There are several resources out there on the internet where you can find good deals on flights – some of these services are free and others are paid. Do note that while you can definitely still find good flight deals, sometimes they may not be from your home city and a positioning flight would be needed – this is probably not worth it on domestic flights.

will you find an inexpensive flight for your next holiday?

Social Media Alerts for Inexpensive Flights

There are several accounts/pages on Twitter and Facebook which you can follow/like and they will automatically show you inexpensive flights on your social home pages – you can even set up alerts to be notified when the account/page posts a new post so you will always be on top of the latest flight deals. Since you can follow social media accounts for no fee, most of these services will be general and post flight deals from random cities to random cities.

Subscription-Based Flight Alert Services

There are several websites out there on the internet which allow you to subscribe to their services and they will automatically notify you when a cheap or inexpensive flight is found from your home city (or you could potentially tell them to track a certain route). Some of these services are free and some are paid and you can find them by simply Googling the type of service for flight alerts that you would need.

The alerts would most likely come to you in the form of an email or text message and often if there is a really, really good flight deal, it is best to book it ASAP instead of waiting. Remember that in most cases you have 24 hours to cancel your ticket and receive a full refund – restrictions on this do apply, depending on where you book, what airline/route you book, and how close to departure you book.

Google Flights

Google Flights is amazing and I can’t remember what life was like before it. It is simple to use, yet powerful – with a bunch of filters, you can find exactly what you are looking for. In addition to being an awesome flight search tool, you can actually set trackers on flights and Google will email you when the price drops – this is really cool for tracking a certain flight. Best of all, you can track as many flights as you want and it is free.

FlyerTalk Forums for Good Deals/Inexpensive Flights

There are plenty of discussions about how to find cheap or inexpensive flights on FlyerTalk. There are even dedicated forums on the site which you can track and check for great flight deals – there’s one for Economy Class and another for Premium Cabin travel. They are not updated that frequently, but if there is an amazing deal, especially in the premium cabins, it will definitely appear on FlyerTalk.

Airline Newsletters and Flash Sales

Airlines frequently send out newsletters to their frequent flyers and those who have decided to join the airline’s mailing list, with good deals on flights. These probably won’t be fascinating deals where you’ll have to drop everything and book right away, but nevertheless, you can definitely still get a good deal with potential flash sales that airlines do offer from time to time.

Note that airlines do sometimes drop prices significantly on tickets without sending newsletters or advertising it as a sale – this is why you should check frequently other travel websites which can track flight prices and alert you.

Online Travel Agencies

While I generally stay away from booking flights on one of the online travel agencies (because if something goes wrong, their customer service is usually horrible), their websites are often great for finding good deals on flight, hotels, and beyond. OTAs do advertise inexpensive flights and deals, where you can potentially find a great flight at a great price that works for you. You can always sign up for their newsletters and/or check their websites frequently for the latest offers.

inexpensive flights still exist, but it takes more work to find them

All in All: Inexpensive Flights

Finding inexpensive flights these days is more work than it was before – while airlines have brought back most of the flights that were suspended (and even added more), the demand for flights is still relatively high as people are still constantly wanting to get back out there. The rising cost of travel expenses can be hard for a family to take a well-deserved trip and therefore you should utilize the services mentioned to find good deals on flights and beyond. Do note that there are plenty of other services where you can find cheap or inexpensive flights and this list above only mentions our favorite ways to check for flights, so it obviously won’t include all available services to you. Have a look through the various travel websites and blogs, and you will definitely find plenty of other ways to find great deals on flights.

The post How to Find Inexpensive Flights appeared first on Travel Miles 101.

The busiest travel periods are those during the months of June, July, and August, as well as mid-late December to early January. During these times, it can be very hard to book a Business Class ticket for the whole family to Europe, for example. Thankfully, there are tips and tricks that you can use to find more award availability and perhaps find a flight that works for your family.

start planning your summer vacation now

Search Availability from a Hub City

You should always start your searches from a bigger, hub city – like New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, etc. For example, let’s say you want to fly from Santa Barbara to London this summer and when you search for flights, nothing comes up. Half of the time, the domestic flight is the issue – US airlines tend to release less saver-level award seats than before on domestic routes and due to the limited flights out of Santa Barbara, in this case, you should start searching from bigger cities – like San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Portland, Seattle, etc.

Those bigger, hub cities have more flights and more international airlines which usually offer more availability than US airlines. It is much easier to fly Business Class to Europe on a European airline than a US airline due to award availability. In our example, say you found availability out of a major US West Coast city – then you would need to make your own way from Santa Barbara to that city. If there is saver-level award availability that works with your itinerary, you can usually add that on to your booking without issue (depending on the frequent flyer program you are using).

Always search from bigger cities that have more connections and airlines – international airlines tend to have more availability and it is generally fairly easy to book a short domestic flight to get to your international departure gateway city.

Flexibility is Key

The most important thing to note is that you must be flexible. If you have a set date that you need to fly on and are looking for multiple premium cabin tickets, you can forget about it – it is highly unlikely that the exact flight you want will be available on that exact date for all of your travelers.

