Mastering Stopovers and Open Jaws for Maximum Award Value

Travel hacking with airline miles and points opens up worlds of possibility, but many travelers never move beyond a simple round-trip booking. By learning to strategically incorporate stopovers and open jaws into your award tickets, you can turn a single redemption into an unforgettable multi-city adventure—often without spending a single extra mile. These techniques, long used by seasoned frequent flyers, let you stretch your rewards far beyond face value and experience places you might otherwise skip.

In this guide, we’ll break down exactly what stopovers and open jaws are, how to book them, which airlines and alliances allow them, and how to combine them for maximum flexibility. Whether you’re new to mileage redemptions or looking to refine your strategy, these tips will help you unlock dramatically more travel from your points.

What Are Stopovers and Open Jaws?

Before diving into strategy, it’s essential to understand the two core concepts at play:

Stopover

A stopover is a deliberate pause in an intermediate city during a journey that lasts more than 24 hours (or more than 4 hours for domestic flights, depending on the airline). On many award tickets, stopovers are allowed free of charge or for a minimal fee. For example, flying from New York to Tokyo you might stop in Seattle for three days, explore the Pacific Northwest, then continue to Japan on the same award.

Stopovers are the most powerful tool for turning a single award into a multi-stop trip. They effectively let you visit two or more cities for the price of one round-trip or one-way award.

Open Jaw

An open jaw ticket occurs when you fly into one city and fly out of a different city—thereby “opening” a gap in the middle of your itinerary. For instance, you could fly from Los Angeles to Paris, then later fly from Amsterdam back to Los Angeles. The gap between Paris and Amsterdam is your open jaw, which you would cover by ground transportation, a cheap separate flight, or other means.

Open jaws are especially useful for exploring regions without backtracking, such as a European trip starting in Rome and ending in London, or a Southeast Asia tour that begins in Bangkok and ends in Singapore.

How Stopovers Work on Award Tickets

Booking a stopover requires knowing which airlines and alliances permit them, and on what kind of award (round-trip, one-way, or multi-city). Here’s a deeper look at the mechanics.

Airlines and Alliances That Allow Stopovers

Star Alliance is widely regarded as one of the most generous for stopovers on award tickets. For instance, United Airlines MileagePlus allows a free stopover on round-trip awards within the same region. Similarly, Air Canada Aeroplan permits up to two stopovers and one open jaw on many itineraries, making it a favorite among advanced travelers.

Oneworld has less consistent stopover policies, but some members like British Airways allow stopovers on their off-peak awards if you book multi-city itineraries. Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan (a oneworld partner) is famous for allowing a stopover for just $0–100 on many awards.

SkyTeam carriers are more restrictive; Delta SkyMiles generally does not allow stopovers on standard awards, but Air France-KLM Flying Blue sometimes permits stopovers on certain promotional awards or when booking as a multi-city.

How to Book a Stopover

  1. Choose the right award type: Most stopovers are only allowed on round-trip awards, though a few carriers (like ANA Mileage Club) permit them on one-way awards.
  2. Use the airline’s multi-city booking tool: Many online booking engines let you add a stopover city when selecting “Multi-City” instead of “Round-Trip”.
  3. Call the airline: Some complex stopovers cannot be booked online and require a phone agent. Be prepared with your exact dates, flight numbers, and routing.
  4. Check stopover duration rules: Most airlines consider a layover longer than 24 hours a stopover. Some allow up to several days or even weeks.

For example, if you have 120,000 American Airlines AAdvantage miles and want to visit both London and Tokyo, you could book: JFK→LHR (stopover 5 days) LHR→NRT (destination 10 days) NRT→JFK. This would cost the same miles as a simple New York–Tokyo round-trip, provided you adhere to the carrier’s routing rules.

How Open Jaws Work on Award Tickets

Open jaws create a “hole” in your itinerary that you fill using your own resources. They are ideal when you want to end your trip in a different city than where you started, without the cost of an additional one-way award.

Types of Open Jaws

  • Single open jaw: Fly into City A, depart from City B. Example: New York→London, then Paris→New York.
  • Double open jaw: Arrive and depart from different cities at both ends. Example: New York→London, Paris→Boston. This is rarer but possible on some alliances.

Airlines That Permit Open Jaws

Many airlines allow open jaws on round-trip awards, including Air Canada Aeroplan, Alaska Airlines, and British Airways (when booking as multi-city). United MileagePlus also permits open jaws on round-trip awards within certain regions. However, some carriers treat an open jaw as two one-way awards, which can double the mileage cost. Always check the airline’s routing rules before booking.

For example, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer permits a free open jaw on round-trip Saver awards when you book online or by phone. You could fly from San Francisco to Singapore, then later from Bangkok to San Francisco – the gap between Singapore and Bangkok is your open jaw.

Combining Stopovers and Open Jaws for Ultimate Trips

The real magic happens when you use a stopover and an open jaw together on one award. This is sometimes called a “stopover-open jaw” or “circle trip”. Here’s an example using Aeroplan:

  • Start: New York (JFK) → London (LHR) – stopover for 4 days
  • Continue: London (LHR) → Paris (CDG) – destination for 7 days
  • Open jaw: Paris to Amsterdam by train
  • Return: Amsterdam (AMS) → New York (JFK) – final leg

This itinerary uses one round-trip award with a stopover in London and an open jaw between Paris and Amsterdam. The mileage cost is the same as a simple New York–Paris round-trip, but you visited three European capitals.

