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TAP Portugal flies to more than 80 destinations in over 30 countries from its home bases in Portugal, mostly out of Lisbon (LIS), including strong networks to both Africa and South America.
TAP's loyalty program is called Miles&Go, which isn't as recognized in the U.S. as other programs in the Star Alliance — which includes TAP and partners like United and Air Canada. Miles&Go doesn't rank in our top 10 airline programs in Europe, but that doesn't mean TAP Portugal's business class isn't worth flying.
While TAP has a three-star rating from Skytrax, it has undertaken serious modernizations for its business class in recent years. Plus, there are numerous ways to book a seat in TAP business class without spending a fortune.
What to know about flying TAP Air Portugal business class
TAP Portugal has a variety of business class products, covering everything from a 2-2 layout on regional jets up to dual-aisle widebody planes with lie-flat seats --- plus numerous options in between. TAP’s regional jets that serve shorter flights are technically labeled as business class, but these are more like domestic first class you’ll find in the U.S., offering a bit more legroom but not much that’s worth the extra cost.
TAP planes with lie-flat seats include the following:
Airbus A321neoLR: The LR stands for "long range," and you'll find a staggered 2-2 plus 1-1 layout on these planes with a single aisle.
Airbus A330-200: These planes have a staggered 1-2-2 plus 1-2-1 layout with 2 aisles in business class.
Airbus A330-900neo: You'll find a 1-2-1 layout with 2 aisles in business class on these jets.
The best routes to fly in business class on TAP
TAP Portugal serves nearly 30 destinations with its lie-flat business class — and a whole lot more if you count its standard recliner business class seats on other plane types. Those don’t offer a true business-class experience, though.
Below is a map of routes you can book with TAP Portugal. Routes in the southern half of Africa, plus those in the Americas, should have lie-flat seats. However, you should always verify when booking to see what plane type is scheduled and understand that this can change.
Interesting routes include:
San Francisco (SFO) to Terceira in the Azores (TER), continuing to Lisbon (LIS)
Caracas, Venezuela (CCS) to Funchal, Madeira (FNC) continuing to Lisbon
Lisbon to New York City (both EWR and JFK)
Lisbon to Maputo, Mozambique (MPM)
TAP flies a mix of A330 and A321neoLR on these routes, offering varying seating layouts and seat types, but they all offer lie-flat seats.
What to expect when flying TAP business class
Flying in business class with TAP Portugal provides an upgraded experience from the moment you arrive at the airport. Here’s what you’ll find.
Check-in and security clearance
At the airport, business-class passengers have dedicated check-in lanes. These provide shorter wait times.
In Lisbon, TAP also offers Fast Track security lanes for business class travelers. At other airports around the world, TAP may provide priority security lanes, but this varies.
Luggage allowance
In business class, you’ll enjoy a higher checked luggage allowance than passengers in economy.
Your baggage allowance depends on how far you're flying and what fare type you purchased, but those in business class consistently get two checked bags at no cost, each weighing up to 70 pounds. This can present considerable savings, as TAP typically charges 30 euros or $37 per checked bag.
Lounge access
TAP operates its own airport lounges in Lisbon, available in both the Schengen and non-Schengen departures areas. At other airports, TAP provides access to partner lounges that are operated by other airlines or third parties.
When flying in business class, access to lounges is complimentary before departure.
TAP provides an alphabetical list of cities and which lounges are available at those airports, including which of its passengers can access them.
Seats
While TAP's business class isn't dropping any jaws, it's still a good product. The design touches are also unique, rather than simply copying other airlines.
TAP offers three layouts in long-haul business class, but all seats are 20.5 inches wide. The length, however, varies.
On the A330-200, TAP offers a 77-inch lie-flat seat. On the A330-900neo, seats are only 76 inches long in the flatbed position. The A321neoLR offers the shortest bed at 73 inches.
Passengers will find push-button seat controls to recline, lie flat, sit up, or turn on the overhead light. However, it’s not possible to control pieces of the seat independently, such as lumbar support or a massage function found on other airlines.
Food and drink
TAP Portugal focuses on local flavors from Portugal, including both food offerings and its wine selection. The airline even uses Portuguese porcelain from Vista Alegre, and the menus are refreshed regularly.
