How to Fly to Bali, Vietnam, Thailand & More Using Points & Miles

A trip to Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore, or any other incredible destinations throughout Southeast Asia requires at least one very long flight. But if you have points and miles to use, you can make those flights much more comfortable, or at least incredibly cheap … like 25,000 miles roundtrip or 68,000 miles each way in business class cheap. 

Right now, the supply of flights heading to Southeast Asia from North America is as robust as we've seen in years, and if you're looking to travel there later this year or early next, you're ahead of the curve, meaning you're already beating the demand. 

In the last few weeks and months, we've found dozens of flight deals in economy, business, and even first class flying to some of the most popular destinations in Southeast Asia, and we seem to be hitting a sort of sweet spot on the calendar for booking your trip. 

Based on where you're flying from, where you want to go, and what points or miles you have, you can choose from any one of these stellar flight deals – including one brand new option for travelers with Alaska miles, too! Let's break down our favorite ways to fly to and from Southeast Asia using points and miles. 

The Cheapest Way: Delta SkyMiles to Taipei or Hong Kong

Don't waste your time reading my words … just check out these actual screenshots of fares we found in the past two months for roundtrip flights to Taipei (TPE) and Hong Kong (HKG).

Your eyes do not deceive you. These are not flights to Tulsa (TUL), they're to Taiwan. The example below isn't a flight to Harrisburg (MDT), it's to Hong Kong. 

How does this happen? It's just a good old-fashioned Delta SkyMiles Flash Sale, where Delta slashes the price of its flights without telling anyone, giving you a unique chance to get a remarkable bang for your SkyMiles buck. 

In fact, SkyMiles have become significantly more valuable lately because of these unadvertised sales. We search for them every single day (sometimes multiple times a day) and send alerts to our Thrifty Traveler Premium flight deal alert subscribers. It's a real labor of love, and we wouldn't have it any other way! 

The Newest Way: Philippine Airlines Biz Class with Alaska Atmos

For a little over a year, Alaska Airlines’ partnership with Philippine Airlines (PAL) has been more theory than practice – you could earn Atmos Rewards points on PAL flights, but there was no way to actually book an award seat on the airline.

That finally changed last week, and it’s a big deal if you’ve been sitting on a stash of Atmos Rewards points with dreams of visiting Southeast Asia. 

You can now book Philippine Airlines flights using Alaska’s Atmos points, with nonstop business class to Manila starting at 75,000 points one-way from West Coast gateways like San Francisco (SFO), Seattle (SEA), and Vancouver (YVR). Flights from Chicago (ORD), New York (JFK), and Toronto (YYZ) run a bit higher at 85,000 points one-way in business class, while economy starts at 37,500 points from the West Coast or just 42,500 on the longer routes.

Philippines Airlines business class was nearly impossible to book using points and miles for U.S. travelers … until now. This partnership opens up a whole world of possibilities for U.S. travelers to get to the Philippines this year or next! 

If you're not flush with Atmos points, you can also use Qatar Avios … but it'll cost you. Qatar charges 110,000 to 155,000 Avios each way, depending on the route. 

What makes this option more tolerable is that Avios are incredibly easy to earn. You can transfer points from Amex Membership Rewards, Bilt points, Capital One miles, or Citi ThankYou points straight to Qatar to book. Or even transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards or Wells Fargo points to British Airways, then pool your Avios to book on Qatar's website.

Pair this redemption with one of the frequent 20% or even 30% transfer bonuses to Avios from the big banks like American Express and Chase, and it gets even better.

The Fanciest Way: EVA Biz Class with EVA Miles

There are two types of award travelers: Those who haven't yet flown EVA and those who won't shut up about it. Unfortunately, I'm the former, but some of my colleagues and friends who have flown EVA rave about a once-in-a-lifetime travel experience with some of the highest-end service they've had. 

The tricky part is that booking EVA with partners is almost impossible now, meaning EVA's own miles are the only way to book. You can transfer Citi points to EVA on a 1:1 basis, or from Capital One on a 750-1000 ratio, which isn't ideal. 

But there's no doubt these seats are worth the miles, and EVA's rates are seriously competitive compared to other airlines serving Southeast Asia. 

The Most Direct Way: Vietnam Airlines Biz Class 

Vietnam Airlines flies nonstop from San Francisco (SFO) to Ho Chi Minh City (SGN) on an Airbus A350 with swanky-looking business class seats. It's the only nonstop flight from the U.S. to Vietnam, and is certainly the best option for travelers hoping to visit the beautiful country this year or next. 

Plus, when you book with ANA Mileage Club, you only need 68,000 miles and $5 in taxes and fees. If you can find the availability (and we always do for our Thrifty Traveler Premium members), it's one of the best deals in award travel. 

The Coolest Way: Starlux Biz Class with Alaska Miles

Starlux's marketing just works on me. The sharp, dark tones of its business class cabin, the space-themed everything, and even calling its Taipei (TPE) lounge the Galactic Lounge – it all screams “cool” to me.

Check out our full review of Starlux business class! 

Flying Starlux has been high on my list for a while because of how cool that experience appears to be, but when you factor in Starlux's connections from TPE onward to Southeast Asia – and your ability to book them with Alaska miles for low, low rates – Starlux has my full attention. 

The Long (But Best?) Way: Qatar QSuites With Qatar Avios

While heading west is usually the best way to get to Asia, you can fly east through Qatar and fly one of the best business classes in the world, too! 

Through Doha (DOH), you can fly Qatar Airways QSuites one-way for just 95,000 points. You can fly to destinations like Thailand at that rate, and it's surely the comfiest way to fly to Southeast Asia, though it's probably also the longest journey! 

The Easiest Way: Cathay Pacific Biz Class with Cathay Miles

While there are no guarantees in award travel, booking Cathay Pacific Business Class with Cathay miles is one of the easiest ways to secure lie-flat seats to Asia. Especially if you book seven or more months out, when you can usually find award space from at least one Cathay gateway flying to Hong Kong (HKG) in style. 

It's not a gimme – you still have to do some hard work to find the space (or let us do it for you with a Thrifty Traveler Premium membership), but if you're willing to pay the relatively high rates in Cathay Asia miles, you can book some awesome itineraries. 

The First Class Way: Cathay Pacific First Class with Cathay Miles

You could even add even more luxury to your trip for a few thousand miles more. First class, anyone? 

Cathay Pacific First Class, which includes its ridiculously fancy first class lounges in Hong Kong, is one of the fanciest ways to fly, period. 

If you transfer over some credit card points to Cathay Pacific, you could book first class fares to any one of these Southeast Asia hotspots. 

Bottom Line

Southeast Asia may be far away, but it's a lot closer (and much comfier) for those with points and miles. 

Whether you're flying for cheap using Delta SkyMiles or forking over a few more points to fly lie-flat the whole way, travelers with points and miles have more options than ever to get to Southeast Asia this year or next.