It is much easier to find award availability if you search over the whole summer instead of if you limit yourself to two weeks in July, for example. You should always book flights first, followed by hotels, followed by activities. Flights will be the hardest to book on miles and points and those are usually the most important aspect of the whole trip. Remember that most US frequent flyer programs no longer have any change or cancellation fees – so you can always book an award and change it later, should something better open up.

Another part of being flexible means flying separately – while not ideal, it may be the only way your family of 4 can fly to Europe in Business Class. Finding 2 seats on a flight and 2 on another will be much easier than finding 4 seats in the premium cabin all on one flight. This could mean that part of your family arrives at your destination a day before, or you could potentially line up flights that you all arrive roughly at the same time.

Switch Destinations

Some destinations are more popular than other ones – and during peak summer, it is very possible that a majority of the flights to where you want to go will be sold out. There are more people traveling nowadays than before, so flights are full – and airlines are constantly changing their schedules as well. If the destination you want to fly to has no availability, consider flying elsewhere and then taking either a regional flight on a separate booking or perhaps a train to end up where you want to be.

If you are heading to Europe and are planning to visit several places all on one trip, changing up their order and being flexible on the dates will open up more availability for you. Don’t lock yourself in to be somewhere on a specific date – find the availability of the flights first, change up your plans a bit, and then make solid plans after booking.

Diversify Your Miles & Points

It is incredibly important that you diversify your miles & points – do not collect miles with just one airline and expect to use them for travel anywhere; that probably won’t work. While collecting miles with various airlines definitely helps and opens your options, the best way to collect miles and points is with transferable points programs such as American Express Membership Rewards, Capital One Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Citi ThankYou Points, and Marriott Bonvoy.

Collecting points with these transferable points programs has a number of benefits such as the ability to then transfer them to various airlines and hotels. For example, if you have AMEX Membership Rewards points you’re able to transfer them to a number of airlines – if one airline has no availability chances are another might and therefore your options are always open. The other benefit of collecting these points is that they generally do not expire as long as you have the account/credit card open, while airline miles might expire after some time or inactivity.

be flexible where you visit this summer

All in All

Everyone is excited for summer – it is the best time of the year for most of us, we are able to unwind and relax after busy months and gloomy weather. The world offers so many incredible summer destinations that your family might have a hard time deciding where to vacation – just remember to check flight availability before you make any solid plans. Remember to be flexible on your dates and travel route – this will only help you find something that works. Be open to other destinations and if necessary, fly separately if there are better flight options. Last summer was a crazy one with airlines changing and canceling flights constantly due to shortages, but this summer is looking much brighter with more flights added and new destinations for many airlines.

The post Summer Travel Booking Tips appeared first on Travel Miles 101.

There’s a few different types of airport lounges and each has their own access rules – the same types could even have different access rules, depending on the hours of the day or airport location. Types include:

• airline lounges
• alliance lounges
• lounges operated by banks
• individual lounge networks
• contract lounges

Each has their own set of amenities – some lounges are so basic they feature nothing beyond a separate space from the gate area; others offer spas, sleeping rooms, and showers.

does your ticket feature lounge access?

Customer Service Desk in Lounges

Apart from the main lounge entrance where you provide your access method, airline lounges often have a separate customer service desk whereby lounge agents can assist you with flight changes and anything else you might inquire about. Lounge agents are usually more competent than those in the standard airport customer service desks, so your issues should be quickly resolved.

Comfortable Seating Areas & Sleeping Rooms

The whole purpose of a lounge is to get away from the main gate area to a more peaceful space, which is why lounges feature comfortable seating areas – ranging from recliners, to comfy sofas, to even in some lounges, individual sleeping rooms.

Elevated Food & Drinks in Lounges

Depending on the lounge, you can eat a full dinner and drink your worries away before your flight – some lounges feature an amazing selection of food and snacks along with a full, unlimited bar.

Not all are created equal, some have a really limited selection of food (or even only just snacks). It is important to note that some make you pay for premium food or drinks (or limit you to a certain quantity).

Business Center

While most people travel with their own laptops, lounges usually have a business center with computers and printers, where you can get work done before your flight. There’s also individual working spaces where you can plug in your own laptop and work away.

Showers & Spas

Premium lounges feature showers where a guest can refresh before their flight – towels and bath amenities are provided so there’s no need to carry your own. Some shower rooms are luxurious and feature bath tubs along with other amenities, while others are really basic.

Special Amenities in Lounges

As each lounge is unique, some have opted to provide special amenities to guests – these can include things like a movie room, special seasonal elements, art galleries, cigar areas, restaurant-style dining, and much more.

premium cabin tickets include lounge access

All in All

The more premium the lounge and airline, the more amenities are offered. You can always look up online which ones are available to you at your airport and what you can expect. There are millions of lounge review posts and videos online, so it is best to check which lounge is worth showing up early to and which ones you can skip.

Having access to a lounge these days is mostly standard for many of us as we miles and points travelers usually hold at least one premium credit card featuring lounge access, or elite status that allows us to relax before a flight. Having the ability to grab a bite to eat and catch up on work in a comfortable setting before a flight is something many of us look forward to and arrive early for – I know I do; lounges are a very relaxing pre-flight experience.

The post Amenities in Airport Lounges appeared first on Travel Miles 101.

The best memories in travel are made when you share them with someone – that special dinner or cocktails during sunset; unforgettable moments. It’s important to give back and take your loved ones on trips – no matter the distance or length.

