The best time to book an airline ticket with points is when it becomes available on the booking calendar.
Indeed, to find the most coveted award tickets, you have to be lucky, have a lot of flexibility or master the system!

Date of availability by company
Knowing the best time to book is crucial especially to people:
- who travel during high demand periods (spring break, summer vacation, construction holidays, holiday season, etc.)
- who travel in groups or with their families
- who want business or first class products
Since the changes to the Aeroplan program, all available seats can be purchased with points for flights with Air Canada. The best time to book is the same as for tickets paid in cash, therefore depending on market fluctuations.
So, I advise you to book early, especially if the moment you want to travel is a popular one.
However, this does not apply to other partner airlines that can be booked with Aeroplan points.
Each carrier releases a limited number of “award tickets” while all of their available seats are available for cash.
So, for a group wishing to go to Munich for the Oktoberfest, for example, you will have to watch for the award tickets release more closely!
The number of days to remember
Each carrier plans its calendar release between 300 and 365 days in advance.
It is therefore very important to know when the airline unblocks its calendar: this is the best time to book because you have access to all available award tickets.
Loyalty Program | Release |
Aegean Airlines | 362 days |
Aer Lingus AerClub | 330 days |
Aeroflot Bonus | 361 days |
Aerolineas Argentinas Plus | 330 days |
Aeromexico Club Premier | 330 days |
Air Canada Aeroplan | 355 days |
Air China Phoenix Miles | 355 days |
Air France/KLM Flying Blue | 359 days |
Air India Flying Returns | 331 days |
Air New Zealand Airpoints | 350 days |
Air Tahiti Nui Club Tiare | 331 days |
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan™ | 330 days |
Alitalia MilleMiglia | 331 days |
American Airlines AAdvantage | 331 days |
ANA Mileage Club | 355 days |
Asiana Airlines Asiana Club | 361 days |
Austrian Airlines Miles & More | 355 days |
throughLifemiles | 360 days |
British Airways Executive Club | 355 days |
Brussels Airlines Miles & More | 360 days |
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles | 360 days |
China Airlines Dynasty Flyer Program | 355 days |
China Eastern Miles | 365 days |
China Southern Sky Pearl Club | 365 days |
Copa Airlines Connect Miles | 330 days |
Croatia Airlines Miles & More | 355 days |
Czech Airlines OK Plus | 361 days |
Delta SkyMiles | 331 days |
EgyptAir Plus | 355 days |
El Al Matmid | 362 days |
Emirates Skywards | 328 days |
Ethiopian Airlines ShebaMiles | 328 days |
Etihad Guest | 330 days |
EVA Air Infinity MileageLands | 360 days |
Fiji Airways Tabua Club | 352 days |
Finnair Plus | 331 days |
Garuda Miles | 331 days |
Hainan Airlines Fortune Wings Club | 362 days |
Hawaiian Airlines Hawaiian Miles | 330 days |
Iberia Plus | 330 days |
Japan Airlines JAL Mileage Bank | 330 days |
Kenya Airways Flying Flue | 336 days |
Korean Air SkyPass | 361 days |
LATAM Pass | 330 days |
LOT Polish Miles & More | 355 days |
Lufthansa Miles and More | 360 days |
Malaysia Airlines Enrich | 360 days |
Qantas Frequent Flyer | 353 days |
Qatar Airways Privilege Club | 361 days |
Royal Air Maroc Safar Flyer | 360 days |
Royal Jordanian Royal Club | 361 days |
SAS EuroBonus | 330 days |
Shenzhen Airlines PhoenixMiles | 361 days |
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer | 355 days |
South African Voyager | 335 days |
SriLankan Airlines FlySmiles | 361 days |
SWISS Miles & More | 339 days (Economy) and 300 days (Premium) |
TAP Portugal Miles & Go | 360 days |
THAI Airways Royal Orchid Plus | 340 days |
Turkish Airlines Miles | 356 days |
United MileagePlus | 337 days |
Vietnam Airlines Lotus Miles | 330 days |
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club | 331 days |
Virgin Australia Velocity | 330 days |
Xiamen Air Egret Miles | 361 days |
How to calculate the best time to buy an award ticket?
To determine the best time to book an award ticket, this day calculator is an excellent tool to use. Simply enter the start date, then subtract the number of days corresponding to the program used.
Also, consider the time difference when you want to book with a program from another country than your own. Finally, the premium seats are not necessarily released at midnight.
What to do if you miss the release
Tickets that can be booked with points are limited on Star Alliance partners. However, over time, changes and cancellations will make some seats vacant again.
So if you have missed the moment, you will need to use a tool such asExpert Flyer to track fluctuations in availability. Award flight search engines such as Point.me and Seats.areo can also help.
Companies that sometimes release last minute award tickets are:
- ANA
- Austrian
- Cathay Pacific
- Emirates
- Etihad
- Japan Airlines
- Lufthansa
- SWISS
- United
Special features for some programs
You are constantly refreshing your browser on the famous date, but the desired flight does not show up?
Some airlines do not allow the purchase of certain award tickets through partner loyalty programs, or make them available only at the last minute.
For example, First Class (and even Business Class) award tickets on Singapore Airlines are only available to KrisFlyer members. On the other hand, economy class flights can be found on Aeroplan.
Secondly, the Air France “La Première” seat is only open to Flying Blue elite members. Therefore, you need to have Flying Blue points and status!
The best time to book in these programs is also when the award tickets go on sale.
The transfer partners will be essential to take off on the wings of some airlines with a glass of Champagne.
Finally, there are carriers, such as Lufthansa, that release First Class award tickets in the two weeks before the flight for partners. Yet their frequent flyer program members can get their hands on these coveted seats long before Aeroplan members can.
Tips for booking early
Understand how to use two calendars
In order to find the best time to book a points ticket, you often have to play with two calendars:
- that of the company operating the flight
- that of the company with which you plan on using the points
Although Aeroplan‘s calendar opens 355 days in advance, you’ll have to wait before you can book a flight on Etihad Airways since its schedule is only available 330 days before departure.
Taking advantage of the best time to book an airline ticket with two calendars
In my guide to Qatar Airways Qsuite, I detailed the multiple programs one can use to book this seat with points. The programs mentioned in the article are:
Loyalty Program | Release |
Alaska Mileage Plan | 330 days |
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles | 360 days |
American Airlines AAdvantage | 331 days |
Japan Airlines Mileage Bank | 330 days |
British Airways Avios | 355 days |
Qatar Airways Privilege Club | 361 days |
The best time to book the Qsuite is when the Qatar Airways calendar is released, which is 361 days in advance. Especially if your group would like to sit together in the four-person compartment.

By using Asia Miles points (360 days) versus Alaska Mileage Plan points (330 days), you get a 30-day head start on those coveted seats.
In addition to the best time to book an airline ticket, you should also consider the type of points you can earn, the number of points required for your destination and the price of taxes to be paid.
Bottom Line
In the field of travel hacking, being able to book award tickets for the flights you want is very important. Since these seats are as limited as VIP seats at a show, you need to know the best time to book.