How to Fly to Europe with Points
This guide covers the best airlines and products to Europe, the sweet-spot programs that book them cheaply, how to avoid fuel surcharges, and the routing tactics that make a European trip go further. Award prices and availability change constantly as programs devalue and adjust, so treat every points figure here as a rough, illustrative guide rather than a guarantee. Always confirm the current price and that an award seat is actually available on the airline own site before you transfer points, since transfers are one-way and cannot be reversed.
The lay of the land
Europe is served by all three alliances. Star Alliance brings Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian, SAS, TAP Air Portugal, and United. Oneworld brings British Airways, Iberia, Finnair, and American. SkyTeam brings Air France, KLM, Delta, and Virgin Atlantic. That breadth means there is almost always a way to get to Europe on points, and the choice comes down to which program prices your route best with the fewest fees.
Because the options are so plentiful, Europe is the ideal place to learn award booking. Identify the airlines on your route, check which partner programs you can reach with your bank points, and compare prices. See our transfer partners guide for the method.
Best business class to Europe
The Star Alliance carriers offer excellent business class to Europe: Lufthansa, Swiss, and Austrian all fly comfortable lie-flat products, and TAP Air Portugal offers a convenient gateway through Lisbon. These are best booked through Avianca LifeMiles, which waives the fuel surcharges that some programs add on these routes, or through Aeroplan and Turkish, which can also price them well.
On Oneworld, Finnair and British Airways offer solid business class, and on SkyTeam, Air France and KLM are strong, bookable through Flying Blue. The standout tactic is to route around fuel surcharges: the same Lufthansa seat is far cheaper in total cost through Avianca LifeMiles than through a surcharge-passing program. See our business class guide.
The sweet-spot programs for Europe
A few programs consistently shine for Europe. Avianca LifeMiles prices Star Alliance business attractively and adds no fuel surcharges, making it a top choice for Lufthansa, Swiss, and the like. Air France/KLM Flying Blue runs monthly Promo Rewards that discount specific Europe routes, often in business, and it transfers in from every major bank, so it is highly accessible.
For short flights within Europe once you arrive, the Avios programs price distance-based hops very cheaply, so you can connect between European cities for very few points. Aeroplan adds distance-based pricing and stopovers, letting you build a connection city into your trip. See our sweet spots guide.
Avoiding fuel surcharges and using open-jaws
The biggest money-saver on Europe awards is dodging fuel surcharges, which are especially heavy on awards touching London on British Airways metal. Booking Star Alliance carriers through Avianca LifeMiles, or choosing gateways and programs that avoid surcharges, can save hundreds of dollars in cash on the same trip. Always check the total cost, miles plus fees, not just the miles.
Open-jaw itineraries are perfect for Europe: fly into one city, travel overland, and fly home from another, all on one award, so you can see London and Paris or Rome and Barcelona without paying for a separate ticket. Combined with a stopover-friendly program, you can string together several cities. See our booking tactics guide.
Economy and when to use it
Economy to Europe can be a great deal in peak season or on routes with high cash fares, where a fixed or modest points price beats an expensive ticket. Flying Blue Promo Rewards sometimes discount economy, and distance-based programs price short intra-Europe segments cheaply, which is useful for the connecting legs of a trip.
When cheap cash economy fares to Europe are available, especially in shoulder season, paying cash and saving your points for a business-class redemption is often smarter, since economy redemptions tend to hover near a cent per point. Compare the cash price against the points cost every time. Award prices and availability change constantly as programs devalue and adjust, so treat every points figure here as a rough, illustrative guide rather than a guarantee. Always confirm the current price and that an award seat is actually available on the airline own site before you transfer points, since transfers are one-way and cannot be reversed. See our economy redemptions guide.
Frequently asked questions
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