The best way to fly to/from Europe in First Class is with Lufthansa due to a number of factors – award availability, the number of flights being operated, being able to redeem any Star Alliance miles, and of course, Lufthansa First Class is an incredible and fantastic way to fly.

While Lufthansa First Class may not be the world’s best flying experience, it is one that is easily attainable using miles and points – that is, if you are booking close to departure as Lufthansa only releases award seats to partner airlines in First Class max two weeks prior to departure. Should you wish to redeem in advance, you can do so using Lufthansa’s Miles & More frequent flyer program, pending availability.

There are other First Class flights to/from Europe such as those on Air France, British Airways, SWISS International Air Lines, etc., however either there’s no good way to book it using miles (AF or LX) or the First Class product is not of amazing quality (BA).

fly Lufthansa First Class using miles

Lufthansa First Class using Miles & Points

• seats are released to partner airlines max two weeks prior to departure
• east coast and Mexico City have the most First Class availability
• depending on the frequent flyer program you are using, you may have to pay fuel surcharges
• you can redeem Miles & More miles without the two-weeks-before-departure restriction if there is award availability (and there is often more for Lufthansa’s own members)
• you can add on connections in Europe and the U.S. if there is award availability, subject to the rules of the program you are using to book the ticket
• award tickets don’t change the experience in any way (still the same First Class lounge access, ground benefits, and in-flight experience)

Lufthansa First Class Routes

Lufthansa frequently changes where they fly aircraft with First Class to, and there is often more First Class service to the U.S. in the summer months rather than the winter months. Lufthansa’s only aircraft featuring a First Class cabin currently include:

• Airbus A340-600 (A346)
• Airbus A380-800 (A388)
• Boeing 747-8i (B748)

Lufthansa has several Airbus A350s and Boeing 787s on order and some might feature a First Class cabin in the future. The Boeing 777-9 will eventually be Lufthansa’s flagship aircraft and should also feature First Class.

Lufthansa First Class is currently available on the following North American routes:

• Frankfurt <-> Chicago (ORD)
• Frankfurt <-> Los Angeles (LAX)
• Frankfurt <-> Mexico City (MEX)
• Frankfurt <-> Miami (MIA)
• Frankfurt <-> San Francisco (SFO)
• Frankfurt <-> Washington D.C. (IAD)
• Munich <-> Boston (BOS)
• Munich <-> Miami (MIA)
• Munich <-> New York (JFK)

Redeeming Miles for Lufthansa First Class

Lufthansa is a Star Alliance member airline, which means you can redeem any Star Alliance miles for a First Class flight on Lufthansa, if there is award availability, at the following rates to/from Frankfurt/Munich (one-way):

• Air Canada Aeroplan: between 90k – 100k+ points (depends on the distance flown)
• Asiana Airlines Asiana Club: 50k miles
• Avianca LifeMiles: 87k miles
• Lufthansa Group Miles & More: 91k miles
• Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer: 121k miles
• United Airlines MileagePlus: around 120k miles (could vary since United’s pricing is dynamic)

Note that this isn’t the full list of programs/airlines which you can use to redeem miles from – just the best programs to use. As you can see above, redeeming Asiana Airlines miles for a one-way flight at just 50k miles is a phenomenal value; the catch is that you can only transfer from Marriott Bonvoy to Asiana Club and the transfers take up to a week, and sometimes even longer.

fly Lufthansa First Class using miles

All in All

Lufthansa First Class is an excellent way to fly to/from Europe – from the First Class Terminal in Frankfurt and First Class Lounges in Frankfurt and Munich, the private tarmac car transfer to your aircraft, to the incredible in-flight experience featuring world-class dining and a comfortable seat which turns into a fully flat bed, this is one of the greatest ways to fly.

Redeeming miles for Lufthansa First Class can be difficult, but not impossible. Usually Lufthansa will release award seats just a few days before departure, depending on how full the cabin is – if there are a few unsold seats left, the airline will probably release at least one as an award; if the cabin is almost full, chances are the given flight won’t open up for mileage redemption. If you need to fly somewhere and don’t want to risk First Class not opening up, you could always book another flight itinerary and then later last minute change to Lufthansa First Class, should it open up.

The post Redeeming Miles for Lufthansa First Class appeared first on Travel Miles 101.

Virgin Atlantic, the UK’s boutique long-haul airline, has a very interesting and niche frequent flyer program – Flying Club. Virgin Atlantic partners with a variety of airlines – ranging from Air France/KLM to Hawaiian Airlines to Singapore Airlines; the airline will eventually join the SkyTeam Alliance as Virgin’s strongest partnerships are with Air France/KLM and Delta Air Lines.

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club is a very interesting frequent flyer program in that it won’t solve all of your award travel needs, but it does nicely complement other programs. And where other frequent flyer programs may not provide the best value, that’s where you might be able to use Virgin Atlantic points at an exceptional value – let’s cover some of the best Flying Club Sweet Spots in the program.

You can easily gain more points by transferring in from:

• American Express Membership Rewards
• Capital One Rewards
• Chase Ultimate Rewards
• Citi ThankYou Points
• Marriott Bonvoy

Flying Club Sweet Spots Notes

The sweet spots listed below are valid for one-way travel during the regular/low/standard season. Virgin Atlantic does also publish peak season award charts – the season is determined by the date you fly and can be viewed directly on Virgin’s website. Standard and Peak Season award rates may or may not apply to partner airlines; if a connecting flight is required, you may be charged for each flight separately on some partner airlines (though some partner airlines also allow “free” connecting flights within the same region).

This post will cover Flying Club sweet spots on AF/KL, NH, HA, SA. Read about other sweet spots here.

In addition to the mandatory airline taxes and fees that must be paid on an award ticket, some airlines also charge fuel surcharges – which can be hundreds of dollars in some cases. Sadly, Virgin Atlantic does charge fuel surcharges on some award tickets – in some cases these can be very high (especially on their own flights). The good news is that for travel on some of their airline partners, fuel surcharges can be relatively low – this depends on the airline you are flying, the route, class of service, and more. Expect to pay more in taxes/fees and fuel surcharges if redeeming points for Business Class flights.

fly KLM using Flying Club Sweet Spots

Sweet Spots: Air France/KLM Royal Dutch Airlines

search for award space: directly on Virgin Atlantic’s website or using Delta Air Lines SkyMiles

Short-Medium Haul flights:

• flights 600 miles or less: Economy Class: 4k, Business Class: 8k
• flights in distance of 601 – 1,249 miles: Economy Class: 7.5k
• flights in distance of 1,250 – 1,749 miles: Economy Class: 9k

Long Haul flights:

• Zone 1: UK, Germany, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Ireland, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Spain, Portugal, Austria, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Malta, Norway, Sweden
• Zone 2: Albania, Algeria, Armenia, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Croatia, Canary Islands (Spain), Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Israel, Libya, Lithuania, Latvia, Macedonia, Madeira (Portugal), Moldavia, Morocco, Poland, Czech Republic, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Turkey, Tunisia, Ukraine, Montenegro, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan
• Zone 3: Saudi Arabia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Egypt, UAE, Georgia, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Syria, Qatar, Uzbekistan, Djibouti
• Zone 4: Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Congo, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Uganda, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Senegal, Sudan, South Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Chad, Zambia, Sierra Leone
• Zone 5: Angola, South Africa, Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Mauritius, Reunion Island (France), Seychelles, Mayotte (France), Comoros, Madagascar, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka
• Zone 6: USA (Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Washington D.C., West Virginia, Virginia, Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, Illinois, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Florida), Canada (Ontario, Quebec, Newfoundland, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island), Antigua, Barbados, Bahamas, Cuba, Bermuda, Dominican Republic, French Guyana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Cayman Islands, Turks and Caicos, Virgin Islands, Jamaica, Martinique, Haiti, Puerto Rico (USA), Trinidad and Tobago, Saint Marteen
• Zone 7: USA (Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, California, Hawaii, Alaska), Canada (Nunavut, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Northwest Territories, British Colombia, Yukon), Mexico, Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Nicaragua
• Zone 8: Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela, Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay
• Zone 9: China, South Korea, Japan, Mongolia, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Laos, Macau, Myanmar, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam
• Zone 10: Australia, Fiji, Guam, Mariana Islands, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, New Zealand, Palau, Vanuatu, Wallis and Futuna, New Caledonia, French Polynesia

The cost of a flight in miles is determined based on the zones you are traveling between. Zone 1 and Zone 2 covers Europe and since that’s where Air France/KLM flights originate, here are the sweet spots:

• Zone 1 <-> Zone 2: Economy Class: 9k
• Zone 1 <-> Zone 3: Economy Class: 12k, Premium Economy Class: 24k
• Zone 1 <-> Zone 4: Economy Class: 12k, Premium Economy Class: 24k, Business Class: 48.5k
• Zone 1 <-> Zone 5: Economy Class: 15k, Premium Economy Class: 30k, Business Class: 61k
• Zone 1 <-> Zone 6: Economy Class: 12k, Premium Economy Class: 24k, Business Class: 48.5k
• Zone 1 <-> Zone 7: Economy Class: 15k
• Zone 1 <-> Zone 8: Economy Class: 17k, Premium Economy Class: 34k
• Zone 1 <-> Zone 9: Economy Class: 21k
• Zone 1 <-> Zone 10: Economy Class: 31k
• Zone 2 <-> Zone 3: Economy Class: 20k
• Zone 2 <-> Zone 4: Economy Class: 20k, Business Class: 65k
• Zone 2 <-> Zone 5: Economy Class: 23k
• Zone 2 <-> Zone 6: Economy Class: 20k
• Zone 2 <-> Zone 7: Economy Class: 23k
• Zone 2 <-> Zone 8: Economy Class: 26.5k
• Zone 2 <-> Zone 9: Economy Class: 30k
• Zone 2 <-> Zone 10: Economy Class: 39.5k

Sweet Spots: ANA All Nippon Airways

search for award space: using Air Canada Aeroplan or United Airlines MileagePlus

• Japan <-> Japan: Economy Class: 7.5k
• Japan <-> South Korea: Economy Class: 9k
• Japan <-> China/Guam/Hong Kong/Taiwan/Philippines: Economy Class: 11.5k, Business Class: 22.5k, First Class: 30k
• Japan <-> Malaysia/Myanmar/Singapore/Thailand/Vietnam: Business Class: 32.5k, First Class: 40k
• Japan <-> Hawaii/India/Indonesia: Economy Class: 22.5k, Business Class: 35k, First Class: 45k
• Japan <-> Australia/Canada/West Coast USA: Business Class: 45k, First Class: 55k
• Japan <-> Europe/Mexico/Rest of USA: Business Class: 47.5k, First Class: 60k

Sweet Spots: Hawaiian Airlines

search for award space: using Hawaiian Airlines Hawaiian Miles at the low/saver award levels or for international Hawaiian Airlines flights, using American Airlines AAdvantage

• Hawaii <-> Hawaii: Economy Class: 7.5k
• Hawaii <-> West Coast USA: First Class: 40k
• Hawaii <-> South Pacific: Economy Class: 27.5k, Business Class: 47.5k

There’s a few other routes you can redeem on, but the value isn’t that great so they aren’t considered sweet spots.

Sweet Spots: South African Airways

search for award space: using Air Canada Aeroplan or United Airlines MileagePlus

• Domestic South Africa <-> Domestic South Africa: Economy Class: 10k, Business Class: 15k
• South Africa <-> Botswana/Lesotho/Madagascar/Malawi/Mozambique/Namibia/Swaziland/Zambia/Zimbabwe: Economy Class: 10k, Business Class: 15k
• South Africa <-> Angola/Benin/Cameroon/Côte d’Ivoire/DR Congo/Republic of Congo/Gabon/Ghana/Kenya/Nigeria/Senegal/Tanzania/Uganda: Business Class: 25k
• South Africa <-> Indian Ocean: Economy Class: 20k, Business Class: 25k

There are a few other sweet spots for travel on South African Airways, however given the airline’s recent financial trouble, they aren’t operating many flights at the moment and aren’t flying to the USA/Europe/South America/Australia – so booking those other sweet spots is not possible right now.

visit Japan with Flying Club Sweet Spots

Flying Club Sweet Spots: All in All

As you can see by the various sweet spots above, Virgin Atlantic’s program can truly be powerful when redeeming points on different airlines in several regions. Remember that fuel surcharges do vary based on your airline, route, class, etc. Virgin Atlantic Flying Club points are relatively easy to earn as you can transfer in from a bunch of transferable bank points programs and from Marriott Bonvoy.

