When redeeming points or miles for flights, it’s common to think about round trips. Most frequent flyer programs prioritize round-trip bookings, and some (like ANA Mileage Club) even restrict one-way redemptions.
However, AwardFares prioritizes flexibility by defaulting to one-way searches. This approach often uncovers more award availability, allowing you to find outbound and return flights independently. But we understand the need for round-trip planning, so we’ve created the Journey Planner to craft seamless multi-leg itineraries.
In this guide, we’ll explore the advantages and considerations of both one-way and round-trip award bookings, highlight programs that support each option, and demonstrate how to create your ideal itinerary using the AwardFares Journey Planner.
In This Post
- One-way vs. Round-Trip: Which One is Better?
- How to Plan and Book Round-Trip Awards Easily (Step-by-step)
- FAQ
- Become a Pro Travel Hacker
- Read More
One-way vs. Round-Trip: Which One is Better?
The most common scenario when you log in to a frequent flyer program is that the search portal defaults to one-way flights only. But did you know that several programs also offer the possibility of booking round-trip awards? Sometimes, it can be even more cost-efficient, although one-way bookings provide more flexibility regarding cancellations and rebookings.
Benefits of Round-Trip Award Tickets
- Fewer Miles Required: Several airlines and programs offer a reduced mileage rate for round-trip award bookings compared to the total price of two one-way awards (e.g., United MileagePlus, SAS EuroBonus, etc.)
- Reduced Fees: Sometimes, when issuing the tickets, some programs might waive or reduce specific fees (e.g., close-in booking fees, change fees) for round-trip bookings. This can drastically reduce the cost of your flight and travel plans, especially when there are hefty
- Simplified Booking Process: Booking a round-trip award flight is generally more straightforward than booking two separate one-way awards. You only need to search for availability once and make a single reservation.
- Guaranteed Return Flight: When you book a round-trip award, you also guarantee your return flight is secured, both in availability and not subject to price increases or mileage devaluations.
- Stopover Options: On round-trip award tickets, some airlines offer free stopovers where you can visit two different places for the price of one. That way, you might have a free layover in Seoul (South Korea) on your return from New York to Tokyo.
Cons of Booking Round-Trip Awards (Compared to two one-way tickets)
- Changes and Cancellations: Round-trip tickets often have more stringent change and cancellation policies. If you need to adjust one leg of the journey, you might face higher fees or stricter rules than one-way tickets.
- Award Availability: Finding award availability for outbound and return flights can be challenging. One-way tickets may offer more options and better availability for each leg separately.
- Limited Seat Inventory: Airlines may have fewer seats available for round-trip awards than one-way awards.
- Missed Opportunities for Maximizing Value: With two one-way tickets, you can choose different airlines for each leg, finding better deals or more comfortable flights.
- Complex Itineraries: For complex itineraries involving multiple destinations, booking two one-way tickets can be simpler and more straightforward.
Examples
Scenario 1: Flying from Los Angeles (LAX) to Chicago (ORD) on United Airlines costs 25,000 miles when booking a round-trip award ticket, while two one-way awards would cost 30,000 miles. You save 5,000 miles.
Scenario 2: You booked a round-trip award flight from San Francisco (SFO) to London (LHR) on British Airways and need to change your return date. Since you booked a round-trip ticket, you only pay one change fee instead of two.
Scenario 3: You’re flying from New York (JFK) to Bangkok (BKK) on Singapore Airlines. By booking a round-trip award ticket, you can enjoy a free stopover in Singapore, exploring the city before continuing your journey to Bangkok. Plus, the total cost of the trip is 20% cheaper for a round-trip award compared to two one-way tickets, as EuroBonus has that policy on Star Alliance. On the other hand, you cannot change the return leg once the trip has started.
How to Plan and Book Round-Trip Awards Easily (Step-by-step)
Luckily, we equipped AwardFares with a handy and powerful tool called Journey Planner. It’s perfect for building round-trips, as it lets you search for available seats in realtime, accurately estimate the cost of each leg, and find potential returning flights in a fraction of the time compared to using the airlines’ search engine.
1. Go to AwardFares
Creating an account is optional, but it’s also free, and it gives you access to more features. Make sure to sign up for one.
2. Select your favorite Frequent Flyer Program
In this example, we’ll choose SAS EuroBonus in the Loyalty Program picker.
In SAS EuroBonus, you can book one-way award tickets on Star Alliance partners for 60% of the points required for a round-trip award ticket. This means that booking two one-way tickets is much more expensive. This condition only applies to Star Alliance flights, not SAS flights.
Therefore, let’s build an itinerary on a Star Alliance airline to see the price difference.
3. Choose a Route
We’ll pick flights from Stockholm (ARN) to Bangkok (BKK) with Thai Airways. One-way Economy Class awards start at 54k points, and 99k points for Business Class tickets.
4. Add a leg to the Journey Planner
AwardFares will show you the available seats and flights in the list below. Once you’ve identified a good option, tap on the [+] icon to start planning a new Journey.
