When it comes to loyalty flying programs, Turkish Miles&Smiles is normally underrated because it is not as famous as other programs.
But if you often fly a lot across the Middle East, Europe, and Africa and wish to earn rewards every time you book your flight, then the best airline is Turkish Airlines since its Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles program will get you the best bonuses in the market.
Turkish Miles&Smiles is a frequent flyer program that enables frequent flyers of Star Alliance and Turkish Airlines flights to earn and redeem miles for flights operated by Turkish Airlines.
Turkish Airlines has its main branch in Istanbul, the world’s largest and busiest airport. Many people ask how they can earn a lot of Turkish Airlines miles and smile.
There are many ways to earn miles. Some of these ways are through credit cards, flying with Turkish Airlines, buying miles, booking hotels, renting cars, etc. This article will discuss how to earn Miles that you can redeem for flights.
How to register for the Turkish Miles&Smiles program
Before getting points for your Turkish flights, register and get an account with Turkish Airlines. Follow these easy steps to get an account.
- Step 1: Visit the Turkish Airlines website, find the Miles&Smiles program, and click on it.
- Step 2: You will be prompted to sign up. Therefore, fill in your information, such as your name and email address.
- Step 3: Verify your email address.
- Step 4: fill in the membership miles and smiles form and earn points with Turkish airline and their other member partners.
Note that the miles you accrue can only be redeemed for flights. You must also accrue a particular number of points to redeem them for flights.
Turkish Airlines also has a mobile app to sign up for a Miles and Smiles account. There are also other ways of getting a Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles account, such as through their sales offices, call centers, or airport kiosks.
Once you sign up and get an account with the Turkish Miles&Smiles program, you do not have to get a physical card to use everywhere you go.
You only need a digital card on your Turkish mobile app, which will give you all the advantages of a physical card and even more.
Ways to earn lots of Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles miles
There are many ways of earning Turkish miles&smiles points that we will look into today. Some of the best and easiest ways to earn Turkish miles&smiles are as follows.
Earn miles by flying Turkish Airlines
The easiest and most convenient way to earn Turkish miles & smiles is by flying with Turkish Airlines.
The points you earn on this mostly depend on the class ticket you are flying. For example, flying from L.A. to Istanbul on an economy flight that costs 350 USD will earn 1423 miles. This is like 25% of your flight ticket. With business class, you get to earn even more.
Elite status determines how many miles you will earn when you fly with Turkish Airlines or its subsidiary partners.
Elite status holders frequently fly business class on Turkish Airlines. To hold the select card, you need to register for one. There are four Elite card levels in the Turkish Miles&Smiles program. These are:
Classic
You earn elite status points when you fly in business class only on international flights. This status is achieved when you enroll in the elite group. The benefits associated with this status are:
- Access to award ticket bookings.
- Special promotion to next-level elite status.
- Purchase of miles up to 50,000 miles.
Classic Plus
This elite card is eligible for people who fly international flights, mostly in business class, up to 1.75 times a year.
Also, people who hold the classic card and have accumulated 25000 miles in the past year can upgrade to traditional plus. The benefits that come with holding or owning this card are:
- Access to lounge services when flying domestically.
- Access to baggage allowance.
- They can set up a family account.
- Access to business class check-in for domestic flights.
Elite
You get to upgrade from classic plus to elite status when you earn status miles of up to 40,000 in the last year.
You also need to fly only in business class for international flights. Some of the benefits that holders of elite status cards gain are:
- Business class check-in for domestic and international flights.
- Free standard seat selection.
- 50% discount for business class tickets for both international and domestic flights.
- Access to lounge services with the inclusion of children, spouses, or any other guests.
- Access to free particular reservations.
Elite Plus
Members holding the elite card can upgrade to elite plus status if they have accumulated 80,000 miles in the past year.
They also get access to this card when they fly internationally using a business-class ticket.
There are many benefits that people who hold Elite Plus cards get. Some of the benefits associated with having this card include:
- An elite gift card that can be used by up to three people with elite status miles of up to 40,000 miles per person.
- The seat reservation guarantee is subject to availability if made at least 72 hours before domestic and international flights.
- Access to gift upgrades twice yearly can be used by either you or your family.
Note that the elite status miles above are given once you achieve a particular criterion with the Turkish airline and cannot be redeemed for award flights. They can only be redeemed for other benefits.
Earn miles by flying with Turkish Airlines partners
This is the second most accessible and most convenient way to earn miles&smiles with Turkish Airlines.
