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With more banks than ever offering transferable points and miles, it’s now vital to understand the best ways to redeem these different currencies.
This guide is an absolute must-read before you do anything with your Capital One miles, as we’ll focus on demonstrating the value you can get from transferring Capital One miles to airline and hotel partners.
You can also redeem your miles as a statement credit (towards a travel purchase) at 1 cent per mile — in other words, if you redeem 50,000 miles, you would receive a $500 travel statement credit — but as we will illustrate below, there are now tons of ways to get significantly better value than that.
Business Owner? Check out our article on the best Capital One business cards that earn Capital One miles.
Transfer Capital One Miles to Airline and Hotel Partners
Capital One currently has several airline and hotel transfer partners. Depending on which transfer partner you use, your Capital One miles will transfer at a 1:1, 2:1.5, or 2:1 ratio. Most of its best transfer partners maintain a 1:1 ratio, so don’t worry about some of the subpar transfer ratios!
Remember that transfers cannot be undone, so you will need to be certain of your travel plans and award availability before committing.
With Capital One’s transfer partners, you will actually have access to all 3 major airline alliances: Star Alliance, Oneworld, and SkyTeam.
Also, don’t bet on these transfer partners being the only ones — Capital One has slowly added more partners over time.
In addition, you will have access to some interesting airlines that don’t partner with any other currency besides Marriott Bonvoy, including Finnair Plus!
As we talked about above, there are 2 main ways to use Capital One miles:
Statement credit for travel purchases at 1 cent per mile
Transfer to airline partners for up to 20 cents per mile!
There’s greater flexibility with using the statement credit option since you don’t need to search for award availability and deal with calling airlines and such.
You can technically transfer your Capital One miles to hotel partners, but we don’t recommend this approach due to the low value you will get from hotel partners.
But we’re going to focus on the second method, which will definitely multiply the value you get out of your miles. Your miles are precious, and we should treat them as such!
1. Fly Lufthansa First Class Without Surcharges to Europe (87,000 Miles Transferred to Avianca)
Lufthansa first class is an awe-inspiring first class product. Image Credit: Greg Stone
Lufthansa first class is, rightfully, on the top of many travelers’ bucket lists. But if you’ve done any research or have experience in award travel to Europe, you’ll know that there are tons of fuel surcharges on flights to Europe.
These fuel surcharges are often deal-breakers for award travelers, because what’s the point of using your miles if you have to pay ~$1,500 on top of that? The way around this is to use a frequent flyer program that doesn’t pass on fuel surcharges.
Since Lufthansa is quite an aspirational first class product, the biggest challenge is in finding award availability.
Remember that Lufthansa first class almost never releases award availability to its partners more than 15 days in advance. This means planning ahead can be difficult.
Here are some example routes you can fly that generally have good availability. All prices are 87,000 Capital One miles one-way transferred to Avianca LifeMiles, plus $61 in taxes and fees:
Chicago (ORD) — Frankfurt (FRA)
New York (JFK) — Frankfurt (FRA)
Newark (EWR) — Frankfurt (FRA)
2. Fly Etihad Business Class Without Surcharges to Abu Dhabi (82,500 Miles Transferred to Air Canada)
Etihad Airways Airbus A380 Business Studio seat. Image Credit: Greg Stone
By transferring 82,500 Capital One miles to your Air Canada account, you’ll end up with 82,500 Aeroplan points — the exact amount you need for your booking! Better yet, Air Canada does not pass on carrier-imposed surcharges on flights with Etihad.
Here are 2 example routes you can take:
London (LHR) — Abu Dhabi (AUH) for 45,000 Capital One miles + ~$45 in taxes and fees
New York (JFK) — Abu Dhabi (AUH) for 82,500 Capital One miles + ~$45 in taxes and fees
3. Fly SWISS Business Class to Europe (63,000 Miles Transferred to Avianca)
SWISS business class is chic and luxurious. Image Credit: SWISS
Using Avianca LifeMiles is fantastic, especially for Star Alliance redemptions to Europe. It’s one of the only ways to avoid fuel surcharges and still pay reasonable mileage prices to fly to Europe.
Flying on one-way in SWISS business class is another solid way to use your Capital One miles. By transferring just 63,000 Capital One miles to Avianca LifeMiles, you’ll be able to fly from the U.S. to Europe!
Your total taxes and fees will be around $61, which is an excellent way to save big for business class flights to Europe.
Here are some example routes you can take. All prices are 63,000 Capital One miles one-way transferred to Avianca LifeMiles, plus $61 in taxes and fees:
Los Angeles (LAX) — Zurich (ZRH)
Miami (MIA) — Zurich (ZRH)
New York (JFK) — Geneva (GVA)
4. Fly Transcontinental Business Class in the U.S. on United Airlines (25,000 Miles Transferred to Avianca)
United Polaris 787-10. Image Credit: Stephen Au
Another fantastic way to use Capital One miles is for transcontinental business-class flights in the U.S. on United Airlines.
Since United has moved away from first class on flagship products in favor of its Polaris business class, award travelers now benefit from business class pricing for award flights.
New York (JFK) — Los Angeles (LAX) for 25,000 Capital One miles + ~$61 in taxes and fees
New York (JFK) — San Francisco (SFO) for 25,000 Capital One miles + ~$61 in taxes and fees
Newark (EWR) — Los Angeles (LAX) for 25,000 Capital One miles + ~$61 in taxes and fees
Newark (EWR) — San Francisco (SFO) for 25,000 Capital One miles + ~$61 in taxes and fees
Hot Tip: This is a fantastic way to try out United Airlines’ brand-new flagship Polaris product on the 787-10. Be sure to book your Polaris flight with the newest widebody seats, direct aisle access, and lie-flat capabilities, or you may be sorely disappointed.
5. Fly to Africa in Business Class on United (78,000 Miles Transferred to Avianca)
For those interested in travel to Africa, you can rejoice to know that United flies its Polaris class product with direct aisle access, fully lie-flat seats, excellent service, and loads of privacy from Washington, D.C. and Newark!
Here’s the route we are talking about:
Newark (EWR) — Cape Town (CPT) one-way in business class on United Airlines for 78,000 Capital One miles transferred to Avianca LifeMiles, plus $61 in taxes and fees
Newark (EWR) — Johannesburg (JNB) one-way in business class on United Airlines for 78,000 Capital One miles transferred to Avianca LifeMiles, plus $61 in taxes and fees
Washington, D.C. (IAD) — Accra (ACC) one-way in business class on United Airlines for 78,000 Capital One miles transferred to Avianca LifeMiles, plus $61 in taxes and fees
6. Fly From Tokyo to New Zealand in Business Class on Air New Zealand (40,000 Miles Transferred to Avianca)
Air New Zealand business class. Image Credit: Air New Zealand
Yet another great use of Capital One miles is for flights between North Asia and Australia or New Zealand.
Air New Zealand is an exotic airline that offers a fantastic business class product. You can expect locally-inspired cuisine, a fantastic reverse herringbone layout, totally lie-flat seats, and warm service throughout the flight.
How much is this 10- to 11-hour flight? Only 40,000 Capital One miles transferred to LifeMiles! Here’s a great example route you can take:
Tokyo (NRT) — Auckland (AKL) one-way in business class on Air New Zealand for 40,000 Capital One miles transferred to Avianca LifeMiles, plus $61 in taxes and fees
Hot Tip: The challenge here will be in finding award availability, but it tends to be much better for Air New Zealand flights outside the U.S.
7. Fly From Tokyo to Australia in Business Class on ANA (40,000 Miles Transferred to Avianca)
ANA business class. Image Credit: Stephen Au
Good news: the same price is valid for flights in the other direction! If you’ve already tried Air New Zealand, you will be pleased to find out that ANA also offers flights between Japan and Australia.
Of course, this slightly shorter flight of ~9 to 10 hours will cost the same as flights to New Zealand! Here’s an example route that you can take:
Tokyo (HND) — Sydney (SYD) one-way in business class on ANA for 40,000 Capital One miles transferred to Avianca LifeMiles plus $61 in taxes and fees
8. Fly From Tokyo to Hong Kong in Business Class on ANA (22,500 Miles Transferred to Avianca)
This lie-flat ANA business class seat can be yours with some planning! Image Credit: Stephen Au
Let’s pivot for a second to another little-known sweet spot: business class flights within North Asia.
When using LifeMiles, you can fly an astonishing 5 to 6 hours on Star Alliance flights within this region for only 22,500 Capital One miles!
Here’s an example route you can take:
Tokyo-Haneda (HND) — Hong Kong (HKG) one-way in business class on ANA for 22,500 Capital One miles transferred to Avianca LifeMiles, plus $61 in taxes and fees
Bottom Line: This is a phenomenal redemption — you’ll be able to spend over 5 hours in a completely lie-flat business class seat for only 22,500 Capital One miles!
9. Fly From Bangkok to New Zealand in Business Class on THAI (40,000 Miles Transferred to Avianca)
Thai Airways business class. Image Credit: Thai Airways
The last couple of Capital One mile redemptions with Avianca LifeMiles we’ll discuss are from Southeast Asia to Australia or New Zealand.
We love THAI here because it has a phenomenal hospitality record, particularly in business and first class. However, we wouldn’t normally suggest THAI for business class flights, seeing as how the seating arrangement is typically bizarre and lackluster.
But it’s a totally different story on its 787-9 to Auckland. Great LifeMiles prices coupled with the fact that it’s flying some new business class seats on routes between Bangkok and the South Pacific, and we’d be doing a disservice if we didn’t discuss this.
Thai Airways is flying its brand new 787-9 on some flights between Bangkok (BKK) and Auckland (AKL). This 11- to 12-hour flight in amazing reverse-herringbone business class seats with superb service will run you only 40,000 Capital One miles!
Bangkok (BKK) — Auckland (AKL) one-way in business class on THAI for 40,000 Capital One miles transferred to Avianca LifeMiles, plus $61 in taxes and fees
10. Fly to Europe in American Airlines Flagship Business Class (50,000 Miles Transferred to Etihad)
Etihad provides better redemption rates for business and first-class on American Airlines. Image Credit: American Airlines
Want to fly on AA’s Flagship 777 somewhere else besides Hong Kong?
You’re in luck! AA also flies the 777 from Los Angeles (LAX) to London (LHR).
As usual, we always suggest business class on AA over first class, simply because the hard product is excellent and you don’t have to shell out very much to try it.
Award availability is very sparse on this flight, as is the case for many of AA’s Flagship products. Here’s what you’re looking at for this redemption:
Los Angeles (LAX) — London (LHR) one-way in Flagship Business class on American Airlines for 50,000 Capital One miles transferred to Etihad Guest, plus ~$28 in taxes and fees
11. Fly to Europe in American Airlines Flagship First Class (62,500 Miles Transferred to Etihad)
American Airlines Flagship First class. Image Credit: American Airlines
If you’re intrigued by the idea of flying on the same route as above in first class, then we have some good news. The Etihad Guest award chart for flights on AA continues to amaze us. Why? Because you can fly to London from Los Angeles in first class for not much more than business class!
The cabin is only 8 seats spread across 2 rows in a 1-2-1 configuration, so it’s ridiculously private.
On the flip side, award availability for 2 passengers is nearly impossible to find. Availability for 1 passenger is significantly more doable. Nevertheless, if you’re able to find it, you might want to book now and figure everything out later.
