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Asiana Airlines is a South Korean airline that operates several routes to the United States and is a member of Star Alliance. Despite these facts, Asiana is an airline that most U.S. travelers aren’t very familiar with. However, even if you don’t plan on ever visiting South Korea, Asiana Airlines Asiana Club is a frequent flyer program that’s worth getting familiar with. This program prices all of its Star Alliance award flights using a single region-based award chart and there are some great sweet spots in that award chart to be taken advantage of.
Unfortunately, though, a major drawback of the Asiana Airlines Asiana Club program is that it’s not partnered with any of the major transferable credit card rewards programs. That means that the best way to earn Asiana Club Miles is to fly with Star Alliance airlines. However, many U.S.-based travelers will probably want to credit their Star Alliance flights to other Star Alliance frequent flyer programs.
Another major drawback of this program is that you can’t book partner awards online through the Asiana Club. So, if you want to book a partner award through this program, you’ll have to search for award space through another Star Alliance member’s website and then call Asiana Club’s customer service line to request to book.
With that being said, you may still want to look through the Asiana Club partner award chart and see if there’s a particular award that you want to start saving up for. In particular, the Asiana Club is a fantastic program through which to book a Star Alliance Around the World award. Asiana’s rules concerning these awards are fairly lenient, allowing up to seven stopovers, and they can be booked for 140,000 miles in Economy Class and 230,000 miles in Business Class, which is considerably better than prices you’ll find through most other Star Alliance programs.
You can also get great value through the Asiana Club program by booking premium cabin awards on Etihad Airways, transatlantic flights on United Airlines and business class flights on Asiana Airlines.
So, in this article, we’re going to discuss everything you need to know about the Asiana Airlines Asiana Club program, including elite status, how to earn Asiana Club Miles, how to redeem miles and which redemption methods offer the best value.
Asiana Airlines Asiana Club Program Overview
Up until 1988, Korean Air had a monopoly on the South Korean airline industry. However, in that year, South Korean industrial conglomerates were able to convince the government to allow another airline to enter the market. And, thus, Asiana Airlines was born and began its operations with flights between Seoul and Busan with a Boeing 737 Classic.
In 1989, Asiana operated its first international flight to Sendai, Japan, and added several more destinations in Japan to its route network in 1990, including Tokyo, Nagoya, Sendai and Fukuoka. From there, the airline continued to rapidly expand its route network and quickly became a global carrier.
Asiana Airlines opened up thousands more destinations to its customers when it joined Star Alliance in 2003. The world’s largest airline alliance, Star Alliance today consists of 25 member airlines that fly to over 1,200 airports across the globe. For Asiana Club members, you have the option to earn and redeem Asiana Club Miles for flights with any Star Alliance airline.
Here are the 26 members of Star Alliance:
Aegean Airlines | Egyptair |
Air Canada | Ethiopian Airlines |
Air China | EVA Air |
Air India | LOT Polish Airlines |
Air New Zealand | Lufthansa |
All Nippon Airways (ANA) | Shenzhen Airlines |
Asiana Airlines | South African Airways |
Austrian Airlines | Swiss International Air Lines |
Avianca | TAP Air Portugal |
Brussels Airlines | Thai Airways |
Copa Airlines | Turkish Airlines |
Croatia Airlines | United Airlines |
Asiana Airlines also has codeshare agreements with several other airlines. Here are Asiana’s codeshare partners:
Air Astana |
Air Busan |
Air Macau |
Air Seoul |
China Southern Airlines |
Etihad Airways |
HongKong Airlines |
Myanmar Airways |
Qatar Airways |
Shandong Airlines |
Out of the airlines listed above, you can only earn Asiana Club Miles for flying with Air Astana, Air Busan, Air Seoul, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways. You can earn miles on any flight operated by Air Busan, Air Seoul or Etihad Airways. Miles can only be earned on Air Astana and Qatar Airways flights that are into or out of Incheon, South Korea. Also, you can redeem Asiana Club Miles for flights on Etihad Airways but not for flights on Air Astana or Qatar Airways.
