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Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles has been one of my favorite airline loyalty programs. Although my use has been fairly niche, earning Miles & Smiles has paid off tremendously. However, one aspect of the program I've not taken advantage of is the ability to build in a stopover on a Miles & Smiles award ticket.
In this post, we detail when and how you can book a Miles & Smiles stopover, plus all the ways you can amass Turkish Airlines miles.
Page Contents
Overview of Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles
Miles & Smiles is the frequent flyer program of Turkish Airlines, the flag carrier of Türkiye. With a hub in Istanbul — a city that quite literally bridges the continents of Europe and Asia — the airline offers flights to over 120 countries. And as a member of the Star Alliance, you can redeem Miles & Smiles to reach even more destinations.
Unfortunately, Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles saw a significant devaluation in early 2024. Some of the best Miles & Smiles sweet spots saw price increases of over 40%. That being said, some great uses of Turkish Miles & Smiles still exist — including one-way domestic awards fully within one country. This is handy in a country as large as the United States, where you can book a one-way economy award from the mainland to Hawaii for just 10,000 miles.
Related: The Best Points and Miles for Free Flights to Hawaii
While the ability to book a Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles stopover is relatively limited, it's still nice to know that you can add in an extra destination on an award ticket for no extra charge. Plus, you can take advantage of the Turkish Airlines stopover program to experience Istanbul on Turkish Airlines' dime. But before we jump into the Miles & Smiles stopover rules, let's cover what a stopover is.
What Is a Stopover?
A stopover generally refers to a connecting stop in a city longer than what is normally allowed. Depending on your routing, you may be limited to connections of up to four hours when flying domestically. For most international itineraries, you're almost always limited to up to 24 hours.
Think of a stopover as a much longer connection, one that can stretch a few days or far more. But they're also still part of one airline ticket.
Stopovers are most commonly booked on international flights. For example, if you're flying from New York to Istanbul, you could book a flight from New York to Munich on Lufthansa and stay for a few days before continuing to Istanbul. With some airline loyalty programs, you can do this for the price of a direct itinerary from New York to Istanbul.
Related: What Is the Difference Between a Layover and a Stopover?
Turkish Miles & Smiles Stopover Rules
Here's what you need to know about using Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles to book a stopover on an award ticket:
- Turkish Airlines allows one stopover on round-trip itineraries. The stopover can be on either the outbound or return flight.
- Stopovers cannot be made with one-way award tickets. No stops of more than 24 hours are allowed on one-way awards.
- Turkish Airlines does not explicitly state whether you can add a stopover to a Star Award Ticket (e.g., a Miles & Smiles award on partner airline flights). The policies simply state that “the stopover rule may vary according to the Star Alliance award table.”
Turkish Airlines stopover in Istanbul program
Besides being able to add a stopover to an award ticket, Turkish Airlines offers some additional complimentary services for both paid travel and award tickets. Depending on your ticket, these range from a free Istanbul tour to multiple free nights at a 4- or 5-star hotel. You can also qualify for a free overnight on especially long layovers.
There are several caveats, but this is an excellent way to see the amazing city of Istanbul as part of a larger trip. If you're curious about the Turkish Airlines stopover program, we have a whole post detailing it. You must book at least 72 hours in advance to take advantage of the stopover benefits.
Other Turkish Airlines Award Routing Rules
Here are the other award ticket routing rules to be aware of besides the stopover policies:
- One-way tickets are allowed for both Turkish Airlines awards and Star Award tickets. These always require 50% of the round-trip price.
- You can only have one open jaw on an award ticket. This can be in either on the outbound or return. Open-jaw policies of other airlines may apply if you're booking a Star Award.
- You can only transit an airport once in each direction. For example, you can pass through Istanbul on the outbound and the return, but you can't transit Istanbul twice in a single direction.
- A maximum of six flight legs are allowed on award tickets booked online. However, you may be able to book more via call center booking.
How To Book a Miles & Smiles Award with a Stopover
Unfortunately, you cannot book a Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles award ticket with a stopover online. If you head to the homepage at turkishairlines.com, you'll be presented with a form with both “Stopover in Istanbul” and “Multi-city” options. However, these apply to paid tickets.
On the right side of the form is an “Award ticket — Buy a ticket with miles” link that will take you to a separate form where you do not have the stopover options.
If you want to book a stopover, you must call Turkish Airlines. Its call center is open 24/7, and the U.S. phone number is (800) 874-8875. You'll need to walk the agent through the booking.
I highly recommend checking the Turkish Airlines website for all flights to confirm that there is award space before calling. The Miles & Smiles award search results generally show fewer partner options than other airline programs.
Likewise, you cannot book an open-jaw itinerary online. You'll have to call for these as well.
Related: How To Search and Book Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles Award Tickets
How To Earn Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles
There used to be limited options for earning Miles & Smiles, but in the past few years, Turkish Airlines has expanded the number of flexible points programs it partners with. Capital One, Citi ThankYou®, and Bilt Rewards are three key programs that transfer points to Miles & Smiles.
The table below shows all the programs from which you can transfer points to Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles.
Best credit cards for earning Miles & Smiles
As a transfer partner of multiple flexible points currencies, the easiest way to earn Miles & Smiles is through one of many credit card options. Here are a few of our favorite credit cards that earn points you can transfer to Miles & Smiles:
- Citi Strata Premier℠ Card
- Welcome Bonus: Earn 60,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening, redeemable for $600 in gift cards or travel rewards at thankyou.com.
- Earning Rates: 10X points per $1 on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked through CitiTravel.com; 3X points per $1 spent on airfare and other hotels; and 3X points at gas stations, EV charging stations, restaurants, and supermarkets.
- Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
- Welcome Bonus: Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Earning Rates: 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Travel, and 2X miles on other eligible purchases.
- The Bilt Mastercard®
- Welcome Bonus: None.
- Earning Rates: 3X points per $1 on dining; 2X points per $1 on travel; 1X points per $1 on everything else. You must use the card 5 times each statement period to earn points.
- 10X points per $1 on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked through CitiTravel.com
- 3X points per $1 spent on airfare, and other hotel purchases
- 3X points per $1 spent at gas and EV charging stations
- 3X points per $1 spent on dining at restaurants, including cafes, bars and lounges
- 3X points per $1 spent at supermarkets
- 1X points per $1 spent on all other purchases
- 10X miles per $1 on hotels and rental cars booked via Capital One Travel
- 5X miles per $1 on purchases through Capital One Entertainment (through 12/31/2025)
- 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
- 3x points on dining
- 2x points on travel
- 1x points on rent payments without the transaction fee (up to 100,000 points each calendar year)
- 1x points on other purchases
Final Thoughts
Despite its significant devaluations, Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles remains one of my favorite programs. It still offers an attractive award price for domestic United flights, which has been my key use of Turkish miles. I've not yet taken advantage of a stopover on a Turkish Airlines or Star Alliance award, but I will likely do so on an upcoming itinerary I need to book. It could be well worth the call to the airline!
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