Quick Answer: Worth Learning for Specific Routes
Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles sells Star Alliance awards on a region-to-region chart, and it is still worth learning if you collect Citi ThankYou Points or Capital One Miles. Prices depend on the region pair and the cabin, so read the current chart on Turkish Airlines' website before you plan around a number.
The program is not perfect. The website is unreliable, phone agents vary in skill, and you may need to book by calling Istanbul. But the inventory is genuine Star Alliance award space: the same seats United and Aeroplan members fight over, bookable with a different currency.
This guide walks through the program basics, the redemptions worth checking, how to earn enough Miles&Smiles to book them, and the workarounds for the booking quirks. Verify the current award chart on Turkish Airlines' website before transferring points, because the chart has changed more than once and may change again.
Understanding Miles&Smiles: Program Basics
Miles&Smiles is the frequent flyer program of Turkish Airlines, a Star Alliance member based in Istanbul. The program issues awards on every Star Alliance carrier, including United, Lufthansa, Swiss, Air Canada, ANA, Singapore Airlines, EVA Air, Thai Airways, Air New Zealand, Avianca, Copa, and TAP Air Portugal. That partner network is the entire reason to care about the program.
Miles never expire as long as you take one qualifying activity every three years. Earning a single mile, redeeming an award, or using a co-branded credit card counts. This is more generous than most programs.
The main earning path for US travelers is Citi ThankYou Points, which transfer to Miles&Smiles at a 1:1 ratio and post within minutes during normal business hours. Citi runs occasional transfer bonuses to Turkish that push the ratio above 1:1. Capital One Miles also transfer to Turkish at 1:1.
Miles&Smiles does have a US co-branded card. The Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles Premier Visa Signature is issued by First Electronic Bank under a license from Visa and powered by Imprint. It earns 3x on Turkish Airlines flights and purchases, 2x on dining, groceries, entertainment and lodging, and 1x on everything else, for a $99 annual fee with no foreign transaction fees. It also carries complimentary access to Turkish Airlines lounges, priority check-in and boarding on Turkish flights to and from the US, and 125 Status Miles per $500 spent in a statement cycle, up to 5,000 a calendar year. For most US readers Citi and Capital One transfers are still the faster way to build a balance.
The Benefits
The award chart is region-to-region and distance-blind within each region pair. A flight from Newark to Frankfurt costs the same as Los Angeles to Athens if both fall in the same European zone. This pricing structure rewards travelers flying long routes within a single region pair.
Award taxes are reasonable on most carriers. Turkish does not impose its own fuel surcharges on top of the operating carrier's pricing, so flights on United, Air Canada, Avianca, and Copa carry only government taxes, often under $100 round-trip in economy and under $250 in business.
The Drawbacks
The Turkish Airlines website has a difficult relationship with reality. It often shows phantom award space that does not exist, fails to ticket selected itineraries, and times out during the final booking step. Plan to spend time on the phone.
Phone agents are based in multiple call centers and skill varies. US-based agents sometimes refuse partner bookings that are valid per the rules. The Istanbul call center is usually more knowledgeable but requires an international call. Calling at 2 a.m. Eastern often connects you to the most experienced agents.
Refunds are slow and partial. Cancellation fees apply even for award tickets, and refunds can take 30 to 60 days.
Routing rules are stricter than United's. Mixed-cabin awards are not allowed on most itineraries; every segment must be in the booked cabin. Open jaws and stopovers have specific rules covered later.
How the Award Chart Prices Routes
Turkish divides the world into regions and prices partner awards between them. Two pricing rules matter most for US travelers.
North America to Europe. Prices depend on which European zone your destination falls in. Check Turkish's country list to see the zone, then read the current chart before you plan. For a worked example of pricing Turkish against other programs to one European city, see our guide to business class to Brussels.
Same-country partner flights. Partner flights within a single country, including the U.S., price on their own chart. Read it on Turkish's site before you plan around it.
For Asia, South America and short-haul Europe, read the current chart on Turkish's site before you plan around a price.
Redemptions Worth Checking
1. North America to Europe business class. Available on United, Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian, or TAP. Newark to Frankfurt on Lufthansa, JFK to Zurich on Swiss, Boston to Lisbon on TAP, Washington to Vienna on Austrian. Flights on United, Air Canada, Avianca and Copa carry no fuel surcharges; Lufthansa, Swiss and Austrian carry their own, covered later.
2. Lufthansa First Class to Europe. Space opens roughly 15 days before departure on most routes. The first-class terminal in Frankfurt is included for departing first passengers and is one of the best ground experiences in commercial aviation. Lufthansa surcharges apply, so check the total taxes before you transfer.
3. U.S. domestic business or first on a partner. Useful when you already hold Turkish miles and a United domestic seat is the only thing missing from a trip.
4. Istanbul stopovers on Turkish metal. When flying Turkish Airlines through Istanbul to or from a third region, an Istanbul stopover may be possible. Confirm the current stopover rules with Turkish before you plan one. Our stopover programs guide covers how airline stopover programs work.
For context on how these programs stack up against the broader Star Alliance vs. oneworld picture, see our breakdown of Star Alliance vs oneworld.
How to Earn Miles&Smiles
The primary path is Citi ThankYou Points. Most Citi cards earn ThankYou Points that transfer 1:1 to Turkish, and Citi has run several transfer bonuses to Turkish in recent years pushing the rate above 1:1. The Citi Strata Premier is the workhorse: 3x on air, hotels, gas, restaurants, and supermarkets, plus a sign-up bonus. The Citi Strata Elite earns at higher multiples and adds travel benefits useful for premium-cabin travelers.
