Visiting Petra: The Best Ways To Fly To The Middle East With Points & Miles
If you’re looking to visit Petra, here are the best ways to fly to the Middle East with points & miles. Petra is world famous. It’s a UNESCO heritage site, one of the 7 Wonders of the World, and absolutely worth visiting at some point in your life. Located in Jordan, your best bet for visiting Jordan is flying in and out of Queen Alia International Airport (AMM) near Amman, Jordan. That’s nearly 3 hours away by driving, but it’s the most straightforward. If you’re looking to visit Petra, here are the best ways to fly to the Middle East with points and miles in economy and business class. We’ll also look at how to earn these miles, so you can redeem them on your chosen airline rewards program.
Some Of These Offers May Have Ended Or Changed
Best Ways To Fly To The Middle East in Economy
If you’re looking for the best ways to fly to the Middle East in economy, the points and miles you need might change depending on where you live. For airlines that charge by distance, you can come out ahead if you live on the East Coast. If you live on the West Coast, airline loyalty programs that consider the whole Continental U.S. one zone will be better for you.
Another important item to consider is how much you’ll pay in taxes and fees. The taxes are unavoidable and required by law. However, some airlines add on excessive “carrier-imposed fees” while others don’t. It’s worth remembering this review of avoiding those fees when considering how to book a ticket, so you can reduce the cost out of pocket. With that said, here are your best options for flights to the Middle East with points & miles.
British Airways Flying Club
At only 46,000 miles round-trip from the East Coast and 52,500 from the West Coast, using Avios for flights operated by British Airways is the lowest points option. It’s worth remembering that British Airways has peak and off-peak pricing structures. Traveling during busy periods will require more miles. For British Airways, peak time is roughly the Christmas/New Year holidays and summer times when kids are off school.
British Airways also charges heavy fees and taxes for passing through London. The lowest points requirement is using their own British Airways flights, but those are the options with the highest taxes & fees. $667.68 is a lot of cash for a “free” flight in economy. The taxes are the same whether flying from the East Coast or West Coast. If you want to avoid British Airways flights to avoid London, expect to to need 62k miles from the East Coast and 70-75k from the West Coast.
British Airways is a transfer partner of Chase Ultimate Rewards, American Express Membership Rewards, and Marriott Bonvoy (3:1 transfer ratio + 5,000 bonus miles for each 60,000 Marriott points you send).
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
From the East Coast, you’ll need only 46,000 miles and $555.95 in taxes & fees. For West Coast flyers, you’ll need 54,000 miles and $589.45. While these figures are basically the same amount of miles & less cash than using British Airways Avios, the travel time makes this a worse choice. Virgin Atlantic requires extra stops, and those layovers are quite lengthy. You could see this as a chance to explore other cities on a layover, but if you just want to “get there” you might pass up this option.
Virgin Atlantic is a transfer partner of Chase Ultimate Rewards, American Express Membership Rewards, Citi ThankYou Points, and Marriott Bonvoy (3:1 transfer ratio + 5,000 bonus miles for each 60,000 Marriott points you send).
Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles
The Miles & Smiles program from Turkish Airlines lists their award chart here. From the U.S. (which is on the “North America” zone, so Canada and Mexico are included), you’ll need 64,000 miles round-trip to the Middle East in economy. Remember that they will add some pretty serious fees and taxes, though. Also, finding saver award space isn’t the easiest on their long-haul flights out of the U.S. Book early or be very flexible.
Turkish Airlines is a transfer partner of Citi ThankYou Points and Marriott Bonvoy (3:1 transfer ratio + 5,000 bonus miles for each 60,000 Marriott points you send).
All Nippon Airways ANA Mileage Club
ANA clearly lists their mileage requirements here. To go from North America to the Middle East, you’ll need 65,000 miles for a round-trip economy ticket. Vienna as a layover airport gave me the lowest taxes and fees, so play with dates and you can do better than my $620 in cash for the award booking. Cairo and Istanbul layovers had the highest fees. The good thing about using ANA is that you won’t need more miles if you’re coming from the West Coast.
ANA is a transfer partner of American Express Membership Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy (3:1 transfer ratio + 5,000 bonus miles for each 60,000 Marriott points you send).
American Airlines AAdvantage
American Airlines makes its way onto this list for how easy it can be to get their miles, even though the number of points required is higher than others. You’ll need the same 80,000 AAdvantage miles wherever you’re starting in the continental U.S. Avoiding transiting through London allows you to drastically cut the taxes and fees on your flights. This is a difference of $300 or more, depending on dates and routes.
American Airlines is a transfer partner of Marriott Bonvoy (3:1 transfer ratio + 5,000 bonus miles for each 60,000 Marriott points you send). American Airlines also has co-branded credit cards from Barclays and Citi to help you quickly earn their miles through welcome offers. The CitiBusiness AAdvantage card offers 65,000 miles after spending $4,000 within the first 3 months. The Barclays AAdvantage Aviator card has a welcome offer of 60,000 miles after you make your first purchase within 90 days and pay the $95 annual fee.
