Is Turkish Miles & Smiles Still Worth It in 2026?
We may be compensated when you click on links from one or more of our advertising partners. recommendations and opinions are ours alone. See our Advertiser Policy for more details.
Two devaluations later, the honest answer is: mostly, if you stop booking Turkish metal.
For a few years, Turkish Miles & Smiles was my default answer when someone asked where to dump transferable points. 45,000 miles for business class from New York to Istanbul was one of the best redemptions in the game, and the transfer partners made it easy to earn.
That post still lives on this site. It’s four years old now, and Turkish has been busy in the meantime, two devaluations have quietly gutted the things that made the program famous.
So here’s the honest 2026 take: the program isn’t the slam dunk it was. But it’s not dead either. The smart move now is almost the opposite of what I told you in 2022.
What Actually Changed
Two quiet devaluations did most of the damage:
- February 2024, new award charts jacked up the cost of flying Turkish metal, especially to Europe and Asia.
- December 2025, domestic Star Alliance awards got hit hard. US mainland to Hawaii in business went from 15,000 miles to 40,000, and domestic US partner awards were bumped roughly 50% across the board.
Here’s what happened to the redemptions I used to book:
| One-way business | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| NYC → Istanbul on Turkish | 45,000 | ~135,000 |
| NYC → Tokyo on Turkish | 67,500 | ~275,000 |
| NYC → Europe on Star Alliance partner | , | ~85,000 |
| NYC → Asia on Star Alliance partner | , | ~130,000 |
| No rows match these filters. | ||
Fuel surcharges crept up too: plan on $200–$250 each way from the US, not the $160–$170 of 2022. Change and cancel fees went from “$25 or free” to a flat $70.
Where The Miles Still Earn Their Keep
This is the counterintuitive part. Turkish metal used to be the sweet spot, and partners were the fallback. Now it’s flipped.
- Star Alliance partners to Europe in business, 85,000 miles. Still competitive, and often cheaper than United, Aeroplan, or Air Canada for the same seat.
- Star Alliance partners to Asia in business, 130,000 miles. Not a steal, but it holds up.
- Istanbul → Central Asia / Far East on Turkish metal, 35,000–65,000 in business to places like Tashkent, Bangkok, or Tokyo. Great add-on if you’re pairing with a transatlantic partner redemption.
- Intra-Europe and short-haul, still reasonable for patching itineraries together.
What’s no longer worth your miles:
- Turkish metal long-haul from the US. At 135k one-way to Europe, LifeMiles, Aeroplan, and Virgin Atlantic will usually beat it.
- US domestic partner awards. Aeroplan or Alaska are cheaper now for most routes.
Earning Turkish Miles
The earn side is the part that actually got better since 2022. Turkish now has five US credit-card transfer partners, up from three (full list in our credit card transfer partners guide):
| Partner | Ratio | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bilt Rewards | 1:1 | Added post-2022, the big new one |
| Capital One | 1:1 | , |
| Citi ThankYou | 1:1 | Some card tiers transfer at lower rates |
| Marriott Bonvoy | 3:1 | +5,000 bonus miles per 60,000 transferred |
| Choice Privileges | 5:1 | Niche but real |
| No rows match these filters. | ||
Note Chase Ultimate Rewards does not transfer to Turkish. If Chase is your main ecosystem, you’ll be earning from Bilt or Marriott.
Stack this with how credit card points work and the best cards and you can rack up Miles & Smiles without ever boarding a Turkish flight.
The Route Network
The one thing the devaluations haven’t touched: Istanbul is still one of the best-positioned hubs in the world. One stop, almost anywhere. Combined with Star Alliance partners, coverage is essentially complete.
If you’re flying from the US, Turkish is still the best way to Istanbul before continuing on to Europe or Asia.
Booking An Award Ticket
Mechanics are mostly unchanged. The site works slightly better now than it did in 2022.
Log in first. If you get stuck creating a password, a famously annoying issue, use the fix we documented.
Turkish Metal
For Turkish-operated flights, hit Award Ticket above the main search bar.
Enter your origin, destination, dates, and cabin.
Results include saver (Business I) and standard pricing tiers. Saver is what you want, partner rates also track saver.
At checkout, you’ll see the fuel surcharge broken out, plan on $200–$250 each way from the US. Select your seats and pay.
Star Alliance Partners
For partner awards, Turkish never merged the flows. Navigate to Account → Miles Transactions → Star Alliance Rewards.
That opens a dedicated search page. Saver-level pricing only, and availability can be thin, flexibility pays off here.
Here’s the current Star Alliance partner roster:
Multi-Passenger & Phone Booking
Actual improvement since 2022: you can now book multiple passengers online in most cases. If the site blocks you, call 1 (800) 874-8875. The experience is very agent-dependent, hang up and redial if you get an unhelpful one. If you’re getting stonewalled, our Turkish customer service playbook walks through the escalation paths that actually work.
Questions I get asked a lot
Which credit cards transfer points to Turkish Miles & Smiles?
Honestly, the transfer partner lineup is the main reason M&S is still worth holding. Bilt, Capital One, and Citi ThankYou all transfer 1:1. Marriott Bonvoy transfers 3:1 with the classic 5,000-mile bonus per 60,000 points. Choice Privileges transfers 5:1, which most people skip unless they’re sitting on a stash of Choice points. The one notable miss: Chase Ultimate Rewards doesn’t transfer to Turkish. Full map of who transfers where in our credit card transfer partners guide.
Wait, really no Chase?
Really. I know it’s frustrating if Chase is your main stack. Easiest workaround is paying rent through Bilt, or picking up a Capital One or Citi card as a bridge. If you’re still figuring out your card setup, start here.
How many miles for business class to Europe?
Depends on the metal. On Turkish’s own planes it’s roughly 135,000 miles one-way after the February 2024 devaluation, which is brutal. On a Star Alliance partner like Lufthansa, SWISS, TAP, or United, it’s 85,000. That gap is the whole reason M&S is still on my radar. More on partner routes in our Star Alliance guide.
What’s the change or cancel fee now?
$70 flat. Used to be $25 or free depending on the era. Still cheaper than programs charging $150+, but it’s a real cost now.
Is it actually still worth collecting M&S miles in 2026?
Yes, with one caveat: don’t book Turkish metal. The pricing isn’t competitive for what you get. Partner awards, especially business to Europe at 85,000, still hold up next to Aeroplan, LifeMiles, and Virgin Atlantic. If those three programs are your current stack, M&S fits right in.
Summary & Takeaways
Would I still recommend Miles & Smiles in 2026? Yes, with a different playbook than I was running four years ago.
- Book partners, not Turkish metal. 85k to Europe in business holds up. 135k doesn’t.
- Use Bilt or Capital One to earn. The transfer partner lineup is actually stronger today than it was in 2022.
- Keep a small balance, not a huge one. I wouldn’t hoard Turkish miles. Earn what you need for a specific trip and burn them. Two devaluations in two years, and there’s no reason to expect it’s done.
The program lost its halo. It hasn’t lost its usefulness, you just have to be more careful about when to reach for it.
1 comment
DownhillRacer
Agree on comfort and food. Hard disagree on value for Miles. It costs much more in miles these days than in the past. 30000 for most short haul flights; 75000 for long haul one ways. After many years pleasant and economical flying, I will be changing preferred airline in 2023.