Here’s a great example redemption:
Los Angeles (LAX) — London (LHR) one-way in Flagship First class on American Airlines for 62,500 Capital One miles transferred to Etihad Guest, plus ~$28 in taxes and fees
12. Fly to Brazil in American Airlines Flagship Business Class (50,000 Miles Transferred to Etihad)
American also flies Flagship on the 777 from Miami to Brazil. Image Credit: Chris Hassan
Thinking of more exotic destinations? How about a place like South America?
Booking with Etihad Guest miles on AA flights is still a great use of your Capital One miles. Currently, American Airlines operates a Flagship 777 from New York to São Paulo.
This ~10-hour flight is quite a journey. Here are the route details:
New York (JFK) — São Paulo (GRU) one-way in Flagship Business class on American Airlines for 50,000 Capital One miles transferred to Etihad Guest, plus ~$28 in taxes and fees
Hot Tip: Despite having the same Flagship products, award availability is much better on flights to/from South America than, say, London or Hong Kong.
13. Fly to Argentina in American Airlines Flagship First Class (62,500 Miles Transferred to Etihad)
Enjoy access to Admirals Clubs and Flagship Lounges when you fly Flagship First class. Image Credit: Chris Hassan
If you want to fly to Argentina, you can also fly AA’s Flagship First class. Here’s a great example:
Miami (MIA) — Buenos Aires (EZE) one-way in Flagship First class on American Airlines for 62,500 Capital One miles transferred to Etihad Guest, plus ~$28 in taxes and fees
14. Fly to New Zealand in Business Class on American Airlines (62,500 Miles Transferred to Etihad)
Fly American Airlines’ 787-9 in business class to New Zealand! Image Credit: Stephen Au
American Airlines is one of the world’s biggest airlines in terms of many metrics, including the number of planes flown.
Its fantastic long-haul network is not limited to Hong Kong, London, Brazil, and Argentina — it also recently restarted a 787 Dreamliner service from Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) to Auckland (AKL)!
Although not quite as awesome as the Flagship Business class, the 787 business class product is solid, especially if it means you can fly straight to New Zealand without transiting. Here’s the route suggestion and associated costs:
Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) — Auckland (AKL) one-way in business class on American Airlines for 62,500 Capital One miles transferred to Etihad Guest, plus ~$52 in taxes and fees
This pricing is phenomenal for travel between the U.S. and the South Pacific, which is a traditionally expensive route. Just keep in mind that it’s extremely difficult to find award availability on this route.
15. Fly From the East Coast to Europe in Business Class on Brussels Airlines (44,000 Miles Transferred to Etihad)
Brussels Airlines business class consists of fully lie-flat seats. Image Credit: Brussels Airlines
Let’s talk about some of the other partners you can use Etihad Guest miles with. Etihad Airways partners with tons of airlines, and it employs a different award chart for each airline.
As if this couldn’t get complicated enough, some airlines use a region-based award chart, while others use a distance-based award chart.
In this example, we’ll talk about Brussels Airlines, which offers a fabulous business class product!
Unfortunately, you must fly from eastern North America and choose from 3 airports: New York (JFK), Washington, D.C. (IAD), or Toronto (YYZ).
For 44,000 Etihad Guest miles, which can be transferred from Capital One miles, you can fly one-way to Brussels (BRU) in business class.
This is a fantastic use of miles because of the solid business class product and great redemption price. The only issue is that there’s little route flexibility.
Here are the route offerings:
New York (JFK), Washington, D.C. (IAD), or Toronto (YYZ) — Brussels (BRU) one-way in business class on Brussels Airlines for 44,000 Capital One miles transferred to Etihad Guest, plus ~$100 in taxes and fees
16. Fly From the West Coast to Japan in Business Class on ANA (63,000 Miles Transferred to Etihad)
Enjoy the comfort of ANA business class. Image Credit: Stephen Au
Unfortunately, one of the challenges with ANA is booking one-way awards. This is where Etihad Guest comes in.
You can book one-way business class on ANA from the West Coast U.S. to Tokyo using the distance-based award chart.
It’s not a good idea to fly from other areas of the U.S., because the distance-based award chart is such that flying from Houston or New York is significantly more expensive.
For this reason, we suggest flying from either Los Angeles (LAX) or San Francisco (SFO) to Tokyo (NRT/HND).
This route will cost 63,000 Capital One miles transferred to Etihad Guest. Taxes and fees will hover at around $364 per person for one-way flights and around $762 for round-trip flights.
17. Fly From New York to Belgrade in Business Class on Air Serbia (64,000 Miles Transferred to Etihad)
Enjoy a lie-flat seat in business class aboard an A330. Image Credit: Air Serbia
Want to fly to Serbia? This next redemption is pretty cool because it’s very niche and is also a solid business class product!
We’re talking about Air Serbia’s business class from New York (JFK) to Belgrade (BEG), the capital of Serbia. For 64,000 Capital One miles transferred to Etihad Guest plus $418 in taxes and fees, you’ll be able to fly nonstop from the U.S. to Serbia in business class.
Notice that taxes and fees are pretty high here, so be mindful of that. This flight is booked at 8 hours 40 minutes, which is a bit of a journey, though not as long as some other flights.
18. Fly From the U.S. to Casablanca in Business Class on Royal Air Maroc (44,000 Miles Transferred to Etihad)
Royal Air Maroc’s business class product is a unique way to use your Capital One miles. Image Credit: Royal Air Maroc
Royal Air Maroc is Morocco’s flag carrier, so it makes sense that most of its routes involve the city of Casablanca.
Fun Fact: Did you know that neither Casablanca nor Marrakesh is the capital city of Morocco? It’s actually Rabat.
Though Royal Air Maroc’s current 2-2-2 business class configuration is perfectly satisfactory, the airline actually has reverse herringbone 1-2-1 seating available on its 787-9 Dreamliners! These aren’t deployed on any routes reliably, so be sure to check before booking!
In this case, you can use Etihad Guest miles transferred from Capital One miles to book a one-way flight between the U.S. and Casablanca for an awesome price! How awesome, you might ask?
These routes are what we’re referring to:
New York (JFK) — Casablanca (CMN) one-way in business class on Royal Air Maroc for 44,000 Capital One miles transferred to Etihad Guest, plus just $217 in taxes and fees!
Washington, D.C. (IAD) — Casablanca (CMN) one-way in business class on Royal Air Maroc for 44,000 Capital One miles transferred to Etihad Guest, plus just $217 in taxes and fees!
19. Fly From Sri Lanka to Tokyo in Business Class on SriLankan Airlines (60,000 Miles Transferred to Etihad)
Enjoy excellent service in SriLankan business class. Image Credit: SriLankan Airlines
Want another sweet redemption? Fly 7 hours between Colombo (CMB) and Tokyo (NRT) in SriLankan Airlines’ business class for only 60,000 Capital One miles transferred to Etihad Guest!
This flight features an awesome A330 with a 1-2-1 reverse herringbone business class arrangement. As we stated above, this seating arrangement is incredibly private, and the food seems to be decent!
20. Fly to India in Business Class on Air India (85,000 Miles Transferred to Air Canada)
Air India’s business class is known as executive class. Image Credit: Air India
Now that we’ve talked about the 2 most useful Capital One transfer partners in Avianca LifeMiles and Etihad Guest miles, let’s shift over to Air Canada Aeroplan.
Air Canada’s Aeroplan is super useful, particularly for stopovers and “mini round-the-world awards” that we’ll get to later. First, let’s talk about Air India!
This airline doesn’t get a lot of love, but here’s what it offers: no-frills nonstop business class flights to India.
India is pretty far from America, so for someone who values their time highly, it might be worth it to “stick it out” in Air India’s “inferior” business class if it means you avoid the headache of transiting through airports and such.
Air Canada Aeroplan can help serve your needs here. For flights between the U.S. and India, you can transfer 85,000 Capital One miles to Aeroplan to book a one-way business class flight on Air India.
Here are several example routes you can take:
Chicago (ORD) — Delhi (DEL) one-way in business class on Air India for 85,000 Capital One miles transferred to Air Canada Aeroplan, plus $45 in taxes and fees
New York (JFK) — Mumbai (BOM) one-way in business class on Air India for 85,000 Capital One miles transferred to Air Canada Aeroplan, plus $45 in taxes and fees
San Francisco (SFO) — Delhi (DEL) one-way in business class on Air India for 85,000 Capital One miles transferred to Air Canada Aeroplan, plus $45 in taxes and fees
21. Fly Lufthansa First Class With a Stopover in Germany on Lufthansa (From 95,000 Miles Transferred to Air Canada)
Lufthansa A380 first class. Image Credit: Greg Stone
The first redemption we talked about was using Avianca LifeMiles to fly Lufthansa first class without surcharges for 87,000 Capital One miles.
With Aeroplan, you will pay as few as 90,000 miles for a one-way first class ticket on Lufthansa, and you can add a stopover on one-way tickets for 5,000 miles!
This is one of the only ways you can get a stopover in Germany on Lufthansa for a great price using Capital One miles.
Here are a few Lufthansa first class itineraries:
Boston (BOS) — Frankfurt (FRA) – Milan (MXP) one-way in Lufthansa first class with a stopover in Frankfurt for 95,000 Capital One miles transferred to Air Canada, plus $46 in taxes and fees
Boston (BOS) — Frankfurt (FRA) – Prague (PRG) one-way in Lufthansa first class with a stopover in Frankfurt for 95,000 Capital One miles transferred to Air Canada, plus $46 in taxes and fees
Chicago (ORD) — Frankfurt (FRA) – Johannesburg (JNB) one-way in Lufthansa first class with a stopover in Frankfurt for 135,000 Capital One miles transferred to Air Canada, plus $46 in taxes and fees
22. Fly to Europe in Business Class with a Stopover in Switzerland on SWISS (75,000 Miles Transferred to Air Canada)
SWISS business class. Image Credit: SWISS
Here’s another great way to use Aeroplan to your advantage.
The second redemption we talked about in this guide is on SWISS in business class. With Avianca LifeMiles, you can book this for 84,000 Capital One miles. But with Aeroplan, you can book the same flight for 75,000 Capital One miles and add another 5,000 Capital One miles for a stopover!
Also, you will absolutely not need to pay for fuel surcharges! Taxes and fees will be around $62.
Here are several example routes:
Boston (BOS) — Zurich (ZRH) – Venice (VCE) one-way in business class on SWISS with a stopover in Zurich for 75,000 Capital One miles, plus $72 in taxes and fees
Chicago (ORD) — Zurich (ZRH) – Athens (ATH) one-way in business class on SWISS with a stopover in Zurich for 75,000 Capital One miles, plus $72 in taxes and fees
Los Angeles (LAX) — Zurich (ZRH) one-way in business class on SWISS for 75,000 Capital One miles, plus $72 in taxes and fees
23. Fly to New Zealand in Business Class on Air New Zealand (From 75,000 Miles Transferred to Air Canada)
If you have a chance, you can also try the Air New Zealand 787 Dreamliner business class product! Regardless of what plane you fly, Air New Zealand business class is a fun way to fly nonstop! Image Credit: Air New Zealand
Let’s fly to New Zealand on Air New Zealand!
You can book Air New Zealand’s fabulous business class one-way for as few as 75,000 Capital One miles transferred to Aeroplan, plus $92 in taxes and fees.
