On long-haul flights, a little comfort goes a long way. But with reward flights often topping 200,000 miles one-way, is a free business class ticket out of reach?

Not necessarily. Plenty of airlines offer one-way business class seats for as little as 50,000 points or less. Sometimes, you’ll need a little flexibility or luck, but these deals are frequent enough that you are bound to find one that fits your schedule. 

While reward opportunities constantly change, we’ve found 7 frequent flyer programs that routinely offer cheap business-class seats. Let’s take a look at each airline, the routes you can fly, and how you can earn the points/miles needed to book your award flight.  

1. Air France – Business Class to Paris Starting at 50,000 Points

Air France routinely offers promotions allowing you to book one-way business class seats for as little as 50,000 miles each way. This is a steal, considering the base rate is usually 110,000 points. Promo Rewards are released monthly, so check out the page regularly to find the best deals. 

One-way flights connect large US cities like Dallas, Atlanta, New York, etc., with major European destinations like Paris, London, Rome, and more. Here is a sample booking from New York to Paris. 

Air-France Business Class Experience

Business class, also called La Premiere on Air France/KLM flights, is well-regarded. Airport perks include lounge access, priority check-in, and priority boarding. Once aboard, you can enjoy lie-flat seats, a chef-crafted menu, a curated wine list, an exclusive toiletry kit, and more. 

It is worth noting that not all planes feature business-class seats with privacy doors and direct aisle access. Some older planes have a more crowded configuration. 

Earning & Redeeming Miles through Flying Blue

Earning Flying Blue miles can be done in multiple ways. 

• Get 4-8 miles per Euro spent on flight bookings
• Book hotels through the Flying Blue portal
• Get credited for flights booked through SkyTeam
• Earn 1.5X to 3X miles using the Flying Blue credit card
• Transfer points from a travel card rewards program (i.e., Chase Ultimate Rewards)
• Transfer points from other airline or hotel loyalty programs, i.e., Marriott

Booking a rewards flight using the Flying Blue program is straightforward. Simply search for your flight by using the Book with Miles option on the AirFrance website. 

2. American Airlines – Book Winter Flights to Europe for 54,000 Miles

If you’re looking for a good deal on business class seats for winter-time travel, then American Airlines can be a good pick. American offers one-way business class seats to popular destinations like Paris, London, Madrid, Rome, etc. And there are a host of major airports in the US from which you can depart. 

Redemptions during winter months like December, January, and February start at 54,000 Advantage miles. Flights during non-winter months start at 57,500 miles. Here is a sample booking calendar for Dallas to Madrid in January. 

American Airlines Business Class Experience

While less popular than its premium partners like Qatar Airlines, American Airlines offers a solid business class program. With a Flagship business class ticket, you’ll get priority service at check-in and security and access to Flagship and Admirals Club lounges. On board the plane, you’ll enjoy lie-flat seats, premium dining, free entertainment, and a complimentary amenity kit. 

Earning & Redeeming Miles with the AAdvantage Club

Miles are earned and redeemed through the AAdvantage Club. When it comes to earning miles, American offers you a wealth of options, including

• Booking AA flights
• Using co-branded credit cards
• Booking flights on partner airlines
• Booking hotels, rental cars, cruises, and other travel
• Shopping through Advantage
• Utilizing Advantage Dining
• Having a Shell Fuel Rewards account

To redeem your miles for flights, simply use the Redeem Miles option when searching for flights. Using your Advantage miles, you can book tickets on American Airlines flights, as well as any of their partner airlines. Check out their awards chart to get an idea of the mile cost for partner airlines. 

3. ANA – Flights Under 50K Points Using Virgin Atlantic

If your home base is Japan, you can use Virgin Atlantic points to score great business-class point booking deals on ANA flights. According to Virgin Alantic’s award chart, you can get a roundtrip business class flight to China for just 45,000 points. One-way flights to Hawaii cost cust 37,500 points for business class, and flights to mainland USA (western coast) run 52,500 points each way. 

ANA Business Class Experience

With an ANA business class ticket, you’ll get priority service at the airport, including expedited security, quick check-in, and faster service at baggage claim. You also get access to more than 50 airport lounges worldwide. Onboard, you’ll get elevated food and beverage selections, exclusive amenities, and free entertainment. 

