There are several great ways to spend Asiana Club miles including flying business class to Europe for only 40,000 Miles one-way, and reasonable prices for Etihad Airways’ First Class Apartment.
In this post we will discuss (1) who you can fly using Asiana Miles, (2) how much it will cost, (3) the best ways to redeem Asiana miles, and (4) other tips and tricks you should know before booking an award.
Airlines You Can Fly Using Asiana Miles
You can use your Asiana Miles to fly any of their Star Alliance partners.
None of Asiana’s partners can be booked online, so you will need to call 800-227-4262 to book an award ticket.
Award space on most partners can be found via a “Book with Miles” search on United.com.
Star Alliance Airlines
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Aegean
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Air Canada
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Air China
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Air India
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Air New Zealand
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ANA
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Asiana Airlines
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Austrian Airlines
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Avianca
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Brussels Airlines
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Copa Airlines
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Croatia Airlines
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EgyptAir
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Ethiopian
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EVA Air
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LOT Polish
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Lufthansa
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SAS
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Shenzhen
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Singapore Airlines
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South African
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SWISS
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TAP Portugal
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Thai Airways
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Turkish Airlines
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United Airlines
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You can also redeem Asiana Miles on three of their partner airlines. The Star Alliance award charts below apply to these partners.
For Etihad Airways, you cannot redeem Asiana Miles on the New York-JFK to Abu Dhabi route.
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Asiana's Partner Airlines
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Air Astana
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Etihad Airways
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Qatar Airways
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Asiana's Mileage Award Charts
Below are the award charts for Asiana. Partners airlines such as Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways utilize the Star Alliance award chart.
Asiana surprisingly prices awards on Star Alliance airlines cheaper than their own flights, so we recommend focusing on the Star Alliance charts unless you want to add a stopover in Seoul.
Below is the round-trip price during “low season” for flights on Asiana. One-way flights cost 50% fewer miles.
You are allowed one-stopover in Seoul per one-way ticket (e.g. New York to Seoul (stopover) to Hong Kong).
Smartinum business class is operated on the following routes from Seoul: Barcelona, Frankfurt, Honolulu, Istanbul, London, Los Angeles, New York, Paris, Rome, San Francisco, Seattle, Sydney, and Venice.
Flights during the “high season” (defined on a tab below) require 50% more Miles. (Except for Diamond Plus and Platinum elite members)
Lastly, infants cost 10% of the adult mileage, and children between ages 2 and 11 (as of the date of boarding) cost 75% of the mileage below.
2020 High Season Dates:
- Domestic Travel– April 30th to May 5th, July 24th to August 22nd, September 29th to October 4th, October 9th to October 11th, December 25th to 27th, and December 31st.
- Flights from the Americas– May 16th to July 5th, December 8th to December 27th.
- Other International Flights– July 11th to August 16th, September 29th to October 5th, December 24th to December 31st.
2021 High Season Dates:
- Domestic Travel– January 1 to 3rd, February 10th to 14th, February 20th to March 1st, May 1st to 5th, May 15th to 19th, July 24th to August 22nd, September 17th to 22nd, and December 31st.
- Flights from the Americas– May 14th to July 4th, December 7th to December 31st.
- Other International Flights– January 1st to January 3rd, February 10th to 14th, February 27th to March 1st, April 30th to May 5th, July 23rd to August 22nd, September 16th to 26th, December 24th to December 31st.
Below is the Upgrade Award chart for Asiana for round-trip flights. One-way flights are 50% of the cost.
