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SAS EuroBonus challenge: How I’m flying around the world in 3 weeks to earn 1 million points
Chris Nelson is a credit cards writer for TPG. He specializes in budget travel, hotels, earning elite status through minimal spending and redeeming points for maximum value.
December 10, 2024 • 10 min read
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Quick summary
A unique promotion from a Scandinavian airline offers 1 million loyalty points for flying with at least 15 different SkyTeam airlines by December 31.
The author crafted a 25-day, 19-flight itinerary across 15 countries, primarily flying in economy class, to meet the challenge requirements.
Flights were booked using transferable bank points and cash, with careful planning to ensure eligibility and minimize costs.
The 1 million points can be redeemed over five years, with potential for significant value on partner airline redemptions.
What to consider
Eligible flights must earn loyalty points and cannot be basic economy fares.
Your frequent flyer number must be attached to each reservation, and only qualifying fares count toward the promotion.
Award seat availability on the airline's own flights may be limited, so partner redemptions could offer better value.
What you'll miss from the article
A detailed, step-by-step itinerary and booking strategy for maximizing value and meeting the promotion's requirements.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
As a points and miles enthusiast, I am always looking for ways to earn valuable rewards. I have signed up for new credit cards, booked mattress runs and even booked flights with the sole purpose of earning additional points and miles. But my next quest to earn loyalty program rewards is a balancing act of my sanity, my love for flying and the chance to earn a ton of bonus miles.
After transitioning from Star Alliance to SkyTeam in the fall, Scandinavian Airlines launched a frequent flyer promotion: If you travel with at least 15 different SkyTeam airlines through Dec. 31, you can earn 1 million EuroBonus points. Well, challenge accepted.
I will be flying around the world in 25 days, boarding 19 flights and visiting 15 countries to earn 1 million points. And to make this even more daunting, I will be flying in economy class and praying the middle seat is clear, barring any unbeatable upgrade offers.
Let's dive into this extreme points-earning journey I am undertaking.
What is the SAS EuroBonus 1 Million Challenge?
SAS is the flag carrier of the Scandinavian countries and recently joined the SkyTeam alliance. However, its points are notoriously hard to earn unless you live in the Scandinavian region or opt to earn them by flying other SkyTeam airlines. The carrier's loyalty program, SAS EuroBonus, is currently offering a three-tiered promotion through its mobile app that was announced in October and ends Dec. 31.
If you complete this promotion, you'll earn:
10,000 points for flying with five SkyTeam airlines
100,000 points for flying with 10 SkyTeam airlines
1,000,000 points for flying with 15 SkyTeam airlines
SCANDINAVIAN AIRLINES
Per the rules of this promotion, you must have your SAS EuroBonus number noted as the frequent flyer number for all your flight reservations. EuroBonus points must be earned or used to pay for each flight for it to count. You will need to book an eligible fare that earns points, so essentially no basic economy fares.
Additionally, what makes this offer even better is that travelers will earn additional EuroBonus points for every flight taken on top of the up to 1 million points.
When I first learned about this promotion, I immediately dismissed it because of how difficult it would be to complete. However, after weighing the pros and cons, I realized it was not too complicated and would just require a bit of planning (and a stash of American Express Membership Rewards points). While SAS is rewarding bonus points for travelers flying on five or 10 different SkyTeam airlines, to me, the challenge is only worth completing if I am able to snag 1 million bonus points.
Initially, flying on 15 different airlines didn't seem too daunting of a task, but when I took a closer look, I realized most of the SkyTeam airlines are located in Europe and Asia, meaning I have to fly across the globe to fly on most of the eligible airlines.
Needing to fly on 15 different airlines in a short time frame, I got to crafting an itinerary that, to some, would have them questioning whether I had lost it and to others asking, "How can I join you?"
How I'm tackling the SAS EuroBonus 1 Million Challenge
With the help of TPG senior editorial director Nick Ewen, director of travel content Eric Rosen and a handful of other staffers, we crafted and booked an action-packed itinerary transversing the globe that would allow me to visit some amazing sites, explore new countries and fly on some unique airlines. When planning the itinerary, I made sure that I did not repeat any airlines and that I would not have to take any repositioning flights so I could be on as few flights as possible.
