How to travel to New Zealand with points and miles in 2023

11.11.2023 - 07:21 / lonelyplanet.com

This series of articles about credit cards, points and miles, and budgeting for travel is brought to you in partnership with The Points Guy.

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New Zealand — or Aotearoa, as the Indigenous Māori people call it — is a land of stunning natural beauty, from the beaches and volcanoes of the North Island to the beautiful reflective lakes and glaciers of the South Island.

While it might seem like an expensive place to visit from the US, there are plenty of ways to visit New Zealand on a budget, especially if you can use points and miles to pay for your flights, hotels, car rentals and tours. 

Here’s everything you need to know about traveling to New Zealand with points and miles, plus some of our favorite things to do there.

How to use points and miles to save money on travel

For starters, you’ll need to apply for an Electronic Travel Authority (NZeTA) to enter the country, which takes about 72 hours to be approved and costs 17 NZD ($10 USD) to complete via mobile app. Depending on which country you’re from, you may also need to pay the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy (IVL), which costs 35 NZD ($20 USD).

As for booking flights with points and miles, you’ll find the best deals from hub cities with nonstop flights, namely New York, Chicago, Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, Dallas and Phoenix. Most flights arrive in Auckland, though there is a route to Christchurch from L.A.

Note that there aren’t any first-class redemption options unless you use Alaska Mileage Plan miles or American Airlines AAdvantage miles to book a first-class award with Qantas or Cathay Pacific (via Hong Kong). 

Once in New Zealand, points and miles can be used to cover domestic flights. Air New Zealand is a partner of United Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines and Air China, while Jetstar is connected to Qantas.

Being aware of airline alliances and maximizing welcome bonuses from certain travel credit cards will go a long way toward cutting costs. Think of it this way: the more points