Economy Sweet Spots To Europe

February 24, 2026 by Worldly Express

When people ask me, "What is the best ways to redeem miles for flights?", I almost always respond with "To Europe!". Mainly, there are lots of transatlantic business flights for great value and availability, however, this article will also cover how to travel to Europe for cheap. There are a lot more programs for Europe because a lot of the transferrable points programs transfer to European Airlines, which provide great value for those flying on their respective flights.

London (from 6,000 miles), Paris and Amsterdam (from 12,000 miles)

These days, Virgin Atlantic has dynamic pricing on awards. Flights from the US (east or west coast) to Europe can run as low as 6,000 miles per way in economy. Keep in mind that there is a However, they still retain a partner award chart, particularly on Air France and KLM. These start at 12,000 miles one way to/from the east coast and 15,000 miles one way to/from the west coast. The awards are separated out between peak and off peak dates. The awards are priced per segment, meaning that any connections will basically cost the same as a one way flight. This means only Amsterdam and Paris would cost 12,000 or 15,000 miles each way. Virgin Atlantic also passes on fuel surcharges and taxes.

Intra Europe flights follow a distance based model. That means connections with less than 600 miles will only cost 4,000 miles extra. Any more, I would start considering some of the other programs mentioned later on.

Dublin (from 13,000 Avios), Madrid and Barcelona (from 16,000 Avios)

If Paris or Amsterdam isn't on your mind, Avios could also be a great deal. British Airways, Aer Lingus and Iberia all use Avios. Just like above, they also charge per segment. They have a distance based award chart (not published officially online), so the main sweet spot is flying direct. That is not to say that connections aren't great. They are might be priced competitively too. For those on the east coast, a one way flight to Dublin on Aer Lingus would be 13,000 Avios and ~$124.40. One way to Spain on Iberia or Level would run 16,000 Avios and ~$92.40. Even on the west coast, 16,250 Avios and ~$148 to fly to Dublin is a great deal. Likewise, west coast to Madrid would cost 20,000 Avios and ~$104.20. Keep in mind that these Avios programs do pass on fuel surcharges and taxes and fees for flights departing Europe are higher.

Milan and Athens (from 17,500 miles)

Emirates flies 2 routes from North America to Europe: JFK-MXP and EWR-ATH. Both of these routes are from New York, one going to Athens and the other going to Milan. For off peak dates, they cost 17,500 miles. Otherwise, they cost 35,000 miles. This is a very niche scenario but if originating in New York, it is a great deal.

1 Stop Europe and North Africa (from 25,000 miles)

Air France and KLM flights from the US to anywhere in Europe and North Africa would cost 25,000 miles. Keep in mind that fuel surcharges are once again passed. A super power of this program is the ability to call to book a stopover on an award ticket. This means that on a flight from New York to Barcelona via Paris, you could stay in Paris for a week, then continue on to Barcelona for the price of 25,000 miles. This program should be the baseline for looking for economy awards to Europe. If not looking for direct flights, this should be first program to consider for 1 layover flights to Europe.

Star Alliance (from 27,500 miles)

You might be wondering what if you want to fly Star Alliance to Europe. ANA charges 27,500 miles one way to Europe. They tack on surcharges as well, which on the Lufthansa group airlines is quite hefty. However, airlines like United, Air Canada, and Singapore Airlines don't pass on fuel surcharges to ANA. That means only $5.60 in taxes and fees when departing the US. One thing to note is that Amex is the only transfer partner to ANA and transfers typically take a day or so to get to ANA. You can call ANA to hold an award to guarantee some peace of mind.

Although Air Canada Aeroplan and Avianca Lifemiles don't tack on fuel surcharges, their points cost at 35,000-40,000 miles is too high and cash bookings should be considered instead.