Remember that not all redemptions can be done directly on Virgin’s website and some do require you calling in; changes and cancellations are also simple with Flying Club for a small fee of GBP30 or USD50. Redeeming miles for award tickets through Flying Club can be an incredible deal in many cases – just make sure the surcharges on your itinerary aren’t too expensive.

The post Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Sweet Spots (AF/KL, NH, HA, SA) appeared first on Travel Miles 101.

Booking award flights is generally not an easy task, especially if you are flying to a different continent in the premium cabins. If you have specific dates and flights in mind and are looking to book those flights with miles, chances are you are going to be disappointed as either the flight won’t be available using miles or it will be, but at a high, non-saver level rate. The key to finding award availability has always been flexibility and making sure you have diversified your points (for example, your points are with a major transferable program and not in just one airline).

There are, of course, times when you get lucky and the exact flight you want is available – but more often than not, those times are quite rare. There isn’t one universal rule as to when award availability opens up or when you should book – airlines constantly release and take away award availability, depending on a variety of factors concerning your itinerary. The best advice possible is “book now, think later”. In most cases, you usually have 24h to cancel an award ticket free of charge (depending on the frequent flyer program) – so if something you like is available, book it and plan after the flight is booked.

When The Calendar Opens

The calendar or flight schedule usually opens 330 days prior to departure, some airlines release flights 365 days out, but it all depends on what frequent flyer program you are using to book your award flight. For example, if British Airways releases award seats 365 days out, you might not be able to book those through a partner airline if that partner airline only allows booking 330 days out.

Usually when the calendar opens up, airlines will make some award seats available – the flight will be loaded in with no one booked. This, of course, depends on the airline, route, dates, etc. – some airlines release plenty of seats when the calendar opens and others don’t release any at all. Generally speaking, more airlines release award seats when the calendar opens and then those get booked up quickly. There are cases when seats won’t be released when the calendar opens – like flights around Christmas time in First Class, for example.

find award flights when the calendar opens

3-6 Months Prior Departure

If you aren’t looking to travel over the summer peak season (June, July, August) or mid-December to mid-January, usually the best time to book will be 3-6 months prior to departure. It is definitely possible to book before or after this timeframe pending availability, but 3-6 months is an ideal time to book if you aren’t flying over peak times. The award availability always depends on many factors like the route you are flying, the airline, dates, how busy the flight is, etc.

For example, you will find more award seats from New York to London than from San Francisco to London – the shorter the flight is and the more options there are between the two places, the more award availability there will be. In our example, there are significantly more flights between New York and London than between SFO and London – which leads to more award availability and a wider selection of airlines. Generally speaking, west coast in the premium cabin to Europe is always a challenge – no matter the time of the year.

Book Award Flights Last Minute

Last minute is often the best time to book award tickets in Business Class and First Class. Airlines release unsold seats as awards last minute when they think they won’t be able to sell those seats using cash; First Class is often only possible to book a few days before departure using miles. While I realize that most people probably want to have their entire journey planned weeks or months in advance, some of us are flexible and can plan a trip with only a few days’ notice. You can always check to see how many seats are in the cabin you’d like to book and what the flight load is – then you’re able to estimate if your desired award might open up.

last minute is often the best time to book

Make Changes & Improve Your Itinerary

Many frequent flyer programs no longer have any change or cancelation fees for award tickets, and the programs that do still charge these fees don’t make them super expensive. One of the best ways to fly using miles and points is to “lock in” an itinerary you are perfectly happy with flying whenever you see it, and make improvements to your flights from time to time up until a few hours before your departure. This is beneficial because if something better opens up, you can always change to it and if it doesn’t, you will always have something booked that you can fly. Usually award availability won’t open all at once on all of your desired flights – so you might have to change your itinerary a few times until you have your ideal flights booked.

All in All

The strategy of booking award flights involves knowing when to book, knowing what miles/points to have, and making changes to your itinerary until you achieve the perfect, desired result. I’ve changed tickets numerous amounts of times until I got each and every flight exactly how I wanted – but it involves having the right miles/points in the right places, being flexible, constantly checking if the flight you want to book has award availability, and locking in something that you can fly.

The post Best Times to Book Award Flights appeared first on Travel Miles 101.

Virgin Atlantic, the UK’s boutique long-haul airline, has a very interesting a niche frequent flyer program – Flying Club. Virgin Atlantic partners with a variety of airlines – ranging from Air France/KLM to Hawaiian Airlines to Singapore Airlines; the airline will eventually join the SkyTeam Alliance as Virgin’s strongest partnerships are with Air France/KLM and Delta Air Lines.

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club is a very interesting frequent flyer program in that it won’t solve all of your award travel needs, but it does nicely complement other programs. And where other frequent flyer programs may not provide the best value, that’s where you might be able to use Virgin Atlantic points at an exceptional value – let’s cover some of the best Sweet Spots in the Virgin Atlantic Flying Club program.

You can easily gain more points by transferring in from:

• American Express Membership Rewards
• Capital One Rewards
• Chase Ultimate Rewards
• Citi ThankYou Points
• Marriott Bonvoy

Flying Club Sweet Spots Notes

The sweet spots listed below are valid for one-way travel during the regular/low/standard season. Virgin Atlantic does also publish peak season award charts – the season is determined by the date you fly and can be viewed directly on Virgin’s website. Standard and Peak Season award rates may or may not apply to partner airlines; if a connecting flight is required, you may be charged for each flight separately on some partner airlines (though some partner airlines also allow “free” connecting flights within the same region).

This post will cover sweet spots on (next post will cover other airline partners):

• Virgin Atlantic
• Air New Zealand
• Delta Air Lines
• Singapore Airlines
• Virgin Australia

In addition to the mandatory airline taxes and fees that must be paid on an award ticket, some airlines also charge fuel surcharges – which can be hundreds of dollars in some cases. Sadly, Virgin Atlantic does charge fuel surcharges on some award tickets – in some cases these can be very high (especially on their own flights). The good news is that for travel on some of their airline partners, fuel surcharges can be relatively low – this depends on the airline you are flying, the route, class of service, and more. Expect to pay more in taxes/fees and fuel surcharges if redeeming points for Business Class flights.

redeem Flying Club miles for Virgin Atlantic flights

Sweet Spots: Virgin Atlantic

search for award space: directly on Virgin Atlantic’s website

• UK <-> Israel: Economy Class: 9k, Premium Economy: 16k, Upper Class: 28k
• UK <-> India/Pakistan: Economy Class: 10k, Premium Economy: 17.5k, Upper Class: 37.5k
• UK <-> US (BOS, EWR, JFK, IAD): Economy Class: 10k, Premium Economy: 17.5k, Upper Class: 47.5k
• UK <-> US (ATL, MIA, MCO, TPA): Economy Class: 12.5k, Premium Economy: 22.5k, Upper Class: 47.5k
• UK <-> US (AUS, LAS, LAX, SFO, SEA): Economy Class: 15k, Premium Economy: 27.5k
• UK <-> Caribbean: Economy Class: 10k, Premium Economy: 17.5k, Upper Class: 57.5k
• UK <-> Nigeria/China/Hong Kong: Economy Class: 12.5k, Premium Economy: 22.5k, Upper Class: 57.5k
• UK <-> South Africa: Economy Class: 12.5k, Premium Economy: 25k, Upper Class: 57.5k

Sweet Spots: Air New Zealand

search for award space: using Air Canada Aeroplan or United Airlines MileagePlus

• New Zealand <-> New Zealand: Economy Class: 7.5k
• New Zealand <-> Australia: Economy Class: 10k, Business Class: 15k
• New Zealand <-> Pacific Islands: Economy Class: 10k, Business Class: 15k
• New Zealand <-> Asia: Business Class: 40k
• New Zealand <-> Hawaii: Business Class: 45k
• New Zealand <-> North America: Business Class: 62.5k

Air New Zealand award availability in Business Class is hard to find – so if you see something, book it right away!

Sweet Spots: Delta Air Lines

search for award space: directly on Virgin Atlantic’s website or using Air France/KLM Flying Blue

• UK <-> US (BOS, JFK): Economy Class: 15k, Delta One: 47.5k
• UK <-> US (ATL, DTW, MSP): Economy Class: 17.5k, Delta One: 47.5k
• UK <-> US (SLC): Economy Class: 20k
• Europe (excluding the UK) <-> US: Delta One: 50k
• all other flights with range of 0 – 500 miles flown: Economy Class: 7.5k
• all other flights with range of 501 – 1,000 miles flown: Economy Class: 8.5k
• all other flights with range of 1,001 – 1,500 miles flown: Economy Class: 11.5k
• all other flights with range of 1,501 – 2,000 miles flown: Economy Class: 12.5k
• all other flights with range of 2,001 – 3,000 miles flown: Economy Class: 15k
• all other flights with range of 3,001 – 4,000 miles flown: Economy Class: 22.5k

Sweet Spots: Singapore Airlines

search for award space: using Air Canada Aeroplan or United Airlines MileagePlus

• Singapore <-> Brunei/Indonesia/Malaysia: Economy Class: 7.5k
• Singapore <-> Japan/South Korea: Business Class: 35k, First Class: 50k
• Singapore <-> China (PEK, PVG): Business Class: 35k, First Class: 50k
• Singapore <-> Turkey/UAE: Business Class: 40k, First Class: 60k
• Singapore <-> South Africa: Business Class: 50k, First Class: 70k

Note that Singapore Airlines releases more award space to their own members, especially in the premium cabins.

Sweet Spots: Virgin Australia

search for award space: using Air Canada Aeroplan

• flights less than 400 miles: Economy Class: 8k
• flights in distance of 600 – 1,199 miles: Economy Class: 15k

redeem Flying Club miles and travel the world

All in All

As you can see by the various sweet spots above, Virgin Atlantic’s program can truly be powerful when redeeming points on different airlines in several regions. Remember that fuel surcharges do vary based on your airline, route, class, etc. Virgin Atlantic Flying Club points are relatively easy to earn as you can transfer in from a bunch of transferable bank points programs and from Marriott Bonvoy.

Remember that not all redemptions can be done directly on Virgin’s website and some do require you calling in; changes and cancellations are also simple with Flying Club for a small fee of GBP30 or USD50. Redeeming miles for award tickets through Flying Club can be an incredible deal in many cases – just make sure the surcharges on your itinerary aren’t too expensive.

The post Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Sweet Spots (VS, NZ, DL, SQ, VA) appeared first on Travel Miles 101.

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club is quickly becoming one of my favorite frequent flyer programs due to their unique partnerships and redemption opportunities. Virgin Atlantic itself operates long-haul flights from the United Kingdom to international destinations; the airline is very much a boutique airline in that they don’t have the global reach of British Airways and do not operate that many flights in comparison to other major airlines. Virgin Atlantic has a close partnership with Air France/KLM and Delta Air Lines and will eventually join the SkyTeam Alliance. In addition to these partnerships, Virgin Atlantic does partner with other airlines and on some of which you’re able to both earn and redeem Virgin Atlantic Flying Club points.

