While other Frequent Flyer Programs (FFPs) allow easy adding of nominees for award bookings with your travel companion(s), EVA Air’s Infinity MileageLands requires members to jump through several ridiculous hoops to get there.
How to make EVA Air award bookings for multiple passengers?
Here’s the 4-step process:
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1) Enable Online Service
To add nominees in your account, you will need to enable “Online Service”.
To enable Online Service, download the Online Service Form, fill it up, sign it and email it to [email protected]. I have converted the Microsoft Office Word document into a PDF, so that you can fill up the form on your mobile device and e-sign it.
While this step is needlessly complicated, readers have shared that Online Service is usually enabled within hours, when the form is submitted on a business day. However, members will not be notified when Online Service has been enabled (see below).
2) Add nominee online
To check if Online Service has been activated, visit the Nominee List Management page. If you see the text box that allows you to enter a nominee’s membership number, congratulations, you now have Online Service. *slow claps*
Upon adding a nominee, members have to wait 24 hours before the nominee is “effective”.
Additional note: Members can add up to 6 nominees per year (Diamond members can add 9).
3) Transfer required miles to nominee
Unlike in other FFPs, when your travel partner does not have enough miles to make an award booking, Infinity MileageLands requires you to transfer miles to your travel partner, before making an award booking….with them, through your own account!
To transfer miles to a nominee, visit this page. Pick a registed nominee from the dropdown list and enter the amount of miles that you would like to transfer.
Thankfully, these inter-member transfers are instant and free of charge. Members can return any transferred miles to the original sender, instantly and for free too.
When making an award booking, members cannot combine Transferred miles with Earned miles.
For example, if you would like to make a Business Class award redemption from Singapore to Tokyo for 25k miles, and your partner already has 20k Earned miles, you cannot just transfer 5k miles to him/her, to make up the difference. ALL 25k miles that your partner require, will need to be either Earned miles OR Transferred miles.
4) Include nominee, when searching for awards
When searching for award flights on EVA Air or Star Alliance airlines, members will need to include the membership number of the registered nominee, and, believe it or not, their password!
Obviously, only be someone’s nominee when you trust that person 100%, as with your login details, this person can have control of your account.
Understanding the different “types” of miles
To further complicate the experience, Infinity MileageLands has different types of miles that members should be aware of:
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Earned miles
Earned miles are miles that members can earn by crediting paid flights or from credit card miles/points conversions.
Transferred miles
Transferred miles, as the name suggests, are miles that were transferred from another member.
As mentioned above, members cannot combine Transferred miles with Earned miles, when making an award booking.
Purchased miles
Purchased miles are miles that members purchase through the FFP.
When redeeming for award flights, purchased miles used cannot exceed 50% of the total mileage required.
Miles can be purchased for US$40 per 1,000 miles (horrible value); and occasionally, members can purchase miles with a ~30% discount.
Status miles
Status miles can be earned by crediting paid flights to the FFP. These miles cannot be used to book any award flights and are only used for membership status qualification.
Best ways to use EVA Air miles
EVA Air has 2 award charts, one for travel on EVA Air-operated flights, another for travel on flights operated by Star Alliance airlines (e.g. Singapore Airlines, ANA, Turkish Airlines).
Singapore to/from North Asia
A one-way Business Class flight from Singapore to/from Japan, Korea or mainland China costs just 25k miles + ~S$150 (vs 52k miles + ~S$62 with KrisFlyer).
Related: Cheapest ways to fly between Singapore and North Asia using Miles/Points from Singapore cards
However, take note that because of current EVA Air flight timings to/from Taipei, flights between Singapore and Japan/Korea require an overnight layover in Taipei.
Singapore to/from Europe and North America
Infinity MileageLands has the same mileage requirement for award flights between Asia and Europe and certain cities in North America.
Singapore-based travellers can travel to/from Europe/North America in Business Class from just 75k miles + ~S$180 (vs 103.5k + ~$62 with KrisFlyer).
