6 award chart sweet spots that can save you money on domestic flights
Quick summary
Knowing the best ways to redeem your transferable points and airline miles is essential for getting good value from your rewards. Many of the best airline award sweet spots are for international business-class flights, but you can also find great deals on domestic flights if you know where to look.
This article will discuss some of the best domestic award chart sweet spots. You can use American Express Membership Rewards points, Bilt Rewards Points, Capital One miles, Chase Ultimate Rewards points and Citi ThankYou Rewards points to book many of these domestic sweet spot awards.
Cheap award tickets to Hawaii
Hawaii is a reader favorite here at TPG. And thankfully, there are many great ways to reach Hawaii with points and miles. Here are a few of our favorite ways to book flights to Hawaii with major U.S. carriers.
The best ways to book United flights to Hawaii
The best flight deal to Hawaii is to book United Airlines flights with Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles. This Star Alliance loyalty program charges just 10,000 miles for a one-way flight from anywhere in the U.S. to Hawaii. Better yet, a business-class ticket is just 15,000 miles one-way — but award space is challenging to find.
You can transfer Bilt points, Capital One miles, Citi ThankYou Rewards points and Marriott Bonvoy points to Turkish Airlines.
Alternatively, you can transfer American Express Membership Rewards points, Capital One miles, Chase Ultimate Rewards points, Citi ThankYou Rewards points and Marriott Bonvoy points to Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer to book United flights to Hawaii. Award tickets from the mainland U.S. to Hawaii cost 19,500 miles.
Book American, Alaska or Hawaiian flights with Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
You can use Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles to book flights on Alaska- and Hawaiian Airlines-operated flights at dynamic rates. You can also leverage the program's distance-based partner award chart to book flights to Hawaii on American Airlines.
The cheapest Alaska and Hawaiian flights from the mainland to Hawaii often start at just 10,000 miles plus $5.60 in taxes and fees from the West Coast. On peak dates, however, you may find significantly higher prices.
Meanwhile, flights on American start at 17,500 miles and $19 in taxes and fees from the West Coast to Hawaii. You'll pay more miles for longer flights, but connecting itineraries are priced the same as nonstop flights.
You can transfer Marriott Bonvoy and Bilt Rewards points to Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan, or earn them directly with an Alaska Airlines cobranded credit card.
Always look for good deals on Southwest flights
If you have a Companion Pass, Southwest Airlines may provide the most affordable options for using points or cash to travel to Hawaii. There are many ways to earn more Southwest points, including spending on Southwest credit cards and transferring Chase Ultimate Rewards points, Bilt Rewards points or Marriott Bonvoy points to Southwest Rapid Rewards.
Related: Best hotels and resorts in Hawaii
United flights with Turkish Miles&Smiles
Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles remains an underrated airline program with great benefits. Similar to flights to Hawaii, you can book other United Airlines domestic flights in economy and business class for just 10,00 and 15,000 miles one-way, respectively. This even includes transcontinental flights with lie-flat seats, though award space is hard to find.
These are among the lowest award rates for domestic medium- and long-haul routes. For a comprehensive overview, check out our guide to Turkish Miles&Smiles sweet spots.
As discussed above, you can transfer rewards from Bilt Rewards, Capital One, Citi ThankYou Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy to Turkish Miles&Smiles.
Related: The best websites to search for Star Alliance award availability
United flights with Avianca LifeMiles
While Avianca LifeMiles has a standard, zone-based award chart, you'll often see different award rates for travel within the U.S. Many domestic awards cost 10,000 miles and $5.60 in taxes and fees, including this flight from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) to Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR). Longer flights will cost more.
You can transfer American Express Membership Rewards points, Bilt Rewards points, Capital One miles, Citi ThankYou Rewards points, Wells Fargo Rewards points and Marriott Bonvoy points to Avianca LifeMiles.
Related: Why you need Avianca LifeMiles for travel within the US and to Canada
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan for short-haul American flights
Even outside of flights to Hawaii, you can use Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan to score an excellent deal on American Airlines and Alaska Airlines domestic flights. Alaska utilizes a distance-based award chart for partner flights, with flights under 700 miles costing just 4,500 Alaska miles plus taxes and fees. Some slightly longer flights — like from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) to O'Hare International Airport (ORD) — also fall into this price band.
Longer flights cost more miles, but prices are reasonable. For pricing, refer to this award chart for Alaska partner flights within the U.S.
As a reminder, Marriott Bonvoy and Bilt Rewards points transfer to Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan.
Related: 5 versions of Avios: When to use Aer Lingus, British Airways, Finnair, Iberia and Qatar Airways
Low-cost Delta SkyMiles awards
The Delta Air Lines SkyMiles program has received criticism for its volatile award pricing and lack of published award charts. Dynamic pricing has undoubtedly made redeeming SkyMiles for high-value international flights difficult. But you'll sometimes find affordable domestic flights you can book with Delta SkyMiles.
For example, consider this Chicago-to-Minneapolis flight that you can book for just 3,200 miles in Delta basic economy or 5,900 miles in economy.
Delta even offers transcontinental flights at bargain award rates, like this flight from Boston to Los Angeles, which costs as little as 7,900 miles.
If you have an eligible Delta credit card, you're eligible for a 15% discount on Delta-operated SkyMiles award tickets thanks to the TakeOff 15 benefit.
If you need to earn Delta SkyMiles, you can use a Delta credit card or transfer American Express Membership Rewards points or Marriott Bonvoy points to Delta.
Benefit from AAdvantage's dynamic pricing
Dynamic pricing of American Airlines awards can let you snag bargain award rates if you have flexible travel plans. For example, we found award rates between Detroit and Philadelphia that start at just 5,000 miles in economy.
You can also find deals on short-haul international flights between the U.S. and Canada or Mexico. For example, this flight from Dallas to Mexico City costs just 8,000 miles plus $51.68 in taxes and fees.
There are many ways to earn American Airlines miles, including spending on American Airlines credit cards and transferring Marriott Bonvoy points. Further, you can now transfer Citi ThankYou points to AAdvantage.
Related: How to redeem miles with the American Airlines AAdvantage program
Credit cards that can help you stock up on rewards
Throughout this article, we mention various types of transferable rewards you can transfer to select airline loyalty programs. Here are some of the best cards that earn transferable points or miles:
- American Express Membership Rewards points: The Platinum Card® from American Express, The Business Platinum Card® from American Express and the American Express® Gold Card
- Bilt Rewards points: Bilt Mastercard® (see rates and fees)
- Capital One miles: Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card and Capital One Venture X Business
- Chase Ultimate Rewards points: Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see rates and fees), Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees), Chase Sapphire Reserve for Business℠ (see rates and fees) and Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (see rates and fees)
- Citi ThankYou Rewards points: Citi Strata Elite℠ Card (see rates and fees), Citi Strata Premier® Card (see rates and fees) and Citi Strata℠ Card (see rates and fees)
Although some of these cards offer excellent welcome bonuses, remember that it can take a while to meet the minimum spending requirements for the bonus. So, it's best to apply for a new card months before you expect to book your award flights.
Related: Maximize your airfare: The best credit cards for booking flights
Bottom line
Maximizing the value of your transferable rewards and airline miles requires knowledge of the best redemption strategies. While international business-class flights to far-flung destinations often offer great value, it's essential not to overlook the domestic award chart sweet spots.
You can find excellent deals on domestic flights by leveraging transferable credit card rewards. Take advantage of these opportunities and unlock your rewards' full domestic and international travel potential.
See Bilt Mastercard rates and fees here.
See Bilt Mastercard rewards and benefits here.