Here are a few great example routes:
Chicago (ORD) — Auckland (AKL) one-way in business class on Air New Zealand’s 777 business class for 85,000 Capital One miles transferred to Aeroplan
Houston (IAH) — Auckland (AKL) one-way in business class on Air New Zealand’s 777 business class for 75,000 Capital One miles transferred to Aeroplan
San Francisco (SFO) — Auckland (AKL) one-way in business class on Air New Zealand’s 777 business class for 75,000 Capital One miles transferred to Aeroplan
24. Fly From Hawaii to Southern South America in Business Class on United Airlines (60,000 Miles Transferred to Air Canada)
Booking the coveted United Polaris class with lie-flat seats is one of the best ways to use your hard-earned miles! Image Credit: United Airlines
Flying from Hawaii to southern South America is significantly cheaper than flying from the continental U.S.
We can take advantage of these generous award prices by piecing together United Airlines flights in business class.
Though not the real Polaris business class, you can still fly comfortably from Hawaii to southern South America for only 60,000 Capital One miles.
Here’s the sole route you can take:
Honolulu (HNL) — Houston (IAH) — Buenos Aires (EZE) one-way in Polaris business class on United Airlines for 60,000 Capital One miles transferred to Aeroplan plus $141 in taxes and fees
25. Fly to Asia in Business Class (75,000 Miles Transferred to Air Canada)
Enjoy direct aisle access and a lie-flat seat in business class on EVA Air. Image Credit: i viewfinder via Shutterstock
For 75,000 to 85,000 Capital One miles, you can fly one-way from the U.S. to Asia, which includes countries like Taiwan.
Flying to Asia in first class is also a great use of your miles! Traveling in ANA first class would be our go-to option here.
These are some example routes you can take:
Chicago (ORD) — Tokyo (HND) one-way in first class on ANA for 110,000 Capital One miles transferred to Aeroplan, plus $55 in taxes and fees
New York (JFK) — Tokyo (HND) one-way in first class on ANA for 110,000 Capital One miles transferred to Aeroplan, plus $55 in taxes and fees
Washington, D.C. (IAD) — Tokyo (NRT) one-way in first class on ANA for 110,000 Capital One miles transferred to Aeroplan, plus $55 in taxes and fees
27. Fly to South Korea in Business Class (75,000 Miles Transferred to Air Canada)
Enjoy Asiana Airlines business class! Image Credit: Stephen Au
Aeroplan lumps the South Pacific and Asia into 1 main region called the Pacific. After that, a distance-based award chart applies.
These countries include Korea and China.
Here are some example routes you can take:
Los Angeles (LAX) — Seoul (ICN) one-way in business class on Asiana Airlines for 75,000 Capital One miles transferred to Aeroplan, plus $55 in taxes and fees
New York (JFK) — Seoul (ICN) one-way in business class on Asiana Airlines for 75,000 Capital One miles transferred to Aeroplan, plus $55 in taxes and fees
San Francisco (SFO) — Seoul (ICN) one-way in business class on Asiana Airlines for 75,000 Capital One miles transferred to Aeroplan, plus $55 in taxes and fees
28. Fly to China Nonstop in First Class (110,000 Miles Transferred to Air Canada)
Using Capital One miles for a flight in first class on Air China between London and Beijing is a great way to fly. Image Credit: Air China
You can also fly first class to China nonstop using Aeroplan points.
Here are example routes you can take:
Los Angeles (LAX) — Beijing (PEK) one-way in first class on Air China for 110,000 Capital One miles transferred to Aeroplan, plus $45 in taxes and fees
New York (JFK) — Beijing (PEK) one-way in first class on Air China for 110,000 Capital One miles transferred to Aeroplan, plus $45 in taxes and fees
San Francisco (SFO) — Beijing (PEK) one-way in first class on Air China for 110,000 Capital One miles transferred to Aeroplan, plus $45 in taxes and fees
Hot Tip: As China begins reopening, we’ll keep our eyes peeled as to when Air China reinstates its first class-equipped aircraft.
29. Fly to Africa in Business Class (From 85,000 Miles Transferred to Air Canada)
Turkish Airlines Boeing 787-9 business class. Image Credit: Greg Stone
Aeroplan lumps Africa into the Atlantic zone, along with Europe, the Middle East, and South Asia. There is tons of variety in which flights you can take.
Itineraries that are 6,001 to 8,000 miles in distance will cost 85,000 Aeroplan points in business class, while itineraries greater than 8,000 miles will cost 100,000 Aeroplan points in business class.
Most will be operated by either Lufthansa or South African Airways.
If you can, you might actually want to route through Turkish Airlines or SWISS in lieu of Lufthansa, which has mediocre business class seats.
For as few as 85,000 Capital One miles, you can fly from America to this region. Here are a few great example routes you can take:
New York (JFK) — Istanbul (IST) — Nairobi (NBO) one-way in business class on Turkish Airlines for 85,000 Capital One miles transferred to Aeroplan, plus $105 in taxes and fees
San Francisco (SFO) — Frankfurt (FRA) — Johannesburg (JNB) one-way in business class on Lufthansa for 85,000 Capital One miles transferred to Aeroplan, plus $105 in taxes and fees
As a reminder, you can add a stopover for an additional 5,000 Aeroplan points!
30. Book Emirates Business Class From the Central and West Coast U.S. to Dubai and Beyond (110,000 Miles Transferred to Air Canada)
Emirates A380 business class. Image Credit: Emirates
Although Capital One has transfer partnerships with Emirates, you’ll notice some enormous fuel surcharges tacked onto almost all flights if you book award travel through Emirates Skywards.
Luckily, Air Canada Aeroplan is one of the few frequent flyer programs that has access to Emirates award availability. Although first class redemptions are available (and don’t include carrier-imposed surcharges), the redemption prices are very high, so business class seems to be the sweet spot.
Currently, business class redemptions from the U.S. to Dubai will cost around 110,000 Aeroplan points + ~$84 in taxes and fees, which is an enormous reduction compared to the $824 in taxes and fees you’d have to pay per person if you booked through Emirates Skywards.
There is a catch, though, because Air Canada Aeroplan doesn’t have access to the same level of award availability as Emirates, so be sure to search directly on Aeroplan’s website before transferring any miles.
Here are some great example routes to consider booking:
Houston (IAH) — Dubai (DXB) — Johannesburg (JNB) one-way in Emirates business class for 110,000 Capital One miles transferred to Air Canada Aeroplan + ~$86 in taxes and fees
New York (JFK) — Dubai (DXB) — Nairobi (NBO) one-way in Emirates business class for 110,000 Capital One miles transferred to Air Canada Aeroplan + ~$86 in taxes and fees
Washington, D.C. (IAD) — Dubai (DXB) — Amman (AMM) one-way in Emirates business class for 110,000 Capital One miles transferred to Air Canada Aeroplan + ~$86 in taxes and fees
31. Book an Incredible First Class Product on Oman Air (From 65,000 Miles Transferred to Air Canada)
Oman Air Airbus A330 first class. Image Credit: Greg Stone
We think Oman Air is truly one of the best airlines in the world. But we believe that people sleep on Oman Air mostly because of its limited route network.
Whereas Emirates flies nonstop to a ton of different cities in the U.S., the furthest west that Oman Air flies is to London (LHR).
But if you happen to be planning a trip to Oman or are in the Middle East, one of the best AvGeek things to do is to book a luxurious Oman Air first class flight.
In this case, you can transfer Capital One miles to Air Canada Aeroplan to book first class flights. Here are some routes we have in mind:
Muscat (MCT) — Bangkok (BKK) on Oman Air first class for 65,000 Capital One miles transferred to Air Canada Aeroplan + ~$75 in taxes and fees
Muscat (MCT) — Kuala Lumpur (KUL) on Oman Air first class for 65,000 Capital One miles transferred to Air Canada Aeroplan + ~$75 in taxes and fees
Muscat (MCT) — London (LHR) on Oman Air first class for 65,000 Capital One miles transferred to Air Canada Aeroplan + ~$75 in taxes and fees
Paris (CDG) — Muscat (MCT) — Kuala Lumpur (KUL) on Oman Air first class for 100,000 Capital One miles transferred to Air Canada Aeroplan + ~$171
32. Book Oman Air Business Class to or From Muscat (From 45,000 Miles Transferred to Air Canada)
Image Credit: Oman Air
Oman Air’s lovely Apex Suites are bookable using Capital One miles transferred to Air Canada Aeroplan. This happens to be one of the few ways you can book Oman Air business class.
Currently, Oman Air’s hub is in Muscat (MCT), and you can book some of these great example routes:
Milan (MXP) — Muscat (MCT) — Jakarta (CGK) one-way in Oman Air business class for 80,000 Capital One miles transferred to Air Canada Aeroplan + ~$70 in taxes and fees
Muscat (MCT) — Bangkok (BKK) one-way in Oman Air business class for 60,000 Capital One miles transferred to Air Canada Aeroplan + ~$65 in taxes and fees
Muscat (MCT) — Kuala Lumpur (KUL) one-way in Oman Air business class for 60,000 Capital One miles transferred to Air Canada Aeroplan + ~$65 in taxes and fees
Muscat (MCT) — London (LHR) one-way in Oman Air business class for 45,000 Capital One miles transferred to Air Canada Aeroplan + ~$65 in taxes and fees
33. Fly From Europe to Mauritius in Business Class (60,000 Miles Transferred to Air Canada)
Air Mauritius business class. Image Credit: Air Mauritius
Mauritius is one of the most beautiful tropical destinations in the whole world — this island nation off of the coast of Eastern Africa can be accessed via nonstop flights from Europe.
Air Canada Aeroplan has an awesome partnership with Air Mauritius to offer lie-flat business class seats. Here are some great example routes you can book:
London (LHR) — Mauritius (MRU) one-way in Air Mauritius business class for 80,000 Capital One miles transferred to Air Canada Aeroplan + ~$345 in taxes and fees
Paris (CDG) — Mauritius (MRU) one-way in Air Mauritius business class for 60,000 Capital One miles transferred to Air Canada Aeroplan + ~$150 in taxes and fees
Hot Tip: Air Mauritius also flies nonstop to India, and business class tickets are bookable for 45,000 Aeroplan points + ~$46 in taxes and fees to cities like Delhi (DEL) and Mumbai (BOM).
34. Access Singapore Airlines Business Class Availability (From 60,000 Miles Transferred to Air Canada)
Singapore Airlines Airbus A350 Business Class Seat. Image Credit: Greg Stone
Normally, Singapore Airlines business class award availability is accessible on a practical basis if you have miles in Singapore Airlines’ own KrisFlyer frequent flyer program.
However, one of the newest improvements to Air Canada Aeroplan is the ability to access excellent business class award availability. Often, the prices on Air Canada Aeroplan are also much better than KrisFlyer’s.
Here are some great example U.S. routes you can book using Capital One miles transferred to Air Canada Aeroplan:
Houston (IAH) — Manchester (MAN) one-way in Singapore Airlines business class for 70,000 Capital One miles transferred to Air Canada Aeroplan + ~$35 in taxes and fees
Los Angeles (LAX) — Singapore (SIN) one-way in Singapore Airlines business class for 87,500 Capital One miles transferred to Air Canada Aeroplan + ~$35 in taxes and fees
New York (JFK) — Singapore (SIN) one-way in Singapore Airlines business class for 60,000 Capital One miles transferred to Air Canada Aeroplan + ~$35 in taxes and fees
San Francisco (SFO) — Singapore (SIN) one-way in Singapore Airlines business class for 87,500 Capital One miles transferred to Air Canada Aeroplan + ~$35 in taxes and fees
Seattle (SEA) – Singapore (SIN) one-way in Singapore Airlines business class for 87,500 Capital One miles transferred to Air Canada Aeroplan + ~$35 in taxes and fees
35. Oneworld Complex Multi-carrier Awards With Asia Miles (Cathay Pacific)
Qatar Airways QSuites. Image Credit: Alex Miller
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles has an incredibly complex series of award charts and routing rules. The gist? Building huge itineraries with 5+ flights on 5+ different airlines in business or first class is ridiculously cheap if you take the time to understand the program.
