The Guide to Around-the-World tickets

There is no better way to spend your love of travel than on a long, multi-country trip. This is what airlines realize and offer the option to book an all-round ticket.

Travelling around the world can be expensive and complicated. Travelers who have accumulated airline miles or bank program points can book round-the-world mileage tickets.

This guide will show you how to book an all-round-the-world flight with miles and cash.

What’s an all-round ticket?

An all-round ticket is a group of flights that travel around the globe and are booked together as a single ticket.

There are different rules for round-the-world tickets depending on which airline, alliance, or mileage program issued the ticket.

Prices for some around the world tickets are determined by how many continents you visit, regardless of distance or stops. Other around the world ticket prices are determined by the total distance flown.

Around-the-world tickets tend to be more flexible than regular airline tickets. You can even get free changes with some around-the world tickets if you follow the same itinerary. You’ll also earn miles if you buy a cash around the world ticket.

Which airlines offer round-the-world flights?

Many airlines offer round-the-world flights through their alliances. Currently, around-the world tickets are offered by the Oneworld alliance and Star Alliance. SkyTeam Round the World has been suspended by the SkyTeam alliance.

• Oneworld Explorer Prices the around-the world ticket based upon the number of continents visited.

• Global Explorer is an all-round ticket that uses distance.

• Circle Pacific This is an all-round ticket that only covers the Pacific Ocean.

Oneworld has launched the Oneworld Explorer tool, which guides you through the selection of dates and cities. Enter your preferred destinations, dates, and length. This tool will then determine the best pass for you, assist with selecting flights, and help you book your around-the world ticket.

Oneworld has currently placed restrictions on around the world tickets:

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  All trips should begin and end in the same place.
  

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  No more than 16 flights.
  

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  At least three continents must be visited.
  

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  You cannot backtrack, you must continue in the same direction as your travels.
  

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  Finish your trip in 12 months.
  

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  Cross the Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Ocean
  

Star Alliance, the largest airline alliance in the world, is a great choice for tickets around-the-world. Star Alliance’s 26 members serve 1,300 destinations in over 190 countries. Star Alliance tickets around the world allow you to create an unforgettable trip to almost any destination.

Star Alliance around the world tickets, like Oneworld, allow for up to 16 flights and up to one year from the date you depart. You will generally need to travel in the same direction. Star Alliance also offers a Circle Pacific non-quite around the world ticket.

What is the cost of an all-round ticket around the world?

Around-the-World Tickets are expensive if you pay cash.

Oneworld around the world tickets start at $3,599 per economy ticket to three continents. The price can climb up to $6,899 for six continents in economic. This is before taxes and fees. Prices for business and first-class fares can be even higher, with most cases exceeding $10,000.

Flexible bookings and a fixed price are two of the benefits to an around-the world ticket. All around-the-world tickets can be booked at the same price regardless of whether you fly during peak season or off-season.

It can be more affordable to book an award-the world ticket than to make individual flights.

Book an all-round-the-world flight with miles

You have many options for booking around-the-world flights using cash. Many airlines offer round-the-world mileage tickets through their loyalty programs.

You can save a lot of money by booking around-the-world travel awards. To book these tickets, however, you will need to build up a large number of miles. You’ll also need to search for award availability on each flight segment, which can prove difficult.

This is a quick overview on the best around-the world mileage options for each airline alliance.

All Nippon Airways, also known as ANA, offers the most affordable round-the-world miles tickets. You can book up to twelve flights and eight stops between your origin and destination. Prices vary depending on the distance you fly and which cabin you choose.

You can reduce your flight distance by booking four “ground transport” segments. These segments don’t count toward your total distance. This means that you can save money on your round-the-world tickets by using a low-priced award or a cheap cash ticket.

Be aware of Restrictions

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  Limit on crossing the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean.
  

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  Backtracking does not allow.
  

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  A full journey should take at least 10 days.
  

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  You must return to the country from which you left.
  

American Express Membership Rewards is the best way to accumulate enough ANA Mileage Club points for an ANA around the world ticket.

AmEx points can be transferred to ANA at a 1:1 ratio. You can also top up your ANA account by transferring Marriott Bonvoy points, but the transfer rate is 3:1.

Asia Miles, the Miles program of Cathay Pacific, doesn’t actually have around-the world tickets. However, you can still make an epic trip around the globe using the Oneworld Multi-Carrier Award chart.

It is not an all-round ticket. This means that you can go backwards and you don’t have the obligation to end your trip at the beginning. The class of service you choose and the distance traveled will affect your award pricing.

Maximize your Oneworld Multi-Carrier Awards booking by adding up to five stopsovers. Use the two open-jaws that are allowed to link the dots in places where Oneworld doesn’t offer a viable option.

To get around the two-fly limit on Cathay Pacific, make sure you fly at least one flight. Your journey must not exceed 50,000 points.

Transfer points from to increase your Asia Miles balance

Aeromexico is one of the few SkyTeam airlines to offer a compelling all-around-the-world ticket. It’s also a solid option. You can book up to 15 stopsovers for your one-year ticket, so you can put together an incredible trip.

Although it sounds very high, remember that they are in kilometers and not miles.

Aeromexico receives American Express Membership Rewards at a 1 to1.6 transfer rate. This means that you will need 140,000 AmEx Points to purchase an economy SkyTeam Around the World ticket, and 220,000 AmEx Points for business class.

Although AmEx is the best option for you, you can also top up your Aeromexico Club Premier account with points transferred from:

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  Capital One Miles (1:1).
  

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  Citi ThankYou Points (1:1).
  

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  Marriott Bonvoy (3:1).
  

Many other airlines also offer round-the-world miles tickets or multi-carrier awards that include multiple stopovers. We’ll briefly summarize the other options available and explain why we didn’t mention them in detail.

Are you interested in booking an all-round-the-world flight?

When considering an all-round ticket, there are many things to consider.

Consider booking through one the major alliances of airlines for cash fares. Pay attention to restrictions. Also, think about what isn’t restricted. It is possible to add more destinations at no extra cost.

Many airline miles programs offer round-the-world tickets. However, some of these are called “multi-carrier awards”. These are great deals, provided you have award availability.