The Secret to Booking Small Airlines with Points

There’s nothing quite like flying an airline that no one has ever heard of. Tiny local carriers, budget airlines with questionable safety ratings, and airlines with names that don’t even sound real—these are all part of the adventure!

But there’s one big issue: Most of these airlines don’t belong to major alliances, which means they aren’t typically bookable with points.

At least, that’s what they want you to think.

The reality? There’s a super simple way to book almost any airline with points—even the obscure ones. And in many cases, it can actually be a better deal than traditional award redemptions.

Let’s break it all down.

The Trick to Booking Weird Airlines with Points

Most points enthusiasts focus on transferring points to airline partners. That’s great—until the airline you need to fly isn’t part of an alliance.

That’s where flexible travel portals come in.

Credit card travel portals (like the Chase Travel Portal, American Express Travel®, and Citi Travel) let cardholders book flights with points at a fixed rate. And because these portals pull inventory from major booking systems (like Expedia), they include thousands of airlines—big and small.

No need for partner airlines. No complicated award charts. Just a simple way to book any flight with points.

An Example from Africa

Flights in certain regions—like Africa—can be incredibly expensive. Even for short-haul routes, airfare can add up quickly.

Take a multi-country itinerary across Africa. A few short flights on budget airlines can easily total $600 or more. But through Chase’s travel portal, those flights could be booked for around 37,000 Ultimate Rewards points.

That’s because the Chase Sapphire Reserve® allows users to redeem points for travel at varying rates through the portal.

It gets even better.

Another flight from Namibia to Angola on TAAG Angola Airlines—a notoriously expensive airline—was priced at $220 for a one-hour flight. That same flight could be booked through the portal for just 14,600 Ultimate Rewards points.

At first glance, that might not seem like a great deal. But consider this:

• Flying Blue Promo Rewards often charge 15,000 miles for a transatlantic flight to Europe—but those flights are regularly available for under $200.

• With Flying Blue, taxes and fees can add up to $100+.

• Flights booked through Chase’s portal don’t require cash fees—just points.

So in reality, this short intra-Africa flight offers even more value than some traditional award redemptions.

This Trick Works Everywhere (Even in the U.S.)

This isn’t just useful for international travel. It works for domestic flights, too—including airlines that don’t have traditional transfer partners.

For example, Southwest flights can be booked through Chase’s portal, meaning no need to deal with Rapid Rewards pricing fluctuations.

And unlike Southwest’s own rewards program, booking through the portal means no taxes and fees, which can be a major advantage—especially for international flights where fees can be steep.

The Bottom Line

Points and miles are way more flexible than most people think.

Even if an airline doesn’t belong to a major alliance, it’s often still bookable with points—just not in the way most expect.

By using a travel portal, nearly any flight can be booked with points at a predictable rate, making this one of the easiest and most effective ways to fly anywhere without spending cash.