Travel with Miles to Visit Each Other

One of the easiest ways you can reunite with someone is to see them in person – so why not spontaneously book them a last minute ticket to visit you – or both of you get away somewhere for the weekend? If you don’t have time to travel or your friend/family member is unable, find a middle-ground that works for the both of you.

Using your miles and points for someone else is quite easy – you shouldn’t have issues redeeming your rewards for another person. Being together and sharing moments is what strengthens us and creates those special memories that can be cherished for a lifetime.

redeem your miles for family and friends

Book a Staycation

If you don’t have time or feel like venturing too far from your home, you can easily book a staycation in your home city – find a nice hotel and make plans (what you might do in the city during the day, dinner reservations, etc.) – arrange the stay as if you were doing it somewhere where you don’t live.

Many people have been experimenting with staycations recently as they just don’t have time or the resources to travel, but do still want a break from day-to-day life. You can always redeem your hotel points for a nice stay and invite someone along.

Travel Together with Miles

Most of us, thankfully, have weekends off and that leaves two full days to spend with someone special – a quick weekend trip departing on Friday after lunch and returning on Sunday night could be just what you need. Remember to select a destination with up to 3 hours of flying and on a nonstop flight – this will save a ton of time.

If you’re pressed for time, make sure to plan accordingly and reserve all of your activities beforehand as you don’t want to be scrambling last minute and trying to figure out new plans. Incorporate some luxury to make the trip extra special – fly First Class, visit lounges, stay at a nice hotel, etc. – there’s a budget for everyone and in my opinion, it’s worth overspending on experiences and memories you’ll hold with you forever.

use miles and points for travel both near and far

Redeeming Miles/Points for Others

You can generally redeem your airline miles and points for anyone – some frequent flyer programs have a restriction whereby you need to prove your relationship with that person, though this is rare. Make sure to keep an eye on your email or phone in case the airline calls you to verify that you did indeed redeem your miles for another person.

Redeeming hotel points for someone else is trickier as it generally cannot be done. Some hotel programs do offer you the ability to book using a free night certificate for someone else, but this is the exception rather than the norm. You can always book a hotel reservation for yourself and indicate two guests and add the additional guest’s name onto the reservation and just say you are arriving later.

All in All

Miles and Points give us the ability to create special memories that we normally would not be able to, such as flying First Class or staying at luxurious hotels. These memories are best made when sharing the experience with somebody else as we are nothing without our family and friends – which is why we should always make the time to see them as much as possible, as there is nothing more important in life than making connections with the people we love.

In addition, you can always give back by donating your miles and points to various organizations that help those in need – I usually do this if I have a smaller mileage balance in an account that I know I will not use any time soon.

The post Miles & Points: Giving Back appeared first on Travel Miles 101.

Incredible Flying Experiences

There’s a variety of airlines around the world that offer an incredible flying experience – however there’s a few airlines that stand out and everyone in the miles and points community needs to fly these at least once in their life.

• Air France First Class
• ANA First and Business Class
• Cathay Pacific First Class
• Emirates First Class
• Etihad Airways First Class
• JAL First and Business Class
• Lufthansa First Class
• Qatar Airways First and Business Class
• Qantas Airways First Class
• Singapore Airlines First and Business Class

There’s of course more airlines offering incredible flying experiences, but these main ones come to mind when redeeming miles and points.

fly Lufthansa with miles & points

Determining Your Route

After you’ve decided what product you would like to fly, you have to find where that airline operates the particular product you want to fly. For example, let’s say we are looking at Lufthansa First Class, we know that LH operates flights out of their hubs in Frankfurt and Munich, Germany. You can easily find the hubs of an airline by running a simple Google search.

You’ll then need to determine on what routes your desired product is offered. In the case of Lufthansa, they only have one First Class product which is offered only on intercontinental flights – however not all Lufthansa long-haul aircraft feature a First cabin and therefore you must research where First operates – usually to their most popular destinations like New York or Los Angeles.

Google Flights is your friend as you can easily run a worldwide search from Frankfurt/Munich in First Class and you’ll be shown the schedule.

Finding Miles & Points Award Availability

After locating your desired route, you’ll need to search for award availability on your desired dates. Do note that you must be flexible, otherwise you probably won’t be able to find anything decent. Remember that you can always adjust your flights later should something better open up.

Each airline has their own rules and policies in place and you’ll know about these once you’ve researched enough about the airline and their award availability trends. In the case of Lufthansa, they only release First Class award seats to partner airlines at most two weeks prior to departure. Some routes are easier than others in terms of finding award space and in the case of Lufthansa First Class, shorter routes will be easier to book.

Planning a Multi-Airline Journey with Points

You can of course fly multiple aspirational airline products all on one journey – it all comes down to whether or not there’s availability and if your routes match up alongside of the dates of travel. It is totally possible to mix various airlines on one ticket and sample multiple First Class cabins in a row.

You can generally book multiple airlines on one ticket if those airlines partner with the frequent flyer program you’re using to book your ticket – in some cases you can easily book the flights online and other times you’ll need to call if your itinerary is more complicated.