Capital One Miles also transfer to Turkish at 1:1. Pair a Capital One earning card with the Citi cards to diversify your transferable balance.
Booking with the help of a service like Point.me is useful here. Miles&Smiles award search through Point.me handles the partner inventory complexity without the website fights.
The Booking Process
Award search starts on the Turkish website. Use the multi-city option even for one-way searches because the round-trip default sometimes hides partner space. The website pulls Star Alliance inventory from a feed that occasionally lags United's by several hours, so cross-check with United.com or with ExpertFlyer for confirmation that the space is real.
For Lufthansa First Class, only check within 15 days of departure on most routes. Searches further out will show zero space because the inventory does not release until close-in. ANA First and Singapore Suites have similar but slightly different release windows.
If the website refuses to ticket, call. The US call center number is on the Miles&Smiles site. If a US agent says space is not available when you can see it, hang up and call back. Agent skill varies. The Istanbul call center handles bookings in English and is generally more capable, though wait times can be longer.
Before you transfer Citi ThankYou Points, confirm with an agent that the space exists and will ticket. That avoids the worst case of points stuck in Miles&Smiles for an itinerary that never goes through.
Fuel Surcharges by Airline
Fuel surcharges vary by operating carrier on Miles&Smiles awards. Turkish itself does not add surcharges, but it passes through what the operating partner charges.
No or minimal surcharges: United, Air Canada, Avianca, Copa, EVA Air, Air New Zealand, Singapore Airlines, ANA on award tickets, TAP Air Portugal in most cases.
Heavy surcharges: Lufthansa in premium cabins, Swiss (similar to Lufthansa), Austrian (moderate), Asiana on certain routes.
When chasing the lowest total cost, prioritize United, Air Canada, and Avianca segments. When the destination requires Lufthansa or Swiss, accept the surcharges as the cost of access to those carriers' premium cabins.
Comparing Turkish With Other Star Alliance Programs
The same Star Alliance seat is often bookable with United MileagePlus, Aeroplan, Avianca LifeMiles and ANA Mileage Club. Price the identical flight in each program, then add the cash surcharges, before you transfer anything. Turkish is not automatically the cheapest.
Advanced Strategies
Mixed-program ticketing. Book the outbound with Miles&Smiles and the return with Aeroplan or LifeMiles. Two one-way tickets at the lowest available program for each direction. This works particularly well when one program has space on the outbound and the other has space on the return.
Stopovers in Istanbul. When flying Turkish metal between two regions, ask Turkish whether an Istanbul stopover can be added to your award, and confirm the current rules and any mileage cost before you book.
Open jaws. Book into one city and out of another within the same region for the same mileage cost as a return to the original city. Fly into Paris, train to Rome, fly home from Rome, priced the same as Paris-Paris.
Citi transfer bonuses. Citi has run Turkish transfer bonuses before. Wait for a bonus before transferring large balances when the timing works.
Companion travel. Multiple passengers on a single award booking is supported, but each passenger needs their own award space. Search one at a time to verify space exists for all travelers before requesting the multi-passenger booking.
Common Mistakes
Transferring points before confirming the booking tickets. Call to verify the space exists and will ticket before transferring. Citi ThankYou Points are useful across many programs; miles in Miles&Smiles for an unbookable itinerary are stuck.
Booking on the website when calling would succeed. If a website search shows partial space or refuses to ticket, the call center can often book the same itinerary using a manual fare process. Do not give up after one failed website attempt.
Ignoring carrier surcharges. A lower mileage price on Lufthansa is not strictly cheaper than a higher mileage price on Avianca LifeMiles if the surcharge differential is hundreds of dollars. Calculate the total cost.
Mixed-cabin bookings on partner segments. Miles&Smiles does not allow mixed-cabin partner bookings on most itineraries. If one leg only has economy space and you wanted business, the whole itinerary prices at the economy rate or fails entirely. Search for full-business space end to end.
Booking too far out for Lufthansa First. Lufthansa First Class space releases 15 days before departure on most routes. Searches at three months out will show zero. That is normal, not a problem with your search. Set alerts for the close-in window.
When Turkish Isn't the Best Choice
Skip Miles&Smiles when:
- The route is operated by a non-Star Alliance carrier. Turkish only books Star Alliance partners, period.
- You need flexible changes. Miles&Smiles cancellation fees and slow refunds make it the wrong program for itineraries that may change.
- You hold a large Aeroplan balance and the surcharge differential is small. Use what you have rather than transferring fresh points.
- The booking requires high-end first class on partners other than Lufthansa. ANA First, Singapore Suites, and Thai First have specific search and booking quirks that other programs sometimes handle better.
For status-driven travelers building elite credit on United, consider whether to credit flights to United for Premier Silver fast-track or to Miles&Smiles for award redemption. The answer depends on your travel pattern.
Bottom Line
Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles is a useful Star Alliance booking program for readers who collect Citi ThankYou Points or Capital One Miles. Prices follow a region-to-region chart that Turkish has changed more than once, so read the current chart on Turkish Airlines' website before you transfer.
The trade-off is real. Website reliability is poor, phone agents are inconsistent, and refunds are slow. Price the same seat in the other Star Alliance programs before you transfer.
Updated October 20, 2026: award chart prices.
