AwardWallet receives compensation from advertising partners for links on the blog. The opinions expressed here are our own and have not been reviewed, provided, or approved by any bank advertiser. Here's our complete list of Advertisers.
This promotion has ended; please review current/active promotions.
Have plans to visit Africa or the Middle East in the next few months? You're in luck. Turkish Airlines is running another award sale, this time offering 30% off eligible economy awards between Turkey and nearly 50 destinations across the two regions.
Now through September 15, 2026, you can book discounted one-way or round-trip awards for travel through December 15, 2026. The sale doesn't discount the U.S.–Istanbul portion of an itinerary, but it could still unlock solid value if Turkey is already part of your plans. Here's everything you need to know.
Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles Award Sale
For travel September 1–December 15, 2026, you can book eligible economy-class promotional award tickets for 30% fewer miles. This sale applies to one-way or round-trip awards between Turkey and select destinations in Africa and the Middle East, in either direction.
Flights must be operated by Turkish Airlines — the sale doesn't apply to codeshare flights or flights operated by Star Alliance partners. Turkish Airlines also notes that seats are limited, taxes still apply, and changes are permitted only on the same route within the eligible ticketing and travel periods.
Turkish Airlines lists the following destinations as eligible:
- Abidjan
- Abu Dhabi
- Abuja
- Accra
- Addis Ababa
- Aleppo
- Alexandria
- Amman
- Baghdad
- Bahrain
- Banjul
- Beirut
- Benghazi
- Cairo
- Cape Town
- Casablanca
- Conakry
- Cotonou
- Dakar
- Damascus
- Dammam
- Dar es Salaam
- Djibouti
- Doha
- Douala
- Durban
- Entebbe
- Erbil
- Jeddah
- Johannesburg
- Kuwait
- Lagos
- Madinah
- Maputo
- Marrakech
- Mauritius
- Muscat
- Nairobi
- N'Djamena
- Niamey
- Nouakchott
- Ouagadougou
- Riyadh
- Seychelles
- Sharm El-Sheikh
- Taif
- Tunis
- Yanbu
Unlike in some previous promotions, no promo code is required. The discounted mileage price should appear automatically when you select an eligible promotional award. Here's a look at what we found.
Istanbul to Cairo for 14,000 miles
You can book the short hop from Istanbul to Cairo for just 14,000 miles one-way in economy. That's 6,000 fewer miles than the normal 20,000-mile promotional award price.
Istanbul to Cape Town for 24,500 miles
For substantially more flying, you can book Istanbul to Cape Town for just 24,500 miles one-way in economy. That's down from 35,000 miles — a savings of 10,500 miles.
Istanbul to the Seychelles for 24,500 miles
The same 24,500-mile price applies from Istanbul to the Seychelles, also down from 35,000 miles. This could be a fun way to pair a visit to Istanbul with an Indian Ocean getaway.
How to Take Advantage of This Offer
To find these deals, log in to your Miles & Smiles account and select “Award ticket – buy a ticket with miles.”
Enter your departure and destination cities and dates. Make sure you select economy class, as business-class tickets aren't included in this sale. Click “Search Flights,” then find a promotional award ticket option. These used to be marked with a blue star, but we've found that this doesn't always happen anymore. To confirm you are selecting a discounted award, make sure it says “Award ticket Promotion – X Class.”
Keep in mind that the sale covers only the eligible Turkey–Africa or Turkey–Middle East route — not a U.S.–Istanbul segment. Turkish prices its own awards by segment, so compare the total cost of a through itinerary with booking the discounted segment separately.
During our searches, we found discounted space on multiple eligible routes. However, Turkish Airlines notes that promotional seats are limited.
Related: Best Ways to Use Turkish Airlines Miles for Top Value
Transfer Points to Turkish Miles & Smiles for This Award Sale
You're going to need Turkish Miles & Smiles miles to take advantage of this promotion. Don't worry if you don't already have a stash in your account;
Check availability and the expected transfer time before moving rewards. Transfers generally can't be reversed, and not every partner transfer posts instantly.
You likely don't have enough time to get a new card and earn the bonus before this Turkish award sale ends. However, if you want to stock up on transferable rewards that transfer to Turkish Miles & Smiles, here are some top options:
$95
- 5X miles per dollar on purchases through Capital One Entertainment
- 5X miles per dollar on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- 2X miles per dollar on all other purchases
$395
- 10X miles per $1 on hotels and rental cars booked via Capital One Travel
- 5X miles per $1 on purchases through Capital One Entertainment
- 5X miles per $1 on flights when booking via Capital One Travel
- 5X miles per $1 on vacation rentals booked via Capital One Travel
- 2X miles per $1 on all other eligible purchases
$595Rates & 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.
Final Thoughts
This is a fairly niche award sale for most U.S.-based travelers. It won't discount the long-haul trip to Istanbul, and business class isn't included. But if you're already visiting Turkey or planning a multi-stop trip, 14,000 miles to Cairo or 24,500 miles to Cape Town or the Seychelles can be a solid use of Turkish miles.
Remember, you must book by September 15, 2026, for travel through December 15, 2026. The sale only applies to flights operated by Turkish Airlines. It won't work for everyone, but in the right situation, the 30% savings are worth a look.
Would you build a trip around any of these discounted awards?
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Citi Strata Elite℠ Card (Rates & Fees)
