If you're a globe-trotter who loves a good challenge, Turkish Airlines has something bold lined up for 2025. The airline is inviting adventurous travellers to embark on a truly global mission: fly to six different continents with them and walk away with a jaw-dropping 1 million Miles&Smiles miles.
It sounds thrilling, and it is, but this isn’t a casual hop across countries. The rules are strict, the logistics are tricky, and it’ll take real planning to pull it off.
Here’s what it takes to complete this high-flying quest.
The challenge runs from June 27 to October 27, 2025, and during that time, you must both book and complete all your flights. No backdating, no extensions, and definitely no post-trip registrations. Your Miles&Smiles membership must be in place before your first flight, or you're out of the game.
To qualify for the prize, you’ll need to fly to six separate continents—all on Turkish Airlines flights. Sounds straightforward, but there are some key conditions that complicate the journey:
Compared to other airline promotions, this one is genuinely tough. You can’t rely on partner airlines, and with Istanbul excluded as a destination, you'll find yourself needing to reposition again and again without including Istanbul as transit to keep your itinerary on track. It may include longer layover flights, which can be a bummer.
Absolutely, if you're up for the challenge. A million miles with Turkish opens the door to some serious travel in the future, especially if you're savvy with redemptions. But this isn’t a challenge for the casual flyer. You'll need time, flexibility, and a sharp eye for routes to make it work.
If you’re already thinking about how to map this out, you’re exactly the kind of traveller Turkish is targeting. Game on.
It sounds thrilling, and it is, but this isn’t a casual hop across countries. The rules are strict, the logistics are tricky, and it’ll take real planning to pull it off.
Here’s what it takes to complete this high-flying quest.
The Basics: When and How
The challenge runs from June 27 to October 27, 2025, and during that time, you must both book and complete all your flights. No backdating, no extensions, and definitely no post-trip registrations. Your Miles&Smiles membership must be in place before your first flight, or you're out of the game.
The Core Mission: Six Continents, Turkish Style
To qualify for the prize, you’ll need to fly to six separate continents—all on Turkish Airlines flights. Sounds straightforward, but there are some key conditions that complicate the journey:
- All routes must start from or go through Istanbul. You can't just hop on a Turkish fifth freedom route like Singapore to Melbourne and have it count.
- Only the final destination matters. So if you fly from New York to Paris via Istanbul, that only ticks Europe. The origin and transit points aren’t relevant.
- Istanbul itself doesn’t count. No matter how often you transit out of Turkish’s hub, it doesn’t contribute to your continental count.
- Not all tickets are eligible. You’ll need a standard, paid fare, no award redemptions, promotional discounts, or corporate fares. Also, all tickets must be issued after June 27.
- Miles earned won’t boost your elite status, as they're just frequent-flyer miles. While you’ll get 1 million bonus miles for completing the challenge, those won’t help you reach the next elite tier. However, the normal miles from each flight do count toward elite status.
- Economy or Business, it's your call. Cabin class doesn’t matter, although Turkish has teased a “special reward” for anyone who completes the challenge exclusively in Business Class. What that reward is remains a mystery.
- Only Turkish-operated flights qualify. Codeshares, even if they carry a Turkish flight number, won’t count unless you’re actually flying on a Turkish Airlines aircraft.
The Strategy: It’s Not as Easy as It Sounds
Compared to other airline promotions, this one is genuinely tough. You can’t rely on partner airlines, and with Istanbul excluded as a destination, you'll find yourself needing to reposition again and again without including Istanbul as transit to keep your itinerary on track. It may include longer layover flights, which can be a bummer.
Is It Worth It?
Absolutely, if you're up for the challenge. A million miles with Turkish opens the door to some serious travel in the future, especially if you're savvy with redemptions. But this isn’t a challenge for the casual flyer. You'll need time, flexibility, and a sharp eye for routes to make it work.
If you’re already thinking about how to map this out, you’re exactly the kind of traveller Turkish is targeting. Game on.
