Best Airline Stopover Programs in 2026

Which airline has the best stopover program in 2026?

Aeroplan is the best default for most international stopover plans because its current policy is simple: one stopover per direction, up to 45 days, for 5,000 points. Before buying, confirm the award seat and required loyalty-program balance, then browse available miles to purchase only what you need.

Which airlines offer free stopovers or layover programs?

Icelandair, TAP Air Portugal, Turkish Airlines and Emirates run free stopover or layover programs, each with its own limits: Icelandair adds an Iceland stop at no extra airfare, TAP allows up to 10 days in Lisbon or Porto, Turkish gives complimentary hotel nights and city tours on qualifying layovers, and Emirates offers complimentary hotel stays on long connections (official airline pages, accessed 2026-10-05).

Qatar Airways sells Doha stopover packages from USD 14 per person for transits of 12 to 96 hours; these are low-cost, not free (Qatar Airways, accessed 2026-10-05). Airline-run programs differ from award stopovers: they are airline promotions tied to the ticket and routing, while the award stopover rules below depend on each program's award pricing and may cost extra points.

How does Aeroplan’s stopover policy work?

Aeroplan permits one stopover in each direction, including on a one-way ticket, with a maximum stay of 45 days. The stopover must be outside Canada, the United States, and China, and it adds 5,000 points. Aeroplan also requires travel to continue from the stopover city rather than creating an open-jaw there.

How many stopovers does KrisFlyer allow?

KrisFlyer offers different stopover counts by award type: Saver allows one stopover on a round trip and none on a one-way; Advantage allows one on a one-way and two on a round trip. Complimentary stopovers are limited to 30 days, and longer stays require separate redemption bookings under current terms.

Can you add a stopover to a Turkish Airlines award?

Turkish Miles&Smiles is narrower. For Turkish-operated award tickets, the official terms allow one stopover on either the outbound or inbound portion of a round trip. Turkish’s detailed terms also say one-way awards cannot include a stopover, so confirm the exact ticket type before planning around Istanbul.

Does Atmos Rewards still offer a free stopover?

Atmos Rewards allows one en-route stopover of up to 14 days per one-way on eligible international itineraries; a round trip can have two, one in each direction. Alaska’s current award page recommends using the multi-city search, while partner eligibility, routing, and award availability still determine whether the itinerary can be ticketed.

How do the major stopover programs compare?

Aeroplan is strongest for long stays, KrisFlyer offers the most stopover slots on Advantage round trips, Turkish is useful only within its carrier-specific rules, and Atmos Rewards provides a shorter international stopover. Use the table to match the program to the trip rather than choosing by headline stopover count.

How do you decide whether a stopover is worth it?

Use the MileMarketplace Stopover Yield Test: choose a stopover when the incremental points, taxes, lodging, and ground costs are lower than the separate-trip cost or the experience value you assign. Hypothetically, 5,000 extra Aeroplan points plus $35 in taxes replacing a $180 positioning flight equals ($180 − $35) ÷ 5,000 = 2.9 cents per point before lodging.

Before buying, confirm the award seat and required loyalty-program balance, then browse available miles to purchase only what you need.

For the full multi-stop version of a stopover, see round-the-world award tickets and open-jaw award tickets.