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New York to London is the busiest long-haul international route in the world. In 2024, there were more than 4 million seats connecting New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and London-Heathrow Airport (LHR). If you're a frequent traveler, you may have filled one of those seats.
New York has two airports that fly to London, and London has two airports that fly to New York. And there are seven different airlines that operate routes between these two cities. With so many options, there are almost infinite ways to use points and miles to book your ticket. However, you'll get wildly different values — and pay immense taxes and fees with select partners.
Here's everything you need to know about using points and miles for flights between New York and London.
Page Contents
Airlines and Routes Between New York and London
A total of seven airlines fly directly between New York and London airports:
- American Airlines (JFK – LHR)
- British Airways (JFK – LHR, JFK – LGW, and EWR – LHR)
- Delta Air Lines (JFK – LHR)
- JetBlue (JFK – LHR)
- Norse Atlantic Airways (JFK – LGW)
- United Airlines (EWR – LHR)
- Virgin Atlantic (JFK – LHR)
These seven airlines represent all three major global airline alliances, a major non-alliance option (JetBlue), and one budget airline (Norse). Even better, most airlines listed (apart from Norse) partner with at least one of the popular transferable credit card points programs.
And don't forget partnerships: Even though a flight is operated by a given airline, an award ticket on that flight can be booked through other means. As a reminder, these seven airlines offer nonstop service between the two cities of interest. Countless other airlines can get you from point A to point B, sometimes for fewer points or less cash out of pocket, but require a connection along the way.
Beware of Taxes and Fees
Before diving into how many points it costs to fly across the pond, it's important to set expectations about the taxes and fees accompanying these awards. No matter which booking option you select, expect to pay significantly more in taxes and fees on your way from London to New York than you will going the other direction. The United Kingdom imposes more surcharges on departures than any other country in the world.
As you can see, on a one-way economy flight operated by American Airlines from New York to London, only the U.S. security fee of $5.60 is assessed. However, flying the opposite direction, even when American operates the flight, includes several additional line items and a much higher out-of-pocket cash cost:
The last two line items — United Kingdom's Air Passenger Duty (APD) and Passenger Service Charge — are all but unavoidable if your nonstop journey back to New York begins in London.
Related: Tired of Huge Fees on Award Flights? Fly From These Countries That Limit Fuel Surcharges
Oneworld Options
With two members represented, Oneworld flyers have the option of either American Airlines or British Airways for travel between New York and London. Both airlines offer multiple flights each day between the two cities.
American Airlines AAdvantage
In the screenshot below, the top option is for a flight operated by British Airways, and the bottom flight is operated by American Airlines.
American Airlines still uses a fixed partner award chart, so British Airways awards will price at set rates:
- Economy: 22,500 (off-peak) or 30,000 (peak) miles
- Premium Economy: 40,000 miles
- Business Class: 57,500 miles
- First Class: 85,000 miles
Meanwhile, American Airlines prices its awards dynamically. As you can see in the example above, that can mean even cheaper award prices in economy — but premium cabins may price more.
However, pay attention to the difference in taxes and fees. In premium economy, the British Airways option costs $283 in taxes and fees, while the American flight charges just $5.60. The difference is even larger if you want a business class ticket. Although British Airways business class costs just 57,500 miles, there's a $727.40 difference in taxes and fees.
How to earn AAdvantage Miles
American Airlines has a solid portfolio of co-branded
But American finally has a transfer partner again in Citi, opening up more ways to easily build up a stash of AAdvantage Miles. You can earn
- Earn 75,000 bonus Points after spending $6,000 in the first 3 months of account opening.
- Earn 12 Points per $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked on cititravel.com and 6 Points per $1 spent on Air Travel booked on cititravel.com
- Earn 6 Points per $1 spent at Restaurants including Restaurant Delivery Services on CitiNights℠ purchases, every Friday and Saturday from 6 PM to 6 AM ET. Earn 3 Points per $1 spent any other time
- Earn 1.5 Points per $1 spent on All Other Purchases
- Up to $300 Annual Hotel Benefit: Each calendar year, enjoy up to $300 off a hotel stay of two nights or more when booked through cititravel.com.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
- 12X – Earn 12 Points per $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked on cititravel.com.
- 6X – Earn 6 Points per $1 spent on Air Travel booked on cititravel.com.
- 6X – Earn 6 Points per $1 spent at Restaurants including Restaurant Delivery Services on CitiNights℠ purchases, every Friday and Saturday from 6 PM to 6 AM ET. Earn 3 Points per $1 spent any other time.
- 1.5X – Earn 1.5 Points per $1 spent on All Other Purchases.
Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards
Travelers with a moderate amount of Alaska Airlines miles may be able to score a better deal. Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards allows members to redeem miles for flights on American Airlines at the following rates for flights between 1,501 and 3,500 miles:
- Economy: 22,500 miles
- Premium Economy: 30,000 miles
- Business: 45,000 miles
- First: 67,500 miles
These are “starting at” values, so you're likely to see higher in your own searches. But if you can find the availability at the lowest rates, Atmos points are some of the best to fly across the pond.
Note that these are “starting at” values, so it might be challenging to find availability. Flying to London, Alaska charges only $19 in taxes and fees, which helps it stand out against other options.
How to earn Atmos Rewards points
Bilt Rewards is the only flexible points currency you can transfer to Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards. You can transfer Bilt points to Alaska at a 1:1 ratio.
Alaska Airlines also has both personal and business co-branded credit cards that can help you earn Atmos Rewards points like the Atmos™ Rewards Ascent Visa Signature® credit card.
- Earn unlimited 3 points for every $1 spent on eligible Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines purchases
- Earn unlimited 2 points for every $1 spent on eligible gas, EV charging stations, cable, streaming services and local transit (including ride share) purchases
- Earn unlimited 1 point for every $1 spent on all other eligible purchases
British Airways Club
Believe it or not, booking options potentially improve even further, depending on one's appetite for taxes and fees. If you can find off-peak award pricing, you can spend very few Avios to book your flight.
You can book a British Airways business class flight for just 80,000 Avios, plus $375 in taxes and fees. Although that's more miles than the example above, by booking the British Airways flight through American, you're cutting your taxes and fees in half.
Related: How To Avoid Paying High Fuel Surcharges When Booking Flights With Avios
How to earn British Airways Avios
There are many ways to earn British Airways Avios. For starters, you can boost your Avios points balance with the British Airways Visa Signature® Card.
- Earn 75,000 Avios after you spend $5,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening.
- Earn 3 Avios per $1 spent on purchases with British Airways, Aer Lingus, Iberia, and LEVEL.
- Earn 2 Avios per $1 spent on hotel accommodations when purchased directly with the hotel.
- 10% off British Airways flights starting in the US when you book through the website provided in your welcome materials.
- Every calendar year you make $30,000 in purchases on your British Airways Visa card, you'll earn a Travel Together Ticket good for two years.
- Pay no foreign transaction fees when you travel abroad.
- Simply tap to pay with your contactless British Airways Visa Signature Card. Just look for the contactless symbol at checkout. It's fast, easy and secure!
- Member FDIC
- 3X Avios per $1 spent on purchases with British Airways, Aer Lingus, Iberia, and LEVEL
- 2X Avios per $1 spent on hotel accommodations
- 1X Avios for every $1 spent on all other purchases
You can also transfer Avios between other programs that utilize the Avios currency at a 1:1 ratio. For example, if you have some Avios in your Qatar Airways account, you can transfer these instantly, at no cost, and at a 1:1 ratio to your British Airways Club account. So you could earn welcome bonuses and spend on cards like the Aer Lingus Visa Signature® Card or the Iberia Visa Signature® Card and convert them to BA Avios.
British Airways is also a transfer partner of many widely recognizable points programs.
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
Your final (and potentially best) option would be to book through Cathay Pacific Asia Miles. You can book the exact same British Airways and pay just 63,000 miles, plus around $235 in taxes and fees.
How to earn Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
Cathay Pacific has numerous transfer partners, including American Express Membership Rewards and Capital One miles.
SkyTeam Options
SkyTeam members Delta and Virgin Atlantic both offer direct routes between New York and London. You can book these flights through either airline or other SkyTeam partners.
Delta SkyMiles
Even with the 15% cardholder discount, Delta's award pricing isn't particularly competitive, especially for premium cabins. Those with stashes of Delta SkyMiles might find some of these prices palatable, particularly if other options are limited. It's hard to beat just 17,000 SkyMiles to fly a transatlantic route, but keep in mind this is for a Main Basic ticket. If you want a more comfortable experience, you'll need to book a Delta Comfort ticket, which starts at 32,300 SkyMiles if you're a Delta cardholder, or 38,000 SkyMiles if not.
How to earn Delta SkyMiles
Delta SkyMiles has one major transfer partner: American Express Membership Rewards. In addition, you can transfer Marriott points to Delta.
However, travelers have seemingly countless ways to earn SkyMiles via Delta co-branded American Express cards.
$0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150
- 2X miles per dollar spent on purchases made directly with Delta
- 2X miles per dollar spent at U.S. supermarkets
- 2X miles per dollar at restaurants worldwide, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S.
- 1X miles on all other eligible purchases
$350
- 3X miles per dollar spent on purchases made directly with Delta
- 3X miles per dollar at hotels
- 2X miles per dollar at U.S. supermarkets
- 2X Miles per dollar at restaurants worldwide, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S.
