Compare 12 loyalty programs for New York to Shanghai award flights, with economy seats from 33,000 points.
New York to Shanghai is an ultra-long-haul US–China route where the cheapest awards all connect through hubs such as Tokyo and Los Angeles. Across the 12 programs pricing it, the cheapest economy award is 33,000 points on a routing that includes KLM. That price runs through Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, another airline's program, so KLM's own points aren't automatically the cheapest way on. The tables below compare JFK–PVG pricing across all 12 programs.
Best one-way award prices per airline over the next 12 months.
| Airline | Economy | Premium economy | Business | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Air FranceAF | 33,000Lowest | 66,000pts | 259,000pts | Not available |
 KLMKL | 33,000Lowest | 130,800pts | 246,708pts | Not available |
 American AirlinesAA | 35,000pts | 81,000pts | 124,000pts | Not available |
 Alaska AirlinesAS | 37,500pts | Not available | 225,000pts | 225,000pts |
 Cathay PacificCX | 37,500pts | Not available | 650,000pts | Not available |
 EmiratesEK | 37,500pts | 95,000pts | 105,000Lowest | 295,000pts |
 Japan AirlinesJL | 37,500pts | 50,000Lowest | 225,000pts | 211,300Lowest |
Malaysia AirlinesMH | 37,500pts | Not available | Not available | Not available |
China AirlinesCI | 39,375pts | Not available | Not available | Not available |
 FinnairAY | 42,500pts | Not available | Not available | Not available |
When award seats between New York and Shanghai price cheapest over the next year.
| Month | Cheapest award (points) |
|---|---|
| Nov 2026 | 33,000 |
| Dec 2026 | 35,000 |
| Jan 2027 | 33,000 |
| Feb 2027 | 33,000 |
| Mar 2027 | 33,000 |
| Apr 2027 | 37,500 |
| May 2027 | 37,500 |
| Jun 2027 | 37,500 |
| Jul 2027 | 37,000 |
| Aug 2027 | 35,000 |
| Sep 2027 | No award data |
| Oct 2027 | No award data |
15 airlines with award seats between New York and Shanghai, nonstop or connecting.
American AirlinesAA
Air CanadaACAlaska AirlinesASFinnairAY
JetBlueB6
British AirwaysBACathay PacificCX
DeltaDLEmiratesEK
Etihad AirwaysEY
LufthansaLH
Singapore AirlinesSQ
Turkish AirlinesTK
United AirlinesUA
Virgin AtlanticVSWhat to know before booking New York to Shanghai with points.
~7,380 miles; ~15h20 of flying before connections (approximate). Local time in Shanghai is 12 hours ahead of New York (13 while New York is on standard time). Data covers November 2026–October 2027, with calendar prices for ten months. Counting well-covered months only, November 2026, January 2027, and February 2027 are among the cheapest, at 33,000 points, while April–June 2027 (37,500) run higher.
New York to Shanghai is served by American Airlines, Air Canada, Air France and 34 more, offering multiple options for award travelers. Compare 12 loyalty programs to find the best value for your points. Award prices start from 33,000 points in economy. Use our search tool to check real-time award availability on this route.
From New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG) is about 7,380 miles, or roughly 15h20 of flying before a connection is even added. There's no nonstop in the award data: every itinerary connects.
Settle the cabin before the program: on an ultra-long-haul trip like New York–Shanghai, it moves the price most. The cheapest economy seat connects once, and with no nonstop in the data, extra points can buy a better connection but not a direct flight. The economy floor adds about $459 in taxes and fees, well above the route's typical economy taxes, so weigh points and cash together before booking. Measured against economy, premium economy is about 1.5 times the points and business about 2.6 times.
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club takes economy at 33,000 points. American AAdvantage is cheapest in premium economy at 50,000 points. Alaska Atmos Rewards wins business class at 85,000 points. Air Canada Aeroplan's 140,000-point first-class fare connects; treat it as mixed-cabin until each segment's cabin checks out. Watch the first-class routing: it lands at Haneda (HND) and leaves from Narita (NRT), both in Tokyo.
Cabin floors here are spread across KLM (SkyTeam), Japan Airlines (oneworld), British Airways (oneworld), and ANA (Star Alliance), so no single alliance holds every cabin floor. Partner pricing sets the business-class floor: Alaska Atmos Rewards books British Airways as a oneworld partner, and no program prices British Airways lower in that cabin at last check. Award inventory here spans 37 airlines, giving plenty of partner paths to check before settling on one program.
Leaving New York, Newark (EWR) and LaGuardia (LGA) both come in only slightly higher at 35,000 points in economy against the 33,000-point floor, making them a sensible check when JFK awards dry up. Out of New York, Amsterdam is a cheaper long-haul redemption at last check, from 12,000 points.
Alternative corridors travelers consider alongside New York to Shanghai.
From 4,500 ptsBusiness 19,300 pts
From 4,500 ptsBusiness 19,300 pts
From 5,000 ptsBusiness 15,000 pts
From 5,200 ptsBusiness 24,600 pts
From 5,400 ptsBusiness 20,000 pts
From 6,000 ptsBusiness 25,000 pts
Common questions travelers ask about the New York to Shanghai route.
