Leslie Massey
Australia is a dream destination for many, but the long-haul flight can be expensive. Luckily, there are ways to save money by using points and miles to fly there. Various frequent flyer programs offer cheap flights to Australia, including United MileagePlus, American AAdvantage, and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club. Virgin Atlantic Flying Club has been known to offer the best deals on Delta flights to Australia. Qantas Airways is the flagship airline of Australia and is considered one of the best in the world, so it is also a good option. ANA Mileage Club is another good option, although it only allows for round-trip award bookings and charges high fuel surcharges.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Airlines | Virgin Atlantic, Qantas Airways, All Nippon Airways (ANA), Alaska Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, American Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, Finnair, British Airways, Cathay Pacific |
| Frequent Flyer Programs | Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, Qantas Frequent Flyer, ANA Mileage Club, Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan, Avianca LifeMiles, American AAdvantage, United MileagePlus, British Airways Executive Club |
| Transfer Partners | American Express Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards, Marriott Bonvoy, Capital One Miles, BILT Rewards |
| Typical Cost | 40,000-80,000 miles one-way in economy, 75,000-120,000 miles round-trip in business, 225,000 miles round-trip in first class |
| Additional Costs | Taxes, fees, fuel surcharges |
Explore related products
What You'll Learn
ANA Mileage Club
The program uses three separate award charts: the ANA Domestic Flight Award Chart, the ANA International Flight Award Chart, and the Partner Flight Award Chart. Award flights must be booked as round-trip tickets, but you can book open-jaw tickets and add a stopover. For example, ANA allows stopovers (connections greater than 24 hours) on a round-trip itinerary as long as the stopover is within the same zone, which determines the miles required.
To estimate the number of ANA Mileage Club miles needed for a flight, you must first find the zone of travel, followed by the seasonality, and then the class of service. For instance, a round-trip business class flight from Chicago-O'Hare (Zone 6) to Tokyo-Haneda (Zone 1) during the low season requires 75,000 ANA miles.
There are three primary ways to earn ANA Mileage Club miles by flying. For domestic flights, the miles are calculated by multiplying the basic sector mileage (distance flown) by the accrual rate for the booking class (percentage of miles you'll get credit for). The accrual rates for these flights range from 50% to 150%. International ANA flights are calculated in the same way but without the specified accrual rates.
ANA has also partnered with American Express Membership Rewards, so points earned on cards like The Platinum Card from American Express can be transferred to your ANA Mileage Club account at a 1:1 ratio.
Carb Counting: Australia's Guide to Healthy Eating
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
In addition to these partnerships, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club also has several transfer partners, including American Express Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards, and Marriott Bonvoy. These partnerships allow you to top up your account with the necessary miles quickly.
Overall, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club provides a range of options for earning and redeeming miles and points for flights to Australia, making it a valuable program for those looking to travel to the region.
Exploring Australia: Flight Times and Travel Tips
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Qantas Airways
American Airlines offers excellent value for travellers wanting to fly to Australia with Qantas. For example, when searching for a one-way nonstop flight from Los Angeles to Sydney in mid-August 2022, an economy award ticket costs 41,900 Qantas Points, while American Airlines charges only 40,000 miles for the same flight. This is a superior deal when compared to booking directly with Qantas.
Additionally, American Airlines offers an even better value proposition for business class flights. While American Airlines charges 80,000 miles for a business class seat on Qantas' 15-hour flight from the US to Australia, they charge the same amount of miles for an 8-hour flight to Tahiti. This means you're getting nearly double the time on a plane for the same amount of miles.
If you're a member of Alaska Airlines' Mileage Plan, you'll get an even better deal, as you'll only need 55,000 miles for Qantas' flights to Australia in business class. This is especially useful considering Australia's reputation for expensive domestic flights. American Airlines also charges only 10,000 miles for an economy class flight within Australia, regardless of the destination.
Qantas also has its own Frequent Flyer program, where members can earn and redeem Qantas Points and Status Credits. These can be earned on Qantas and Jetstar flights, as well as on partner airlines. The number of points and credits earned depends on the flight distance and the fare class of your ticket. However, it's important to note that Qantas Points and Status Credits cannot be earned on Classic Flight Reward flights, except for Points Club and Points Club Plus members.
Australian Shepard Diet: What Do They Eat?
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Avianca LifeMiles
Avianca is Colombia's flag carrier and national airline, as well as one of the largest airlines in South America. Its loyalty program, LifeMiles, has become very popular among points and miles collectors due to its numerous sweet spots and excellent flight redemptions on its partner carriers. Avianca is part of the Star Alliance, meaning LifeMiles can be redeemed for travel on any alliance member airline to destinations worldwide.
LifeMiles can be earned in many different ways, including flying with Avianca and its partner airlines. However, the best way to rack up Avianca LifeMiles is by converting points from other programs. Avianca partners with several reward programs, enabling members to transfer their points to their LifeMiles account. Avianca is also known for running lucrative buy LifeMiles promotions, allowing members to earn tens or hundreds of thousands of bonus LifeMiles when purchasing them outright. It's also possible to earn LifeMiles through credit card welcome offers.
LifeMiles can be redeemed for flights on Star Alliance partners like ANA, Lufthansa, and United Airlines, offering great value for premium cabin seats. For example, you can fly from North America to Australia or Oceania for 35,000 LifeMiles in economy or 60,000 LifeMiles in business class. Another example is flying Brussels Airlines in business class from the East Coast of the U.S. to Brussels for 63,000 Avianca LifeMiles.
The Conversion of Australian Dollars to American Dollars Explained
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Delta Air Lines
General SkyMiles members can earn 5 miles for every dollar spent on Delta-marketed flights in the Main Cabin or above. However, Basic Economy tickets are not eligible for earning miles. Members can also earn bonus miles by purchasing flight and hotel packages, with additional bonuses for adding a qualified car rental. For example, a booking of $10,000 or more receives 10,000 bonus miles per qualified customer. Additionally, Delta has over 20 trusted airline partners where members can earn miles that can be used for Award Travel, upgrades, and more. These include AeroMexico-marketed flights, Air France, and SkyTeam-marketed flights operated by a SkyTeam member airline.
While Delta Air Lines does not have an Australian frequent flyer tie-up, Virgin Atlantic's Flying Club frequent flyer program is a popular alternative for earning rewards when travelling with Delta. Flying Club is a points transfer partner of American Express Membership Rewards in Australia, allowing members to grow their balance through eligible credit card and charge card spend.
Travel Exemption: Applying for Entry into Australia
You may want to see also
Frequently asked questions
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club miles can be redeemed for flights to Australia through Delta Air Lines, a partner of Virgin Atlantic. The number of miles needed depends on the origin and destination of the flight. For example, a one-way Delta One Suites flight from Los Angeles (LAX) to Sydney (SYD) costs 165,000 Virgin Points.
Yes, Virgin Atlantic also partners with Hawaiian Airlines, which operates flights between Hawaii and Australia. For example, a one-way business class flight from Honolulu (HNL) to Sydney (SYD) costs 130,000 Virgin Points.
ANA Mileage Club offers first-class flights from the US to Australia for 225,000 miles round trip.
Yes, Qantas Airways offers first-class flights from Los Angeles (LAX) to Sydney (SYD) for 70,000 Alaska miles.
