Turkish Airlines offers incredible award value on North American flight redemptions. It’s a great strategy for flying on Star Alliance airlines like United or Air Canada at a cheaper cost. You may be thinking to yourself, “That’s great, but I never fly Turkish Airlines and I certainly don’t have any of their miles.” A few quick notes on that:

• We collectively had 40,000 Turkish miles in our Miles & Smiles accounts without ever once flying on a Turkish Airlines plane.
• We had those miles because Turkish Airlines offered status matching when the Star Alliance Gold loophole through Aegean Airlines closed.
• Open a frequent flyer account with as many airlines as you can. They’re free!
• Use the website wheretocredit.com to find the highest mileage accrual rate for your flights.
• Turkish Airlines is a Citi ThankYou Points transfer partner.

Why isn’t everybody doing it?

The only catch is that you must go to a physical Turkish Airlines office to redeem miles for partner awards. This places a pretty decent barrier to entry into the Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles program for people living in the US who want to redeem for non-Turkish flights. Additionally, the miles expire three years after accrual and there is no method to extend them.

That’s exactly why we both had expiring miles in our Miles and Smiles accounts. There is no Turkish Airlines office in Dallas and the closest is located in Houston. Recently, we both traveled to Chicago for work obligations. Before departing ORD airport we visited the Turkish Airlines ticket counter in Terminal 5 to redeem miles for a last minute flight.

Turkish Airlines Partner Award Booking Process    

When I’m not traveling, I’m fortunate that I work remotely. My husband travels weekly for his job. So I impulsively decided to use my expiring Turkish miles to return to Chicago with him again. However, a round-trip economy ticket was $674 or 25,000 miles with United. Whereas I could redeem 15,000 Turkish miles for the exact same flights.

Cash price for the United flights I wanted fly last minute with my husband

I first searched for award availability on United.com and wrote down the specific flight numbers I wanted to book. I gave the ticketing agent the flight numbers, my Turkish frequent flyer number, and ID.

United wanted 25,000 miles for the same exact flights. You can transfer Chase points to United 1:1.

He went into the back office to search for availability and asked us to take a seat while we wait. After about 15 minutes he reappeared and called us to the counter. He found availability on the flights I requested. Then gave me a print out that included the flight details, reservation number, and taxes/fees due.

My husband’s account contained enough miles for a roundtrip business class ticket within North America. My account was short 2K miles for a roundtrip economy ticket. Since you must physically appear at a Turkish ticketing office to redeem, we thought it made sense to empty my account first because my husband travels to Chicago weekly and I do not.

What Went Wrong

We knew we could buy or transfer the remaining miles for a small fee to make the redemption. I was anticipating completing the entire transaction at the counter. However, this is where things got weird. The agent said he could not accept my credit card at the ticket counter or finish the transaction. Instead he instructed me to call 1-800-874-8875 to obtain the remaining 2K miles and pay the taxes which were $132.02.

This confused me because everything I read online heavily emphasized that you MUST book and pay for Star Alliance partner awards at a Turkish office and could NOT do it via phone or online. The agent said my reservation would still be valid for the next 72 hours in order to pay the taxes/fees. He even said, “I’m going to keep working on this to see if I can get the taxes and fees total lower.” I trusted him, thanked him, and we went through security to board our flight home to Dallas.

However, when I called the number he provided the next morning my suspicions were confirmed. After speaking to multiple agents and supervisors…sure enough it was literally impossible for them to take my credit card over the phone because the award ticket was not on Turkish. *EYE ROLL* Every person told me that I needed to return to a Turkish office to complete my transaction—and I was now in Dallas.

Fortunately, one of my fellow travel nerds (who I met in the Facebook group Award Travel 101) lives in Chicago and offered to help. On his way home from work he stopped in the Turkish Airlines office located in downtown Chicago—not ORD airport. Armed with all of my information he explained the situation and within a few minutes completed the transaction on my behalf. Moments later I received an e-mail confirmation and e-ticket. Turns out the original agent did manage to lower the fees (like he mentioned) because the booking total came to $80.86 compared to the $132.02 on my printed reservation.