Related: Cheapest ways to fly between Singapore and Europe using Miles/Points from Singapore cards
Get 1,000 free miles
As previously shared, new members can get 1,000 free miles just by registering for an account and adding their residential address!
These free miles are categorized as “Earned” miles and cannot be combined with “Transferred” miles.
Along with Online Service, this should be the first thing that you do, if you are new to Infinity MileageLands.
Related: Get 1,000 Free Miles upon joining EVA Air Infinity MileageLands
Best Singapore cards to earn EVA Air miles
Miles/Points flexibility is very important in the Miles Game. Having flexible miles/points give you more options, when popular FFPs do not have any award availability on your preferred date/route.
Related: Singapore Bank Transfer Partners of Credit Card Miles and Points
If you are based in Singapore, miles/points earned from selected cards can be converted to EVA Air miles:
Citi Prestige
Unlimited free airport lounge visits for two, 4th night free on hotel bookings
Citi PremierMiles
Earn 1.2 mpd on local spend, 2 mpd on foreign currency
HSBC TravelOne
Earn 1.2 mpd on local spend, 2.4 mpd on foreign currency
Standard Chartered Journey
Earn 3 mpd on dining, groceries and ride-hailing
Bottom line
Although EVA Air Infinity MileageLands needs serious user-experience (UX) improvements on its website, the FFP is great for cheaper Premium Economy and Business Class award redemptions to/from North Asia, Europe and North America.
EVA Air miles can also be easily earned through selected credit cards in Singapore.
Personally, I can (somewhat) forgive the poor UX because award availability (to/from Singapore) is generally better than on other FFPs. In fact, as of the time of writing, I could easily find Premium/Business Class award availability to/from major cites like Tokyo, Seoul, Amsterdam, Paris and San Francisco, in the super-peak travel month of December 2023.
Is it a blessing in disguise that this FFP has poor UX? Maybe! It’s certainly nice to have award availability almost any time I want, while the mainstream crowd squabble over what’s available (if any) in KrisFlyer and Asia Miles.
Hi,
I’ve sent the online service form and waiting for the confirmation. If I am trying to book for myself and my spouse using my miles, does my spouse also need to submit the online service form to accept miles from me?
Thank you
J
Your partner do not need to have online services activated, if you are only using your miles. But it’s probably a good idea to do it anyway, in case you want the transferred miles back.
Hello, Thanks for sharing your excellent information about EVA and its complicated twists and turns. I followed your instructions and downloaded the Online Services form so I can add my mother as a nominee. I understand I have to do this first before I can transfer my miles to her. I need help to fill out the form. Do I put my name as the APPLICANT and my mother’s name as the NAME. Is the MEMBER NUMBER my number? Please help so I can get an award ticket for my mother asap. Thank you!
Hi, you should fill in the Online Service form with your details only, not your mum’s.
Do I put my name down twice? Once for APPLICANT, and again for NAME? Thanks so much for sharing your excellent guidelines!
You do not need to fill up anything beside the words “Applicant（Please write in block letter)”. Just fill up under “Name”. This first step is just for you to enable online service on your account. It has nothing to do with your nominee.
Hi!
Been going down the EVA rabbit hole for my 25th anniversary for my wife and I. Looking for DPS-LAX and it isn’t until next November.
If I am flying on EVA itself (not star alliance partner) and it is showing availability is that always available? I found “availability” that is “uncomfirmed” for every day in November, 2024. If I search this December I see several dates that are labeled “waitlist”. This is for business class.
Bottom line is I want to move the points from Cap One to EVA to book, but am very concerned that I will move the points and then find out the flights aren’t available for points. If it wasn’t for the very cumbersome website I wouldn’t be too concerned.
On another note, how would you compare EVA and Singapore Air? I am flying SA on the outbound business class, with the stopover in SIN. Interested in trying EVA out by what I have read, but SA is available too.