United MileagePlus
While United’s 85,000 MileagePlus miles for an economy round-trip ticket to the Middle East comes in at the higher end, I’ve included it for 2 reasons. First, we can add extra value with the excursionist perk. Second, the miles are pretty simple to come by through transferring from Chase and welcome offers from credit cards. You’ll need 85,000 miles and $111.95 for this ticket. Another reason people like United is that they won’t charge you extra carrier-imposed fees. $98.35 of the taxes/fees comes from the return flight.
United is a transfer partner of Chase Ultimate Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy (3:1.1 transfer ratio + 5,000 bonus miles for each 60,000 Marriott points you send). The Marriott transfers give a 10% bonus compared to other airlines, due to the agreement with Chase. United Airlines also has co-branded credit cards from Chase, including the United Business Card and United Explorer Cards.
Best Ways To Fly To The Middle East in Business Class
If you’re looking for more comfort or have extra miles padding your accounts, there are great options for flying to the Middle East in business class. Again, we’ll look at different options for West Coast vs. East Coast and differentials in taxes + fees charged by different airlines.
Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles
Again, the Miles & Smiles program from Turkish Airlines lists their award chart here. They have the lowest points requirement for business class between North America and the Middle East. You’ll need only 94,000 miles round-trip, so this is one of the best ways to fly to the Middle East. However, they will add carrier-imposed fees. Remember: finding saver award space isn’t the easiest on their long-haul flights out of the U.S. Book early or be very flexible.
Turkish Airlines is a transfer partner of Citi ThankYou Points and Marriott Bonvoy (3:1 transfer ratio + 5,000 bonus miles for each 60,000 Marriott points you send).
ANA Mileage Club
Again, we can find the ANA mileage requirements here. To go from North America to the Middle East, you’ll need 104,000 miles for a round-trip business class ticket from anywhere in the continental U.S. Egypt levies a lot of fees and taxes as a transit airport. If you avoid Cairo, you can reduce the cash requirement by another $75.
ANA is a transfer partner of American Express Membership Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy (3:1 transfer ratio + 5,000 bonus miles for each 60,000 Marriott points you send).
Korean Air SKYPASS
Korean Air’s SKYPASS program is only a transfer partner of Marriott Bonvoy at present. This is because they stopped being a transfer partner for Chase Ultimate Rewards. While the numbers here can look great, they’re only great if you have a stash of Marriott points sitting around. You can transfer Marriott points at a 3:1 ratio to Korean Air. For each 60,000 Marriott points you send, you’ll get 20,000 + 5,000 bonus points in your SKYPASS account. SKYPASS also only allows round-trip bookings on partner flights. To get the 120,000 SKYPASS miles needed, you’ll have to transfer 300,000 Marriott points. That’s no small requirement. SKYPASS awards also aren’t reliably easy to book online, so you might need a phone call and even this booking request form.
Korean Air is a transfer partner of Marriott Bonvoy (3:1 transfer ratio + 5,000 bonus miles for each 60,000 Marriott points you send).
Asia Miles / Cathay Pacific
As a oneworld alliance partner, you can use Asia Miles for flights into Jordan on Royal Jordanian. There are direct flights to Amman from the U.S. out of JFK, Chicago O’Hare, and Detroit DTW. These go quickly, though. If you’re flying from the East Coast, you’ll pay 135,000 Asia Miles for a round-trip ticket in business class. It’s another 20,000 miles if starting on the West Coast. If you can avoid the U.K. by getting the direct flights to Jordan, taxes & fees will drop significantly.
Asia Miles is a transfer partner of American Express Membership Rewards, Citi ThankYou Points, Capital One Rewards, and Marriott Bonvoy (3:1 transfer ratio + 5,000 bonus miles for each 60,000 Marriott points you send).
American Airlines AAdvantage
Another oneworld partner that is one of the best ways to fly to the Middle East with miles & points is American Airlines. The AAdvantage program requires only a few more miles than an East Coast trip with Asia Miles, but the requirements are even better if you’re on the West Coast. Regardless of where you live in the continental U.S., you’ll need only 140,000 miles. The taxes and fees are also MUCH better. 140,000 miles for a non-stop, round-trip ticket in business class from Chicago to Amman on Royal Jordanian. Cash requirement? $100.95 only.
American Airlines is a transfer partner of Marriott Bonvoy (3:1 transfer ratio + 5,000 bonus miles for each 60,000 Marriott points you send). American Airlines also has co-branded credit cards from Barclays and Citi to help you quickly earn their miles through welcome offers. The CitiBusiness AAdvantage card offers 65,000 miles after spending $4,000 within the first 3 months. The Barclays AAdvantage Aviator card has a welcome offer of 60,000 miles after you make your first purchase within 90 days and pay the $95 annual fee.
Alaska Mileage Plan
Using Alaska’s Mileage Plan for an award booking is another solid option for flights to the Middle East. You’ll need 140,000 miles for a round-trip award ticket in business class. You’ll pay $723 or more in taxes and fees, because all of their routing options are going through London. The fees are even higher if you take “business class only” tickets and don’t have any “mixed cabin” bookings starting with a domestic flight on Alaska in economy.
