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The South Pacific is the epitome of a bucket-list island escape. With some of the most secluded territories, unspoiled nature, and laid-back lifestyles in the world, the region is without a doubt one of the most spectacular places to visit.
It’s also one of the more difficult parts of the world to reach. In this article, however, we’ll show you how to fly to the South Pacific in style — using your points and miles, of course.
Let’s get started!
Let’s get the bad news out of the way first: it’s pretty difficult to book nonstop flights between the U.S. and the South Pacific.
It’s slightly easier if you’re originating in Hawaii, but if you’re traveling from the continental U.S., your only shot is from the West Coast.
Note that the South Pacific also includes Australia and New Zealand. For the best ways to fly to those 2 countries using points and miles, check out our dedicated articles.
In today’s article, we won’t be focusing on Australia and New Zealand, but rather on remote island territories including Fiji and French Polynesia.
Here are all of the foreign airlines offering nonstop flights between the mainland U.S. and the South Pacific:
There is just 1 U.S. airline offering nonstop flights to the South Pacific:
Bottom Line: In this guide, we’ll show you how to book the nonstop flights above, but we’ll also discuss how you can fly to other parts of the South Pacific if you’re open to 1-stop itineraries.
On a high level, if your goal is to make the most of your time in the South Pacific, you should consider booking nonstop flights using points.
Nonstop flights will be more difficult to find, mostly because there aren’t a whole lot of options bookable using airline partner currencies.
But if your travel plans aren’t flexible, you may have no choice but to book a connecting flight. But don’t worry — we’ll show you the most comfortable (and best value) options available!
Our favorite option to fly to the South Pacific with points and miles is ANA Mileage Club, the loyalty program of All Nippon Airways of Japan.
This program enables you to book Star Alliance flights easily thanks to excellent round-trip prices. ANA miles are pretty easy to earn, too.
ANA Mileage Club doesn’t allow one-way award bookings, so you’ll need to find availability for a round-trip ticket that works for you before attempting to book with ANA miles.
And if you’re flying to the South Pacific, the 2 airlines to fly are Air New Zealand and United.
ANA typically passes on fuel surcharges for most of its partners, but you won’t run into this issue here because Air New Zealand doesn’t levy any to begin with, which is great news!
Mileage Club also allows a free stopover and an open jaw, which is very useful if you’d like to see New Zealand before continuing to the South Pacific.
Here’s the award chart for round-trip flights between the U.S. and Oceania/Micronesia:
| Cabin Class | ANA Mileage Cost (Round-trip) | Air New Zealand Taxes and Fees |
| Economy | 75,000 | ~$120 |
| Business | 120,000 | ~$120 |
If you originate in Hawaii, it’s a bit cheaper:
| Cabin Class | ANA Mileage Cost (Round-trip) | Air New Zealand Taxes and Fees |
| Economy | 55,000 | ~$11 to $120 |
| Business | 85,000 | ~$11 to $120 |
Remember, New Zealand falls under the Oceania/Micronesia zone, which means you can add a free stopover in Auckland before flying to your final destination, which basically means a free flight. All you have to do is find award space!
Here are some incredible redemptions we love using ANA miles:
Because of the complex nature of these bookings, we recommend using United’s search engine. ANA’s search engine can probably get you what you need, but it’ll be inefficient process-wise.
Follow these steps to maximize your success:
ANA miles are pretty easy to earn through credit card spending, thanks to 2 handy transfer partnerships from American Express Membership Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy.
Amex transfers at a 1:1 ratio in 3 business days, while Marriott Bonvoy points transfer at a 3:1 ratio in around 7 business days.
And, for every 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points you transfer to ANA Mileage Club in a single transaction, you’ll get a bonus of 5,000 ANA miles.
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Alaska Airlines‘ frequent flyer program is called Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan, but the attractiveness of this program extends far beyond its limited network.
In fact, the best ways to redeem Alaska Airlines miles are for aspirational flights internationally, such as Cathay Pacific first and business class, Japan Airlines first and business class, and more.
One of Alaska’s most unique airline partners is Fiji Airways. It’s a very useful partner for flights to the South Pacific because the airline offers nonstop connectivity between that region and the mainland U.S.
Also, if you happen to be in the mood for a stopover, you can add 1 for free, even on one-way flights (provided you find award space for each segment first).
Fiji Airways business class flights are a bit more difficult to find, especially if you’re looking for a flight with more than 2 award seats. On average, expect the year-long calendar to have 3 to 4 dates with 2 or more business class seats on any of its U.S. routes.
Here are some great example redemptions you can make:
As you can see, with a short layover or stopover in Fiji, you can visit some off-the-beaten-path destinations like Samoa, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Kiribati, and Tonga.
Best of all, it’s easy to add your free stopover! Follow these steps:
Alaska Airlines miles are more difficult to earn than ANA miles, which is somewhat of a testament to how valuable they can be.