You can learn more about Cathay Pacific routing rules, but we won’t go in-depth. We’ll just talk about an exciting example redemption you can make:
Los Angeles (LAX) — Hong Kong (HKG) on American Airlines 777 Flagship Business class
Hong Kong (HKG) — Kuala Lumpur (KUL) on Cathay Pacific business class
Doha (DOH) — Hong Kong (HKG) on Qatar Airways Qsuites
Hong Kong (HKG) — Osaka (KIX) on Cathay Pacific 777 business class (it flies A330s, too!)
Tokyo (NRT) — Los Angeles (LAX) on Japan Airlines 777 Sky Suite business class
This entire itinerary, flying on 6 different business class products across 6 different countries for almost 65 hours, would only cost 210,000 Capital One miles transferred at a 1:1 ratio to Asia Miles!
Considering the round-trip between Los Angeles and Hong Kong is 150,000 Asia Miles by itself, this is a gigantic steal — almost like highway robbery!
36. Flying Blue Promo Rewards (Air France-KLM)
KLM’s older business class doesn’t have direct aisle access at every seat, but it is very comfortable. Image Credit: KLM
Flying Blue’s Promo Rewards get a lot of attention. Every month, Air France/KLM releases a small list of routes that will be available for booking with Flying Blue miles for 25% to 50% off!
Most of the routes are economy, but some are actually in business class. Of course, availability is first-come-first-serve, so be on the lookout for these.
37. Fly to Hawaii in Economy on Delta Air Lines (15,000 Miles Transferred to Air France)
Delta Airbus A220 economy class. Image Credit: Greg Stone
If you want to fly to Hawaii for some of the cheapest mileage costs, look at Air France. You can fly on Delta for as few as 15,000 Capital One miles transferred to Air France.
Here’s a great example route you can take:
Los Angeles (LAX) — Honolulu (HNL) one-way in economy for 15,000 Capital One miles transferred to Air France, plus $11 in taxes and fees
38. Fly on Delta One Suites (From 110,000 Miles Transferred to Air France)
Try Delta One’s Suites on flights to various cities, including Seoul, Amsterdam, Paris, and Tokyo! Image Credit: Delta
We love Delta One Suites. This fabulous new product has effectively catapulted Delta’s business class product on select flights to the top of the industry.
If you can find Level 1 availability, seriously consider using Air France to book your Delta One Suites.
Though Air France says that Delta One Suites can be booked “from” 85,000 Air France miles, you should realistically expect to pay 110,000 miles each way.
This means you’ll transfer 110,000 Capital One miles each way to book your Delta One Suite. Here are example routes:
Detroit (DTW) — Seoul (ICN) one-way in Delta One Suites for 110,000 Capital One miles transferred to Air France/KLM Flying Blue, plus $10 in taxes and fees
Minneapolis (MSP) — Tokyo (HND) one-way in Delta One Suites for 110,000 Capital One miles transferred to Air France/KLM Flying Blue, plus $10 in taxes and fees
New York (JFK) — Amsterdam (AMS) one-way in Delta One Suites for 110,000 Capital One miles transferred to Air France/KLM Flying Blue, plus $10 in taxes and fees
39. Fly to China in Business Class With Tons of Award Availability on China Eastern (From 115,000 Miles Transferred to Air France)
China Eastern business class. Image Credit: China Eastern
If you’re in a bind and need to travel to Asia but can’t seem to find award availability for any flights in business class, China Eastern is your savior.
It has a solid hard product in a 1-2-1 reverse herringbone configuration on its 777, though its soft product has been found somewhat lacking.
Nevertheless, if you want (nearly) guaranteed award availability and a bed to sleep in — look no further.
Again, Air France says business class flights start from 85,000 miles each way, but we find the most realistic number is 115,000 miles.
Here’s a sample route you can take:
Los Angeles (LAX) — Shanghai (PVG) one-way in business class on China Eastern for 115,000 Capital One miles transferred to Air France/KLM Flying Blue, plus $150 in taxes and fees
New York (JFK) — Shanghai (PVG) one-way in business class on China Eastern for 115,000 Capital One miles transferred to Air France/KLM Flying Blue, plus $150 in taxes and fees
San Francisco (SFO) — Shanghai (PVG) one-way in business class on China Eastern for 115,000 Capital One miles transferred to Air France/KLM Flying Blue, plus $150 in taxes and fees
Hot Tip: China Eastern was the poster child of solid award availability on flights to China pre-pandemic. We’ll see whether that’s still the case as China reopens!
40. Fly to Europe in Business Class on SkyTeam (From 53,000 Miles Transferred to Air France)
Air France’s new business class aboard the A350. Image Credit: Air France
We’re big fans of the Flying Blue loyalty program that Air France offers. For many connecting flights between the U.S. and Europe, you could need as few as 68,000 Flying Blue miles one-way.
For example, if you tried to fly from Los Angeles to Rome via Paris in Air France business class, it would cost you as few as 68,000 miles.
Here are a couple of great example redemptions you can make:
Los Angeles (LAX) — Paris (CDG) — Rome (FCO) one-way in business class on Air France for only 68,000 Capital One miles transferred to Air France/KLM Flying Blue, plus ~$270 in taxes and fees
San Francisco (SFO) — Paris (CDG) — Athens (ATH) one-way in business class on Air France for only 65,000 Capital One miles transferred to Air France/KLM Flying Blue, plus ~$270 in taxes and fees
41. East Coast to Dubai on Emirates: Economy for 45,000 Miles or Business for 94,500 Miles (Qantas)
Emirates A380 business class. Image Credit: Cherag Dubash
Emirates is known to have one of the best economy products and a fantastic business class. It is currently not in an alliance and only partners with a handful of airlines, which makes these award redemptions a little tougher to snag.
There are several East Coast cities in this mile range that fly direct to Dubai including Boston (BOS), New York (JFK), and Toronto (YYZ). For Emirates award flights, you should reference the first award chart; since the one-way distance is less than 7,000 flown miles, Zone 7 pricing applies.
If you’re based out of the East Coast of the U.S. or Toronto, you might get better award redemption pricing by using Qantas Frequent Flyer as opposed to Emirates Skywards or Air Canada Aeroplan.
42. Book ANA First Class for an Incredible Deal (From 55,000 Miles Transferred to Virgin Red)
ANA first class cabin. Image Credit: ANA
One of the best secrets about Capital One miles is its ability to transfer to Virgin Red. Virgin Red is Virgin’s rewards program, and if you link your Virgin Red account with your Virgin Atlantic Flying Club account, 1,000 Virgin Red points will be identical to 1,000 Virgin Atlantic Flying Club points.
So, by transferring miles to Virgin Red and linking your Virgin accounts together, you can access Flying Club redemptions!
And one of the absolute best ways to use miles in the whole world is to book ANA first class tickets. Here are some amazing ways you can book first class tickets worth $10K+:
Chicago (ORD) — Tokyo-Haneda/Narita (HND/NRT) one-way in ANA first class for 60,000 Capital One miles transferred to Virgin Red + ~$364 in taxes and fees
Los Angeles (LAX) — Tokyo-Haneda/Narita (HND/NRT) one-way in ANA first class for 55,000 Capital One miles transferred to Virgin Red + ~$364 in taxes and fees
New York (JFK) — Tokyo-Haneda/Narita (HND/NRT) one-way in ANA first class for 60,000 Capital One miles transferred to Virgin Red + ~$364 in taxes and fees
Hot Tip: If you’re interested in ANA’s awesome A380 first class, consider booking Honolulu (HNL) — Tokyo-Haneda/Narita (HND/NRT) one-way in ANA first class for 45,000 Capital One miles transferred to Virgin Red + ~$364 in taxes and fees
43. Book ANA Business Class for a Fantastic Deal (From 45,000 Miles Transferred to Virgin Red)
ANA New 777-300ER The Room business class. Image Credit: All Nippon Airways
Finding first class award availability on ANA is very, very challenging. So if you’re willing to accept an awesome business class experience if you can access better availability, it’s also incredibly valuable to redeem miles for ANA business class tickets through Virgin Atlantic Flying Club.
You can transfer Capital One miles to Virgin Red, link your Virgin Red and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club accounts together, and book one-way business class tickets on ANA for 45,000 to 47,500 Virgin points per person.
Here are some great example routes to consider booking:
Houston (IAH) — Tokyo (NRT) one-way in ANA business class for 47,500 Capital One miles transferred to Virgin Red + ~$364 in taxes and fees
San Francisco (SFO) — Tokyo (NRT) one-way in ANA business class for 45,000 Capital One miles transferred to Virgin Red + ~$364 in taxes and fees
Washington, D.C. (IAD) — Tokyo (NRT) one-way in ANA business class for 47,500 Capital One miles transferred to Virgin Red + ~$364 in taxes and fees
44. Access Better Award Availability by Booking Turkish Airlines Business Class to Türkiye and Beyond (From 120,000 Miles Transferred to Turkish Airlines)
Turkish Airlines 787-9 business class. Image Credit: Greg Stone
If you’ve procrastinated on planning your travel and want to book business class tickets to Europe, the Middle East, or Africa, you’ll be pleased to find out that you can access more abundant, albeit also more expensive, award availability by booking Turkish Airlines business class tickets through Turkish Airlines’ own Miles&Smiles loyalty program.
Capital One Miles is a 1:1 transfer partner with Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles, and the prices you’ll pay will depend on the award availability.
But the point is that this redemption option is made available to you if you have a bunch of miles and are willing to redeem more miles for guaranteed business class tickets.
Here are a few great example redemptions you can consider making. Keep in mind that these prices aren’t the lowest possible prices. Rather, they’re the prices we’ve found to be the most abundant:
Miami (MIA) — Istanbul (IST) — Johannesburg (JNB) one-way in Turkish Airlines business class for 200,000 Capital One miles transferred to Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles + ~$449 in taxes and fees per person
Seattle (SEA) — Istanbul (IST) — Tel Aviv (TLV) one-way in Turkish Airlines business class for 120,000 Capital One miles transferred to Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles + ~$449 in taxes and fees per person
Washington, D.C. (IAD) — Istanbul (IST) — Malé (MLE) one-way in Turkish Airlines business class for 120,000 Capital One miles transferred to Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles + ~$449 in taxes and fees per person
45. Book Qatar Airways Qsuites to Doha (From 70,000 Miles Transferred to British Airways)
Qatar Airways Qsuites are a sight to see. Image Credit: Greg Stone
Qatar Airways Qsuites is one of the snazziest business class experiences possible, and it’s possible to book these flights from the U.S. to Doha at an exceptional value using Capital One miles.
To be specific, you can redeem just 70,000 Capital One miles for a one-way flight between the U.S. and Doha in Qatar Airways Qsuites when transferred to British Airways Executive Club. Taxes and fees will be in the ballpark of ~$105, which is terrific!
