47 Great Ways To Use Capital One Miles For Business Class

For years the Capital One Venture card allowed you to earn 2x on all spend and redeem for travel at 1 cent per point. In the last several years, though, Capital One has really stepped up its game.

Now, Capital One Miles (they call their points miles), can be transferred to a bunch of useful airline programs. Plus, you can turn cashback earned with a Capital One Savor Card (or SavorOne Card) into transferable points when paired with a Ventured, Venture X, or Spark Miles card.

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Before you dive into this, please know that booking a round-the-world ticket with Aeromexico can be challenging and may require a lot of patience while waiting on the phone.

Still, there’s a lot of potential value. You can include flights on any of Aeromexico's SkyTeam partners with between 3 to 15 stopovers. The itinerary must be flown either from east to west or west to east and backtracking is not allowed. Additionally, all flights must be in the same class of service. For example, if you want a business class ticket, all flights must be in business class.

Also, keep in mind that Capital One transfers points to Aeromexico at a 1:1 ratio, so you would need 320,000 points for booking, whereas Amex Membership Rewards transfer at a 1:1.6 ratio which makes it a better option if you have them.

Air Canada's Aeroplan program is an excellent option for those booking business class on Star Alliance partners from the east coast and central US. There are many one-way, non-stop flights that can be booked for 60,000 Aeroplan points, and even more that only cost 70,000 points.

One of the advantages of Aeroplan is that it doesn't pass on surcharges, so you can avoid paying high taxes and fees. Additionally, stopovers can be added to one-way award tickets for an additional 5,000 points.

Beyond that, Aeroplan is also the only Star Alliance program that can book business class award tickets on Singapore Air. Since Singapore has fifth freedom routes between JFK and Frankfurt as well as Houston and Manchester, this can be particularly useful

To book at the 60,000-mile rate, the total flight distance cannot exceed 4,000 miles. If the flight distance is between 4,001 and 6,000 miles, it can be booked at the 70,000-mile rate. It's worth mentioning that the award rate depends on the origin/destination regions and the total flight distance. Please refer to the Aeroplan award chart for more information.

With Aeroplan, you can book a one-way business class flight on Star Alliance carriers between the east coast and places like Ghana (via Europe) for 70,000 points. If the flight distance exceeds 6,000 miles, the award rate increases to 90,000 points, as such one-way flights to destinations like Ethiopia or Kenya would cost 90,000 points.

If you can keep the total flight distance under 8,000 miles, you can book a one-way business class ticket to India on Star Alliance partners for 90,000 points. If you want to visit Mumbai or Goa, it might make sense to book a separate positioning flight from Delhi. Otherwise the award rate for flights over 8,000 flight miles jumps to 110,000 points.

With Aeroplan, you can fly up to 11,000 miles to Asia (which is part of what they consider the Pacific zone) for 87,500 points one-way. Once you exceed that threshold, the award rate jumps to 115,000 Aeroplan points.

Fortunately, there are plenty of options at the 87,500-point rate including Singapore Airlines, EVA Air, All Nippon Airways (ANA), and even Etihad.

Etihad business class might be one of the best options for using Aeroplan points. A one-way business class award ticket will run you 90,000 Aeroplan points as long as the total flight distance doesn’t exceed 8,000 flight miles.

Booking a business class flight to South America with lie-flat seats can be challenging, however, the experience will be much more comfortable. By using Aeroplan, one-way award tickets can be booked at 60,000 points for flights if the flight distance is 4,501+ miles. For flights between 2,501 and 4,500 miles, the award rate is only 50,000 points.

If you want to visit Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, or Hong Kong, you can generally do so for 75,000 Aeroplan points one-way. Just make sure the total flight distance is no more than 7,500 miles.

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club might be a better option for a nonstop ANA flight to Tokyo, but that really depends on the current surcharges allowed by Japan. At this time, the surcharges are steep so a one-way award ticket will include $400+ taxes/fees. With Aeroplan, you’ll use more points but you won’t be on the hook for the surcharges.

For those in Seattle, you can book a non-stop ANA flight to Tokyo with only 55,000 Aeroplan points. It’s an often overlooked option but between the great award rate and no surcharges, it’s an awesome way to book.

When booking a flight for an infant, many airline programs will charge a percentage of the cash fare (often 10%) which can be costly when booking a one-way business class award ticket. Aeroplan, however, provides an affordable alternative. You can include a lap infant for only C$25 one-way.

Cathay’s Asia Miles program offers a great way to book Qantas business class to Australia. You can use 89,000 Asia Miles for a one-way award and you can include a connection within Australia or to New Zealand for no extra miles.

With Capital One Miles, Asia Miles provides your best option for booking Cathay Pacific business class from the US (and Canada). For itineraries for 7,501+ flight miles, you can book a one-way ward award ticket for 110,000 miles. If you book a round-trip ticket, you can include a stopover in Hong Kong.

If you just want a simple non-stop on Cathay Pacific from the west coast, you can book for only 84,000 miles one-way. While you can include a short connection on the ticket, you’ll quickly surpass 7,501 flight miles and the award rate will jump to 85,000 miles (as mentioned above).

