Overview
The Turkish Riviera is the worst-kept secret in Europe. Its ancient landscape, dotted with wondrous ruins and lined by turquoise Mediterranean waters, has been drawing money-saving sun-seekers for years, but American audiences have yet to succumb to its allure.
In fairness, it’s a long way to go to sit on a beach for a week. But combined with a visit to the country’s most iconic city, Istanbul, there’s a trip of a lifetime waiting for anyone willing to take the plunge.
If you still need convincing, it’s easy to get to the Turkish Riviera for almost nothing using points and miles. And that’s exactly what we’ll be showing you today.
How to Begin Your Search
The region’s main hub is the city of Antalya. While it has a well-connected airport, the bulk of those connections are found in Europe and the Middle East. For American travelers, it’s easiest to search for flights to Istanbul, and then grab a cheap flight to the coast from there.
Istanbul’s airports are incredibly well-connected, so finding direct flights from cities like New York should be simple. In a worst-case scenario, a quick stop somewhere like Amsterdam or Paris shouldn’t delay you by too much.
Start your search by checking out which airlines fly into Istanbul on the day you want to arrive, and then cross-reference your available points with the airlines they transfer with. When you have a match, you’re in business.
Using Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles
The most obvious airline to check is Turkey’s flagship carrier, Turkish Airlines. The airline is fast becoming one of the best airlines on the planet in terms of its physical product, and once had arguably the most valuable loyalty program out there.
Sadly, recent devaluations mean the incredible sweet spots once found in its Miles&Smiles program are no longer as generous. Still, it’s more than worth a look, as its award chart means direct flights from the US run at around 40,000 points each way.
How to earn Miles&Smiles Miles
As you won’t find too many Turkish Airlines flights in the US, you probably won’t earn any miles by flying with the airline. United is a partner though, so make sure to list it if you fly with that airline.
But don’t write off Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles just yet. They’re super easy to earn thanks to Capital One, Citi, and Bilt all being transfer partners. Opening a card from one of these issuers could be your key to the Turkish Riviera.
For example, the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card’s intro bonus gives you more than enough Aeroplan points to redeem round-trip flights to the Turkish Riviera.
- Best for: Overall Travel
- Annual Fee: $395
- APR: 19.99% - 28.99% (Variable)
- Reward Rate: 2X - 10X
- Recommended Credit: 720-850
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
75,000 Bonus Miles
Offer Details:
75,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Why we like it
The Capital One Venture X is a direct competitor to the Chase Sapphire Reserve, and for many seeking a simpler earning scheme with premium perks, it could be the better option. But the Venture X truly shines with one benefit in particular: four free authorized users. Plus, every year on your cardholder anniversary you get 10,000 points to use for travel.
Reward details
10 Miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
5 Miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Travel
2 Miles per dollar on every purchase
Pros & Cons
Pros
Its solid intro bonus of 75,000 miles is worth well over $1,000 when transferred to partner airlines and hotels, or a flat rate $750 when redeemed on the Capital One Travel Portal.
Cardholders get a bonus of 10,000 miles each year after their first account anniversary, which is nothing to shrug off, especially when a little bit short of that business class flight. It’s worth almost $200 depending on how you use it.
The $300 annual credit for purchases made on the Capital One Travel Portal, combined with the yearly free miles, more than annul the $395 annual fee.
Four authorized users can be added for free.
Enjoy access to 1,300+ lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
A generous offering of travel insurance, protections and reimbursements round out an excellent array of benefits.
Cons
The $300 credit is a bit less flexible than the Chase Sapphire Reserve’s comparable benefit.
Miles earning is the same as the Sapphire Reserve on portal-based purchases, but less on general travel spending.
Capital One transfer partners are solid, but still don’t include any US-based airlines or hotels.
Terms Apply
Using AirCanada Aeroplan
Air Canada’s Aeroplan is a reliable airline loyalty program to include in your search for flights to the Turkish Riviera. That’s because it’s one of the few airlines that still uses an award chart. Instead of opting for a dynamic system where point redemptions fluctuate based on a number of factors, Air Canada uses a zonal chart.
The basic rate for a flight between the North American zone and Turkey’s placement in the Atlantic Zone is 40,000 points, matching Turkish Airlines. The big plus here is that redeeming points can be far simpler than Turkish Airlines’s often complex booking platform.
How to earn Aeroplan points
Again, despite not being a US carrier, Air Canada Aeroplan points are incredibly easy to earn. American Express, Capital One, Chase, and Bilt all allow customers to transfer points into their Aeroplan accounts gifting you a number of potential card choices to get you to the Turkish Riviera.
