Here’s how to see 2 cities for the price of 1 with stopovers

There are some great airline award chart sweet spots out there, but one of the best ways to get maximum value on your redemptions is by adding stopovers to your award tickets.

Stopovers allow you to schedule extended layovers en route to your final destination. They can often be added either for free or at very low rates, essentially allowing you to see two (and sometimes more) cities for the price of one.

Here’s the kicker: There’s usually no limit to the time you can spend on your stopover. So, if you’re strategic about your bookings, you won’t necessarily have to visit both cities on the same trip.

That said, not all airline loyalty programs offer free stopovers. In this Quick Points, we’ll look at which programs offer stopovers on award tickets and how you can take advantage of this often-overlooked perk.

Programs that offer stopovers on award tickets

The main frequent flyer programs that allow stopovers are:

While it doesn’t explicitly call it a stopover, United Airlines’ MileagePlus program essentially allows you to add a stopover to eligible round-trip awards through its Excursionist Perk.

Many of these programs partner with popular transferable currencies, so you may already be familiar with them. For example, American Express Membership Rewards points transfer to Aeroplan, Mileage Club, Cathay and KrisFlyer.

Related: Credit card transfer partners: Guide to transferring points and miles to airlines and hotels

However, each program has different rules for how the benefit works. For example, most programs require you to be traveling internationally or between two different regions in order to be eligible for a stopover.

Only some programs, like Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan and Air Canada Aeroplan, allow stopovers on one-way awards. Most stopovers can be as long as you want, but with Aeroplan and Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, they’re capped at 30 days.

Many programs allow you to add stopovers for a nominal number of miles or a small fee. For instance, Aeroplan charges 5,000 points per stopover. That said, several programs, like Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan and ANA Mileage Club, allow you to add a stopover for free on international flights.

For a more in-depth look at how stopovers work with each program, see our complete guide to maximizing stopovers and open jaws on award tickets.

Booking stopovers

While some airlines require you to call in to book stopovers, many — like ANA Mileage Club, Alaska Mileage Plan and Singapore KrisFlyer — allow you to book them online. Often, it’s as simple as performing a multicity search.

The purpose of stopovers is to allow travelers to explore their connecting city en route to their final destination. However, you can get creative with the routings. For instance, rather than flying over the Pacific to get to Asia, you might choose a route over Europe and add a stopover there. This would be a great way to maximize your time in the air if you’re splurging on a premium cabin award.

But remember how we said you don’t need to visit multiple places on the same trip? The secret here is to have your stopover be in your home airport and the end point be the start of a new trip. In other words, you’re booking half of two separate trips on one award ticket.

To put this into practice, let’s say you live in New York City and want to visit Paris over New Year’s and San Francisco in the summer using Alaska miles. You’d book a one-way award from Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) to San Francisco International Airport (SFO) with a seven-month “stopover” in New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK).

When booking this itinerary through Alaska Airlines, your “one-way” award would be just 22,500 miles altogether in economy. That “free” flight from New York to San Francisco would cost 12,500 miles when booked independently, so you’re getting some serious savings. Of course, the savings would be even greater if you booked a business-class award ticket.

Just note that each airline loyalty program has its own rules about where you can stop over. Alaska Mileage Plan only lets you stop over in Alaska or partner hubs, while Aeroplan lets you stop over anywhere so long as your routing isn’t more than double the physical mileage of a direct flight.

Related: Yes, you can: 8 tips for strategically booking your first stopover

Bottom line

Some airlines allow free stopovers on revenue tickets, and when they do, they generally have a lot of restrictions. However, several programs offer generous stopover policies on award tickets. This perk allows you to visit multiple cities for the price of one. And if you’re strategic with your bookings, you can leverage stopovers to book separate trips.