#19 Among Airlines
Point Value
1.10 ¢
Hobby Score
5.3
Miles&Smiles has some solid value, but the booking process can be clunky.
Turkish Airways Miles&Smiles associated alliance is Star Alliance
Visit Star Alliance
The best ways to earn Turkish miles are by flying on the airline or one of its partners. You can also earn points through several transferable credit card programs (Capital One, Citi, and Bilt) and move those points to Turkish Miles&Smiles. There is one U.S. co-branded credit card, but it is not competitive enough to justify using a 5/24 slot.
You will earn miles based on your fare class, elite status level, and the distance flown. Turkish Airlines uses an earning chart to determine how many miles you’ll receive for each flight.
Turkish Airlines has one U.S. co-branded card — the Miles & Smiles Premier Visa Signature. Its bonus is weak: 25,000 miles after $2000 in 90 days, plus 15,000 more after an additional $6000 within the first year. Earning 40,000 miles for $8000 in spend is poor compared to other cards. A Capital One Venture Rewards or Venture X is far better, offering 75,000 miles after $4000 in spend, and those miles transfer to Turkish. The Turkish card’s $99 annual fee and minimal perks make it hard to recommend.
Turkish partners with Bilt, Capital One, and Citi, all transferring at a 1:1 ratio. These programs are a stronger way to build Turkish miles than the co-branded card.
Turkish Airlines is part of Star Alliance, so you can earn Turkish miles whenever you fly on a partner airline. They also partner with several non–Star Alliance carriers. You will earn miles based on the booking class of your ticket, and each airline has its own earning chart. Go here and select the airline you’re flying to see how many miles you’ll earn.
Special Offers Related to Turkish Airways Miles&Smiles.
- JetBlue added 6 more transfer partners effective October 7, 2021: Air Canada Aeroplan, Air France KLM, British Airways, Emirates Skywards, Singapore & Turkish Airlines.
- JetBlue and Capital One are breaking up, starting October 24, 2021 you will no longer be able to transfer your Capital One points to TrueBlue.
- Get ready for AAdvantage Program simplifying their loyalty program, beginning 2022 no more EQ's, just loyalty points.
- Marriott Bonvoy extends Elite status once again for all of us, this time until February 2023.
- Don't forget to activate your Chase Freedom Q4 2021 Category.
The best way to redeem your Turkish Miles&Smiles miles is for airfare on Turkish Airlines or one of their partner airlines. Turkish uses a region based award chart for flights on both their own metal and partner carriers. Click here to see the award chart for Turkish.
Turkish also has a separate region based award chart for Star Alliance and other partner airlines, and this is where some of the best sweet spots can be found. Click here to see the award chart for partner airlines.
Before searching, be aware of several quirks and glitches with the Turkish website:
Discover your points' highest-value redemption options. Use the filters to find the optimal sweet spot for your next trip.
Turkish uses a fixed, regional based award chart for all redemptions. The search results don’t always price these correctly though, so it’s important to compare the results with what you see in an online search. If you notice an inconsistency, you’ll have to call to book your ticket at the correct price
If your round trip flight is operated by Turkish Airlines and has a layover in Istanbul, stay for a few days. Not only is the price the same, Turkish will pay for you to stay 2 nights in a (Stopover in Istanbul-contracted) 4-star hotel if traveling in economy and 3 nights in a 5-stay hotel if traveling in business
While the award chart has been devalued and Turkish Miles & Smiles doesn’t offer the same standout value it once did, there are still solid sweet spots. Turkish continues to use an award chart for all redemptions, both on its own metal and with partners. Many of the well-known sweet spots remain, even if they’re not quite as strong as in past years.
Turkish Miles & Smiles is not ideal for beginners. The website is slow and clunky, and even signing up for a free account can be frustrating. But once you’re in, and if you understand how to interpret award charts, you can still find excellent value. For example, you can book mainland U.S. to Hawaii for 10,000 miles one-way in economy. Redeeming miles won’t be fast or seamless, but experienced points enthusiasts can still extract great value from the program.
Turkish Airlines has four levels of elite status. The first is Classic, which you receive simply by signing up. With Classic status, your benefits include:
To reach higher tiers, you must earn a set number of Status Miles within the preceding 12 months. Turkish does not use a calendar-year system. Once you qualify for a status level, it remains valid until the last day of the month two years later.
Here are the three levels, requirements you’ll need to get to each level, and the benefits of each
We don’t recommend getting the Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles Premier credit card, since the signup bonus is weak and the benefits don’t justify the annual fee. If you do have the card and decide to cancel, know that your miles will expire 36 months after earning them (not after canceling the card). You can pay to extend them, but the cost is steep at $20 per 1,000 miles.