Transferring Points to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club points are fairly easy to acquire since you can transfer them in from most major transferable bank points programs:

• American Express Membership Rewards
  • 1:1 transfer ratio
  • instant transfer
• Capital One Rewards
  • 1:1 transfer ratio to the Virgin Red program
  • instant transfer
• Chase Ultimate Rewards
  • 1:1 transfer ratio
  • instant transfer
• Citi ThankYou Points
  • 1:1 transfer ratio
  • instant transfer
• Marriott Bonvoy
  • 3:1 transfer ratio (for every 60k Marriott Bonvoy points you transfer, you will get a bonus of 5k Virgin Atlantic Flying Club points)
  • average transfer time is 1-2 days

The transferable bank points programs frequently offer transfer bonuses, for example, like 30% more airline miles/points. Under a bonus like this you would receive 30% more Virgin Atlantic Flying Club points when transferring from a bank program.

see the world with Virgin Atlantic Flying Club points

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Award Fees

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club has very reasonable award fees, should you require them. There is no fee when making a booking over the phone, which is useful since some of their airline partners do not show up directly on their website and must be booked over the phone (you would find award availability elsewhere and call Virgin Atlantic to book).

• award ticket change fee: GBP30 or USD50
• award ticket redeposit/cancel fee: GBP30 or USD50

The currency you are charged in depends on what currency your ticket was issued in and/or the address on your Flying Club account.

Virgin Atlantic Partner Airlines

In addition to obviously being able to redeem Virgin Atlantic Flying Club points on Virgin Atlantic flights, you can also redeem them on a number of partner airlines, which include:

• Air France
• Air New Zealand
• ANA All Nippon Airways
• Delta Air Lines
• Hawaiian Airlines
• KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
• Singapore Airlines
• South African Airways
• Virgin Australia

Virgin Atlantic does also partner with the following airlines, but you can only earn miles for flights on these airlines and you aren’t able to redeem your Virgin points:

• IndiGo
• SAS Scandinavian Airlines

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, a Virgin Atlantic Flying Club partner

Redeeming Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Points

You can search for award availability and redeem your points directly on Virgin Atlantic’s website for flights on Virgin Atlantic and some of their airline partners. Not all of their airline partners show up on Virgin’s website and some must be booked over the phone.

Search for Air New Zealand, ANA All Nippon Airways, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways award availability using Air Canada Aeroplan or United Airlines MileagePlus. Keep in mind that you should search for award availability using a partner program (for example, Singapore Airlines offers more award availability to their own members and therefore you should search for a Singapore Airlines flight on Air Canada or United and if you find award space, you will be able to book it using Virgin points).

Search for Hawaiian Airlines award availability using Hawaiian Airlines’ website at their lowest/saver-level award rates. You can also check for award availability on international Hawaiian Airlines flights using American Airlines AAdvantage.

Search for Virgin Australia award availability using Air Canada Aeroplan.

Once you find award availability on your desired flight you can call Virgin Atlantic Flying Club and provide them the exact flight information and they should be able to book it without issue. Virgin does publish award charts for their own flights and for partner awards so you can easily see how much a flight will cost directly on their website.

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Fuel Surcharges

In addition to the mandatory airline taxes and fees that must be paid on an award ticket, some airlines also charge fuel surcharges – which can be hundreds of dollars in some cases. Sadly, Virgin Atlantic does charge fuel surcharges on award tickets – in some cases these can be very high (especially on their own flights). The good news is that for travel on some of their airline partners, fuel surcharges can be relatively low – this depends on the airline you are flying, the route, class of service, and more. Expect to pay more in taxes/fees and fuel surcharges if redeeming points for Business Class flights.

All in All

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club is a very niche frequent flyer program with some great airline partners and sweet spots. You can easily acquire Virgin points by transferring in from various bank points programs or even from Marriott Bonvoy. This frequent flyer program won’t solve all of your redemption needs, but it does nicely complement other programs and provides powerful redemption opportunities across several regions.

The post Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Overview appeared first on Travel Miles 101.

The busy holiday season is quickly approaching and before we know it, we will be off traveling around the country and perhaps around the world – to reunite with our family and friends and celebrate the holidays and new year season. Whether you’re traveling domestically or internationally, this upcoming holiday season is going to be one of the busiest ever in terms of travel and people moving around – that’s because after the past two-and-a-half years, people are longing to get back out there and not only rediscover the world, but also reconnect with loved ones after being separated for such a long time.

Anyone planning and booking flights for the upcoming holiday season has noticed that prices are sky high for all things travel – flights, hotels, cars, etc. everything is expensive. Revenue flight prices are through the roof and award availability is severely lacking – if you searched for award flights for the upcoming few weeks, you probably were returned with either no availability or the price of a flight in miles was insanely expensive. Sadly that’s the case right now, after a record-breaking summer, it seems like we are in for record-breaking winter. Thankfully, there are ways you can easily improve and elevate your travel experience and avoid (some of) the crowds as you move from point A to point B.

travel somewhere unique this holiday season

Check-in Online & Don’t Check Bags

Naturally, you should always check-in for your flight online and avoid going to the counter at the airport if you’re traveling with only a carry-on bag. This especially applies during the holiday season, while I know it might be impossible to not check in a bag during these times as you might be taking with you more than normal (Christmas presents, etc.) if you check-in online and have a mobile boarding pass, you can proceed to the quick bag drop-off points at the check-in counters and save time since you’ll already have a boarding pass.

Remember that if you have elite status with the airline you’re flying (or with one of their partners) or you’re flying in the premium cabin, you have access to Priority Check-in, which can save you sometimes over an hour. Airlines do also sell Priority Services – like Priority Check-in, Security, Boarding, etc. so if you’re flying Economy and checking in bags during a peak period, it might make sense to buy these ancillary services.

Speed Through Security

If you have elite status or are flying in a premium cabin, you already have access to the Priority Security Fast Lane at select airports – this alone can save you a ton of time, especially if you are flying during one of the upcoming peak travel days. If you haven’t yet enrolled in TSA Pre-Check and fly frequently, this is a no-brainer. TSA Pre-Check has saved me hundreds of hours over the years and is truly a blessing – being able to leave your shoes on, liquids and laptops in your bag, and speed through security in under 3-5 minutes is the greatest thing ever. Many premium travel credit cards reimburse you for the TSA Pre-Check or Global Entry application fees, so you could be paying $0 for this amazing benefit.

Another relatively new feature airports around the country have been implementing is a process whereby you can sign up for a selected time-slot during which you’ll go through security without waiting. Not all airports are offering this, so be sure to check with your origination airport. The way it works is simple – you tell the airport when and at what time you will be going through security and they will hold your spot and there’s usually a dedicated security checkpoint. You do have to show up at the time you reserved and if you miss your spot, you’re probably out of luck and have to go to the regular lane.

spend this holiday season in the mountains

Escape the Madness at Lounges

Lounges at an airport are sanctuaries – being able to escape the crowds and relax before your flight while enjoying a nice meal and a glass of wine is my absolute favorite pre-flight ritual. Even if you aren’t flying First/Business Class or don’t hold airline Elite Status, there are still a number of ways to access airport lounges – either through a premium travel credit card, by buying a day-pass, or even subscribing to a lounge membership program.

Airports usually have several lounges and therefore you might find yourself lounge-hopping until you find the perfect one where you’re able to truly unwind and take a moment to yourself before boarding – just make sure to keep track of time, as it can quickly slip away when you’re having so much fun at an airport.

Priority Boarding and Seating

Priority Boarding allows you to board the plane ahead of Economy Class passengers, find your seat quicker, and most importantly, find space for your carry-on. Flights will be full and even overbooked this upcoming holiday travel season, so you definitely want to make sure your carry-on bag doesn’t get gate-checked. While you can board quickly, once you land at your destination, the only way you can leave the plane quickly is if you have a seat as close to the front as possible. When flying on peak dates, you might want to upgrade to a seat in the preferred zone of the cabin or even an extra-legroom seat, which might allow you to leave the plane quicker at your destination. If you’ve checked bags, this won’t matter as much since you will still most likely have to wait at baggage claim until the bags start arriving.

Add Extra Time and Relax this Holiday Season

During travel times like these, it is important to give yourself plenty of extra time – even if you’ve taken everything into account, you never know what surprises the holiday travel season can bring – add extra time to your journey and then once you make it to your gate, use that time to relax and take in the special moment that we are once again able to jet around the world and reunite with loved ones, something that has truly been missed.

Lastly, remember that everyone is traveling and wants to get to their destination as quickly as possible and while airlines are doing everything they can to keep passengers moving, there will be irregular operations – flight delays, cancellations, etc. will happen. During these events, have patience and don’t stress as there is likely not much you will achieve through worry. Delays and cancellations often happen during the winter – we just can’t control the weather.

relax in paradise this holiday season

All in All

Everyone’s excited to travel again and just like this past summer, the winter is going to be a busy one. Airports and flights are at or even over capacity due to the increased demand – some airlines are still adding more flights and airports are expanding, but that will take some time. These tips above can help improve and elevate your travels during these times, so be sure you’re well prepared for your upcoming trip. It is finally the time to see and explore the world again.

The post Tips for the Busy Travel Holiday Season appeared first on Travel Miles 101.

Award tickets, unlike the cheapest cash tickets, are generally very flexible – they can be changed or cancelled for either no fee or a low fee. This is all by design since award tickets are meant to reward you for your loyalty to a given frequent flyer program and therefore the ability to make changes or cancellations to your award ticket should be simple.

Note that when cancelling award tickets you will generally get back the miles and taxes you paid either for a small cancellation fee or for no fee at all. Some frequent flyer programs offer free changes but if you wish to redeposit the miles and refund the taxes, a fee might apply. Remember that when you make changes to an award ticket, you most likely will have to pay a difference in miles and tax (even if there is no change fee) as this would be considered the fare difference (just like when making changes to a cash ticket).

It is also important to note that frequent flyer programs sometimes offer special deals on award tickets – for example, they could offer discounted awards and usually these award tickets come with more restrictions like no changes and cancellations and therefore if you’re booking an award ticket under a special deal or promotion be sure to check the terms and conditions.

While every frequent flyer program has their own change and cancellation rules and fees, let’s highlight and go over all of the major programs we use on a daily basis and what their change and cancellation fees are. If the program you use isn’t listed here, you can easily find the policy by searching on Google or referring to your award ticket rules.

Singapore Airlines, a Star Alliance member

Star Alliance

• Air Canada Aeroplan
  • changes CA$100
  • cancellations CA$150
  • these fees may be lower depending on what type of reward you book and what your status with Aeroplan is
• Avianca LifeMiles
  • changes $150
  • cancellations between $50 – $200 depending on your award ticket type
• Lufthansa Group Miles & More
  • changes/cancellations EUR50
  • some changes might be free depending on your ticket type
  • some award ticket changes or cancellations are not possible
• Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
  • changes $0 – $50 depending on ticket type
  • cancellations $50 – $75 depending on ticket type
• United Airlines MileagePlus
  • changes/cancellations $0

British Airways, a member of oneworld

oneworld

• Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
  • changes/cancellations $0
• American Airlines AAdvantage
  • changes/cancellations $0
• British Airways Executive Club
  • changes/cancellations $55
  • if taxes paid are less than $55, you can just forfeit the taxes and not pay the cancel fee

Delta Air Lines, a member of SkyTeam

SkyTeam

• Air France/KLM Flying Blue
  • changes/cancellations EUR50
• Delta Air Lines SkyMiles
  • changes/cancellations $0 if your ticket begins in North America (Main Cabin and above)
  • changes/cancellations $150 for all other awards

Other Airlines

• Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards
  • changes/cancellations $0
• Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
  • changes/cancellations $50

All in All

As you can see, many frequent flyer programs have no change or cancellation fees – which is great as the ability to book an award ticket and later modify it for free is a powerful feature of a frequent flyer program. The programs that do still charge change or cancellation fees are generally mild and note that the fee is usually charged per person – some airlines and programs also might temporarily waive these fees under a number of conditions.

Award tickets are meant to reward you for your loyalty as these are mileage tickets booked using miles/points that you have acquired with your desired program and therefore offer more flexibility than your standard revenue/cash ticket, which generally has much higher fees for changes and cancellations and the cheapest tickets are usually nonrefundable.

The post Change & Cancel Fees for Award Bookings appeared first on Travel Miles 101.

