How to Use Airline Miles for Free Stopovers and Open-Jaw Flights: A Complete Guide

Stopovers and open-jaw flights are two of the most powerful yet underutilized tools in the award travel world. They allow you to visit extra cities at no additional mileage cost, effectively giving you more travel for your hard-earned miles. Whether you want to spend a few days in Tokyo on your way to Bangkok or fly into Paris and out of Rome, understanding these concepts can transform your travel planning.

In this guide, we’ll break down everything you need to know about using airline miles for free stopovers and open-jaw flights. We’ll compare policies across major frequent flyer programs, provide step-by-step booking tips, and show you how to maximize the value of your award tickets in 2025.

What Are Stopovers and Open-Jaw Flights?

Before diving into strategies, let’s define the key terms:

• Stopover: A stopover is an intentional break in your journey at an intermediate city that lasts more than 24 hours (for domestic itineraries, sometimes more than 4 hours). For example, flying from New York to Singapore with a three-day stop in Tokyo. Stopovers can often be added for free or at a minimal cost, depending on the airline’s program.
• Open-Jaw Flight: An open-jaw itinerary involves flying into one city and out of another, with a surface segment (train, car, etc.) connecting the two. For instance, flying from Los Angeles to London, then returning from Paris to Los Angeles. Open-jaws are typically permitted on round-trip award tickets, allowing you to explore more without backtracking.

Both features can dramatically enhance your trips, but their availability and rules vary widely among frequent flyer programs.

Why Stopovers and Open-Jaws Add Huge Value

Adding a stopover or using an open-jaw can effectively give you a free one-way flight or save you the cost of returning to your arrival city. Consider this: a round-trip award ticket from the U.S. to Europe might cost 60,000 miles. With a stopover, you could visit two cities for the same miles. Alternatively, an open-jaw lets you avoid purchasing a separate intra-Europe flight or train ticket, saving time and money.

For example, using Aeroplan’s stopover feature, you could book a trip from San Francisco to Tokyo (stop for 5 days) to Singapore for the same miles as a simple round-trip to Tokyo. That’s a free visit to Singapore!

Major Frequent Flyer Programs with Free Stopovers

Not all programs are created equal. Here’s a comparison of some of the best programs for stopovers in 2025:

As of 2025, Aeroplan and Alaska Airlines remain standout options for North American travelers, while Singapore Airlines and ANA offer excellent value for transpacific routes.

How to Book Stopover Awards: Step-by-Step

Booking stopover awards can be tricky, as many programs require you to call or use specific search tools. Here’s a general process:

1. Research Program Rules: Check the latest stopover policies on the airline’s website. Look for terms like “stopover,” “layover,” or “multi-city.”
2. Search Segment by Segment: Use the airline’s award search engine to find availability for each leg individually. For example, search for your origin to stopover city, then stopover city to destination.
3. Use Multi-City Search: Most programs have a “multi-city” or “stopover” option. Input your segments and dates. If the tool doesn’t support stopovers, you may need to call.
4. Call the Frequent Flyer Program: Some programs, like Alaska Airlines, require you to call to add a stopover. Have the flight details ready.
5. Verify Taxes and Fees: Stopovers may increase taxes slightly, but the mileage cost should remain the same (or with a small surcharge like Aeroplan’s 5,000 points).


Example: Aeroplan Stopover Booking

Aeroplan’s online tool allows stopovers on one-way awards for 5,000 points. Here’s how to book a trip from Chicago to Bangkok with a stopover in Tokyo:

• Search for Chicago (ORD) to Tokyo (NRT/HND) on your desired date.
• Note the available flights and then search for Tokyo to Bangkok (BKK) a few days later.
• Use the multi-city tool to input ORD-NRT and NRT-BKK with the appropriate dates.
• The price should reflect the total miles plus 5,000 points for the stopover. If not, call Aeroplan.

Open-Jaw Award Tickets: Rules and Strategies

Open-jaw tickets are generally easier to book than stopovers because most programs allow them on round-trip awards. The key is understanding the distance or region-based restrictions.

