Your guide to booking SkyTeam Alliance flights using PayRewards Points

With the flexibility of the PayRewards program, your can spend your PayRewards Points on flights right around the world. Now, you might be familiar with the many Oneworld and Star Alliance options at your doorstep. But don’t overlook reward flights on SkyTeam Alliance airlines as well.

To get you soaring to new heights, you can convert PayRewards Points directly into miles with a strong SkyTeam airline based in Asia. Four of our other PayRewards transfer partners can also get you travelling on SkyTeam flights, thanks to their own comprehensive airline partnerships.

From Australia, SkyTeam airlines offer a solid number of frequent flyer reward seats. And because many Aussie travellers are stuck with frequent flyer points in non-SkyTeam programs, those seats often go unbooked. But now, the secret’s out! It’s a good thing you have PayRewards Points…

Which airlines are in the SkyTeam Alliance?

The SkyTeam Alliance counts 18 member airlines among its ranks. Seven of those carriers offer direct flights from Australia, while the remaining members can come in handy when travelling further abroad.

SkyTeam’s member airlines with Australian routes include Taiwan’s China Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Garuda Indonesia, Korean Air, Vietnam Airlines, and XiamenAir. As you can see, there are great opportunities for travelling to Asia, as well as to North America with one of the region’s largest carriers.

If your travels take you to even more exotic locales, the SkyTeam Alliance network also includes Aerolíneas Argentinas, Aeroméxico, Air Europa, Air France, Kenya Airways, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Middle East Airlines (MEA), Scandinavian Airlines (SAS), Saudia, TAROM, and Virgin Atlantic. Note that Virgin Australia is not a SkyTeam member: that’s Virgin Atlantic, based in the United Kingdom.

Convert PayRewards Points into SkyTeam miles

We’re excited to have Vietnam Airlines Lotusmiles on board as a PayRewards transfer partner. Convert your PayRewards Points directly to Lotusmiles at a 3:1 rate.

Image credit – Vietnam Airlines

Lotusmiles is fantastic for snagging reward seats on Vietnam Airlines’ own flights. We often see up to four business class reward seats bookable through Lotusmiles on routes from Australia. These include Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth to Ho Chi Minh City. Plus, Sydney and Melbourne to Hanoi.

Lotusmiles can also get you reward flights on all other SkyTeam airlines. For these partner airline bookings, you’ll need to call Lotusmiles to secure your seat. That’s because you’re not able to search for partner airline reward flights on Vietnam Airlines’ own website.

There’s another Lotusmiles quirk to be aware of. Without elite Vietnam Airlines Lotusmiles status, you won’t be able to redeem your own miles on any flights for other adults. This includes travel for your partner and family – whether on Vietnam Airlines itself, or any of its SkyTeam and other partners. A workaround would be for every traveller sign up to Lotusmiles, and to then convert PayRewards Points directly to each traveller’s own Lotusmiles account. Naturally, you’d only convert the quantity that each person would need to secure their own journey.

Other ways to travel on SkyTeam airlines using PayRewards Points

Whether you’re seeking sharper redemption rates, more advantageous conversion rates from PayRewards, or even a smoother online booking process, it pays to consider all of your options. For instance, you can book selected SkyTeam flights through non-SkyTeam frequent flyer programs as well. Even from a couple of Oneworld and Star Alliance airlines.

With Qantas Points, you can book reward seats on SkyTeam’s Air France, China Airlines, and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. Just convert your PayRewards Points to your Qantas Business Rewards account at a 2:1 rate, then shift those points from your business account to any personal Qantas Frequent Flyer account at a 1:1 rate to book.

When spending Qantas Points, you can usually book these SkyTeam Alliance reward seats online. But note that while Qantas’ reward charts also list SkyTeam member China Eastern Airlines, it’s been a while since we’ve seen any China Eastern reward seats available through Qantas Frequent Flyer. It’s unclear whether these will return, given the Joint Venture between Qantas and China Eastern wrapped up in 2024.

Alternatively, for Virgin Atlantic reward flights, convert your PayRewards Points to Virgin Australia Business Flyer at a 2:1 rate. Then, shift those Velocity Points to any personal Velocity account to redeem (a phone call to Velocity is required). You can also use Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer miles (a 2.5:1 conversion from PayRewards) to secure reward seats on Garuda Indonesia. Albeit, only on routes between Indonesia and Singapore.

Psst… there’s a former SkyTeam member also among the PayRewards lineup

One of PayRewards’ more recent partner additions is the Sky Pearl Club of China Southern Airlines. You can transfer your PayRewards Points to Sky Pearl Club at a 3:1 rate. And from there, Sky Pearl Club opens the door to travelling on an impressive list of SkyTeam Alliance partners.

Why does China Southern have so many friends in SkyTeam? It’s because China Southern used to be a member of SkyTeam itself. While the airline has since departed from the alliance, it maintains partnerships with many of SkyTeam’s continuing members.

How’s this for a tally? You can spend your Sky Pearl Club miles for flights on Air Europa, Air France, China Airlines, Delta Air Lines, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Korean Air, Middle East Airlines (MEA), Saudia, Vietnam Airlines, and China’s XiamenAir. Best of all, many of these partner airline reward flights are searchable and bookable via China Eastern’s website.

Sky Pearl Club is free to join, and it’s a quick and easy process. You don’t need to have any miles in your Sky Pearl Club account to begin searching for reward flights. This includes travel on China Southern itself, which can take you from Australia to Guangzhou and beyond.

But back to the China Southern website. In most cases, you’ll be able to see what reward seats are available on China Southern’s partners right from the get-go. You’ll also be able to check how many miles you need before converting your PayRewards Points to Sky Pearl Club.

But Sky Pearl Club can also help if you’ve already converted your PayRewards Points to Vietnam Airlines Lotusmiles. That’s because if you can see reward seats on SkyTeam Alliance flights via the China Southern website, there’s a good chance those same seats are available to members of Lotusmiles. Given Lotusmiles members can only search and book these by phone, browsing in this way can cut down on the hassle the obligatory phone call.

What’s exciting about PayRewards is that you have options. You’re not locked into just one frequent flyer program. Or even, one alliance. You can transfer your PayRewards Points and travel with SkyTeam, Oneworld, and Star Alliance. Wherever and whenever there’s a suitable reward seat, you’ll be in a great position to pounce and secure it. After all, flying business class is one of life’s great pleasures. But flying business class using points? That’s a level above. And with PayRewards, you’re ready to win – trip after trip.

Written by Chris Chamberlin

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About the author

Chris enjoys making the most of frequent flyer points, which have taken him around the world – usually, at the front of the plane. He’s travelled over 1.5 million miles sampling the best in Business Class and First Class. That’s further than three return trips to the moon! Chris is based at Point Hacks' Melbourne office as News Editor, and shares his experiences via @chris_chamberlin on Instagram. When he’s not travelling, he enjoys tennis, keeping fit, and discovering new gins.