Planning and booking an aspirational trip which includes several, world-class airlines is no easy task, from locating your desired experience to planning around the availability, to actually booking the ticket, the process is more complicated than it’s made out to be.

fly Qatar Airways with miles & points

All in All

Flying using miles and points is super fun as you can easily fly around the world in some of the world’s top airlines and experience true luxury. With the right mindset and planning, anything becomes possible.

It all comes down to knowing what you want to experience and heavily researching how that can become possible. If you don’t know exactly what you want to fly, you should research and familiarize yourself with the most aspirational flying experiences available on miles and points. Finding award availability might be a challenge, but with flexibility and planning, almost anything is possible with miles and points.

The post First Steps in Finding a Flight with Points appeared first on Travel Miles 101.

find the value of your points before redeeming

The Value of Miles and Points

The value of a mile or point depends on what program it belongs to. For example, American Express Membership Rewards points are generally worth 2 cents each, so 10,000 points is worth $200. This doesn’t mean that you can just go directly to American Express and cash out your points at this value. Rather, this value is assigned by us – those who know how to use their points towards maximum value.

In fact, if you want to apply your AMEX points as a statement credit towards charges you’ve made on your credit card, you might even get less than 1 cent-per-point in value (which is awful). You are able to redeem your points towards merchandise, gift cards, and other items through the bank directly – generally at a rate of 1 cent per point. So a $100 gift card would cost 10,000 points, give or take.

While some people might want to cash out their points for gift cards, it is never good value – you should always be looking to use your points and miles towards their maximum potential, which is redeeming them for international First and Business Class.

Determining Value in a Redemption

How do you exactly determine if it is worth using points for an award ticket? It is quite simple – you start with the value of your points. Let’s continue with our AMEX Membership Rewards example – each point is worth 2 cents.

Let’s say you found a Business Class ticket for 60,000 Aeroplan points from New York to London and would like to book it. As Aeroplan is a transfer partner of American Express Membership Rewards, you can transfer points at a 1:1 ratio, therefore requiring 60,000 AMEX points for this redemption.

value of 60,000 points = $1,200 (60,000 * 0.02)

In this case the value of the points we use is $1,200 and when looking up the cost of our ticket in cash, it is around $5,000 – therefore this would be considered an excellent redemption as you are getting way more value out of your points.

Avoid “Bad” Award Redemptions

Everyone says you should use your points for award tickets – and they’re right. However, there is a clear line between using cash or points for a flight – the value of your points and the cost of a ticket. If you are wanting to redeem your points for an award ticket and you are getting less value from your points, you definitely want to pay cash instead.

For example, let’s say we found a flight from Seattle to San Francisco for 10,000 Aeroplan points (which is 10,000 AMEX points). The value of those AMEX points is $200, using the formula and value of points. However, when we look up the cost of the ticket we want to book, the cash price is just $150.

In this case, we should just pay for the flight using cash because it only costs $150 – and if we were to use points for it, we would be using $200 worth of points (10,000 points) – which would be a bad redemption as the points have more value.

redemptions aren’t equal – find the value first

Use Your Points Wisely

Having miles and points is great – but you shouldn’t spend them all at once just because you have them; saving points when needed is very important – and helps you get closer to your next trip. It is totally okay to mix and match cash and points tickets on your trips – not all flights have to be booked using miles/points.

When planning a trip, remember to research all possible ways to book your flights – both with cash and with miles/points. You will find that different airlines have different redemption options – and it may just be cheaper to book an award flight with a partner airline instead of directly with the airline you’re wanting to fly.

Remember to do the math and work out the value of your redemption based on how much the points you are using are worth and how much the actual ticket costs in cash.

There’s a small twist in all of this, ultimately at the end of the day, your points and your miles are exactly that – yours. If you feel like you want to use points instead of cash on a flight because that’s how you planned your trip, then go ahead – they’re your points and you decide how to use them. Just make sure you aren’t using them for the sake of using points, but rather because the value is decent.

All in All

Travel is not free and neither are miles and points. While you will find travel using miles being advertised as “free” all over the internet, that is not true. There is a value for everything and the miles and points you have are technically assigned a value. Sure, you may have earned the points by making regular purchases you would have anyway, but there will always be some sort of determining factor assigned to those rewards as to if the redemption is worth it or not.

The simplest way to find the value of your points is by running a Google search – different blogs value points differently, but in general, the value doesn’t differ much. Everyone earns and uses points in different ways, so at the end of the day only you are able to make the final call if it is worth using your points on a particular flight or if you should save them for the future.

The post Finding Value of Redeemed Points appeared first on Travel Miles 101.

Cash/revenue ticket prices to some highly popular tropical destinations can be really expensive, but generally there is some award availability to these places using miles – it might be in Economy, but you can usually find it if you are flexible. Keep in mind that it is much easier to cancel and refund an award ticket rather than a cash ticket – so you can book with more flexibility.

Flying on Miles to Tropical Destinations

I’ve highlighted some exotic destinations and what major airlines (that you can redeem miles on) fly there and from what major cities (smaller, regional cities with low or no connectivity are not listed). Remember that the best way to search for award availability is segment by segment and on a partner airline website of the airline that you want to fly. For example, if you want to fly New York to Male via Abu Dhabi on Etihad Airways, you should search availability on Air Canada Aeroplan separately for the two flights; once you confirm the availability, you could redeem with any Etihad Airways partner airline.