You’ll see the new Journey created when tapping the Journey pill above the results. Note that this feature allows for creating and saving multiple journeys simultaneously, and you can switch between them from the dropdown menu.
5. Search for a return leg
After adding the outbound leg, tap on Add Flight to search for a return flight. AwardFares will automatically populate your origin city.
Add your destination by typing in the field, and a potential return date. In this case, we are flying back to Stockholm (ARN), and would like to spend at least a week in Bangkok.
The tool will search for available flights after the one added to your journey. To be extra clear, we display this information in the header of the search results. Once more, tap on the [+] icon to add the return leg to the Journey Planner.
6. Check your plans and book
After adding all your segments, you can see the entire itinerary in the Journey section and find more helpful options. Our tool displays, among other things, the time gap between flights (in days and hours). You can quickly delete segments or continue adding more before or after.
If you are ready to make your reservation, simply tap on the Book button, and AwardFares will redirect you to the airline’s website, which will pre-fill your options.
As you can see in our example below, we confirm that the reduced price is applied: 165k points for a round trip compared to 198k points for booking two one-way tickets.
More Features
Another handy feature is the option to copy the itinerary to the clipboard. This way you can paste it into your notes in case you have to, for example, contact the call center and book via phone.
Copy to Clipboard
Share Journey
Moreover, you can share the journey with friends or family members. Use the Share button, and you’ll get a unique URL that you can copy and send over.
When opening the URL, you’ll see the full itinerary, plus a map with the route.
In addition, you can create new trips, delete existing ones, unshare them, and more! Start exploring these features today with a Gold or Diamond account.
A Few Things to Keep in Mind
- AwardFares is perfect for helping you build complex itineraries, even beyond round-trips. Today, as the rules of each frequent flyer program are different, our tool does not account for the different discounts when showing the prices. This means that you will always see the price as if booking one-way. You can hit the Book button for the final calculation and perform the final simulation on the program’s page.
- You can use this tool to build round-trip itineraries even for programs that only allow one-way tickets.
- Using the Journey Planner to plan for Stopovers or Round-The-World tickets (RTW) is also possible. In this case, the booking link (Book button) won’t take you to the airline’s portal with the right information. In most cases you’d have to call the airline to book those itineraries.
FAQ
In which airlines or frequent flyer programs is more cost-efficient to book a round-trip award ticket?
The following table lists some airlines and programs for which it is more cost-efficient to book a round-trip ticket than two one-way award flights.
| Frequent Flyer Program | Airlines with benefits |
|---|---|
| SAS EuroBonus | Star Alliance Partners |
| United MileagePlus | United Airlines |
| Air France-KLM Flying Blue | Air France, KLM (e.g., Promo Rewards) |
| British Airways Executive Club | British Airways, oneworld partners |
| Lufthansa Miles & More | Lufthansa, Star Alliance partners |
| Emirates Skywards | Emirates |
| ANA Mileage Club | All Nippon Airways (ANA) |
| Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer | Singapore Airlines, Star Alliance partners |
| Qatar Airways Privilege Club | Qatar Airways, oneworld partners |
| Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles | Turkish Airlines, Star Alliance partners |
How do I book a round-trip award flight?
If you have miles or points, you can book a round-trip award flight through the airline’s frequent flyer program. Alternatively, use our Journey Planner to craft your perfect itinerary and have them ready as notes before calling an agent.
Can I mix airlines on a round-trip award flight?
Many frequent flyer programs allow you to mix airlines, especially if they are part of an airline alliance. This can give you more flexibility in planning your trip.
Can I change or cancel my round-trip award flight?
Change and cancellation policies for round-trip award flights vary depending on the airline and fare class. Some airlines may offer free changes or cancellations within a specific timeframe, while others may charge a fee or require you to forfeit your miles or points.
How far in advance should I book a round-trip award flight?
For more info on this topic, check our Ultimate Guide to Award Release Dates. Generally, we recommend booking as early as possible, as award availability is limited. Some airlines open their award calendars 330 days in advance, so planning early can increase your chances of finding the flights you want. On the other hand, some seats are released closer to departure date (e.g., Lufthansa), or you might find better prices due to promotions (e.g., Flying Blue Promo Awards)
What happens if there is no award availability on my preferred dates?
If there is no award availability, you might need to be flexible with your travel dates and routes or consider booking a one-way award flight and purchasing a one-way ticket for the return journey. Some programs also offer waitlisting for award seats.
Are there blackout dates for round trip award flights?
Some frequent flyer programs may have blackout dates where award flights are not available. These dates usually coincide with peak travel times, such as holidays and major events.
What should I do if I need assistance with booking my round-trip award flight?
If you need help, contact the customer service department of the airline’s frequent flyer program. They can assist with booking, availability, and any other questions you might have.
Can I book round-trip award flights for someone else?
Yes, most frequent flyer programs allow you to book award flights for other people. You will need to provide the traveler’s information during the booking process.
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