Southeast Asia on points: Bangkok, Singapore, Saigon and Bali

How far Bangkok, Singapore, Ho Chi Minh City and Bali sit from US gateways

Bangkok, Singapore, Ho Chi Minh City and Denpasar sit between roughly 7,400 and 10,600 flown miles from the main US gateways, depending on the connection. For Aeroplan, that distance puts almost every routing into the 7,501 to 11,000 mile band of its North America to Pacific chart. For Atmos Rewards, the same trips split between the 7,001 to 10,000 band and the band above 10,000, and the split falls on East Coast trips to Singapore and Bali. KrisFlyer ignores distance and prices by zone, so an East Coast start costs only 2,000 to 2,500 miles more than a West Coast start in Saver economy. Virgin Atlantic prices ANA by region and its SkyTeam partners by distance, which gives it one of the lowest business prices through Tokyo and the highest through Seoul.

The distances here are approximate great-circle figures computed from airport coordinates, segment by segment. Aeroplan says its prices are based on the actual distance flown between origin and destination, and Atmos says its chart shows starting prices by distance band. Your program's own search is what decides the band. Where a routing lands within about 100 miles of a band edge, the table below says so, because a different airport pair or a slightly longer flight path can move it.

The route table prices routings, not seats. A Saver seat on Singapore Airlines, a partner seat on JAL or a Korean Air award has to be open on your date, and every chart here says seats are subject to availability. Read it as the price you should expect to see when a seat does show up, and as a way to decide which program to search first.

KrisFlyer's prices barely move between the four cities, so the deciding question for a Singapore Airlines booking is seat availability, not the destination. Atmos has the lowest economy points price in the table on every routing it covers under 10,000 miles, and the price jumps by 22,500 points in economy and 45,000 in business once a routing crosses that line. And the Seattle routings through Seoul are the only ones in the table that fall under Aeroplan's 7,500 mile line, which saves 15,000 points in economy and 17,500 in business against the same trip routed through Tokyo.

Through Singapore: what KrisFlyer charges on its own airline

KrisFlyer publishes two one-way charts for Singapore Airlines flights, Saver and Advantage, in thousands of miles, effective 1 November 2025. The chart divides the world into 13 zones. Singapore is Zone 1; Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei are Zone 2; the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos are Zone 3; Japan and South Korea are Zone 7; the US West Coast is Zone 12 and the US East Coast is Zone 13. A round trip costs twice the one-way figure. Premium economy is priced on the Saver chart only.

The chart applies to flights Singapore Airlines operates. It says redemption is not permitted on Singapore Airlines codeshare flights operated on other airlines' aircraft, and that travel must follow a published route of the airline, without backtracking and within the maximum permitted mileage between two zones. A starred figure is indicative and may not apply to backtracking routes or other routing configurations, so the zone price is where to start, not a promise.

The Saver row is the one to search. Advantage costs between 79 and 84 percent more in economy and about 31 to 41 percent more in business, and it buys two things: a better chance of a seat, and one complimentary stopover of up to 30 days on a one-way Advantage award. A one-way Saver award includes no stopover. If you want three nights in Singapore on the way to Bali, Advantage includes the stop; on Saver, the same plan becomes two separate awards.

The cash side is the lightest of the four programs on paper. Both the Advantage and Saver pages of the chart say awards start from US$24 in taxes, charges and fees, payable separately in the applicable currency. A trip that starts in the US also carries the US international departure tax of $23.40 per passenger and the TSA security fee of $5.60 per one-way trip, so plan on at least $29.00 per traveler from the US even before any foreign charge. The chart's Zone 12 to Zone 7 cell, 42,500 miles in Saver economy, carries a dagger meaning it is valid only for nonstop flights between two destinations; that matters for the Tokyo split priced further down.

When Singapore Airlines has no seat: KrisFlyer on Star Alliance partners

KrisFlyer has a second chart for flights operated by Star Alliance members, or a mix of those and Singapore Airlines flights. It is a round-trip chart, effective 1 November 2025, and a one-way award costs half. Star Alliance's member list includes THAI, ANA, EVA Air, United and Asiana, which between them cover most connections through Tokyo, Taipei and Seoul.

