How to Book Domestic Flights With International Airlines

Booking a domestic flight with an international airline might sound backwards, so if you’re confused…

… that’s fair. 🙂

But in the world of miles and points, this is one of the smartest moves you can make.

Ultimately, we’re just talking about “partner airlines.”

In many cases, international airline programs charge fewer miles, lower fees, and offer better flexibility than the U.S. airlines actually flying the plane. 

And once you know where to look, this might just become your new go-to, so let’s break it all down together.

What Does This Actually Mean?

When you book a domestic flight with an international airline, you’re not flying overseas (obvi), but you’re booking a U.S. flight operated by a U.S. airline and using “foreign” miles to do it.

This works because airlines belong to alliances and partner with each other. That means:

• A United flight can be booked using foreign airline miles

• A Delta flight can be booked using foreign airline miles

• An American Airlines flight can be booked using foreign airline miles

• You get the point… 🙂

So it’s the same seat, and same flight, just a different mileage program (and usually a much better deal!).

Why International Miles Are Often Better

Here’s why this situation works:

1. Lower mileage prices: Many international programs still use award charts or distance-based pricing, which means short flights can be ridiculously cheap.

2. Fewer surprise fees: Some foreign programs don’t tack on the same last-minute booking fees that U.S. airlines love.

3. Transferable credit card points: You don’t need to fly internationally to earn these miles. You can get them by transferring points from everyday credit cards.

Best International Programs for Booking U.S. Flights

This doesn’t include all of your options, but these are a great starting point.

Air Canada Aeroplan

Best for: United flights

Aeroplan is one of the most useful programs for domestic bookings and has excellent availability on United. Short flights can start around 15,000 points with no crazy booking fees. And, you have easy transfer options from American Express, Chase, Capital One, and Bilt.

For example: If you wanted to fly from Los Angeles (LAX) to Honolulu (HNL) on United, you could (1) search Google Flights to confirm United operates nonstop flights on this route, (2) head to Aeroplan’s website and search for a one-way award from LAX, (3) find the United nonstop flight, (4) transfer points to Aeroplan, and then (5) book the flight directly on Aeroplan’s site.

United often prices this exact route a bit higher thanks to dynamic pricing, while Aeroplan stays locked into its distance-based award chart. Taxes and fees are also reasonable, making Aeroplan one of my go-to programs for longer domestic flights where United’s own pricing can get… aggressive.

I realize the savings here aren’t mind-blowing, but hey… 10k points is 10k points.

British Airways Avios

Best for: American Airlines and Alaska Airlines

Avios pricing is distance-based, which makes it amazing for nonstop routes.

• Short nonstop flights can be as low as 9,500 Avios 

• Transfers from Amex, Chase, Capital One, and Bilt

• And, Avios uses distance-based pricing, so you can find some great short nonstop flight deals

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

Best for: Delta flights

Virgin Atlantic often undercuts Delta’s own pricing… sometimes by a lot.

• Fixed pricing on many Delta routes

• No dynamic award crap

• Frequent transfer bonuses from major banks

This is one of the best ways to avoid Delta’s sky-high SkyMiles rates.

For example: You’d need to (1) confirm Delta operates nonstop flights on your date, (2) search Virgin Atlantic Flying Club for award availability on your preferred route, (3) confirm that it’s cheaper, (4) transfer your points over, and then (5) book the ticket on Virgin’s site. Easy as pie.

Air France-KLM Flying Blue

Best for: Delta flights

Flying Blue uses dynamic pricing, but domestic Delta awards can still be solid, especially during monthly Promo Rewards. We’re talking:

• Competitive for coast-to-coast routes

• Regular transfer bonuses

• And easy online searching

For example, Mike literally just booked a Delta flight using Flying Blue miles instead of SkyMiles, and the difference was pretty crazy.

Delta wanted a crazy amount of SkyMiles for the exact flight he needed.

You can read more about that in this newsletter. But let’s stick to domestic flights here.

Flying Blue regularly prices Delta flights (domestic and international) far lower than Delta does itself, especially for premium cabins.

You’re not changing the flight… you’re just changing who you pay.

How to Actually Book These Flights

This part sounds intimidating, but it’s very doable.

• Find the flight you want: Search the route on Daily Drop Pro (shameless plug), Google Flights, or the U.S. airline’s site to confirm schedules and nonstop options.

• Check partner award availability: Not every seat is bookable with partners. You’re looking for “saver” or partner-eligible space.

• Search on the international airline’s site: Most programs let you search and book online. If not, you may need to call, but that’s less common these days.

• Transfer points: Once you see availability, transfer points from your credit card program. Transfers are often instant, but always confirm before moving points.

• Book and do some cartwheels!

Credit Cards That Make This Easy

This strategy works best if you earn transferable points.

The whole point of using international airline miles for U.S. flights is that you don’t need United miles, Delta miles, or American miles. Instead, you earn transferable points that give you access to multiple programs and better pricing.

So real quick, let’s talk about some solid programs (and cards) that’ll get you started.

Chase Ultimate Rewards Cards

Points transfer 1:1 to partners like Air Canada Aeroplan, British Airways Avios, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, Air France-KLM Flying Blue, and have a big transfer network for both domestic and international flights.

Top picks:

• Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card: The best starter card with strong travel bonus categories

• Chase Sapphire Reserve®: Premium travel perks and boosted redemption value

• Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card: Excellent if you want to earn lots of points on business spend

American Express Membership Rewards

You can transfer 1:1 (or sometimes better with promos) to Aeroplan, Avios, Flying Blue, Virgin Atlantic, and others. And, American Express has a huge partner network, which is especially good for international redemptions.

Top picks:

• American Express Platinum Card®: Best for luxury travel perks (airport lounges, credits, elite status opportunities)

• American Express® Gold Card: Big bonus categories for dining and groceries

Capital One cards

You can transfer to Aeroplan, Avios, Flying Blue, and Virgin Atlantic (among others), and Capital One miles are also just easy to earn and use for many travel styles.

Top picks:

• Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card: Strong bonus and travel credits

• Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card: Simpler, lower annual fee version

Bottom Line

Booking domestic flights with international airlines is one of those tricks that sounds niche, but after you do it once, you’ll feel like a pro.

If you’re earning transferable points, you already have access to some of the cheapest domestic award flights out there.

Earn the points. Learn how to search for partner availability. 

And book that flight, babyyy!