Similarly, using Alaska Mileage Plan, you could book JFK→Hong Kong (stopover), Hong Kong→Bangkok (destination), then open jaw to Singapore, and finally Singapore→JFK. Alaska allows up to one stopover and one open jaw on many awards, making it incredibly flexible.

Strategies to Maximize Value

Leverage Partner Awards

Stopovers and open jaws often work best when booking partner awards. For instance, ANA Mileage Club allows up to three stopovers on a round-trip award when flying on Star Alliance partners. Transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards or Amex Membership Rewards to ANA for outsized value on business-class trips with stopovers in cities like Tokyo, Bangkok, and Frankfurt.

Use Award Charts to Your Advantage

Some airlines still publish award charts that define regions. For example, Air Canada Aeroplan’s zone-based chart lets you add stopovers and open jaws within the same zone for no extra miles. Flying one zone to another may cost more, but you can still include multiple stops. Study the chart for your frequent flyer program to find sweet spots.

Book Separate One-Way Awards

If the airline you want to use doesn’t allow stopovers or open jaws on round-trip awards, consider booking two one-way awards. While this often costs more miles, sometimes it’s the only way to get the flexibility you need. For example, Delta SkyMiles has no stopovers, so a multi-city trip might require separate one-way redemptions.

Be Flexible with Dates and Routing

Award availability for stopovers can be limited. Use search tools like Google Flights and SeatSpy to find availability across multiple dates. If you can be flexible by a day or two, you can often piece together exactly the routing you want.

Pay Attention to Fuel Surcharges

Some airlines (British Airways, Lufthansa) add high fuel surcharges on award tickets, even with stopovers. When booking, check the taxes and fees for each segment. Using airlines like ANA, Swiss, or Air Canada can sometimes result in lower fees, especially for business-class cabins.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

  • Violating the “maximum permitted mileage” (MPM) rule: Many airlines have a maximum distance for award tickets. Adding a stopover that exceeds MPM can invalidate the booking. Always check the routing before booking.
  • Assuming all airlines allow stopovers on all award types: Some carriers, particularly LCCs and US-based majors (Delta, American on basic awards), do not permit stopovers at all. Read the terms carefully.
  • Forgetting to include a surface segment: If you have an open jaw, you must cover the ground between cities. Don’t rely on the airline to provide a connecting flight. Book your own train, bus, or cheap flight.
  • Overcomplicating the itinerary: While multi-stop trips are exciting, too many legs can increase risk of missed connections or added fees. Stick to one or two stopovers per award.

Real-World Examples of Stopover and Open Jaw Awards

Example 1: Round-the-World with Stopovers (Aeroplan)

Using Air Canada Aeroplan, book a round-trip from Toronto to Singapore with a stopover in Istanbul (Star Alliance hub). Itinerary: YYZ→IST (stopover 3 days), IST→SIN (destination 10 days), SIN→YYZ direct. Total miles: 90,000 in economy (standard region rates). You get to explore Istanbul without paying extra miles.

Example 2: European Open Jaw (British Airways)

Use British Airways Avios to book short-haul awards with an open jaw. Fly from London to Madrid, then after a week take a train to Barcelona, and fly Barcelona back to London. The award costs the same as a London–Madrid round-trip (typically 9,000 Avios off-peak) because the open jaw between Madrid and Barcelona is allowed if you book as a multi-city on ba.com.

Example 3: Alaska Mileage Plan Stopover in Asia

Alaska allows a free stopover on one-way awards between North America and Asia. Book: LAX→HND (stopover 5 days in Tokyo), HND→BKK (destination 7 days), then open jaw to Singapore? Actually Alaska’s one-way awards allow one stopover. To also use an open jaw, book a round-trip with a stopover and open jaw: LAX→HND (stopover), HND→SIN (destination), SIN→ICN (open jaw?), ICN→LAX (return). The details depend on availability, but it’s possible to visit Tokyo, Singapore, and Seoul on one award.

When to Avoid Stopovers and Open Jaws

These strategies are not always optimal. If you are short on time or want the lowest possible redemption cost, a simple nonstop award may be better. Stopovers can increase travel fatigue and require extra planning for ground transportation between open jaw cities. Also, if the airline charges a “premium” for stopovers (e.g., $100 fee on some carriers), weigh that against the value of the extra destination.

Additionally, if you have flexible points that transfer to multiple partners, sometimes booking separate one-way awards on different airlines gives you better routing and fewer restrictions than trying to squeeze everything into one award with a stopover.

Final Thoughts

Stopovers and open jaws are two of the most powerful tools in a travel hacker’s toolkit. By mastering them, you can turn a simple round-trip award into a multi-destination journey that feels like two or three vacations rolled into one. The key is to research each airline’s specific rules, use multi-city search tools, and plan your itinerary around the sweet spots that maximize value.

Whether you want to explore multiple European capitals on a single Avios booking or hop across Asia with Aeroplan, these techniques will save you thousands of dollars and countless hours of travel time. Start experimenting with a few hypothetical itineraries using award search tools, and soon you’ll be booking trips that once seemed impossible on points alone.