Between North America and either of the chart's two Southeast Asia regions, the round trip is 128,000 miles in economy, 262,000 in business and 369,000 in first. One way, that is 64,000, 131,000 and 184,500. Because both Southeast Asia regions carry identical prices from North America, it does not matter which of the two holds Bangkok, Singapore or Bali for this trip. North Asia costs less in economy and more in business: 112,000 and 285,000 round trip to North Asia 1, and 125,000 and 285,000 to North Asia 2.

The partner chart costs 18,000 more miles than Saver in economy and 13,500 more in business (131,000 against 117,500 from the West Coast). That makes it a fallback business-class option for anyone holding KrisFlyer miles: if Singapore Airlines shows no Saver business seat, a THAI or EVA seat through the partner chart costs about 11 percent more. The chart says awards start from US$40 in taxes, surcharges and fees, a different wording from the Singapore Airlines chart's taxes, charges and fees, so check the cash line on a partner award before you transfer. It also prices a one-way award with a stopover sector by sector, and adds a surcharge equal to the percentage by which a route exceeds the maximum permitted mileage.

Through Tokyo: three programs price the same connection three ways

A connection in Tokyo opens three charts at once. Aeroplan prices it by total distance on its fixed partner rows. Atmos prices a JAL routing by distance on its Asia Pacific chart. Virgin Atlantic prices an ANA routing by adding a US to Japan region price to a Japan to Southeast Asia region price.

Aeroplan's North America to Pacific chart, dated 2026-08, prices fixed-price partners at 32,500 points in economy and 55,000 in business up to 5,000 miles, 50,000 and 85,000 from 5,001 to 7,500 miles, 65,000 and 102,500 from 7,501 to 11,000 miles, and 70,000 and 115,000 above 11,000 miles. Air Canada and its select partners, which include United, are priced dynamically, starting at 50,000 in economy and 85,000 in business in the 7,501 to 11,000 band, with medians of 60,000 and 100,000. Aeroplan's reward policy prices Hong Kong to Bangkok to Singapore as Pacific to Pacific, which places both cities in its Pacific zone; Ho Chi Minh City and Denpasar sit in the same region, and the search tool confirms the zone.

Atmos Rewards' Asia Pacific chart (Wayback copy of the award chart page, saved May 18, 2026; the live page would not load for this check) starts at 42,500 points in economy, 55,000 in premium economy and 85,000 in business from 7,001 to 10,000 miles, and 65,000, 85,000 and 130,000 at 10,000 miles and above. The page calls these starting prices and says the actual price may vary with the city pair, the partner's pricing and the number of segments. Atmos's terms list partner flight numbers operated by Japan Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Korean Air and STARLUX, among them carriers that connect a US start to Southeast Asia through Tokyo, Hong Kong, Seoul or Taipei.

Virgin's ANA page lists every price as Japan to somewhere, so a US to Bangkok trip on ANA is priced here as two lines added together. That is a reading of the page, not a printed through-price: plan on two awards, and the Flying Club team, which books ANA awards by phone, can confirm the total before you move points. If the Tokyo to Bangkok award is ticketed on its own, it starts in Japan, and ANA's Japan-origin row (JPY 32,000 for Thailand or Singapore) applies to it rather than the US-sold USD 203. The page says the prices are one way and exclude passenger taxes, duties, fees, charges and surcharges, and that only ANA-operated flights can be booked.

That exclusion is where the Tokyo routing on ANA gets expensive. ANA's fuel surcharge table, last updated October 30, 2026, sets USD 419 per passenger per flight between North America and Japan for tickets bought in America and issued from November 1 to December 31, 2026, plus USD 203 between Japan and Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Myanmar or Cambodia, USD 130 for Vietnam and USD 271 for Indonesia. ANA also says special rules may apply when an itinerary connects one international flight to another, so treat $622 for Los Angeles to Bangkok as an estimate that the booking quote replaces. In economy, that is more than many cash fares; in business, it is a small share of the fare. The Japan on points guide prices the same surcharge for trips that stop in Japan.