Hey,
If you are seeing “Available (Unconfirmed)” on EVA Air-operated flights, it means that they are available.
I’d say that overall, SQ is slightly better than EVA. EVA’s Boeing 787-10 Business Class seats are great. Definitely aim for seats in that aircraft, if possible.
All the best!
So in your opinion which would you do:
1) DPS-SIN-LAX – SQ – only have the Advantage award – 128,500 points = 128,500 Capital One Points
2) DPS-TPE-LAX – BR – 75,000 points = 100,000 Capital One points.
So 57k points different (2 tickets) which is almost $1,000. But, the customer service seems so bad for EVA and if we had to cancel or move the flight it seems like a nightmare.
One more thing… I see you are based in Singapore. Our inbound has a 2 night stopover and we’ve never been. Any recommendations below $400 or with Hilton, Marriott, or Hyatt points would be greatly appreciated.
I would pick BR to save the points. I’ve not had any experience in changing/cancelling a BR flight and have not heard about it being a pain.
I’ve not been staying in Singapore hotels, as there are better options (value-wise) in the region (1-2 hrs away by air). But if I’m doing it, it’d be on Marriott points, for best value.
Hi Fai – I have some EVA miles (46K) that are due to expire this Dec. I am hoping to use them to redeem for one way business to London in Jul on SQ. Strangely enough, all the SQ flights from Singapore to London are available for redemption for 80K miles but the same flights are on waitlist on SQ saver 103K miles. I did searches on 4 and 5 July 24. I currently do not have enough miles to let this transaction go through and will either have to transfer additional miles and/or purchase the balance. What worries me is if this is the phantom award availability that I read about in some forums? Is there someway i can verify that such awards are indeed available for redemption before i make the transfer/purchase and also the airport taxes/fuel surcharge charges?
Hi Cindy, partner award availability on Infinity MileageLands can only be viewed (and confirmed) on the final page. The flights that you see upon searching for partner flights do not reflect award availability. And yes, you will need to have enough EVA miles to see SQ availability on that platform.
It’s one of many annoyances of EVA Air’s low-tech website.
Thanks Fai. Is it fair to say if I don’t see such flights available on SQ, they will likely not be avail via EVA’s Star Alliance as well?
Not necessarily true. We often see Infinity MileageLands having SQ award availability when KrisFlyer is showing zero availability or Advantage/Waitlist rates on the same flight. This has been discussed on Suitesmile Chat: https://t.me/suitesmilechat
if book Singapore to Seoul since there is a layover can we get out of the airport in Taipei more than 2 or 3 nights?
Stopovers (more than 1 day) are only allowed on roundtrip award bookings.
Can you redeem miles just for the nominee (without the Transferor travelling together)?
From what I’ve read, EVA Star Alliance award space is often phantom availability though. Did anyone actually manage to redeem on the popular routes e.g. SIN-LHR?
Not sure where you read that. EVA does not show Star Alliance availability until the final page, provided you have enough miles. And yes, if you see availability on the final page, they are real. SQ Business Class SIN-LHR would cost 80k miles + ~S$60 taxes/fees.
Can’t remember but probably flyertalk or omaat. Which one is the final page that you mentioned? I see there are a total of 6 steps, and the flight selection is step 2
If flight selection is on step 2, you should see star alliance availability on step 5.
“In fact, as of the time of writing, I could easily find Premium/Business Class award availability to/from major cites like Tokyo, Seoul, Amsterdam, Paris and San Francisco, in the super-peak travel month of December 2023.”
May I know which date you’re searching?
I have tried many different date for Dec 2023 from/to Singapore for the major cities you mentioned.
However there isn’t any availability for Premium/Business class and mostly waitlist status.
Which route were you searching for? And for how many pax?
Helloo yeah I tried several Japanese cities (Tokyo, Osaka, Sapporo, etc) from Dec to Feb-23 for to/from Singapore for 1pax and they all came up “waiting”.
March showed some availability though..
Oh well maybe they all got snapped up!