Rewards flights--need advice

50,000 points is a BARGAIN to get a roundtrip business class seat. That offer will not last long so do what you can to get to 50,000 ASAP.

Thanks for your reply. I'm not sure if 50K is for one way or for round trip. I am willing to fly Economy on the way back to the US--mostly I am concerned about the EWR-DUB-LGW route.

If the taxes and fees are the issue, look at booking on Delta with VA points. I have done this and although more points than flying VA it opens up a lot of flights (VA does not fly to my home airport so I only book other SkyTeam airlines with VA points). You can book KLM or Air France with VA points for less than Delta also. None of these airlines has the high fees on redemptions.

Normally there is a 30% bonus transferring points from Chase to VA in May or October/November.
https://onemileatatime.com/deals/chase-virgin-atlantic-transfer-bonus/

VA is a sh!t website to navigate but redemptions on KLM, Delta, Air France can be found. Availability may not show up till 6 months before flying. Make sure that you know the trick for listing monthly availibility.
https://thriftytraveler.com/news/points/how-to-find-virgin-atlantic-price-calendar/#:~:text=You'll%20just%20need%20to,the%20arrows%20on%20the%20sides.

You have to check frequently for availability, it is usually on a day by day basis and not every day of the week will be offered. VA does not have the generous cancellation terms that Delta has.

Tom_MN, Thank you so much! I am trying to get this nailed down ASAP so I will check out those links. :)

The Delta flight actually has higher fees May.25.

Note there is a day flight on VA on the 25th for 10,000 points and $150.

May 25 is the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend so maybe that is why it's higher?

I'm not seeing the 10,000 point day flight at all. I wonder if it sold in the few minutes between your post and my checking it.

Surely that 10,000 point flight wasn't Upper Class?

You can easily transfer a Chase points to Aer Lingus. 50,000 avios is surely a one-way price for business class, but a good price.

Would you really need business class on a daytime flight?

No, 10,000 is for coach but it’s not an overnight flight.

I’m not seeing immediate options on VA without fees. It is a LOT of work checking regularly in the 5-7 month time frame for options to open and you have to be flexible with days. I do think there’s a Heathrow tax factor going on. I booked to Berlin on Delta via JFK with VA points and the only cash outlay was the $5.60 US security fee.

You may find business class on Air France to Paris without the high Heathrow fees, if that works.

Currently looking for a Delta return from Lima in July to be booked with VA points. Flight redemptions now only open through March.

Editing to add that ITA offers business class to London via Rome with only a $25 cash outlay but it requires 90,000 VA points. And May may be sold out. Note that on VA availability comes and goes, so the "sold out" notifications are not necessarily permanent.

Would you really need business class on a daytime flight?

The OP wants business class, that's their decision.

Personally I like daytime business class flights, it means I get to enjoy the experience more.

EDIT: Well, looks like I left it too late. Now no Business class awards seats on Aer Lingus are showing up in my search. Not really sure what I'm going to do here. I'm faced with $1K+ taxes in Premium Economy with Virgin, or paying an equally ridiculous amount of taxes with British Airways.

BA includes the ”fuel surcharge” as part of their taxes and fees and thus reward flights are very expensive. U.S. airlines are not permitted to do this. You may find better prices if you travel on a U.S. airline. Can you use your points on United out of Newark? Here is some info on fuel surcharge.
https://thepointsguy.com/guide/avoid-fuel-surcharges-award-travel/

While I don't have a specific solution, here are some additional points to consider:

• as noted, BA includes the fuel surcharge. More specifically, the fuel surcharge is included
  on BA flights across the Atlantic when using either Avios or AAdvantage. AA flights do not
  have this surcharge, and Iberia flights have a much smaller one. But it's close to impossible
  to get a premium class seat for low redemption on AA, and especially something popular
  like New York to London. Not sure how Aer Lingus handles this.

• if you really want business class or premium economy (I do understand this), you may need
  to expand your horizons. For instance, SAS thru ARN or CPH, or Iberia thru MAD. SAS usually
  has a premium economy sale or two during the year (last one was in June). Or fly to Brussels
  or Amsterdam and take Eurostar back to London.

• Amex or Chase point transfers into an airline mileage plan are non-reversible, so you are
  correct in being careful to not waste the points.

• one way international airfares are often not simply 1/2 the RT airfare, they are usually much more.
  
  So if you plan to use points, you need to make sure you have enough to go RT.

• part of the issue is, as noted by Tom_MN, the extremely high departure taxes charged by the
  British Airport Authority. Similarly to what I said above, you would most likely save a lot more
  than the cost of your train ticket if you could fly home from Brussels, Amsterdam, or Paris.

However, right now, I see AA Flagship business class one-way JFK-LHR for $1982 on some flights on May 25th.
That seems like a reasonable price, but it is a non-refundable fare. Maybe buy outbound and try to use
miles for the return, especially since aa.com is showing a one-way LHR-JFK business class fare of $9800.

For travel in May 2024, there is still a lot of time, but you'll have to check frequently and pay attention.
There will probably be some sales/bonuses offered by some airlines around Black Friday.

