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Turkish Airlines lets Miles&Smiles members use miles to upgrade from economy to business class on both paid and award tickets. This can be a great way to enjoy a lie-flat seat for a fraction of the standard cost.
Unfortunately, as first caught by Loyalty Lobby, Turkish Airlines recently amended its upgrade award chart, and it's bad news for award travelers hoping to upgrade from economy to business class. Now, the airline distinguishes between EcoFly fares and other economy tickets — and the new chart includes some glaring devaluations of up to 38%.
New Turkish Airlines Upgrade Award Chart
Turkish Airlines sells several levels of economy fares, mirroring the unbundling of extras we've seen from Air Canada, Delta, and United, to name a few. EcoFly fares are Turkish Airlines' basic economy fare, which come without checked bags, seat selection, or the ability to change or cancel.
Previously, you could upgrade to business from all economy fares at the lowest mileage level. However, Turkish now lists separate upgrade awards for EcoFly tickets, and these are more expensive across the board:
| From Türkiye to: | EcoFly to Business Class | All other economy fares to Business Class |
|---|---|---|
| Türkiye | 12,000 | 10,000 |
| Europe 1 | 22,000 | 20,000 |
| Europe 2 | 27,500 | 25,000 |
| Central Asia | 38,500 | 35,000 |
| Middle East | 32,500 | 28,000 |
| North Africa | 44,000 | 40,000 |
| Central Africa | 65,000 | 60,000 |
| Southern Africa | 80,000 | 75,000 |
| Far East | 90,000 | 65,000 |
| North America | 90,000 | 65,000 |
| South America | 80,000 | 75,000 |
| Oceania | 110,000 | 100,000 |
Most regions see a modest increase, while the Far East and North American regions face a 25,000-mile jump — that's a 38% increase! This definitely hurts, and there's no silver lining.
There are a couple of notes on Turkish upgrades to be aware of:
- Upgrades are only allowed on Turkish-operated flights, not on partner flights.
- Upgrades are available on paid or award flights. However, considering Turkish economy awards from New York to Istanbul start at 40,000 miles, upgrades are generally most valuable when you book a cheap cash fare.
- You can upgrade through the website or by calling.
- You must complete upgrades at least 24 hours before the flight.
How this works in practice
Let's say you're traveling from New York (JFK) to Istanbul (IST).
You have several economy class options when you book your ticket: EcoFly, ExtraFly, FlexFly, and PrimeFly:
If you think there's any chance you might want to upgrade, we recommend booking at least an ExtraFly ticket. It's only a $50 difference, but could save you 25,000 miles when you upgrade. Think of it as buying back those 25,000 miles for just $50, or 0.2¢ apiece. That's a fraction of what Turkish Airlines charges to buy miles, so that's a great deal.
Still, it's frustrating to spend more on your initial economy ticket to use the same number of miles to upgrade to business.
Related: Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles Award Chart Sweet Spots
How To Boost Your Miles&Smiles Balance
If you want to upgrade your Turkish Airlines flight, you'll need a hefty balance of Turkish Airlines miles — especially in light of this devaluation. Here are all the point currencies that transfer to Turkish Airlines:
That means that any card that earns Capital One miles,
$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
$95Rates & Fees
- 10X on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked through CitiTravel.com
- 3X – Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Air Travel and Other Hotel Purchases
- 3X – Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Restaurants
- 3X – Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Supermarkets
- 3X – Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Gas and EV Charging Stations
- 1X – Earn 1 Point per $1 spent on All Other Purchases
$95Rates & Fees
- Choose to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday spend. Use Bilt Cash to unlock point earnings on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee, up to 1X.
- 3X points on your choice of grocery (up to $25K/year) or dining. Your 3X category choice remains in effect for the entire calendar year.
- 2X points on travel
- 1X points on everyday spend
Bottom Line
This no-notice devaluation hurts anyone who uses this path for cheap business class awards. The huge increase in upgrade cost on flights from Türkiye to the Far East and North America is quite punitive.
Luckily, there's a way to circumnavigate this change. If you are eyeing miles upgrades, book at least the ExtraFly economy fare. Although you'll spend more on your economy ticket, you'll use the same number of miles to upgrade to business.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Citi Strata Premier® Card (Rates & Fees), and Bilt Obsidian Card (Rates & Fees)
