First Class fares are high to this region, starting at about $13,000, so knowing which programs offer the highest return on miles is the key factor in wisely deploying your miles. We examined 21 mileage programs and found that the region is laced with award discrepancies. You can pay as little as 140,000 miles for a First Class award ticket from NYC to Cairo, and as much as 300,000 miles for a First Class award ticket from LAX to Johannesburg.
One of the biggest surprises turned out to be hiding in the Star Alliance, specifically Continental, United, and US Airways. At this point in the Continental-United merger integration, you would expect to find small mileage discrepancies, but not an entire continent (Africa) divided differently. Continental considers Kenya to be in the “Central & South Africa” zone, which requires 160,000 miles, whereas United has Kenya in the “Northern Africa” zone, which costs only 145,000, miles. The difference, 15,000 miles, amounts to a one-way domestic upgrade from any fare. US Airways takes a different tack, charging the same (150,000 miles) for all of Africa.
Not all 21 programs are shown in the report. We excluded carriers that:
- Didn’t have a First Class cabin from the U.S., such as Delta, Qatar, South African Airways, and Virgin Atlantic.
- Didn’t offer First Class redemptions to all members, such as Air France, which offers only anytime awards to elites.
- Are alliance partner airlines that don’t offer any savings over the operating carrier in the same alliance.
The grades also reflect the ease or difficulty of getting the necessary miles without earning them by flying the carrier.
Alaska Airlines / Mileage Plan: A Alliance: None.
You have to love this program. Alaska is not part of an alliance and it does it fly to this region, but Mileage Plan offers the lowest redemption rate of any airline on Cathay Pacific (via Hong Kong) at 140,000 miles for First Class. It only charges 160,000 miles on British Airways, up to 110,000 fewer miles than BA’s own program asks for the same award. (The savings equals a free Business Class ticket to Europe.) Miles can easily be obtained via Diners and Starwood point transfers or by purchasing them directly. Sample savings to Johannesburg from New York on BA, even if you have to buy the miles, is about $10,000 (75%). The lowest published BA First Class fare is $13,178, but you can buy all the miles you need for $3,300 (plus taxes) with the current 25%-off promo.
All Nippon Airways / ANA Mileage Club: B-
Alliance: Star. Partner awards are based on distance flown and the charges are pretty reasonable: 140,000 miles for itineraries up to 14,000 miles (New York to Cairo); 160,000 miles for up to 18,000 miles; 180,000 miles for up to 20,000 miles; and 200,000 miles for up to 22,000 miles (Los Angeles to Johannesburg on Lufthansa, which charges 240,000 miles). Miles can be transferred from Amex Rewards and Starwood.
American Airlines / AAdvantage: C
Alliance: oneworld. It offers an “All Airlines Award” for its partners of 200,000 miles to Africa (whether northern, central, or southern) from North America. (That includes Hawaii and Alaska.) It’s a good deal, coming in up to 70,000 fewer miles than its oneworld partner BA. Miles can be transferred from Diners and Starwood, and members can buy up to 40,000.
British Airways / Executive Club: D+
Alliance: oneworld. It charges according to zones: 195,000 miles for northern Africa, 240,000 for west Africa, 270,000 for central and southern Africa. Lower cost First Class award redemptions can be had via mileage partners Alaska and American. Miles can be transferred from Amex Rewards, Diners, and Starwood; members can also buy up to 24,000 miles.
Continental / OnePass: B+
Alliance: Star. Partner awards start at 145,000 miles for northern Africa (Algeria, Canary Islands, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia), and 160,000 miles for central and southern Africa, with Hawaii departures costing up to 25,000 more miles. United includes a lot more countries in its northern Africa region for 145,000 miles. Miles can be transferred from Amex Rewards, and members can also buy an unlimited number of miles.
Emirates / Skywards: D
Alliance: None. Charges are based on miles flown: 255,000 to 300,000 miles. Emirates stands out in a few regards. Unlike most airlines, it does not charge double for Flex rewards, which have more inventory. For example, a First Class saver award from NY to Johannesburg is 285,000 miles and a Flex award is 357,500 miles, a 20% increase. A First Class ticket on Emirates costs $16,500, well worth the price tag for the miles, especially as the carrier’s A380s (JFK to Dubai) has one of the most luxurious First Class cabins in the sky. plus a 10% discount for booking online. Miles can be transferred from Starwood, and members can buy up to 25,000 miles.
Etihad Airways / Etihad Guest: D-
Alliance: None. First Class awards to Africa cost 300,000 miles, one of the highest for this region; the other major drawback is the lack of a credit-card-transfer or buy-miles option.
Lufthansa and SWISS / Miles & More: C-
Alliance: Star. Both charge 180,000 miles to northern and central Africa; and 240,000 miles to South Africa. (From Hawaii the charge is a straight 240,000 miles.) Miles can be transferred from Starwood, and members can buy up to 12,000 miles annually.
United / Mileage Plus: B+
Alliance: Star. Partner awards start at 145,000 miles to North Africa and 160,000 miles to central and southern Africa. (Add 35,000 miles for Hawaii departures.) What makes it better than its merger partner Continental is the larger number of countries in the Northern Africa Zone—it stretches as far south as Angola and Tanzania. Members can buy up to 60,000 miles annually.
US Airways / Dividend Miles: B+
Alliance: Star. It offers the same rate to all of Africa, 150,000 miles, which, if you’re flying to South Africa is a fabulous deal. Miles can be transferred from Starwood and members can buy unlimited miles year round. US Airways is also known to offer great limited buying promotions, such as the one that just ended on Nov. 30: 100% bonus miles on the first 50,000 miles purchased. Such promotions can offer a partner First Class award ticket to Africa on Lufthansa or SWISS for $2,750, offering a savings of 83% for example, from NYC to Nairobi (published fares is $16,800).
First Class Mileage Award Redemption Rates to Africa
[table_opt style="gray-header" id="746" width="" alignment="center" responsive="all" heading="thcenter" rows="tdcenter"]