Points & Loyalty Encyclopedia

Australia's dominant program runs a fixed Classic Flight Reward chart across Qantas and oneworld partners (Cathay, JAL, Qatar, Malaysia, Finnair). Award seats are zone/distance-banded and cheap in points, but Qantas releases the best long-haul J/F to status holders first, so availability — not price — is the constraint. Carrier charges are moderate on QF metal and higher on BA.

Cathay's program (now under the Cathay membership umbrella) uses a distance-based chart across oneworld with good own-metal availability for members. Standard awards are released to Asia Miles members before partners, and a generous stopover policy lets you build multi-city itineraries. Fuel surcharges are moderate on Cathay and higher on some partners like BA.

The British Airways Club uses distance-based Avios, a currency pooled across BA, Qatar, Iberia, Finnair and Aer Lingus. Short partner hops are dirt cheap; BA long-haul carries punishing fuel surcharges, so the smart play is partner metal (Qatar Qsuite, AA, Alaska, Qantas) on the same chart. Off-peak dates cut the Avios price further.

Qatar's Privilege Club runs on Avios too, sharing the pooled currency with BA/Iberia/Finnair, and it's the most direct route into Qsuite — repeatedly rated the best business seat in the sky. Distance-based off-peak pricing keeps Qsuite redemptions sharp.

Mileage Plan keeps a partner-by-partner fixed chart with permitted stopovers and low surcharges, making partner business (Cathay, JAL, Qatar, American) excellent value despite Alaska joining oneworld. US–Hong Kong on Cathay business around 60k one-way with a stopover is a long-standing highlight. Award space on premium partners is the limiting factor.

AAdvantage retains a mostly fixed partner award chart with no fuel surcharges, so US–Middle East on Qatar/Etihad (~70k) and US–Asia on JAL/Cathay are standout values. Some partner space (Etihad, JAL) is hidden from AA.com and must be confirmed via other tools, but the pricing once booked is excellent. Web Special awards add occasional cheaper dynamic options.

KrisFlyer is the only reliable way into Singapore Suites and SQ business Saver awards, which are released almost exclusively to its own members. Saver pricing follows a published chart while Advantage awards are dynamic and pricey. It's the default home for transferable points headed to Asia.

Aeroplan's distance-based chart spans Star Alliance plus a uniquely broad set of non-alliance partners, and it passes through fuel surcharges only on a handful of carriers (notably not on most). A paid stopover (+5,000 points) lets you tack on a second city. Strong availability and predictable pricing make it one of the best all-round Star Alliance currencies.

ANA runs a season-based, round-trip-only award chart that produces some of the lowest premium-cabin prices in Star Alliance — a true round-the-world business award sits near 115k miles. The catch is round-trip-only booking and meaningful fuel surcharges. Best for planned, symmetric trips where the low mileage outweighs the friction.

United went fully dynamic but charges zero fuel surcharges and has excellent, wide-open Star Alliance partner award search on its website — making it a powerful tool even when its own prices fluctuate. Excursionist Perk gives a free one-way inside a round trip.

Miles&Smiles keeps a fixed Star Alliance partner chart with famously low prices — US–Europe business at 90k round trip is the standout — but is notorious for a clunky website, phone-only partner ticketing and erratic award visibility. The value is real if you tolerate the friction.

LifeMiles charges zero fuel surcharges across all of Star Alliance, so partner business (EVA, ANA, Lufthansa, Swiss) costs little beyond the points. Frequent buy-miles promotions can drop the effective cash cost of a business seat dramatically. The booking engine sometimes hides partner space and customer service is hit-or-miss, but the no-surcharge chart is a genuine edge.

Flying Club punches above its weight on partner sweet spots: ANA business between Japan and the US for ~90k round trip, Delta One transatlantic at reward-sale prices, and cheap ANA/Air France redemptions. A SkyTeam member since 2023.

SkyMiles is a fully dynamic, no-award-chart program whose value is mediocre on Delta metal but occasionally strong on partners during flash sales. Miles never expire and there are no fuel surcharges, but other SkyTeam currencies often deliver better value. Hold SkyMiles for the rare partner deal, not as a primary stash.

Flying Blue is a dynamic program whose whole value proposition is the monthly Promo Rewards — a rotating set of routes discounted up to 25%, dropping select Air France/KLM awards below their usual dynamic price. Outside the promos pricing is unremarkable, and surcharges are moderate.

Velocity sits outside the alliances but stitches together strong bilateral partnerships with Singapore Airlines, United, ANA, Qatar and Etihad, giving Australians a second path to premium long-haul. Domestic VA awards are reasonable; the real value is redeeming on Singapore Suites/business and Qatar Qsuite via partner charts. Family pooling makes it easy to consolidate points.

Skywards is effectively the only practical way into Emirates First (the A380 shower suites). Pricing is dynamic and fuel surcharges are high, so value depends on the cash fare you're displacing — which for EK First is enormous. Decent partner access to Qantas exists but the program is really about Emirates metal.

Etihad Guest is the home program for Etihad's business and the rare First Apartments, now priced dynamically but still delivering value in off-peak windows. Accessible to Australians via Velocity. Partner space is uneven, so the play is mostly Etihad own-metal between Abu Dhabi and Europe/Asia/Australia.

PayRewards is Pay.com.au's loyalty currency, earned on eligible transactions through Pay accounts. Points transfer to select airline and hotel partners. Transfer relationships and rates are published on pay.com.au and may differ from other Australian bank currencies. Indirect routes (e.g. via Marriott Bonvoy) require separate validation at each step.

The most flexible points currency for Australians, but notably it does NOT transfer to Qantas. Amex AU Membership Rewards (Ascent tier) partners with Velocity, KrisFlyer, Asia Miles, Emirates, Etihad, Qatar Privilege Club and Virgin Atlantic. Transfer ratios are not publicly stated on Amex AU's official site, so all routes remain unverified until official ratios are confirmed. Verify current partners and rates at americanexpress.com/en-au before transferring.

Amex US Membership Rewards is the deepest transferable currency in the US market. Transfer partners and ratios remain unverified in Cabin Crawler. Check americanexpress.com for current partner list and rates before transferring.

Chase Ultimate Rewards is a major US transferable currency. Transfer partners and ratios remain unverified in Cabin Crawler. Check chase.com for current partner list and rates before transferring.

Citi ThankYou Points is a US transferable currency. Transfer partners and ratios remain unverified in Cabin Crawler. Check citi.com for current partner list and rates before transferring.

Capital One Miles is a US transferable currency earned primarily through Venture cards. Transfer partners and ratios remain unverified in Cabin Crawler. Check capitalone.com for current partner list and rates before transferring.

Bilt Rewards lets you earn transferable points on rent payments fee-free. Transfer partners and ratios remain unverified in Cabin Crawler. Check biltrewards.com for current partner list and rates before transferring.