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How to book a round-the-world ticket using points and miles: 8 loyalty programs you can use
Katie Genter is a digital nomad who has traveled full time since June 2017. She writes and edits stories about points and miles, and loyalty programs, often letting her personal experiences color these stories.
September 18, 2024 • 12 min read
The cards we feature here are from partners who compensate us when you are approved through our site, and this may impact how or where these products appear. We don't cover all available credit cards, but our analysis, reviews, and opinions are entirely from our editorial team. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
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By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
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Quick summary
Round-the-world award tickets let travelers visit multiple destinations for a similar points or miles cost as a few long-haul flights, but require returning to the origin region or city.
Several airline loyalty programs offer ways to book these complex itineraries, each with unique rules, stopover limits and booking processes.
Some programs, like Air Canada Aeroplan and TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go, allow true round-the-world awards, while others use multicarrier charts to approximate the experience.
Booking often requires calling customer service, and finding premium cabin availability can be challenging.
What to consider
Award rules vary by program, including limits on stopovers, required routing, and whether open jaws are permitted.
Taxes, fees and carrier charges can add significant costs, especially for premium cabins, and must be confirmed before booking.
Some programs have recently discontinued round-the-world awards, so availability may be limited and offers may no longer be current.
What you'll miss from the article
Detailed comparisons of each loyalty program's round-the-world booking rules, stopover allowances and tips for maximizing value.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
If you're reading this article, booking a round-the-world ticket with points and miles likely sounds alluring. A round-the-world award ticket often lets you fly many segments for about the same points or miles as a few long-haul award flights. However, in most cases, you'll need to fly around the world and return to the region, country or city you departed from at the end of your trip.
You may also experience frustrations as you book and travel on a complex round-the-world award ticket. You'll usually have to call in to book your award; any changes may be difficult or impossible. And if you want to fly in premium cabins, booking a round-the-world ticket with points and miles usually requires skill and luck in finding award availability.
This being said, the value and experience of a round-the-world ticket can be worth the effort. So here's a look at some of the best programs for booking a round-the-world ticket with points and miles that you can earn via transferable rewards.
Air Canada Aeroplan
Air Canada Aeroplan doesn't offer a true round-the-world award, but you can effectively travel around the world and visit three destinations on a round-trip Aeroplan itinerary with two stopovers. Best of all, you can search and book these awards on Air Canada's website.
For example, I searched for a multicity itinerary from New York to Singapore with a seven-day stopover in Frankfurt on the outbound and a seven-day stopover in Seoul, South Korea, on the return.
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The total cost of this four-segment economy round-the-world itinerary is 130,000 Aeroplan points and 408 Canadian dollars (about $300). You can earn Aeroplan points by spending on the Aeroplan® Credit Card (see rates and fees). But suppose you need to acquire points quickly. In that case, you can also transfer American Express Membership Rewards points, Bilt Rewards Points, Capital One miles, Chase Ultimate Rewards points and Marriott Bonvoy points to Aeroplan.
Taxes, fees and carrier charges for an economy award
Up to 1,500 miles
30,000 Avios
45,000 Avios
60,000 Avios
90,000 Avios
Up to $109.79
1,501 to 4,000 miles
35,000 Avios
52,500 Avios
70,000 Avios
105,000 Avios
Up to $356.44
4,001 to 9,000 miles
60,000 Avios
90,000 Avios
120,000 Avios
180,000 Avios
Up to $1,534.64
9,001 to 10,000 miles
70,000 Avios
105,000 Avios
140,000 Avios
210,000 Avios
Up to $3,605.40
10,001 to 14,000 miles
90,000 Avios
135,000 Avios
180,000 Avios
270,000 Avios
Up to $1,910.25
14,001 to 20,000 miles
100,000 Avios
150,000 Avios
200,000 Avios
300,000 Avios
Up to $1,963.43
20,001 to 25,000 miles
120,000 Avios
180,000 Avios
240,000 Avios
360,000 Avios
Up to $940.83
The Avios cost is based on the total distance of your journey, although the taxes, fees and carrier charges will vary depending on your travel dates and the route you fly. Taxes, fees and carrier charges will be higher for premium cabin awards than for economy awards shown above.