Mileage earned on flights with Asiana Airlines, Air Busan, Air Seoul and any Star Alliance airline will count towards earning Asiana Club elite status. However, mileage earned with any other partners won’t help you earn elite status.
Asiana Airlines Asiana Club Elite Status
Like most other frequent flyer programs, Asiana Club has an elite status program that rewards members who fly with Asiana Airlines or its partners frequently. The program has four elite status tiers: Gold, Diamond, Diamond Plus and Platinum.
In order to upgrade to a certain elite status, you either have to meet certain conditions during a 24-month period (such as earning a certain number of qualifying Asiana Club Miles or taking a certain number of flights on Asiana Airlines) or meet certain conditions over the lifetime of your membership. The following table contains the requirements for upgrading to each elite status tier:
Status tier | Requirements during a 24-month period from the “base date” | OR requirements since date of enrollment in Asiana Club |
---|---|---|
Gold | • 20,000 flight miles accrued OR • 30 flights with Asiana Airlines OR • 20,000 total miles accrued (when flight mileage is over 15,000 and the rest is earned with Asiana co-branded credit/debit cards) | N/A |
Diamond | • 40,000 flight miles accrued OR • 50 flights with Asiana Airlines OR • 40,000 total miles accrued (when flight mileage is over 30,000 and the rest is earned with Asiana co-branded credit/debit cards) | N/A |
Diamond Plus | • 100,000 flight miles accrued OR • 100 flights with Asiana Airlines OR • 100,000 total miles accrued (when flight mileage is over 75,000 and the rest is earned with Asiana co-branded credit/debit cards) | • 500,000 flight miles accrued OR • 500 flights with Asiana Airlines |
Platinum | N/A | • 1,000,000 flight miles accrued OR • 1,000 flights with Asiana Airlines |
To make things a bit clearer, for example, you can earn Diamond Plus status by accruing 100,000 flight miles in a 24-month period, taking 100,000 Asiana Airlines flights in a 24-month period, accruing 100,000 total miles (when flight mileage is over 75,000 and the rest is earned with Asiana co-branded credit/debit cards) in a 24-month period, accruing 500,000 flight miles over the lifetime of your account or taking 500 Asiana Airlines flights over the lifetime of your account.
Gold and Diamond status can only be earned by meeting certain requirements in a 24-month period, Platinum status can only be earned by meeting lifetime requirements and Diamond Plus status can be earned by meeting certain requirements in a 24-month period or by meeting lifetime requirements.
The 24-month period used to determine elite status eligibility is based on a “base date”. The “base date” is either the date on which you enrolled in the Asiana Club program, the date on which your membership status reset or the date on which you upgraded to a new membership status.
Once you earn an elite status, there is a separate set of requirements for maintaining that elite status. In general, you need to earn fewer miles or take fewer flights in the following 24-month period after you earn an elite status in order to maintain that elite status.
The following table includes the requirements for maintaining each elite status tier:
Status tier | Requirements during a 24-month period from the “base date” |
---|---|
Gold | • 15,000 flight miles accrued OR • 20 flights with Asiana Airlines OR • 15,000 total miles accrued (when flight mileage is over 10,000 and the rest is earned with Asiana co-branded credit/debit cards) |
Diamond | • 30,000 flight miles accrued OR • 30 flights with Asiana Airlines OR • 30,000 total miles accrued (when flight mileage is over 20,000 and the rest is earned with Asiana co-branded credit/debit cards) |
Diamond Plus | • 75,000 flight miles accrued OR • 60 flights with Asiana Airlines OR • 75,000 total miles accrued (when flight mileage is over 50,000 and the rest is earned with Asiana co-branded credit/debit cards) |
Of course, if you earn Diamond Plus or Platinum status by fulfilling the lifetime requirements (earning a certain number of miles or taking a certain number of flights over the lifetime of your account), that status will be valid for the rest of your life and you don’t need to worry about maintaining it.
As previously mentioned, only mileage earned on flights with Asiana Airlines, Air Busan, Air Seoul and Star Alliance airlines count toward elite status. Only flights taken on Asiana Airlines, Air Busan and Air Seoul count toward elite status.
Now that you understand the requirements for earning and maintaining elite status, let’s discuss why you would want to do so in the first place.
