Flying to Europe in business class doesn’t get any cheaper – or snazzier – than this. A new promo from Turkish Airlines gets you 30% off each and every award ticket booked using Turkish miles, bringing the cost for a business class award to Europe down to just 31,500 miles each way … or 63,000 miles roundtrip!
That’s as cheap as it gets – it’s less than most airlines charge for economy. You can use this sale to book a trip through mid-May 2022. You could stick with a simple nonstop trip to Istanbul (IST) or connect onward throughout Europe, from London-Heathrow (LHR) to Athens (ATH) and almost anywhere in between. Or you can even head to the Middle East, Maldives, or anywhere else in Turkish’s network and still get 30% off.
Thrifty Tip: Our favorite way to earn Turkish miles is the new Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, which currently offers a 100,000-mile bonus after spending $10,000 within the first six months. That means you’ll earn at least 120,000 miles, which you can transfer to get 120,000 Turkish miles.
To get these rates, you’ll need to book by Dec. 31. And while travel through May 15, 2022 is eligible for the 30% discount, you’ll find blackout dates from April 7 through April 25. Plus, not all dates throughout the winter and spring will have availability at these low rates.
Want more award alerts like this one, plus the cheapest domestic and international fares? Try Thrifty Traveler Premium!
There’s no need to punch in a promo code or anything: Any results you find through TurkishAirlines.com will reflect the 30% discount, when available. You’ll just need a Turkish Miles & Smiles account – but you may want to search for award space through another website like United.com first. Keep reading for a full rundown on how to book these tickets!
Just what you’ll pay in taxes and fees depends on where you’re going. Expect to pay $380 or so for roundtrip flights to Istanbul and closer to $500 per person if you’re connecting elsewhere in Europe. That’s a small price to pay for these deeply discounted tickets.
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Fares booked with Turkish miles can be changed for free or have a $25 redeposit fee if you decide to cancel. But Turkey is already open to American travelers today: Vaccinated travelers and those who have recovered from COVID-19 will not need to provide a negative COVID-19 test. All other travelers must present a negative PCR test result taken no more than 72 hours prior to departure.
Turkish Airlines is renowned for its second-to-none catering in business class and an outstanding lounge at its brand new Istanbul (IST) megahub. Some of these U.S. routes feature older seats that are less impressive, so look for flights on the airline’s newest Boeing 787s or Airbus A350-900s.
To catch a ride in these newer seats, your best bet is looking at select flights from Atlanta (ATL), Houston-Intercontinental (IAH), Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW), New York City (JFK), and occasionally Chicago-O’Hare (ORD). But not every single flight from these cities is operated on a newer plane, and Turkish is notorious for last-minute equipment swaps. So you’ll need to be vigilant.
You’ll want to find award availability first. Fortunately, there’s plenty of award space that shouldn’t be a problem.
Your best bet is to head to United.com and search from one of the cities listed above with stellar award availability. You’ll find the most award space from January through early May 2022.
Filter only for nonstop flights in business class to get a look at what’s bookable. For example, it’s pretty easy to find dates that work flying from Newark (EWR) to Istanbul (IST) early next year. If you’re aiming to connect onward into Europe, it shouldn’t be a problem: Shorthaul business class availability is typically wide-open.
Of course, you could book these flights through United using 77,000 miles and call it good – along with several other programs like 88,000 ANA Mileage Club miles roundtrip or 63,000 Avianca LifeMiles each way. But with this 30% discount, you’ll want to book through Turkish.
Plug a date you found through United into Turkish to confirm the dates you want are available. You can book either one-way or round-trip and still get these savings. Unfortunately, some dates that are available via United will price out much higher through Turkish, so it may require some trial-and-error to make things work at 31,500 miles each way.
For example, here’s a one-way award in business class from Newark (EWR) to Athens (ATH) booked using Turkish miles.
If you’ve never used Turkish Airlines before, you’ll need to create a Miles & Smiles account before searching for award flights like this one. When Turkish asks you to set a password, what it really wants is a six-digit PIN.
But remember, never transfer points to one of these airline programs until you’ve confirmed that the flights you want are available. These transfers are a one-way street: Once you send them out, you’re not getting them back.
Bottom Line
What a phenomenal promotion.
Even without a 30% discount, using Turkish miles is one of the cheapest ways to get to Europe. And Turkishbusiness class is among the best in the world.
This 30% promotion brings the cost to Europe down to just 63,000 miles roundtrip, and that’s unbeatable. Just be sure to book your 2022 trip by the end of the year before these deeply discounted promotional rates disappear.