- 1 mile on every eligible dollar spent on purchases.
$650
- 3X miles per dollar spent on purchases made directly with Delta
- 1X miles on every eligible dollar spent on purchases.
Related: The Best Credit Cards for Earning Delta SkyMiles
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
For those looking to minimize the points cost and willing to pay a bit more out of pocket, Virgin Atlantic offers the best SkyTeam solution. For as low as 6,000 points, you can book an economy flight from New York to London. Be aware that, instead of a nominal amount of taxes and fees, Virgin Atlantic passes along $110 to its Flying Club members.
Although Virgin Atlantic no longer allows you to use a price calendar to find the cheapest award availability, you can use the Virgin Atlantic reward seat calendar for the same purpose.
For all cabins, points rates range from competitive to downright exceptional — especially during off-peak times. The screenshot above is for travel between New York and London in May 2026. You can expect to pay 12,000 points in economy, 17,500 points in premium economy, and 88,000 points in upper class for one-way, nonstop Virgin Atlantic flights.
You can also book Delta flights through Virgin Atlantic, often for fewer points than Delta itself is charging. Virgin charges as few as 10,000 points each way for flights from the East Coast to the U.K. — although taxes and fees are quite a bit higher than booking through Delta.
Related: Your Complete Guide to Delta SkyMiles Partners: Airlines, Credit Cards, and Transfer Partners
How to earn Virgin Atlantic points
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club points are incredibly easy to earn. Virgin Atlantic partners with most, if not all, common transferable points currencies out there. Whatever your program of choice, earning points for these rewards should be quick.
Virgin Atlantic also has a co-branded credit card, the Virgin Red Rewards Mastercard®, that is worth considering.
Air France/KLM Flying Blue
If you want the best of both words, you can consider booking through Air France/KLM Flying Blue. For a premium economy ticket on a flight operated by Virgin Atlantic, you'll pay 32,630 miles and around $160 in taxes and fees. Although that's slightly more than the standard 30,000 points you'll pay through Virgin Atlantic, you're paying much less in taxes and fees.
Flying Blue miles can be a solid way to book Delta flights, too. This transatlantic route is just 22,500 miles, with reasonable taxes and fees.
How to earn Flying Blue Miles
Like Virgin Atlantic, Air France-KLM Flying Blue partners with most of the common transferable points currencies. Many flexible points programs also offer frequent transfer bonuses to Flying Blue, making it even easier to earn these miles.
Star Alliance Options
Unlike the other major airline alliances, just one Star Alliance member serves the New York to London route nonstop: United Airlines.
United Airlines MileagePlus
In practice, United Airlines MileagePlus award costs for economy flights between New York and London should be around 25,000 miles for a Saver Award. You'll pay a slightly higher 50,000 miles for a flight in United Premium Plus, or a much higher 126,500 miles for a United Polaris business class seat.
Just like with the other alliances, if you want to save on your flight, you'll look into booking through alliance partners. However, if you can find an economy saver award through United, that will likely be the cheapest. The same flight booked through Star Alliance partners Singapore Airlines and Avianca LifeMiles are 30,000 and 40,000 miles respectively, compared to just 25,000 United miles.
How to earn United MileagePlus
Just as Delta and American Express enjoy a close relationship, so do United and Chase. Chase offers a plentiful array of personal and business United credit cards that can boost your MileagePlus account balance.
$0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $150Rates & Fees
- Earn at least 9X total miles on eligible United flights (excluding Basic Economy and other base fares)*
- 3X miles on all other eligible United purchases
- 2X miles on dining and direct hotel stays
- 1X on all other purchases
- 6x miles on the primary cardmember’s fare from United as a MileagePlus member
- 3x miles on United purchases with the United℠ Explorer Card
$350Rates & Fees
- Earn at least 10X total miles on eligible United flights (excluding Basic Economy and other base fares)*
- 5X miles on hotel stays at Renowned Hotels and Resorts
- 4X miles on eligible United purchases
- 2X miles on all other travel, select streaming services and dining
- 1X on all other purchases
- 6X miles on the primary cardmember’s fare from United as a MileagePlus member
- 4X miles on entire United purchases with the United Quest℠ Card
$150Rates & Fees
- Earn at least 8X total miles on eligible United flights (excluding Basic Economy and other base fares)*
- 2X miles on eligible United purchases
- 2X miles on dining and all other travel
- 1X on all other purchases
- 6X miles on the primary cardmember’s fare from United as a MileagePlus member
- 2X miles on entire United purchases with the United℠ Business Card
You can also transfer points from
Avianca LifeMiles
That said, if you can find availability — a big if — you can score a business class ticket for as few as 72,000 Avianca LifeMiles, or almost half of what United charges. Yes, you'll pay more than the standard $5.60 in taxes and fees. But spending an extra $20 to save 55,000 miles is worth it for most people.