The following table includes the benefits that you’ll earn at each elite status tier:
Status tier | Membership status term | Benefits |
---|---|---|
Gold | 24 months | • 5% bonus miles • 2 one-use vouchers for Asiana business class lounges • Exclusive check-in counter for elite members • Extra nine kilograms of baggage allowance • 50% additional deduction for mileage redemptions during peak season • Miles don’t expire for 10 years • Star Alliance Silver reciprocal elite status |
Diamond | 24 months | • All benefits included with Gold elite status • 10% bonus miles • Unlimited complimentary Asiana Business Class Lounge access for member and one companion on the same flight • Unlimited complimentary access to Star Alliance Gold Business Lounges • Exclusive check-in counter for elite members (business counters if not available) • One extra piece of baggage (maximum weight is based on your cabin class) on all Star Alliance airlines • Miles don’t expire for 12 years • Star Alliance Gold reciprocal elite status • Priority boarding |
Diamond Plus | 24 months | • All benefits included with Diamond elite status • 15% bonus miles • Unlimited complimentary access to Asiana Lounge of one higher class than your ticket (if you’re ticketed in Business Class, you’ll have access to First Class Lounge) for member and one companion on the same flight • One higher class check-in counter than your ticket |
Lifetime | • All benefits included with Diamond elite status • 15% bonus miles • 2 discount coupons for every additional 100,000 miles you earn on Asiana Airlines or Star Alliance flights or every 100 flights you take with Asiana Airlines during your membership status term (coupon is good for 50% discount on upgrade awards or 10,000 miles off flight awards) • Unlimited complimentary access to the highest-class Asiana Lounge available for member and one companion on the same flight when flying with Asiana Airlines • Highest-class check-in counter available | |
Platinum | Lifetime | • All benefits included with Diamond Plus elite status • 20% bonus miles • Unlimited complimentary access to the highest-class Asiana Lounge available for member and one companion on the same flight when flying with Asiana Airlines • Highest-class check-in counter available |
In comparison to other elite status programs offered by other airlines, the Asiana Airlines elite status program is pretty unimpressive. Even at the top-tier Platinum status, members don’t receive any free upgrades (which is fairly common in other airline elite status programs) but rather receive a discount on an upgrade award. Many other elite status programs also give top-tier members the option to gift elite status to a friend or family member. Asiana Airlines Platinum status is noticeably lacking this type of perk.
Nonetheless, if you tend to fly with Asiana Airlines often anyway, then earning elite status can help you get into Asiana Airlines and Star Alliance lounges as well as earn more Asiana Club Miles. However, if earning airline elite status is a goal of yours, there are much better airlines to do so with than Asiana Airlines.
How to Earn Asiana Club Miles
When it comes to earning Asiana Club Miles, the most obvious way to do so is to take flights with Asiana Airlines. But, you can also earn Asiana miles in many other ways, including flying with Star Alliance airlines, flying with certain other airline partners, spending on Asiana Airlines co-branded credit cards, renting cars and booking hotel stays.
In the following sections, we’re going to look at all of the different ways that you can earn Asiana Club Miles so you can save up for your next award flight.
Flying with Asiana Airlines
First and foremost, the most straightforward way to earn Asiana Club Miles is to take flights on Asiana Airlines. Mileage is calculated based on the actual distance flown (as determined by the International Air Transport Association) as well as the passenger’s membership status and cabin class.
On the Asiana Airlines website, you can find regional earnings charts that can tell you exactly how many miles you’d earn in Economy Class (fare codes Y, A, B, R, M, H, E, Q, K, S) as a basic member for each of the routes that the airline operates. For instance, here’s the Economy Class Standard Mileage chart for Asiana Airlines flights to and from North America:
Route | Mileage earned | |
---|---|---|
Incheon | New York | 6,880 |
Los Angeles | 5,973 | |
San Francisco | 5,636 | |
Seattle | 5,196 | |
Honolulu | 4,560 |
Asiana Airlines also publishes award charts for domestic flights and flights operated to and from Japan, Southeast Asia, Southwest Asia, China/Northeast Asia, Europe and Oceania. To view those award charts, you can visit the Asiana Airlines website here.