You'll need to call Executive Club to book multicarrier reward flights. Although Executive Club doesn't publish any rules for these awards, you must typically return to or near your origin; make sure you avoid backtracking; and plan a logical route. You don't need to have the Avios in your account when you initially call to price out your award, as the agent will need to send your itinerary off to another department to calculate the taxes and fees (you'll get an email to call back and book once the other department finishes calculating your taxes and fees).
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You have lots of options for earning Avios, including Avios-earning credit cards. However, if you need some Avios in a hurry, you can transfer American Express Membership Rewards points, Bilt Rewards points, Capital One miles, Chase Ultimate Rewards points, Marriott Bonvoy points and Wells Fargo Rewards points to British Airways Executive Club.
Similar to British Airways Executive Club, Cathay Asia Miles doesn't offer a round-the-world award ticket but does offer a Oneworld multicarrier award chart. You can book a Oneworld multicarrier award at the following rates if your itinerary includes flights operated by at least two Oneworld airlines that aren't Cathay Pacific or at least three Oneworld airlines including Cathay Pacific.
Total itinerary distance
Economy
Business
First
0 to 1,000 miles
30,000 Asia Miles
60,000 Asia Miles
75,000 Asia Miles
1,001 to 1,500 miles
35,000 Asia Miles
65,000 Asia Miles
85,000 Asia Miles
1,501 to 2,000 miles
40,000 Asia Miles
70,000 Asia Miles
95,000 Asia Miles
2,001 to 4,000 miles
45,000 Asia Miles
80,000 Asia Miles
110,000 Asia Miles
4,001 to 7,500 miles
63,000 Asia Miles
100,000 Asia Miles
150,000 Asia Miles
7,501 to 9,000 miles
68,000 Asia Miles
120,000 Asia Miles
165,000 Asia Miles
9,001 to 10,000 miles
77,000 Asia Miles
135,000 Asia Miles
175,000 Asia Miles
10,001 to 14,000 miles
95,000 Asia Miles
170,000 Asia Miles
250,000 Asia Miles
14,001 to 18,000 miles
105,000 Asia Miles
210,000 Asia Miles
310,000 Asia Miles
18,001 to 20,000 miles
115,000 Asia Miles
230,000 Asia Miles
330,000 Asia Miles
20,001 to 25,000 miles
126,000 Asia Miles
250,000 Asia Miles
350,000 Asia Miles
25,001 to 35,000 miles
140,000 Asia Miles
265,000 Asia Miles
365,000 Asia Miles
35,001 to 50,000 miles
160,000 Asia Miles
280,000 Asia Miles
380,000 Asia Miles
When booking a round-trip Oneworld multicarrier award with Cathay, you can have up to five stopovers, two transfers and two open jaws. However, you must fly round-trip and can't have an open jaw at your origin or destination. You must call Cathay customer service to book a Oneworld multicarrier award.
To earn Asia Miles quickly, you can transfer American Express Membership Rewards points, Bilt Rewards points, Capital One miles, Citi ThankYou points or Marriott Bonvoy points to Cathay.
Qantas Frequent Flyer doesn't offer a round-the-world award ticket, but you can use a Oneworld Classic Flight Reward to book a round-the-world trip on at least two Oneworld member airlines other than Qantas. All your flights must be on Oneworld airlines, which means you can't fly on Qantas flights operated by Jetstar Airlines.