Here are some great example routes to consider:
Atlanta (ATL) – Doha (DOH) one-way in Qatar Airways Qsuites for 70,000 Capital One miles transferred to British Airways Executive Club + ~$105 in taxes and fees per person
Chicago (ORD) – Doha (DOH) one-way in Qatar Airways Qsuites for 70,000 Capital One miles transferred to British Airways Executive Club + ~$105 in taxes and fees per person
Los Angeles (LAX) – Doha (DOH) one-way in Qatar Airways Qsuites for 70,000 Capital One miles transferred to British Airways Executive Club + ~$105 in taxes and fees per person
Other Transfer Partners
There are other transfer partners that are technically options here, including Qantas, Finnair, etc., but we don’t believe there’s much use at all for these transfer partners because their redemption costs are high or it’s incredibly difficult to use their frequent flyer programs.
How To Transfer Your Capital One Miles to Transfer Partners
Capital One login screen. Image Credit: Capital One
Step 2: Click Transfer Miles on the right side of your screen. Type in your frequent flyer number.
Image Credit: Capital One
Step 3: Type in the number of miles to transfer. Click Complete Transfer.
Image Credit: Capital One
Step 4: Receive confirmation. You can download the confirmation code for your records.
Image Credit: Capital One
Final Thoughts
There are tons of ways to redeem Capital One miles for maximum value. When transferring your miles, keep the transfer ratio in mind, as it is not always a 1:1 ratio like with Chase Ultimate Rewards.
We focused mostly on Avianca LifeMiles, Etihad Guest, Air France/KLM Flying Blue, and Air Canada Aeroplan here because these airlines provide consistent value with their miles and points.
Good luck redeeming your Capital One miles, and be sure to let us know your best redemptions in the comments below!
Capital One has a miles program called Capital One Miles and the miles you earn, redeem, and transfer are Capital One miles.
The value of a Capital One mile depends on where you are redeeming your miles. You can get a fixed value of 1 cent per point.
Airline partners of Capital One return a value up to 5 to 10 cents per miles!
That’s like getting a $100 ticket for the equivalent of about 1,000 to 2,000 Capital One miles.
If you transfer your miles to ALL Accor Live Limitless, you will get a flat value of €40 (~$49) per 2,000 miles, which is a value of 1.2 cents per mile with the 2:1 transfer ratio.
If you transfer your miles to Wyndham Rewards, your value will likely hover around 0.7 to 0.9 cents per mile.
Fly one-way to Hawaii from the U.S. for as few as 15,000 Capital One miles transferred to Air France/KLM Flying Blue. Also, you can transfer 15,000 Capital One miles to Turkish Airlines and book round-trip United economy tickets, but this is quite challenging to pull off in practice.
Fly one-way to Europe from the U.S. for as few as 12,500 Capital One miles transferred to Air France/KLM Flying Blue if you book economy Promo Rewards. Without Promo Rewards, it will cost around 25,000 Capital One miles transferred to Air France/KLM Flying Blue.
The short answer is no. The IRS and tax court decided, alongside Capital One, to treat frequent flyer miles or mileage awards as nontaxable.
To transfer your Capital One miles to partners:
Log in to Capital One.
Click on Rewards Miles just underneath your miles balance.
Click the blue Transfer Miles button on the right.
Type in your frequent flyer number for the program you want to transfer to.
Type the number of miles you want to transfer (the default is all your miles — don’t make that mistake!).
Click Complete Transfer.
Note: Miles transfers are irreversible! Once you do it, you can’t go back!
There are tons of ways to earn Capital One miles, but the big one is through spending on your Capital One miles-earning credit card.
You will generally see them pending when your statement closes, but allow up to 1 to 2 billing cycles to post.
If you’re in a hurry, you may call Capital One and speak to a customer representative to convert pending miles into posted miles. This is generally a “your mileage may vary” situation, but you might get lucky.
If you are desperate, you can also try to escalate to a supervisor.
Stephen is an established voice in the credit card space, with over 70 to his name. His work has been in publications like The Washington Post, and his Au Points and Awards Consulting Services is used by hundreds of clients.
Disclaimer: Any comments listed below are not from the bank advertiser, nor have they been reviewed or approved by them. No responsibility will be taken by the bank advertiser for these comments.
70 comments
Jung
March 07, 2019
It would not be wise to use Aeroplan miles to fly in business class to Asia 1 using 100,000 when another Capital One transfer partner, EVA Air only requires 80,000.
EVA Air charges 80,000 miles from Chicago, New York, Boston, and Toronto and 75,000 miles elsewhere from the United States. However, the transfer ratio is 2:1.5. Therefore, you will need 106,667 Capital One Miles to receive 80,000 miles or 100,000 Capital One Miles to receive 75,000 miles.
Furthermore, EVA Air’s award booking system is much more difficult to deal with that Air Canada Aeroplan. With Air Canada Aeroplan, you can complete bookings completely online without having to call anybody. Air Canada Aeroplan’s award search engine is the most robust and it will show nearly all options.
Patrick
April 24, 2019
TPG says that although Oman Air First Class is listed on Etihad Guest, when you call them, you cannot book Oman Air First Class…can you please verify if this is true?
Thanks for reading. You’re correct and we’ve updated our post accordingly.
Tim
May 03, 2019
“Oneworld Complex Multi-Carrier Awards With Asia Miles” … where would you search for this saver space? On AA or BA? Would then transfer to Asia Miles and call in?
You generally want to search for availability using BA. Then, call Asia Miles directly. Thanks for reading!
Mike
May 27, 2019
Do you know of any way to know when a special deal on a transfer is about to happen? I was pleasantly surprised a couple of months ago to see a very short term offer on Emirates, so that instead of 1000 Capital One miles equating to 500 Emirates miles (as normal) it was temporarily 1000 to 1000. Since then it’s back to 1000 = 500, and I see that there have been some short term deals on programs I don’t actually use. I’d love to see another deal on Emirates…
It’s impossible to predict when transfer bonuses will occur. One trend I’ve noticed is that Capital One adds transfer partners and inaugurates them with a transfer bonus. Other than that, there’s no way to predict. Thanks for reading!
Jossy
June 05, 2019
Hi! I am completely new to this points game, but it seems like a fun game to play! I would like to find 3 business seats to Seoul, Tokyo, and Osaka departing from LAX in mid August. Our dates are somewhat flexible. I have around 260k miles on the Venture card. I really only care to be in business for the long haul legs. Where do you think ill get the most value for them? Thanks for your time!!
Hey Jossy, 260,000 Capital One miles is approximately equivalent to 195,000 airline miles, assuming the 2:1.5 transfer ratio. Unfortunately, this isn’t enough for 3 one-way business class flights. Your best bet is to use 75,000 Aeroplan miles for a one-way flight per person in business class. Your trip is somewhat late in terms of planning for award flights. Usually, people either book award flights ~11 months in advance or 1-2 weeks in advance. Any other time is difficult to find availability. Thanks for reading!
Jossy
June 08, 2019
Hi Stephen,
Thanks for your input!! Maybe I’ll save them and see what Capital One adds in this next year. They don’t expire right? I have Amex points too. Transferring my Amex to ANA would be the best bet for Asia 1, right? Thanks so much!
For Tokyo, the best choice is to use Virgin Atlantic miles to book business or preferably first class travel on ANA.
For Korea, we’d suggest Air Canada Aeroplan for business class (AA miles is cheaper, but with no Korean-based partners and poor AA award availability, you might as well forget using AA miles). If you want first class, consider using Marriott points transferred to Korean Air. Other first class options include Avianca LifeMiles which charges 90,000 each way.
Soij
July 26, 2019
I just redeemed 300K points for cash. Then I read the article. Whoops. It took me 3 years to earn those miles. I’ll do better next time. Great article – thanks.
Choiboyee
July 29, 2019
I have 119,153 Cap One Miles. What’s my best use of them if I am planning a trip from IAD-MNL (10/1/19) & Osaka-IAD (10/15/19)?
I am planning to purchase the one way ticket between MNL and Osaka separately as I hear they are cheap and readily available for under $100.
I would like to fly business or first class and understand that these points would only cover one of the flights (preferably for the flight back home to DC).
I also have 99,374 Barclays points, 38,834 Citi Thank You points and 35,518 United Miles.
Thanks in advance for your advice!
Andrew Kunesh
August 09, 2019
Hello! One option for Osaka – Washington DC is to transfer 100,000 Capital One points to 75,000 Avianca LifeMiles. You can use these miles to fly one-way in business class on partners like United, ANA, Turkish, etc if there’s saver award space. For the outbound, you can transfer 35,000 Citi ThankYou points to LifeMiles to book a one-way economy ticket. Thanks!
tim
August 09, 2019
Hello, it sounds like I would need to know if award travel is available before I transfer miles for a trip—is that correct? Asking because I don’t want to be stuck with Aeroplan or Lifemiles and have no use for them.
Andrew Kunesh
August 09, 2019
Hi Tim, that’s correct. We always recommend searching for your award ticket before transferring. This gives you the best chance of booking the ticket you want. Plus, it keeps your miles flexible and ensures you’re not stuck with miles you may not have an immediate use for.
Tim
August 09, 2019
We have about 800k in miles to use to get from DC to NBO and then TNR, but it sounds like most of these programs have very little availability of award travel, so the miles might just be useless in this case anyway. How risky is it to wait two weeks in advance to try and get award travel? What is the best strategy to try and get these limited awards? TIA!
Andrew Kunesh
August 12, 2019
Hey Tim! We generally recommend searching for availability as far out as possible across all of the three alliances (Star Alliance, Oneworld, SkyTeam). Keep checking regularly if you can’t find award space right away. Further, we’ve seen space open at the two-week mark for some airlines (namely Lufthansa), but this can be risky during peak seasons.
Tim
August 13, 2019
Thanks! So, Lifemiles vs. Air Alaska vs. Aeroplan…Is one better than the other for getting from the US to Africa?
Andrew Kunesh
August 13, 2019
No problem, Tim!
Both Alaska MileagePlan and Aeroplan are great for travel to Africa. Alaska partners with Emirates and British Airways, both of whom have solid networks in Africa. On the other hand, Aeroplan partners with Lufthansa, South African Airways, and Brussels Airlines who can easily connect you to the continent.
We recommend using whichever loyalty program has availability on the route you want on the dates you’d like to travel. Don’t be afraid to mix and match points for the inbound and outbound either.
Best of luck planning your trip! Safe travels.
Scott
August 26, 2019
If I’m just planning on purchasing an economy class ticket rather than one of these special business class deals you mentioned, I’m confused how transferring my Capital One points to an airline partner at a 2:1.5 ratio rather than using simply redeeming them through Capital One works to my advantage if they’re losing 25% of their value. For example, I currently have 56,000 CapOne points. I’m considering moving them to Flying Blue, but then I’d only have 42,150 points. I looked up a random itinerary, flying one way from JFK>MEX on 1/13, and the amount of points it would cost me (~14,500) would be roughly the same, whether I booked through Capital One or Flying Blue. So all things being equal, wouldn’t I get more bang for my buck not transferring my points? Can you please explain this to me?
Scott, it is very possible that deeply discounted airplane tickets will be better booked directly on a bank portal such as Capital One. If you are looking to fly economy, you can utilize this method. Unfortunately, if you tried to book business class with the same method, you’d find it would cost upwards of 500,000-1,000,000 points each way.
Ashley Milford
February 14, 2020
thanks for the input. I have around 60K capital and trying to find the best usage of them. Wish i had enough for an international trip.
bob
September 04, 2019
OK, on one article on your website it says Brussels Airline from Washington was devalued back in 2017 so it costs 80,000 miles. This article was updated August 2019 and says same flight/graphics/article costs 58,667 Capital One miles. Do you guys fact check each other? Can you find these award flights before you join Etihad program?