Upgrades from economy class are only available for pricier fare classes (Y, B, and M)
| Northeast Asia | Taiwan, Macau, Mongolia, Japan, China, Korea, and Hong Kong. |
| Southeast Asia | Guam, Laos, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Brunei, Saipan, Singapore, Indonesia, Cambodia, Thai, Palau Islands, and Philippines. |
| Southwest Asia | Nepal, Maldives, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Afghnistan, Uzbekistan, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Pakistan. |
| South Pacific | Nauru, New Zealand, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Samoa, Solomon Islands, American Samoa, Kiribati, Tonga, Tuvalu, Papua New Guinea, French Polynesia, Fiji Islands, and Australia. |
| North America | US (excluding Hawaii) and Canada. |
| Mexico, Hawaii, Central America | Guiana, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Grenada, Nicaragua, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Martinique, Mexico, Montserrat, Barbados, Bahamas, Bermuda, Belize, British Virgin Islands, St.Lucia, St.Vincent, St.Kitts & Nevis, Suriname, Aruba, Haiti, Antigua, Antilles, El Salvador, Honduras, The US Virgin Islands, Jamaica, Cayman Islands, Costa Rica, Cuba, Trinidad & Tobago, Puerto Rico, French Guiana, and Hawaii. |
| South America 1 | Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia, Panama, and Peru. |
| South America 2 | Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, and Paraguay. |
| Europe | Georgia, Greece, Netherlands, Norway, Denmark, Germany, Latvia, Russia, Romania, Luxembourg, , Lithuania, Liechtenstein, Macedonia, Malta, Monaco, Morocco, Moldova, Belgium, Belarus, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Cyprus, San Marino, Serbia, Sweden, Switzerland, Spain, Slovakia, Slovenia, Armenia, Iceland, Ireland, Azerbaizan, Andorra, Albania, Algeria, Estonia, United Kingdom, Austria, Ukraine, Italy, Gibraltar, Czech, Croatia, Turkey, Tunisia, Portugal, Poland, France, Finland, and Hungary. |
| Middle East | Lebanon, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, U.A.E., Yemen, Oman, Jordan, Iraq, Iran, Israel, Egypt, Qatar, and Kuwait. |
| Africa | Ghana, Gabon, Gambia, Guinea, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Niger, Liberia, Lesotho, Rwanda, Libya, Reunion, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Mozambique, Burkina Faso, Benin, Botswana, Burundi, Senegal, Seychelles, Somalia, Swaziland, Angola, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Uganda, Zaire, Zambia, Equatorial Guinea, Central African Republic, Djibouti, Zimbabwe, Chad, Cameroon, Kenya, Comoros, Cote d’Ivoire, Congo, Tanzania, and Togo. |
Award Pricing with Asiana Flight:
- Domestic Asiana flight + Star Alliance Flight = Price of domestic Asiana flight plus the price of Star Alliance flight.
- International Asiana flight + Star Alliance Flight= Priced based on Star Alliance table.
Stopovers– Stopovers are priced by segment with the exception of the round the world award. (e.g., Seoul to New York to Miami would cost 40,000 points on Asiana and United, but if you add a stopover in New York, it costs 40,000 + 12,500)
Booking for 2 or more people: You cannot book for a friend or unmarried significant other. Only family members, who are a spouse, child, parent, grandparent, grandchild, brother, sister, son-in-law, daughter-in-law and parent-in-law. You may need to provide documentation as well and register online.
Maximum Segments: 3 per one-way award (equivalent to 2 connections)
Maximum Permitted Mileage (“MPM”)– You cannot go over the Maximum Permitted Mileage, which is the maximum distance allowed between the departure city and destination. You can find this number via Expert Flyer’s paid service or send me an email at [email protected]. This means that you can’t fly from Los Angeles to Tokyo via the Middle East on a single ticket (it would cost two separate awards), but you could fly New York to Singapore via the Middle East.
Fees: 3,000 points or 30 USD per passenger per ticket for refunds or reissue on Star Alliance tickets within 12 months of issue. After 12 months, it costs $100 USD or 10,000 points. There is also a no-show fee of $50 or 5,000 points.
Kids: Infants under two years of age may fly on a reward ticket for 10% of the required number of points as long as they do not occupy a seat. For children between the ages of 2 and 11 traveling with an adult, they may receive a reward ticket for 75% of the required points.
Below is Asiana’s Star Alliance award chart for North America. One-way awards are 50% of the cost.
Below is Asiana’s Star Alliance award chart for Mexico, Hawaii, and Central America. One-way awards are 50% of the cost.
Below is Asiana’s Star Alliance award chart for Europe. One-way awards are 50% of the cost.
Below is Asiana’s Star Alliance award chart for Northeast Asia. One-way awards are 50% of the cost.
Below is Asiana’s Star Alliance award chart for Southeast Asia. One-way awards are 50% of the cost.
Below is Asiana’s Star Alliance award chart for Southwest Asia. One-way awards are 50% of the cost.
Below is Asiana’s Star Alliance award chart for South Pacific. One-way awards are 50% of the cost.
Below is Asiana’s Star Alliance award chart for South America 1. One-way awards are 50% of the cost.
Below is Asiana’s Star Alliance award chart for South America 2. One-way awards are 50% of the cost.
Below is Asiana’s Star Alliance award chart for Middle East. One-way awards are 50% of the cost.
Below is Asiana’s Star Alliance award chart for Africa. One-way awards are 50% of the cost.
You can also use Asiana Miles to book an around the world ticket for 140,000 miles in economy class and 230,000 miles in business class.
You are allowed up to seven stopovers and two stops in the same country, as long as the entire trip lasts more than 10 days.
You generally need to fly in the same direction (keep flying east or west), but you can backtrack in the same region.