Along with Bali, Fiji, Mauritius, and French Polynesia, Seychelles is paradise on Earth and a destination many of us want to visit. Flying to these exotic and tropical islands can sometimes be really expensive on a cash/revenue ticket – thankfully, there are many ways to fly to these places on miles & points. Seychelles also has a few points hotels and therefore you trip to the paradise island could potentially cost you close to nothing (at least for the flights and hotels).

As always the general strategy of collecting miles/points applies here – make sure you’re collecting points mainly with transferable bank points programs so that when you go to book your ticket to the Seychelles you have plenty of options. The Seychelles’ national airline, Air Seychelles, unfortunately does not currently partner with any major airlines frequent flyer-wise so there’s no way to redeem miles for Air Seychelles flights. The airline used to have a partnership with Etihad Airways but that is no longer the case.

fly to the Seychelles using miles & points

Flying with Star Alliance to the Seychelles

Two Star Alliance member airlines currently operate flights to the Seychelles and therefore you are able to redeem any Star Alliance miles/points for these flights. In order to figure out which program will provide you with the best redemption, you must take into account your starting region – then you can figure out how many miles/points are required from your origin to the Seychelles.

The best way to check for award availability on Star Alliance is using Air Canada Aeroplan or United Airlines MileagePlus – note that you should search each segment separately and start with the flight to the Seychelles first in order to be presented with the best results.

• Edelweiss Air: Zurich
• Ethiopian Airlines: Addis Ababa
• Turkish Airlines: Istanbul

Note that Edelweiss Air is a leisure airline of SWISS International Air Lines and not a full Star Alliance member airline and therefore it may not be possible to redeem all Star Alliance miles for travel on Edelweiss Air. You can redeem Lufthansa Group Miles & More miles and United Airlines MileagePlus miles for travel on Edelweiss Air.

Flying with oneworld to the Seychelles

Two airlines from the oneworld alliance currently operate flights to the Seychelles:

• Qatar Airways: Doha
• SriLankan Airlines: Colombo

As usually, you are able to redeem any oneworld miles/points for these flights. As is the case with Star Alliance, you must first check how many points your desired redemption would cost based on your starting region. The best miles you could use to fly to the Seychelles would be American Airlines AAdvantage, British Airways Executive Club, and Cathay Pacific Asia Miles.

Note that AAdvantage does not make you pay fuel surcharges while other programs might so if you are originating in North America or Europe and want to fly to the Seychelles your best choice is probably going to be to redeem AA miles – you can have up to 4 segments on a one-way ticket so you could fly something like Los Angeles – New York – Doha – Seychelles, for example on a combination of American/Alaska Airlines and Qatar Airways.

Flying with SkyTeam to the Seychelles

Currently, only one SkyTeam airline serves the gorgeous island of the Seychelles:

• Kenya Airways: Nairobi

You can fly Kenya Airways using any SkyTeam miles, though you are probably going to get the best value redeeming either Air France/KLM Flying Blue miles or Delta Air Lines SkyMiles for travel on Kenya Airways. Note that Kenya Airways does not show up on Delta.com which means that you first have to find award space and then call Delta to book. Flying Blue is Kenya Airways’ frequent flyer program so there may be more availability to Flying Blue members and Delta could potentially not see that award space so it is best to verify with other SkyTeam airlines before calling Delta to book.

fly to the Seychelles using miles & points

Flying with other airlines to the Seychelles

A number of non-alliance airlines also operate flights to the Seychelles. The best ways to redeem miles/points for these flights is to check which airlines these carriers partner with and then check each award chart respectively.

• Air Mauritius: Mauritius
  -redeem Air Canada Aeroplan miles or Air France/KLM Flying Blue miles
• Condor: Frankfurt
  -redem Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles (must connect onward from Frankfurt to North America)
• El Al: Tel Aviv
  -check which airlines El Al partners with and then check various award redemption opportunities depending on where you are originating
• Emirates: Dubai
  -redeem Emirates Skywards miles for Emirates flights
• Etihad Airways: Abu Dhabi
  -redeem Air Canada Aeroplan, Asiana Airlines Asiana Club, or Etihad Airways Etihad Guest miles

Each of these non-alliance airlines have various partnerships with other airlines so the best redemption for you may not necessarily be through any of the airlines/frequent flyer programs mentioned above. Be sure to research the partners and awards available to you.

As mentioned before the national carrier of the Seychelles, Air Seychelles, does operate a few flights to various regions around the world and while you can’t directly redeem miles/points for these flights, you could potentially redeem transferable bank points via their travel portal towards a cash ticket on Air Seychelles at a rate of $0.01 – $0.015 depending on which bank and credit card you have. Air Seychelles operates flights to Johannesburg, Mauritius, Mumbai, Tel Aviv, Male, and Warsaw – along with a few other seasonal and charter flights.

All in All

There is definitely a way to fly to the beautiful Seychelles using miles and points as demonstrated above on the various airlines. Keep in mind that flight schedules frequently change – especially to exotic destinations like this one, so be sure to regularly check which airlines operate flights. The best way to check is via Google Flights or the airport’s Wikipedia page.

The best ways to redeem your miles and points is for aspirational and exotic destinations where you can fly to paradise on an award ticket for little-to-none and that is definitely possible to the Seychelles – which is truly a destination that should be on everyone’s list. With the right airline miles and hotel points, you trip to the Seychelles could be relatively inexpensive.

The post Flying to the Seychelles using Miles & Points appeared first on Travel Miles 101.

The beauty of miles and points is they can take you virtually anywhere in the world – thanks to airline frequent flyer programs and their partners as well as airline alliances, the world is well within reach. Collecting miles and points is one aspect and rather an easier one compared to redeeming miles – which can be more difficult. Earning miles through flying and credit card spend is quite simple as you just need to buy the right fare or use the right card and you receive miles.

In order to redeem miles for your desired flights and at a great value, you need to take into account a few aspects which will help you find award availability. Travel using miles and points will most likely not work for you if you need to fly somewhere on a specific date on a specific flight – flexibility is key to finding award space; however, that’s not to say that if you’re not flexible you won’t find anything.

travel the world with miles & points

Diversity Your Miles & Points Portfolio

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.

Lock in Flights You Can Fly

Even if your desired itinerary or award flight is not available, check for other options and if something works for you – book it. Award availability changes every second based on demand, flight loads, and a variety of other factors. If there is no award seat on your desired flight now, chances are it might open up in the future. However, in case it does not, it is important to have something locked in/booked that you can still fly even if it isn’t what you prefer.

Unlike cash/revenue tickets, airline award tickets have no-to-mild cancellation fees. Most U.S. airlines like American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and Southwest Airlines have no change or cancellation fees – therefore if you book an award ticket with these airlines you can change it or redeposit it for no fee (might not include Basic Economy tickets). United Airlines still charges cancellation and change fees on award tickets depending on a number of factors like when and where you’re traveling, when you change/cancel, and what your elite status is.

Most foreign frequent flyer programs still charge change/cancellation fees – however they’re generally somewhere between $25 – $200 USD. Some might offer free changes as well, depending on your itinerary or when you book.

Look for Other Flight Options

Sometimes there just won’t be an award seat to where we want to fly – there can be times where there’s no award availability for a number of days and we just won’t be able to book an award flight. Thankfully, there are other options! These include redeeming transferable bank program points through their travel portal directly for a cash/revenue ticket. AMEX, Capital One, Chase, and Citi all have a travel portal whereby you can directly redeem their points for a flight, hotel, car, etc. through an Expedia-like portal where you can generally apply 1 point for a value of $0.01 – $0.015 towards your flight/hotel/car. These would not be mileage/award flights and rather the airline would see them as normal cash/revenue flights and they would be subject to the same change or cancellation fees as a regular ticket; you could potentially earn miles on these flights as well depending on what frequent flyer program you credit to.

Another option if there’s no award availability on your desired flight is to redeem miles for a flight to an alternate/near-by airport and then take ground transportation (for example, if there’s no award space to Miami there might be to Fort Lauderdale). This solution may not be convenient or may not work in some cases, but generally large cities have a few airports which only increases your chances of finding an award flight.

You could also book a trip combining an award flight and a cash flight. For example let’s say you want to fly from Seattle to Los Angeles and there’s no award space on this route, but you check Seattle – San Francisco and there is award availability. You could book SEA-SFO using miles and then San Francisco to Los Angeles using cash, which would most likely be less expensive than a cash ticket from Seattle – Los Angeles (though not in all cases since domestic tickets are generally inexpensive these days). If you are using this method be sure to have an extra-long layover as these are separate tickets.

Flexibility is Key

Award travel is amazing – being able to fly First Class around the world for next to nothing is one of the greatest aspects in travel; however, flexibility is key to both finding award availability and acquiring a redemption for the best value. Frequent flyer programs release award flights at a low-saver level and at a higher, dynamic level. When an airline releases a saver-level seat, that seat is generally bookable using miles from all of the airline’s partners and when there’s no saver-level availability but there is standard/higher/dynamic availability then that seats is only bookable using the frequent flyer program of the airline you are flying.

If you’re not flexible and there’s no saver-level award availability on your desired flight, chances are that there is mileage availability – just at higher levels. These non-saver level awards are almost never worth it as they can cost 2-5x more than the saver-level award ticket and generally represent a bad value and you should never redeem miles for a non-saver level ticket. For example, while United Airlines does not publish an award chart, they usually charge 60-80k miles for a one-way saver-level Business Class ticket from North America to Europe and they charge around 155k miles for the same ticket if there’s no low/saver-level award availability. This would represent a very bad value and you should never redeem your miles/points this way.

travel the world with miles & points

All in All

Miles and Points can help you see the world in ways that you normally would not be able to – especially if flying in the premium cabins. It is important to take these tips into account when planning your journey with points – make sure you’re flexible, collect transferable points, look for availability from other airports (book positioning tickets), lock in flights before and change later, etc.

It is possible to see the world on miles and points – you just need a bit of patience, creativity, and flexibility and then anything’s possible; traveling allows us to explore the world and then provides us with a unique and incredible story to tell.

The post Tips for Redeeming Miles & Points appeared first on Travel Miles 101.

Hawaiian Airlines operates flights connecting the various Hawaiian islands and also the U.S. mainland with Hawaii as well as other destinations in Asia and the South Pacific. Hawaiian Airlines is not a member of any airline alliance, but does have partnerships with various airlines, meaning that you can earn and redeem miles for travel on Hawaiian Airlines – however, not all routes are eligible and therefore it is important to check with your frequent flyer program before booking your revenue Hawaiian Airlines flight to ensure you will earn miles.

Redeem Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles

HawaiianMiles is the frequent flyer program of Hawaiian Airlines and you’re able to both earn and redeem miles on all eligible Hawaiian Airlines flights. If you don’t have any HawaiianMiles you can transfer points from American Express Membership Rewards (1:1 ratio and instant transfer) or Marriott Bonvoy (3:1 ratio and average transfer time is 1-2 days).

The award chart can be viewed here. You will notice there are a few award charts – depending on the regions you are traveling from and to. Flights within Hawaii are usually inexpensive and therefore it may not make sense to redeem miles for those (unless traveling during a peak period where the revenue cost is high but there is award availability).

The best redemptions include:

• Hawaii to/from North America in First Class for 40,000 miles one-way
• Hawaii to/from Japan, Korea, Australia, and New Zealand in Business Class for 65,000 miles one-way
• Hawaii to/from Pago Pago and Papeete in Business Class for 47,500 miles one-way
• Hawaii to/from Pago Pago and Papeete in Economy Class for 27,500 miles one-way

All prices mentioned above are for the lowest (saver) level award availability. Redeeming 40,000 miles for a one-way First Class lie-flat seat on a nonstop flight from New York to Honolulu is a fantastic redemption and something you’re unlikely to find on other U.S. airlines.

redeem miles for flights on Hawaiian Airlines

Redeem American Airlines AAdvantage miles

You can redeem American Airlines AAdvantage miles on select Hawaiian Airlines flights – but not all flights. Furthermore, any flight within Hawaii on Hawaiian Airlines requires a separate award and cannot be combined with other Hawaiian Airlines flights (for example Kauai – Honolulu – Tokyo cannot be booked on one award). You can redeem AA miles for Hawaiian Airlines flights within Hawaii and their international flights from Honolulu.

