Dreaming of visiting multiple cities on one trip without breaking the bank? Smart travelers use points and miles for multi-city travel to stretch their rewards, cover more ground, and unlock serious value.
This guide breaks down how to use miles for multiple destinations, tools to streamline the process, and mistakes to steer clear of.
Multi-Stop Award Flights: The Basics
A multi-city or open-jaw itinerary lets you fly into one city and depart from another or add stopovers between legs. Booking multi-stop award flights with miles takes planning, but airlines offer generous redemption opportunities if you know where to look.
Airlines like United, American, and Air Canada allow you to book complex itineraries. Programs like United MileagePlus even offer a free stopover on round-trip award tickets, letting you explore a third city without spending extra miles.
Here are some airline tips to maximize value:
- United MileagePlus: Use the Excursionist Perk for a free one-way flight within a region on round-trip bookings.
- Air Canada Aeroplan: Allows up to two stopovers on one-way award tickets for 5,000 extra miles per stop.
- American Airlines AAdvantage: While traditional stopovers are limited, multi-city bookings are possible through one-way awards.
- Emirates Skywards: Great for creative routing, especially between Europe and Asia with a Dubai layover.
Each program has specific rules. Read the airline’s award chart and routing rules carefully before transferring points.
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Travel Hacking Strategies That Work
Once you’ve selected your cities, it’s time to build your itinerary using a few key travel hacking strategies:
Top Tools for Booking Multi-City Award Flights:
- Point.Me – A powerful tool for comparing point values across loyalty programs.
- AwardFares – Aggregates availability for Star Alliance flights, perfect for advanced multi-city planning.
- Great Circle Mapper – Map routes visually to plan logical sequences and optimize stopovers.
- ITA Matrix – Use to price out cash equivalents and confirm you’re getting good value.
Credit Card Transfer Partners That Unlock Flexibility:
- Chase Ultimate Rewards → United, Air Canada, British Airways
- Amex Membership Rewards → Delta, ANA, Air France/KLM
- Citi ThankYou Points → Turkish Airlines, Singapore Airlines
- Capital One Miles → Emirates, Aeromexico, Avianca
Want a stress-free start to your next multi-stop trip? Use this Ultimate Travel Packing Checklist to prep like a pro.
Round-the-World Ticket with Miles
If you’re going big and global, a round-the-world ticket with miles might be the best bang for your buck. Some airline alliances (like Oneworld and Star Alliance) offer RTW fares bookable with miles, allowing stops on multiple continents.
Each alliance has its own rules, such as mileage caps or limits on the number of stopovers. But if you’ve been stockpiling points and miles, this can be a powerful way to redeem them efficiently and see the world.
Award travel map using miles for multi-city flights, tools like Great Circle Mapper or airline route planners can help visualize your options before booking.
Mistakes to Avoid When Booking Multi-City Travel
While using points and miles for multi-city travel is a major value play, avoid these common missteps:
- Booking each segment separately: Some programs price each leg individually. Always compare with multi-city search tools.
- Ignoring fuel surcharges: British Airways and Lufthansa can tack on high fees; avoid them unless the value is outstanding.
- Transferring points before confirming space: Programs like Amex or Chase don’t allow point reversals after transfer.
- Missing mixed-cabin warnings: Some bookings sneak in economy segments on otherwise premium itineraries.
Make Your Miles Go Further
Booking smarter with miles for multi-city travel means you can explore more places without spending more money. Use alliance tips, booking tools, and transfer partners to build out unforgettable trips.
With flexibility and planning, your miles can take you far and then some.
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