Here's a look at the Oneworld Classic Flight Reward award chart:
Round-trip itinerary distance
Economy
Premium economy
Business
First
Up to 1,200 miles
20,000 points
31,600 points
40,000 points
58,000 points
1,201 to 2,400 miles
28,000 points
47,500 points
60,000 points
87,000 points
2,401 to 4,800 miles
40,000 points
69,000 points
87,600 points
129,000 points
4,801 to 7,200 miles
49,000 points
97,000 points
122,400 points
179,600 points
7,201 to 9,600 miles
60,400 points
118,000 points
150,000 points
215,500 points
9,601 to 11,600 miles
75,600 points
141,600 points
180,000 points
258,600 points
11,601 to 14,000 miles
90,000 points
163,600 points
209,000 points
299,600 points
14,001 to 16,800 miles
100,600 points
187,000 points
238,400 points
341,600 points
16,801 to 19,200 miles
123,000 points
218,000 points
278,400 points
398,600 points
19,201 to 35,000 miles
132,400 points
249,600 points
318,000 points
455,000 points
All the award rates in the Oneworld Classic Flight Reward table are based on round-trip distances. If you don't return to your origin at the end of your trip, the distance to return directly to your airport of origin will be added to the distance of your itinerary. Likewise, surface segments you don't fly during an open jaw will be included when calculating the distance of your itinerary. The total distance of your itinerary must be 35,000 miles or less.
A Oneworld Classic Flight Reward can have up to 16 segments (including surface segments) and five stopovers, although you can only have one stopover in any particular city. You can also only transfer twice in any one particular city and may not return to your origin city or country until the end of your itinerary.
To earn Qantas points, you can transfer American Express Membership Rewards points, Capital One miles, Citi ThankYou points or Marriott Bonvoy points to Qantas Frequent Flyer.
TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go offers a true round-the-world award redemption for travel on scheduled flights operated by Star Alliance airlines. You can redeem 300,000 miles for an economy round-the-world redemption or 400,000 miles if any of your flights are in business class. However, your round-the-world Miles&Go award itinerary must follow these rules:
Start and end in the same country
Cross both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans
Have no more than 10 flights and 6 stopovers more than 24 hours
Always travel east or west without changing direction
Open jaws are allowed
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Once you purchase your round-the-world award, you can only change your flight dates or cancel. However, you can't cancel your ticket after the start of the journey.
The information for the TAP Miles&Go American Express credit card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
The six programs discussed so far will be the best options for most U.S.-based travelers looking to book a round-the-world plane ticket with points and miles. However, the following three programs may be worth considering if you are able to earn enough of their rewards:
Asiana Club Star Alliance Round-the-World Ticket: You can redeem 140,000 miles in economy or 230,000 miles in business for a round-the-world itinerary with up to seven stopovers of 24 hours or more. Asiana Club allows backtracking within the same region, but you must return to your origin country at the end of your itinerary and fly over the Pacific and Atlantic oceans once. You can transfer Marriott points to Asiana Club.
Japan Airlines Mileage Bank Oneworld Award Tickets: You could use the JAL Mileage Bank Oneworld award chart to make your own round-the-world award ticket. These Mileage Bank Oneworld award tickets allow up to eight flight segments and seven stopovers of more than 24 hours (one of which can be a ground segment open jaw). You can transfer Marriott Bonvoy points to JAL Mileage Bank.
Lufthansa Miles & More Round-the-World Flight Award: Unlike many of the other Star Alliance programs that offer round-the-world award tickets, Miles & More lets its members fly on all its partners instead of only Star Alliance partners. You can have up to 10 flight segments, seven stopovers and must cross the Atlantic and Pacific oceans once. Miles & More charges 180,00 miles in economy, 335,000 miles in business and 500,000 miles in first for its round-the-world flight award. Unfortunately, you can't transfer any major U.S. transferable points to Miles & More.
Finally, if you're wondering why I haven't discussed the Singapore KrisFlyer Star Alliance Round-the-World Awards, the carrier stopped issuing these awards in May 2024. Likewise, Aeromexico Rewards seemingly no longer offers its SkyTeam Go Round-the-World Pass award ticket, and ANA stopped issuing round-the-world tickets in June 2025.
If you have the time to go on a multistop round-the-world trip and the points and miles to make it a reality, one of the above loyalty programs might have the perfect award redemption for you. Especially if you maximize your stopovers and open jaws, you could book an epic trip around the world on points and miles.
Comments
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