Award pricing is based on AA’s flight award chart for oneworld and partner airlines. You’re able to mix and match airlines, for example, you could fly Honolulu to Tokyo on Hawaiian Airlines and then Tokyo to Osaka on Japan Airlines all on one award. You can fly to the Asia 2 region via the Asia 1 region (Japan and Korea), so an award like Honolulu – Tokyo – Kuala Lumpur on Hawaiian Airlines and Malaysia Airlines is totally fine as long as the connection in Tokyo is under 24 hours.

Highlights of AA’s award chart for travel include:

• Hawaii to Asia Region 1 in Business Class for 52,500 miles one-way
• Hawaii to Asia Region 2 in Business Class for 55,000 miles one-way
• Hawaii to the South Pacific in Business Class for 65,000 miles one-way

If there’s award space you could potentially fly something like Honolulu – Auckland – Sydney – Perth for 65,000 miles one-way in Business Class on Hawaiian Airlines and Qantas which would be a great use of AAdvantage miles.

If you don’t have any AAdvantage miles you can transfer points from Marriot Bonvoy (3:1 ratio and average transfer time is 2 days), Citi sometimes allows transfers from ThankYou points to AAdvantage but this isn’t permanent and rather an “offer” that has appeared before.

Redeem United Airlines MileagePlus miles

United Airlines no longer publishes an award chart so award redemption levels will vary but expect to redeem 7,700 miles for a one-way flight within Hawaii in Economy. You can also add on a flight within Hawaii as part of your larger itinerary from the mainland U.S.. For example, you can redeem United miles for a United flight from San Francisco to Honolulu and then Honolulu to Maui on Hawaiian Airlines all on the same award.

If you don’t have any MileagePlus miles you can transfer points from Chase Ultimate Rewards (1:1 ratio and instant transfer) or Marriott Bonvoy (3:1.1 ratio and average transfer time is 1-2 days).

Redeem Delta Air Lines SkyMiles

Delta Air Lines no longer publishes an award chart so award redemption levels will vary but expect to redeem 7,500 miles for a one-way flight within Hawaii in Economy. You can also add on a flight within Hawaii as part of your larger itinerary from the mainland U.S.. For example, you can redeem Delta miles for a Delta flight from Los Angeles to Honolulu and then Honolulu to Maui on Hawaiian Airlines all on the same award.

If you don’t have any SkyMiles you can transfer points from American Express Membership Rewards (1:1 ratio and instant transfer) or Marriott Bonvoy (3:1 ratio and average transfer time is 1 day).

Redeem Virgin Atlantic Flying Club points

Virgin Atlantic has some unique airline partners and one of which is Hawaiian Airlines. You can view the award chart for Hawaiian Airlines here. Virgin Atlantic miles are relatively easy to earn since you can easily transfer them from American Express Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, and Citi ThankYou points (1:1 ratio and instant transfer) or Marriott Bonvoy (3:1 ratio and average transfer time is 1-2 days).

Highlights of the award chart for Hawaiian Airlines include:

• Hawaii – West Coast Mainland USA in Business Class for 40,000 points one-way
• Hawaii – South Pacific in Business Class for 47,500 points one-way
• Hawaii – South Pacific in Economy Class for 27,500 points one-way
• Hawaii – Asia/Australia/New Zealand/East Coast Mainland USA in Business Class for 65,000 points one-way

fly to Hawaii using miles

Other Hawaiian Airlines Partners

Hawaiian Airlines is also partners with China Airlines, Japan Airlines, jetBlue Airways, Korean Air, and Virgin Australia. You may be able to also earn/redeem these points for travel on Hawaiian Airlines flights, but it is either hard to earn some of these miles/points or the value isn’t so great.

All in All

Hawaiian Airlines has some unique and cool flights that are outside of Hawaii for which you can redeem miles. Award availability in Economy is generally okay on their Asia flights, but harder to find on their South Pacific flights; First/Business Class is harder to book using miles, but not impossible.

Sometimes the best way to get to Asia or the South Pacific is via a stop in Hawaii. The U.S. state is conveniently positioned along the path of flights to the South Pacific and since those can generally be long from the U.S. mainland, a stop in Hawaii to stretch your legs (or even explore the islands for a few days), could be just what you need on your next trip.

The post Redeeming Miles for Hawaiian Airlines Flights appeared first on Travel Miles 101.

Collecting miles and points is incredibly fun, but what’s even better is redeeming them for amazing value. The best strategy to get maximum value from your miles/points is to make sure you’re collecting them with major Transferable Bank Points Programs, these include American Express Membership Rewards, Capital One Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, and Citi ThankYou Points. Marriott Bonvoy is also a major transferable points program/currency but we will discuss that in another article.

The beauty of these programs is that you can collect points and keep them in each respective bank program and then transfer these points to airlines or hotels when it comes time to book. The main benefit is the wide range of choices you have with each program. If airline A has no availability, then airline B might and you can easily transfer to whichever partner has the best flight or hotel option for you.

redeem transferable bank points for First Class

Transferable Bank Points Programs Details

Each Transferable Points Program/Currency has their own transfer ratio – usually 1 point with Transferable Points Bank Programs equals 1 mile/point with their transfer partner (airline/hotel), but there are exceptions.

The time it takes to transfer points from Transferable Points Programs to an airline/hotel depends on both the program you are transferring from and the airline/hotel you are moving your points to. In most cases when transferring from a Bank Program, transfer times are instant but there are a few exceptions. It is important to note that there can be times where points do not transfer instantly even though they have in the past/are supposed to – this can be due to scheduled maintenance, issues between programs communicating, etc.

Listed below are the transfer partners of the four major Transferable Bank Points Programs in the United States along with the transfer ratio and transfer times (if not listed, transfer time is usually instant).

American Express Membership Rewards

• Aer Lingus AerClub (1:1)
• Aeromexico Club Premier (1:1.6) – approx. transfer time is 3-5 days
• Air Canada Aeroplan (1:1)
• Air France/KLM Flying Blue (1:1)
• ANA All Nippon Airways Mileage Club (1:1) – approx. transfer time is 2-3 days
• Avianca LifeMiles (1:1)
• British Airways Executive Club (1:1)
• Cathay Pacific Asia Miles (1:1)
• Choice Privileges (1:1)
• Delta Air Lines SkyMiles (1:1)
• Emirates Air Line Skywards (1:1)
• Etihad Airways Etihad Guest (1:1)
• Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles (1:1)
• Hilton Honors (1:2)
• Iberia Plus (1:1) – approx. transfer time is 1-2 days
• jetBlue Airways TrueBlue (0.25:0.2)
• Marriott Bonvoy (1:1)
• Qantas Airways Frequent Flyer (1:1)
• Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer (1:1) – approx. transfer time is 1 day
• Virgin Atlantic Flying Club (1:1)

Capital One Rewards

• Accor Live Limitless (2:1) – approx. transfer time is 1 day
• Aeromexico Club Premier (1:1)
• Air Canada Aeroplan (1:1)
• Air France/KLM Flying Blue (1:1)
• Avianca LifeMiles (1:1)
• British Airways Executive Club (1:1)
• Cathay Pacific Asia Miles (1:1) – approx. transfer time is 4-5 days
• Choice Privileges (1:1)
• Emirates Air Line Skywards (1:1)
• Etihad Airways Etihad Guest (1:1) – approx. transfer time is 1 day
• EVA Air Infinity MileageLands (2:1.5) – approx. transfer time is 1.5 days
• Finnair Plus (1:1)
• Qantas Airways Frequent Flyer (1:1) – approx. transfer time is 1 day
• Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer (1:1) – approx. transfer time is 1.5 days
• TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go (1:1)
• Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles (1:1)
• Virgin Red (1:1)
• Wyndham Rewards (1:1)

Chase Ultimate Rewards

• Aer Lingus AerClub (1:1)
• Air Canada Aeroplan (1:1)
• Air France/KLM Flying Blue (1:1)
• British Airways Executive Club (1:1)
• Emirates Air Line Skywards (1:1)
• Iberia Plus (1:1)
• IHG One Rewards (1:1) – approx. transfer time is 1 day
• jetBlue Airways TrueBlue (1:1)
• Marriott Bonvoy (1:1) – approx. transfer time is 1-2 days
• Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer (1:1) – approx. transfer time is 1-2 days
• Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards (1:1)
• United Airlines MileagePlus (1:1)
• Virgin Atlantic Flying Club (1:1)
• World of Hyatt (1:1)

Citi ThankYou Points

• Aeromexico Club Premier (1:1)
• Air France/KLM Flying Blue (1:1)
• Avianca LifeMiles (1:1)
• Cathay Pacific Asia Miles (1:1)
• Choice Privileges (1:2 or 1:1.5 depending on which card you have)
• Emirates Air Line Skywards (1:1)
• Etihad Airways Etihad Guest (1:1)
• EVA Air Infinity MileageLands (1:1) – approx. transfer time is 2-3 days
• jetBlue Airways TrueBlue (1:1 or 1:0.8 depending on which card you have)
• Qantas Airways Frequent Flyer (1:1)
• Qatar Airways Privilege Club (1:1) – approx. transfer time is 1-2 days
• Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer (1:1) – approx. transfer time is 1 day
• THAI Airways Royal Orchid Plus (1:1) – approx. transfer time is 1 week
• Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles (1:1) – approx. transfer time is 1 day
• Virgin Atlantic Flying Club (1:1)
• Wyndham Rewards (1:1 or 1:0.8 depending on which card you have)

see the world with transferable bank points

All in All

When collecting miles and points, it is important to diversify your points portfolio – that way when it comes time to book, you have a wide variety of options and aren’t stuck with having airline miles or hotels points in one program. Best of all, points located in Transferable Bank Points Programs never expire as long as you have the associated account/credit card open.

Remember that you should always first verify award availability before making a transfer from a bank program to an airline/hotel program. Make sure to have 2-3 backup options in case the transfer is not instant or if someone else is quicker and books up your desired award. Lastly, keep in mind that once you transfer points from a bank program, they cannot be transferred back.

The post Guide to Transferable Bank Points Programs and Partners appeared first on Travel Miles 101.

Air Canada recently re-launched their frequent flyer program, Aeroplan, after buying it back from the company they sold it to years ago – essentially, Air Canada now once again owns and controls their frequent flyer program. Aeroplan is a powerful program due to their numerous airline partners (which you can earn and redeem points on), fantastic elite benefits, a unique award chart, easy-to-understand routing and transit rules, and more.

Aeroplan Airline Partners

Air Canada is a member of the Star Alliance, which means you can earn and redeem Aeroplan points on any Star Alliance member airline. In addition, Aeroplan has continuously been adding new and unique airline partners since their re-launch; some of these new partners are incredible and allow you to redeem your Aeroplan points for some fantastic flying experiences all around the world.

currently, Aeroplan has a partnership with:

• Aegean Airlines*
• Aeromar
• Air China*
• Air Creebec
• Air Dolomiti
• Air India*
• Air Mauritius
• Air New Zealand*
• Air Serbia
• ANA*
• Asiana Airlines*
• Austrian Airlines*
• Avianca*
• Azul Brazilian Airlines
• Brussels Airlines*
• Calm Air
• Canadian North
• Cathay Pacific
• Copa Airlines*
• Croatia Airlines*
• Egyptair*
• Ethiopian Airlines*
• Etihad Airways
• Eurowings
• Eurowings Discover
• EVA Air*
• GOL
• Gulf Air
• Juneyao Airlines
• LOT Polish Airlines*
• Lufthansa*
• Olympic Air
• Oman Air
• SAS Scandinavian Airlines*
• Shenzhen Airlines*
• Singapore Airlines*
• South African Airways*
• SWISS International Air Lines*
• TAP Air Portugal*
• THAI Airways*
• Turkish Airlines*
• United Airlines*
• Virgin Australia
• Vistara

* = a Star Alliance member

When redeeming points, you can mix and match airlines – flying a combination of Air Canada, Star Alliance, and other airline partners. There are no restrictions as far as mixing airlines on an award ticket. You can also redeem your points for travel on all airline partners directly on Air Canada’s website – no need to call for relatively simple bookings as most can be done online. There is also no longer a separate website for the frequent flyer program and instead it has been integrated into Air Canada’s main site.