For example, you can use the American Express Platinum Card®. While it does have a hefty annual fee, it’s nullified by a mega intro bonus that is worth a round-trip to Turkey if you can hit that target safely. You’ll be up to your eyeballs in kofte in no time.
- Best for: Luxury Perks
- Annual Fee: $895
- Pay Over Time APR
- Reward Rate: 5X
- Recommended Credit: Good to Excellent
American Express Platinum Card®
As high as 175,000 Membership Rewards® Points
Offer Details:
You may be eligible for as high as 175,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
Why we like it
The Amex Platinum was once the sole dominating force in the luxury credit card space. While it now faces some stiff competition, it still offers unbeatable perks like unprecedented airport lounge access, elite status at Hilton and Marriott, and some outstanding statement credits making the mammoth $895 worth it for some.
Reward details
Get more for your travels with 5X Membership Rewards® points on all flights and prepaid hotel bookings through American Express Travel®, including Fine Hotels + Resorts® and The Hotel Collection bookings.
You earn 5X points on flights purchased directly from airlines or through American Express Travel® on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year.
Pros & Cons
Pros
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Earn as high as 175,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
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Incredible lounge access
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Statement credits worth over $3,500 annually.
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Unlock access to exclusive reservations and special dining experiences with Global Dining Access by Resy when you add your Platinum Card® to your Resy profile.
Cons
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The $895 annual fee is brutally high. Too high for many that can’t, or don’t want to take full advantage of its benefits.
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Points-earning rates are low unless spending directly on flights or with the Amex Portal.
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Some of the benefits, like travel credits, are more limited and are harder to use than competing cards’ offerings.
Using United MileagePlus
This has the potential to be the best value option on this list today, so why didn’t we put it at the top? The simple answer is consistency.
United’s MileagePlus loyalty program is one of the best American programs for redeeming points. Despite being a dynamic program, where points fluctuate based on different metrics, it’s far more consistent than its main competitors like Delta. The lowest rate we found for flights to Istanbul was just 30,000 miles each way, making it the cheapest option.
However, that rate wasn’t readily available and took a little bit of digging. Most of the other price points were similar to those listed. In a best-case scenario, you could search for the 30,000-mile rate and base your trip around those flights
How to earn United MileagePlus Miles
United doesn’t have quite as many credit card transfer partners as the previous options, but as it’s possible to do so from Chase, you’re still left with multiple excellent products to choose from. Two of Chase’s main personal credit cards have bonuses large enough to cover a round-trip, while its business card options could prove even more fruitful.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve® is one of the best premium cards on the market. If you’re able to wrangle those 30,000-mile dates, you could be flying to the Turkish Riviera for almost nothing with this card’s intro bonus.
- Best for: Luxury Travel
- Annual Fee: $795
- Flex for Business APR: 18.24% - 26.24% Variable
- Reward Rate: 1X - 10X
- Recommended Credit: 740-850
Chase Sapphire Reserve®
125,000 bonus points
Offer Details:
Earn 125,000 bonus points after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Why we like it
This card just got a major re-vamp and you can now get more than $2,700 in annual value with Sapphire Reserve!
Reward details
8x points on Chase TravelSM
4x points on flights and hotels booked direct
3x points on dining
1x points on all other purchases
Pros & Cons
Pros
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The points are worth up to 2 cents a piece when used directly on Chase’s Ultimate Rewards Portal, offering a simple but high-value use for your points.
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Plenty of excellent transfer partners allow points to be maximized
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Some excellent partnerships with Doordash and Lyft add to its value.
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Priority Pass membership allows access to over 1,300+ airport lounges and restaurants.
Cons
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It’s subject to Chase’s 5/24 rule. So if you’ve opened five cards in the last two years, you’re most likely not going to be accepted.
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Chase has a once-per-lifetime rule for sign-up bonuses on their Sapphire cards, including the Sapphire Preferred, Sapphire Reserve, and Sapphire Reserve for Business. So, once you’ve earned a welcome bonus on any of these cards, you’ll never be eligible for the bonus again on the same card.
Terms Apply
The Point
While getting directly to the Turkish Riviera isn’t as simple as some destinations, Turkey’s major hub in Istanbul is incredibly easy to get to using points and miles. Opt for one of the cards mentioned, book a flight to Istanbul, and hop on a cheap domestic route from there to the coast. You’ll be in heaven in no time.
by your friends at The Daily Navigator