Specifically, Marriott Bonvoy is its only transfer partner. Bonvoy points transfer at a 3:1 ratio, though you’ll get a bonus of 5,000 Alaska miles when you transfer 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points at once to Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan. Marriott Bonvoy takes around 4 business days to transfer to Alaska Airlines.
Also, Bank of America offers co-branded Alaska Airlines credit cards, allowing you to earn miles directly through credit card purchases.
Finally, you can buy Alaska Airlines miles during mileage sales with bonuses of up to 60%. You can generally buy up to 60,000 miles per transaction and 150,000 miles per calendar year.
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Another great loyalty program we’ll be discussing is Cathay Pacific Asia Miles.
The Cathay program is useful because it allows travelers to access award availability on Oneworld flights with an abundance of transfer partners.
This is in contrast with other options like Japan Airlines Mileage Bank or American Airlines AAdvantage, both of which don’t have transfer partnerships like Cathay does.
In any case, booking flights using Asia Miles is straightforward — the 2 carriers we’ll focus on here are Fiji Airways and Australian-based Qantas.
Here are some great example redemptions you can book:
In general, you can’t combine Qantas and Fiji Airways into a simple flight itinerary, so just keep that in mind.
Here are the next steps:
Cathay Pacific has 1:1 transfer partnerships with American Express Membership Rewards, Brex Rewards, Capital One Miles, and Citi ThankYou Rewards.
Additionally, it has a 3:1 transfer partnership with Marriott Bonvoy. When you transfer 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points to Asia Miles all at once, you’ll also get a bonus of 5,000 extra Asia Miles.
Transfers to Asia Miles from Amex take up to 1 business day, while Brex and Citi take around 1 business day. Capital One takes up to 2 business days, and Marriott may take up to 5 business days.
Cathay Pacific also works with Synchrony Bank in the U.S. to offer a co-branded credit card that earns miles directly.
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American Airlines AAdvantage is a useful partner that gets you access to Air Tahiti Nui (to Tahiti or Auckland via Tahiti) and Japan Airlines (to Guam via Tokyo).
Although Air Tahiti Nui isn’t a member of the Oneworld alliance, its individual partnership with American AAdvantage creates redemption opportunities that are worth spotlighting.
Air Tahiti Nui will get you to Pape’ete in Tahiti (PPT), which is famous for being the gateway to Bora Bora, a bucket-list destination for many.
Hot Tip: Check out our complete guide on flying to Bora Bora with points and miles!
This airline offers a comfortable, nonstop ride with lie-flat seats, friendly service, and good food in business class.
Here’s how much a one-way flight will cost when using AAdvantage miles between the U.S. and the South Pacific:
| Cabin Class | AAdvantage Miles Cost (One-way) | Air Tahiti Nui Taxes and Fees |
| Economy | 40,000 | ~$6 |
| Premium Economy | 65,000 | ~$6 |
| Business | 80,000 | ~$6 |
Here are some great example redemptions you can make:
If you’re ready to make a booking, follow these steps:
American Airlines AAdvantage has just 2 transfer partners: Bilt Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy.
Bilt transfers 1:1 almost instantly. Marriott Bonvoy points transfer to American Airlines at a 3:1 ratio, and transfers take 2 business days to complete.
Both Citi and Barclays have American Airlines AAdvantage co-branded credit cards that enable you to earn miles directly from your credit card spending.
Air Canada Aeroplan is one of the most valuable frequent flyer programs around.
Remember, Air Canada is part of the Star Alliance, which means you can book Star Alliance award travel with Aeroplan points.
In addition, Aeroplan allows stopovers for just 5,000 extra points, even for one-way flights. All you need to do is find award availability for each segment and then book online or over the phone.
Also, Aeroplan does not pass on any fuel surcharges, keeping your out-of-pocket costs as low as possible.
The best partner to leverage is Air New Zealand. Aeroplan uses a distance-based award chart for flights between the U.S. and the Pacific region (including the South Pacific).
Here’s the award chart:
| Distance (Miles) | Operated By | Points Required (Economy) | Points Required (Premium Economy) | Points Required (Business Class) | Points Required (First Class) |
| 0 to 5,000 | Air Canada | 35,000 to 65,000 | 45,000 to 120,000 | 55,000 to 150,000 | 90,000 to 200,000 |
| Partner Airlines | 35,000 | N/A | 55,000 | 90,000 | |
| 5,001 to 7,500 | Air Canada | 45,000 to 80,000 | 60,000 to 140,000 | 75,000 to 175,000 | 110,000 to 250,000 |
| Partner Airlines | 50,000 | N/A | 75,000 | 110,000 | |
| 7,501 to 11,000 | Air Canada | 50,000 to 90,000 | 70,000 to 160,000 | 85,000 to 200,000 | 130,000 to 300,000 |
| Partner Airlines | 60,000 | N/A | 85,000 | 130,000 | |
| 11,001+ | Air Canada | 65,000 to 110,000 | 80,000 to 180,000 | 105,000 to 250,000 | 140,000 to 350,000 |
| Partner Airlines | 75,000 | N/A | 105,000 | 140,000 |
Putting all of this together, here are some great flight redemptions you can make with Aeroplan points:
Although Aeroplan’s website is accurate and easy to use, we recommend doing your searches on United’s website first. After finding award space, you can book your ticket online with Aeroplan. If you’re adding a stopover, you’ll need to call to book your ticket.