The one caveat to ANA business class is the quality of the seats, which varies greatly between planes. The newest addition, The Room, features a fully private, extra-wide lie-flat seat with direct aisle access. The other options are the less private lie-flat Business Stowed seats or the lackluster reclining Business Cradle.

Earning & Redeeming Miles Through Virgin Atlantic

Since you're redeeming ANA flights through Virgin Atlantic, you’ll need to focus on earning Virgin Atlantic points. Luckily, there are lots of great ways to earn points, including

• Flying with Virgin
• Using the co-branded credit card
• Book hotels
• Transfer from a travel credit card rewards program 

Right now, the Amex Platinum card is offering a 150,000 sign-up bonus. With a 1:1 transfer rate to Virgin Atlantic, that’s enough for two round-trip business class flights on ANA between Japan and Hawaii. 

Redeeming awards for ANA flights on Virgin Atlantic gets a bit complicated, though. You’ll have to speak to Virgin Atlantic’s Flying Club team to reserve tickets and then manage your reservation on ANA’s website. 

4. Hawaii – Multiple Airline Options for Under 50K Miles

Flying to Hawaii is a unicorn when it comes to mile redemptions. Even though Hawaii is part of the U.S., as it is not part of the mainland, it is often in a different reward zone. This usually results in cheap reward options. Let’s take a look at the top three: Hawaiian Airlines, United, and Korean Air.

First Class on Hawaiian Airlines for 40,000 miles

Starting with the most obvious airline choice, Hawaiian Airlines, redemptions for first-class seats between mainland US and Hawaii start at 40,000 points. This domestic first-class features many perks and amenities, including lie-flat seats, specialty food and beverage menus, lounge access, and more. 

First-class becomes business class on international flights between Hawaii and Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and Korea. Redemptions for these long-haul flights start at 65,000 miles one-way, but if you take advantage of a transfer bonus, you can score these tickets for less. 

United First Class Starting at 50,000 Miles from Mainland US

If you are in the mainland US and looking to fly to Hawaii, you can get first-class seats on United flights to Hawaii for as little as 50,000 miles. These first-class seats are much like United Business class offering. You get free premium meals and beverages, amenity kits, seats that fully recline, and more. 

It's worth noting that while United offers non-stop service to Honolulu from major airports like Newark, Dulles, Denver, etc., redemption rates are often much higher. At the 50,000 price point, you’ll likely get a stop or two. Because of this, you’ll want to closely scrutinize the award to ensure it’s not a mixed ticket, where you spend one leg in first class and the other in economy. See the example booking from Chicago below. 

Korean Air – Flights to Hawaii on Delta for 45,000 miles

Using Korean Air Skypass miles, you can book flights to Hawaii with several carriers. As a Sky Team member, Delta has the cheapest redemption rate of 45,000 miles one-way in first class to Hawaii. The downside is that Delta’s first class is a bit lackluster. Seats only partially recline and offer zero privacy. 

As an alternative to Delta, you can book flights to Hawaii on Alaskan Airlines for 60,000 points one way. But again, these seats are lackluster. Booking Hawaiian Airlines flights is also possible, but at 60,000 Skypass miles, you’d be better off booking an award flight directly through Hawaiian. 

5. Iberia Airlines – Fly to Madrid from Anywhere for Less Than 60,000 Avios

This Madrid-based carrier has one of the best award redemption rates of any airline. Unlike other programs, Iberia doesn’t use regions; they use distance in mileage to determine rewards. Off-peak redemptions start at 9,000 Avios for flights under 650 miles and go up to 85,000 points for distances greater than 7,000 miles. Peak travel will cost 10% more points for short-haul flights (2,000 miles or less) and about 47% more for longer flights. 

For reference, Dallas to Madrid is just under 5,000 miles, putting it at the 42,500 off-peak redemption mark. Berlin to Madrid is just under 1,200 miles, placing the award at 20,000 miles each way (off-peak). A longer flight from Santiago, Chile, to Madrid has a redemption rate of 51,000 Avios during off-peak season. 

