From Maldives in Qatar Qsuite to Sydney in First: My 9 Best Mileage Redemptions of 2024

My wife Katie and I have traveled as full-time digital nomads for over 7 years. In addition to writing full-time about points and miles, we maximize loyalty programs for our own travels. In 2024, we stayed 263 nights in hotels and each flew over 100 flights covering around 200k flight miles.

Points and miles are a constant focus throughout our travels. If we aren't redeeming points for a hotel stay, we use hotel promotions to boost our point earnings and card-linked offers like Chase Offers to save money. Likewise, we strategically redeem airline miles when we can get good value from them — and pay cash for flights when it makes more sense.

In 2024, we got excellent value from our airline miles. We redeemed over 1.5 million miles for 38 flight bookings, covering a combined 206k flight miles.

Here's a countdown of my favorite 9 mileage redemptions for 2024.

#9: 51k Points for Business Class from Chile to Spain

• Route: Santiago (SCL) to Madrid (MAD) via Bogota (BOG)
• Cabin: Avianca business class
• Cost: 51,545 Membership Rewards points + $0 per person
• Redemption rate: 1.54 cents per point

While this isn't the best redemption by cents-per-point, I feel this is worth highlighting for the takeaway that you shouldn't overlook The Business Platinum Card^® from American Express 35% Pay With Points rebate. In this case, airline mileage redemptions weren't available for a reasonable rate. However, we found a business class cash fare of $793 per person to get us from skiing in Chile to mainland Europe for a robot soccer competition we help run.

We redeemed a total of 158,600 Membership Rewards points for these flights — yielding a redemption rate of just 1 cent per point. However, after the 35% points rebate, we paid a net of just 51,545 points per person for this redemption. Even better, we earned miles and status credits toward requalifying for Star Alliance Gold status.

#8: 7.5k Miles from Hawaii to Atlanta

• Route: Honolulu (HNL) to Atlanta (ATL) via Houston (IAH)
• Cabin: United economy
• Cost: 7,500 Turkish Miles&Smiles + $5.60 per person
• Redemption rate: 2.87 cents per point

One of the best ways to book award flights to Hawaii is through Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles. For many years, this redemption cost just 7,500 miles each way — even if you were flying all the way from/to the U.S. East Coast. Unfortunately, this incredible Turkish Airlines sweet spot got a little less sweet in early 2024 as part of a Turkish Airlines devaluation. However, you can still book awards on United for 10k Miles&Smiles miles each way.

Don't have Turkish Airlines miles? You can transfer points to Miles&Smiles from several transfer partners:

#7: 40k Miles for Business Class from Japan to Egypt

• Route: Sapporo (CTS) to Alexandria (HBE) via Tokyo (HND to NRT transfer) and Doha (DOH)
• Cabin: Japan Airlines “Class J” and Qatar Qsuite business class
• Cost: 40,000 AAdvantage miles + $66 per person
• Redemption rate: 3.14 cents per point

Qatar has a well-deserved reputation as one of the best business-class products in the world. So, anytime you can book Qatar business class for over 17 hours for just 40,000 miles, do it. Add in the domestic Japan segment, and this redemption included almost 20 hours in premium cabins for around 2k miles per hour. That's an insanely low mileage redemption rate.

In my head, this redemption was one of our best redemptions for 2024. Then I checked cash rates and found you can book this flight for as cheap as $1,320 one-way in business class. That very reasonable cost drops the redemption rate on this award to merely “great” territory. But it's certainly worth booking if you're planning an extended around-the-world trip.

#6: 45k Miles for Business Class from Spain to Detroit

• Route: Barcelona (BCN) to Detroit (DTW) via Istanbul (IST)
• Cabin: Turkish Airlines business class
• Cost: 45,000 Turkish Miles&Smiles miles + $322 per person
• Redemption rate: 4.04 cents per point

Here's another redemption we took advantage of before Turkish Airlines' devaluation in early 2024 killed it off. Previously, one of the cheapest business-class awards to Europe cost just 45k Turkish miles to fly Turkish Airlines (or its Star Alliance partners) between North America and Europe.

Having only experienced Turkish Airlines business class during the height of the pandemic, my wife and I were eager to experience the Flying Chefs for ourselves. To extend our experience, we booked a “wrong way” flight from Barcelona to Istanbul — also in Turkish Airlines lie-flat business class.

Nowadays, you can still book Turkish Airlines business class awards between North America and Europe for 65,000 Miles&Smiles miles each way. While that's a solid rate, check if it's cheaper to book through another program.