United Airlines, an Air Canada Aeroplan partner

The Aeroplan Award Charts

Naturally with the re-launch of the new Aeroplan program, Air Canada has published a new award chart. Airlines like United and Delta no longer publish award charts, therefore it is nice to see Air Canada continuing the “traditional” frequent flyer model where we can easily check how much a flight should cost in points if there is saver-level award availability.

You can redeem Aeroplan points on all partner airlines as long as there is saver-level award availability (when airlines release award seats to their partners). You can redeem points for travel on Air Canada at all kinds of points prices as those redemptions are controlled dynamically based on demand (however, there are still saver-level seats on Air Canada). The best way to search for award space is to simply use Air Canada’s website and search each flight you would like to book individually, one-by-one.

Aeroplan’s Award Chart has been simplified – there are only four “Travel Zones“:

• North America (U.S., Canada, Mexico, Central America, Caribbean)
• South America
• Atlantic (Europe, Africa, Middle East, Indian subcontinent)
• Pacific (Asia, South Pacific)

In the old Aeroplan program, the world was divided into zones like Europe 1, Europe 2, Asia 1, Asia 2, South Pacific, etc.

Aeroplan has published ten Award Charts, these include award redemption levels for travel:

• within North America
• within Atlantic
• within Pacific
• within South America
• between North America and Atlantic
• between North America and Pacific
• between North America and South America
• between Atlantic and Pacific
• between Atlantic and South America
• between Pacific and South America

Aeroplan Award Redemption Levels

Each of Aeroplan’s ten award charts feature a redemption level for travel in Economy Class, Premium Economy Class, Business Class, and First Class (note that not all cabins may be available within/between all regions) and also the total distance flown in miles (each flight on your itinerary is added up separately to make up your total travel distance).

Aeropaln’s award chart is a mix of region/zone-based and distance-based. The old Aeroplan program was region/zone-based, meaning previously a flight from San Francisco to Frankfurt cost the same as a flight from New York to Frankfurt if there was award availability. Now, the flight from New York to Frankfurt would be cheaper as it is shorter in distance. Aeroplan has taken the best of a region/zone-based award chart and a distance-based award chart and mixed them together.

For travel on Air Canada, separate award levels apply; you can still mix Air Canada and partners on one itinerary, though.

Lufthansa, an Air Canada Aeroplan partner

Aeroplan Award Ticket Terms & Rules

The Aeroplan program is different from the old program – there are no longer restrictive routing rules or maximum permitted mileage (MPM) on award tickets. Because the program is region/zone-based and distance-based, you can potentially construct creative itineraries that would have not been possible under the old program.

• you can add a stopover (a “break” between flights for longer than 24h) for just 5,000 points – even on one-way bookings (not possible for flights in U.S. or Canada)
• layovers (less than 24h) can be added for no additional miles (if you stay within the same total distance flown)

Aeroplan Redemption Examples

Let’s take a look at some examples based on the award chart on the following flights:

• San Francisco to Frankfurt (nonstop distance 5,699 miles)
  • Economy Class: 40,000 points
  • Business Class: 70,000 points
  • First Class: 100,000 points
• San Francisco to Frankfurt to London (total distance flown 6,107 miles; SFO-FRA is 5,699 miles and FRA-LHR is 408 miles, FRA layover less than 24h)
  • Economy Class: 55,000 points
  • Business Class: 90,000 points
  • First Class: 130,000 points

As you can see, by flying onward to London, we are bumped into a higher total distance flown, which makes our award more expensive. If we wanted to stopover in Frankfurt for longer than 24 hours, we would add on 5,000 miles for the stopover (so SFO-FRA-LHR with a stopover in Frankfurt would cost 60,000 miles in Economy Class).

As far as taxes and fees on an award ticket go, there are no fuel surcharges on award tickets (save hundreds to thousands of $), however there is a new CAD$39 partner airline booking fee (applies to all tickets involving flights not fully on Air Canada).

Singapore Airlines, an Air Canada Aeroplan partner

All in All

The Aeroplan program is more powerful than before as you are able to create custom itineraries combining unique airlines – something that wasn’t possible before. The obvious negative change is that several awards have gone up in price. Previously a one-way Business Class ticket from the U.S. to Europe cost 55,000 – 57,500 miles and now the same flight can cost 60,000 – 90,000 points, this can be a huge increase in the miles required.

The biggest positive development is that there are no longer fuel surcharges which means you can save hundreds to thousands of dollars on each ticket – especially when originating in North America on airlines like Air Canada, Austrian Airlines, and Lufthansa. The unique mix of a region/zone-based award chart with a distance-based award chart creates various opportunities to lock in flights at a favorable redemption level, depending on your travels.

The transformed Aeroplan program is powerful and seems to be getting better – especially with the continuous addition of airline partners. You can transfer points to Air Canada Aeroplan from American Express Membership Rewards, Capital One Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, or Marriott Bonvoy.

The post The Transformed Air Canada Aeroplan Program appeared first on Travel Miles 101.

Welcome to the new and refreshed Travel Miles 101! It has been quite a while since new content appeared on the website as we have been busy updating the old posts and content to ensure they are relevant and fit with the overall theme of Travel Miles 101 – the easiest way to get started with miles & points. The biggest change, of course, is the new design of the blog – which benefits in that posts and content is much easier to find and is more closely organized by categories and tags; there’s also a new search feature.

Travel Miles 101

Travel Miles 101 began as an “intro” to the miles & points world – and we’ve kept the original course on the new Start Here page, where individuals new to the hobby can easily get started. Linked to the original course content, are new and relevant posts which readers can additionally benefit from; guides to airline frequent flyer programs, hotel frequent guest programs, credit card tips, and general travel information.

The Miles & Points world frequently changes and therefore we are constantly doing our best to update our content and make sure every post and article is relevant. If you encounter any out-of-date or irrelevant information, please let us know and we will take care of it. Our community is stronger than ever and very involved, so please consider joining our Facebook group to further continue the conversation about Travel Miles 101, miles, points, and travel.

Going forward, we will be posting new content standalone and not part of the original course – however complementary posts are still linked together, allowing you to explore your desired topic further and learn more. If there is an area you would like us to cover in a future post or feature as a series of articles, please let us know – we love hearing from our community and expanding our online content.

explore the world with miles & points

The Current State of Travel

Travel is finally back! The past two-and-a-half years have been quite the rollercoaster which we are all happy to have behind us. The time to travel is now – airlines are almost fully back to their original levels in terms of routes and operations, we are seeing hotels offer generous promotions to encourage us to get back out there, and of course there is no shortage of new and exciting credit cards offering thousands of miles & points upon successful application.

With virtually the whole world traveling again, finding award seats – especially in First and Business Class – has been challenging due to limited availability as airlines fully ramp up their operations and return to previous levels. By next year, most aspects of travel should be fully back to their original levels; once the current, high demand for travel is over, we will fully be back to being able to jet around the world and find award availability like before.

Numerous aspects of the airline industry and the miles & points hobby have changed over the past few years and we will aim to cover a variety of different topics and update all of you on the most important changes. Naturally, we will resume our articles covering the best ways to redeem miles & points, ways to maximize your credit card spending, along with numerous other related information.

Let’s Get Social

As part of our refresh and new design, we are adding a variety of social media features to help you stay updated with our posts and share your favorite ones with family and friends – so they, too, can benefit from this amazing hobby.

Each new post will be automatically shared to our Twitter and Facebook – so be sure you are following us on Twitter and have joined our Facebook group. You can also subscribe to email notifications, alerting you when a new post is published – so you don’t miss every little important detail about miles & points. If you would like to continue the conversation about a specific article we publish, you can do so under the relevant Tweet or FB Post – interacting with fellow Travel Miles 101 readers.

let Travel Miles 101 show you the best ways to travel

We’re thrilled you are still with us and we couldn’t be happier that travel is back. Who’s ready to explore the world once again with miles & points?

The post Welcome to the refreshed Travel Miles 101 & The Current State of Travel appeared first on Travel Miles 101.

Use Miles & Points to travel here!

Airlines and their Partners

Today, we are going to look at a bigger picture in the miles & points hobby – airlines and their partners. The number one question that was asked was “how can I use my miles/points from airline X to travel on airline X’s partners?” While this may seem easy, in some cases it requires searching several websites and maybe even calling the airline over the phone to book.

I’d love to learn how to use airline points to be used on an airline partner! I get so confused when someone say you need to go to this site and search for this, then do this and you need to call this airline.

Like many others I’m most curious about the affiliate partners of airlines.

Explaining the value and optimization of transferring points to partners and booking through partners to find sweetspots for airfare. I’m understanding optimizing earning points and bonus categories, but spending points efficiently is a mystery.

When airlines are partners (or in the same alliance), you can generally earn and redeem miles across all of these airlines. For example, you can fly Lufthansa and credit miles to United Airlines (or the opposite) – this is because the two are in the same alliance. You can also use United Airlines miles to fly Lufthansa (and the opposite). If an airline is a member of an alliance, you can redeem your miles from any airline in that alliance for travel on other airlines in that same alliance.

Airline Alliances and non-alliance Partnerships

There are currently three major airline alliances – Star Alliance, oneworld, and SkyTeam. You can view the airlines that belong to each alliance here:

• Star Alliance member airlines
• oneworld member airlines
• SkyTeam member airlines

Airlines that are members of a specific alliance can also have partnerships outside of their alliances. For example, United Airlines is a member of Star Alliance, but also partners with Aer Lingus (an airline with no alliance membership). American Airlines is a member of oneworld, but also partners with Etihad Airways (an airline with no alliance membership).

Use Singapore Airlines Miles to fly on ALL Star Alliance airlines

In addition to airline alliances, some non-alliance airlines also partner with lots of other airlines and allow you to earn and redeem miles on all of the airlines in the partnership.

The important thing to note here is that while Alaska Airlines is partners with airline X and Y, it may not be true that airlines X and Y are partners on their own (if they aren’t in the same alliance, for example). Alaska is partners with both Singapore Airlines and Finnair and you can earn Alaska miles for travel on these two partners, however, Singapore Airlines and Finnair are not partners between themselves as they are in different alliances (Singapore Airlines is in Star Alliance and Finnair is in oneworld) – so while you can earn Alaska miles for travel on both airlines, you cannot earn Finnair miles for travel on Singapore Airlines since they aren’t partners (and not in the same alliance).

There are many other airlines that aren’t members of an alliance and partner with other airlines:

• Emirates partner airlines
• Etihad Airways partner airlines

You can redeem miles on all airlines within an alliance if an airline is a member of that alliance. With partnerships, you should check the website of the airline which you have miles with if you can use these miles on their partners outside of an alliance. For example, if you have American Airlines miles, it is automatic that you can redeem them on any oneworld airline (as AA is a member of oneworld), but you should check AA’s website for earning and redeeming specifics on their non-oneworld partner airlines (such as Etihad Airways, for example).

Searching for Alliance Award Space (flights using Miles)

Searching for award space within the three alliances is very easy. As a reminder, you can redeem miles on any airline within the same alliance from any other airline also in the same alliance, for example, you can use Turkish Airlines miles to fly Singapore Airlines as both airlines are in the Star Alliance.

Star Alliance

To search for Star Alliance award space, use United Airlines’ website. The website is fantastic and will show you ALL Star Alliance award space that is available. You do not need to have a United account to search for award space.

