Best Ways to Fly to Europe With Miles

Europe is where credit card points really earn their keep, because there are multiple ways to get across the Atlantic and the competition keeps prices reasonable. Here's what it looks like by program.

If you have Chase Ultimate Rewards, you've got the most options. You can transfer to United for Star Alliance flights — economy partner awards to Europe run about 40,000-44,000 miles one-way with no fuel surcharges, and you get access to Lufthansa, SWISS, and Austrian business class for 80,000-88,000 one-way. But Chase also transfers to British Airways, which uses a currency called Avios. And here's where it gets good: Aer Lingus (an Avios partner) flies nonstop from Boston, JFK, Newark, and Philly to Ireland for as low as 13,000 Avios one-way off-peak. That's 26,000 points round-trip to Europe. Chase regularly runs 20-30% transfer bonuses to Avios, which can bring it down to about 11,000 Chase points per flight. Fly to Dublin, then hop a budget carrier anywhere in Europe. It's the best economy deal across the Atlantic. Chase also transfers to Virgin Atlantic, where I've seen London flights as low as 6,000 points in economy and 29,000 in business at dynamic pricing lows.

If you have Amex Membership Rewards, you can transfer to Delta for SkyTeam flights. Delta prices Europe dynamically — economy round-trips have been spotted as low as 22,000 miles when flash sales hit, but typically you're looking at 30,000-50,000 one-way. Amex also transfers to Avios (same Aer Lingus deal as Chase) and to ANA Mileage Club, which has a solid round-trip chart: 55,000 miles economy or 88,000 business, US to Europe. ANA requires round-trip booking, but those rates are competitive if you can commit to dates.

If you have United MileagePlus miles directly, economy to Europe runs 40,000-50,000+ miles one-way depending on dynamic pricing. Business class on partner airlines (Lufthansa, SWISS, etc.) is 80,000-88,000 with zero fuel surcharges, which is a big deal — some programs add hundreds in fees on European flights. United is the workhorse option: not the cheapest, but reliable availability and no surcharge headaches.

If you have Delta SkyMiles directly, you're at the mercy of dynamic pricing. Economy can be great when sales hit, or terrible on peak dates. Business class to Europe typically runs 120,000-200,000+ SkyMiles depending on demand. The TakeOff 15 benefit (15% off for Delta cardholders) helps, and Delta One awards are fully refundable for US-originating flights, which is nice for uncertain plans.

If you have American AAdvantage miles, you can book oneworld partner flights to Europe. Economy partner awards are often more reasonably priced than AA's own dynamic pricing. The real move for AA miles is booking through Iberia — business class from the US to Madrid runs about 34,000 Avios one-way off-peak with a lie-flat seat. You can't transfer AA miles to Avios directly, but if you have Citi ThankYou points (which now transfer 1:1 to AA), that's another path.

If you have Capital One miles, you can transfer to British Airways Avios for the Aer Lingus deal, or to Air Canada Aeroplan for Star Alliance flights. Capital One also transfers to Turkish Airlines, which offers business class to Istanbul with a free 7-day stopover — two European cities for one award.

My advice: if you have any transferable credit card currency, the Avios route to Ireland at 13,000-20,000 points one-way is the move for economy. For business class, Iberia at 34,000 Avios or Virgin Atlantic at dynamic pricing lows are the best deals. Always check the specific flight against cash prices with our calculator at /calculator.