Follow these steps to book your ticket:
In addition to the Aeroplan® Credit Card, Air Canada Aeroplan has transfer partnerships with numerous programs, including Amex Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Capital One Miles, Chase Ultimate Rewards, and Marriott Bonvoy.
Amex, Bilt, Capital One, and Chase all transfer almost instantly at a 1:1 ratio, while Marriott Bonvoy points transfer in 5 business days at a 3:1 ratio.
Plus, you’ll get a bonus of 5,000 Aeroplan points when you transfer 60,000 Bonvoy Marriott points to Aeroplan in a single transaction.
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United Airlines is one of the most important airlines for flights to the South Pacific. In addition to having a hub in Guam, it has some other niche flights within the region, including the legendary “Island Hopper” flights that touch the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and Guam. The airline also flies to Saipan and Palau.
These flights are typically only bookable for United MileagePlus members in premium cabins, as partner-level award availability is sparse.
United’s online search engine is the industry standard for versatility and capabilities, so the booking process is streamlined.
Keep in mind that United’s award pricing structure is confusing, but it’s an example of “what you see is what you get” because of its dynamic award pricing system.
The mileage price you pay will vary depending on the dates you travel, but if you can find Saver awards, these are the lowest prices you’ll pay when redeeming United miles.
Here are some of our favorite redemptions you can make:
You’ll notice that almost all of the above redemptions start in Hawaii. The explanation for this is pretty simple: United offers flights to the South Pacific through its Honolulu and/or Guam hubs, and Saver-level flights connecting to Hawaii from the mainland U.S. are nearly impossible to add on to these award tickets.
Follow these steps to book your flights using United miles:
United MileagePlus is a transfer partner of Bilt Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, and Marriott Bonvoy programs.
Bilt and Chase transfer instantly at a 1:1 ratio, while Marriott Bonvoy points transfer in 3 business days at a 3:1.1 ratio.
For every 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points you transfer to United, you’ll get a bonus of 5,500 United miles! That means when you transfer 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points at once to United, you’ll end up with 27,500 United miles.
You can also earn United miles from any of its Chase co-branded credit cards, but using Chase Ultimate Rewards credit cards is generally better because of the Ultimate Rewards program’s more useful bonus categories and flexibility.
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The last program we’ll talk about is near and dear to our hearts: Avianca LifeMiles.
This program allows you to easily earn miles and then use them for Star Alliance award travel with no fuel surcharges. And, on top of it all, it offers good redemption rates.
We recommend using LifeMiles for Air New Zealand business class flights, simply because United’s Saver-level business class flights are nearly impossible to book with partner miles.
Unfortunately, Avianca LifeMiles does not allow complimentary stopovers, which makes this a great option for those who want to get to through final destination as quickly as possible and don’t care to make a stop on the way.
Hot Tip: Even though Avianca LifeMiles has a set of great redemption prices, remember the program charges up to $200 for cancellations and $150 for changes!
If this all sounds good to you, your redemption to the South Pacific will be governed by this award chart:
| Cabin Class | Avianca LifeMiles Cost (One-way) | Taxes and Fees |
| Economy | 40,000 | ~$62 |
| Business | 80,000 | ~$62 |
Here are some routes to consider booking:
Follow these steps to book your Avianca LifeMiles flight online:
Avianca LifeMiles is one of the easiest currencies to earn, thanks to transfer partnerships with Amex Membership Rewards, Brex Rewards, Capital One Miles, Citi ThankYou Rewards, and Marriott Bonvoy.
Amex, Brex, Capital One, and Citi transfer at a 1:1 ratio, and Marriott Bonvoy points transfer at a 3:1 ratio. Amex, Brex, Capital One, and Citi transfer instantly, while Marriott takes around 1 business day.
Avianca has also partnered with Banco Popular to offer co-branded credit cards that earn LifeMiles.
Finally, LifeMiles can often be purchased with a bonus of up to 200%, making it possible to effectively buy miles for around 1 cent apiece!
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Flying to the South Pacific was a bit simpler back in the pre-pandemic era. Today, it’s still possible to get superb value with your points and miles, but your options are generally more limited.
Whether you choose to fly Fiji Airways to Nadi (NAN), Air Tahiti Nui to Tahiti (PPT), United Airlines to Guam (GUM), or any points beyond, you can use your points and miles to get you to some of the world’s most remote — and spectacular — places for a fraction of the typical out-of-pocket cost.
The information regarding the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The information regarding the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The information regarding the United Club℠ Business Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
For rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, click here.
For rates and fees of the American Express® Gold Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® card, click here.
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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.
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1 comments
Joe
January 02, 2022
I have not found any business seats available from Sydney to Los Angeles on Fiji Airways using Alaska Airlines miles for all of 2022.
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