TAP Portugal: What You Need to Know

TAP Air Portugal is a Portuguese carrier based out of Lisbon, the European country’s capital. Despite its status as a national carrier, it’s a budget airline with no-frills service from point A to point B.

TAP is a Star Alliance member, meaning you can earn and redeem TAP Miles&Go miles with at least 26 carriers for award flights to more than 1,200 airports worldwide.

This TAP Portugal guide covers details of the airline, how to earn TAP Portugal airline miles, the best cards for earning TAP Portugal miles, how much those miles are worth and what you need to know before you travel with TAP.

TAP Air Portugal is a Lisbon-based airline that has its roots in 1946 when it operated its first flight from Lisbon to Madrid. Now, it serves more than 80 destinations in more than 30 countries throughout Europe, Africa, North America and South America.

TAP operates direct flights from Humberto Delgado Airport in Lisbon to the following U.S. cities:

• Boston.

• Chicago.

• Miami.

• New York (John F. Kennedy and Newark airports).

• San Francisco.

• Washington, D.C.

The carrier also operates seasonal flights from Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport in Porto to Boston and New York (JFK and Newark airports).

TAP Portugal’s frequent flyer program is called Miles&Go. You can credit Star Alliance flights to Miles&Go and use miles to book flights on Star Alliance and other partners.

During the process of booking intercontinental tickets, you’ll have a choice of several TAP Air Portugal fare classes: Discount, Basic, Classic, Plus, Executive and Top Executive. The higher the fare, the more extras that are included.

Executive and Top Executive fares are considered business class. Each fare type includes the following services:

Discount

• Carry-on bag (22 pounds/10 kilograms).

• Ticket changes for a fee of $180.

• Miles: 20%.

Basic

• Carry-on bag (22 pounds/10 kilograms).

• Checked bag (50 pounds/23 kilograms).

• Ticket changes for a fee of $160.

• Miles: 50%.

Classic

• Carry-on bag (22 pounds/10 kilograms).

• Checked bag (50 pounds/23 kilograms). Medium-haul and long-haul flights to or from Africa are eligible for two pieces of checked baggage.

• Complimentary standard seat selection.

• Complimentary ticket changes.

• Refundable for a fee of $125 on one-way tickets and $250 on round-trip tickets.

• Miles: 100%.

Plus

• Carry-on bag (22 pounds/10 kilograms).

• Two checked bags (50 pounds/23 kilograms).

• Complimentary standard or comfort seat selection.

• Complimentary ticket changes.

• Fully refundable.

• Miles: 150%.

Executive

• Two carry-on bags (22 pounds/10 kilograms). Flights to or from the U.S. are eligible for one piece of carry-on baggage only.

• Two checked bags (70 pounds/32 kilograms).

• Seat reservation.

• Premium boarding.

• Lounge access.

• Priority baggage.

• Premium customer service.

• Ticket changes for a fee of $160.

• Refundable for a fee of $125 on one-way tickets and $250 on round-trip tickets.

• Miles: 150%.

Top Executive

• Two carry-on bags (22 pounds/10 kilograms). Flights to or from the U.S. are eligible for one piece of carry-on baggage only.

• Two checked bags (70 pounds/32 kilograms).

• Seat reservation.

• Premium boarding.

• Lounge access.

• Priority baggage.

• Premium customer service.

• Complimentary ticket changes.

• Fully refundable.

• Miles: 200%.

TAP has the following 10 aircraft in its fleet:

• Airbus A330-900 neo.

• Airbus A321-200LR.

• Airbus A321-200neo.

• Airbus A320-200 neo.

• Airbus A330-200.

• Airbus A321-200.

• Airbus A320-200.

• Airbus A319-100.

• Embraer 195.

• Embraer 190.

Members of the TAP Miles&Go program, the frequent flyer program of TAP Air Portugal, can earn Bonus Miles in many ways.

Earn by flying

You can earn TAP Bonus Miles by flying TAP, other Star Alliance carriers and nonalliance partners.

The number of miles you’ll earn on TAP-operated flights depends on the fare type and the destination. You’ll earn a percentage of the distance flown, which correlates to the fare type and the region.

For partner flights, pay attention to the booking class because that and the flight distance determine how many Bonus Miles are earned on a particular flight.

For example, if you fly on United Airlines and choose to credit the flight to the TAP Miles&Go program, you’ll earn a percentage of the distance flown for the following United fare classes:

• 25% of the miles flown for fare classes G, K and N.

• 50% of the miles flown for fare classes L, S and T.

• 75% of the miles flown for fare classes Q, V and W.

• 100% of the miles flown for fare classes A, B, E, H, M, O, R, U and Y.

• 125% of the miles flown for fare classes D, P and Z.

• 150% of the miles flown for fare classes C and J.

Each TAP airline partner has its own mileage accrual rules, so check the rates in advance for the specific carrier.

Earn by spending on credit cards

U.S. flyers can earn TAP Bonus Miles by spending on the TAP Miles&Go American Express® Credit Card. On top of the welcome offer of 40,000 miles after spending $2,500 in the first 90 days of being a card member, you’ll earn miles at the following rates:

• 3 miles per dollar on TAP purchases.