Alaska Airlines is a transfer partner of Marriott Bonvoy (3:1 transfer ratio + 5,000 bonus miles for each 60,000 Marriott points you send). Alaska Airlines also has a personal and a business credit card from Bank of America. The Alaska Airlines Business Card and the personal card currently have the same welcome offer: 40,000 Alaska miles after spending $2,000 in 90 days. The annual fee on either card is $75.
How Do I Earn These Miles?
Now that we know what the best ways to fly to the Middle East, we need to get the required miles. A great way to earn the required miles is through credit card welcome offers. Depending on the points you are looking to earn, these are some great options.
Some Of These Offers May Have Ended Or Changed
Chase Ultimate Rewards
Chase has numerous credit cards that can earn their coveted Ultimate Rewards points. Here are some current offers.
- Chase Sapphire Preferred – 60,000 Ultimate Rewards points with a $95 annual fee after spending $4,000 within the first 3 months. The perfect starter card and it offers a ton of value the first year.
- Chase Sapphire Reserve – 50,000 Ultimate Rewards points with a $450 annual fee after spending $4,000 within the first 3 months. The best perks card in the Chase program and a great card for road warriors.
- Ink Business Preferred – 80,000 Ultimate Rewards points with a $95 annual fee after spending $5,000 within the first 3 months. The largest UR points offer Chase has.
Citi ThankYou Points
If you’re looking to earn Citi’s ThankYou Points, several cards have strong welcome offers. There’s also the DoubleCash card that has their best overall earning ratio for daily spend.
- Citi Prestige – 50,000 ThankYou points with a $495 annual fee thereafter after spending $4,000 within the first 3 months. The card has a $250 annual travel credit, Priority Pass membership, and earns 5x ThankYou points on air travel and at restaurants.
- Citi Premier – 60,000 ThankYou points with a $0 intro annual fee ($95 annual fee thereafter) after spending $4,000 within the first 3 months. It is the best starter Citi ThankYou card in my opinion. Earns 3x points on travel and gas.
- Citi Rewards+ – 15,000 ThankYou points with no annual fee after spending $1,000 within the first 3 months. Card earns 2x at grocery stores and gas stations. The most unique feature is the “round up” benefit to the nearest 10 points per transaction.
- Citi Double Cash – No current welcome offer (supposedly a $100 statement credit offer is available in-branch). Card earns 2%/2x (cash back can convert to ThankYou points) on all purchases, 1% after purchase and 1% after the purchase is paid off. No annual fee.
Capital One Rewards
For those looking to earn Capital One Rewards, several cards have strong welcome offers. They also offer strong earning on daily spend to help you rack up the points you need for your trip.
- Capital One Venture – 50,000 Venture Miles with a $0 intro annual fee ($95 annual fee thereafter) after spending $3,000 within the first 3 months. Earns unlimited 2x points on everything.
- Capital One Spark Miles For Business – 50,000 Spark Miles with a $0 intro annual fee ($95 annual fee thereafter) after spending $4,500 within the first 3 months. Earns 5x on rental cars and hotels booked through Capital One, plus unlimited 2x points on everything.
A Note On Taxes
All award tickets will have taxes. That’s a guarantee. As I recently mentioned, using the best card for your purchase nets more miles. So does using shopping portals and cash back sites.
I would use an American Express Platinum Card as my first option. That would give me 5 Membership Rewards points per $1 when paying the taxes. The 2nd option would be Chase Sapphire Reserve or American Express Gold Card. Either of those will give me 3 points per $1 (Chase Ultimate Rewards or Amex Membership Rewards).
Final Thoughts On The Best Ways To Fly To The Middle East
Flying to the Middle East, whether you’re going to Petra or elsewhere, has great flight options. We looked at options for using miles & points to fly in economy and in business class. Options routing through London have much higher taxes & fees, so look for other routes where possible. We talked about the points needed & how to earn those points. We also talked about the best card to use when paying your fees & taxes on the flights, so you earn the best return from the card you use. The Middle East has tons of history and great sights to see. Enjoy your trip.
All information about American Express cards in this post has been collected independently by Miles to Memories. Some offers mentioned in this post have expired.
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I always forget how good the reward chart of ANA is. Don’t forget about our new favorite, the Turkish Miles&Smiles program. Only 94k for a roundtrip Business Class flight to the Middle East. They do pass on fuel surcharges though, so avoid the entire Lufthansa Group. The easiest would be a one-stop on Turkish itself through Istanbul and taxes and fees will likely be around $400-500 r/t. If you happen to go to Dubai, try catching the AC out of Toronto for 47k and less than $50 taxes one-way.
HChris – Ian is going to hate me for that one. I forgot about them completely. Their fees never make sense to me, but the points can’t be beat.
Ryan. Thanks for the blog. I wish you had added what availability there would be for 2 tickets. It is one thing to say you need this many miles but a whale of another to find availability
John, valid point. However, it’s a bit beyond the scope of the article to tell availability for all of the airlines for all dates over the next year. Instead, the goal is to be a launching point for knowing the best options to start with.