The mileage that you earn is also determined by the fare class that you fly in. Many Economy Class flights will earn 100% of the actual mileage of the flight. However, certain fare classes may earn reduced mileage or even no mileage at all. On the flip side, you can earn elevated mileage (up to 35% more mileage) by flying in Business Class or First Class. The following table breaks down the mileage that you’ll earn in each fare class for domestic and international flights:
Route | Class of reservation | Mileage earnings rate | |
---|---|---|---|
International | Business | J | 135% |
C, D, Z | 125% | ||
U | 100% | ||
P, I, R | 0% | ||
Economy | Y, B, M, H, E, Q, K, A, S | 100% | |
G (Group Discount Tickets) | 80% | ||
V, W | 70% | ||
T | 50% | ||
L, X, N | 0% | ||
Domestic (Korea) | Business | C | 125% |
U | 100% | ||
P, I, R | 0% | ||
Economy | Y, A, B, R, M, H, E, Q, K, S | 100% | |
V | 70% | ||
L, W, T, G, F, J, D, Z, O, X, N | 0% |
It’s also worth noting that flights that aren’t eligible for mileage accrual also won’t count as eligible flights toward earning elite status. Tickets purchased at a 50% discount or more aren’t eligible to earn miles. If you use an upgrade award, that flight will accrue miles based on the original booking class (not the upgraded class).
As previously mentioned, elite status members will earn bonus miles on flights with Asiana Airlines as well as with airline partners. Here’s the mileage bonus that comes with each elite status tier:
- Gold – 5%
- Diamond – 10%
- Diamond Plus – 15%
- Platinum – 20%
As an example, if you were to fly from Incheon, South Korea, to Los Angeles on Asiana Airlines in Economy Class (fare code Y) and you didn’t have elite status, you would earn 5,973 miles (because the flight distance between these two airports is 5,973 miles and the earnings rate is 100%). However, if you were to take the same flight in Business Class (fare code C) and you didn’t have elite status, you would earn 7,466 miles (5,973 miles flown * 125% = 7,644 Asiana Club Miles earned).
If you were to take an Economy Class (fare code Y) flight from Incheon to Los Angeles and you had Diamond elite status, then you’d earn 6,570 miles with the 10% elite status bonus.
Flying with Partner Airlines
Asiana Club members can earn miles for flying with any Star Alliance partner by selecting Asiana Airlines Asiana Club as their frequent flyer program of choice when booking. You can also earn miles with certain non-Star Alliance partner airlines, including Air Astana, Air Busan, Air Seoul, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways. Each partner airline earns miles according to its own unique earnings chart. You can view the earnings charts for all partner airlines on the Asiana Airlines website.
All of these partner earnings charts work similarly to the Asiana Airlines mileage earnings chart. You can calculate the number of miles you’ll earn by multiplying the actual mileage of the flight by the earnings percentage that corresponds with your fare class. Then, you can account for any elite status bonuses you might be entitled to.
For instance, here’s the Asiana Club Miles earnings chart for Lufthansa:
So, if you were to take a 2,000-mile flight in Lufthansa Business Class (fare code D), you’d earn 2,500 miles before any status bonus (2,000 miles flown * 125% = 2,500 Asiana Club Miles).
Asiana Club Miles can be earned on any flight operated by any Star Alliance airline, Air Busan, Air Seoul and Etihad Airways. Miles can only be earned on Air Astana and Qatar Airways flights that are into or out of Incheon, South Korea.
Transfer Partners
Unfortunately, Asiana Airlines Asiana Club doesn’t allow transfers from any of the major transferable credit card rewards programs (such as American Express Membership Rewards or Capital One Rewards). You can, however, transfer miles to Asiana Club from three hotel rewards programs: Hilton Honors, IHG One Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy.
Here are the transfer ratios offered by each of these hotel rewards programs:
- Hilton Honors – 10:1
- IHG One Rewards – 5:1
- Marriott Bonvoy – 3:1
Out of these three programs, Marriott Bonvoy offers the best transfer ratio at 3:1. However, even transferring points from Marriott Bonvoy is a bad idea. If you were to transfer 3,000 Marriott Bonvoy Points to Asiana Club, you’d only receive 1,000 Asiana Club Miles. You’d be much better off redeeming those Bonvoy points through their native program.
