Quick Points: See 2 cities for the price of 1 with stopovers

14.06.2024 - 20:07 / thepointsguy.com

There are some great airline award chart sweet spots out there, but one of the best ways to get maximum value on your redemptions is by adding stopovers to your award tickets.

Stopovers allow you to schedule extended layovers en route to your final destination. They can often be added either for free or at very low rates, essentially allowing you to see two (and sometimes more) cities for the price of one.

Here's the kicker: There's usually no limit to the time you can spend on your stopover. So, if you're strategic about your bookings, you won't necessarily have to visit both cities on the same trip.

That said, not all airline loyalty programs offer free stopovers. In this Quick Points, we'll look at which programs offer stopovers on award tickets and how you can take advantage of this often-overlooked perk.

The main frequent flyer programs that allow stopovers are:

While it doesn't explicitly call it a stopover, United Airlines' MileagePlus program essentially allows you to add a stopover to eligible round-trip awards through its Excursionist Perk.

Many of these programs partner with popular transferable currencies, so you may already be familiar with them. For example, American Express Membership Rewards points transfer to Aeroplan, Mileage Club, Cathay and KrisFlyer.

Related: Credit card transfer partners: Guide to transferring points and miles to airlines and hotels

However, each program has different rules for how the benefit works. For example, most programs require you to be traveling internationally or between two different regions in order to be eligible for a stopover.

Only some programs, like Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan and Air Canada Aeroplan, allow stopovers on one-way awards. Most stopovers can be as long as you want, but with Aeroplan and Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, they're capped at 30 days.

Many programs allow you to add stopovers for a nominal number of miles or a small fee. For instance, Aeroplan charges 5,000 points per stopover. That said, several programs, like Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan and ANA Mileage Club, allow you to add a stopover for free on international flights.

For a more in-depth look at how stopovers work with each program, see our complete guide to maximizing stopovers and open jaws on award tickets.

While some airlines require you to call in to book stopovers, many — like ANA Mileage Club, Alaska Mileage Plan and Singapore KrisFlyer — allow you to book them online. Often, it's as simple as performing a multicity search.

The purpose of stopovers is to allow travelers to explore their connecting city en route to their final destination. However, you can get creative with the routings. For instance, rather than flying over the Pacific to get to Asia, you might