Unfortunately, TAP doesn't offer on-demand dining in business class. The airline still uses a meal service that feels like economy class, pushing a cart through the aisle and serving everyone at once. However, TAP does offer the option to skip the final meal before arrival if you'd like to sleep a bit longer. Flight attendants will ask about this while taking food orders at the beginning of the flight.
Service, amenities, and in-flight entertainment
You'll find more than 500 TV programs, more than 100 films, and more than 100 music albums in TAP's business class. The airline offers noise-canceling headphones for passengers, and there are outlets at each seat for charging your device.
There's a 16-inch touchscreen entertainment system at each seat, and most planes have Wi-Fi available for purchase. That's not available on the A330-200, though.
Passengers in TAP business class also receive a personal amenity kit, including rotating colors that feature different Portuguese regions.
How much it costs to fly TAP business class
If you can afford to pay cash for TAP Portugal business class, you'll probably spend at least $2,000 --- though it's possible to find deals for less than that between Lisbon and the East Coast. Flights can also cost much more than $2,000 for a one-way ticket on peak travel dates.
These high prices mean using your points at a fixed value in your bank's travel portal is a bad idea. Basically, you'll get anywhere from 1 cent to 2 cents per point in value, depending on the portal you use. At those rates, a $2,000 flight would cost 100,000 to 200,000 points.
Instead, transferring your points to an airline loyalty program usually provides better value, requiring fewer points in the end.
TAP’s Miles&Go program uses a fixed award chart, clearly indicating how many miles you need to fly from point A to B. Unfortunately, the rates are rather terrible compared to how many miles other programs charge.
From North America to Portugal, Miles&Go charges 100,000 miles per passenger in business class for a one-way ticket.
Compare that to a flight from Chicago to Lisbon that costs $2,928 each way. That makes your miles worth 3 cents apiece, which is definitely better than what you’ll get in a credit card portal from your bank. However, other programs offer much better rates.
Since TAP Portugal is in Star Alliance, you can use the rewards programs from United, Air Canada, Singapore Airlines, Avianca, and others to book TAP business class. When it comes to flights between North America and Europe, all of these programs offer a better price.
You’ll pay 80,000 to 88,000 United MileagePlus miles each way between Chicago and Lisbon, 81,000 Singapore KrisFlyer miles, and 80,000 Avianca LifeMiles. In contrast, Air Canada’s Aeroplan program charges just 60,000 points for that same flight.
In summary, TAP’s own rewards program usually isn’t the best deal, though it does provide access to more business-class award space than partner programs may offer. When searching for flights, Point.me will show you all your options and help you find the best deal.
How much it costs to upgrade to business class on TAP
TAP offers three ways to upgrade to business class. The first two can be done by anyone with enough miles, while the third option is only available for those with elite status.
You can use miles to upgrade to business class through Early Upgrade -- even when booking a flight. You can also upgrade with miles after making a reservation. From North America to Portugal, you’ll pay 57,900 miles per person for the Early Upgrade, while you’ll pay 68,000 miles for the Upgrade option.
It's also possible to bid for an upgrade to business class, assuming seats are available. For flights to/from the U.S., this system is available up to 24 hours before departure.
Lastly, those with Miles&Go elite status can receive space-available upgrades closer to departure time.
How to save on TAP business class tickets
It’s entirely possible to find one-way business class tickets with TAP Portugal for $1,300 or $1,400, depending on the route. Expect to find these during off-peak travel periods when demand is low. However, that’s still a lot of money for most people, and there are other ways to get a seat without adding a comma to the price tag.
Upgrades
Before we dig in, understand that upgrades aren’t always guaranteed — unless you use the Early Upgrade with miles at the time of booking. Otherwise, there might not be seats available for an upgrade when you check about it later.
If you can find a cheap economy flight and pay with miles to upgrade into business class, this can effectively mirror the cost of what other reward programs are charging.
Travel rewards
The best bet for a TAP business class seat that doesn’t cost a full paycheck is using points and miles. Understanding the various programs that allow you to book award seats on TAP flights can be daunting, but tools like Point.me can help you quickly search for flights and see which program offers the best price — then all you have to do is transfer your points to that program and make a reservation.
How to book TAP business class with points
There are many ways to book TAP business class with points. Not all of them are good deals, and that includes TAP’s Miles&Go program, unfortunately.
