Taking your family to Hawaii is often thought of as a once-in-a-lifetime trip. If you’ve been following MileValue, you know that we strive to make those once-in-a-lifetime trips happen early and often.

Similar to Disney’s “Big Hero 6” film, Turkish Miles&Smiles is easily one of the most underrated loyalty programs out there.

Citi ThankYou Points are almost an afterthought for many points and miles collectors. However, if you are ignoring ThankYou Points, you are doing yourself a disservice.

When it comes to domestic airline frequent flyer programs, it’s hard to argue with the value presented by United’s MileagePlus program.

Many travelers have Australia on their bucket list. There really is something for everyone, from the snorkeling and diving at the Great Barrier Reef to wineries, cool cities and spectacular beaches. 

The competition for the very limited number of award seats to get there, however, is fierce. Airlines’ frequent miler programs certainly don’t make it easy and finding award space on the nonstop flights from the U.S. could be quite a challenge.

You might have noticed that the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or the Chase Sapphire Reserve® get recommended a lot in the points and miles community. There’s a good reason for that.

Rewards earned with these cards can be transferred to a number of airline and hotel loyalty programs, making it possible to book all kinds of travel for free (or almost free).

If you’re a Delta Air Lines flyer, you might think the cards offer little value to you because Chase doesn’t partner with Delta SkyMiles. However, don’t dismiss the Sapphire-branded cards so quickly.

Most people gravitate towards domestic airline loyalty programs. After all, it is easier to stick with programs that you’re familiar with rather than learn the ins and outs of another program. That’s why it is so important to know the best ways to earn United Miles.

Although United doesn’t have the most competitive award rates, one big benefit of booking with United is that it doesn’t pass on fuel surcharges on award tickets.

The American Airlines AAdvantage program doesn’t partner with any flexible bank rewards program, with the exception of Marriott Bonvoy points that transfer to the airline at a ratio of 3:1. This makes it that much more difficult to earn miles with the program.

However, it doesn’t mean that you can’t use points and miles to book award tickets on American Airlines flights. You just have to know where to search for them.

American Airlines is part of the Oneworld airline alliance, which consists of 13 full members (with Alaska Airlines joining in March 2021).

Wildlife safaris, natural wonders, bustling markets—with 54 countries to choose from, Africa’s got it all. Figuring out which loyalty program to use to fly to the second-most populous continent might be a drag, so we’ve come up with a guide to help you.

Whether you’re looking to fly with Oneworld, SkyTeam or Star Alliance carriers, we’ve got some solid options for mileage redemptions with each alliance.

Air France-KLM Flying Blue

Flying Blue is an interesting option to consider when searching for award space from North America to Africa.

Whether it’s eating a croissant near the Eiffel Tower, skiing in the Alps or riding in a gondola across Venice canals, Europe offers a lot of reasons to visit. In fact, France, Spain, Italy, Germany and the United Kingdom were in the top 10 most visited destinations by international travelers in 2019, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organization.

It’s no wonder that many travelers seek award flights to Europe.