Typically, an open-jaw involves flying from City A to City B, then returning from City C to City A. The surface segment between B and C is your responsibility. Programs like United MileagePlus and American Airlines AAdvantage permit open-jaws as long as the open segment is the shortest distance of the three (or within the same region).

Comparison of Open-Jaw Policies

Maximizing United’s Excursionist Perk

United’s Excursionist Perk is a unique feature that effectively gives you a free one-way award within certain regions when combined with a round-trip itinerary. For example:

• Book a round-trip from New York to London.
• Add a one-way from London to Paris within the same region (Europe) for 0 miles.
• This creates an open-jaw: NYC-LHR, LHR-CDG (free), CDG-NYC.

The Excursionist Perk must be in the middle of the itinerary and within the same United-defined region. It’s a powerful tool for exploring multiple cities.

Combining Stopovers and Open-Jaws for Maximum Value

Advanced award travelers often combine stopovers and open-jaws to create complex itineraries that visit three or more cities for the price of one round-trip award. For instance:

• Use Aeroplan to book: Los Angeles to Tokyo (stopover) to Singapore (destination), then open-jaw: Kuala Lumpur to Los Angeles. You’d pay 5,000 points for the stopover plus the base miles, and you’d cover the Singapore to Kuala Lumpur surface segment.

This approach requires thorough research and flexibility, but it can unlock incredible value.

Tips for Finding Award Availability

Stopovers and open-jaws are only useful if you can find award seats. Here are some tips for 2025:

• Be Flexible with Dates: Use flexible date search tools to find available awards. Many programs release seats 330–360 days in advance.
• Leverage Partner Airlines: Programs like Aeroplan and KrisFlyer allow stopovers on partner flights, increasing your options.
• Use ExpertFlyer or Seats.aero: These tools can alert you to award availability across multiple airlines.
• Consider Positioning Flights: Sometimes it’s cheaper to book a separate ticket to a hub city and start your award from there.
• Book Early or Late: Airlines often release unsold seats as awards close to departure. Check regularly.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

• Assuming All Programs Offer Free Stopovers: Many U.S. legacy carriers (Delta, American, United) do not allow free stopovers on award tickets, except for United’s Excursionist Perk.
• Ignoring Taxes and Fees: Some programs, like British Airways, impose high fuel surcharges that can negate the value of a free stopover.
• Not Checking Married Segment Logic: Some airlines require that you book certain segments together, which can limit stopover options.
• Forgetting the Open-Jaw Distance Rule: The open segment must be shorter than the flown segments, or the award may price as two one-ways.

FAQ

What is the difference between a stopover and a layover?

A layover is a short connection (usually less than 24 hours) where you remain in the airport or city for a brief period. A stopover is an intentional break of more than 24 hours where you leave the airport and explore the city.

Can I add a stopover to a one-way award?

Some programs, like Aeroplan and Alaska Airlines, allow stopovers on one-way awards (often for a fee). Most traditional programs only allow stopovers on round-trip awards.

Do open-jaw tickets cost more miles?

Generally, no. As long as you follow the program’s rules (e.g., the open segment is the shortest distance), an open-jaw should price the same as a round-trip award.

Which program is best for free stopovers in 2025?

Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan offers one free stopover on one-way international awards, making it one of the best. Aeroplan is also excellent with its low-cost stopover option.

Can I book stopovers online, or do I need to call?

It depends on the program. Aeroplan, Singapore Airlines, and Cathay Pacific allow online booking for stopovers. Alaska Airlines and ANA often require a phone call.

References

1. Air Canada Aeroplan Stopover Policy, 2025. https://www.aircanada.com/us/en/aco/home/aeroplan/redeem/flights/stopover.html
2. Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Stopover Rules, 2025. https://www.alaskaair.com/content/mileage-plan/use-miles/award-charts
3. Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Stopover and Open-Jaw, 2025. https://www.singaporeair.com/en_UK/sg/ppsclub-krisflyer/use-miles/
4. United Airlines Excursionist Perk, 2025. https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly/mileageplus/awards/travel/types-of-awards.html
5. Cathay Pacific Asia Miles Stopover Rules, 2025. https://www.cathaypacific.com/cx/en_US/membership/redeem-miles/flights.html