Spending on Co-Branded Credit Cards
Asiana Airlines offers several co-branded credit cards issued by a variety of different banks. Unfortunately, these credit cards are only available in South Korea and Japan. So, if you live in one of those two countries and Asiana Club is your frequent flyer program of choice, then you may want to consider signing up for one of these cards. However, for the rest of the world, there are currently no Asiana Airlines co-branded credit card offerings.
Booking Hotel Stays
In addition to transferring points from hotel rewards programs, you can also earn Asiana Club Miles directly by booking hotel stays with certain hotel chains as well as hotel booking engines. The following table includes most of the Asiana Club hotel partners:
Hotel partner | Miles earnings |
---|---|
Agoda.com | • 3X miles per 1,000 South Korean won spent |
Booking.com | • 3X miles per 1,000 South Korean won spent |
Best Western | • 250 miles per stay |
Expedia | • 3X miles per 1,000 South Korean won spent |
Hotels.com | • 3X miles per 1,000 South Korean won spent |
Hyatt Hotels | • 500 miles per stay |
IHG Hotels & Resorts | • 1-2X miles per dollar spent |
Klook | • 2.1X miles per 1,000 South Korean won spent |
Lotte Hotels | • 500 miles per stay • 5-10% discount on package deals for Asiana Club elite members |
Marriott Bonvoy | • 1-2X miles per dollar spent |
Okura Nikko Hotels | • 300-500 miles per stay |
The Shilla Seoul | • 500 miles per stay |
Trip.com | • 3X miles per 1,000 South Korean won spent |
Walkerhill Hotel | • 500 miles per stay |
It’s worth noting that, if you elect to earn Asiana Club Miles on a stay with one of the previously listed hotel chains, you won’t be eligible to earn that hotel’s native rewards currency. So, before you choose to earn Asiana miles, you may want to consider whether you’d be better off earning hotel points instead.
When staying with Best Western, Hilton, IHG, Marriott, Radisson or Hyatt, you can only earn Asiana Club Miles if you’re also a member of that hotel’s rewards program.
If you do choose to earn Asiana Club Miles for your next hotel stay, your points should arrive in your Asiana Club account in six to eight weeks. For Lotte Hotels, you can only earn miles if you stay at the hotel through a “package” reservation booked through the Lotte Hotels website.
Car Rentals
Asiana Airlines also has several car rental partners through which you can earn Asiana Club Miles for booking eligible rentals.
The following table includes some of the car rental partners with which you can earn miles:
Car rental partner | Miles earnings |
---|---|
Alamo | 500 miles per rental |
Hertz | 500 miles per rental |
National | 500 miles per rental |
SK Car Rental | 100 miles per rental day |
Unlike hotel chains, most rental car companies don’t have their own rewards programs. So, there’s really no downside to electing to earn airline miles for your car rental.
However, you should be aware that most of these rental car partners also have partnerships with many other frequent flyer companies. So, before you start earning Asiana Club Miles for your next eligible car rental, you may want to think about whether you’d rather earn a different frequent flyer currency.
Shopping Online through Asiana Mileage Mall
Like many other frequent flyer programs, Asiana Club has its own online shopping portal (known as Mileage Mall) that allows you to earn Asiana Club Miles for making purchases with certain vendors. To do so, you can visit the Mileage Mall website (note that there may be limitations on use when using in regions outside of Korea, due to site language and shipping locations).
From there, you can sign into your Asiana Club account and choose the merchant that you want to shop with. Then, you’ll be rewarded with Asiana miles every time you make a purchase from that merchant through the Asiana Mileage Mall portal.
Members can earn Asiana Club Miles for shopping with some of the world’s top brands, including AliExpress, lululemon, Swarovski, Microsoft, Apple, Lenovo, Samsung and more. Each merchant has its own miles earnings rate (ranging between 0.5X and 5X miles per 1,000 South Korean won spent).