How to earn Avianca LifeMiles
Several bank and other
Avianca also issues two co-branded LifeMiles credit cards for U.S. consumers, the avianca lifemiles American Express® Card and the avianca lifemiles American Express® Elite Card.
Air Canada Aeroplan
Even better — Air Canada Aeroplan uses an award chart for flights between North America and Europe. On flights under 4,000 miles (which the route between New York and London falls into), you can book tickets at the following price points for flights operated by United:
- Economy: Starting at 35,000 points
- Premium economy: Starting at 50,000 points
- Business: Starting at 60,000 points
- First: Starting at 90,000 points
How to earn Air Canada Aeroplan points
United States residents have one option for an Air Canada co-branded card: the Chase Air Canada Aeroplan® Credit Card (Rates & Fees). The nifty $195-annual-fee card can be a valuable wallet addition for those looking to earn a boatload of Aeroplan points.
- Earn up to 115,000 bonus points
- Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open. Plus, 40,000 bonus points after you spend $20,000 in the first 12 months.
- $195 Annual Fee
- Enjoy automatic 25K Aeroplan Status with benefits such as Priority Check-In, Priority Boarding (Zone 2), Additional Baggage Allowance, Star Alliance Recognition and eUpgrade Credits.
- Earn up to 5X total points for each dollar spent on Air Canada. Earn 3X points on travel purchases.
- Earn 2X points for each dollar spent at grocery stores, on dining at restaurants, and at gas stations. Earn 1X point for each dollar spent on all other purchases.
- Up to $100 in Air Canada statement credits (delivered as up to two $50 credits semi-annually).
- Save 15% on eligible Air Canada flight redemptions as a cardmember.
- Member FDIC
- Up to 5x points directly with Air Canada*
- 3x points on travel purchases
- 2x points on dining, including takeout and eligible delivery services
- 2x points at grocery stores
- 2x points at gas stations
- 1x point on all other purchases
Beyond the Aeroplan Card, you can also earn Aeroplan points by transferring them from one of Air Canada's transfer partners. Many of the most recognizable flexible points currencies transfer to Air Canada Aeroplan.
Non-Alliance Options
Though associated, at times closely, with other airlines that do belong to alliances, non-alliance airline JetBlue also offers nonstop options between New York and London. Regardless of whether you're flying economy or business (called Mint on this airline), JetBlue offers a fabulous way to cross the Atlantic.
JetBlue
To book an award flight, you can use JetBlue's own TrueBlue program, Etihad Guest Miles, and (soon) United Airlines MileagePlus miles. Although you can technically book through Qatar Airways, it can be extremely difficult to find availability.
The amount of TrueBlue points you'll need for a flight is based on the cash fare.
A $413 flight becomes 35,000 points, while an $1,808 flight becomes 88,800 points. That's a solid valuation, but you might be able to do better.
Related: The Best Ways to Redeem Your JetBlue TrueBlue Points for Excellent Value
How to earn JetBlue TrueBlue points
JetBlue enjoys partnerships with several bank programs, making it a cinch to earn these miles. You can transfer from the four most popular transferable points currencies: American Express Membership Rewards, Capital One Miles, Chase Ultimate Rewards, and Citi ThankYou Points. The transfer ratios aren't always the best, so it's important to compare. You can also earn JetBlue miles with a co-branded JetBlue credit card like the JetBlue Plus Card.
Book flights through an online portal
Your final option would be to book your flight through an online portal. These credit card travel portals allow you to redeem rewards for a flat rate, typically around 1 cent apiece. This isn't the best value, but if you really want to book your flight using points and you don't find any award availability, it's something to consider.
Related: Travel Portals Price Comparison: Citi Travel Portal Shines, Bilt Stumbles in AwardWallet Analysis
Final Thoughts
No matter your points and miles currencies of choice, there are several ways to fly between New York and London. The dozens of daily nonstops allow award travelers the opportunity to make the journey the most economical way, the most luxurious way, or somewhere in between.
As is always the case with award travel, it pays to compare points costs against cash costs before booking. Given the sometimes absurd taxes and fees levied on flights to and from London, redeeming points through a travel portal — or outright saving them for a later trip and earning more points instead — could be the best choice and the one that makes the most sense for you.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Citi Strata Elite℠ Card (Rates & Fees), British Airways Visa Signature® Card (Rates & Fees), United℠ Explorer Card (Rates & Fees), United Quest℠ Card (Rates & Fees), United℠ Business Card (Rates & Fees), and Chase Air Canada Aeroplan® Credit Card (Rates & Fees)
