuite·SYD/MEL–DOH–LHR/CDG
Qsuite is the world's best J — direct QR pricing avoids Avios stopover math.
Source · One Mile at a Time
VSVirgin Atlantic Flying Club
95,000
miles + ~$420
VS·via HKG/JNB–LHR
Flying Club sweet spot when connecting via Asia/Africa on partner metal.
Source · The Points Guy
Best program per corridor
The cheat sheetIf you only remember one program per corridor, make it these. Each is the community's go-to first stop — where value density beats loyalty every time.
| Corridor | Go-to programs | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Australia ↔ North America | UAUAACACVAVA | Skip QFF+EK's fuel-surcharge trap. United and Aeroplan on partner *A metal, or Velocity to Delta One, dominate. |
| Australia ↔ Europe / UK | AVAVACACSQSQ | LifeMiles and Aeroplan on *A avoid the £1,000+ fuel surcharges QFF piles onto Emirates awards. KrisFlyer on SQ is the sensible mid-tier. |
| Australia ↔ Southeast Asia | VAVASQSQQFQF | Velocity to Bali is the classic short-haul redemption. KrisFlyer prices SIN awards at genuine value — SQ metal, low taxes. |
| Australia ↔ North Asia | UAUAQFQFASAS | United on ANA is the surcharge escape; Qantas on JAL is the reliable book. Alaska on Cathay is a hidden long-haul deal. |
| Australia ↔ India / South Asia | SQSQVAVAQRQR | KrisFlyer on SQ via SIN is the premium default. Velocity to SQ economy is best for cash-equivalent Y. |
| Australia ↔ Middle East | UAUAQRQREKEK | Emirates awards to DXB are showcase-only — great cabin, brutal taxes. United on *A partners routes around EK's surcharges. |
| India ↔ Europe / UK | ACACSQSQBABA | Air India direct is the cleanest redemption. Aeroplan opens Star Alliance across Europe; KrisFlyer via SIN is the premium option. |
| India ↔ USA / Canada | ACACQRQRSQSQ | Air India nonstop is the clean play — 40k Y / 130k J. Qatar Qsuite via DOH is the premium cabin king. |
| India ↔ Southeast Asia | ACACSQSQBABA | The cheapest region in the whole guide. Air India direct at ~12k Y is a near-free hop; Atlas 1:2 halves that from Indian cards. |
| India ↔ North Asia | ACACSQSQCXCX | Tokyo on JAL via Aeroplan or KrisFlyer; Seoul via AI direct or SQ via SIN. |
| India ↔ Australia / NZ | ACACSQSQQFQF | Ultra-long-haul with brutal cash fares. Split cabins: economy on Air India, business on Aeroplan — 80k J beats AI's 130k. |
| Europe ↔ North America | VSVSBABAACAC | Virgin Atlantic to Delta One is a legendary sweet spot. Avios off-peak on AA is the second play; LifeMiles on *A the third. |
| Europe ↔ North Asia | UAUATKTKAFAF | ANA J via *A is the premium play. Turkish flies to almost every North Asia city on cheap Miles&Smiles pricing. |
| Europe ↔ Southeast Asia | TKTKAVAVAFAF | Turkish and LifeMiles are the surcharge-free plays. Flying Blue Promo Awards drop Bangkok/Singapore routes almost every month. |
| Europe ↔ India / South Asia | ACACQRQRBABA | Direct AI redemptions via Aeroplan are cleanest; Qatar Qsuite via DOH beats them on cabin. |
| Europe ↔ Africa | UAUATKTKAFAF | Ethiopian, Kenya Airways and RwandAir via *A/SkyTeam partners are the value plays. |
| Europe ↔ South America | AFAFAVAVBABA | Air France and Iberia fly it direct; LifeMiles on Avianca / Copa opens the connections. |
| North America ↔ South America | CMCMAVAVACAC | Copa ConnectMiles on its own metal is unbeatable; LifeMiles opens the rest of Latin America without surcharges. |
| North America ↔ North Asia | UAUAVSVSASAS | ANA on UA/Virgin Atlantic is the flagship. Alaska on JAL still holds legacy pricing. |
| North America ↔ Southeast Asia | TKTKUAUASQSQ | The longest routes in the sky. Turkish's 45k J is absurdly cheap; ANA and SQ are the premium picks. |
| North America ↔ Europe | VSVSAVAVAFAF | This is the classic sweet-spot corridor. Virgin Atlantic to Delta One, LifeMiles to *A, Avios off-peak on AA — pick your flavour. |
| North America ↔ Middle East | QRQRBABAEYEY | Qatar Qsuite via DOH is the target; Etihad Guest on its own metal is a strong alternative. |
| Southeast Asia ↔ North Asia | CXCXBABASQSQ | Cathay, ANA and SQ all price cheaply on Avios / Asia Miles / KrisFlyer for intra-Asia hops. |
| Africa ↔ North America | ACACAFAFUAUA | Ethiopian and Kenya Airways open up otherwise-brutal cash fares. Aeroplan and Flying Blue are the tools. |
Seat first. Math second. Transfer third. Book immediately.
That single discipline prevents almost every expensive mistake in points travel. Points are one-way — a transfer you can't use is a transfer you've lost.
Advanced plays
Level upChase the 1:2 transfer
A card at 1:2 effectively halves every award. Concentrate spend where the ratio is best, hold points in the card, transfer only after you've found space.
Use partners for access, not just metal
Aeroplan, LifeMiles and Avios open airlines you can't reach directly — sometimes with better award space than the operating airline's own program.
Book outbound early, return later
Award seats release in waves — 331 days out, then again inside 14 days. Lock what you can now, add segments as space opens.
Hold points in the card, not the airline
Transfer only after you've confirmed space. It keeps your options open and protects against airline devaluations, which happen with little notice.
Stopover rules quietly double the trip value
KrisFlyer, Aeroplan and ANA allow a stopover on award tickets — turning one-way redemption into a two-city trip for the same points. Plan the stopover before you book, not after.
Common mistakes to avoid
The trapsTransferring before finding space
The #1 error. Points are one-way and non-refundable. A seat that isn't there won't appear because you transferred — search first, transfer second, book immediately.
Ignoring surcharges
A 'cheap' award with heavy carrier surcharges can cost more than a sale fare. Always price the cash portion — Qantas-Emirates to Europe stacks $1,200+ in surcharges.
Wrong card for the cabin
A 5:4 card for economy, or an Air India-only card for a route where Aeroplan is half the price. Read the corridor before you transfer.
Hoarding points forever
Programs devalue. Earn with a plan and redeem within a reasonable horizon — 12–18 months from earn is a healthy target.
Booking cash when an award exists
Especially in business — always price the award first. Even at 1c/point, a $10,000 J fare against 100,000 points is a no-brainer.
Editorial intelligence synthesised from Point Hacks AU, God Save the Points, One Mile at a Time, Frequent Miler, The Points Guy, PointsFly and Australian Frequent Flyer. Confirm live in-program before transferring — award pricing changes constantly.