Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
Beginning on June 11, Turkish Airlines will launch a new nonstop route from Denver International Airport (DEN) to Istanbul Airport (IST). To kick off the exciting new transcontinental flight, several Star Alliance partners are offering business-class award seats for as low as 88,000 miles with open availability from July through late fall, first reported by Instagram user @Findflightsforme.
Even if Istanbul is not on your bucket list, this could be a great positioning flight to visit other countries in Europe and Asia this summer.
Keep reading to find out how you can book business-class tickets to Istanbul this summer.
Book Turkish Airlines business-class flights through United
As a Star Alliance member, you can snag one-way business-class seats from DEN to IST for as low as 88,000 MileagePlus miles. Whether you're planning to travel this summer or into the fall, United's website currently shows wide open award availability.
MileagePlus is a transfer partner of Bilt Rewards and Chase Ultimate Rewards at a 1:1 ratio. Additionally, with the recent addition of MileagePlus family pooling, you can now join and pool and leverage several family and/or friends' miles to help book award flights.
Related: United Airlines MileagePlus: Guide to earning and redeeming miles, elite status and more
Book Turkish Airlines business-class flights through Aeroplan
Unlike other airline loyalty programs that operate using dynamic ticket pricing, Air Canada's Aeroplan still operates using an award chart system for partner flights. Plus, since eliminating having to pay fuel surcharges on award flights, Aeroplan is a great option to book use when looking for award availability.
Currently, Aeroplan is a transfer partner of American Express Membership Rewards, Chase, Capital One miles and Bilt, making it an easy program to use your transferable points.
If you're looking to travel from Denver to Istanbul this summer and/or fall, you can book one-way business-class seats for as low as 90,000 points.
However, when searching for nonstop flights on Turkish Airlines when booking through Aeroplan, there was limited availability compared to United. Therefore, you may have to be flexible on your travel days if you want to book this route in particular.
Related: Air Canada's Aeroplan program: The ultimate guide to earning and redeeming points
Book Turkish Airlines business-class flights through ANA
ANA Mileage Club may not offer the most user-friendly online database when it comes to booking award flights; however, the airline still uses award charts which makes it a viable option if you want to book award flights from the U.S. to Europe and Asia. As a Star Alliance member, you can book business-class tickets from Denver to Istanbul for 88,000 miles round-trip. Yes, round-trip business-class seats for under 100,000 miles.
While that may seem surprisingly low, just keep in mind that ANA passes on fuel surcharges to some partner airlines. Therefore, if you want to book this itinerary on Turkish Airlines through ANA Mileage Club, be prepared to pay about $500 in taxes and fees.
Currently, Amex Membership Rewards is a transfer partner of ANA Mileage Club at a 1:1 ratio.
Aside from the high surcharges, keep in mind that ANA only allows you to book round-trip award flights. Additionally, if you want to get the most out of your points and miles, be sure to book your seats before ANA increases its award chart prices, which is set to go into effect on April 18.
Related: Why you need to know about ANA Mileage Club as a US-based traveler
Best credit cards to book Turkish Airlines business-class flights
As we mentioned, there are several ways you can use your transferable credit card points to book one-way or even round-trip business-class seats from Denver to Istanbul this summer and fall. Whether you decide to visit the beautiful country of Turkey or use this as a positioning flight to venture to other parts of Europe and Asia, here are some of the best travel credit cards we great welcome offers that can help get you there.
- The Platinum Card® from American Express: Find out your offer and see if you are eligible for as high as 175,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $12,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.
- American Express® Gold Card: Find out your offer and see if you are eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards Points after spending $6,000 on purchases within the first six months of card membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.
- Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees): Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
- Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see rates and fees): Earn 125,000 bonus points after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card: Earn 75,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
- Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card: Earn 75,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