The cost in miles will vary depending on what route you book, what airline you fly, and the frequent flyer program you use. Remember that the cost in miles and the rules on the award ticket are always determined by the airline issuing your ticket. If the frequent flyer program you are using allows you to change or cancel your ticket for free, then there really is no harm in locking in a ticket and changing it later – just remember there always has to be award availability.

fly to tropical destinations with miles

French Polynesia

All international flights arrive into Papeete, Tahiti (PPT) and then you can book a cash flight on the local airline, Air Tahiti, should you wish to explore other islands in French Polynesia. There’s no good way to use miles or points on domestic flights on Air Tahiti other than perhaps going through a bank travel portal and applying some of your points towards a cash ticket.

• Air France: Los Angeles
• Air New Zealand: Auckland
• Air Tahiti Nui: Auckland, Los Angeles, Seattle, Tokyo
• Aircalin: Noumea
• Delta Air Lines: Los Angeles
• Hawaiian Airlines: Honolulu
• United Airlines: San Francisco

Seychelles

All international flights arrive into Seychelles International Airport (SEZ) where you have the option of exploring paradise. There is generally good availability on the shorter international flights, so if you are flying from North America or Europe, multiple flights will be required – but so worth it. The national airline, Air Seychelles, currently has no airline partners that would allow you to redeem their miles on Air Seychelles flights, so it isn’t included in the list.

• Air Mauritius: Mauritius
• Condor: Frankfurt
• Edelweiss Air: Zurich
• Emirates: Dubai
• Ethiopian Airlines: Addis Ababa
• Etihad Airways: Abu Dhabi
• Kenya Airways: Nairobi
• Qatar Airways: Doha
• SriLankan Airlines: Colombo
• Turkish Airlines: Istanbul

Mauritius

If you fancy a visit to the tropical destination island of Mauritius, located in the Indian Ocean, you have plenty of flight options available. Having recently been to this gorgeous country, I can confirm that there is plenty of award availability – even in Business Class, if you are flexible. A trip to Mauritius can be combined with a Safari in South Africa, for example.

• Air France: Paris
• Air Mauritius: Cape Town, Delhi, Geneva, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, Kuala Lumpur, London, Mumbai, Nairobi, Paris, Perth, Seychelles, Shanghai
• Austrian Airlines: Vienna
• British Airways: London
• Condor: Frankfurt
• Edelweiss Air: Zurich
• Emirates: Dubai
• Eurowings Discover: Frankfurt
• Kenya Airways: Nairobi
• Lufthansa: Frankfurt
• Saudia: Jeddah, Riyadh
• South African Airways: Johannesburg
• Turkish Airlines: Istanbul

Maldives

The most talked about and aspirational destination in the miles and points world is the Maldives – a country made up of many islands and atolls in the Indian Ocean. Not only is it really easy to fly to the Maldives on miles and points (even in Business Class), there are tons of points hotels in the country – all of which will make you want to never return home. Due to the number of flight options into the Maldives, it is relatively easy to redeem your miles for a ticket to paradise.

• Air France: Paris
• Air India: Bangalore, Mumbai
• Austrian Airlines: Vienna
• British Airways: London
• Condor: Frankfurt
• Edelweiss Air: Zurich
• Emirates: Colombo, Dubai
• Etihad Airways: Abu Dhabi
• Gulf Air: Bahrain, Colombo
• Iberia: Madrid
• ITA Airways: Rome
• Lufthansa: Frankfurt
• Qatar Airways: Colombo, Doha
• Saudia: Jeddah, Riyadh, Singapore
• Singapore Airlines: Singapore
• SriLankan Airlines: Colombo
• Turkish Airlines: Istanbul
• Virgin Atlantic: London

Fiji

A tropical destination in the South Pacific which leaves you feeling relaxed and refreshed – from the breathtaking beaches to friendly locals to delicious food, why wouldn’t you want to visit? In the past few years, Fiji has become more accessible thanks to Fiji Airways, the flag carrier, expanding their partnerships with various airlines around the world – which only means that getting to Fiji is much easier now than ten years ago.

• Air New Zealand: Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington
• Aircalin: Noumea
• Fiji Airways: Adelaide, Apia, Auckland, Brisbane, Christchurch, Hong Kong, Honolulu, Los Angeles, Melbourne, San Francisco, Singapore, Sydney, Tokyo, Vancouver, Wellington
• Qantas: Sydney
• Virgin Australia: Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney

fly to tropical destinations with miles

All in All: Fly to Tropical Destinations

Aren’t some of these tropical destinations incredible? I’ve been to a few, but not all of them yet – the main reason why I collect miles and points isn’t to redeem them on a domestic ticket that can be purchased for $100, but rather I redeem them for travel around the world – to destinations where a cash ticket would normally cost a significant amount, especially in the premium cabin. When you have miles, the whole world is possible – they really give you the ability to see the world in ways that normally you wouldn’t be able to; for example, many frequent flyer programs offer free stopovers on award tickets whereas cash tickets very rarely have this ability.

With only a few days into the new year, I’m already planning out travels to some of these incredible destinations and I plan to take some family and friends along since travel is always better and more memorable when you are sharing the experiences with someone close to you. Happy New Year, everyone, and enjoy redeeming and collecting those miles!