Use United.com to search ALL Star Alliance Award Space

The second website I use to find Star Alliance award space is Aeroplan, Air Canada’s frequent flyer program. Also, Aeroplan does NOT display ALL possible connections and therefore it is best to search each flight separately. For example, if you search for Seattle to London, you may get no results while if you search for Seattle to New York and New York to London, you may find available flights.

oneworld

Searching for oneworld award space is easy because you can use the American Airlines website to find award space on all of their oneworld partners.

Use AA.com to search for oneworld Award Space

To search oneworld award space, also use the British Airways website:

Use BA.com to search for oneworld Award Space

SkyTeam

The two best airlines to search for award space on SkyTeam are the Air France website and the Delta website. While you will need an account to use the award search function on Air France’s website, you don’t need an account on Delta’s website to search for award space.

Use Delta.com to search for SkyTeam Award Space

Delta’s website often does show a bunch of flight combinations, however it is terrible to use and you will often find errors after errors. Also, keep in mind that Delta only allows their SkyTeam partners to book award space at Delta Saver Level 1 – which is the lowest cost of a flight in Delta miles. However, Delta doesn’t publish award charts, so we can’t be 100% sure what is Saver Level 1. If you need to book Delta flights using SkyTeam partners, use the Air France or Korean Air website and if they show Delta award space, you can usually book it through other SkyTeam partners.

Searching for Award Space outside of Airline Alliances

Searching for award space outside of airline alliances is a bit tricky because sometimes airlines limit the number of award seats that are available to their non-alliance partners.

To search for award space on non-alliance partners, you should generally use the website of the airline you want to fly on. For example, if you want to fly Etihad Airways using American Airlines miles, you should use Etihad’s website to find awards space at the lowest saver level – which is the same award space American Airlines will see.

Use Etihad’s website to find award space on Etihad

In Conclusion

I hope this article clarified as to how you can use your miles from airline X on airline X’s partners. The general rules are:

• you can earn/redeem miles on ALL airlines within the same alliance
  • example: use United miles to fly Lufthansa
• you can earn/redeem miles on other partners of a specific airline
  • example: fly Etihad Airways using American Airlines miles (the two airlines are non-alliance partners)

Now that you understand you can use miles from airline X on airline X’s partners, my next articles will be a more detailed overview on how to find/book award space within each airline alliance and also on non-alliance partners.

If you have any questions at all or if something needs clarification, please post them below or tag and ask me in the TM101 Facebook group.

Happy Booking!

The post Redeeming Miles from Airline X on Airline X’s Partners appeared first on Travel Miles 101.

Iceland

My all-time favourite destination in Europe is the gorgeous island of Iceland. Iceland contains natural beauty everywhere, it is one of the most fascinating countries in the world – there’s no place like it. I was fortunate to spend a few weeks in Iceland a few years ago and cannot wait to return this spring to explore more.

Flying to Iceland is a bit tricky and involves being very flexible with your dates and travel plans as not every single day has award availability and some airlines do not fly daily to Iceland.

Flying to Iceland on an Award Ticket

A few years ago, flights were very limited to Iceland and you could only fly either on European low-cost airlines or on Icelandair – so you couldn’t really use your miles to fly to Iceland. Thankfully, the beauty of Iceland has captivated the world and more and more airlines are launching flights to the capital city of Reykjavik.

Most major airlines now fly (or will fly starting this summer) to Iceland and therefore it should be easier than ever to fly to the captivating country on an award ticket. I’ve outlined below the routes and airlines on which you can redeem your miles on.

Icelandair

Icelandair

The flag carrier of the country is Icelandair. The carrier operates flights to most major North American and European cities, not only that, Icelandair also flies to a number of cities which aren’t necessarily considered major.

The only limitation is that the only way to book flights on Icelandair using miles is through Alaska Airlines as no other major airline partners with Icelandair.

To/From North America

Air Canada, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and United Airlines all operate flights to Iceland from their main hubs. You can redeem any Star Alliance, oneworld, or SkyTeam miles for these flights as long as there is availability. To find availability, I recommend using the United website for Star Alliance options, the American Airlines website for oneworld options, and the Delta website for SkyTeam options.

• Air Canada: Montreal, Toronto
  • how to book: Aeroplan, United Airlines
• American Airlines: Dallas
  • how to book: American Airlines, British Airways
• Delta Air Lines: New York, Minneapolis
  • how to book: Delta Air Lines, Air France/KLM
• United Airlines: Newark
  • how to book: Aeroplan, Miles & More, United Airlines

To/From Europe

Most major European airlines fly to Iceland and therefore it is easier than ever before to reach Iceland in just a matter of 3 hours from most places in Europe. Unlike North American routes, there is much more award space on European flights to Iceland.

• Austrian Airlines: Vienna
  • how to book: Aeroplan, Miles & More, United Airlines
• British Airways: London (Heathrow and City)
  • how to book: American Airlines, British Airways
• Eurowings: Berlin, Cologne, Dusseldorf, Hamburg, Stuttgart
  • how to book: Miles & More, United Airlines
• Finnair: Helsinki
  • how to book: American Airlines, British Airways
• Iberia: Madrid
  • how to book: American Airlines, British Airways
• Lufthansa: Frankfurt, Munich
  • how to book: Aeroplan, Miles & More, United Airlines
• SAS Scandinavian Airlines: Copenhagen, Oslo
  • how to book: Aeroplan, Miles & More, United Airlines

Booking Flights to Iceland

In order to find award space to Iceland, I recommend searching each flight separately (that is, find your “gateway” to Iceland and then the connecting flights). For example, if I live in San Francisco and want to fly to Iceland, based on the information above, I could fly through either Montreal, Toronto, or Newark on Star Alliance or through Dallas on oneworld.

I would first search those flights to Iceland and once I find award space, I’d search for connecting flights which would get me to the Iceland gateway city. Keep in mind that some flights to Iceland have strange departure times and therefore you may need to overnight in the gateway city before being able to catch your connecting flight.

As far as flights on Icelandair, the best way to find award space is on Alaska Airlines’ website. You can only book Icelandair flights using Alaska Airlines miles and therefore you should check directly on that website. If you find award space to Iceland on Icelandair, you can connect from any North American city to that flight.. but only on Alaska Airlines. For example, if I live in Portland and there is award space from Seattle to Iceland, I could fly from Portland to Seattle on Alaska Airlines.

In Conclusion

Iceland is beyond gorgeous and it is absolutely worth every single mile to visit. With that being said, please keep in mind that not every airline operates a flight to Iceland every day and therefore award availability is limited – plus it is a popular destination.

My suggestion would be to collect points such as AMEX Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, as those transfer to all of the above mentioned ways to book flights to Iceland.

It isn’t impossible to get to Iceland using miles and points – you just have to be flexible and creative. Happy booking!

The post Flying to Iceland on an Award Ticket appeared first on Travel Miles 101.

Alaska Airlines

Alaska Airlines, based in Seattle, is an airline operating flights within North America – the US, Mexico, Canada, and select international destinations such as Costa Rica. The beauty of Alaska Airlines is their fantastic mileage program, which offers incredible redemption rates on most of their partners.

Alaska Airlines Partner Airlines

Alaska Airlines partners with many airlines and you can earn and redeem miles on all of their partners. To find award space on these airlines, simply use Alaska’s website. The only two exceptions are Cathay Pacific and LATAM Airlines. Keep in mind that Alaska may not always see the same award space that British Airways shows.

Alaska Airlines Award Routing Rules

Alaska Airlines only allows one partner airline + Alaska on an award ticket. You cannot mix partners. For example, you can fly Seattle – Los Angeles on Alaska and Los Angeles – Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific, but you cannot fly Seattle – Los Angeles on American Airlines and later connect on Cathay Pacific. Only one partner airline is allowed.

Alaska Airlines is generous in that you can have a stopover on an award ticket, even on a one-way. So you could fly Vancouver to Hong Kong to Singapore on Cathay Pacific and stop in Hong Kong for however long you’d like. Most stopovers are limited to hub cities of their partner airlines, however, sometimes when calling to book an award over the phone other cities can be inserted as a stopover as long as the routing is direct.

Alaska doesn’t charge any close-in booking fees, but they do charge a $12.50 partner booking fee and a $15 phone booking fee.

Collecting Alaska Airlines Miles

Alaska Airlines miles are very easy to collect. Due to Alaska’s unique partnerships and generous routing rules on award tickets, Alaska miles are valued very high. Here are a number of ways to earn Alaska Airlines miles:

• Flying with Alaska Airlines
• Flying with Alaska’s Partner Airlines
• Purchasing or Sharing Miles (frequently on sale)
• Alaska Airlines Signature VISA Credit Card
  • Personal and Business versions

The quickest way to earn miles is either buy purchasing them (or transferring them from a different Alaska account).

Miles from Alaska flights generally post to your account a few days after the flight. Miles from partner airlines can take up to 14 days to post.

All in All

Alaska Airlines miles are very valuable. Being able to fly Cathay Pacific First Class with a stopover in Hong Kong for just 70k miles one-way is a great deal. You can also fly Cathay Pacific to Africa via Hong Kong for the same price in First Class… that’s amazing.

It is important to note that Alaska miles may sometimes not be redeemed on all routes operated by the partner airline. For example, you can’t fly British Airways Europe to Asia – only Cathay Pacific.

If you have any questions about earning or redeeming Alaska miles, please post them below! Happy Booking!

The post Alaska Airlines Miles: Partners, Routing Rules and Best Ways to Earn appeared first on Travel Miles 101.

Explore the World

Transferable points from banks remain one of the most type of flexible rewards – because you can usually use them in an unlimited number of ways including transferring to airlines and hotels. There are, of course, other ways including redeeming them for cash back or gift cards (something you should never do).

Most banks now also integrate their points with some sort of online travel agency in order to provide the ability to redeem your points directly for flights, hotels, or car rentals right from the bank’s website – with no transfers to airlines required. While most people think *this* is how you book flights with miles/points, it actually isn’t… however, in some cases you’ll come out ahead using your points this way instead of transferring to an airline. Usually when the ticket is cheap.

Cash/Revenue Ticket vs. Award Ticket

A cash or revenue ticket is an airline ticket that is paid for directly using “cash” and not “true” airline miles. Cash tickets come with a bunch of restrictions and high fees for changes or cancellations. Some of the cheapest tickets are non-refundable and/or non-changeable.

An award ticket is an airline ticket paid for by airline miles directly with that airline. This means you must buy this ticket directly with the frequent flyer program of the airline where you have your miles. Award tickets come with taxes and fees and sometimes fuel surcharges (depending on the frequent flyer program and operating airline). The base fare of the award ticket is covered by the miles. Most airlines use a “zone” based award chart – meaning the cost of your itinerary is determined by the departing zone and arriving zone (for example, North America – Europe). Some airline frequent flyer programs use a distance-based award chart, which means you’ll need more miles if you plan to fly further. Then there are the awful programs that are revenue-based which means the cost of the ticket in miles will be tied to the cost of the ticket in cash.

Value of Bank Points

Most of the biggest banks with transferable points value their points at 1 cent each. This means that if you decide to redeem your points directly with the bank, 1 point = 1 cent. This can be applied to cash back, gift cards, merchandise, etc. If you transfer your points to an airline or hotel, then the value will be determined by how you use those points in that program.

Some banks increase the value of your points if you have a premium credit card (usually with a higher annual fee). For example, if you have the Chase Sapphire Reserve, you can redeem your points towards travel directly through Chase at a value of 1 point = 1.5 cents. That means that a ticket costing $150 will cost you 10,000 Chase points. If you have the Chase Sapphire Preferred, the value is 1.25 cents, which means a ticket costing $125 will cost you 10,000 Chase points. This is all if you redeem your points directly through the Chase travel portal.