Cathay’s Asia Miles program provides a great way to avoid some of the steep surcharges on British Airways and keep your out of pocket expenses to a minimum. If flying from Europe to the US, the difference won’t be massive. However, on flights from the US on British Airways, you can save a few hundred dollars.

Remember, if flying from Europe, it’s best to avoid starting your return from the UK as the Air Passenger Duty (APD) fee will add over $200 to a one-way premium cabin award ticket.

It’s not easy to find business class award space on Finnair but, when you do, Asia Miles provides a great way to book at 63,000 miles one-way. If you want to include a connection to other cities in Europe, you can expect the award rate to jump to 89,000 miles.

Cathay Pacific has a separate award chart for itineraries that include two or more oneworld partners. A sweet spot in this multi-partner award chart includes business class to Europe with up to 5 stopovers. You can also include 2 open-jaws and 2 transfers. Unsurprisingly, you’ll need to call Cathay to book this one.

Virgin Atlantic Upper Class on their A350s and A330-900neos is a ton of fun but Virgin’s own Flying Club program passes on the crazy steep surcharges that can reach $800 one-way. However, you can use as few as 64,000 Flying Blue miles + ~$200 taxes/fees for a one-way Upper Class award ticket from the east coast.

You may need more Flying Blue miles depending on which US airport is your origin/destination.

If you’ve never been to Taipei, do yourself a favor and go. The night markets alone are worth the trip. If you fly from the west coast, you can book a one-way business class ticket for as few as 82,500 Flying Blue miles from Vancouver. You’ll need closer to 90,000 miles from other west coast departure points such as LAX, SFO, and Ontario (it’s near Los Angeles).

Flying Blue starts business class award rates at 55,000 miles one-way. The number of miles you’ll need depends on your origin and destination pairing. You can check the saver level award rate via Flying Blue’s destination map or the Miles Price Estimator.

Flying Blue passes on carrier-imposed surcharges which can be ~$250-300 one-way but you can include a stopover so that’s a nice perk.

There’s never a better option to book with Flying Blue miles than one of their Promo Rewards. You can get a 25-50% discount on the award rate on select routes that are released on the first of each month. The taxes/fees are not discounted.

British Airways is another airline notorious for its carrier-imposed surcharges. As a result, using Avios for British Airways award tickets is an expensive proposition. Instead, you’ll be better off looking for a premium economy cash fare and using Avios to upgrade to business class.

While you need to find off-peak dates, a one-way business class ticket to Madrid for only 34,000 Avios is a screaming deal. Just remember that you need to book a non-stop from Boston, Chicago, JFK, or Washington Dulles on off-peak dates to get the best rate.

On peak dates, it’ll be 50,000 Avios for a one-way business class award ticket to/from these airports. Still a solid deal if you ask me!

If you want to include a connection on these tickets, the award rate will increase.

Avios provide a great way to book Qatar Airways Qsuites, widely considered to be one of the best business products in the world. You can book a one-way non-stop Qsuites award ticket for 70,000 Avios. You’ll need additional Avios if you want to connect to other parts of the Middle East but only 5,000 to 10,000 more.

With 95,000 Avios, you can book Qsuites all the way to Southeast Asia via Doha. That’s a lot of luxury flying time! The key to this can be using Qatar Privilege Club to book.

So, why am I talking about this as an option for British Airways? Since both programs are part of Avios, you can link your BA and Qatar accounts then move Avios between them. In many cases, the award rates are the same but I’ve often seen Qatar’s program require 95,000 Avios for business class to Southeast Asia while BA requires more.

Plus, Qatar Airways sometimes releases extra award space to its own Privilege Club members.

British Airways’ distance-based award chart often makes it a poor choice for booking long-haul premium cabin awards but there are exceptions. One of those exceptions is business class Japan Airlines to/from the west coast which can be booked for 77,250 Avios.

Of course, it doesn’t hurt that Japan Airlines offers an amazing business class experience.

You can book a one-way business class award ticket between Casablanca and Montreal, New York, or Washington Dulles for only 60,000 Avios. While you’ll be on the hook for surcharges, they’re not egregious like you’ll find on British Airways itself.

You could easily fly Royal Air Marco to Casablanca then find your way to Fez, Marrakech, or plenty of destinations in Europe.

While the award rate increased in early 2023, 108,000 miles round-trip is still a great option for business class to Europe. To utilize this option, you can either fly between JFK and Milan or Newark and Athens.

For the best experience, I strongly recommend flying business class on the JFK to Milan route since Emirates operates an Airbus A380 on the route with lie-flat seats, direct aisle access for all business class passengers, and there’s an inflight bar at the back of the cabin.

The Newark to Athens route is operated by a Boeing 777 with a 2-3-2 layout and angled-flat seats. That means only some people have direct aisle access and those that do will have people climbing around them to get to the aisle.

Emirates Skywards doesn’t have many sweet spots on partners, but 76,000 miles for a one-way business class award on Japan Airlines from Seattle to Tokyo is one of them. It has a small edge over the British Airways rate of 77,250 Avios.