Through Seoul: the Seattle routings that stay under 7,500 miles

Seattle is the one US gateway where a connection in Seoul keeps the whole trip under Aeroplan's 7,500 mile line. Seattle to Incheon is about 5,200 miles, Incheon to Ho Chi Minh City about 2,210 and Incheon to Bangkok about 2,280, for totals of roughly 7,420 and 7,480 miles. Both land in the 5,001 to 7,500 band at 50,000 points in economy and 85,000 in business on a fixed-price partner, against 65,000 and 102,500 for the same trip through Tokyo, which runs about 7,650 miles to Bangkok because Seattle to Narita (about 4,760) plus Narita to Bangkok (about 2,890) is longer.

The margin is thin. Bangkok through Seoul clears the line by about 17 miles on great-circle arithmetic, and Aeroplan uses its own figure for the distance flown. Treat 50,000 as possible and 65,000 as the fallback, and look at the price on the search result before transferring. Ho Chi Minh City through Seoul has about 80 miles of room, which is more comfortable. Seattle to Ho Chi Minh City through Tokyo is about 7,480 miles, also under the line but by only about 20 miles.

Starting farther south moves every Seoul routing into the higher band: Los Angeles to Incheon alone is about 5,980 miles, so Los Angeles to Denpasar through Seoul is about 9,260. From California, Seoul's advantage disappears and the choice comes down to the airline and the seat.

Virgin Atlantic's Korean Air chart goes the other way. It prices by distance band, and 7,001 to 12,000 miles costs 50,000 points in economy and 140,000 in business one way. Seattle to Bangkok through Seoul lands in that band, so Virgin matches Aeroplan's lower price in economy and costs 55,000 more in business. The page excludes taxes, charges and surcharges from those prices, books only Korean Air-operated flights, and publishes blackout date tables that include a separate column for international departures from the US. If you hold Virgin points and want business class to Southeast Asia, the ANA routing through Tokyo is cheaper in points, but on Korean Air the cash you pay depends on what the quote adds.

One award or two: splitting the trip at Tokyo, priced

A connection inside one award and a split into two awards can price very differently, and the direction depends on the program. Aeroplan prices one award on its total distance. Its policy allows connections of up to 24 hours between international flights on bookings made by phone, and one stopover per direction of up to 45 days for extra points, which is not allowed inside Canada, the United States or China. Split the trip into two awards and each half is priced on its own row.

From Seattle, two Aeroplan awards cost 32,500 for Seattle to Tokyo (about 4,760 miles, the up-to-5,000 band) plus 30,000 for Tokyo to Bangkok (the 2,001 to 5,000 band of the within-Pacific chart), or 62,500 in economy. That is 2,500 less than the 65,000 through-price, but it means two partner booking fees of C$39 and two sets of taxes. In business the split costs more: 55,000 plus 52,500 is 107,500, against 102,500 through. From Los Angeles, the split loses in both cabins, because Los Angeles to Tokyo is about 5,440 miles and lands in the 50,000 and 85,000 band: 80,000 in economy and 137,500 in business against 65,000 and 102,500 through.

KrisFlyer's split is worse still. Zone 12 to Zone 7 costs 42,500 miles in Saver economy (nonstop only), and Zone 7 to Zone 3 costs 27,000, a total of 69,500 against 46,000 for Zone 12 to Zone 3 through Singapore. Virgin's ANA pricing is already two Japan-anchored awards added together, which in practice means two tickets; the split is built in, so the points do not change, but each ticket carries its own surcharge row.

The rule that follows: from Seattle, an Aeroplan economy split at Tokyo saves 2,500 points and costs a second C$39 fee per traveler, which is about even; everywhere else, keep the trip on one award. A deliberate stop in Tokyo is a better use of the routing than a split. Aeroplan allows one stopover per direction for extra points, Atmos allows one stopover of up to 14 days per one-way international award, and KrisFlyer allows one on a one-way Advantage award but not on Saver.

Denpasar: the last leg that decides the price

Bali adds a leg on every routing priced here, through Singapore, Hong Kong or Tokyo. The leg is short from Singapore (about 1,040 miles) and longer from Hong Kong (about 2,150) or Tokyo (about 3,490). On KrisFlyer the extra leg costs nothing extra in zone terms: Denpasar is Zone 2, priced the same as Bangkok from the US. On distance charts, it can cost a band.

