❗UPDATE 7 Feb 2024: This devaluation is now confirmed. Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles has published the date that new award charts will come into effect, and that is 16 Feb 2024.
Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles has made changes in its award chart page, with no announcement of an award chart devaluation.
Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles new Award Chart
The Frequent Flyer Program (FFP) has published a new award chart, only for flights on Turkish Airlines.
Here’s the new award chart for one-way Turkish Airlines flights:
| Promotion Award Ticket | (Non-Promo) Award Ticket | ||||
| To/From | To/From | Economy Class | Business Class | Economy Class | Business Class |
| Türkiye | Türkiye | 4,500 | 10,000 | 8,500 | 15,000 |
| Europe 1 | 10,000 | 20,000 | 15,000 | 30,000 | |
| Europe 2 | 15,000 | 25,000 | 20,000 | 40,000 | |
| Central Asia | 20,000 | 35,000 | 25,000 | 50,000 | |
| Middle East | 18,000 | 28,000 | 23,000 | 45,000 | |
| North Africa | 20,000 | 40,000 | 35,000 | 55,000 | |
| Central Africa | 25,000 | 60,000 | 55,000 | 110,000 | |
| Southern Africa | 35,000 | 75,000 | 70,000 | 150,000 | |
| Far East | 35,000 | 65,000 | 55,000 | 140,000 | |
| North America | 40,000 | 65,000 | 55,000 | 135,000 | |
| South America | 50,000 | 75,000 | 65,000 | 145,000 | |
| Oceania | 50,000 | 75,000 | 65,000 | 145,000 | |
This table comes with the following terms and conditions:
- Values may vary depending on exchange rates, taxes may be introduced or repealed, amounts may be subject to seasonal fluctuations, and new destinations may be added to regions.
- Taxes may arise from flight cabin differences.
- The departure point will be taken as a basis for taxes, and separate taxes may be charged for some arrival points.
- Turkish Airlines reserves the right to limit or seasonally suspend the use of award tickets.
- The Miles of an award ticket is expressed for one-way tickets, award tickets can also be issued as round-trip tickets.
- Star Alliance award tickets can also be issued as one-way tickets.
- For award regions in the scope of Turkish Airlines and Star Alliance flights, please see the award regions table.
- The interpretation, application and dispute resolution of the Miles&Smiles frequent-flyer program is subject to the laws of the Republic of Türkiye.
Flight segments to be calculated separately?
At the bottom of the award chart page, you’d find a section called “How should I calculate the amount of Award Tickets?”. And this bit worries me.
It states that when redeeming miles for a Turkish Airlines flight through Istanbul, members will have to pay for each segment separately.
For example, the promotional rate for Business Class flights from Singapore to Amsterdam (via Istanbul) is currently 45k miles. This will (soon?) be 65k + 25k, for a total of 90k miles; twice more than usual!
What about the award chart for Partner Airlines?
The award chart for flights on partner airlines used to be the same “promotional” one that was used for Turkish Airlines flights.
However, as the promotional award chart has been removed, there is now just one award chart (with higher one-way award rates), for flights on partner airlines, as published on the award chart page.
As of now, I am still able to find the old rates for partner flights:
When will the new award charts come into effect?
I am unclear on when the FFP will start implementing the new award charts, as it is not stated anywhere on the updated award chart page.
Doing a quick search for Turkish Airlines award tickets shows that the old rates are still bookable on turkishairlines.com:
(Huh?) Recently-Published award charts with NO changes
To add to the confusion, the FFP recently (on 26 Jan 2024) published PDF award charts for Turkish Airlines and Partner airlines, with no changes in (roundtrip) award rates.
I’m attaching these award charts below, in case the above links stop working.
20240126-PDF-01-MS-TURKISH-AIRLINES-PROMOTIONAL-AWARD-TICKETS-EN20240126-PDF-05-MS-TURKISH-AIRLINES-PARTNER-AWARD-TICKETS-EN-1Bottom line
I am not entirely sure what to make of this. It does not look like a devaluation has taken place, and no announcement has been made. But the signs are clearly showing.
With as little as 45k miles required for Business Class travel between the Far East and Western Europe, Miles&Smiles offers outstanding value for travellers. Even with fuel surcharges passed on, the amount of miles saved vs other FFPs far outweighs the additional cash outlay.
In fact, with Miles&Smiles, one can even book direct Economy Class flights on Singapore Airlines between Singapore and Europe for just 30k miles, with no fuel surcharges!
Related: Cheapest ways to fly between Singapore and Europe using Miles/Points from Singapore cards
We’ll have to wait and see how this develops, but if I’m holding on to a lot of Turkish miles right now, I’d be looking at ways to redeem them, as soon as possible.