Turkish Airlines

Turkish Airlines (TK) is Turkey's flag carrier and a Star Alliance member, hubbing at Istanbul Airport (IST) with what it advertises as the largest destination network of any airline worldwide. 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.

Empty any pending Turkish Airlines booking cart, then click through fresh from the ShopBack Turkish Airlines merchant page to turkishairlines.com. Log in to your Miles&Smiles account, complete the booking in the same browser session, and confirm the ticket email. Avoid pasting unofficial third-party promo codes at checkout since they can break cashback tracking. Cashback tracks on eligible cash fares (award tickets typically excluded). Rates and eligible booking types vary; see the current published rate on the ShopBack Turkish Airlines merchant page.

Yes. Any cancelled or refunded portion of your Turkish Airlines booking is voided from the ShopBack cashback total, since Turkish only pays commission on flown tickets. If you cancel a reservation within the refund window or the flight does not board, the pending cashback will not confirm. Change fees and residual credits also typically fall outside cashback eligibility.

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.