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There’s no question that it’s gotten more difficult to find great deals when it comes to booking award flights. Business owners can build up an ample supply of points and miles pretty quickly, but it’s only worth the effort if you can redeem them for a worthwhile trip.
And while it’s all too common to find prices as high as 500,000 miles one-way for a business-class ticket, recent experience shows that deals are still out there.
9 business-class awards on the same flight?
One of my closest friends in the business world, Bill, went from making some of the worst mileage redemptions I’d ever seen to becoming an award-booking savant.
He had been talking about a multigenerational family ski trip to Europe. I figured he was using miles to help save money — but I had no idea of the scope. That was until he texted me a picture of himself and eight family members, dressed in matching pajamas, taking over the bar on an Emirates flight from New York to Milan.
This Emirates “fifth-freedom” route has long been a great way to get to Europe in luxurious fashion. Bill took it to the next level by booking nine seats in business class on the same flight. While not all were at rock-bottom rates, he booked most at 108,000 Emirates Skywards miles (transferred from Capital One) and about $400 in taxes per round-trip ticket.
I honestly can’t recall a time when I’ve heard of someone booking that many business-class seats on the same flight. Let’s say he averaged 125,000 miles per round-trip ticket — that’s 1,125,000 miles total.
If he redeemed those miles as statement credits, that would be about $11,125 in value. But even if we value those tickets at a conservative $3,000 apiece, he got about $27,000 in flights.
Even if you’d never pay that much for a flight, it’s hard to argue with the value Bill got on this trip.
Want to know more? Check out our review of Emirates business class from New York to Milan.
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Leveraging companion certificates
Another strong program for aspirational redemptions is Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards. I applied for the Atmos™ Rewards Summit Visa Infinite® Credit Card last year, aiming to earn its additional spending-based Global Companion Certificate, which covers up to 100,000 points on a companion award fare, including on partner airlines. Even though I think the card lacks some key business-friendly features, it’s hard to argue with the value of that Global Companion Certificate and the incredible flexibility of Atmos Rewards points.
While planning a trip to Asia, I found good award space on Taiwanese luxury carrier Starlux Airlines. The lowest rates for our dates were 175,000 points — quite a bit higher than the 75,000-85,000 points I’d seen before.
I considered using the certificate to bring the effective cost down to 87,500 points per ticket, but ultimately decided to hold on to it and wait for a better opportunity later in the year.
Premium economy to Europe for a steal
Virgin Atlantic continues to offer solid value on transatlantic flights. My daughter and a friend were planning a spring break trip to London, and their dates were fixed. I initially booked United Airlines economy seats for their departure and hoped I’d be able to ultimately upgrade them to premium economy.
As departure approached, better seats were disappearing — until I found premium economy on Virgin Atlantic for 35,000 points and about $250 in fees. While it cost more out of pocket than economy, it guaranteed a better experience. There was even one Upper Class seat available for under 50,000 points, but they chose to sit together.
Virgin Atlantic frequently offers transfer bonuses (including some that have gone as high as 150%), which can make deals like this even better.
Two tools I like for finding deals are Points Path and Thrifty Traveler. Points Path shows award pricing alongside cash fares in Google Flights and alerts you when prices drop. Thrifty Traveler sends alerts when standout deals pop up, like the Emirates flights mentioned earlier.
Not all redemptions have to be ideal
Not every redemption will be a home run. My current philosophy is to put in some effort to find great deals when you can — and not stress when you can’t.
Recently, my family flew to Las Vegas for a concert. When my wife’s best friend wanted to join, I offered to help with flights. Our return date was extremely busy, and I ended up redeeming 45,000 United miles for a one-way economy seat — far from ideal.
Still, I spent fewer rewards than expected on the rest of the trip. When I averaged it out, it wasn’t nearly as expensive as it seemed — and the memories were worth it.
Bottom line
While it can be tempting to redeem flexible rewards like Capital One miles for statement credits, it’s worth considering transfer partners. Great airline programs like Emirates Skywards, Air France-KLM Flying Blue and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club regularly offer transfer bonuses.
There’s nothing wrong with using points to erase travel charges. Just remember that there are still plenty of opportunities to book a great trip without breaking the bank.
