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Finding tickets with points and miles to Australia and New Zealand often takes time and effort. Flights in business and first class can usually cost hundreds of thousands of miles, premium economy availability can be limited, and the lack of flights available compared to flying to Europe and Asia can make it seem almost impossible to use miles on a dream vacation to the South Pacific. However, sweet spots are available for flying to this part of the world in premium economy, business class, and first class — especially if you book in advance or last minute.
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Best Premium Economy Awards to Australia and New Zealand
55,000 Alaska Mileage Plan Miles from the U.S. to Australia and New Zealand
Alaska Airlines has a solid mileage program and partnerships with multiple airlines in Oceania, including American Airlines, which flies nonstop to Auckland and Sydney. As a result, Alaska Mileage Plan offers great deals on simple itineraries to Australia and New Zealand.
Nonstop premium economy flights will generally cost 55,000 miles, regardless of whether you are departing from the East Coast or West Coast or arriving in a specific country in the region. That's because nearly every flight falls within Alaska's 7,001 to 10,000-mile distance band in its new award chart.
Alaska Airlines also charges relatively cheap surcharges for partner awards, often ranging from $39 to $59 on nonstop routes.
Related: Which Credit Card Should You Use to Pay Award Taxes and Fees?
Unfortunately, Alaska Airlines only has one transfer partner: Bilt Rewards. If you do not have Bilt points, the only way you can accumulate Alaska Mileage Plan miles quickly is by opening a personal or business credit card and meeting the minimum spend. Alternatively, you can buy Mileage Plan miles.
- LIMITED TIME ONLINE OFFER-60,000 Bonus Miles + a 30% Flight Discount Code!
- Receive a 30% flight discount code for a qualifying future flight after opening your new account. Additionally, earn 60,000 bonus miles plus Alaska's Famous Companion Fare™ ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) after making $3,000 or more in purchases within the first 90 days of opening your account.
- Get Alaska's Famous Companion Fare™ ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) each account anniversary after you spend $6,000 or more on purchases within the prior anniversary year. Valid on all Alaska Airlines flights booked on alaskaair.com.
- Earn unlimited 3 miles for every $1 spent on eligible Alaska Airlines purchases. Earn unlimited 2 miles for every $1 spent on eligible gas, EV charging station, cable, streaming services and local transit (including ride share) purchases. And earn unlimited 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases. And, your miles don't expire on active accounts.
- Earn a 10% rewards bonus on all miles earned from card purchases if you have an eligible Bank of America® account.
- Free checked bag and enjoy priority boarding for you and up to 6 guests on the same reservation, when you pay for your flight with your card - Also available for authorized users when they book a reservation too!
- With oneworld® Alliance member airlines and Alaska's Global Partners, Alaska has expanded their global reach to over 1,000 destinations worldwide bringing more airline partners and more ways to earn and redeem miles.
- Plus, no foreign transaction fees and a low $95 annual fee.
- This online only offer may not be available elsewhere if you leave this page. You can take advantage of this offer when you apply now.
- Earn unlimited 3 miles for every $1 spent on eligible Alaska Airlines purchases
- Earn unlimited 2 miles for every $1 spent on eligible gas, EV charging stations, cable, streaming services and local transit (including ride share) purchases
- Earn unlimited 1 mile for every $1 spent on all other eligible purchases
From 50,000 American AAdvantage® Miles from the U.S. to Australia and New Zealand
When it comes to flights on American metal to Oceania, you may find them cheaper using American's miles instead of Alaska's. For example, you can fly in premium economy from Chicago to Sydney for as few as 50,000 miles.
Partner awards will be slightly pricier. Flying Qantas nonstop from New York to Auckland will cost 65,000 miles for premium economy — 10,000 more miles than booking via Alaska for the same flight.
American Airlines ended its partnership with Bilt in June 2024. As a result, you cannot transfer points from any credit card to American Airlines. The simplest way to earn American Airlines quickly is by meeting a minimum spend on one of their credit cards. However, there are myriad strategies to earn American Airlines miles.
- Get $25 back as statement credits on inflight WiFi on American Airlines operated flights.
- Receive 25% inflight savings when you use your card for food and beverages on American Airlines operated flights.
- Earn a companion certificate each anniversary year, good for 1 guest at $99 (plus taxes and fees) if you spend $20,000 on purchases and your account remains open for 45 days after your anniversary date.
- Earn 2X miles on American Airlines purchases
- Earn 1X miles on all other purchases
70,000 United MileagePlus Miles from the U.S. to Australia and New Zealand
When it comes to premium economy availability, United Airlines MileagePlus is a solid mileage program due to its wide network across the United States. In addition, the airline does not charge extra for one-stop flights to Oceania as long as the ticket originates in the United States, making United a great option for premium economy seats if you are not traveling from a city with nonstop flights to the South Pacific.
