The Air New Zealand Airpoints frequent flyer program differs from most other frequent flyer programs. Members of this program earn Airpoint Dollars for flying with Air New Zealand or one of its airline partners by transferring points from other rewards programs, by spending on Air New Zealand co-branded credit cards and in several other ways.

However, whereas most airline miles are worth around 1 cent apiece (or perhaps more if you can find a particularly lucrative redemption), Air New Zealand Airpoints Dollars are worth exactly 1 New Zealand Dollar (which is equal to about $0.60 at the current conversion rate) when redeemed for flights on Air New Zealand.

But, unlike when redeeming Airpoints Dollars for flights on Air New Zealand, partner award flights are priced according to a distance-based award chart. Thus, it’s possible to find partner flight redemptions through the Airpoints program that offer more than 1 New Zealand Dollar per 1 Airpoints Dollar in value.

To find these outsized value redemptions, familiarize yourself with the following Airpoints airline partner award chart.

Air New Zealand Airpoints Award Chart for Partner Flight Awards

Since Air New Zealand is a member of Star Alliance, the Air New Zealand Airpoints program allows members to redeem Airpoints Dollars for award flights operated by Star Alliance member airlines. The current roster of Star Alliance partner airlines includes the following:

Aegean AirlinesCopa AirlinesSouth African Airways
Air CanadaCroatia AirlinesSwiss International Air Lines
Air ChinaEgyptairTAP Air Portugal
Air IndiaEthiopian AirlinesThai Airways
All Nippon Airways (ANA)EVA AirTurkish Airlines
Asiana AirlinesLOT Polish AirlinesUnited Airlines
Austrian AirlinesLufthansa
AviancaScandinavian Airlines (SAS)
Brussels AirlinesShenzhen Airlines

So, Airpoints Dollars can be redeemed for flights on any of the airlines listed above. The following award chart includes the Airpoints Dollars required for award flights on all Star Alliance partners:

Flight distance (in kilometers)EconomyBusinessFirst
0–999125250375
1,000–1,999150300400
2,000–2,999250500750
3,000–3,9993756501,000
4,000–4,9994508001,250
5,000–7,4995501,0001,500
7,500–9,9996501,3002,000
10,000+7501,6002,500

The prices listed in the award chart above are per one-way sector. So, when calculating the price of a round-trip award, you should price each sector separately. For instance, if you wanted to purchase a round-trip economy flight from New York (JFK) to Boston (BOS) on United Airlines (which has a distance of 300 kilometers in each direction), you’d be required to pay 250 Airpoints Dollars (125 x 2).

Air New Zealand Airpoints Award Charts

Air New Zealand Airpoints Award Chart for Partner Upgrade Awards

As with purchasing Air New Zealand-operated award flights, when purchasing upgrade awards on Air New Zealand flights, Airpoints Dollars are always worth exactly 1 New Zealand Dollar. However, you can also redeem Airpoints Dollars for upgrades on Star Alliance partner flights. These upgrade awards are priced according to a route-based award chart.

However, not all fare classes on Star Alliance partner flights are eligible for upgrade awards through the Air New Zealand Airpoints program. The following table includes the eligible fare classes on each Star Alliance airline:

Star Alliance partner airlineEconomy to BusinessBusiness to First
Aegean AirlinesY, BN/A
Air CanadaY, BC, D
Air ChinaG, Y, BJ, C, D
Air IndiaY, BC, D
ANA Y, B, EC, D, Z, J
Asiana AirlinesY, B (international flights only)N/A
Austrian AirlinesY, BN/A
AviancaY, BN/A
Brussels AirlinesY, BC, D
Copa AirlinesY, BN/A
Croatian AirlinesY, BN/A
Ethiopian AirlinesY, G, S, BN/A
EVA AirY, B, KN/A
EgyptAirY, BC, D
LOT Polish AirlinesY, BN/A
LufthansaY, BC, D, J
Scandinavian Airlines (SAS)Y, B, SN/A
Singapore AirlinesY, B, SC, D, J, Z
South African AirwaysY, B (all flights); M (domestic flights only)N/A
Swiss International Air Lines Y, B, U, MN/A
TAP Air PortugalY, BC, D
Thai Airways Y, BC, D
Turkish AirlinesY, BC, D
United AirlinesY, BN/A

The following award chart is used to price Star Alliance upgrade awards for all of the eligible fare classes listed above:

One-way journey betweenEconomy to BusinessBusiness to First
New Zealand and Eastern Australia380410
New Zealand and Western Australia600650
New Zealand and Pacific islands380410
New Zealand and Asia1,7001,960
New Zealand and North America1,7001,960
New Zealand and Europe3,6003,960
New Zealand and Honolulu/Tahiti720780
Australia and Africa1,8602,150
Australia and Asia1,8602,150
Australia and North America1,5501,960
Australia and Europe3,0604,190
Australia and Honolulu/Tahiti1,5201,920
Asia and Africa1,6102,030
Asia and North America1,6502,100
Asia and Europe1,5501,790
Asia and Honolulu/Tahiti1,2301,540
Asia and Middle East1,6102,030
Africa and Europe1,1901,500
Africa and Middle East 1,2401,550
North America and Central America1,2901,570
North America and South America1,6102,030
North America and Pacific islands1,1601,470
North America and Europe2,4102,780
North America and Honolulu/Tahiti1,1601,500
North America and Middle East1,7602,830
North America and Africa2,7603,570
Central America and South America1,2901,570
Central America and Europe2,2602,830
Central America and Australia1,2602,830
South America and Europe2,2601,580
South America and Middle East2,2502,830
South America and Australia1,2601,580
Europe and Honolulu/Tahiti1,8202,510
Europe and Middle East1,2902,550
Intra-zone, fewer than 2,000 kilometers460680
Intra-zone, more than 2,000 kilometers8101,180

The prices listed above are for one-way flight upgrades. If you want to know the price of upgrading a round-trip Star Alliance flight, you can simply double the rate listed in the award chart above.

The Bottom Line

When redeeming Air New Zealand Airpoints Dollars for flights or upgrades on Air New Zealand, they’re always worth exactly 1 New Zealand Dollar. Airpoints Dollars can be used to offset the price of an Air New Zealand flight or upgrade or to pay for the entire flight or upgrade.

By contrast, the Airpoints program uses fixed award charts to price Star Alliance partner flight awards and partner upgrade awards. This means that it’s possible to find outsized value when redeeming for partner awards.

So, if you have a balance of Air New Zealand Airpoints, you’ll probably want to redeem them for partner award flights in order to maximize the value of this currency. And, if you want to identify these sweet spots, it helps to be familiar with the award charts in this article.