slug: how-to-book-award-flights-step-by-step

title: "How to Book Award Flights Step by Step: A Complete Guide for 2025"

description: "Learn exactly how to book award flights in 2025—from searching availability to calling airlines, transferring points, and getting the seat you actually want."

category: Money

tags: ["award flights", "points redemption", "travel hacking", "miles booking", "credit card rewards"]

author_slug: faroway-team

cluster: credit-cards

reading_time: 10 min

Most people earn points for years without ever booking a free flight. Not because they don't want to—but because the process feels opaque, the websites are clunky, and the rules seem designed to confuse you into giving up. They're not wrong. Airline award programs are deliberately complex. But once you understand the mechanics, booking award flights is one of the highest-value things you can do with your credit card points.

This is the step-by-step process. No theory—just the actual workflow to get from "I have points" to "I have a confirmed ticket."

Step 1: Know What You Have (and What It's Worth)

Before searching for anything, take inventory.

Common transferable point currencies:

Chase Ultimate Rewards – Transfer to United, Hyatt, Air France/KLM, Singapore Airlines, and more
Amex Membership Rewards – Transfer to Delta, Air France/KLM, ANA, Singapore Airlines, British Airways, and more
Capital One Miles – Transfer to Air Canada Aeroplan, Turkish Airlines, Avianca, and more
Citi ThankYou Points – Transfer to Turkish Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Air France/KLM, and more
Bilt Rewards – Transfer to United, American, Alaska, Air France/KLM, and more

General value benchmarks:

Currency	Conservative Value	Great Redemption Target
Chase UR	1.5–2¢	United Business Class, Hyatt hotels
Amex MR	1.5–2¢	ANA Business (via Virgin Atlantic), Air France Flying Blue
Capital One	1.5–2¢	Air Canada Aeroplan, Turkish Miles&Smiles
Citi TY	1.4–1.8¢	Singapore KrisFlyer, Turkish
Airline miles	1–2¢	Depends heavily on route and cabin

Rule of thumb: If a paid ticket costs $800 and you're being asked to redeem 80,000 miles, that's 1¢/mile—bad. If it costs $3,000 and you're redeeming 60,000 miles, that's 5¢/mile—exceptional.

Step 2: Decide on Your Destination First

The single biggest mistake beginners make is starting by searching what miles they can use, then reverse-engineering a trip. Start with where you want to go.

Ask yourself:

What's the destination? (Be specific: Tokyo Narita or Tokyo Haneda?)
What cabin? (Economy is easier to find; business is the better value)
How flexible are you on dates? (Flexibility is the most valuable asset in award travel)
One-way or round trip? (Booking two separate one-ways often gets you better availability)

Step 3: Search for Award Space (Before Transferring Anything)

Never transfer points until you have confirmed award space waiting for you. Transfers are instant at most partners but irreversible. If you transfer 60,000 Amex points to Delta and then can't find award space, those points are stuck in Delta SkyMiles—not great.

The Search Sequence

1. Check the airline's own website first

Most airlines show partner award availability on their own site. Go to the airline you want to fly, put in your route, select "Use Miles," and check award availability.

Examples:

United's website shows all Star Alliance partner space (Lufthansa, ANA, Singapore, etc.)
American's website shows some oneworld partner space
Air France/KLM Flying Blue shows its own metal and sometimes partner availability

2. Use point.me or Seats.aero for multi-program searches

These tools (~$10–$15/month) search award availability across dozens of programs simultaneously. Worth the fee if you're planning a specific trip. Seats.aero is faster and more raw; point.me has better UX.

3. Use Aeroplan's search tool for Star Alliance routes

Air Canada Aeroplan is one of the best programs for searching partner availability. It shows Lufthansa, Singapore, ANA, United, and others in one place—and you can book all of them through Aeroplan with no fuel surcharges on most airlines.

4. Check Google Flights for date guidance

Google Flights won't show award availability, but the calendar view shows you when paid fares drop—which often correlates with when award space opens up. Low paid fare days = more seats available overall.

Step 4: Understand the Programs That Can Book Your Route

Once you know award space exists, you need to figure out which loyalty programs can actually book it.

Alliance Structure

Alliance	Member Airlines	Best Program for Booking
Star Alliance	United, Lufthansa, ANA, Singapore, Air Canada	Aeroplan (Air Canada), ANA Mileage Club
oneworld	American, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Qatar, Japan Airlines	AA miles, British Avios, Cathay Asia Miles
SkyTeam	Delta, Air France/KLM, Korean Air, Aeromexico	Flying Blue (Air France/KLM)

Smart booking approaches by route:

Europe in business class: Aeroplan (no fuel surcharges on Lufthansa/Swiss) or Virgin Atlantic miles for ANA/Delta; avoid British Avios on long-haul (high surcharges)
Japan in business: ANA Mileage Club or Virgin Atlantic for ANA; Aeroplan for Star Alliance partners
Southeast Asia: Singapore KrisFlyer for Singapore Airlines (incredible business class); Cathay Asia Miles for Cathay Pacific
Domestic US: Chase UR to United; Amex MR to Delta; Citi TY to American

Step 5: Transfer Your Points

Once you've confirmed award space exists and you know which program to use, transfer your points.