Iberia Business Class Experience

Iberia business class is rather nice, with luxurious, lie-flat seats, premium dining menus, and a curated Spanish wine selection. Plus, business-class tickets get you access to VIP perks, including lounge access, expedited security, and even VIP airport parking.

Earning & Redeeming Avios

Like many airline loyalty programs, you can earn Avios in the usual ways, including

• Flights booked on Iberia or partner airlines
• Using co-branded credit cards
• Shopping on the Iberia Plus online store

However, perhaps the best way to earn Avios is through a travel rewards card like the Amex Platinum or Chase Sapphire Preferred. Both programs allow you to transfer your reward points to Iberia and often offer a transfer bonus of up to 30%.

Redeeming Avios for award flights is pretty straightforward on Iberia’s website. Select the pay with Avios checkbox, and search for your flight. Once you’ve selected your ticket you’ll get options on paying with Avios vs. cash. 

6. LATAM – Flights to South America for 35,000 Alaskan Miles

If you’ve got a stash of Alaskan Airline miles and want to take a trip to South America, you can book a business-class flight on LATAM Airlines starting at 35,000 miles one-way. 

The miles you need for a redemption through Alaskan depends on the distance. For instance, a flight from Miami, FL, to Lima, Peru, falls under the 35,000-mile redemption bracket. While a flight from Los Angeles, CA, to Santiago, Chile, would cost 50,000 miles. 

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LATAM Business Class Experience

LATAM markets its business class as “a world-class experience,” and indeed, some of the amenities they offer seem to fit the bill. In addition to the usual luxurious seats, priority service, and free entertainment, LATAM offers unique touches like a regionally inspired menu, a wine list curated by a Latin American Master Sommelier, and a sustainably produced amenity kit designed by local artists.

Earning & Redeeming Miles Through Alaskan Mileage Plan

You can earn miles through the Alaskan Airlines Mileage Plan in several ways. 

• Flying Alaskan or partner airlines
• Using a cobranded credit card
• Booking hotels, car rentals, and cruises with participating partners
• Shopping through the Alaskan portal
• Dining through the Alaskan dining network

You can also transfer points from programs like Chase Ultimate Rewards or Amex Membership Rewards. 

To redeem your miles for a LATAM flight, select the Use Miles checkbox on the Alaskan Airlines flight search page. Then, simply find your desired flight and book it. 

7. Singapore Airlines – Australia/Asia Flights for 40,500 Miles

If you are looking to fly in/out of Australia in business class for cheap, Singapore Airlines might be your best bet. If you can score a Business Saver award ticket, you can travel for as little as 40,500 KrisFlyer miles. 

Using Singapore’s redemption calculator, you can preview the point cost for each route. A flight from Darwin to Singapore starts at 40,500 miles—the same for a flight from Perth to Hong Kong. A one-way business class flight from Singapore to Kathmandu starts at 43,000 miles. If you’re looking to book a last-minute flight, check out Singapore’s Spontaneous Escapes page to get even better savings. 

Singapore Airlines Business Class Experience

Singapore Airlines offers several different business-class seats depending on the plane you fly on. Nearly all, except the smallest regional flights, offer lie-flat seats. The nicest business-class seats are on the A-380. Regardless of seat type, business class perks include gourmet food and beverage options, free entertainment, and priority service at the airport. 

Earning & Redeeming KrisFlyer Miles

Earning KrisFlyer miles is straightforward and easy. Here are a few of the ways you can earn miles. 

• Flying on Singapore or Partner Airlines
• Booking rental cars and hotels through KrisFlyer
• Using co-branded credit cards
• Purchases through KrisShop
• Rewards for using the Kris+ app
• Taking advantage of bonus mile offers

You can also accumulate miles by transferring points/miles from any of Singapore Airlines' supported partners. 

To redeem your award, you’ll need to do a flight search using the Redeem Flights checkbox. From there, you can find your flight and book it. If you don’t have enough points for the redemption, you can pay for the award with cash plus miles. 

Bottom Line

While availability isn’t as good as economy reward tickets, it is possible to find business class seats for around 50,000 miles or less. You might need to be a little flexible on your dates or destination, but the deals are there.