Business class award fares to Hong Kong from Los Angeles ran from 85,000 to 175,000 points one way (9 finds) in PointsGPT's recorded finds, September and October 2026, and half were at or below 116,000. From New York, business finds ran from 105,000 to 174,000 points, with four of them at 174,000, plus one unusually low find at 30,000 (8 finds). These are recorded finds for one traveler, one way, as of 20 October 2026. They were available when someone searched and may not be by the time you do. Award availability changes frequently.
What the recorded finds show
A recorded find is the cheapest award fare a PointsGPT search returned in the cabin and on the dates the person asked for. The figures below are airline miles, one way, for one traveler. When your card points transfer at 1:1, the miles and the card points are the same number.
From Los Angeles (LAX and the nearby airports):
- Business (9 finds, from nine different people): 85,000, 110,000, 110,000, 116,000, 116,000, 175,000, 175,000, 175,000 and 175,000 points. Half were at or below 116,000.
- Premium economy: one recorded find, at 42,500 points.
- Economy: one recorded find, at 23,000 points.
From New York (JFK, Newark and LaGuardia):
- Business (8 finds): 105,000, 110,000, 130,000 and 174,000 points, the last of them four times, plus one unusually low find at 30,000.
- Economy: one recorded find, at 37,500 points.
From every departure city we recorded, including San Francisco, Miami and Washington:
- Business (32 finds): a quarter were at or below 108,750 points and half at or below 152,000.
- From San Francisco alone, business finds had a middle value of 175,000 points (7 finds).
Of the Hong Kong searches that reached our award data, 95% found at least one award fare in the cabin asked for (37 of 39). Almost every Hong Kong search we recorded asked for business class, so the economy and premium economy figures are single finds. Read them as examples, not a typical price.
Which programs priced these fares
Each search shows a board of fares, and we recorded the airline program behind each one. Across the Hong Kong business boards, United MileagePlus appeared most often and was usually the fare shown first. Emirates Skywards, Flying Blue, Air Canada Aeroplan and Delta SkyMiles also appeared on several boards. When we could trace a search's cheapest business find to a program, it was most often Skywards. Every one of the cheapest business finds we could trace to a program included a connection.
These are the card points that reach each program, from the transfer grid PointsGPT uses:
- United MileagePlus: Bilt Points and Chase Ultimate Rewards at 1:1.
- Emirates Skywards: Bilt at 1:1, Amex Membership Rewards and Citi ThankYou Points at 5 points to 4 miles, and Capital One miles at 4 to 3.
- Flying Blue: Amex, Bilt, Capital One, Chase and Citi at 1:1.
- Aeroplan: Amex, Bilt, Capital One and Chase at 1:1.
- Delta SkyMiles: Amex at 1:1.
- Alaska Atmos and Virgin Atlantic, which each priced one of the cheapest finds: Alaska Atmos from Bilt at 1:1; Virgin Atlantic from Amex, Bilt, Chase and Citi at 1:1.
On a six-figure fare, the ratio changes the bill. As a hypothetical example, a 110,000-mile Skywards fare takes 110,000 Bilt Points but 137,500 Amex points at 5 to 4. Partner lists and ratios change, so check your card's current partner list before you transfer. A transfer cannot be undone.
The cash part changes the total
Every award fare carries taxes and fees paid in cash, and some programs add carrier surcharges. On the recorded Hong Kong business finds, the program decided how big that cash part was:
- Skywards: a four-figure cash charge.
- Virgin Atlantic: a three-figure charge.
- Alaska Atmos: two figures.
- United MileagePlus: single figures.
That spread is why the cheapest fare in points is not always the cheapest trip. Add the cash part to the points price, then check whether a lower-surcharge program prices the same flight. The surcharge trap explains why programs charge so differently.
Plan your search
- Two or more travelers: search for everyone at once. One award fare on a flight does not mean the same price is open for your whole party.
- Onward trips: if Hong Kong is one stop on a longer trip in Asia, search each leg on its own as well as together.
If a fare vanishes before you book, why award availability disappears explains what changed. For another long-haul trip across the Pacific, our guide to flying to Japan on points covers the same search habits.
Points or cash?
Before you transfer, compare the award fare's full cost, the points plus the cash part, with the cash fare for the same flight. When the cash fare is already low, paying cash can keep your points for a trip where they cover more. Our guide to points versus cash covers the questions to ask.
How to search it in PointsGPT
Type the trip the way you would say it, for example:
Business class from Los Angeles to Hong Kong, any day in March, 1 traveler
- Tell PointsGPT which card points you hold, so it can mark the fares those points reach.
- Compare the points and the cash part on each fare, and note the connection.
- Confirm the fare with the airline program before you transfer, because the transfer cannot be reversed.