Compare 15 loyalty programs for London to San Francisco award flights, with economy seats from 15,000 points.
London to San Francisco is a transatlantic route with nonstop award seats on Virgin Atlantic. Award pricing spans 15 programs, and the cheapest economy award is 15,000 points on a routing that includes Air France. That price runs through Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, another airline's program, so Air France's own points aren't automatically the cheapest way on. This page compares every way to book LHR–SFO on points.
Best one-way award prices per airline over the next 12 months.
| Airline | Economy | Premium economy | Business |
|---|---|---|---|
 Air FranceAF | 15,000Lowest | 40,000Lowest | 112,000pts |
 KLMKL | 15,000Lowest | Not available | Not available |
 American AirlinesAA | 21,000pts | 40,000Lowest | Not available |
 Alaska AirlinesAS | 22,500pts | Not available | Not available |
 British AirwaysBA | 22,500pts | Not available | Not available |
 TAP Air PortugalTP | 29,000pts | Not available | 88,000Lowest |
 Virgin AtlanticVS | 29,500pts | 68,160pts | Not available |
 DeltaDL | 29,500pts | 68,160pts | Not available |
 Scandinavian AirlinesSK | 30,000pts | Not available | Not available |
 United AirlinesUA | 35,000pts | Not available | Not available |
When award seats between London and San Francisco price cheapest over the next year.
| Month | Cheapest award (points) |
|---|---|
| Nov 2026 | No award data |
| Dec 2026 | No award data |
| Jan 2027 | No award data |
| Feb 2027 | 15,000 |
| Mar 2027 | 40,000 |
| Apr 2027 | 21,000 |
| May 2027 | No award data |
| Jun 2027 | No award data |
17 airlines with award seats between London and San Francisco, nonstop or connecting.
American AirlinesAA
Air CanadaAC
AeromexicoAMAlaska AirlinesAS
AviancaAV
JetBlueB6British AirwaysBADeltaDL
EmiratesEK
Etihad AirwaysEY
LufthansaLH
Qatar AirwaysQRScandinavian AirlinesSK
Turkish AirlinesTKTAP Air PortugalTPUnited AirlinesUAVirgin AtlanticVSWhat to know before booking London to San Francisco with points.
Distance ~5,350 miles; nonstop flying time ~11h15 (estimate). Local time in San Francisco is 8 hours behind London (briefly 7 around the spring and autumn clock changes). The data runs November 2026–June 2027. Only three months carry calendar prices so far: February 2027 is the cheapest at 15,000 points, ahead of March 2027 (40,000) and April 2027 (21,000).
London to San Francisco is served by American Airlines, Air Canada, Air France and 25 more, offering multiple options for award travelers. Compare 15 loyalty programs to find the best value for your points. Award prices start from 15,000 points in economy. Use our search tool to check real-time award availability on this route.
Flying London to San Francisco covers about 5,350 miles, linking London Heathrow Airport (LHR) with San Francisco International Airport (SFO); a nonstop takes roughly 11h15, with winds moving it either way. Nonstop award space in the data comes from a single airline: Virgin Atlantic. Expect mostly connecting results: only about 4% of the award options in the data are nonstop.
Settle the cabin before the program: on a long-haul trip like London–San Francisco, it moves the price most. The cheapest economy seat connects once; skipping the connection means an economy nonstop on Virgin Atlantic at a higher price. The economy floor adds about $395 in taxes and fees, above the route's typical economy taxes. Stepping up costs about 2.7 times the economy points for premium economy and about 6 times for business, though the cheapest business award carries heavy fees.
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club takes economy at 15,000 points. American AAdvantage is cheapest in premium economy at 40,000 points. United MileagePlus wins business class at 88,000 points. Of the other 12, Air Canada Aeroplan, Air France-KLM Flying Blue, and Aeromexico Rewards are worth a look too. Economy also prices as a partner award, with the long leg on Air France.
Virgin Atlantic is the only airline with nonstop award space on London–San Francisco in the data, and its SkyTeam membership opens that nonstop to partner programs beyond Virgin Atlantic Flying Club. If you're open to a stop, the better-priced connecting awards in the data run through Paris, New York, and Frankfurt. The lowest business-class award here is a Star Alliance partner booking: TAP Air Portugal seats through United MileagePlus.
On the San Francisco side, San Jose (SJC) has priced economy from 21,000 points across the tracked dates, above SFO, so it's a backup for when SFO space is gone. Pricing the round trip? San Francisco to London is tracked separately, and awards can price differently each way. Flexible on where you land? London to Atlanta starts from 7,500 points at last check. London awards can also leave from Gatwick (LGW). It's worth confirming the departure code before moving points.
Alternative corridors travelers consider alongside London to San Francisco.
From 1,905 ptsBusiness 9,000 pts
From 3,900 ptsBusiness 17,000 pts
From 4,300 ptsBusiness 22,325 pts
From 6,000 ptsBusiness 29,000 pts
From 6,000 ptsBusiness 29,000 pts
From 7,500 ptsBusiness 55,000 pts
Common questions travelers ask about the London to San Francisco route.
