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Do you like to plan ahead? You're in luck. Normally, award sales are for immediate travel. If the sale starts in May, you can travel from May to August. However, Turkish Airlines is running an award sale for select U.S. and Mexico routes, but the eligible travel window doesn't start until October 2026.
Now through May 22, 2026, you can book economy award flights for 30% off. Here's everything you need to know about the sale, including how to book these lucrative awards.
Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles Award Sale
For flights between October 1 and December 10, 2026, you can book economy-class award tickets for 30% off. This sale is only valid on select routes between the U.S. or Mexico and Türkiye. Flights must be operated by Turkish Airlines — the sale does not apply to codeshare flights or flights operated by Star Alliance airlines.
Every city that Turkish Airlines flies to in the U.S. and Mexico is on sale, including:
- Atlanta (ATL)
- Boston (BOS)
- Denver (DEN)
- Detroit (DTW)
- Dallas (DFW)
- New York (JFK, EWR)
- Washington, D.C. (IAD)
- Houston (IAH)
- Los Angeles (LAX)
- Miami (MIA)
- Chicago (ORD)
- Seattle (SEA)
- San Francisco (SFO)
- Mexico City (MEX)
- Cancun (CUN)
Unlike in previous promotions, no promo code is required. The price you see advertised is the price you'll pay. Seats are limited, so you'll want to act fast to confirm availability. Here's a look at some of your options.
U.S. to Istanbul for 28,000 miles
You can book a non-stop flight from just about anywhere in the U.S. for just 28,000 miles one-way in economy. For a long-haul flight, this is a solid price. Plus, there's no lack of availability. It's hard to throw a rock without hitting economy availability within the dates included in this promotion.
This includes flights from the West Coast, too. The 13-hour haul from San Francisco is still just 28,000 miles with wide-open availability.
Mexico to Istanbul for 28,000 miles
This is a fairly easy sale to understand: you'll pay 28,000 miles for an economy ticket on flights between every single destination on sale and Istanbul, whether you're departing from Boston or Cancun. However, Cancun seems to have more availability of affordable business class award tickets than other destinations, even if these aren't part of this sale.
How to Take Advantage of This Offer
To find these deals, log in with your Miles and Smiles account and select “Award ticket – buy a ticket with miles.”
Enter your departure and destination cities and dates. Make sure you select economy cabin, 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.”
Availability is stellar, so you shouldn't have any issues finding an economy award on the routes eligible for the promotion.
Related: Get Bonus Miles When You Sign Your Child up for Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles
Transfer Miles to Turkish Miles and Smiles for This Award Sale
You're going to need Turkish Miles & Smiles to take advantage of this promotion. Don't worry if you don't already have a stash in your account; you can transfer from Citi ThankYou Points, Capital One Miles, and Bilt Rewards at a 1:1 ratio:
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 miles 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
Turkish Airlines is offering a fantastic award sale: 30% off economy flights to or from every Turkish Airlines hub in the U.S. and Mexico. But remember, you'll need to act fast. This promotion ends on May 22, 2026. Note that the sale is only valid on flights operated by Turkish Airlines — not on codeshare flights or flights operated by Star Alliance partners. Still, with so many destinations listed, this is a sale you don't want to miss.
Is this a deal you would take advantage of?
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Citi Strata Elite℠ Card (Rates & Fees)