The post Tropical Destinations with Miles & Points appeared first on Travel Miles 101.

where will miles & points take you in 2023?

Airline & Hotel Elite Status

Every end of the year in the miles and points world means a few things – the biggest is that on January 1st, elite status counters reset to “0 miles flown” and “0 hotel nights”, which means we must once again re-qualify for elite status with airlines and hotels. If you haven’t fully completed your airline flights or hotel stays to qualify or renew your elite status, you only have a few days left. Be sure to check your airline and hotel accounts carefully and determine if the remaining days of 2022 will be sufficient to achieve your goals.

Miles & Points Credit Card Credits

The new year means a new year of benefits and credits if you have the right tools in the miles & points world… mainly, premium travel credit cards. In the few remaining days, you need to do an inventory if you’ve used up all of your credits for 2022 and perhaps plan how you will use your 2023 credits. Premium Travel Credit Cards offer a variety of credits ranging from airline incidental fees to digital entertainment streaming charges – all of which you should fully use up if you’re paying an annual fee for a premium credit card. Keep in mind some credits are offered monthly, some bi-yearly, and some yearly. It is easy to check on your bank’s website which credits you’ve used and which ones still remain available – be sure to use up as much as you can as these will reset on January 1st.

The most popular credits include:

• general travel (covering airline tickets, hotel stays, car rental fees, etc.)
• airline incidentals (checked baggage charges, seat upgrades, etc.)
• hotel stays (premium hotels booked through the bank’s travel portal)
• ride-share
• dining
• digital entertainment/streaming
• technology purchases/services

how will you use your credits and benefits in the new year?

Travel Credit Card Benefits

In addition to statement credits for select charges, premium travel credit cards also come with a variety of benefits – such as hotel elite status, hotel elite night credits, car rental upgrades, lounge access, and more. It is very important to check if you have activated all of the possible benefits that come with your card into the new year – you certainly do not want to miss out on some of these as they’re very valuable.

For example, if you have a credit card which comes with hotel elite status, be sure to enroll in this feature as even mid-tier hotel elite status can give you room upgrades, free breakfast, late check-out, and more. Each bank’s benefits portal associated with your travel credit card clearly outlines which benefits are available to you and how to use them, by conveniently providing links to partner websites where you can take advantage of the benefits.

Review Your Miles & Points Credit Cards

Many of us have multiple travel credit cards and we all have our own strategy – which cards we keep for spending, which cards we keep for travel benefits, and which cards we might only keep for the occasional use. It is very important to review and decide if you want to keep a card another year – and if it is worth the annual fee. Review all of your accounts and check how many of the benefits and perks you have used in the past year and if paying the annual fee for another year is worth it – based on your past use of the card and predicted future use and upcoming trips.

Map Your 2023 Travels

It is totally okay to not know where you want to go in the next year – some people love planning years ahead while some people love to book spontaneous trips and let life guide them. Whatever your method is, it is good to have a rough idea where you might want to travel next year and how that will shape your elite status earning, mileage redemption opportunities, and of course, where you can use all of your credits and benefits as you travel. In mid 2023 it is beneficial to have yet another “check-up” to see if your year is going how you pictured it and what you want to accomplish in the second half of the year – for example, how close are you to elite status, where else you might want to travel, and what credits you still need to use.

where will the new year take you?

Miles & Points Expiration Dates and Promotions

As the year comes to a close, you need to check when your frequent flyer miles and hotel points might expire – especially if you haven’t had any activity on your accounts in a while. You can easily check the expiration date on each airline or hotel’s website or app – some airlines no longer expire miles while others still continue to. Generally, if you have had some activity in the past year, your miles are safe for the next few months – however, every airline and hotel policy is different, and you don’t want to start the new year with expired miles that you can’t get back.

As the year ends and the new one begins, airlines and hotels will be rolling out new promotions and therefore it is wise to register for those as soon as possible so you don’t have to worry about it in the future – simply visit your airlines and hotels online and check what Promotions/Deals/Offers they currently have and what’s coming up. Registering is usually simple with one-click, so it is best to do it now rather than wait until you have a flight or hotel stay.

All in All

2022 was definitely a much better year than the previous two years when we think about travel. My hope for the year of 2023 is that the world fully goes back to normal (there are still some countries with travel restrictions), so we are able to yet again jet-off around the world without needing to check many requirements. The future is looking bright for the next year and therefore I am super excited to have some fantastic trips coming up – some of which are covered by all of my credits and benefits that I’ve achieved over the past year. Have a look at all of your travel accounts and make sure you are using each benefit and perk to their full potential. Happy New Year!

The post Miles & Points End of Year Checklist appeared first on Travel Miles 101.

Flying Blue is mostly a revenue-based program without an award chart, which means that the cost of a ticket in miles is closely tied to the cost of a ticket in cash. Flying Blue might sell you the very last seat on a flight using miles, but at a super expensive price. Since there’s no award charts, some itineraries price out for over 1,000,000 miles – especially in Business Class. No one should ever pay that price and there are ways to find good award tickets deals with Flying Blue.