How to Redeem Asiana Club Miles
Now that you’re an expert on how to earn Asiana Club Miles, let’s discuss why you’d want to do so in the first place. When it comes to redeeming Asiana miles, the best way to maximize the value of your miles is to purchase partner-operated award flights. Unfortunately, partner award flights can’t be booked online. So, you’ll have to search for award space through another Star Alliance program (such as United Airlines MileagePlus or Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer) and then call Asiana Club’s customer service line and request to book your award.
You can, however, book Asiana-operated award flights online via the Asiana Airlines website or mobile app. And, Asiana Airlines award flights are priced according to a region-based award chart, which means that it’s definitely possible to find awards that offer outsized value.
You also have the option to redeem Asiana Club Miles for merchandise through the Asiana Mileage Mall shopping portal. Unfortunately, this redemption method doesn’t offer very good value.
In the following sections, we’ll take a more in-depth look at the different ways in which you can redeem Asiana Club Miles and which of these redemptions offer the best value per mile.
Flying with Asiana Airlines
The most obvious way to redeem Asiana Club Miles is to book award flights operated by Asiana Airlines. These award flights can be booked online and are priced according to a region-based award chart. The award chart is divided into two sections: routes to/from Korea and routes with transfers in Korea. You’ll also see that there are different prices for Business class and Business Smartium class. Smartium is Asiana’s newest business class product that costs marginally more miles than normal Business class.
Here is the Asiana Club award chart for Asiana Airlines-operated flights:
Route type | Route | Economy | Business | Business Smartium |
---|---|---|---|---|
To/from Korea | Domestic flight | 10,000 | 12,000 | N/A |
Korea - Japan, China/Northeast Asia | 30,000 | 45,000 | 50,000 | |
Korea - Southeast Asia | 40,000 | 60,000 | 70,000 | |
Korea - Southwest Asia | 50,000 | 75,000 | 90,000 | |
Korea - U.S., Oceania, Europe | 70,000 | 105,000 | 125,000 | |
With transfers in Korea | Japan - China/Northeast Asia | 45,000 | 60,000 | 70,000 |
Japan, China/Northeast Asia - Southeast Asia | 55,000 | 70,000 | 85,000 | |
Japan, China/Northeast Asia - Southwest Asia | 60,000 | 80,000 | 100,000 | |
Japan, China/Northeast Asia - U.S., Oceania | 75,000 | 110,000 | 135,000 | |
Japan, China/Northeast Asia - Europe | 75,000 | 110,000 | 135,000 | |
Southeast Asia - Europe | 85,000 | 125,000 | 155,000 | |
Southeast Asia - Southwest Asia | 70,000 | 105,000 | 130,000 | |
Southeast Asia - U.S., Oceania | 85,000 | 125,000 | 155,000 | |
Southwest Asia - U.S., Oceania | 95,000 | 140,000 | 175,000 | |
Oceania - U.S. | 105,000 | 160,000 | 200,000 | |
Oceania - Europe | 105,000 | 160,000 | 200,000 |
The flights listed above are for Asiana Airlines round-trip flights. Asiana Airlines does allow you to book one-way award flights for half the price of the round-trip flights listed above.
You should also be aware that Asiana Airlines does add fuel surcharges to its own award flights, which can reduce the value of Asiana-operated award flights. However, these surcharges aren’t as high as certain other frequent flyer programs, such as British Airways Executive Club.
Booking flights in Asiana Airlines Business class between the U.S. and South Korea can often yield solid value per mile. You can book these flights for 62,500 miles one-way or 125,000 miles round-trip and experience the top-notch amenities of Asiana’s newest business class product.
For instance, we found a one-way Asiana Airlines-operated award flight in Business class from Los Angeles (LAX) to Seoul (ICN) for 62,500 miles.
If you were to book the same flight with cash through the Asiana Airlines website, it would cost you at least $2,831.
So, by booking this flight using Asiana Club Miles, you’d be getting a value of about 4.5 cents per mile, which is great value. In general, booking premium cabin award flights between the United States and South Korea is a great way to maximize the value of your Asiana miles.
