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. Offers for Bank of America cards mentioned in this post have been updated as of 07/01/2026
Offers for the Atmos™
Finding tickets with points and miles to Australia and New Zealand often takes time and effort. Flights in business and first class can 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.
Thankfully, you don't necessarily need hundreds of thousands of miles to get there. There are still some excellent premium economy, business-class, and first-class awards to Australia and New Zealand — you just have to know where to look.
Best Premium Economy Awards to Australia and New Zealand
55,000 Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards points from the U.S. to Australia and New Zealand
Alaska Airlines offers some great deals on partner awards. Several of its partners fly to Australia and New Zealand, including Qantas,
Partner premium economy awards that fall within Alaska's 7,001–10,000-mile distance band run 55,000 Alaska points. Excitingly, several nonstop routes between the U.S. and Australia or New Zealand fall within this award band.
Taxes and fees on these awards can also be extremely reasonable. Alaska charges a $12.50 partner booking fee per traveler plus applicable taxes and fees. That puts total out-of-pocket costs for these routes from $39 to $59 when flying nonstop.
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, you can still accumulate Atmos Rewards points quickly through one of Alaska's several co-branded
- 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
From 49,500 American AAdvantage® Miles from the U.S. to Australia and New Zealand
American Airlines dynamically prices its awards. For a premium economy ticket to Oceania, AA lists awards starting at 60,000 miles, but you can occasionally find tickets priced below that. For example, the sample flight below from Los Angeles to Sydney is priced at 49,500 miles.
A partner award on Qantas is slightly pricier, at 65,000. While finding Qantas flights via AAdvantage may be tricky, you'll often find the best availability about a month or two in advance.
To earn AAdvantage miles quickly, you can transfer
With these perks, it's easy to justify the annual fee of $99, waived for first 12 months.
70,000 United MileagePlus
When it comes to premium economy availability, United Airlines MileagePlus is a solid 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. This makes United a great option for premium economy seats if you're not traveling from a city with nonstop flights to the South Pacific.
Additionally, eligible United Airlines credit cardholders receive at least a 10% discount on United-operated award tickets. In the example below, cardholders will pay 63,000 miles instead of 70,000 miles.
Unlike Alaska Airlines, United Airlines has two transfer partners: Bilt Rewards and
- Earn 75,000 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, 3x on vacation homes, 3x on gas & EV charging, 3x on top streaming services and online groceries (excluding Walmart, Target, and wholesale clubs), 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases
- Earn up to $100 in statement credits each account anniversary year for hotel stays through Chase Travel
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Emergency Evacuation and Transportation and more
- Get a year of complimentary Apple TV when activated by December 31, 2026 - a value of $156.
- Complimentary DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees & lower service fees for 12 months when you activate by 12/31/27. Plus, a $10 promo each month on non-restaurant orders.
- Receive one statement credit of up to $120 every four years as reimbursement for the application fee charged to your card for a Global Entry, TSA Precheck® or NEXUS application.
- Transfer points to leading airline and hotel
loyalty programs - Member FDIC
- 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 gas and EV charging
- 3X points on vacation homes at top brands like Airbnb, Vrbo and more
- 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 the U.S. to Australia and New Zealand, it's 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 Atmos Rewards points from the U.S. to Australia and New Zealand
Alaska Airlines can also be a great option for business-class award tickets between the U.S. and Oceania. Partner business-class awards within the 7,001–10,000-mile distance band start at 85,000 points plus fees.
80,000 American Airlines miles from the U.S. to Australia
Some of the same partner flights you can book through Alaska are even cheaper with American AAdvantage miles — starting at 80,000 miles in business class. And with American's extensive U.S. network, you could even be able to connect to your international flight on the same award ticket.
Flights on American Airlines metal start at 95,000 miles and are usually priced much higher since they're dynamically priced. Sticking to Qantas is better value.
Fiji Airways is another option to Australia and New Zealand, with a stop in Fiji. The carrier joined the Oneworld alliance and the AAdvantage program in 2025, so you can now find solid availability — if you don't mind having a layover partway over the Pacific. You'll often find business-class awards for 80,000 miles, but dynamic pricing will sometimes push the cost much higher.
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. Mileage availability can be easier to come by, and American has a slew of partners operating between the regions, including British Airways, Qatar Airways, and Malaysia Airlines.
Best First-Class Awards to Australia and New Zealand
First-class flights between the U.S. and Australia and New Zealand are becoming increasingly rare as airlines focus on improving their business-class products. Even so, there are still a few ways to book first class.
110,000 American Airlines AAdvantage miles from the U.S. to Australia and New Zealand
Qantas maintains a first-class product on its Airbus A380, which flies to Dallas and Los Angeles as of the time of writing. Like other awards, you have the best chance of snagging a Qantas first-class award via AAdvantage within one to two months before departure.
American also offers Flagship First to Sydney on its Boeing 777-300ER. While you can sometimes find flights priced similarly to a Qantas partner award, dynamic pricing can often push the cost much higher.
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 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 early or staying flexible enough to book at the last minute, you can fly in style without spending an exorbitant number of miles.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (Rates & Fees)