Flying Blue Transfer Partners

Air France/KLM Flying Blue miles are generally very easy to earn as you can transfer in transferable bank points into Flying Blue from:

• American Express Membership Rewards (1:1 ratio, instant transfer)
• Capital One Rewards (1:1 ratio, instant transfer)
• Chase Ultimate Rewards (1:1 ratio, instant transfer)
• Citi ThankYou Points (1:1 ratio, instant transfer)
• Marriott Bonvoy (3:1 ratio, average transfer time is 2 days)

Flying Blue Fees

The change and cancelation fee for an award ticket is EUR50.

redeem Flying Blue miles for Air France flights

Flying Blue Overview

As Air France/KLM are members of the SkyTeam Alliance, you’re able to redeem your miles for travel on any SkyTeam airline – however it is important to note that not all airlines show up online. For example, Vietnam Airlines award space can be searched using Delta SkyMiles and later you’d have to call Flying Blue to book it as it isn’t bookable online.

Air France/KLM also have a few other partnerships outside of SkyTeam – for example, you can also redeem miles for flights on airlines like Air Mauritius, Bangkok Airways, Japan Airlines, and a few others. Checking for award space can be done on Flying Blue or by other means.

Flying Blue is a SkyTeam frequent flyer program which means it isn’t as good as programs of Star Alliance or oneworld airlines. Air France/KLM and Delta share a close partnership so it’s no surprise that Flying Blue is largely revenue-based. However, you can definitely find great redemption tickets on Air France/KLM and other airline’s flights.

If there is award availability at the saver/partner-level (on AF/KL flights: Economy “X” class, Business “O” class), expect to pay a decent amount of miles, mostly inline with what other programs charge. For example, a one-way Business Class ticket from the US to Europe could price out between 55,000 – 85,000 miles, depending on your origin and destination.

Flying Blue does make you pay fuel surcharges on award tickets. However, these are generally very reasonable. For example, the total taxes, fees, and fuel surcharges on a one-way Business Class ticket between the US and Europe are around $200 – $300 USD.

Finding Good Flying Blue Redemptions

Even if there is no saver/partner award availability on Air France/KLM flights, you can still generally find good deals using Flying Blue miles – it all depends on your origin and destination. Since the cost of a revenue/cash ticket is different based on origin and destination, Flying Blue has done the same on mileage tickets. For example, tickets from the US East Coast to Europe in Business Class generally price out at 55k – 70k miles one- way, while the US West Coast to Europe usually starts at 65k – 85k miles. Now, since this is a revenue-based frequent flyer program, the cost of a mileage ticket frequently changes based on the demand of a particular flight.

The origin and destination really matters on Flying Blue tickets. For example, I recently booked several clients out of Las Vegas on KLM’s flight for around 70k miles one-way in Business Class to several European cities as the price out of Los Angeles or San Francisco was over 120k miles. We then booked them a cheap cash or mileage positioning ticket, which was well worth it.

Usually if you’re departing the US, you’ll find better deals out of Seattle, Las Vegas, Denver, Minneapolis, Chicago, Austin, Houston, Boston, and a few others to Europe on Air France/KLM. These airlines also operate flights to a number of other cities, but those like Miami, Dallas, Salt Lake City, Los Angeles, and San Francisco tend to be more expensive in miles – so looking out of “secondary” cities makes sense.

However, it isn’t that simple as the price also depends on where you’re flying to. A flight from Las Vegas to Amsterdam to Milan might cost 2-4x more than a flight from Las Vegas to Amsterdam to London – it all depends on the origin and destination. There’s no way to predict or guess how much a flight might cost in Flying Blue miles, other than by checking the website regularly. The frequent flyer program also has discounted mileage ticket deals which are often published and apply to select flights only.

Unlike with Delta SkyMiles on Delta’s own flights, you can still generally find and book award tickets through Flying Blue on Air France/KLM flights at good levels. There doesn’t have to be saver-level award space, but rather a lower demand for your desired flights and you’ll usually find a good deal. Prices change often, so be sure to check back frequently if the award you want is expensive. You generally shouldn’t pay more than 100k miles for a one-way Business Class ticket to Europe, so if Flying Blue is charging more than that, search other cities or dates – or just wait a bit.

redeem Flying Blue miles for KLM flights

All in All

I’ve redeemed many Flying Blue miles over the years for myself, my family, and my BoundlessMiles clients, and this is the one “good” frequent flyer program in the SkyTeam alliance that’s left – as the others don’t usually offer good value. Redeeming these miles on Air France/KLM flights can be a great deal – but it might take some time to find a good deal. The number-one tip is to check different origins and destinations for better deals.

For example, if you’re wanting to fly from Washington D.C. to Paris to Rome and the price is ridiculous in miles, maybe check New York to Amsterdam to Milan, and that price might be much better – then you can book positioning flights and get a better deal (or you could take ground transportation, like a train).

Flying Blue miles are easy to collect and generally easy to redeem – you just have to be a little bit flexible and check back often if you can’t find a good deal. While this is a revenue-based program, you can still find good value in it, and the change/cancel fees are low. Air France and KLM’s program might be the one you’ll use on your next trip – especially if flying these airlines.

The post Finding Good Award Deals with Flying Blue appeared first on Travel Miles 101.