Atmos shows the effect most clearly. Los Angeles to Denpasar through Hong Kong is about 9,400 miles and prices at 42,500 points in economy. New York to Denpasar through Hong Kong is about 10,210 miles and prices at 65,000, because the extra 2,150 mile leg pushes it over 10,000. New York to Bangkok through Hong Kong is about 9,110 miles and stays in the lower band. For an East Coast family, the 22,500 point difference per traveler in economy is 90,000 points for four people, enough to change the destination decision before the airline question even comes up.

Aeroplan is less sensitive, because its 7,501 to 11,000 band is wide: New York to Denpasar through Singapore is about 10,570 miles and still prices at 65,000 in economy. The alternative for Bali is to price the long-haul to Singapore, Bangkok or Hong Kong on one program and the short final leg separately. On Aeroplan's within-Pacific chart a leg of 1,001 to 2,000 miles is 15,000 points in economy, and Singapore to Denpasar is just over 1,000 miles; on Atmos, a leg of less than 1,500 miles starts at 7,500 points. A separate final leg means a separate ticket, and if the first flight is late the second airline has no duty to rebook you.

Nonstop to Ho Chi Minh City on Vietnam Airlines

Vietnam Airlines' San Francisco nonstop is the one routing here that reaches Vietnam without a connection, and Virgin Atlantic's partner chart prices it. Virgin Atlantic's Vietnam Airlines page prices awards by distance band, one way: 37,000 points in economy, 70,000 in premium economy and 100,000 in business from 6,001 to 7,000 miles, and 50,000, 95,000 and 140,000 from 7,001 to 12,000 miles.

San Francisco to Ho Chi Minh City is about 7,830 miles, so it falls in the top band. At 50,000 points in economy, the nonstop costs the same as the Seattle routings through Seoul on Aeroplan and 4,000 more than KrisFlyer via Singapore, and it saves a connection, which matters with children. Business at 140,000 is the highest business price among the routings in the first table, and premium economy at 95,000 sits between the two, against 82,500 on KrisFlyer Saver via Singapore and a 55,000 starting price on Atmos.

The page says rewards can be booked only on flights Vietnam Airlines operates, not on Vietnam Airlines flight numbers operated by another airline, and that the prices exclude taxes, duties, fees, charges and surcharges. The lap-infant price is 1,000 Virgin points in economy, 2,000 in premium and 5,000 in business. As with every partner booking, find the seat first: the page lists no seat inventory, and blackout dates may apply.

The cash column, program by program

The points price is half of each comparison. The cash due at booking is the other half, and the four programs describe it differently. The table quotes each program's own wording, and nothing beyond it: where a program does not say whether it passes on fuel surcharges, the table does not guess. The general logic of which charges survive an award is set out in award taxes and carrier surcharges.

For a family, multiply every per-person line by the number of travelers and every per-ticket line by the number of tickets. On Aeroplan, a family of four booked as one round-trip ticket each pays four partner booking fees, C$156; split each direction into its own award and it is eight, C$312. Canadian dollar amounts convert at the rate on the day; the cash-versus-points calculator takes the converted figure as the fees that survive.

Cents per point at a $650 economy fare and a $4,200 business fare

Cents per point here means the cash fare minus the cash still due on the award, divided by the points. The inputs are a one-way Los Angeles to Bangkok fare of $650 in economy and $4,200 in business. Those fares are placeholders, not quotes; replace them with the fare on your date. Every award row includes the $29.00 in US departure tax and TSA fee. Aeroplan adds C$39 converted at an illustrative 0.72, or $28.08. Atmos adds its $12.50 partner fee. The Virgin on ANA row adds ANA's $622 surcharge estimate.

Worked through for one row, KrisFlyer Saver in economy is $650 minus $29.00, or $621, divided by 46,000 points, which is 1.35 cents per point. The Virgin economy row fails because the $651 in cash due is $1 more than the $650 cash fare: the award costs 50,000 points and still costs more cash than buying the ticket.

The Atmos row is a ceiling, not a final figure. Its page says carrier-imposed fees vary and appear at search, and every $100 of such fees takes about 0.24 cents off the economy figure and 0.12 off the business figure. Even so, the rows rank differently by cabin. In economy, the low-cash KrisFlyer Saver price is hard to beat, and any program that adds a large surcharge is the wrong one. In business, the surcharge shrinks against the fare, and the lower points prices on Atmos, Aeroplan and Virgin come out ahead of KrisFlyer. If you hold a target, say 1.5 cents, none of these economy bookings clears it at a $650 fare, and every business booking in the table does, Advantage included at 2.71.

