.webp "Secret Alliance Deals Using Points to Book Charter & Semi-Private Flights (2025)")
Programs Using Private Charter Partnerships
Delta SkyMiles, in partnership with Wheels Up, offers seats at a fixed rate of 2 cents per mile; during the off-season, you can share an 8-seat King Air for a “semi-private” flight at the mainline business mileage value. The Aeroplan-Air Canada “Jetz” agreement opens up empty seats on NHL team flights 2 weeks in advance for 25,000 miles + tax; the Toronto-Tampa route includes a team menu and wide seat configuration.
Qatar Airways Avios allows you to book Air Seychelles charters between Mahé and Praslin with Avios, opening up business class even on non-scheduled days; additional taxes are well below the standard for tropical domestic flights.
Jet Card and “Seat-Share” Models with Points
You can use JetBlue TrueBlue points at a fixed rate of 1 cent on JSX to upgrade to a Dallas - Houston “no airport hassle” flight; lounge priority and a 30-minute check-in bonus are included. Chase Sapphire Reserve points can be transferred to Citation X seats on the Private Fly portal at a value of 1.5 cents; you can also book a single seat on a chartered jet.
Capital One Venture X offers a 15% seasonal bonus on XO flight package “jet credits”; with 20,000 card miles, you can secure a $200 list price seat on an East Coast shuttle flight.
Hidden Gems in Sports and MICE Charters
United MileagePlus is offering economy seats on wide-body “sports charter” flights during NCAA Final Week for 25,000 miles; typically, the entire aircraft is reserved for the team, but 10–12 seats are made available for fans. Marriott Bonvoy event points can be converted into a “meet-and-seat” package for a Formula 1 weekend special charter; hotel points lock in the flight and paddock access in a single package, tripling the value per point.
Hilton Honors is one of the few programs that allows points to be used for group blockages (minimum 6 seats) on MICE charters; when catering is paid for with points, the cost is zero.
Tax Advantage on Regional Charters
Alaska Mileage Plan processes Ravn Alaska flights under a charter code, keeping taxes at the “intra-state” level; using miles for flights from Anchorage to fishing lodges is fully valued with minimal additional costs. HawaiianMiles does not charge fuel surcharges on Molokai and Lanai charters; a 15-minute turbo-prop experience can be paid for with miles, making it cheaper than an intra-island ferry.
Virgin Points accepts Avios transfers for Virgin Limited Edition safari lodge charters, eliminating high taxes on flights within South Africa.
Transfer Bonuses and Charter Credit Campaigns
When Amex Membership Rewards offers a 25% transfer bonus to Private Fly in the spring, 80,000 MR points unlock a 10-seat Embraer Legacy segment worth $100,000. Citi ThankYou points increase their value by 20% in the XO “Buy Five, Get One Free” campaign; flexible travelers pay for five short charters with points and get the sixth free.
Bilt “Rent Day” points, when transferred to the JSX credit pool with a 100% bonus, yield 7¢ real value per seat on a Dallas-Aspen charter; points earned from rentals can be redeemed for jet luxury.
Reservation and Availability Hacks
When booking a Delta-Wheels Up seat with miles, keeping the reservation in “open seat” status allows for a mileage refund within 24 hours in case of weather-related cancellations. When searching for Aeroplan Jetz awards through the Air Canada Vacations link instead of the call center, the additional service fee is waived, saving $35 for the same mileage value.
When you hold a JSX seat with TrueBlue points instead of the Chase portal, the dynamic difference is not deducted from your point balance even if the flight time changes, eliminating the hassle of last-minute deposits.
“Points = Hours” Model Instead of Individual Jet Cards
Etihad Guest, in partnership with Airshare, sells jet hour packages at a fixed point value of 0.9¢; 150,000 miles ⇒ 10 flight hours, totaling less than half the cost for a four-person Phenom 300 within the US. Singapore KrisFlyer adds a “Flight Card” redeemable for miles to Tradewind Aviation turboprop charters, offering VIP terminal access to St. Barths beaches for 22,500 miles per seat; non-stop island flights remain cheaper than commercial business class.
Emirates Skywards allows 40,000 miles to be transferred to the JetSmarter (now XO) credit pool at a rate of $400; with a private terminal, you can get a net value of over 1¢ per point on the Dubai–Riyadh shuttle.
Helicopter & Air Taxi Networks
Amex MR points can be transferred to the BLADE Balance program at a fixed rate of 1.25¢; the Manhattan–JFK helicopter reduces travel and traffic stress to 7 minutes, costing 22,000 MR points, equivalent to the price of a premium sedan. Virgin Red points open seats on the Heathrow–City Heli Shuttle trial route for 10,000 points + £20 tax; complete the Piccadilly route in 12 minutes and connect directly to first-class check-in.
Qantas Points secures Sydney Seaplanes charter flights in Sydney for 9,000 points per seat; the “luxe lunch” route with a lunch package is cheaper and four times faster than a tourist boat tour.
Charter Advantage in Resort & Cruise Transfers
Marriott Bonvoy offers St. Regis Bora Bora guests a special Air Tahiti charter for 25,000 points one-way; nearly twice the point value of a commercial flight from Papeete to Bora Bora. Hilton Honors' “Conrad Maldives” package allows you to add a seaplane transfer from Male to Rangali Island for 30,000 points; this saves $750 in cash transfer fees, maximizing point redemption value.
Royal Caribbean's “CharterAir” program is offering 10 seats on an Embraer 135 departing from Kansas City for group cruise charters for 20,000 Flying Blue miles + $199 tax; luggage is transferred directly to the cabin.
Tax, Fee, and Contract Details
The 7.5% Federal Excise Tax (FET) on miles applies to domestic U.S. charters as well; even if you redeem Wheels Up seats with points, be prepared to pay the FET in cash on the invoice. While booking an “empty-leg” charter in Europe with Avios may seem appealing, there is a baggage limit based on kilograms, not euros; each kilogram over 15 kg incurs a 20 € overage fee, which can wipe out your point earnings.
XO mile rewards are non-refundable; in case of flight cancellation, you receive a “credit shell,” which does not return to your mile account—even points earned through transfer bonuses are locked.
Point/Share Splitting Formula for Group Travel
When using Aeroplan's “Buddy Pass” on a Jetz charter, even if the second seat is paid for in cash instead of miles, lounge access and team menu privileges are extended to both passengers; team charter luxury has become popular for wedding parties. Citi ThankYou points transfer allows family pooling, enabling five people to each transfer 10,000 points to collectively reach the 50,000-point threshold on an XO DayJet charter, halving the cost of a single seat.
Bilt's “HomeShare” feature allows the tenant pool to combine two rental periods and unlock points for a JSX charter; points are divided based on the lease rather than per person, offering flexible cash-point payment options.
Final Sweet Spots & Information Exhaustion Point
ANA Mileage Club's 2025 Fukuoka–Jeju charter is closed to Star Alliance partners, but Japanese and Korean travelers using ANA miles can book economy class for 12,000 miles and business class for 18,000 miles at ultra-low fares. Alaska Mileage Plan has opened 5,000 economy miles for the Kirkenes–Tromsø segment of its “Milk-Run” cargo charter; this is the cheapest one-way option during the aurora season through a tour operator. Qatar Airways has reduced the post-World Cup Doha-Dubai business charter to 10,000 Avios + 50 QAR; this represents an unprecedented value of 4¢ per Avios on a short-haul route.