Best Way to Book It

Pick a route. We'll show you some of the ways you can book it with points, ranked by typical miles cost — with cash fees and the catches inline. Coverage expands as we add programs; if a program you expect isn't here yet, it's on the roadmap, not missing on purpose.

Heads up: pricing here comes from published partner award charts, not live availability. Always confirm the seat on the operating airline's site before transferring miles in.

FromTo

Cabin

New York (JFK) ↔ Hong Kong (HKG)

8,059 miles · US ↔ SE Asia / China · Business

5 airlines fly this · cheapest first

Fly on United MileagePlus

Star Alliance

6 ways to book · from 61.5k miles

ANA Mileage Club

US to SE Asia / China (one-way equivalent of 110-136k RT)

Incredible value, but flexibility required.

Low fuel surchargesHas hoopsApproximate

How to book this →

Where to search
Search on the ANA Mileage Club award engine for United MileagePlus-operated flights.
Routing rules
Round-trip required.
Inventory requirement
Needs saver-class space on the operating airline. If it's closed, the redemption isn't bookable at this rate.
What breaks this deal
Round-trip required.
Cash co-pay
Expect roughly $125–350 in cash fees per direction. $125-350 OW equivalent in taxes.

55k-68k

miles

+ $125-350

Avianca LifeMiles

US to SE Asia / China

No fuel surcharges saves real money here vs other Star options.

No fuel surchargesHas hoops

How to book this →

Where to search
Search on the Avianca LifeMiles award engine for United MileagePlus-operated flights.
Inventory requirement
Needs saver-class space on the operating airline. If it's closed, the redemption isn't bookable at this rate.
What breaks this deal
IT tantrums are part of the experience.
Cash co-pay
Expect roughly $50–150 in cash fees per direction. US + intl taxes.

75k

miles

+ $50-150

Air Canada Aeroplan

North America to Pacific 7501-11000 mi (deep Asia)

Stopover trick still makes this spicy. Free stopover via the 5k add-on is still alive.

No fuel surchargesApproximate

How to book this →

Where to search
Search on the Air Canada Aeroplan award engine for United MileagePlus-operated flights.
Routing rules
Multi-segment Star Alliance routings allowed with one stopover for 5,000 extra points.
Inventory requirement
Needs saver-class space on the operating airline. If it's closed, the redemption isn't bookable at this rate.
Cash co-pay
Expect roughly $70–180 in cash fees per direction. $70-180 in taxes.

87.5k-115k

miles

+ $70-180

Turkish Miles&Smiles

US to SE Asia / China

Possible, but not beginner-friendly.

Low fuel surchargesHas hoopsPhone bookingApproximate

How to book this →

Where to search
Search on the Turkish Miles&Smiles award engine for United MileagePlus-operated flights. Online booking isn't available for this combo — you'll need to call.
Inventory requirement
Needs saver-class space on the operating airline. If it's closed, the redemption isn't bookable at this rate.
What breaks this deal
Phone-heavy. Verify availability before transferring.
Cash co-pay
Expect roughly $100–250 in cash fees per direction. $100-250 in taxes.

90k-115k

miles

+ $100-250

Singapore KrisFlyer

US to SE Asia / China

KrisFlyer shines more on SQ metal than UA. For UA-operated, Aeroplan wins.

Low fuel surchargesApproximate

How to book this →

Where to search
Search on the Singapore KrisFlyer award engine for United MileagePlus-operated flights.
Inventory requirement
Needs saver-class space on the operating airline. If it's closed, the redemption isn't bookable at this rate.
Cash co-pay
Expect roughly $60–200 in cash fees per direction. $60-200 in taxes.

107k-130k

miles

+ $60-200

United MileagePlus

US to SE Asia / China

Aeroplan 87.5-115k fixed almost always beats this. Skip own-metal here.

No fuel surchargesDynamic — expect upper end

How to book this →

Where to search
Search on the United MileagePlus award engine for United MileagePlus-operated flights.
Cash co-pay
Expect roughly $60–180 in cash fees per direction. $60-180 in taxes.