But it's close to impossible to get a premium class seat for low redemption on AA

Well I got first/business to Lima on AA for 27,000 AA miles which I thought was pretty good. I also got business class to Tel Aviv for 36,000.

one way international airfares are often not simply 1/2 the RT airfare, they are usually much more.

I think it's still rare for awards tickets for it not to be round trip points = 2 one way points. Even paying cash this is often the case, i.e. there is no savings on buying round trip vs 2 one ways.

Tom_MN, good work on your award tickets. Two things:

• AA's network is much more robust to Latin America than Europe, so more potential for good redemptions. AA relies on BA and to a lesser extent Iberia and Finnair to handle Europe.
• For the time the OP wants to go to London, I think my original comment still applies about finding cheap redemptions. I was able to get business class Zurich-Chicago in February for 50k, but that's off-season.

As for 2 one-ways vs. RT, yes, for mileage redemptions the total miles required is usually the
same, but booking as 2 one-ways gives you more flexibility to change one leg if something
changes vs tossing the whole thing in the trash.

If I look at OP's nominal dates, you can get RT business class for $3000-$4000 RT JFK-LHR.
JFK-LHR can be had one way for ~$1900, but the one-way LHR-JFK is $9800. So 2 one-ways
is a lot more than a RT. I am sure there are examples that we can find that go in all directions.
What's undoubtedly true is that international pricing is a lot more complex and convoluted than
domestic.

Shoeflyer: I question whether London is a good use of points/miles, generally, with the fees.

I just flew 5-1/2 hours from Anchorage in Delta main cabin, and it really wasn't that bad even with my 6-2 height. I am kind of evolving as to whether the time involved in getting good business class fares, especially points/miles redemptions for the high classes, is worth such a great deal of effort.

I just found out it could be December before I receive my 75,000 points from Capital One. Not happy about that.

Yes, with a daytime flight, I would not be looking for Upper Class. Looks like I would have to be at the airport pretty early in the day, as the only flight I'm finding on Virgin that has rewards seats in the daytime is at 8:05 a.m. from EWR. This would mean a hotel stay the night before.

Currently, I have 40,461 points--not enough to get an Economy ticket on United.

I am trying to find out how many points I would need to fly Delta One to LHR or LGW and return in Economy and if I'm not mistaken, I do not have enough points/miles to do so.

I do not yet have enough points to purchase a Business Class flight on Aer Lingus (I'm about 10,000 short). I suppose I could buy Avios but I don't know what that would cost.

Flying to Brussels or Paris and taking the Eurostar sounds like it would be a heckuva hassle.

I'm starting to wonder if this trip is worth all the hassle, to be honest...

Am I doing this correctly?

Tom_MN, at the risk of turning OP's original question into a dialogue between
you and I, I definitely agree with you. I certainly won't turn down a premium
cabin seat, but spending 6 figures worth of miles for one trip is a big ask esp
if it drains the account.

Going a day early and getting a nice hotel to enjoy upon arrival is another way
to pamper yourself if that is a goal of a vacation. I think it's also important to
keep perspective on the time of year one wants to travel and how far out one
is booking.

As noted, good value redemptions for premium cabins are a lot easier in
offseason and lower demand destinations. But if, like OP, you want to travel
a high demand route in a high demand season, be prepared to pay. As
you note, spending time looking for a needle in a haystack is time consuming
and not likely to yield positive results. I think spending the $3k on AA is the
most efficient way to go.

Smaller spends like Main Cabin Extra/Economy Plus or lounge access are also
ways to enhance the travel experience without breaking the bank.

OP, for better or worse, the mileage game has been getting harder and harder
to play over the last decade. You kind of have to keep up with new
developments all the time, and have multiple options at your disposal.

@shoeflyer, I completely agree with you regarding the time of year for traveling. I'd love to go in the fall, say, right about now. However, I work in academia, and my department is structured in such a way that I can't take off ten days from September-mid May. It does make things more challenging.

I'm definitely considering an "economy plus" seat in lieu of business class/upper class.

economy plus

Make sure that you are using the right terminology. Economy plus is a coach seat with more legroom and sometimes other perks like free alcohol on domestic flights. Premium economy is a different class of service with a wider seat, more legroom, and a separate cabin. You can get a premium economy seat on VA for 17,500 plus $447 which may be a more acceptable splurge for you. You could transfer 2000 Chase points now with the 30% bonus giving enough points for the 17,500 you would need. Not sure if VA offers economy plus on this route, it's not showing up on the app.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJD1so4oWFw

I'm finding on Virgin that has rewards seats in the daytime is at 8:05 a.m. from EWR

Note that VA only flies out of JFK. EWR is a Star Alliance hub, United and Lufthansa, other airlines tend to avoid it. Star Alliance SAS flies out of both EWR and JFK.

Hmmm.. I just checked Premium Economy and I'm seeing 35k points plus $1211 in fees.
How did you find the lower price?

I'm OK flying out of JFK.

On the app for May 25 I am showing 17,500 + $447 for one way. Round trip should be double that, I don't have a firm date to check for the return. Checking a one way June 8 return I have 17,500 and 402 pounds which is $485.