Flying with Partner Airlines
As previously mentioned, you can use Asiana Club Mile to book award flights with many of Asiana’s airline partners, including all members of Star Alliance as well as Etihad Airways. Unfortunately, partner award flights can only be booked over the phone and cannot be booked online. This makes finding partner award availability much more difficult.
The best way to find partner award space is to search through other Star Alliance frequent flyer programs, such as United Airlines MileagePlus or Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer. Then, once you locate an award flight that you’re interested in, you can find the award price of your flight by referencing the series of partner award charts on the Asiana Airlines website.
There are a series of award charts that apply to Star Alliance partner award flights and a separate series of award charts for other non-Star Alliance partner award flights. To use these award charts, you’ll need to select your region of origin. For instance, if you were flying out of South Korea, you would select “Northeast Asia” as your region of origin and press the “Search” button. Then, you’d see an award chart that displays the award prices for flights from Northeast Asia to any other region.
When it comes to redeeming Asiana Club Miles for partner award flights, it’s definitely possible to find redemptions that offer solid value for your miles. However, because you can’t search for partner awards through the Asiana Airlines website, it can be fairly difficult and time-consuming to search for partner awards.
So, to save you some time and effort, here are some of the sweet spots in the Asiana Club program where you can often find good value for your miles:
Star Alliance Around-the-World Awards
One of the best ways to maximize the value of your Asiana Club Miles is to book a Star Alliance around-the-world award. While it’s often overlooked, the Asiana Club is actually one of the best frequent flyer programs through which to book a Star Alliance around-the-world award.
Asiana Airlines offers Star Alliance around-the-world tickets for 140,000 miles in Economy Class and 230,000 miles in Business Class. By comparison, Singapore Airlines charges 200,000 miles for Star Alliance around-the-world tickets in Economy class and 280,000 miles in Business class. So, if you have a lot of time to travel and you want to take a trip around the world, then booking a Star Alliance round-the-world award through the Asiana Club is a great way to do so.
There are some restrictions to be aware of when booking a Star Alliance around-the-world award, including:
- You must start and finish your itinerary in the same country.
- You must cross both the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean.
- There must be at least 10 days between the date of initial departure and the final date of arrival.
- Travel through the departing city is not permitted.
- Travel must continue in the same direction (east to west or west to east). Backtracking is not permitted.
- You’re allowed up to seven stopovers of 24 hours or longer per itinerary and up to two per country.
While the amount of value you’ll get out of your Asiana Club Miles when booking a Star Alliance around-the-world awards depends on the specifics of your itinerary, booking these awards is generally one of the best ways to maximize the value of your Asiana miles.
Etihad Airways First and Business Class Awards
While American Airlines AAdvantage is often considered the best program through which to book Etihad premium cabin awards, you can also find some great deals on these flights through Asiana Club. Etihad-operated awards are priced according to the “Partner Airlines” award chart on the Asiana Airlines website, which has some great sweet spots.
For instance, you can book Etihad business class flights from North America to the Middle East for 60,000 miles one-way or from North America to Europe for 40,000 miles one-way.
It’s also worth noting that, since Etihad isn’t a member of Star Alliance, you’ll have to search for Etihad award space through one of the airline’s other partners.
For example, we found an Etihad-operated award flight through American Airlines AAdvantage from Toronto (YYZ) to Abu Dhabi (AUH) in Business class one-way.
According to the Asiana Airlines partner award chart, this flight would cost you 60,000 miles through the Asiana Club program, which is actually a better deal than booking this flight through American Airlines AAdvantage. Unfortunately, to book this flight through Asiana Club, you’d have to call their customer service phone line and make a booking request, which is a bit of a hassle compared to booking through AAdvantage online.
If you were to purchase this same flight with cash through Etihad’s website, it would cost you a whopping $5,699.
So, by booking this flight with Asiana Club Miles, you’d be getting a massive value of around 9.5 cents per mile. These kinds of outsized-value redemptions are fairly common for premium cabin Etihad award flights booked through the Asiana Club program and it may be worth booking over the phone to get this much value.
Plus, Etihad is known for having some of the most luxurious Business and First class products in the entire airline industry. And booking these flights with Asiana miles is one of the most accessible ways to experience these products.
