Intra-New Zealand, Australia, and South Pacific for 12,500 Miles

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Singapore Airlines charges only 12,500 Singapore miles one way for awards within the Southwest Pacific, which includes Australia, New Zealand, and a bunch of island paradises.

Singapore Airlines’, Star Alliance partner Air New Zealand, flies extensively in the region from its hub in Auckland. Here are its flights to tiny islands.

And here is its route network from Australia.

Air New Zealand also has an incredible route network within New Zealand. Any award that starts in Australia, New Zealand, or a Pacific Island, and ends in Australia, New Zealand, or a Pacific Island is only 12,500 Singapore miles. That’s a steal considering Fiji to Perth is nearly 11 hours of flying!

Singapore awards normally have fuel surcharges, but Air New Zealand flights do not have fuel surcharges, so you pay just the miles and the taxes on these Singapore awards.

• What is the award space on Air New Zealand intra-South Pacific?
• How do you search and book the award?
• How do you get Singapore miles?
• For people not in Australia or New Zealand, how do you combine these awards with other cheap awards as part of a big trip?

Award Space

Economy award space is fairly open on Air New Zealand flights throughout the South Pacific. Business Class award space is non-existent, which is a shame because some flights are long and Singapore charges only 17,500 miles one way intra-Southwest Pacific in Business Class. The following calendars come from united.com, and yellow dates have economy award space for one passenger.

Auckland to Perth

This is a nearly eight hour flight!

Award space is fairly good in economy, even during peak summer season.

Nadi to Perth

What about adding a connecting flight, so the award begins in Fiji? Award space on the two flights stays pretty good if you’re flexible.

That’s almost 11 hours of flying, and still for 12,500 Singapore miles.

There are way too many routes to look at, so search the routes that interest you on your own. I think you’ll find intra-New Zealand space is excellent and New Zealand to Australia space and New Zealand to Pacific Island space are good if you have flexibility +/- a few days. All that’s in economy. If you find any Business Class space at all, post it in the comments.

How to Search and Book the Award

Search the award on united.com

Singaporeair.com only displays Singapore Airlines award space, so search united.com, which displays nearly all of the Star Alliance, including Air New Zealand. Here’s how to search united.com.

Any Air New Zealand award space on united.com is bookable with Singapore miles. Note the date, cabin, and flight number of the award space to later give to a Singapore agent. Ignore the miles price on united.com. United charges more miles for the exact same flights, which is exactly why we’ll use Singapore miles to book the space.

Book by calling Singapore Airlines

Once you find space, transfer your Chase, AMEX, Citi, or SPG points to Singapore miles. The credit card points take 24-48 hours to post. The SPG points take longer.

To book the award, call Singapore Airlines at 213-404-0301 and give the agent the date, cabin, and flight number of the award space you found on united.com. There is no phone fee for booking Singapore Airlines partner awards.

Pay your award taxes with the Citi Prestige® Card. The first $250 in award taxes, fuel surcharges, airfare, or airline fees per calendar year are refunded to you as a statement credit. If you’ve already maxed out the statement credit, you will still earn 3x ThankYou Points on the award taxes.

Getting the Miles

Singapore miles are a 1:1 transfer partner of the major transferable points programs: Chase, AMEX, Citi, and SPG. Cards I like that earns points that transfer to Singapore miles:

• Citi ThankYou® Premier Card: 40,000 bonus ThankYou Points after $3,000 in purchases made with your card in the first 3 months the account is open. The card also earns 3x points on travel and gas and 2x points on dining and entertainment
• Citi Prestige® Card: 40,000 bonus ThankYou Points after $4,000 in purchases made with your card in the first 3 months the account is open. The card also comes earns 3x points on airfare and hotels and has a host of benefits like lounge access and $250 in free airfare per year.

After meeting the minimum spending requirement on one of those cards, you’ll have enough for four one-way tickets within the Southwest Pacific on the Singapore Airlines award chart.

Combing This Award Into a BIG Trip

In 2015, there are no good round-the-world awards. You construct your big trip from the cheapest awards on several award charts. Here are some cheap awards you can hook up to a Singapore intra-Southwest Pacific award (everything below comes from How to Book a RTW Trip in 2015. Use These Underpriced Awards):

From United States:

To Fiji

• in Business Class with 55,000 Alaska Airlines Miles on Fiji Airways. For zero extra miles, stop as long as you’d like in Fiji and continue to Australia or New Zealand in Fiji Airways Business Class.

To Australia/New Zealand

• in Business Class with 55,000 Alaska Airlines Miles on Fiji Airways. Stop as long as you’d like in Fiji for free.
• in First Class with 72,500 American Airlines miles in Qantas First Class on its A380 (space is very rare)
• in Business Class with 80,000 Delta miles in Virgin Australia Business Class (included for how much award space there is, not how cheap it is)

From Southeast Asia

To Australia/New Zealand

• with 17,500 United miles
• in Business Class with 35,000 United miles
• in First Class with 40,000 United miles, try for Thai First Class

From North Asia

To Oceania

• with 15,000 United miles
• in Business Class with 35,000 United miles
• in First Class with 40,000 United miles

Bottom Line

Singapore Airlines miles are the best miles to hop around between Australia, New Zealand, and Oceania at only 12,500 miles one way with no fuel surcharges and good award space in economy to many interesting places.

Search united.com and book the award space by calling Singapore.

Hook up the award space to other cheap awards from the region to Southeast Asia, North Asia, or the United States to form a big trip.