Turkish Airlines has partnered with other non-alliance partners to offer their customers miles when they fly with them.
This means that anyone everywhere can access miles. The number of miles awarded can vary from one airline to another.
For example, United Airlines awards more points than Lufthansa Airlines. Some of the partner airlines and the miles they offer are as follows.
| Airline | Cabin class | Booking class | Percentage of flown miles | Minimum miles |
| Aegean airline | BusinessEconomy | A, C, D, ZG, H | 150%100% | 500250 |
| Air Canada | BusinessEconomy | J, C, Z, D, PY, B, M, U, H | 150%100% | 750500 |
| Air New Zealand | BusinessEconomy | C, D, J, ZY, B | 150%100% | 1000600 |
| Australian Airline | BusinessEconomy | C, D, J, Z, AY, B, M, U | 150%100% | 1200800 |
| Azul Brazilian Airlines | BusinessEconomy | C, D, J, IM, N, O, P, Q | 150%75% | 1000700 |
| Ethiopian Airline | BusinessEconomy | C.J, DY., G, S | 150%100% | 800500 |
| Lufthansa Airline | BusinessEconomy | C, D, JH, M, U | 150%100% | 1200800 |
| United Airlines | BusinessEconomy | C, D, JQ, V, W, S, T | 150%75% | 1200800 |
The above chat shows the miles each airline will give you for flying with them because they have partnered with Turkish Airlines.
The miles you earn are also subject to the terms and conditions of the different airlines in partnership with Turkish Airlines.
Therefore, your miles can be redeemed or earned based on the specific airline’s terms and conditions.
Earn miles through hotels and online booking
Members of Miles&Smiles can earn miles when booking hotels online from hotels partnered with Turkish Airlines.
Some hotels offer an exchange of hotel stays for miles, while others offer miles for hotel stays. Whichever suits you, go with it. Some of the hotels and the number of miles they offer are as follows.
| Hotel | Miles per stay. |
| Barut Hotels | 500 miles per stay. |
| Best Western hotels and resorts | 500 miles per stay. This is exempt from properties in New Zealand and Australia. |
| Divan hotels in Turkey | are 500 miles per stay. |
| Elite World Hotels. | Members of elite world hotels and Miles and Smiles earn 500 miles per stay. You must be a member of both programs to qualify for this offer. |
| Erisin Hotel in Turkey | is 500 miles per stay. |
| IHG properties | Two points per every dollar spent at any IHG property except in Candlewood Suites, where you earn 1 point per every dollar spent. |
| Kaligo Hotel | Earn 10,000 miles per hotel night stay and 15 miles per dollar spent in Kaligo. |
| Marriot Convoy | Two points per every dollar spent at any IHG property except in Candlewood Suites, where you earn 1 point for every dollar spent. |
| Titanic Hotels | Titanic Hotel in Germany earns you 500 miles per stay. |
| Wome Deluxe | Earn up to 1500 miles per stay at Wome exclusive properties and 2500 miles per stay at Wome exclusive prime properties. |
Earn Turkish miles with credit cards
Turkish has even created an easier way to build up your miles&smiles account with transferable points.
Turkish Airlines has partnered with transferable bank currencies to give their customers a more leisurely time getting miles.
Earn Turkish miles&smiles through hotel transfer rewards
They have also partnered with hotels to allow their hotel’s currency to be converted into miles&smiles miles.
This method cannot award you many miles, but it can be a good option if you wish to top up a flight ticket. Some of the most common hotel transfers are as follows.
| Hotel | Transfer points for miles. |
| Accor lives limitless | Four thousand points for 2000 miles. |
| Hilton Honors | Hilton exchange points are at a ratio of 10 points for 1 mile. |
| Marriot Bonvoy | 3 Bonvoy points for 1 mile. You also get a bonus of 5000 bonus for 60,000 Bonvoy points. |
| Radisson Rewards | It can be converted into miles and smile miles at a ratio of 10 points for 1 mile. |
| Wyndham Rewards | 16000 Wyndham rewards for 3200 miles or 6000 Wyndham rewards for 1200 miles. |
Different hotels have different conversion rates. It should be noted that with Radisson points, when you select Radisson as your preferred hotel transfer, you get to have your Radisson reward points automatically converted into miles and smiles miles.
Earn Miles&Smiles Miles with car rentals.
Members of Miles & Smiles can enjoy exclusive miles when renting a car with some companies that have partnered with Turkish Airlines.