The identical business class flights can be booked for different amounts of miles depending on which frequent flyer program. So, whereas the Capital One cost is as little as 58,667 miles, an airline like United charges 70,000 miles each way.
Yes, you can search on United Airlines to find availability and then call Etihad to book.
Selyne
October 23, 2019
Do you have any experience with flying to Japan?
I plan to take a trip with my fiance from late March to early April. We would be departing from Miami, FL and would like to fly into Tokyo and out of Osaka. Do you have any suggestions on whether or not it is best for me to book the trip with my Capital One Venture credit card and use the purchase eraser, or transfer our miles to a partnering airline. If so, any suggestions/experience on which airline?
I am overwhelmed by the abundance of options and don’t know which airline to choose. We currently have 83,000 miles with our Venture card and estimate that we will have 100,000+ by the time we take our trip. We would like to upgrade to the best available seats (Business Class) if possible/within our budget.
We don’t mind using all of our Venture points in order to make this arrangement, plus paying out of pocket another $1,200 each. Is flying business class for us even feasible? Side note: neither of us are members of any airline rewards/loyalty programs.
Andrew Kunesh
October 23, 2019
Hey Selyne, unfortunately, 100,000 Capital One points isn’t quite enough to book 2 people in business class to Japan. Likewise, there aren’t any good ways to upgrade a paid economy ticket using Capital One points. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news!
Emma
October 23, 2019
Great article. We have 400k CapOne Miles and were trying to book 2 ANA business class seats to Tokyo this spring (April/May) from the east coast (JFK or IAD) but it looks like all the J award seats are sold out. Does that sound right?
Any other airlines you would recommend to fly J to TYO? I think our only option would be to transfer to Aeroplan then book from there, but I could be wrong? We’ve never tried to travel back like this.
Thanks for reading! Flying on ANA is most likely your best bet. With the balance of miles you have, it’s important to get the best value for them. If you’d like a service that helps you earn and redeem points for the absolute best possible value, please send me an e-mail at stephen@upgradedpoints.com
Emma
October 23, 2019
Cool! Thanks for responding. If we search on United.com and no business saver award flights show up for the month of April or May is it safe to assume that all those seats have already sold? Or will ANA release more seats as we get closer to those dates? (FYI we are trying to fly out of JFK or IAD)
That’s not a great assumption to make. When airlines can release award seats can be difficult to predict. After all, if everybody knew, then everybody would be fighting to book these tickets. If you don’t book when the schedule comes out (331-360 days in advance depending on the loyalty program you use), then you might need to explore different ways to find availability.
Emma
October 24, 2019
Thanks! Sorry – not clear on your service. Does it guarantee that you’ll be able to help us book tickets to Tokyo April/May 2020 from IAD or JFK?
Andrew Kunesh
October 24, 2019
Hey Emma,
Thanks for reaching out! Booking a IAD/JFK-NRT/HND ticket requires that there’s award space available from the partner you choose to book with. We cannot guarantee that this will be available — instead, you have to search for the award ticket regularly. Once you find a ticket that works for you, you can transfer your points and book.
Best of luck!
Emma
October 24, 2019
I see now. Thanks!
What about JAL? Is there some way we can transfer all these CapOne miles to book 2 business seats on JAL out of BOS (our home airport) to TYO? Or even with all the partners/alliances would this not be a possibility? Tried to search on your site but couldn’t find an answer.
There are a few ways, but I wouldn’t transfer points out unless you saw availability and were ready to book.Capital One has 15 airline transfer partners in all, so you should have a chance at finding something if you look hard enough! Thanks for reading.
Joyce
November 22, 2019
RE: 10. Fly to Hong Kong in American Airlines Flagship Business Class (73,333 Miles Transferred to Etihad Guest)
I am planning to fly one way from HK to LAX and I am short the number of miles required. I only have about 60K miles, can I purchase Etihad miles to meet the 73,333 needed? Do you think I have a chance to find seats in December?
Andrew Kunesh
November 25, 2019
Hey Joyce, you can purchase Etihad Guest points on Etihad’s website. Note that the 73,333 number is taking the 2:1.5 transfer ratio into account. The award costs 55,000 Etihad points, so you’ll only need to purchase 10,000 Etihad points as your current 60,000 Capital One points are worth 45,000 Etihad points.
Make sure to check American’s website for award space before you transfer or buy miles. I’m not 100% sure if you’ll be able to find award seats on such short notice, but it’s worth a look!
Jason Andrews
December 13, 2019
Capital one does not apply a statement credit at 1:1, it’s 2:1. Therefore if you have 80,000 miles you will only get a statement credit of 400. Unless you use the travel eraser which erases only travel purchases at 1:1.
The post was referencing statement credits for travel purchases which, as you’ve mentioned, is at a rate of 1:1. I’ve edited the post to make that fact more clear.
Thanks for reading!
Aiden
December 27, 2019
Great info! We have 220k Alaska points that we want to get 4 one way tickets from SFO to MLE on business. If this is not enough, what other route would you recommend? We also have 400k points from chase that we’re considering transfer to another airlines for our return flights. What would be the best redemption for this? Thank you for your time!
You would need 62.5k Alaska miles per person for a one-way business class ticket from SFO to MLE, so 250k total. As for the return flight with Ultimate Reward points, a good option would be to go through United, which would cost 85k points per ticket, 340k total.
Thanks for reading!
Matt Cornwall
February 12, 2020
Hi There!
Completely new to the mileage transfer game. I have about 86000 cap one miles. Looking to fly from Seattle to PUJ this July. What is my best option for mileage transfer? Additionally, do i need to call the airlines prior to booking and transferring points to make sure its available for rewards usage? I’m assuming I’d also need to open a rewards account with the airline of choice.
If you want to go from Seattle to Punta Cana, you’ll need to fly one of the big 3 U.S. carriers. You can transfer points to Aeroplan or Avianca LifeMiles if you want to fly United. You can transfer points to Asia Miles or Qantas if you want to fly American. You can transfer points to Air France/KLM Flying Blue or Aeromexico Club Premier if you want to fly Delta.
You need to find availability first through the exact frequent flyer program you’re transferring to because the availability isn’t the same across all partners.
Award holds aren’t permitted for these situations.
M.A.
March 25, 2021
Hi and thanks for your article!
I have a technical question as a relative newbie to the travel miles scene.
I’d like to book a flight to Cancun or Merida, Mexico. How do I transfer my Capital One points to Aviance LifeMiles, for example, to then fly United to Cancun/Merida? I’ve only ever redeemed miles on the credit card’s travel portal.
I’d love to move up to this ‘next level,’ of transferring miles.
Are you planning to fly Economy? With Capital One Miles, your best bets would be to transfer them to Cathay Pacific thanks to the 1:1 transfer rate, and the award ticket should cost around 22k miles each way, pending that there is award availability for your dates.
Tara
February 09, 2022
Thank you! It’s a learning curve! We booked 4 economy tickets four our 20 something kids- now we’re trying to book 2 standard economy so we can pay to upgrade or use points to upgrade. We’re 7 months out from travel- but every time I try to book our 2- it says ‘price went up’ pay more- just wondering if we should just transfer our 200k miles to life miles and use those to upgrade on tickets we purchase? Newark to Edinburgh…thanks!
I’m assuming you’re referring to the nonstop flight on United Airlines from Newark (EWR) to Edinburgh (EDI). These flights aren’t easy to book with Capital One miles because of the way United releases availability to partner frequent flyer programs like Avianca LifeMiles.
What we’d encourage you to do is find nonstop availability on United.com that says 70,000 to 80,000 per person on United’s website. Those exact flights should be available on LifeMiles.com. After you find a 70 or 80k flight on United, go ahead and REPEAT that same search on LifeMiles. You should be able to pull up the correct flights and book it using Capital One miles.
Alex
May 29, 2022
Hi – I’m trying to book round trip from SFO to EZE using capital one points for this September (business class preferred). Any advice?
Hi. Thanks for your article and tips. Trying to book a business flight from LAX to ICN at the end of March 2023. I have Capital One Venture X card with about 100k points. I signed up for Aeroplan but their business class starts at over 200k points. Am I doing something wrong?
I looked up flights on Air France from LAX to HNL but I have found no available options after checking several dates. They don’t offer alternative dates but just recommend “No available fares for those dates . Please try again.” Any suggestions on how to resolve this?
SW
September 27, 2022
All Capital One points transfers have been “down for maintenance” for over 3 days (since 9/23/22). It’s impossible to transfer any points into any miles or hotel program right now, and customer service giving no end date. Terrible.
Hi SW,
Yeah, I noticed that too. Hopefully point transfers will be up and running soon.
Osvald
February 06, 2023
My favourite use of Capital One points is Turkish Airlines. They have fabulous Business promo deals
Alex
March 07, 2023
Hi, I’m looking to book 2 business class round tickets from Los Angeles to Tokyo for the fall of 2024 so I have time, but I would like to get advice on about how much Capital One points that would take and what would be the best points transfer path and airline to use to get the most out of my points. I read the section saying to fly with ANA through Etihad Guest but I also read the comment that mentioned Virgin Red points are best to use for ANA flights. Any information would help, thanks!
I am new to the credit card miles for flights game and so overwhelmed with the information. Do you have to have frequent flyer number to transfer miles to an airline, is there a simplified way to understand the process? What is award availability?
Yes, you would need to have a frequent flyer number (free) with each airline that you plan on transferring miles. I would recommend reading our beginner’s guide to help get a grasp on the basics because it can be confusing at first! /travel/beginners/
MI
April 17, 2023
Best recs for roundtrip business class IAD/NEW to Italy or Athens with Capital one points?
Thanks for your always useful info! I’m planning a summer 2024 4 week bicycle trip from London to
Lenzburg, Switzerland (near Zurich). I current have about 500K Capital One miles. I’m going to be leaving from Seattle in late June and returning in Late July. I’m open to all sorts of creativity to minimize my miles cost and maximize my value. I’m open to flying anything from freight to First. HOWEVER, I definitely want to fly a non-stop route from Seattle across the Atlantic. I’ll probably need to check two full sized bags (my Bike Friday fodling bike and a full-size suitcase with tent, sleeping bag, etc) in addition to a carry-on. What do you recommend in terms of miles conversion to get max value in high season. I’ll have a couple of days of flexiblity regarding arrival/departure dates, but not more.
Is it worth flying into Paris for a couple days and chunnelling up? I’m super-excited about this trip – it’s a bucklist kind of thing for me – and really don’t want to screw it up.
Good news is that you have plenty of time and miles to make this trip work. Air France and Flying Blue have had some great prices to Europe this year, so hopefully that continues into next year as well, so that is a solid option to transfer your points. That would put you in Paris, avoiding some UK fees.
Take a look at point.me to give some ideas of routes and points options. For reference, here is where you can transfer your points. /credit-cards/capital-one-transfer-partners/
shia l
July 12, 2023
You can fly El Al business class direct to Tel Aviv for 90,000 points transferred to Qantas and 59 GBP in taxes and fees.
Brian
August 08, 2023
Have you noticed any significant changes in award availability with Aeroplan or LifeMiles in 2023, or functionality changes? I transferred hundreds of thousands of CO points in 2021 and 2022 (to Canada, Europe and Africa) for business class seats and had absolutely no issues. But this year, I have found this year that there’s almost no award availability in business class to destinations for which there were no issues previously. Worse, I had nearly booked round trip flights to the Seychelles from the US only to have the award availability in LifeMiles change by the minute and/or day. Meaning, the same flight shows available award seats on Monday then not for a few days or the rest of the week, but then it reappears later for a day, or partial day. Unfortunately, Capital One took too long for the points to transfer to LM and I missed it, as the award availability never came back. And various flights to different parts of Africa, primarily via Ethiopian Airlines (but booked through Aeroplan or LM), are nearly all gone with only economy availability. Seems like something pretty fundamental has changed. Aeroplan is better and more consistent than LM, but there still have been a strange lack of availability not seemingly attributable to more people traveling than in the past two years. It’s as if there are technology or synching issues.