Unlike Alaska Airlines, United Airlines has two transfer partners: Bilt and Chase. As a result, its miles are relatively easy to accumulate and redeem.
- Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases, $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit, plus more.
- Earn up to $50 in statement credits each account anniversary year for hotel stays through Chase Travel℠
- 10% anniversary points boost - each account anniversary you'll earn bonus points equal to 10% of your total purchases made the previous year.
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
- Complimentary DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees & lower service fees for a min. of one year when you activate by 12/31/27. Plus, a $10 promo each month on non-restaurant orders.
- Member FDIC
- Rates & Fees
- 5X points on Lyft rides through September 2027
- 5X points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3X points on dining at restaurants worldwide
- 3X points on eligible streaming services
- 3X points on online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs)
- 2X points on all other travel
- 1X point per dollar spent on all other purchases
Related: How To Transfer Chase Points to United MileagePlus
Best Business Class Awards to Australia and New Zealand
Given how long flights are from America to Australia and New Zealand, it is no surprise that many travelers want to save their points for an ultra-long-haul business or first-class ticket. Unfortunately, lie-flat tickets between these two parts of the world can feel nearly impossible to get. However, there still are sweet spot redemptions, especially if you book last minute — or almost a year in advance.
85,000 Alaska MileagePlan Miles from the U.S. to Australia and New Zealand
Alaska Airlines offers solid redemption options on nonstop business class tickets between America and Oceania. Nonstop flights can be found for just 85,000 miles plus fees.
65,000 American Airlines miles from the U.S. to Australia
American Airlines has the same flights as Alaska available for even cheaper, starting at just 65,000 miles in business class. American's network is also expansive across the United States compared to Alaska Airlines, meaning you can fly from a wide variety of airports in the United States to Sydney on one ticket for relatively cheap.
Business class awards on American Airlines' partner airlines will cost slightly more than flights on its own metal. The Qantas New York to Auckland nonstop will cost 80,000 miles. Even though it is more expensive than flying American to Australia or New Zealand, it is still 5,000 miles cheaper than Alaska's price for the same flight.
75,000 Air Canada Aeroplan from the United States to Australia and New Zealand
Like Alaska and American Airlines, Air Canada has a few partnerships for flights between North America and Oceania. Unlike American, each flight will cost the same, regardless of the airline you are traveling on. For example, a flight from Los Angeles to Auckland on Air New Zealand will cost 75,000 miles based on where these flights fall in the airline's region- and distance-based award chart.
Although this price is limited to just nonstop flights, your departure airport in the United States or arrival airport in Australia does not matter. Both the Air New Zealand flight from Houston to Auckland and the United flight from San Francisco to Sydney cost 75,000 miles in business class. Air Canada Aeroplan also has the most transfer partners of any airline in this post: American Express, Capital One, and Chase points can all be transferred to Aeroplan.
- Earn 75,000 Miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of account opening
- 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- 2X miles on all other purchase
- Fee credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre✔® (up to $120)
- No foreign transaction fees
- $95 annual fee
- 5X miles per dollar on purchases through Capital One Entertainment (through 12/31/2025)
- 5X miles per dollar on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- 2X miles per dollar on all other purchases
Bonus: 85,000 American Airlines AAdvantage Miles from Europe to Australia and New Zealand
If you live in Europe or want to make a worldwide trip, it might be worth flying from Europe to Oceania. Not only is mileage availability easier to come by, but if you use American Airlines miles, you can find flights on partners such as Qatar Airways.
Best First Class Awards to Australia and New Zealand
As airlines opt for better business-class products to replace first-class seats, the options for flying in first class from the United States to Australia and New Zealand have significantly decreased. However, there are still a couple of airlines that have a first-class option on these routes.
From 75,000 miles American Airlines AAdvantage miles from the U.S. to Australia and New Zealand
While American Airlines first- and business-class tickets can often cost hundreds of thousands of miles, you can typically find some saver availability either a couple of days from departure or almost a year out from travel. American Airlines first-class tickets to Australia and New Zealand start at as few as 75,000 miles.
First-class flights on Qantas will set you back slightly more with American Airlines miles versus flying on American itself, but both Oneworld carriers offer solid first-class products.
Final Thoughts
While it may seem that deals on award flights to Australia and New Zealand may be extinct or rare compared to flights to Europe and Asia, there are quite a few sweet spots on American carriers, Qantas, and Air New Zealand, depending on the mileage program you use to book flights.
You can even spend a similar amount of miles to fly from Europe to Australia or New Zealand in business class. By planning your travel early or having flexible travel plans that enable a last-second booking and following the tips above, you can fly in style while redeeming a ticket at an excellent price.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (Rates & Fees)
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