95k–350k

miles

+ $60-180

Fly on Cathay Pacific

Oneworld

2 ways to book · from 70k miles

American AAdvantage

North America to Asia (SE Asia / China)

70k AA J to HKG is a legendary fixed rate. Cathay still has saver space - search aa.com directly.

Low fuel surcharges

How to book this →

Where to search
Search on the American AAdvantage award engine for Cathay Pacific Asia Miles-operated flights.
Inventory requirement
Needs saver-class space on the operating airline. If it's closed, the redemption isn't bookable at this rate.
Cash co-pay
Expect roughly $30–120 in cash fees per direction. Cathay imposes minimal fuel surcharges + gov't taxes.

70k

miles

+ $30-120

Atmos Rewards

US to Hong Kong via Cathay Pacific

Atmos √ó Cathay J to Hong Kong ‚Äî preserved old Alaska sweet spot, low surcharges.

Low fuel surchargesWorth a search

How to book this →

Where to search
Search on the Atmos Rewards award engine for Cathay Pacific Asia Miles-operated flights.
Inventory requirement
Needs saver-class space on the operating airline. If it's closed, the redemption isn't bookable at this rate.
Reality check
Space is mixed. Worth a search; don't transfer until you see live availability.

85k

miles

Fly on Malaysia Airlines

Oneworld

1 way to book · from 70k miles

American AAdvantage

North America to Asia (SE Asia / China)

Same chart as Cathay but availability is the bottleneck. Cathay usually preferred.

Low fuel surcharges

How to book this →

Where to search
Search on the American AAdvantage award engine for Malaysia Airlines Enrich-operated flights.
Inventory requirement
Needs saver-class space on the operating airline. If it's closed, the redemption isn't bookable at this rate.
Cash co-pay
Expect roughly $30–100 in cash fees per direction. Gov't taxes. Low fuel surcharges via Malaysia.

70k

miles

+ $30-100

Fly on SriLankan FlySmiLes

1 way to book · from 70k miles

American AAdvantage

North America to Asia (SE Asia / China)

Phone booking expected for SriLankan award redemption. Inventory is limited.

Low fuel surchargesHas hoopsPhone bookingApproximate

How to book this →

Where to search
Search on the American AAdvantage award engine for SriLankan FlySmiLes-operated flights. Online booking isn't available for this combo — you'll need to call.
Inventory requirement
Needs saver-class space on the operating airline. If it's closed, the redemption isn't bookable at this rate.
Cash co-pay
Expect roughly $50–150 in cash fees per direction. US + transit gov't taxes.

70k

miles

+ $50-150

Fly on American Airlines

Oneworld

2 ways to book · from 90k miles

Japan Airlines Mileage Bank

AA long-haul (round-trip)

Solid long-haul J round-trip when AA J availability lines up both ways.

No fuel surchargesHas hoopsApproximate

How to book this →

Where to search
Search on the Japan Airlines Mileage Bank award engine for American AAdvantage-operated flights.
Routing rules
Round-trip required.
Inventory requirement
Needs saver-class space on the operating airline. If it's closed, the redemption isn't bookable at this rate.
Cash co-pay
Expect roughly $12–60 in cash fees per direction. ~$5.60 each direction (RT required). No fuel surcharges on AA metal.

80k-100k

miles

+ $12-60

Cathay Pacific Asia Miles

AA long-haul

Strong for complex long-haul J with stopovers. Online booking is partial - some routings need a phone call.

Low fuel surcharges

How to book this →

Where to search
Search on the Cathay Pacific Asia Miles award engine for American AAdvantage-operated flights.
Routing rules
Multi-carrier oneworld itineraries are supported, including stopovers.
Inventory requirement
Needs saver-class space on the operating airline. If it's closed, the redemption isn't bookable at this rate.
Cash co-pay
Expect roughly $10–80 in cash fees per direction. Low fuel surcharges + gov't taxes. Higher on premium long-haul.

110k

miles

+ $10-80