George
August 09, 2023
Eh, where can you find a business-class, transcontinental flight on United for 25K?
![The 45 Best Ways To Redeem Capital One Miles [For Max Value]](https://upgradedpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Lufthansa_B747-8_First_Class_Seat_1A_1K_Cherag_Dubash.jpg?auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=1420&height=650&fit=crop)
70 comments
Jung
March 07, 2019
It would not be wise to use Aeroplan miles to fly in business class to Asia 1 using 100,000 when another Capital One transfer partner, EVA Air only requires 80,000.
Stephen Au
March 19, 2019
Hey Jung,
This is incorrect.
EVA Air charges 80,000 miles from Chicago, New York, Boston, and Toronto and 75,000 miles elsewhere from the United States. However, the transfer ratio is 2:1.5. Therefore, you will need 106,667 Capital One Miles to receive 80,000 miles or 100,000 Capital One Miles to receive 75,000 miles.
Furthermore, EVA Air’s award booking system is much more difficult to deal with that Air Canada Aeroplan. With Air Canada Aeroplan, you can complete bookings completely online without having to call anybody. Air Canada Aeroplan’s award search engine is the most robust and it will show nearly all options.
Patrick
April 24, 2019
TPG says that although Oman Air First Class is listed on Etihad Guest, when you call them, you cannot book Oman Air First Class…can you please verify if this is true?
Thanks!
Patrick
Stephen Au
April 26, 2019
Hey Patrick,
Thanks for reading. You’re correct and we’ve updated our post accordingly.
Tim
May 03, 2019
“Oneworld Complex Multi-Carrier Awards With Asia Miles” … where would you search for this saver space? On AA or BA? Would then transfer to Asia Miles and call in?
Stephen Au
May 04, 2019
Hey Tim,
You generally want to search for availability using BA. Then, call Asia Miles directly. Thanks for reading!
Mike
May 27, 2019
Do you know of any way to know when a special deal on a transfer is about to happen? I was pleasantly surprised a couple of months ago to see a very short term offer on Emirates, so that instead of 1000 Capital One miles equating to 500 Emirates miles (as normal) it was temporarily 1000 to 1000. Since then it’s back to 1000 = 500, and I see that there have been some short term deals on programs I don’t actually use. I’d love to see another deal on Emirates…
Stephen Au
May 27, 2019
Hey Mike,
It’s impossible to predict when transfer bonuses will occur. One trend I’ve noticed is that Capital One adds transfer partners and inaugurates them with a transfer bonus. Other than that, there’s no way to predict. Thanks for reading!
Jossy
June 05, 2019
Hi! I am completely new to this points game, but it seems like a fun game to play! I would like to find 3 business seats to Seoul, Tokyo, and Osaka departing from LAX in mid August. Our dates are somewhat flexible. I have around 260k miles on the Venture card. I really only care to be in business for the long haul legs. Where do you think ill get the most value for them? Thanks for your time!!
Stephen Au
June 07, 2019
Hey Jossy, 260,000 Capital One miles is approximately equivalent to 195,000 airline miles, assuming the 2:1.5 transfer ratio. Unfortunately, this isn’t enough for 3 one-way business class flights. Your best bet is to use 75,000 Aeroplan miles for a one-way flight per person in business class. Your trip is somewhat late in terms of planning for award flights. Usually, people either book award flights ~11 months in advance or 1-2 weeks in advance. Any other time is difficult to find availability. Thanks for reading!
Jossy
June 08, 2019
Hi Stephen,
Thanks for your input!! Maybe I’ll save them and see what Capital One adds in this next year. They don’t expire right? I have Amex points too. Transferring my Amex to ANA would be the best bet for Asia 1, right? Thanks so much!
Stephen Au
June 10, 2019
Hey Jossy,
For Tokyo, the best choice is to use Virgin Atlantic miles to book business or preferably first class travel on ANA.
For Korea, we’d suggest Air Canada Aeroplan for business class (AA miles is cheaper, but with no Korean-based partners and poor AA award availability, you might as well forget using AA miles). If you want first class, consider using Marriott points transferred to Korean Air. Other first class options include Avianca LifeMiles which charges 90,000 each way.
Soij
July 26, 2019
I just redeemed 300K points for cash. Then I read the article. Whoops. It took me 3 years to earn those miles. I’ll do better next time. Great article – thanks.
Choiboyee
July 29, 2019
I have 119,153 Cap One Miles. What’s my best use of them if I am planning a trip from IAD-MNL (10/1/19) & Osaka-IAD (10/15/19)?
I am planning to purchase the one way ticket between MNL and Osaka separately as I hear they are cheap and readily available for under $100.
I would like to fly business or first class and understand that these points would only cover one of the flights (preferably for the flight back home to DC).
I also have 99,374 Barclays points, 38,834 Citi Thank You points and 35,518 United Miles.
Thanks in advance for your advice!
Andrew Kunesh
August 09, 2019
Hello! One option for Osaka – Washington DC is to transfer 100,000 Capital One points to 75,000 Avianca LifeMiles. You can use these miles to fly one-way in business class on partners like United, ANA, Turkish, etc if there’s saver award space. For the outbound, you can transfer 35,000 Citi ThankYou points to LifeMiles to book a one-way economy ticket. Thanks!
tim
August 09, 2019
Hello, it sounds like I would need to know if award travel is available before I transfer miles for a trip—is that correct? Asking because I don’t want to be stuck with Aeroplan or Lifemiles and have no use for them.
Andrew Kunesh
August 09, 2019
Hi Tim, that’s correct. We always recommend searching for your award ticket before transferring. This gives you the best chance of booking the ticket you want. Plus, it keeps your miles flexible and ensures you’re not stuck with miles you may not have an immediate use for.
Tim
August 09, 2019
We have about 800k in miles to use to get from DC to NBO and then TNR, but it sounds like most of these programs have very little availability of award travel, so the miles might just be useless in this case anyway. How risky is it to wait two weeks in advance to try and get award travel? What is the best strategy to try and get these limited awards? TIA!
Andrew Kunesh
August 12, 2019
Hey Tim! We generally recommend searching for availability as far out as possible across all of the three alliances (Star Alliance, Oneworld, SkyTeam). Keep checking regularly if you can’t find award space right away. Further, we’ve seen space open at the two-week mark for some airlines (namely Lufthansa), but this can be risky during peak seasons.
Tim
August 13, 2019
Thanks! So, Lifemiles vs. Air Alaska vs. Aeroplan…Is one better than the other for getting from the US to Africa?
Andrew Kunesh
August 13, 2019
No problem, Tim!
Both Alaska MileagePlan and Aeroplan are great for travel to Africa. Alaska partners with Emirates and British Airways, both of whom have solid networks in Africa. On the other hand, Aeroplan partners with Lufthansa, South African Airways, and Brussels Airlines who can easily connect you to the continent.
We recommend using whichever loyalty program has availability on the route you want on the dates you’d like to travel. Don’t be afraid to mix and match points for the inbound and outbound either.
Best of luck planning your trip! Safe travels.
Scott
August 26, 2019
If I’m just planning on purchasing an economy class ticket rather than one of these special business class deals you mentioned, I’m confused how transferring my Capital One points to an airline partner at a 2:1.5 ratio rather than using simply redeeming them through Capital One works to my advantage if they’re losing 25% of their value. For example, I currently have 56,000 CapOne points. I’m considering moving them to Flying Blue, but then I’d only have 42,150 points. I looked up a random itinerary, flying one way from JFK>MEX on 1/13, and the amount of points it would cost me (~14,500) would be roughly the same, whether I booked through Capital One or Flying Blue. So all things being equal, wouldn’t I get more bang for my buck not transferring my points? Can you please explain this to me?
Stephen Au
August 26, 2019
Scott, it is very possible that deeply discounted airplane tickets will be better booked directly on a bank portal such as Capital One. If you are looking to fly economy, you can utilize this method. Unfortunately, if you tried to book business class with the same method, you’d find it would cost upwards of 500,000-1,000,000 points each way.
Ashley Milford
February 14, 2020
thanks for the input. I have around 60K capital and trying to find the best usage of them. Wish i had enough for an international trip.
bob
September 04, 2019
OK, on one article on your website it says Brussels Airline from Washington was devalued back in 2017 so it costs 80,000 miles. This article was updated August 2019 and says same flight/graphics/article costs 58,667 Capital One miles. Do you guys fact check each other? Can you find these award flights before you join Etihad program?
Stephen Au
September 10, 2019
Bob,
The identical business class flights can be booked for different amounts of miles depending on which frequent flyer program. So, whereas the Capital One cost is as little as 58,667 miles, an airline like United charges 70,000 miles each way.
Yes, you can search on United Airlines to find availability and then call Etihad to book.
Selyne
October 23, 2019
Do you have any experience with flying to Japan?
I plan to take a trip with my fiance from late March to early April. We would be departing from Miami, FL and would like to fly into Tokyo and out of Osaka. Do you have any suggestions on whether or not it is best for me to book the trip with my Capital One Venture credit card and use the purchase eraser, or transfer our miles to a partnering airline. If so, any suggestions/experience on which airline?
I am overwhelmed by the abundance of options and don’t know which airline to choose. We currently have 83,000 miles with our Venture card and estimate that we will have 100,000+ by the time we take our trip. We would like to upgrade to the best available seats (Business Class) if possible/within our budget.
We don’t mind using all of our Venture points in order to make this arrangement, plus paying out of pocket another $1,200 each. Is flying business class for us even feasible? Side note: neither of us are members of any airline rewards/loyalty programs.
Andrew Kunesh
October 23, 2019
Hey Selyne, unfortunately, 100,000 Capital One points isn’t quite enough to book 2 people in business class to Japan. Likewise, there aren’t any good ways to upgrade a paid economy ticket using Capital One points. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news!
Emma
October 23, 2019
Great article. We have 400k CapOne Miles and were trying to book 2 ANA business class seats to Tokyo this spring (April/May) from the east coast (JFK or IAD) but it looks like all the J award seats are sold out. Does that sound right?
Any other airlines you would recommend to fly J to TYO? I think our only option would be to transfer to Aeroplan then book from there, but I could be wrong? We’ve never tried to travel back like this.
Stephen Au
October 23, 2019
Hi Emma,
Thanks for reading! Flying on ANA is most likely your best bet. With the balance of miles you have, it’s important to get the best value for them. If you’d like a service that helps you earn and redeem points for the absolute best possible value, please send me an e-mail at stephen@upgradedpoints.com
Emma
October 23, 2019
Cool! Thanks for responding. If we search on United.com and no business saver award flights show up for the month of April or May is it safe to assume that all those seats have already sold? Or will ANA release more seats as we get closer to those dates? (FYI we are trying to fly out of JFK or IAD)
Stephen Au
October 28, 2019
Emma,
That’s not a great assumption to make. When airlines can release award seats can be difficult to predict. After all, if everybody knew, then everybody would be fighting to book these tickets. If you don’t book when the schedule comes out (331-360 days in advance depending on the loyalty program you use), then you might need to explore different ways to find availability.