This gives you an easier time as a tourist, especially if you have traveled to another country and wish to upgrade and boost your Turkish miles and smiles card.
Some rental companies have partnered with Turkish Miles & Smiles, and the miles they offer are as follows.
| Rental Company | Miles offered. |
| Alamo company | There are 500 miles for car rental in their branches in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. |
| Avis | 500 to 4000 miles for renting for up to 10 days. |
| Budget | There are 500 miles for car renting in their branches in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. |
| Enterprise | 100 to 1000 miles for renting per day in Turkey and any other place globally. |
| Europcar | 500 miles for renting per day. |
| Hertz | You earn 500 miles per day when you rent a car with Hertz. When you rent for more than seven days, you earn 1000 miles. |
| National | Earn 1000 miles per day for renting with National. |
| Sixt | Earn 500 miles per day for renting with Sixt anywhere in the world. |
Earn Miles by shopping
Did you know you can earn miles by shopping in some select retail shops? This might not be a suitable option because the selected shops are very few and are only based in Europe. Some of these retail shops include.
| Retail shop | Miles earned |
| Park fantastic | Two miles per €1 spent. |
| Plaza Premium Lounge | Seven miles per €1 spent. |
| The Bicester collection | is 1 mile per €1 spent. |
| Park Via | 5 miles per €1 spent. |
Earn miles by buying miles & smiles miles
Turkish Airlines allows its customers to purchase miles, which can be used to top up their miles and purchase a flight ticket.
With Turkish Airlines, you can purchase 1000 miles for $30. You can also purchase as many as 20,000 miles.
Members of Miles and Smiles can enjoy purchasing up to 50,000 miles annually from Turkish Airlines or its partners.
It should be noted that this method can be, however, expensive, unlike other ways of earning miles.
9. Earn miles through referral programs of credit cards
There are very many referral programs that allow people to earn miles. Some credit cards have higher mile points than others. Some of the popular credit cards that offer bonuses for referral are:
Chase
Chase has one of the best referral programs through the Marriott Bonvoy Credit Card. They offer 20,000 to 100,000 bonus points per year for every approved referral. These points can be redeemed into miles.
Capital One
Capital One has a referral program in which Capital One members get to share the link with their friends.
When a friend who is a new account owner signs up for a Capital One account, you earn mile points, which you can use in your miles and smiles card.
American Express card
American Express also has a good referral program, but there is a maximum to which anyone can refer a friend.
Every American Express card has a different referral program from the others. Hence, you should contact American Express to learn how to proceed with the referral on your card.
Citi
Citi’s referral program is stricter than that of other credit cards. You can only refer five people per year and a maximum of 50,000 points annually.
You must get a confirmation email or letter from Citi to refer people. At the same time, this program is not available to everyone.
FAQs about how to earn Turkish Miles&Smiles miles
Can I earn miles on the flights I have taken in the last few months before registering for the Turkish Miles&Smiles?
Yes, you can earn miles on Turkish Miles&Smiles on the flights you took before becoming a Miles&Smiles member in the last 12 months of travel.
Can I earn miles on other airlines that have partnered with Turkish Airlines?
Yes, you can earn miles from other airlines partnered with Miles&Smiles. But the miles you earn can vary from airline to airline.
Another factor for the difference in airline miles is the class you are traveling in. Business class tends to have more miles than economy class.
Can I buy award tickets online or on the app?
Yes, you can book and get award tickets through their online platforms, such as the website or mobile app. You can also buy an award ticket for other people using your account.
How long does it take for Turkish airline miles points to expire?
It takes approximately three years for your accumulated miles to expire. You also have the option to renew 1000 miles for $10 if they are about to expire, to retain them.
Can I transfer my Turkish miles to another person?
You can transfer your Turkish miles to another person through the Turkish website or mobile app. The transfer is also subject to the terms and conditions of the miles program.
What are the benefits associated with the Turkish airline Miles&Smiles program?
The benefits include access to award tickets, cabin upgrades, extra baggage allowance, and services from other airlines they have partnered.
Conclusion
Turkish Miles&Smiles is a program in which users earn miles every time they fly in economy or business class with Turkish Airlines or the companies they have partnered.
Miles can be earned in various ways, such as flying with Turkish airline and their partners, using credit cards, booking hotel rooms and renting cars, and hotel transfers. Use any of the above methods and get to redeem your miles for flights easily with the Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles program.