The itinerary is as follows:
Flights
Airline
Departure airport
Arrival airport
Cost (in American Express Membership Rewards points)
1
Delta Air Lines
Portland International Airport (PDX) in Portland, Oregon
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA)
18,501 points
2
Korean Air
SEA
Incheon International Airport (ICN) in Seoul, South Korea
70,720 points
3
Garuda Indonesia
ICN
Ngurah Rai International Airport (DPS) in Bali, Indonesia
30,190 points
4-5
Garuda Indonesia and Vietnam Airlines
DPS
Tan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN) in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, via Soekarno–Hatta International Airport (CGK) near Jakarta, Indonesia
11,780 points and 29,280 points
6
China Airlines
Noi Bai International Airport (HAN) in Hanoi, Vietnam
Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE)
17,200 points
7-8
China Eastern Airlines
TPE
Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK) via Ningbo Lishe International Airport
(NGB) in China
13,300 points
9
Xiamen Air
Beijing Daxing International Airport (PKX)
Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (CAN) in China
$382.70 (note that cash was used to book this flight)
10
Kenya Airways
CAN
Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) in Bangkok
18,780 points
11-12
Saudia
BKK
Dubai International Airport (DXB) via King Abdulaziz International Airport (JED) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
98,736 points
13
Virgin Atlantic
DXB
Heathrow Airport (LHR) in London
64,010 points
14-15
Air France and TAROM
LHR
Bucharest Henri Coanda International Airport (OTP) in Romania via Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG)
69,570 points
16
KLM
OTP
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS)
36,660 points
17
Air Europa
AMS
Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport (MAD)
23,380 points
18
Aeromexico
MAD
Mexico City International Airport (MEX)
86,745 points
How I booked my flights using Amex Membership Rewards points
I booked all my flights (except the Xiamen Air segment) through the American Express Travel portal using The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, in which I redeemed points at 1 cent apiece. Online travel agencies will work for this promotion as long as you put in your SAS EuroBonus number with each airline and book an eligible points-earning fare. Plus, it's stress-free when you book with Amex Travel, as it doesn't allow you to book any basic economy fares or fares that won't be eligible.
In total, I used 588,852 Amex Membership Rewards points plus about $383 in cash for the Xiamen Air flight. If I had paid cash for all the flights, it would have cost me around $5,800. For my hotel accommodations, I used about 175,000 Marriott Bonvoy points and 36,000 World of Hyatt points.
I strategically made sure to book some of my flights to depart late at night so I wouldn't have to pay for a hotel on some nights. I will also be taking advantage of my Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Elite status, which guarantees a 4 p.m. late checkout.
ZACH GRIFF/THE POINTS GUY
Why I'm tackling this SAS EuroBonus challenge
SAS EuroBonus points are some of the toughest airline points to earn. In fact, none of the major credit card issuers have SAS as a transfer partner, so that made me automatically reconsider my initial stance on this challenge. Luckily, I used a stash of Amex points to book almost the entire trip.
Once I complete this promotion, I will be notified of the results in January. The 1 million bonus points earned from this promotion must be redeemed within a five-year window.
On a base level, SAS points are worth 1 cent apiece, making 1 million points worth $10,000. Since SAS still uses a distance-based award chart, business class from Europe to North America or Asia is only 50,000 points. So, theoretically, with 1 million points, I could fly between Europe and Asia or North America 20 times in business class if I can find availability. However, SAS is notorious for having limited award seat availability on its own metal.
SCANDINAVIAN AIRLINES
To maximize my points and get more than 1 cent in value per point, I plan on utilizing the SAS partner award chart for redemptions.
This is where the outsize value really kicks in. For example, a first-class, round-trip ticket from the U.S. to the Pacific or Australia only costs 225,000 points. Many cash fares on that same routing would be upward of $10,000, meaning I would be saving thousands and would still have over 650,000 points left to spend.
Round-trip award prices on partner awards. SCANDINAVIAN AIRLINES
While this challenge might seem absurd to some, over the past few weeks, this has become a no-brainer for me to tackle this promotion. Not in my wildest dreams at the beginning of the year could you ask me if I thought I would be spending Christmas in Saudi Arabia and ringing in the New Year in Mexico City, all while earning 1 million points along the way. This is certainly a daunting challenge that will require patience and the luck of the airline gods that there are no major delays or cancellations — and maybe the occasional complimentary exit row seat. I certainly will have a love-hate relationship with airports and airplanes when this challenge is all said and done.
And hey, if you have some free time and want to earn 1 million points yourself, there are still a few weeks left in the year, which, if you have the flexibility, may be more than enough time for you to take on this challenge.
Stay tuned for more. Throughout the next few weeks, I will journal my quest (and try a lot of airplane food). Hopefully, I will also run into some TPG-ers along the way as I strive to become a EuroBonus millionaire.
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.
