Foreign mileage programs
Seats.aero aggregates award availability from a variety of airline loyalty programs worldwide. This ensures our users—who hail from many different countries and regions—can discover award travel options that might otherwise go unnoticed. However, not all loyalty programs are easy to join or fully utilize if you aren’t a resident of the program’s home country. Below is a more in-depth look at how foreign loyalty programs work on Seats.aero, why they may still be valuable to explore, and what to consider before trying to book with them.
Why Foreign Programs May Be Difficult to Use
Transfer Partners
Many foreign loyalty programs are not transfer partners for credit cards issued in the United States. You will only be able to earn miles via flying or other qualifying activity for that loyalty program. In some cases, you can purchase miles without flying, but you should ensure it represents a good value.
Local Requirements
Some loyalty programs require a government-issued ID or local tax number to register. For example, GOL Smiles and Azul TudoAzul typically require a Brazilian CPF (tax ID). Without these credentials, you might be blocked from creating an account or fully accessing the program’s features.
Language Barriers
When programs are run by non-English-speaking airlines, you might encounter sign-up pages and support channels only available in the local language. While automatic translation tools can help, misunderstandings in terms, conditions, or communication with customer support may arise.
Payment Methods and Currency
Foreign programs may only accept certain payment methods or local currencies for point purchases and award taxes/fees. If you do not have a local credit card, you might face difficulties paying for award tickets or topping up your account balance.
Region-Specific Warnings on Seats.aero
Seats.aero uses location signals to detect whether you might be in a region that a loyalty program doesn’t normally serve. When we believe there could be sign-up or redemption restrictions based on your location, we may display a warning. This is not meant to discourage you from exploring the program, but rather to alert you to the potential hurdles we've highlighted above.
Hiding Foreign Programs on Seats.aero
Pro users can easily configure a list of loyalty programs to automatically exclude from their search results in the Settings page. For example, users in the United States could exclude Azul TudoAzul and GOL Smiles if they do not have a Brazil tax ID.
All users can use our program filters to exclude results on a case-by-case basis.
Why Foreign Programs Still Matter
Despite the challenges, foreign loyalty programs can unlock unique travel opportunities or provide better award availability and cheaper mileage prices. Here are some of the key reasons to keep them in mind:
Different Inventory Access
- Certain programs may see award seats that are not visible to other loyalty programs. For instance, Azul TudoAzul may display certain United saver awards, alerting you that United (or another Star Alliance partner) might also have these seats.
Hint for Other Programs
- Even if you cannot book directly with a foreign program, its existence on Seats.aero can serve as a signal that the underlying flights might be available through another loyalty program in the same alliance. For example, if Azul TudoAzul shows space on a United flight, you might be able to book the same flights using your Air Canada Aeroplan miles—or through another Star Alliance partner program that you can access.