The three currencies that do transfer to Turkish Miles&Smiles 1:1 (verified via data/sweet_spots.json, last updated 2026-04-13):
- Citi ThankYou
- Capital One Miles
- Bilt Rewards
(US Bank Altitude Reserve also transfers 1:1, but we don't track it on Points Radar yet.)
The short answer
65,000 Turkish miles one-way books business class on Turkish Airlines metal between the US and Istanbul (IST). (verified via data/sweet_spots.json, last updated 2026-04-13; Frequent Miler Turkish guide) Turkish uses additive per-segment pricing on its own metal, so connections beyond Istanbul cost more. Istanbul is the sweet spot; the 65K saver rate applies to the nonstop US-IST leg.
Live availability
8 bookable dates for Turkish Miles&Smiles Business to Istanbul in the next ~11 months across our tracked gateways.
Pulled from our Seats.aero pipeline on 2026-04-15. Opens and closes daily; check Points Radar for the current list.
How to book
- Search Turkish business availability at turkishairlines.com award search. Filter by miles. The award search is notoriously unreliable. If it returns zero, try a different browser or call.
- When you find space, transfer 65K miles from Citi TY, Capital One, or Bilt to Turkish Miles&Smiles. Transfer time is typically 24-48 hours, occasionally longer during the last week of the month.
- Book online if the site cooperates. If it fails (common), call Miles&Smiles at +1-800-874-8875 and reference the exact flight numbers you found. (turkishairlines.com contact; Frequent Miler Turkish guide)
- For Istanbul stopovers: business-class passengers on round-trip Turkish-metal tickets get three free nights at a 5-star hotel through Turkish's stopover program (US departure, minimum 20-hour layover, ticket number must start with 235). Apply at least 72 hours before your flight at turkishairlines.com/en-int/flights/stopover/. (AwardWallet stopover guide)
What can go wrong
- Star Alliance partners price differently. The 65K is for Turkish metal (the TK-flagged nonstop). Partner flights (United, ANA, Lufthansa) use an additive segment chart that can balloon a connection past 100K. Read the itinerary before transferring.
- Additive pricing beyond Istanbul. DFW-IST is 65K. DFW-IST-FRA is 65K + segment add-on (usually 20-25K more). If you're going past Istanbul, search both the through-award and the separate legs.
- Website errors during transfer. Turkish's website has been notoriously broken since at least 2023. If transferred miles don't appear in your account after 48 hours, call Miles&Smiles (same number above).
- Taxes and fees run roughly $200+ one-way. Turkish is not a zero-surcharge carrier. AwardWallet's February 2027 example pulled $219 one-way for a business class award from JFK to IST. Budget accordingly before transferring. (AwardWallet Turkish award chart)
Our live pipeline, 2026-04-15
On today's Seats.aero pull, the feed returned 8 bookable business-class dates from US gateways to Istanbul stretching out to 2026-08-02: 3 from LAX, 2 from BOS, 1 each from SEA, JFK, and MIA. First available date: 2026-04-22.
Worth noting: every one of those 8 rows priced at 135,000 miles, not the 65K saver advertised above. The snapshot six days prior (2026-04-09) had a different gateway mix (DFW-heavy then, gone today) but also all 135K. Two consecutive pulls at the mid-tier, zero saver space across both. If you want the 65K rate specifically, set a Seats.aero alert and let it run for a few weeks rather than booking off a one-shot search. The saver rate tends to show up on less-obvious dates (Tuesday/Wednesday departures) and from less-obvious gateways.
The Amex correction, verified 2026-04-14
Amex's current US program lists 17 airline transfer partners. Turkish Miles&Smiles is not one of them. The partnership ended for US cardholders and hasn't been reinstated. Frequent Miler's April 2026 transfer bonuses page and Upgraded Points' Amex partners list both confirm Turkish is absent.
The only indirect paths from Amex MR to a Turkish-flight booking:
- Amex MR → Marriott Bonvoy at 1:1, then Marriott → Turkish at 60K:25K (3:1 base + 5K bonus per 60K transferred). Terrible ratio. (Marriott transfer partners page; Upgraded Points Marriott transfers)
- Amex MR → ANA, Singapore, or another Star Alliance partner, then book Turkish metal on that partner's chart at that partner's rate. Prices will not match the 65K-or-135K numbers above; you're on a different chart entirely.
Neither is worth the mental overhead for most US cardholders. If Amex MR is your primary stash and Istanbul business is the goal, better to let the points sit or redirect to Virgin Atlantic for ANA First.