Babies, children and blackout dates on these awards

Family rules differ more than prices across these four programs, and one of them can rule a program out entirely. Atmos's chart page says lap infants are not permitted on international partner awards; members have to buy the infant a seat at prevailing rates. A family flying with a baby on JAL or Cathay through Atmos is therefore pricing a full extra seat, which changes the comparison more than any band.

KrisFlyer says a child of 2 to under 12 needs the same number of miles as an adult on Saver and Advantage awards, and that an infant's ticket must be bought with cash; KrisFlyer miles cannot be redeemed for an infant. Virgin's partner pages price a lap infant in points: on ANA, 1,000 Virgin points in economy, 5,000 in business and 7,000 in first; on Vietnam Airlines, 1,000, 2,000 and 5,000 across economy, premium and business. Aeroplan's infant rules are not covered here; the site's guide to lap infants and kids on award tickets covers how programs handle them.

• Atmos partner award: no lap infant on international partner flights; buy a seat for the baby.
• KrisFlyer: same miles for a child aged 2 to under 12; infant ticket paid in cash.
• Virgin Atlantic on ANA or Vietnam Airlines: lap infant priced at 1,000 points in economy.
• Korean Air through Virgin: blackout tables listed separately for departures from the US, so check the school-holiday dates before building a trip around it.

School holidays make the availability question harder than the price question. A family of four needs four seats in the same cabin on the same flight, which is rarer than one. The family of four on points playbook explains how to search for four seats and when to split a family across two bookings.

Getting bank points into KrisFlyer, Aeroplan, Atmos or Virgin

Each program is reachable from a different set of banks, and that often decides the choice before the chart does. The list below comes from the banks' own transfer pages as read on October 30, 2026; ratios are printed only where the page printed them.

Chase says its transfers are final and arrive by the next business day, though some take up to seven business days. That matters most for KrisFlyer, where a Saver seat can disappear in the time it takes to move points. Find the seat first, confirm the points and the cash due, then transfer; how to transfer points to an airline covers the mechanics, and how to search award availability covers finding the seat.

Six checks before moving points to a Southeast Asia award

• Search Singapore Airlines Saver space first if you hold Amex, Chase or Capital One points; at 46,000 miles one way in economy from the West Coast it is the lowest-cash option.
• Work out your routing's flown distance, and flag anything within 100 miles of Aeroplan's 7,500 line or Atmos's 10,000 line.
• On any ANA routing, add USD 419 for the Pacific flight and the Southeast Asia row from ANA's surcharge table before computing value.
• If a lap infant is coming, rule out Atmos partner awards and price an infant cash ticket on KrisFlyer.
• Compare the cash due on the award with the cash fare; if the award's cash is close to the fare, pay cash.
• Transfer only after the seat, the points price and the cash due are confirmed on the booking screen.

When to pay cash across the Pacific and use points for the hop

The short intra-Asia legs are where points often go furthest relative to the cash fare, and the cheapest one-way awards above are all under 1,000 miles. Singapore to Bangkok is about 880 miles and Singapore to Ho Chi Minh City about 680. On Aeroplan's within-Pacific chart, 0 to 1,000 miles is 8,000 points in economy and 20,000 in business. On Atmos, under 1,500 miles starts at 7,500 in economy and 15,000 in business. KrisFlyer prices Singapore to Bangkok or Ho Chi Minh City at 13,000 Saver miles in economy and 25,000 in business.

That opens a split worth pricing when the long-haul award costs a lot of cash. If the Pacific crossing is cheap in cash and the award would carry a large surcharge, as the ANA economy row shows, pay cash for the long flight and use 7,500 to 13,000 points for the final hop. In business class, the opposite holds: the long-haul fare is where the cents per point are, and the short hop is a small saving either way.

For a trip to two cities, say Bangkok and Bali, price the long-haul to one of them, then the hop between them on whichever chart is cheapest, then the long-haul home. For the trans-Pacific half, the premium cabin on points playbook explains why business seats usually return more per point than economy, and Australia and New Zealand on points works the same charts for the longer South Pacific band.