Turkish Airlines

Turkish Airlines is Turkey's flag carrier and a Star Alliance member, hubbing at Istanbul Airport, so pick your flight, then book through ShopBack before you pay: ShopBack Cashback works like a discount, only easier than a promo code. From the US, Turkish Airlines flies nonstop from New York JFK, Newark EWR, Boston, Washington Dulles, Chicago ORD, Miami, Atlanta, Dallas DFW, Houston IAH, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle to Istanbul, with deep onward connectivity to Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, and South Asia. Miles&Smiles is its loyalty programme. Book via turkishairlines.com and activate ShopBack via the ShopBack Turkish Airlines merchant page to earn cashback on eligible bookings at the current published rate.

Miles&Smiles has four tiers: Classic (base), Classic Plus (Star Alliance Silver, requires 25,000 status miles or 30 sectors), Elite (Star Alliance Gold, requires 40,000 status miles or 60 sectors), Elite Plus (highest tier, 80,000 status miles or 120 sectors). Award miles do not expire so long as the account remains active, and Miles&Smiles historically had lower carrier-imposed surcharges on Star Alliance partner premium-cabin awards than Miles & More, though recent revenue-based moves have shifted that. Bilt Rewards is a US transfer partner for Miles&Smiles at 1:1.

Turkish Airlines runs recurring US-Europe and US-Asia fare sales during winter (January to February), spring shoulder-season (March to April), autumn (September to November), Black Friday (November 27, 2026), Cyber Monday (November 30, 2026), and Travel Tuesday (December 2, 2026). Business-class sales are common on US-Istanbul routes. Verify current promotions on turkishairlines.com before booking. Miles&Smiles award-mile promotions appear intermittently but no scheduled sale calendar.

Star Alliance includes United, Air Canada, ANA, Singapore, Lufthansa, and others, meaning US-based Miles&Smiles members can earn Miles&Smiles on partner flights and burn miles on partner awards. Historically, Miles&Smiles has been strong for US-Europe partner Business (Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian) with lower surcharges than Miles & More, and for US-Asia via ANA Business at competitive mileage cost. Recent revenue-based moves and partner blockages have made booking harder; check current award chart before committing. Elite and Elite Plus grant Star Alliance Gold with lounge access alliance-wide.

Both are Star Alliance and both offer US-Europe connections via major hubs (IST vs FRA/MUC). Turkish typically wins on premium-cabin food and service quality (multi-year Skytrax winner), Istanbul's onward connectivity to Central Asia and the Middle East, and lower advertised business-class fares. Lufthansa wins on German-market convenience, Frankfurt and Munich hub efficiency, and Germany-focused connectivity. For award-ticket US-Europe on Star Alliance partner metal, Miles&Smiles has traditionally undercut Miles & More on surcharges, but both are worth checking. Both are cashback-eligible via ShopBack when booked through their respective merchant pages.

Both operate similar transit-hub models via Istanbul (TK) and Dubai (EK). Turkish's onward Central Asia and Africa network is deeper; Emirates leads on A380 experience and Dubai lounge scale. Turkish's business class on 777 and 787 is competitive on hard product. For US-South Asia, Turkish via Istanbul is often faster total time; for US-Southeast Asia, Emirates via Dubai is often more direct in schedule. Both are cashback-eligible via ShopBack when booked through their respective merchant pages.

For US-departing long-haul flights, Turkish Airlines follows a piece-concept allowance: Economy 2 x 23 kg on most fare bundles; Business 2 x 32 kg. Star Alliance Gold status (Elite and Elite Plus) adds one extra bag on Star Alliance-marketed flights. Verify your specific fare's baggage inclusion on the booking page before purchase, since promotional Economy fares occasionally strip the second bag.

As of 2026, Turkish Airlines operates nonstop service to Istanbul from New York JFK, Newark EWR, Boston, Washington Dulles, Chicago ORD, Miami, Atlanta, Dallas DFW, Houston IAH, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle. This is one of the widest US gateway coverages of any single foreign carrier. Check turkishairlines.com for the current route map since Turkish continues to add US destinations.

Go through ShopBack before you pay and the Cashback tracks to your ShopBack account. Click through from the ShopBack Turkish Airlines merchant page to turkishairlines.com, log in to your Miles&Smiles account and complete the booking there. The current Cashback is shown on the Turkish Airlines page on ShopBack.

Pending Cashback confirms once the flight is flown.

A Turkish Airlines account is not required to earn ShopBack cashback, but signing in to your Miles&Smiles account before ticketing lets you earn miles on the flight in parallel with cashback. Guest ticketing with a valid PNR and email confirmation still qualifies for cashback provided the click originated from the ShopBack Turkish Airlines merchant page. A ShopBack account is required so cashback has somewhere to accrue; sign up free at shopback.com/signup if you have not already.

Turkish Airlines publishes its own promotions on turkishairlines.com, and any code it issues is entered there at checkout. Comparing fare bundles and booking during the airline's recurring sale windows are other ways to lower what you pay. ShopBack Cashback works like a discount, only easier than a promo code: go through ShopBack before you pay.

Turkish Airlines announces each sale when it launches, so the recurring windows in the sale calendar answer above (winter, spring shoulder season, autumn, and Black Friday through Travel Tuesday) are the best guide to timing. Waiting for Black Friday makes sense when your dates are flexible and the trip is months away. If you are flying in a peak period such as summer or the December holidays, or need specific seats, booking when the fare suits you is usually safer than waiting, because popular flights fill and fares can rise. Whichever you choose, go through ShopBack first and check the live rate on this page.

Going through ShopBack is an essential step before you book, because it is how part of what you pay on an eligible Turkish Airlines cash fare comes back to you as cash. Click through from this ShopBack page to turkishairlines.com before you pay, book as normal, and the Cashback shows in your ShopBack account. You still earn Miles&Smiles miles when you sign in, so you give nothing up by going through ShopBack first. Check the live rate on this page before you book.

ShopBack works like an automatic cash discount on your booking: once the flight is flown and the cashback is confirmed, part of what you paid comes back to you as cash. Because it comes back as cash and not as points or miles, it lowers the effective price of the ticket the same way a discount would. Compare fares on turkishairlines.com, then take the cash back into account using the live rate on this page.

ShopBack's guides on Turkish Airlines cover choosing a travel rewards credit card, finding inexpensive airfare to a European capital and booking flights smartly: What Is the Best Airline Credit Card in 2026? US Picks Compared, How Do I Find Cheap Flights to London From the US in 2026? and Can I Get Cashback on Flights in the US in 2026?.