#5: 60k Miles for Business Class from Denver to Japan

• Route: Denver (DEN) to Tokyo (HND) via Chicago (ORD)
• Cabin: American Airlines domestic first + Japan Airlines business class
• Cost: 60,000 AAdvantage miles + $5.60 per person
• Redemption rate: 7.26 cents per point

One of our favorite American Airlines sweet spots is flying Japan Airlines business class between North America and Japan for just 60,000 AAdvantage miles each way. And unlike many sweet spots we've covered so far, this one is still available — if you can find availability.

Credit: American Airlines

My wife and I found JAL business class availability from Chicago to Tokyo for January 2024. So, we paired it with a domestic American Airlines award to get us from the ski slopes in Colorado to the “Japow” of Japan.

Keep in mind that you might get an error when trying to book these awards online. Here's my workaround for booking AAdvantage awards that involve a partner.

#4: 50k Miles for Business Class from New York to Germany

• Route: New York (JFK) to Munich (MUC)
• Cabin: Delta One
• Cost: 50,000 Virgin points + $5.60 per person
• Redemption rate: 8.36 cents per point

For years, booking Delta One business class for 50k Virgin Atlantic Flying Club points was about as unicorn of a redemption as you could get. So, when availability opened from New York to Munich during Oktoberfest, my wife and I jumped on it immediately.

Frustratingly, this is another sweet spot killed off by a devaluation in 2024. Now, off-peak dates can cost a slightly cheaper 47,500 points each way. However, that excellent point rate is now paired with over $1,000 in fees each way — decimating any value you can get from this redemption.

#3: 96k Miles for Lufthansa First Class from Frankfurt to Mexico

• Route: Frankfurt (FRA) to Mexico City (MEX)
• Cabin: Lufthansa First Class
• Cost: 96,000 LifeMiles + $195 per person
• Redemption rate: 9.77 cents per point

Flying Lufthansa First Class has been on my bucket list for years, and I finally made it happen in 2024. Booking Lufthansa First Class with miles is incredibly hard. Either you need to accumulate hard-to-earn Miles & More miles, or you'll need to wait until the last minute to book through partner loyalty programs. I did the latter in October 2024.

My wife and I positioned to Frankfurt and needed to get to Mexico City for a festival. We waited day after day for availability to appear via LifeMiles, and it finally did just over 24 hours from departure. Although LifeMiles jacked up the price of Lufthansa First Class to 130k miles on routes to the U.S., Mexico City remains a reasonable 96k LifeMiles each way.

If you plan to take advantage of this LifeMiles sweet spot, try to start in (or connect through) Frankfurt. That way you'll be able to experience the Lufthansa First Class Terminal — an entire building dedicated to Lufthansa First Class passengers.

#2: 70k Miles for Business Class from Maldives to Los Angeles

• Route: Male (MLE) to Los Angeles (LAX) via Doha (DOH)
• Cabin: Qatar Qsuite business class
• Cost: 70,000 AAdvantage miles + $174 per person
• Redemption rate: 15.21 cents per point

Another incredible AAdvantage sweet spot that's hard to book but still available is Qatar Qsuite business class between North America and the Indian Subcontinent (including the Maldives) for just 70,000 AAdvantage miles each way.

This redemption is one of my wife's favorite redemptions — both because it means she can return to the Maldives and we can fly Qatar Qsuite together.

[photo of qsuite together]

Keep in mind that this redemption rate is based on a one-way international business class fare. Most travelers would be better served by comparing the cost of a round-trip flight. However, my wife and I rarely backtrack. So, we are using this higher alternative cost.

#1: 75k Miles for First Class from Atlanta to Sydney

• Route: Atlanta (ATL) to Sydney (SYD) via Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) and Los Angeles (LAX)
• Cabin: American Airlines Flagship First Class
• Cost: 75,000 AAdvantage miles + $27 per person
• Redemption rate: 18.93 cents per point

From a pure redemption rate standpoint, our best redemption of the year was from Atlanta to Sydney, Australia in American Airlines' true Flagship First Class product. While this first-class product certainly doesn't rank as one of the best in the world, it's a unique product we wanted to experience one more time before American Airlines ditches it in 2025. And what better way to do so than to fly all the way to Australia!

American Airlines typically charges hundreds of thousands of AAdvantage miles for Flagship First Class redemption. However, you can still find this incredible redemption rate if you're flexible. The key is to look for awards within 1-2 weeks of departure — and book a positioning flight if needed.

Credit: American Airlines

Bottom Line

In 2024, my wife and I redeemed over 1.5 million airline miles to fly several of the world's best airlines, from Qatar Qsuite and Japan Airlines business class to American Airlines Flagship First and Lufthansa First Class.

While several of these redemptions were devalued in 2024, travelers still have many opportunities to use points and miles to experience these incredible airline products. Stay tuned to the AwardWallet Blog in 2025 for tips on the best ways to use your points and miles.

Which aspirational airline products are on your bucket list for 2025?

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