Enjoy your Miles

Redeeming for a Cash Ticket vs. Award Ticket

Let’s use United Airlines as an example, with the following (sample) flight information:

• route: Seattle – San Francisco
• class: Economy Class
• ticket cost: $250 USD one-way if booked last minute
• ticket cost: $99 USD one-way if booked at least 21 days in advance
• ticket cost in miles: 10,000 United Airlines miles + $5.60

In this case:

• Booking closer to Departure: $250 or 10,000 miles + $5.60
• Booking in Advance: $99 or 10,000 miles + $5.60

Let’s assume you have the Chase Sapphire Reserve and your Chase points are worth 1.5 cents each. If you decide to redeem your points directly for the flight through the Chase portal (redeeming for a cash ticket), it will cost you:

• $250 = 16,667 Chase points
• $99 = 6,600 Chase points

If you are booking the flight in advance and it costs $99 in cash or 10,000 miles + $5.60 if booked using miles, here you come out ahead if you book your flight directly with Chase as you will pay 6,600 Chase points. If you were to transfer to United, you would have to pay 10,000 miles + $5.60… subject to award availability.

In Conclusion

You should always check whether the ticket is cheaper and you’d be better off just redeeming bank points for the flight directly instead of transferring to a frequent flyer program and then booking the ticket as an award ticket. Award availability is generally better closer to departure as airlines will open up their unsold seats for award tickets and therefore if you are redeeming a few days before the flight, usually award tickets will make more sense.

If you are booking in advance and the ticket is on the cheaper side you should firstly consider if you want to use any points at all since the ticket is so cheap (you might want to save your points for a bigger trip). If you still decide to use points, you should check both the cash ticket and award ticket options and then see which one is a better use of points.

Remember that cash tickets paid for with points through a bank directly are still cash tickets which can earn miles (depending on the fare class), but also remember they come with a bunch of restrictions and high change and cancel fees!

Happy Booking!

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United Airlines MileagePlus is my go-to program for redeeming Economy Class awards to Europe or Asia. With great redemption rates and 1:1 instant transfers from Chase Ultimate Rewards, MileagePlus provides some fantastic deals when redeeming for Economy Class flights.

Sadly the same can’t be said for Business Class or First Class bookings through MileagePlus. United does charge ridiculous amounts of miles for some regions where other frequent flyer programs charge much less.

Nevertheless, United’s MileagePlus is still a fantastic Star Alliance frequent flyer program with some interesting sweetspots. While MileagePlus is a region-based program, it does feature distance-based redemptions… to some extent. These are short, usually nonstop flights within a single region. The beauty is that these awards do not cost a ton of miles whereas they might cost a lot of cash if buying last minute.

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5k: Flights in Japan

United has interesting pricing for flights inside of Japan. They cost just 5,000 miles one-way in Economy Class – that applies to all trips inside of Japan, not just nonstop flights. For example, a flight from Sapporo to Osaka via Tokyo will cost just 5k miles one-way on Star Alliance partner ANA – that’s an incredible deal.

If you do not have United Airlines miles, you could also use British Airways’ distance-based program and redeem Avios on Japan Airlines. The redemptions in Japan are quite interesting because United allows you connecting flights for no additional cost. With United’s 8k sweetspot (see below), the flights must be nonstop.

7k: Flights in Hawaii

United Airlines partners with Hawaiian Airlines (not a Star Alliance member) for flights in Hawaii, which means you can redeem your MileagePlus miles for these flights. Flights in Hawaii cost 7,000 miles in Economy Class one-way, even if you have connecting flights. You can fly, for example, from Lihue to Kona via Honolulu in Economy for 7k miles.

Flights in Hawaii can be expensive, usually around holidays or last-minute flights, so redeeming United miles is a great deal. Hawaiian Airlines has a ton of flights between the islands, so finding an award seat isn’t hard.

8k: Flights under 800 Miles

You can book any Star Alliance flight outside of the United States and Canada for 8,000 United Airlines MileagePlus miles as long as the flight is under 800 miles in distance and it is a nonstop flight, of course in Economy Class.

This is great for intra-Europe travel on airlines like Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian, etc. that charge a fortune for last minute one-way flights. A simple Frankfurt – Munich flight can go for over $500 last minute… or just 8k United miles (transfer Chase points).

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10k: Short U.S. Flights

The standard price for a one-way Economy Class flight in North America is 12,500 miles in Economy Class. However, for shorter trips, United will price certain flights for less than 12.5k. For example, Seattle – San Francisco is generally 10,000 miles one-way in Economy Class… even if the flight isn’t nonstop. Even with a connection through Los Angeles, it will generally still cost 10k. This applies to other shorter trips as well, such as Newark – Boston, which will also 10k miles.

The 10k and 12.5k price for a one-way trip will be booked into Economy (X) class and therefore X class must be available. If you see a trip costing more than 12.5k, then it likely isn’t a Saver Award but rather a more expensive non-Saver Award and won’t book into “X” Class.

12.5k: The “Standard” Price – Maximize It!

A one-way Economy Class trip in North America will cost you the standard price of 12,500 miles. However, did you know you can truly maximize that price when traveling to Canada? Star Alliance partner Air Canada operates flights to numerous Canadian destinations on which you can redeem your MileagePlus miles. The continental U.S. and Canada are considered the same zone, so Saver Awards will cost 12.5k miles one-way in Economy Class.

You could literally fly across the continent from Whitehorse to Miami via Vancouver and Montreal for just 12.5k miles one-way in Economy Class. This trip can cost more than $600 USD, so it is a fantastic use of miles. You will pay more in taxes and fees on the award ticket as there are Canadian fees added, but it still will be worth it compared to the expensive cash ticket.

In Conclusion

United’s MileagePlus frequent flyer program has a few distance-based sweetspots which I consider to be fantastic and use them on a daily-basis when booking flights for clients. Most people have Chase Ultimate Rewards and therefore they easily have United miles.

Remember to check all of your options before booking, as the same flight might cost much less when booking through another program. Remember that if you have AMEX, Chase, Citi, or Marriott points, you can transfer them to a variety of programs, so be sure to check which redemption is the best!

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American Airlines’ AAdvantage frequent flyer program is one of my favourites. Being able to redeem AA miles for travel on Etihad Airways or Qatar Airways and their fantastic First Class and Business Class products is the main reason why I love AAdvantage.

While American Airlines miles are a bit harder to collect than United Airlines or Delta Air Lines miles, for example, AA miles still are worth having for unique redemptions. You can’t transfer from AMEX, Chase, or Citi to AA. However, you can transfer Marriott Bonvoy points to American Airlines miles.

There are many aspects I love about AA’s frequent flyer program and many things I don’t. My favourite redemption is 100k miles for First Class between the Middle East and the South Pacific. Some of the biggest downsides to AA is that they don’t allow you to transit via a third region in many cases, limit you to only 4 segments on one-way bookings, have high redemption rates for certain regions, and more.

American Airlines

Country-Based Sweetspots

American Airlines AAdvantage offers cheap redemption options for both Economy Class and Business Class if flying within one country. The key is that you have to fly domestically only within that country and of course, there must be award availability. You can book most of these country-based sweetspots online, but not all of them.

Finland

• Finnair
• 10k miles Economy one-way

Spain

• Iberia
• 10k miles Economy one-way
• 15k miles Business one-way

United Kingdom

• British Airways
• 10k miles Economy one-way
• 15k miles Business one-way

Jordan

• Royal Jordanian
• 7.5k miles Economy one-way
• 10k miles Business one-way

Low Miles = Great Value Last Minute

My favourite “part” of mileage redemption is when you can redeem very few miles for a last minute ticket that would usually cost a lot of money if booked last minute. Many frequent flyer programs feature a discounted mileage price when redeeming miles only within one region or only within one country.

In the case of American Airlines, we can see above. With United Airlines, for example, most flights outside of North America that are under 800 miles in distance cost just 8k miles one-way in Economy Class. British Airways has a distance-based frequent flyer program, so the more you fly, the more you pay.

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In Conclusion

American Airlines AAdvantage offers some incredible redemption rates when flying within one country. It is usually a great use of miles when booking travel last minute on short flights at a low redemption rate where cash tickets can be expensive.

American Airlines miles are worth having as AA does offer some unique redemption opportunities – especially on their partner airlines. Remember that you will have to search for award availability through other airline websites if you cannot see it on AA.com – or you can just call AA directly. You can also place award flights on hold while you transfer in miles or think about your travel plans.

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American Airlines, a member of oneworld

Star Alliance remains the world’s #1 airline alliance in terms of passenger benefits, airlines, loyalty, etc. The world’s next important airline alliance is oneworld. While oneworld is certainly not as big as Star Alliance, it remains the world’s second most important airline alliance in terms of connecting people and ideas all over the world.

oneworld serves fewer destinations than Star Alliance and also has less than half of member airlines than Star Alliance. oneworld is especially important because it is home to American Airlines, the world’s largest airline and also a founding member of oneworld. The alliance was founded on 01 February 1999 by American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, and Qantas Airways.

Member airlines collectively serve around 1,000 airports worldwide, operate around 3,447 aircraft, and feature over 12,000 daily departures.

Traveller Benefits

Passengers flying on member airlines are entitled to a variety of benefits, even without frequent flyer status. These include:

• earning and redeeming miles on every airline
• check-in for all flight segments on every airline
• checking baggage all the way to the final destination on every airline
• all flights are monitored to ensure each traveller has a smooth journey

In addition to these, oneworld also offers status benefits to elite members of oneworld frequent flyer programs.

British Airways, a member of oneworld

oneworld Status Benefits

oneworld offers three status tiers – Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald. Flyers are able to earn status through accumulating enough status miles with their airline’s frequent flyer program. Each airline determines how many miles are required to earn each status level. oneworld status benefits include:

oneworld Ruby

• Access to Business Class Priority Check-in
• Access to Preferred or Pre-Reserved Seating
  • depends on airline
• Priority on Waitlists and Stand-by
  • depends on airline

oneworld Sapphire

• Ruby benefits
• Access to Business Class Lounges
• Priority Boarding
• Extra Baggage Allowance
• Priority Baggage Handling

oneworld Emerald

• Ruby benefits
• Sapphire benefits
• Fast Track Security
• Access to First Class Priority Check-in
• Access to First Class Lounges

All benefits are valid alliance-wide. This means if a member has earned oneworld Emerald Status through American Airlines, the Emerald status and benefits listed above are valid on all oneworld member airlines. Travelling on oneworld Connect Partners is subject to different benefits.

Cathay Pacific, a member of oneworld

Earning and Redeeming Miles

Passengers are entitled to earn and redeem miles on all oneworld airlines alliance-wide. For example, if a passenger is flying on American Airlines, s/he is able to credit miles for that flight to Cathay Pacific. The same situation applies to redeeming miles – you are able to redeem any oneworld miles on any oneworld member airline. For example, you can redeem British Airways miles for travel on Qantas Airways.

Each airline in oneworld determines how many miles are credited to their respective frequent flyer program. For example, if you are crediting an American Airlines flight to British Airways Executive Club, British Airways determines how many miles you will be awarded – not American Airlines. The same situation applies to redeeming miles – the miles you want to redeem are subject to the conditions of the frequent flyer program that your miles are in.

The best way to search for award availability is by using the British Airways Executive Club website. BA’s website displays award availability for every oneworld airline and therefore makes it easy to find available flights. However, do note that there are occasionally issues with BA’s website. One major issue is that BA does not display Cathay Pacific award availability close to departure.

In Conclusion

While oneworld does not have the global reach of Star Alliance, oneworld is still a very important alliance with some incredible member airlines that provide a great travel experience. While oneworld policies are different than those of Star Alliance, oneworld also does a great job in recognising elite benefits alliance-wide.

When redeeming miles, you will find it best to redeem them for travel to/from the Middle East and to/from Asia. This is where award availability is the most available. You will most likely want to avoid award travel on British Airways as the carrier imposes massive fuel surcharges on award tickets, which range upwards of $200 USD.

The oneworld alliance features incredible member airlines such as Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, and Qatar Airways – all of which have amazing First and Business Class products that provide a smooth and relaxing journey to passengers.

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