• 2 miles per dollar on hotels, car rentals and ride-hailing services.

• 1 mile per dollar on all other purchases.

Terms apply.

Earn by transferring points

TAP Miles&Go is a transfer partner of Capital One. You can transfer miles into the program at a ratio of 1:1. For every 1,000 Capital One Miles you transfer, you’ll receive 1,000 TAP Bonus Miles.

You also can transfer Marriott Bonvoy points to TAP Miles&Go at a ratio of 3:1, with a bonus of 5,000 miles for every 60,000 Marriott points transferred in one chunk. For every 60,000 points converted, you’ll end up with 25,000 TAP Bonus Miles.

» Learn more: The best airline credit cards right now

NerdWallet values TAP Portugal miles at 0.8 cent each.

The value was derived from hundreds of real-world economy-class redemption opportunities across multiple dates and destinations and doesn’t include premium-cabin flights, which typically yield higher valuations.

» Learn more: What are points and miles worth this year?

Fly TAP between North America and Portugal

TAP is one of the airlines that still publishes an award chart, meaning you should have an idea of how many miles any given itinerary should cost.

Having said that, the actual redemption rates vary, but if you’re flexible with travel dates, you can find low-level redemption rates.

For example, one-way flights between North America and Portugal (including Azores and Madeira) start at 29,000 miles in economy class and 100,000 miles in business class.

So, you can fly from New York-JFK to Ponta Delgada, Portugal, for 29,000 miles plus $34 in economy class.

Fly TAP between Portugal and West Africa

Let’s say you’re already in Europe and would like to add a different destination to your trip. One-way flights from Portugal to West Africa start at 23,500 miles in economy class and 66,000 miles in business class.

We found an option for a nonstop TAP Air Portugal flight from Lisbon, to Praia, Cape Verde, for 23,500 miles plus $63 in economy class.

Fly Star Alliance partners within Asia

If you need a long-distance flight within the Asia region, you might be able to book some good awards.

For example, a flight between New Delhi and Tokyo-Haneda on Star Alliance members All Nippon Airways (ANA) or Singapore Airlines will set you back 40,000 miles in economy class or 60,000 miles in business class (plus taxes and fees).

It’s a great way to try out some of these premium-class products without having to compete for space with the U.S.-based flyers.

» Learn more: What to know before your first time flying first class

Elite status levels and benefits

The TAP Miles&Go program has three status tier levels: Silver, Gold and Navigator. Depending on your tier, you can get the following perks on TAP flights:

• Bonus redeemable miles.

• Discounts on companion tickets booked with miles.

• Ability to gift status.

• Dedicated customer service line.

• Priority standby at the airport.

• Premium boarding.

• Priority baggage handling.

• Access to Star Alliance lounges.

• Additional checked baggage.

• Access to fast-track lines at select airports.

• Seat upgrades.

• Advance miles (for award redemptions).

• Free Wi-Fi.

For the full list of benefits for each status tier, visit this page.

How to earn TAP Miles&Go elite status

You can reach each level by completing a certain number of flights, flying a certain number of miles or converting redeemable miles for status at a 2:1 ratio in a qualification period.

An annual qualification period begins the month after you join the loyalty program and lasts 12 months.

Keep in mind it’s not possible to convert miles to earn status outright — you can only do so to supplement, and only at lower levels.

Here’s how you earn each status tier:

TAP Miles&Go Navigator status qualification or requalification requires at least 10 flight segments flown on Plus, Executive or Top Executive fares.

TAP Portugal is a carrier that offers complimentary stopovers in either Lisbon or Porto on select itineraries.

With TAP, a stopover can last up to 10 days on either the outbound or return journey. It’s also possible to add a stopover to a one-way flight.

Additionally, you can get a 25% discount by adding another flight in any Portuguese city during your stopover period. To take advantage of this additional discount, you’ll receive a promo code for the second flight after your first itinerary is booked.

To book a TAP flight with a stopover, go to flytap.com, enter your departure and destination cities, and select “Add a free TAP Stopover” in the booking field.

If your itinerary is eligible for a free stopover, you’ll see a pop-up screen asking you to enter more details.

Let’s say you want to travel from New York to Madrid but want to stop over in Lisbon on the way to Spain. The pop-up screen will ask whether you want to add a halfway stopover in Lisbon or Porto, which travel direction and for how many nights.

Fill out the form and confirm your itinerary details.

In terms of ticket costs and aircraft fleet, TAP offers a respectable price-to-quality ratio. With the many fare types, you can choose exactly the trip extras that you need at a price you like.

However, for those used to flying full-service carriers across the Atlantic, charging extra for baggage and seat selection can seem annoying.

The Portugal stopover program is quite generous with the option to add a stop in a Portuguese city on the same ticket. This program offers some balance to the feeling of being charged for other services.

In terms of the frequent flyer program, Miles&Go offers some interesting redemption options, but because only Capital One transfers into the program 1:1, it isn’t extremely useful for most U.S.-based travelers.