How to Transfer Bilt Points to Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles (2026 Guide)

Turkish Airlines joined Star Alliance in 2008, which means Miles&Smiles miles book award space on United, Air Canada, Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines, and every other Star Alliance carrier — not just Turkish's own metal. Bilt transfers to Miles&Smiles at 1:1, and the transfer typically posts instantly, though Bilt gives itself up to 48 hours as a backstop. Since there's no cost to holding Bilt points and no reason to move them before you've confirmed availability, treat the transfer as the very last step, not the first.

What makes Miles&Smiles worth a second look next to bigger-name Star Alliance programs like Air Canada Aeroplan is that it's one of the last major frequent-flyer programs still running a published, fixed award chart instead of dynamic pricing that moves with cash fares. That predictability is the whole appeal: you can price out a trip today and know roughly what it'll cost in six months, which isn't true of United MileagePlus's own dynamically priced awards.

For years, Miles&Smiles ran arguably the single best domestic-award sweet spot in the industry: a flat 10,000 miles one-way in economy and 15,000 in business class on any same-country Star Alliance partner flight, United included, regardless of distance. On December 3, 2025, Turkish raised those same-country partner prices by roughly 50% without advance warning. Direct United flights within the US now price at 15,000 miles one-way in economy, 22,500 in business class, and 30,000 in first class when it's offered.

Hawaii took an even bigger hit. Previously bundled into the same flat domestic rate as any other US city pair, US mainland-to-Hawaii awards on United now sit on their own separate chart at 25,000 miles one-way in economy and 40,000 in business — an increase of up to 167% versus the old pricing. It's still a fixed chart, and it's still cheaper than what United charges its own MileagePlus members for many of these routes, but the gap has narrowed considerably from the pre-devaluation days.

Where Miles&Smiles pricing on United partner awards carries little to no fuel surcharge, booking Turkish's own long-haul flights is a different story — expect roughly $200-250 in carrier-imposed surcharges each way on business class, on top of the mileage cost. That's a real cost to budget for, but it buys access to a business-class product built around Turkish's Flying Chefs program: on flights of eight hours or longer, a dedicated chef works the business-class galley and serves a multi-course, candlelit dining service that regularly gets ranked among the better business-class meal experiences in the sky.

Turkish's Istanbul hub also sits at a genuine crossroads between Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, so Miles&Smiles is worth checking for long-haul Star Alliance redemptions well beyond the US domestic sweet spot — particularly to destinations that are awkward to reach on other Star Alliance carriers' award charts.

Turkish.com's own award search is notorious for not reliably displaying Star Alliance partner space that actually exists. Search united.com first to confirm the exact flights and cabin you want, then attempt to book the mirrored itinerary on turkish.com — or call Turkish Airlines reservations directly if the site won't complete the booking online.

Bilt's transfer minimums depend on your Rent Day tier: Blue-tier members need at least 2,000 points to initiate a transfer, while Silver, Gold, and Platinum members can transfer as few as 1,000 points. Above the minimum, transfers move in 1,000-point increments, so round your target mileage total up before you send anything — Miles&Smiles won't accept a transfer that leaves you short of a clean award price.