Miles & More Overview

The frequent flyer program is mainly used by Lufthansa Group passengers as it offers the most benefits when flying on these airlines, especially when you have frequent flyer status. Even the entry-level Frequent Traveller (Star Alliance Silver) status allows you to access Lufthansa Business Lounges when flying in Economy Class. While most benefits to status members apply on Lufthansa Group flights, there are the usual Star Alliance Silver and Gold benefits that are available on all Star Alliance flights (like Priority Check-in and Boarding, for example).

Miles & More miles are harder to earn than most miles – the main reason is that there is no way to transfer in miles into Miles & More from any transferable bank points program or even Marriott Bonvoy. Transfers from Marriott were possible way back in the day, but have since been suspended.

The best way to earn miles is by flying in Premium Economy Class, Business Class, and First Class on Star Alliance airlines. The cheapest Economy tickets earn between 0% – 25% of the miles flown and First Class tickets can earn up to 300% + your elite status bonus. You can also earn miles through hotel stays, car rentals, and a variety of other partners.

The quickest way to receive a significant amount of miles is through the Barclays US Lufthansa Miles & More World Elite Mastercard – which frequently offers a sign-up bonus of around 50,000 – 60,000 miles upon qualifying activities.

SWISS International Air Lines, a Miles & More airline

Award Redemptions

Miles & More does still publish an official award chart, unlike some other airlines, so you’re able to see how much a flight costs in miles based on availability. The rates are quite reasonable and in some cases offer a better value than other Star Alliance programs (for example, Business Class to/from North America to/from Europe is less expensive in miles when booking through Miles & More when compared to most Star Alliance programs). The major disadvantage is that the program does charge fuel surcharges when flying airlines within the Lufthansa Group and a few others, these can be significant – especially when departing from North America.

Miles & More allows award ticket cancellations on regular tickets for a fee of EUR50 and some award tickets can be changed for free while others for the same EUR50 fee. Promotional and discounted award tickets usually cannot be cancelled. In addition to all of that, the program does have great routing rules which allow stopovers and open-jaws on round-trip tickets. Basic one-way and round-trip tickets can be booked online, but more complex tickets must be booked over the phone.

Miles & More Mileage Bargains

The highlight of the program are the Mileage Bargains – a list which is updated monthly and features discounted award tickets by half. The origins and destinations of the promotional tickets change frequently and not surprisingly, these tickets come with a lot of restrictions:

• no cancellations
• changes generally not allowed (but in some cases could be depending on the situation)
• all taxes, fees, and fuel surcharges are the same as on a regular ticket; only the mileage requirement is discounted
• the offer has limited availability (just because there will be an award seat doesn’t mean it will be available as a mileage bargain)
• round-trip booking is required
• mileage bargains can only be booked online
• minimum stay requirements apply
• booking period applies
• travel period applies

Let’s take a look at a specific offer right now:

• departing select cities in the USA on Lufthansa
• arriving select cities in Europe on Lufthansa
• Business Class for 55,000 miles round-trip (instead of 112,000 miles)
• booking period: 01 December 2022 – 31 December 2022
• travel period: 15 March 2023 – 30 April 2023

Mileage bargains are offered on major, fully-integrated M&M airlines (Lufthansa, Austrian, SWISS, etc.), and based on the offer above it would be valid as follows:

• you must depart a city under the promotion in the USA on Lufthansa
• you must arrive in a city under the promotion in Europe on Lufthansa (so you could connect in Frankfurt or Munich)
• the mileage requirement is half of the normal award
• you must book in a certain period
• you must travel in a certain period

Every mileage bargain offer has different destinations, operating airlines, booking classes, booking periods, and travel periods. First Class is not offered as a mileage bargain.

Mileage Bargain Examples

The list of Mileage Bargains frequently changes and currently some of the offers available right now include:

• DEN/DTW/LAX/SFO/SEA/STL to Paris in Economy Class for 30k miles round-trip
• ATL/DTW/LAX/SEA to Paris in Premium Economy Class for 40k miles round-trip
• ATL/ORD/DTW to Paris in Business Class for 55k miles round-trip

As you can see, the list of the departure airports is quite limited and doesn’t include all of the airports Lufthansa operates flights to in the USA.

This month, other cities in Europe that are also available for a mileage bargain award include places like Athens, Barcelona, Geneva, Helsinki, London, Oslo, and many more. Each city pair (origin and destination) has different offers – for example, you might be able to fly from New York to Athens only in Premium Economy under a mileage bargain while another bargain could be available out of Boston to Athens, but only in Business Class.

Miles & More is Lufthansa’s program

All in All

Mileage Bargain award tickets are promotional, discounted award tickets which are offered by Lufthansa’s frequent flyer program and frequently change based on a variety of factors. You can book round-trip award tickets at half of the cost in miles, but the full cost in taxes, fees, and fuel surcharges. While surcharges can be expensive in some cases, there are good deals to be found – taxes and fees on an award ticket always depend on where you’re flying from, to, and where you are transiting.

Miles are a bit harder to acquire than other miles, but in some cases they are more valuable for awards like Mileage Bargains or even booking Lufthansa First Class in advance (while other Star Alliance frequent flyer programs can only book it a maximum of two weeks before a flight). There are other gems to be found as well, especially when you’re a member and fly with the Lufthansa Group.

The post Miles & More Mileage Bargains (Business Class to Europe 55k Miles) appeared first on Travel Miles 101.