Emma
October 24, 2019
Thanks! Sorry – not clear on your service. Does it guarantee that you’ll be able to help us book tickets to Tokyo April/May 2020 from IAD or JFK?
Andrew Kunesh
October 24, 2019
Hey Emma,
Thanks for reaching out! Booking a IAD/JFK-NRT/HND ticket requires that there’s award space available from the partner you choose to book with. We cannot guarantee that this will be available — instead, you have to search for the award ticket regularly. Once you find a ticket that works for you, you can transfer your points and book.
Best of luck!
Emma
October 24, 2019
I see now. Thanks!
What about JAL? Is there some way we can transfer all these CapOne miles to book 2 business seats on JAL out of BOS (our home airport) to TYO? Or even with all the partners/alliances would this not be a possibility? Tried to search on your site but couldn’t find an answer.
Stephen Au
October 28, 2019
Hi Emma,
There are a few ways, but I wouldn’t transfer points out unless you saw availability and were ready to book.Capital One has 15 airline transfer partners in all, so you should have a chance at finding something if you look hard enough! Thanks for reading.
Joyce
November 22, 2019
RE: 10. Fly to Hong Kong in American Airlines Flagship Business Class (73,333 Miles Transferred to Etihad Guest)
I am planning to fly one way from HK to LAX and I am short the number of miles required. I only have about 60K miles, can I purchase Etihad miles to meet the 73,333 needed? Do you think I have a chance to find seats in December?
Andrew Kunesh
November 25, 2019
Hey Joyce, you can purchase Etihad Guest points on Etihad’s website. Note that the 73,333 number is taking the 2:1.5 transfer ratio into account. The award costs 55,000 Etihad points, so you’ll only need to purchase 10,000 Etihad points as your current 60,000 Capital One points are worth 45,000 Etihad points.
Make sure to check American’s website for award space before you transfer or buy miles. I’m not 100% sure if you’ll be able to find award seats on such short notice, but it’s worth a look!
Jason Andrews
December 13, 2019
Capital one does not apply a statement credit at 1:1, it’s 2:1. Therefore if you have 80,000 miles you will only get a statement credit of 400. Unless you use the travel eraser which erases only travel purchases at 1:1.
Jarrod West
December 13, 2019
Hi Jason,
The post was referencing statement credits for travel purchases which, as you’ve mentioned, is at a rate of 1:1. I’ve edited the post to make that fact more clear.
Thanks for reading!
Aiden
December 27, 2019
Great info! We have 220k Alaska points that we want to get 4 one way tickets from SFO to MLE on business. If this is not enough, what other route would you recommend? We also have 400k points from chase that we’re considering transfer to another airlines for our return flights. What would be the best redemption for this? Thank you for your time!
Jarrod West
December 28, 2019
Hi Aiden,
You would need 62.5k Alaska miles per person for a one-way business class ticket from SFO to MLE, so 250k total. As for the return flight with Ultimate Reward points, a good option would be to go through United, which would cost 85k points per ticket, 340k total.
Thanks for reading!
Matt Cornwall
February 12, 2020
Hi There!
Completely new to the mileage transfer game. I have about 86000 cap one miles. Looking to fly from Seattle to PUJ this July. What is my best option for mileage transfer? Additionally, do i need to call the airlines prior to booking and transferring points to make sure its available for rewards usage? I’m assuming I’d also need to open a rewards account with the airline of choice.
Stephen Au
February 18, 2020
Hi Matt,
If you want to go from Seattle to Punta Cana, you’ll need to fly one of the big 3 U.S. carriers. You can transfer points to Aeroplan or Avianca LifeMiles if you want to fly United. You can transfer points to Asia Miles or Qantas if you want to fly American. You can transfer points to Air France/KLM Flying Blue or Aeromexico Club Premier if you want to fly Delta.
You need to find availability first through the exact frequent flyer program you’re transferring to because the availability isn’t the same across all partners.
Award holds aren’t permitted for these situations.
M.A.
March 25, 2021
Hi and thanks for your article!
I have a technical question as a relative newbie to the travel miles scene.
I’d like to book a flight to Cancun or Merida, Mexico. How do I transfer my Capital One points to Aviance LifeMiles, for example, to then fly United to Cancun/Merida? I’ve only ever redeemed miles on the credit card’s travel portal.
I’d love to move up to this ‘next level,’ of transferring miles.
Thanks again!
Jarrod West
March 26, 2021
Hi M.A.,
Thanks for the kind words! For a detailed breakdown, check out our post on Capital One transfer partners and how to use them!
Gerard
May 19, 2021
Quick question, what is the best transfer to travel from the east coast to Madrid, Spain? IAD is my preferred airport.
Jarrod West
May 21, 2021
Hi Gerard,
Are you planning to fly Economy? With Capital One Miles, your best bets would be to transfer them to Cathay Pacific thanks to the 1:1 transfer rate, and the award ticket should cost around 22k miles each way, pending that there is award availability for your dates.
Tara
February 09, 2022
Thank you! It’s a learning curve! We booked 4 economy tickets four our 20 something kids- now we’re trying to book 2 standard economy so we can pay to upgrade or use points to upgrade. We’re 7 months out from travel- but every time I try to book our 2- it says ‘price went up’ pay more- just wondering if we should just transfer our 200k miles to life miles and use those to upgrade on tickets we purchase? Newark to Edinburgh…thanks!
Stephen Au
February 15, 2022
Hi Tara,
I’m assuming you’re referring to the nonstop flight on United Airlines from Newark (EWR) to Edinburgh (EDI). These flights aren’t easy to book with Capital One miles because of the way United releases availability to partner frequent flyer programs like Avianca LifeMiles.
What we’d encourage you to do is find nonstop availability on United.com that says 70,000 to 80,000 per person on United’s website. Those exact flights should be available on LifeMiles.com. After you find a 70 or 80k flight on United, go ahead and REPEAT that same search on LifeMiles. You should be able to pull up the correct flights and book it using Capital One miles.
Alex
May 29, 2022
Hi – I’m trying to book round trip from SFO to EZE using capital one points for this September (business class preferred). Any advice?
Jarrod West
June 06, 2022
Hi Alex,
Check out our guide on the best ways to fly to Argentina with points and miles.
Livetotravel
June 17, 2022
Hi. Thanks for your article and tips. Trying to book a business flight from LAX to ICN at the end of March 2023. I have Capital One Venture X card with about 100k points. I signed up for Aeroplan but their business class starts at over 200k points. Am I doing something wrong?
Jarrod West
August 01, 2022
Hi Livetotravel,
It is likely that you were seeing awards through Air Canada directly instead of its partners. Read through our guide on the best ways to fly to South Korea with points and miles for booking options.
Chris
September 05, 2022
I looked up flights on Air France from LAX to HNL but I have found no available options after checking several dates. They don’t offer alternative dates but just recommend “No available fares for those dates . Please try again.” Any suggestions on how to resolve this?
SW
September 27, 2022
All Capital One points transfers have been “down for maintenance” for over 3 days (since 9/23/22). It’s impossible to transfer any points into any miles or hotel program right now, and customer service giving no end date. Terrible.
Katie Seemann
September 28, 2022
Hi SW,
Yeah, I noticed that too. Hopefully point transfers will be up and running soon.
Osvald
February 06, 2023
My favourite use of Capital One points is Turkish Airlines. They have fabulous Business promo deals
Alex
March 07, 2023
Hi, I’m looking to book 2 business class round tickets from Los Angeles to Tokyo for the fall of 2024 so I have time, but I would like to get advice on about how much Capital One points that would take and what would be the best points transfer path and airline to use to get the most out of my points. I read the section saying to fly with ANA through Etihad Guest but I also read the comment that mentioned Virgin Red points are best to use for ANA flights. Any information would help, thanks!
Jarrod West
April 05, 2023
Hi Alex,
Have you read through our guide on the best ways to fly to Japan with points and miles? That article will give you plenty of great options for your Capital One miles.
Ashmita
April 03, 2023
I am new to the credit card miles for flights game and so overwhelmed with the information. Do you have to have frequent flyer number to transfer miles to an airline, is there a simplified way to understand the process? What is award availability?
Chris Hassan
April 03, 2023
Hi Ashmita,
Yes, you would need to have a frequent flyer number (free) with each airline that you plan on transferring miles. I would recommend reading our beginner’s guide to help get a grasp on the basics because it can be confusing at first! /travel/beginners/
MI
April 17, 2023
Best recs for roundtrip business class IAD/NEW to Italy or Athens with Capital one points?
Jarrod West
April 19, 2023
Hi Mi,
I highly recommend our guides on the best ways to fly to Italy with points, and the best ways to fly to Greece with points, both are full of fantastic options!
Tim
May 15, 2023
Hi Jarrod,
Thanks for your always useful info! I’m planning a summer 2024 4 week bicycle trip from London to
Lenzburg, Switzerland (near Zurich). I current have about 500K Capital One miles. I’m going to be leaving from Seattle in late June and returning in Late July. I’m open to all sorts of creativity to minimize my miles cost and maximize my value. I’m open to flying anything from freight to First. HOWEVER, I definitely want to fly a non-stop route from Seattle across the Atlantic. I’ll probably need to check two full sized bags (my Bike Friday fodling bike and a full-size suitcase with tent, sleeping bag, etc) in addition to a carry-on. What do you recommend in terms of miles conversion to get max value in high season. I’ll have a couple of days of flexiblity regarding arrival/departure dates, but not more.
Is it worth flying into Paris for a couple days and chunnelling up? I’m super-excited about this trip – it’s a bucklist kind of thing for me – and really don’t want to screw it up.
Chris Hassan
May 16, 2023
Hey Tim,
Good news is that you have plenty of time and miles to make this trip work. Air France and Flying Blue have had some great prices to Europe this year, so hopefully that continues into next year as well, so that is a solid option to transfer your points. That would put you in Paris, avoiding some UK fees.
Take a look at point.me to give some ideas of routes and points options. For reference, here is where you can transfer your points. /credit-cards/capital-one-transfer-partners/
shia l
July 12, 2023
You can fly El Al business class direct to Tel Aviv for 90,000 points transferred to Qantas and 59 GBP in taxes and fees.
Brian
August 08, 2023
Have you noticed any significant changes in award availability with Aeroplan or LifeMiles in 2023, or functionality changes? I transferred hundreds of thousands of CO points in 2021 and 2022 (to Canada, Europe and Africa) for business class seats and had absolutely no issues. But this year, I have found this year that there’s almost no award availability in business class to destinations for which there were no issues previously. Worse, I had nearly booked round trip flights to the Seychelles from the US only to have the award availability in LifeMiles change by the minute and/or day. Meaning, the same flight shows available award seats on Monday then not for a few days or the rest of the week, but then it reappears later for a day, or partial day. Unfortunately, Capital One took too long for the points to transfer to LM and I missed it, as the award availability never came back. And various flights to different parts of Africa, primarily via Ethiopian Airlines (but booked through Aeroplan or LM), are nearly all gone with only economy availability. Seems like something pretty fundamental has changed. Aeroplan is better and more consistent than LM, but there still have been a strange lack of availability not seemingly attributable to more people traveling than in the past two years. It’s as if there are technology or synching issues.
George
August 09, 2023
Eh, where can you find a business-class, transcontinental flight on United for 25K?
Chris Hassan
August 10, 2023
By transferring 25,000 Capital One miles to LifeMiles, you’ll have enough for a one-way business class flight on United Airlines.
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