How long do transfers take?

From → To	Transfer Time
Chase UR → United	Instant
Chase UR → Air France/KLM	Instant
Amex MR → Delta	Instant
Amex MR → Singapore KrisFlyer	24–48 hours
Capital One → Aeroplan	1–3 business days
Citi → Turkish	24–48 hours

Always check for transfer bonuses. Amex, Chase, and Capital One periodically offer 20–30% transfer bonuses to specific programs (e.g., transfer 60,000 Amex MR and get 72,000 Flying Blue miles). These can dramatically increase the value of your points.

Transfer ratio is almost always 1:1 from transferable currencies to airline partners. Some hotel transfers are worse (1:3 from Chase to Marriott, for example—generally not worth it).

Step 6: Book the Award

Online Booking

Most award tickets can be booked online once you're logged into the airline's loyalty program. Steps:

Log into your airline loyalty account (the one you just transferred points to)
Go to award booking (usually "Use Miles" or "Redeem Miles")
Enter the route and dates where you confirmed availability
Select the award space you found earlier
Review the cost in miles + taxes/fees
Confirm and pay fees with a credit card (use a card with no foreign transaction fees)

When to Call Instead

Some award space only appears by phone. Specifically:

Partner airline space that isn't showing online
"Waitlist" or "saver space" that an agent can see but the website hides
Complex routings (multi-city or stopover itineraries)
When the website errors out (common) but space exists

Calling tips:

Call during off-peak hours (weekday mornings, avoid Mondays)
Have your routing, dates, and the exact flight numbers ready before you call
Be specific: "I'm looking for saver-level award availability on LH 400 from JFK to FRA on April 15th in business class"
If one agent says no, hang up and call back (HUCA—"Hang Up, Call Again") — different agents see different things

Step 7: Watch for Taxes and Fees

Award flights are "free" in miles but not free of all costs. Taxes and carrier-imposed fees can range from $5.60 (domestic US) to $800+ (long-haul business on some programs with fuel surcharges).

Lowest fees: United MileagePlus (US carriers), American AAdvantage (partner flights), Aeroplan (partner flights on non-British Airways carriers)

Highest fees: British Avios on British Airways metal (especially transatlantic), Air France Flying Blue on Air France metal, Delta SkyMiles on KLM

Avoid fuel surcharge pitfalls: If you want to fly on British Airways metal, consider booking via American AAdvantage miles—AA doesn't pass through BA's fuel surcharges. If you want to fly on Air France metal, Flying Blue adds surcharges; instead, book Air France via Delta SkyMiles (sometimes) or Virgin Atlantic (often lower).

Step 8: Manage Your Booking

After booking:

Take a screenshot of the confirmation and save the booking reference
Check your booking directly on the operating airline's website to confirm the seat exists
Select seats ASAP (many programs let you do this post-booking)
Monitor for schedule changes (airlines regularly adjust award bookings; check monthly)
Sign up for ExpertFlyer or Seats.aero alerts if you want a specific seat class

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Transferring before confirming space – The #1 error. Always find the seat first.
Booking too early without flexibility – Award space often opens in the 2-week window before departure
Ignoring taxes/fees – A "free" flight with $600 in surcharges may not be the best use of miles
Not calling – Phone agents unlock inventory that doesn't appear online
Hoarding points – Devaluations happen constantly. A point today is worth more than a point next year.

Award Flight Summary Checklist

[ ] Inventory your points and programs
[ ] Decide on destination and cabin
[ ] Search award space (airline website, Seats.aero, or Aeroplan)
[ ] Identify which program can book the route with lowest fees
[ ] Confirm space exists before transferring
[ ] Transfer points (check for bonuses first)
[ ] Book online or by phone
[ ] Verify booking on operating airline's site
[ ] Select seats
[ ] Monitor for changes

Plan the Trip Around Your Award Flights

Booking the flights is only half the battle. Once you've locked in your award seats, you still need to build an itinerary around them—hotels, activities, ground transport, day-by-day pacing.

Faroway is an AI trip planner that builds full itineraries once you have your flights sorted. Tell it your arrival city, departure date, budget, and interests, and it generates a detailed, day-by-day plan—including where to stay, what to do, and how to get around without burning money unnecessarily.

If you're booking an aspirational award trip—business class to Tokyo, lie-flat to Paris, island-hopping through Southeast Asia—make sure the on-the-ground plan lives up to the flights. Use Faroway to build it.

How to Book Award Flights Step by Step: A Complete Guide for 2025