Transatlantic Flights on United Airlines
Another good way to get solid value from your Asiana Club Miles that’s particularly applicable to U.S.-based travelers is to book transatlantic flights on United Airlines. You can search for United Airlines award space through the MileagePlus website or another Star Alliance program. Then, once you find a United Airlines award that interests you, you can reference the “Star Alliance” partner award chart from the Asiana Airlines website.
For instance, through the United MileagePlus website, we found a one-way United-operated award flight from Newark (EWR) to Lisbon (LIS) in Business Class.
If you were to book the same flight with Asiana Club Miles, according to the Asiana Airlines Star Alliance partner award chart, it would cost you just 40,000 miles, which is a fantastic deal.
If you were to book this flight with cash through the United Airlines website, it would cost you a whopping $3,462.
Upgrade Awards
Asiana Club members can also use their miles to upgrade their cabin class on flights that have been purchased with cash. Upgrade awards are only available on Star Alliance flights and are priced according to a single award chart for all Star Alliance flights (including flights operated by Asiana Airlines). You can view the upgrade award chart on the Asiana Airlines website.
Applications for upgrade awards can be made through this page on the Asiana Airlines website and must be submitted after the purchase of the ticket and at least three days before the departure of the flight. Additionally, you may only upgrade to the next highest class. For instance, if you’re booked in Business class, you may upgrade to First class. However, if you’re booked in Economy class, you may only upgrade to Business class.
Booking upgrade awards can offer decent value per mile. However, in general, you’ll get much better value by redeeming Asiana Club Miles for flight awards than for upgrade awards.
Mileage Mall
Asiana Airlines allows you to spend miles on a variety of different products and services through the Mileage Mall portal. Unfortunately for U.S.-based travelers, most of the offerings available through Mileage Mall are only available in South Korea.
However, if you live in South Korea or happen to be visiting, then you can spend your Asiana Club Miles to purchase hotel and resort stays, merchandise from Asiana’s duty-free in-flight store, movie tickets from CGV, groceries, theme park entry and much more.
Unfortunately, spending your miles through Mileage Mall often yields very poor value per mile. So, you’re much better off redeeming your Asiana miles for award flights than spending them through Mileage Mall.
Mileage Transfer
You cannot transfer miles from one Asiana Club account to another account. However, an Asiana Club member can use their mileage to purchase award tickets in the name of another Asiana Club member.
But, to purchase an award ticket for another Asiana Club member, that person must be a family member (including spouse, child, parent, parental/maternal grandparent, grandchild, sibling, son-in-law, daughter-in-law and parent of spouse). You must be able to provide legal documents proving your family member’s relation to purchase an award ticket in their name.
The Bottom Line
All in all, the Asiana Airlines Asiana Club program is probably pretty unfamiliar to most U.S.-based travelers. And, unfortunately, Asiana Club Miles are a fairly difficult airline rewards currency to earn considering that Asiana Club doesn’t allow transfer from any of the major transferable credit card rewards programs. So, for most people, the only realistic ways to earn Asiana Club Miles are flying with Asiana Airlines, Star Alliance partners or a few other partner airlines.
However, earning Asiana Club Miles for your Star Alliance flights might be worth it, as Asiana Club has highly favorable award charts that are full of sweet spots. In particular, you can get great value when booking premium cabin flights on Asiana Airlines, premium cabin flights on Etihad Airways and transatlantic flights on United Airlines.
Another major drawback of the Asiana Club program is that partner awards can’t be booked online, which means you’ll have to search for award space through another program’s website and then call Asiana Club customer service to make a booking request. This can be a bit of a hassle, but it may be worth it for the outstanding value you can get for redemptions through this program.
If you really want to maximize the value of your Asiana Club Miles and you have a long time to travel, Asiana Club is one of the best programs through which to book a Star Alliance around-the-world award. These awards cost 140,000 miles in Economy class and 230,000 miles in Business class through this program, which is better than most other Star Alliance programs.
So, while Asiana Club Miles is difficult to earn and fairly difficult to use (considering partner awards can only be booked over the phone), this is still a program worth paying attention to because of its excellent award rates.
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Editors Note: Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.