Citi to Turkish Airlines: The Star Alliance Fixed-Price Award Secret

Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles is one of the last holdouts for fixed-price Star Alliance partner awards at genuinely competitive rates. While United, Singapore Airlines, and Air Canada have all shifted to dynamic or inflated pricing for partner redemptions, Turkish still charges rates from a fixed chart that can be 30–40% cheaper than booking the same flight through the operating carrier’s own program.

The key: transfer Citi ThankYou Points to Turkish Miles&Smiles, then book partner awards at fixed prices.

Turkish Miles&Smiles Partner Award Chart (Key Rates)

Turkish’s partner awards use distance-based pricing. Key US–Europe and US–Asia routes:

Route	Economy	Business
US to Europe (short, <4,000 miles)	12,500	45,000
US to Europe (long, 4,000–6,000 miles)	15,000	45,000
US to Middle East / India	15,000	57,500
US to Southeast Asia	20,000	62,500
US to Japan / Australia	22,500	75,000
US to South America	12,500	35,000

These prices are one-way. For comparison, booking the same US–Europe flight in United Business via MileagePlus costs 70,000–80,000 miles one-way. On Turkish, the same Lufthansa or United flight is 45,000 Miles&Smiles.

The Citi ThankYou Transfer

Citi ThankYou Points transfer to Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles at 1:1 ratio. Transfer processing: 1–3 business days.

Eligible Citi cards for ThankYou transfers:

• Citi Premier℠ Card: Primary transfer card, 3x on restaurants, travel, hotels
• Citi Prestige® Card: Discontinued for new applicants but existing holders retain transfer access
• Citi Double Cash and Custom Cash: Earn ThankYou points but require pairing with Premier for transfer access

What You Can Book

The critical limitation: Turkish Miles&Smiles partner awards cannot be booked online. You must call Turkish Airlines (1-800-874-8875) to book partner carrier flights.

This adds a step but is not prohibitive. Call during low-volume hours, have your flight details and partner carriers ready, and the booking is typically completed in 20–30 minutes.

What partners you can book via Turkish: All Star Alliance members, including:

• United Airlines (UA): Domestic US flights, transpacific, transatlantic
• Lufthansa (LH): Excellent Germany hub connections; Lufthansa Business is well-rated
• Air Canada (AC): Strong Aeroplan alternative for Canada routes
• ANA (NH): Book ANA flights at Turkish pricing (often very competitive for Japan)
• Ethiopian, Egyptair, Turkish own flights: Full network access

Cannot book via partner award: Turkish flights booked via Turkish own award chart (use own TK miles for TK flights instead).

Best Redemptions with Turkish Miles&Smiles

Lufthansa Business Class: USA to Germany

Lufthansa’s business class (especially the A380 first/business on select transatlantic routes) is well-reviewed. At 45,000 Turkish miles one-way via fixed partner pricing, it’s one of the best available rates for transatlantic business.

Transfer 45,000 Citi ThankYou → Turkish. Call Turkish to book Lufthansa BOS/JFK/EWR → FRA/MUC business class.

United Polaris: Domestic USA Coverage

Turkish’s domestic US pricing is extremely competitive. Fly United Economy on many routes for under 12,500 miles — or mix with a business class transatlantic under 45,000.

ANA Business via Turkish

Book Tokyo-bound ANA Business at 62,500 Turkish miles one-way vs. 75,000+ from most other Star Alliance programs. If you have Citi ThankYou points and are eyeing Japan, this is worth evaluating.

Fuel Surcharges Warning

One major caveat: Turkish charges fuel surcharges on Lufthansa awards. Lufthansa’s own fuel surcharges get passed through to Miles&Smiles bookings on LH metal. For a transatlantic LH business award, expect $100–$400 in surcharges.

On United metal: surcharges are minimal (~$10–$25). If fuel surcharge avoidance is a priority, book United vs. Lufthansa via Turkish.

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Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles partner award chart verified at turkishairlines.com as of June 2026.