Interesting, if I book round trip instead of 2 one ways it costs $1211, or $279 more. Sometimes round trip costs more than 2 one ways, it happens.

Thank you very much for your help!

I watched the video--Premium Economy does look very nice indeed.
I am using the desktop version and not the app.

You are correct--doing one ways is working better. I just might go with Premium. Ideally I'd like to be able to sleep on the way across the pond, so that I don't feel like a dead duck the next morning.

You can get 60,000 AA miles with the Barclays Aviator Mastercard simply by getting the card,
paying the $99 annual fee, and buying one other item, such as a pack of chewing gum.

On May 25th, you can fly one-way in PE from JFK to LHR for 54,500 miles and $5.60. AA 100,
or AA 104.

I think that is a pretty good option for one-way. The savings in points always has to be weighed
against the taxes/fees. You'll be paying more for the return as previously noted just because you're
flying out of a UK airport. Maybe use what you have for VA on the return.

The other advantage of doing one-ways is that you can book on different airlines if you're using miles.

Thanks for the information on American Airlines.

I just checked the Aer Lingus reward flight availability and looks like there are no reward flights leaving LGW on June 5. So maybe the decision will be VA after all.

My friend and I booked two Virgin upper class tickets by transferring points from Chase Ultimate Rewards to Air France Flying Blue. We were able to get the same flight without the high surcharges.

Shannon, Thank you for replying. I'm trying to see what it would cost me to book through AirFrance/Flying Blue. I have found a couple of flights, but they want 294,000 points plus over $700 in cash. That's way too much...

I don't understand where these outrageous points amounts are coming from. Also I am noticing flights appearing and disappearing in my searches. Yesterday, I saw a flight on Aer Lingus that was a possibility. Later, it was gone. Still later, it was back.

Is this normal?

Cash pricing of airline tickets is extremely dynamic. There's no inherent reason why mileage prices couldn't be driven by the same sort of algorithm, though I haven't noticed that degree of short-term variation. On the other hand, I really only look at regular coach seats. It's common to see the mileage requirement for a coach seat vary from about 40,000 miles to over 70,000 on flights operating the same day.

If you are making multiple searches on your computer, clear your cookies and cache every time
you do a new search. The airline (but really, any entity that can read the cookies) knows you are
searching multiple times and using this information to help decide what it shows you. It might
be part of the reason you are seeing the variation.

This applies to searches on any point of sale website, e.g., Amazon, Marriott, etc.

Oh yes, the cookie myth

I’ve never ever bothered to clear cookies and I’ve re- booked my next flight to Europe four times and do you know why? because when I check the airfare has gone down. But according to the cookie myth it with an only goes up. I have about $600 in credits right now. But clear your cookies because airline fares only go up. 😂

Well, I'm glad you've re-checked, as we should all do from time to time. But
I did not say that fares always go up. I merely said that the entity reading the
cookies may see that you've searched recently and use that information.

Cookies have a timer on them, usually they expire within a few hours or days.
Multiple searches in a short period of time, such as the OP appears to be doing,
are open to this situation. I suspect you've checked over a longer period of time
and so the cookie question is not relevant (fares probably wouldn't go down $600
4 times in a week, esp in economy). And it is probably more likely that the fare
variation is due to dynamic pricing, changes in conditions, etc., as has been noted.

But cookies obviously exist and they do compile information on the searches you make
and pages you visit.

And clearing your cookies and cache periodically will keep your browser running more
efficiently in any case.

Well, I've tried clearing my cache and cookies, and I've tried using a different computer in someone else's house. The prices for Upper Class on Virgin via Air France are just through the roof. I'm thinking the best thing to do is book a day flight with American Airlines and go economy each way. At least I can fly home from Gatwick if I do that.

Thank you, folks!

I got a really good deal last night, was searching for a good few hours. I live in Geneva, so most normally always have to get a flight to London for the USA trip.

Well to my surprise behold, I found reward flights!
Surprisingly, over thanksgiving period!! I had to call to book as wouldn’t take payment, thought it must have been phantom flights.

GVA-CDG-MIA, BOS-CDG-GVA. All with Air France. All business class flights. 214,000 VA points but 1150CHF.

Yes, London flights are 190,000 UC return or more during holidays, but we couldn’t justify paying over 1000GBP more. Saves us having to get flight to London and hotel on the outbound/inbound.

Takes a while to find and getting the right dates, twice I found other flights which were better but disappeared after 40 minutes

Well, I've tried clearing my cache and cookies, and I've tried using a different computer in someone else's house.

It's easier to just use an incognito browser tab, like in Chrome or Firefox. If you're in Chrome, click on the 3 vertical dots in the upper right hand corner, then choose New Incognito Window and one will open. This does not track cookies or site data and protects your privacy in other ways as well.

If you use Firefox, click the 3 vertical lines in the upper right hand corner, then choose New Private Window and one will open. Same principles apply.

I just "defeated" the cookie myth again. Have been looking for a low milage award on Virgin for a few weeks.... checking daily or every other day. No "incognito" etc. Today the PERFECT flights were available at the rates I wanted. Oh my!