You don’t hear Korean Air talked about much in the points community as it can be tough to book business class awards at reasonable rates. Fortunately, Emirates Skywards provides a niche opportunity to book business class from the west coast to Seoul for 88,000 miles one-way.

Finding business class award space to Hawaii can be tough. Finding awards in business class with a lie-flat seat to Hawaii is even harder. If you have the patience, you just might find space on Hawaiian Airlines on one of its routes with lie-flat seats for 40,000 miles one-way.

Please note that Hawaiian Airlines calls it “first class” but it’s business class.

LifeMIles is a go-to option if you have Capital One Miles and want to fly business class to Europe. At 63,000 LifeMiles one-way from anywhere in the US (including connections), it’s a great rate and you won’t be on the hook for any carrier-imposed surcharges.

While Qsuites is one of the most popular options to the Middle East and Africa, LifeMiles provides a great option to book Star Alliance partners at 78,000 miles one-way. Again, one of the big advantages that LifeMiles has is the lack of surcharges.

Finding business class award space to New Zealand isn’t always easy, but connecting via Asia can open up some good options at 80,000 miles one-way. On the rare occasion, you might find non-stop space from the US on Air New Zealand or United.

There aren’t a ton of great options to fly business class to South America, but 45,000 miles one-way is a solid option if you can find award space on Air Canada or United on a route with lie-flat seats. Be aware that Avianca’s own flights don’t get high marks.

While Aeroplan generally has better business class award rates on Singapore Airlines, KrisFlyer has two advantages. First, KrisFlyer sometimes gets access to additional award space. Second, Singapore KrisFlyer offers discounted award rates every month.

The Spontaneous Escapes promo awards allow you to book awards on select routes each month with a 30% discount. For example, JFK to Frankfurt in business class typically requires 81,000 miles but, during a promo, you’d only need 56,500 miles one-way.

While Aeroplan is often the best way to book, Singapore Airlines sometimes gives its own KrisFlyer members access to additional award space. At 81,000 miles one-way on either fifth freedom route to/from Europe (JFK and Frankfurt or Hostuon and Manchester), KrisFlyer can be a great option.

Turkish miles are a great option for business class to Europe if you fly Turkish Airlines or a partner airline that doesn’t have surcharges at 45,000 miles one-way. Air Canada, United, and TAP Air Portugal are good options but you should avoid Austrian, Lufthansa, and Swiss.

While United doesn’t operate many flights to Hawaii with lie-flat business class seats and business class award space can be tough to find, Turkish Miles&Smiles provides a great way to book at 12,500 miles one-way.

Turkish Airlines is a great way to fly to the Middle East. With Turkish Miles&Smiles, a one-way business class to destinations such as Dubai will cost 47,000 miles. You can fly Turkish’s Star Alliance partners as well, but keep an eye on carrier-imposed surcharges which can lead to steep taxes/fees on your award ticket.

At 52,500 miles one-way, Turkish miles are a great option to fly business class to India and Central Asia. Turkish itself operates flights to more destinations than any other airline in the world, so that’s often a great option but you can also book their Star Alliance partners.

Business class award rates to Asia, esp. Southeast Asia, are steep these days but Turkish Miles&Smiles provides a great option at 67,5000 miles one-way. Whether you’re looking for a flight to Singapore, Thailand, or Vietnam, this should be on your radar.

Last but not least, Turkish provides a great way to book a business class flight to Central Africa with 72,500 miles one-way. This includes countries such as Kenya, Tanzania, and more!

If Egypt or Morocco are on your list, 60,000 Turkish miles is a great way to fly business class to North Africa. Again, just make sure you avoid Star Alliance airlines that have steep surcharges.

You can book a round-trip business class award ticket on Turkish Airlines and include a stopover in Istanbul for no extra miles. Whether you’re visiting Europe, the Middle East, or even Southeast Asia, this can be a great option!

A favorite sweet spot among points enthusiasts, you can book a one-way first class ticket on All Nippon Airways (ANA) from the west coast for only 45,000 points. Not a bad way to book a non-stop to Tokyo.

If you fly ANA from the east coast, Chicago, or Houston, you’ll need 47,500 miles for a one-way first class ticket. Still a great deal in my book!

Using Virgin points to book Delta One Suites is great in theory. However, Delta operates few flights to Europe with their newer Delta One Suites cabin and rarely releases award space to partner programs. If you can find business class award space (Delta One is business class), it’s a great option at 50,000 points one-way.

If you’re booking a non-stop business class Air New Zealand flight to Auckland, Virgin has a big advantage over LifeMiles as you’ll only need 62,500 points for the one-way. Award space can be tough to land, but you might have better luck if booking closer to departure.

Unlike most award tickets booked with Virgin points, you can include connections on Air France and/or KLM without needing additional points. Business class award rates start at only 48,500 points one-way on off-peak dates between the east coast and Western Europe. Yep, that’s even better than what Flying Blue requires.

Capital One continues to increase in popularity thanks to some fantastic airline transfer partners. With the ability to earn 2x with several Capital One credit cards, it’s easy to see why this program has become more popular.

Don’t forget, you can turn cashback earned with the Savor or SavorOne card into transferable points if you pair one of them with the Venture, Venture X, or Spark Miles.