How to book TAP business class using your credit card portal
Using points in a credit card portal treats your points like cash. The more a flight costs, the more points you'll need.
Using Chase Ultimate Rewards as an example, points are worth anywhere from 1 to 2 cents each toward flights. In other portals, your points are worth a set value.
If you’re looking at a $2,000 TAP business class flight, here’s how many points you’ll need in the various portals:
200,000 miles through Capital One Travel if you hold the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
As few as 100,000 points through Chase Travel if you hold the Chase Sapphire Reserve®
200,000 points through Amex Travel if you hold The Platinum Card® from American Express
Those numbers are higher than what TAP is charging in miles — a number we already said was a bad deal.
Which credit card points transfer to TAP Miles&Go?
You can transfer the following credit card rewards to Miles&Go:
Bilt Rewards at a 1:1 ratio
Capital One miles at a 1:1 ratio
Marriott Bonvoy points at a 3:1 ratio
Plus, if you transfer at least 60,000 Marriott points to TAP, you'll get a 5,000-mile bonus in the end, turning those 60,000 hotel points into 25,000 airline miles.
How to book TAP business class using Miles&Go miles
From TAP’s home page, you can search for a flight as you normally would and then check the “Pay with miles” box after entering your flight details and the number of passengers. Then, click “search.”
The results page doesn’t show business class separately. You’ll need to click on an individual flight to see the separate prices for economy and business.
Here, you’ll see the number of miles required, the taxes and fees you’ll pay, and what’s included with the fare.
If you don’t have enough Miles&Go miles in your account to complete the booking, you can transfer from the programs we discussed above. Be aware that transfers from Marriott to airlines usually don’t happen instantly, and seats can disappear while you’re waiting for points to show up.
What other loyalty programs can you use to book TAP business class?
Since TAP is in Star Alliance, which has nearly 30 members, you can use these award programs to book TAP business class:
How to book TAP business class using points from a partner airline
You can book TAP business class using points and miles in partner programs. This is usually a better deal than TAP's own program. We already saw the example of using Aeroplan points.
LifeMiles charges 80,000 miles plus $28.50 for the Chicago-Lisbon flight, while KrisFlyer charges 81,000 miles plus $5.60 in taxes.
United will charge 80,000 to 88,000 miles for the same seat, with the lower price depending on whether you have elite status or a credit card with United.
Yes, these vastly different prices all put you into the exact same seat on a TAP flight, so it pays to comparison shop. Just remember that you should only transfer your points from your credit card to any of these programs after confirming that seats are available. If you transfer points and can’t find a seat, you can’t send the points back to your credit card.
The best way to book TAP business class with points
If you’re able to book a round-trip ticket, the best way to book TAP business class between the U.S. and Europe is with ANA Mileage Club. With this program, you can book either one-way or round-trip awards on partner flights. ANA charges just 100,000 miles per person for round-trip tickets in business class across the Atlantic, which is a great price.
Tips for finding business class award availability on TAP
Searching for award flights with any of these award programs will reveal each website's quirks --- and its reasons for learning to be patient. You also may run into search results labeled as "mixed cabin," offering a mix of cabin classes on that itinerary.
For example, you may have a seat in economy on your first flight and then business class on the next flight. However, you should closely check which flights are in which cabins to avoid paying business class pricing for an itinerary that’s largely traveling in economy.
If you’re booking a trip that has more than one flight, using a program like LifeMiles could help you save on costs. That’s because this program allows you to choose which flights you want to book in which cabin and price each segment accordingly. Choosing to take a 90-minute flight in economy before a 10-hour flight in business class could help you save miles for a future redemption.
Should you book TAP business class?
TAP Air Portugal business class isn’t the flashiest option to cross the Atlantic, but it delivers solid value — especially if you use miles to save money. The seats vary by plane type, but most long-haul routes feature lie-flat seats and a few thoughtful design touches that make the experience stand out.
While the service and catering won’t blow you away, the ability to score seats for as few as 50,000 points one-way makes it a compelling alternative to pricier carriers. Just avoid overpaying with Miles&Go and always double-check the aircraft type. If you're looking for a decent business-class seat to Europe without draining your points balance, TAP is worth a look.