In the end my round trip DFW to ORD flights cost 15,000 Turkish miles and $80.86

The Approved Solution

Luckily this story ended on a positive note and the ticketing agent did some things correctly despite the miscommunication. Customers can buy or transfer remaining necessary miles but CANNOT pay the fees over the phone. The problem could have been entirely prevented if I  transferred the remaining miles or purchased them ($30 per 1,000) online before leaving the Turkish Airlines office. Then paid the fees with my credit card at the desk. Next time we know to only attempt award ticketing when all necessary miles are in the Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles account.

My goal is to use our last expiring miles to fly Air Canada business class to Vancouver over a long weekend. Stay tuned.

Featured image courtesy of Turkish Airlines Press Room

The post Redeeming Turkish Airlines miles for United flights appeared first on Seize the Globe.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve is one of my favorite credit cards in my wallet. Whenever friends or family ask for my suggestion on which travel rewards credit card they should apply for, I always tell them the Chase Sapphire Reserve. In order to save some time, I decided to write about the benefits of the card so I can quickly share the information in the future. This post is also the first in a series covering premium travel rewards credit cards.

Premium Product

This card falls into the premium category because of its exhaustive benefits and hefty annual fee of $450. It’s targeted towards travelers so if you don’t travel too often then you probably will not maximize all the benefits. The first benefit is that Chase provides an annual $300 travel credit. This immediately reduces your annual fee to a net $150. The $300 credit is automatically triggered whenever you make a qualifying travel purchase. This means you could buy a $300 flight and immediately receive the full statement credit. You could also pay for 10 different Uber rides at $30 each and get reimbursed $30 per transaction over time.

             The Chase Sapphire Reserve is a staple item we ALWAYS take abroad with us

Points flexibility

Chase Ultimate Rewards points transfer to nine different airlines and four different hotel brands. They even transfer at a 1:1 ratio. This provides incredible flexibility rather than simply opening a credit card with one specific airline and only earning their miles. Combine these airline partners with their respective alliances, then there are even greater opportunities to redeem. For example: United is a Star Alliance member which includes nearly 30 airlines. You can transfer 30,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points to United. Then redeem the United miles for an economy flight from the US to Europe on Lufthansa. You can read more about how I previously did that here.

Chase Ultimate Rewards airline transfer partners:

• Aer Lingus
• British Airways Executive Club
• Flying Blue Air France and KLM
• Iberia Plus
• Korean Air SKYPASS
• Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
• United Airlines MileagePlus
• Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

Hotel transfer partners:

• World of Hyatt
• IHG Rewards Club
• Marriott Rewards
• The Ritz-Carlton Rewards

We transferred 50,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points for two Virgin Atlantic Upper Class tickets on their 787 Dreamliner to fly from London to Johannesburg. It was super special because my husband is South African and also designed the bar for Virgin Atlantic. Two friends even joined us on the journey. It’s special moments like these that are made possible because of points.

If you’re new to all of this and the thought of transferring points to different loyalty programs makes your head spin, there are easier options for redeeming. When you book through the Ultimate Rewards Travel website you can use points to book any available flight or hotel. No restrictions or blackout dates. Using this method is a redemption rate of 1.5 cent per point. This isn’t the absolute best value, but it’s still a good option in certain situations. For instance, if there is no award availability you can still make the booking using your points this way.

Accelerated Points Earning

You will earn 3 Chase Ultimate Reward points per dollar spent on all travel and dining purchases. This includes everything from fast food to fine dining, public transportation to first class airfare, and Airbnbs to five star hotels. No matter if you’re a budget-conscious backpacker or a bougie high roller, you can take advantage of these bonus categories. Every other purchase will earn 1 point per dollar.  

        Here you can see both travel and dining purchases that received the 3x category bonus

Global Entry / TSA Pre-Check Fee Credit ($100 or $85 value)

If you’re not already a member of either Global Entry or TSA Pre-Check, then you can use your Chase Sapphire Reserve to pay the application fee and get reimbursed. These programs are valid for five years after approval and Chase allows you to re-use this credit every four years so you can re-apply.

