When most people plan a trip to Asia, they often visit popular tourist destinations such as Tokyo, Seoul, and Hong Kong. But there are often-forgotten destinations that rival these popular cities. Taipei.
Earlier this week, the Taiwanese government opened its borders to international travelers, ending a strict quarantine after two and a half years.
Luckily, Star Alliance member EVA Air offers a wide range of business class benefits between the US and Taipei.
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Airlines: EVA Air.
root: The best flight is from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE). We also have good availability from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD) and San Francisco International Airport (SFO).
price: 75,000 Air Canada Aeroplan Points, 85,000 Avianca LifeMiles, or 88,000 United MileagePlus miles (plus minimal taxes and fees).
date: The best time is between July and September 2023.
Payment of taxes/fees: American Express Platinum Card® (5 points for every dollar spent on tickets booked directly with the airline, up to $500,000 per calendar year on these purchases), Chase Sapphire Reserve (3 points per dollar spent on travel) or Chase Sapphire Preferred Card (2 points per $1 traveled) Travel coverage on award flights.
Itinerary example
As previously mentioned, the highest award availability is outside of Los Angeles. Some weeks have reward space on 5 or more days.
There are some pretty good prize spaces outside of San Francisco as well.
Finally, there are multiple dates outside of Chicago. It doesn’t have as many perks as the West Coast, but it’s still a lot.
Best of all, on some dates there are at least two business class seats available for booking at these fares.
RELATED: 7 reasons why EVA Air is the most overlooked transpacific business class option
Reservation method
Since EVA Air is a Star Alliance member, there are multiple ways to book these seats. My favorite method is to book through Air Canada’s Aeroplan program. Aeroplan charges just 75,000 points for a one-way business class seat to Asia.
Another option is to book through the Avianca LifeMiles program. Unfortunately, LifeMiles recently devalued their business class benefits to Asia. So Avianca now charges him 85,000 miles to book a one-way Star Alliance business class seat to Asia.
Finally, these seats can also be booked through United MileagePlus. United Airlines charges his 88,000 miles for one-way business class travel from the United States to Taiwan on Star Alliance member airlines.
Related: Best Websites to Search for Star Alliance Award Availability
Earn points or miles for this award ticket
Earning Aeroplan Points is super easy with a 1:1 ratio of rewards transfer from American Express Membership Rewards, Built Rewards, Capital One and Chase Ultimate Rewards. You can also transfer points from Marriott Bonvoy at a 3:1 ratio. There is a bonus of 5,000 points for every 60,000 Marriott points transferred.
Earning Avianca LifeMiles is also relatively easy with a 1:1 transfer of benefits from American Express Membership Rewards, Capital One and Citi ThankYou Rewards. He can also transfer Marriott Bonvoy points at a 3:1 ratio, earning him a bonus of 5,000 miles for every 60,000 Bonvoy points transferred.
Earning United miles is easy as you can transfer miles from Chase Ultimate Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy to United MileagePlus. Chase Ultimate Rewards can be transferred to United at a 1:1 ratio with a minimum transfer of 1,000 miles. Marriott Bonvoy points are transferred to United at a slightly higher 3:1.1 ratio due to his RewardsPlus partnership between United and Marriott. You will also receive the same bonus of 5,000 miles for every 60,000 points. This means that 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points are equivalent to 27,000 United miles.
However, before transferring your rewards, check to see if the transfer is immediate. Here are the remittance times for each of the major remittance currencies:
RELATED: How (and Why) You Earn Transferable Points
Conclusion
Now that Taiwan has finally opened, it’s the perfect time to plan a trip to the often-forgotten destination. Get the best rates when you book through Air Canada Aeroplan, Avianca LifeMiles, or United MileagePlus.