Award flights 2026: How to fly cheap with miles
An award flight with miles is the most efficient way to redeem frequent flyer miles — if you know how. The difference between a bad and a good award is often €1,000 or more for the same flight. In this guide, we show the best sweet spots, tax traps, and availability strategies for 2026.
The best sweet spots 2026
Sweet spots are award routes that offer exceptionally high value per mile. These are among the best in 2026:
- Iberia Avios: Madrid–New York business class for 34,000 Avios + ~€100 taxes (value: 3+ cents/mile)
- Avios (BA): short-haul Europe for 4,000–9,000 Avios (value: 2+ cents/mile)
- Flying Blue: promo awards to Asia for 50% fewer miles — often under €1,000 for business
- Singapore Suites: Frankfurt–New York for 86,000 KrisFlyer miles (value: 2.5+ cents/mile)
- Qatar Qsuite: Doha–London for 70,000 Avios — one of the best business class products in the world
Optimizing taxes and fees
British Airways and Lufthansa add high surcharges to award flights — a 'free' BA flight can cost €300–500 in taxes. The trick: use partner award routes. A BA flight from Madrid (via Iberia) costs significantly less in taxes than from London. Flying Blue and Avios via Iberia have the lowest surcharges — Miles & More the highest.
Finding availability
Award availability is the biggest hurdle. Golden rules: (1) Book 355 days in advance when the award chart opens. (2) Be flexible with dates +/- 3 days. (3) Use partner award searches (e.g., British Airways shows Qatar availability). (4) Travel outside school holidays. (5) If you buy miles on MilesMarket, plan the purchase 1–2 weeks before booking.
Buying miles for award flights
When you're just a few thousand miles short of an award, buying on MilesMarket is faster and cheaper than waiting for the next credit card booking. Example: you need 10,000 Avios for an Iberia business class award? Buy on MilesMarket for about €130 — the flight is worth €2,500. That's a return of 1,800% on the purchased miles.
FAQ
- How far in advance should I book award flights?
- 355 days in advance is the optimal time — that's when the airline opens award chart availability. Business class awards are often gone within hours of opening.
- What are saver awards?
- Saver awards are the cheapest award class with limited availability. They offer the best mile value. At Miles & More they're called 'Classic', at BA 'Reward Flights Saver'.