Global Entry is an expedited way to clear immigration when returning to the United States. It requires a background check, interview, and fingerprinting. In saves valuable time when returning home from an international trip and possibly catching a connecting domestic flight. Global Entry membership also entitles you to TSA Pre-Check. So you might as well apply for it since it provides the most value.

If you already have one of these memberships, don’t rule it out as a benefit just yet. You can easily gift these to someone else (spouse, parent, child, friend, etc.). As long as the application fee is charged to your Chase Sapphire Reserve card then you will receive the credit.

Worldwide Lounge Access

Additionally, Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholders automatically receive a Priority Pass Select membership. Priority Pass gives you access to a global network of 1,000+ airport lounges. You can bring two guests into these lounges with you complimentary. Then it is $27 per additional guest. Priority Pass even partners with restaurants in certain US domestic airports to allow their members $30 food and beverage credit. Be sure to download their free app to discover where all their lounges are located.

Lounges are so convenient that I honestly cannot remember the last time I purchased food or alcohol in an airport within the last six years. Not to mention there’s nothing quite like taking a refreshing shower in a lounge before or after a 10 hour flight.

  Section of free food buffet available in the Priority Pass Lounge in Koh Samui, Thailand airport

No Foreign Transactions Fees

Sure, most travel related credit cards offer this. However I find the most value in the fact that Chase Sapphire Reserve is a Visa which is probably the most widely accepted card on the planet. So you won’t run into issues where you have a fancy American Express that is usually only accepted in major international cities. The mom and pop restaurant in Thailand is going to accept your Chase Sapphire Reserve, if they accept credit cards for payment.

This benefit applies to both transactions made outside of the United States as well as purchases made with foreign companies or in foreign currencies online.

Travel Insurance Coverage

Whenever you use the Chase Sapphire Reserve to book your trip, you are entitled to the following:

• Trip cancellation/interruption insurance (up to $20,000 per occurrence)
• Lost luggage reimbursement (up to $3,000 per passenger)
• Delayed baggage insurance ($100 per passenger per day)
• Trip delay reimbursement (up to $500 per trip), and travel accident insurance
• Travel accident insurance
• Primary rental car insurance (plus other rental car perks and discounts)
• Emergency medical, dental, evacuation, and transportation coverage

This includes delayed baggage coverage which we happened to need when our luggage was lost immediately prior to our Mediterranean cruise.  

Additional Benefits while at Home

• Roadside assistance
• Purchase protection
• Price protection
• Return protection
• Extended warranty program
• Access to VIP events

If all of these benefits sound appealing to you, then you can apply for the Chase Sapphire Reserve here. Like I always tell everyone when I make a credit card suggestion, do NOT open a credit card if you plan to carry a balance. The value of the points and miles goes completely out the window the moment you start paying interest fess. Pay your balance in full every month! I also recommend you check out our Frequently Asked Questions page to learn more about leveraging your credit responsibly, credit scores, and more.

Ability to Combine Points

Lastly, if you are already a Chase customer you can combine Chase Ultimate Rewards points. For instance, the Chase Freedom is traditionally a cashback credit card. If you open the Chase Sapphire Reserve, then you can opt to earn points instead of cashback on your Freedom so you can combine the points. If you already have a Chase Ink business card you can do the exact same thing. It took me YEARS to convince my dad to stop redeeming his Chase Ultimate Rewards by simply applying them to his statement balance for cash. IT’S THE WORST REDEMPTION RATE EVER. Now that he stopped doing that it’s time for him to open a Chase Sapphire Reserve and actually make a travel redemption for the first time. Baby steps.

Full disclosure: If you use the link provided in this post to apply for the Chase Sapphire Reserve (and Chase approves the application), then I will receive 10,000 bonus points, too.

The post Why the Chase Sapphire Reserve is Unbelievably Valuable appeared first on Seize the Globe.