Best Cards For Airfare Within Africa

Three of the top point systems for flying within Africa are Amex transfer partners: Virgin Atlantic (on Kenya Airways), Aeroplan (on EgyptAir, Ethiopian, and South African), and LifeMiles (with access to the same partners as Aeroplan). Look for routes with high cash prices, like Nairobi to Johannesberg, where points redemptions tend to offer the most value. Even if taxes on an award flight seem high at first glance, the cash price may be equally elevated, making the redemption worthwhile. The opposite can also be true, which is why comparisons matter. We chose the Blue Business Plus because it’s the only Amex card that earns Membership Rewards points with no annual fee, and for these redemptions, the premium perks of a high-fee card like the Amex Platinum aren’t necessary.

Capital One also partners with Virgin Atlantic and Aeroplan, making it a solid system for flights within Africa. The Venture X offers a $300 annual travel credit, which must be used through the Capital One portal, but you may find eligible flights there that make good use of it. Capital One also allows you to erase any travel purchase with points. While redemptions are capped at 1¢ per point, this can still make sense in certain situations. If a flight costs more than the $300 credit, you can erase the remaining balance with points and cover the entire trip, or simply avoid paying cash altogether.

Citi partners with LifeMiles and Aeroplan, two of the top programs for award redemptions within Africa. American Airlines also has a handful of options in the region, though most are not nonstop. Still, it can be a useful fallback if you can’t find availability through the other two programs. We don’t find the extra perks of the Strata Elite worth the higher annual fee for this specific use case, but if you already get value from it elsewhere, it’s still a solid option.

United is another solid option for airfare within Africa, which makes sense since it shares Star Alliance partners with Aeroplan and LifeMiles. Chase also transfers to Air Canada, and while the partner networks overlap, pricing and taxes can differ, so having both options is valuable. We chose the Chase Sapphire Preferred over the Reserve for the same reason we leaned toward lower-fee Citi and Amex cards here: the premium cost isn’t justified for intra-Africa flights. If you’re getting a Sapphire card for broader travel needs, the Reserve can still make sense. Otherwise, the Preferred is the better fit.