Star Alliance finally matched Turkish’s $699 introductory fares from San Francisco to Istanbul. Despite Turkish being a member of the Star Alliance, there doesn’t seem to be much love between the main Star Alliance members, Lufthansa and Turkish.

We are featuring the Air Canada fare because it is the only one that is mileage earning — even with the United 2015 changes (at least all the changes that have been announced). If you want nonstop, go with Turkish even if it is non-mileage earning. If you want to save ~$60 and earn miles, go with Air Canada.

Photo: David Spender, used under Creative Commons License (By 2.0)

Sample Travel Date:

• April 21st – 27th, 2015

Fare Availability:

• Valid for travel on the outbound from April 13th – June 15th, 2015. Availability is limited. Must purchase at least 3 days in advance of departure

How to Search for Availability:

• Use ITA Software Matrix Airfare Search and use the following search criteria:
  • Departing from: SFO
  • Outbound Advanced Routing Code: yyz
  • Destination:  IST
  • Return Advanced Routing Code: yyz
  • (Click on Advanced Routing Codes link to enable advanced routing code input)
  • Select “See calendar of lowest fares”
  • Length of stay “0-7” (the max date range is 7 days. So 0-7, 5-12, 7-14 etc)
  • You cannot buy tickets using ITA. To buy, follow our instructions below.
• Beginner’s Guide on How to Use Matrix by ITA Software
• How to Read Airfare Rules and Use It to Your Advantage

Fare Class:

• K

Routing:

• SFO -YYZ (Toronto)  – IST (Istanbul) – YYZ – SFO. Take this routing to ensure maximum mileage earning.

Mileage:

• 14,736 miles or 4.3 cents per mile. Air Canada is a member of the Star Alliance and United partner. This fare will earn 100% mileage between Canada and Turkey and 25% between US and Canada. As such, you will earn 11,368 miles or 5.6 cents per mile when crediting to United.

How to Book:

• Support us by using our Orbitz link to book with dates found on ITA Software Matrix Airfare Search. Make sure you select “Additional Search Options” and then “Narrow the search to my preferred airlines” and select Air Canada

Accommodations

For hotel bookings, we recommend that you only book using online travel agencies (Hotels.com or Hotwire.com) if it is a non-chain hotel. We don’t want you to miss out on earning rewards with chain hotels.

• Accor Hotels
  • Sofitel, Pullman, M Gallery, Grand Mercure, Novotel, Mercure, Ibis
• CheapTickets
• Country Inns and Suites
• Design Hotels
• Expedia
• Hilton Hotels
  • Waldorf Astoria, Conrad, Hilton, DoubleTree, Embassy Suites, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton Inn, Homewood Suites, Home2
• HomeAway.com
• Hotels.com
• Intercontinental Group
  • Intercontinental, Crowne Plaza, Hotel Indigo, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Staybridge Suites, Candlewood Suites
• Marriott International
  • Marriott, JW Marriott, Courtyard y Marriott, Renaissance, Residence Inn, Fairfield Inn & Suites, Springhill Suites, Delta Hotels, Moxy, AC Hotels, TownePlace, Autograph Collection, Protea Hotels.
• Orbitz
• Preferred Hotels & Resorts
  • Preferred, Sterling, Summit
• Radisson Hotels
  • Radisson Blu, Radisson, Park Plaza, Park Inn, Hotel Missioni
• Venere
• Wyndham Hotels
  • Wyndham, Tryp, Wingate, Hawthorn, Microtel, Dream, Planet Hollywood, Ramada, Night, Baymont, Days Inn, Super 8, Howard Johnson, Travelodge, Knights Inn

Car Rentals

• Avis – US and Canadian Rentals
• CarRentals.com
• Fox Rent A Car
• Hotwire
• Orbitz
• Payless Car Rental
• Sixt Car Rental – Good Agency for Rentals in Europe

Background Information:

• Visa: US Citizens – required prior to arrival for $20. Must apply online at Republic of Turkey – Electronic Visa Online Application System. Other nationals, check the TIMATIC Visa Database
• Currency: Turkish Lira (TRY). $1USD = 2.09 TRY

Tips for saving when using credit cards at international destinations:

• No Foreign Transaction Fee Credit Cards to save on international purchases
• Don’t get hit with Dynamic Currency Conversion
• Get your taxes refunded when shopping
• How to Avoid International Data Roaming Charges

For more of the latest cheap San Francisco / Bay Area Flight Deals:

• Go to the The San Francisco / Bay Area Flight Deals page

* The Flight Deal will receive a commission if you use the Orbitz, accommodation or car rental affiliate links to make a booking or apply and is approved for a credit card using our link above. Thank you for your continuing support.

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The Flight Deal does not sell travel products or services. We provide you with information about third-party travel suppliers’ offers, and link you to their sites. The information posted by The Flight Deal is valid at the time of publication. However, we have no control over the suppliers, and we therefore do not warrant or guarantee that their offers will not change or become unavailable. Nor are we responsible for their products, services or site content. Please see their sites for their most up-to-date offer information and all applicable terms and conditions.