Best uses of EVA Air Infinity MileageLands Miles

EVA Air is considered one of the world’s best airlines. If Skytrax ratings are something to go by, it is rated consistently as one of the five-star airlines of the world. But its frequent flyer program, Infinity MileageLands, flies under the radar for Australian travellers. That is primarily because there are very few ways to earn Infinity MileageLands Miles in Australia.

Earning Infinity MileageLands miles in Australia

A limited-time promotion on the HSBC Star Alliance Credit Card gives Australians a pathway into the program. You will receive 35,000 bonus miles plus instant Gold status in the Infinity MileageLands program if you apply and meet the spend criteria for the HSBC Star Alliance Credit Card and select EVA Air as your status airline. You will earn a further 20,000 anniversary miles if you spend $48,000 on the card in your first year. The card will also earn Star Alliance points, which can be converted to EVA Air Infinity MileageLands miles.

This is similar to recent offers on the card with Singapore Airlines Krisflyer and Air Canada Aeroplan programs.

So, what can you do with the miles once you have them?

EVA Air Infinity MileageLands Redemption chart

Infinity MileageLands uses a fixed, zone-based award chart. The price of a flight redemption depends on the zone you are flying between, not the distance or the specific route.

This type of award chart is increasingly rare these days and creates some genuinely excellent value redemptions. The raw miles cost of some redemptions is also significantly less than that of other Star Alliance programs like KrisFlyer. However, the program comes with a few limitations worth knowing upfront.

1. EVA Air redemptions are only available between the zones shown in the chart. For example, a redemption from Oceania to Europe on EVA Air is not permitted. Note, for Star Alliance redemptions, there is a separate zone-based award chart that allows booking from almost any zone to any zone.
2. Booking for additional travellers is quite complex. See section on How to Redeem.
3. Miles have a hard expiry of 36 months.
4. You can buy top-up miles, but 50% of the miles required for the redemption must come from other means.

EVA Air Redemptions

Award availability on EVA Air’s own flights is generally good, and members of Infinity MileageLands see more award seats than external programs can. The prices below exclude taxes and fees.

1. Intra-Asia in EVA Air Economy Class (from 10,000 miles one way)

For Economy Class within Asia, a one-way EVA Air redemption starts at just 10,000 miles. This covers short hops like Taipei to Hong Kong and Taipei to Macau.

For other destinations within Asia, the redemption cost increases to 17,500 miles. The real kicker is how the zone pricing works. EVA Air prices tickets based on the highest zone-segment, and an onward connection within Asia costs no extra miles. The limitation is that the transit time in Taipei is less than 24 hours. So, a Tokyo-Taipei-Denpasar itinerary would cost the same 17,500 miles one-way as just Tokyo-Taipei.

2. Intra-Asia in EVA Air Royal Laurel Business Class (25,000 miles one-way)

EVA Air’s Royal Laurel Business Class is a fully lie-flat product with direct aisle access, privacy panels and a premium dining experience.

For intra-Asia travel, one-way redemptions on EVA Air cost just 25,000 miles. That includes every route that EVA Air operates in and out of Asia, such as Taipei to Tokyo-Narita to Taipei to Bangkok. And like with the Economy Class redemption, an onward connection within Asia costs no extra miles. The same Tokyo-Taipei-Denpasar itinerary would cost 25,000 miles in EVA Air Business Class one-way.

3. Brisbane to Asia in EVA Air Economy Class (50,000 miles one-way)

EVA Air flies regularly from Taipei to Brisbane in Australia. A one-way Economy Class redemption on this route costs 50,000 miles each way. The zone pricing sweetener applies here, too. Examples of other routes that can be booked with the same amount of miles are:

• Brisbane – Taipei – Tokyo
• Brisbane – Taipei – Seoul
• Brisbane – Taipei – Bangkok
• Brisbane – Taipei – Denpasar (if you really want to maximise your miles to flight time)

Other zones that fit in the 50,000 miles cost include Economy Class redemptions from Asia to Europe and the US West Coast on EVA Air flights.

4. Asia to Europe or America in EVA Air Premium Economy (from 55,000 miles one-way)

For 5,000 more miles, you can book EVA Air Premium Economy from Asia to Europe or America. Some examples of routes that can be booked at this cost include:

• Bangkok – Taipei – Los Angeles
• Kuala Lumpur – Taipei – Vancouver

EVA Air’s routes to the East Coast of America (Chicago, New York, Houston, Washington D.C., Dallas and Toronto) are priced slightly higher at 60,000 miles in Premium Economy.

Star Alliance Redemptions

EVA Air is part of the Star Alliance, and Infinity MileageLands lets you redeem miles on any of the other Star Alliance member airlines.

The rates are slightly higher than the EVA Air chart, but the zone pricing logic remains. The redemptions below are all within the 55,000 miles you can earn from the promotion.

1. Intra-North Asia or Intra-South East Asia (from 15,000 miles one-way)

The Star Alliance award chart separates Asia into China, North Asia and South East Asia. This is the cheapest redemption available through Infinity MileageLands on a Star Alliance partner and covers extensive routes within each zone. Some examples include:

• Tokyo – Seoul on ANA/Asiana
• Singapore – Bangkok – Hanoi on Singapore Airlines/Thai Airways

The itineraries will cost 27,500 miles in Business Class.

2. Within the Southwest Pacific (from 17,500 miles one-way)

Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and French Polynesia all sit in the same South West Pacific zone. The following itineraries on Air New Zealand could be booked for 17,500 miles one-way in Economy Class.

• Sydney – Auckland
• Perth – Auckland – Nadi
• Melbourne – Auckland – Papeete

In theory, you can redeem Business Class award seats for 27,500 miles, but Air New Zealand rarely releases Business Class seats to partner airlines.

3. South West Pacific to Asia (from 52,500 miles one-way)

Flights between the zones mentioned above – Asia and the South West Pacific are priced at 52,500 miles one-way in Economy Class. This would apply to short itineraries such as Singapore – Darwin on Singapore Airlines. However, you can get more value on longer routes like Auckland – Beijing – Tokyo.

These redemptions will cost 77,500 miles in Business Class.

How to Redeem EVA Air Infinity MileageLands miles

You can redeem Infinity MileageLands miles online on the EVA Air website, which is functional but can be frustrating to navigate, as there is no broad calendar search. For Star Alliance redemptions, it is best to check availability on another program, such as Air Canada Aeroplan.

Redeeming miles online for a single passenger appears to be straightforward. Booking for two or more passengers can get very complicated. You need to enable online service for your account, which involves downloading a form, completing and signing it and emailing it back to EVA Air. You then need to register each companion as a nominee, transfer miles to them and search for awards for yourself and the nominee. During the transfer process, you have to transfer the full amount of miles required for the redemption (not just the top-up amount required if their account already has some miles).

The practical advice is for each person to open their own Infinity MileageLands account, accumulate their own miles and book separately.

On the positive side, EVA Air charges no fees for date changes to award bookings. Routing or carrier changes attract a USD 50 fee. This fee is waived for Gold and above members, which you could obtain via the HSBC Star Alliance Credit Card.