How to Book Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles Awards

Two award inventories

The terms split Miles&Smiles award tickets into two types. Capacity-controlled award tickets can be reserved only when the relevant award classes are open: X for economy and I for business. [4] They require fewer Miles than seat-guaranteed awards, depend entirely on seat capacity, and may be unavailable for certain destinations and seasons, with Turkish Airlines reserving the right to apply capacity controls. [4] Some Star Alliance member airlines also apply blackout dates to them. [4]

Seat-guaranteed award tickets are described as not subject to any restrictions and available as long as there is space on the flight; on Turkish Airlines flights they use the same X and I classes. [4] The terms add that the award classes referred to as X, Z and I may vary, and that Turkish Airlines may change them. [4]

Having the Miles is separate from finding the seats: Turkish Airlines states that it does not guarantee award availability or that a member will be able to use an award on a desired flight. [4] For how partner space behaves, see award availability and the Star Alliance guide.

Booking channels and passengers

Award tickets can be issued through the website, mobile apps, the call centre or sales offices, with proof of valid ID. [4] The reservation has to be made and approved in the award-ticket class for both the outbound and the inbound journey; if either is not approved, the ticket cannot be issued. [4] A member should say clearly that the booking is to be paid with a Miles&Smiles award, because Turkish Airlines may refuse to apply an award that was not requested as one. [4]

Booking online narrows the options: online award reservations can only be used for Turkish Airlines flights and cannot be combined with partner airlines, and open-jaw and stopover itineraries are not available online. [4] Partner combinations and those itinerary shapes have to go through the call centre or a sales office. [4] Upgrades on Turkish Airlines flights cannot be booked online either, except Star Alliance upgrade awards. [4]

Awards may be issued to any other individual, as long as this is not in return for payment in cash or in kind. [4] Online, a member can request tickets for relatives or any other individuals using Miles from their own account, provided they travel together, for a maximum of five people including the member. [4] The Miles must already be in the account, since the ticket will not be issued on an insufficient balance; the number of Miles required is the same for adults and children, and an infant under two costs 10% of the adult mile value. [4] Miles from two accounts cannot be pooled for a single award, except through the Family Membership feature available in the Classic Plus, Elite and Elite Plus tiers. [4]

Routing limits

Online award itineraries are capped at six flight legs, and the same destination airport may not appear more than once in either the outbound or the inbound section. [4] One stopover, defined as a stop lasting more than 24 hours, is permitted on award tickets used on Turkish Airlines flights, but not on awards issued online; the stopover rule may differ under the Star Alliance award table. [4]

Open-jaw journeys are defined in the terms as returning to the original departure point from a different city, or returning to a different final destination; only one is allowed on an award ticket and they are not available online, while other Star Alliance carriers may set their own open-jaw policies. [4] The restriction list also states that award tickets can be used on scheduled Turkish Airlines flights only, while separately providing that Turkish Airlines plus Star Alliance combinations are booked in capacity-controlled classes and are subject to the Star Alliance award table and regulations. [4]

Changes to travel dates, times or routes are accepted only on Turkish Airlines flights and only where the reservation stays in the same award zone, season and award class; such changes, and refunds of Miles for unused awards, carry processing fees and cannot be handled where there is no Turkish Airlines sales office. [4] Compare award routing rules and award chart zones.

Ticketing and validity

Award tickets should be issued immediately after the reservation is confirmed. [4] The purchasing window and issuing time limits that apply to retail tickets also apply to Miles&Smiles award tickets, but airport options are not provided for award tickets. [4] Miles are deducted from the account as soon as a reservation is approved. [4] For online bookings, the credit card used for payment and a valid identity card must be presented at check-in. [4]

The ticket is valid for one year from the date of initial issue and cannot be transferred, replaced or extended, nor combined with any other means of payment or with promotional or discounted tickets. [4] Journeys made with award tickets earn no Miles. [4] A no-show fee is charged if a member holding a reserved seat fails to board for any reason or fails to present the required documents. [4] Miles must be used for ticketing before their expiry date; holding a reservation is not enough. [4] The programme overview puts the validity of Miles at three years, and the terms time expiry to the end of the third full calendar year after the Miles are processed, at 23:59 Türkiye local time. [1] [4]

See ticketing time limit and the partner award booking checklist.

Exceptions and limits

• Miles about to expire. A member may pay USD 20 for every 1,000 Miles that are about to expire to extend their validity by another three years; once Miles have expired they cannot become valid again, and the validity is not extended for any other reason. [4]
• End of membership. When a membership ends, rights earned under it remain valid for six months, during which the Miles can still be exchanged for an award under programme rules; if Turkish Airlines terminates the membership for justifiable reasons, the member loses the right to use the Miles in the account. [4]
• Taxes and surcharges.
• Partner flights. Miles&Smiles rules apply to award tickets issued for other Star Alliance member airline flights, or combined with them, unless otherwise indicated, and while travelling on another airline the passenger is subject to that airline's general conditions of carriage. [4]
• Online ceiling. The five-passenger online allowance, the bar on partner combinations online and the absence of online stopovers and open jaws mean more complex itineraries depend on the call centre or a sales office. [4]

Related pages

Programme: Miles&Smiles. Guides: partner award booking checklist, Star Alliance guide. Terms: award availability, award chart zones, award routing rules, ticketing time limit, and the glossary index.

Sources

Sources checked on 18 October 2026. Only the two Turkish Airlines pages below are used: the Star Alliance award table itself, and the terms of individual partner airlines, are not covered here.

1. Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles programme overview, checked 18 October 2026
2. Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles terms and conditions, checked 18 October 2026