Further, you need to cross both the Atlantic and Pacific ocean at least once, and you can’t fly over one of those oceans twice.
Best Ways to Spend Asiana Miles from North America
There are several great ways to use Asiana Miles from North America. Below are some of our favorites.
The prices below are for one-way travel, unless otherwise noted. Round-trip awards are double the cost.
1. Europe in Business Class for 40,000 Miles.
Several of Asiana’s Star Alliance partners fly from the U.S. to Europe including United Airlines, Lufthansa, Austrian, SWISS, Air Canada, LOT Polish, Turkish Airlines, and TAP Portugal.
However, all of these partners, with the exception of United Airlines, charge very high fuel surcharges ($400+ each way).
United Airlines’ business-class has improved over the last few years, so they are a good option to Europe especially for 40,000 miles.
2. Mexico City to Europe in First Class for 50,000 Miles.
You can fly Lufthansa First Class from Mexico City to Europe for only 50,000 Miles.
The reason you should fly from Mexico City rather than a U.S. city is that you can save $575 each way in taxes and fees. A Lufthansa First Class flight will cost you around $800 one-way in fuel surcharges from the U.S., but only $225 one-way in fuel surcharges from Mexico City.
Another option for flying first-class from Mexico City would be to fly United business class from Mexico City to Chicago and then SWISS First Class from Chicago to Zurich.
3. Etihad Airways Business or First Class to Africa, the Middle East, or Southeast Asia.
Asiana prices out first-class awards pretty cheaply compared with other programs, which makes Etihad Airways a good option.
You can fly Etihad first class from the U.S. for the following rates for one-way travel:
- Africa- 80,000 Miles
- The Middle East- 80,000 Miles
- Southeast Asia- 90,000 Miles*
- Africa- 60,000 Miles
- The Middle East- 60,000 Miles
- Southeast Asia- 67,500 Miles*
* Midwest or East Coast departures only. West Coast departures would violate the maximum permitted mileage rule. (See routing rules above)
4. Japan, China, and Northeast Asia for 60,000 Miles in Business Class.
Asiana charges only 60,00 miles one-way or 120,000 miles round-trip for flights on Star Alliance Airlines (not Asiana) to Taiwan, Macau, Mongolia, Japan, China, Korea, and Hong Kong.
Asiana charges 135,000 miles round-trip for their own flights to this region, so it is best to fly on EVA, ANA, or United Airlines to Asia.
5. Southern South America for 35,000 Miles in Business Class.
Southern South America consists of Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, and Paraguay.
Asiana only charges 35,000 miles one-way for business class or 70,000 miles round-trip, which is a good deal.
The airlines you would fly would be United Airlines, Avianca, or Copa Airlines.
6. United Airlines Business Class Within U.S. or Canada for 22,500 Miles.
United Airlines prices their own lie-flat business class from cities like New York to Los Angeles at 35,000 United Miles. Here, Asiana Miles only charges 22,500 miles for one-way business class flights within the U.S. and Canada.
Award space on United’s lie-flat routes is very hard to find, but you may get lucky closer to departure.
Best Ways to Spend Asiana Miles from Other Regions
1. Europe to the Middle East in Etihad First Class for 40,000 Miles.
You can experience 7 hours in Etihad’s first-class apartment on their Airbus A380 from London or Paris for only 40,000 miles each way.
You could also book Etihad’s business class for only 25,000 miles each way.
2. Flights on Air New Zealand Within the “South Pacific” Region.
Asiana charges for one-way flights within the South Pacific only: 12,500 miles for economy class and 22,500 miles for business class.
The only Star Alliance airline in the region is Air New Zealand, but Asiana defines “South Pacific” quite broadly as Nauru, New Zealand, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Samoa, Solomon Islands, American Samoa, Kiribati, Tonga, Tuvalu, Papua New Guinea, French Polynesia, Fiji Islands, and Australia.
To maximize this award, you could fly from Perth to Tahiti, which is about 11 hours of flight time in business class for only 22,500 Asiana Miles.
3. Hawaii to Europe for 40,000 Miles One-Way in Business Class.
4. Hawaii to Northern South America for 27,500 Miles One-Way in Business Class.
The Verdict
There are several great uses of Asiana Miles, but most are on Asiana’s Star Alliance partners or other partners such as Etihad Airways.
The one major disadvantage of Asiana miles is that they charge fuel surcharges for all of their partners, which makes many flights to or from Europe very expensive unless you fly on United Airlines.
Lastly, you cannot book any of Asiana’s partners online, so you will have to call 800-227-4262 to book. You can locate most Star Alliance award space via a “Book with Miles” search on United.com.
