With summer right around the corner, people are gearing up to jet off and explore the world on vacation. Some travelers like waiting until the last moment and seeing what kind of random deals they can score, while others prefer to search ahead and utilize their points for the most comfortable flight possible. It doesn’t matter if someone wants to visit Paris, Berlin, or one of Europe’s hidden gems, a Business Class flight is one of the most luxurious and comfortable ways to get there.
Whether you’ve already booked this year’s ultimate summer getaway or are stuck daydreaming about villas on sandy beaches, this guide will teach you how to book business-class flights to Europe using points and miles.
Why Fly Business Class?
Odds are, if you’ve ever flown before, you have sat in a cramped economy seat and wondered what it would be like to travel more comfortably. Business class tickets include extra seat space, better food, and more privacy compared to economy seats, so it makes sense that travelers may indulge and opt for the nicer section for a long flight to Europe. While each airline offers slightly different amenities for their business class customers, here is a breakdown of why business class seats are worth it for longer flights:
– Priority boarding and access to business-class lounges
– Increased seat space and the ability to lie flat
– Enhanced dining options, including a complimentary glass of champagne upon boarding
– Checked bag fees are typically included with the ticket
How to Redeem Your Points
Each credit card provider has a system for cardholders to redeem points. After logging in, travelers just have to enter their trip details, and a list of flights will appear to compare and choose from. Both the cash and point prices will be displayedfor each type of seat on the plane, and travelers can choose whether or not to spend their points on a ticket or use the flight as another opportunity to earn more points toward a future trip by purchasing it with their travel card.
Typically, points have a value of one cent each, but there are a few ways to extract more value from your points. In addition to redeeming points directly with your credit card provider, many travel cards have partnerships with airlines that offer an increased point redemption scale. Depending on which transfer partner you move your points to, you can extract anywhere from one and a half to three cents per point, a huge increase that makes spending points on business class tickets more appealing.
A comprehensive list of the major travel credit card transfer partners can be seen here. Still, prominent airlines like AirFrance/KLM, British Airways and Emirates offer additional value to users who transfer their points to book a flight. Spend as much time as you need exploring which partner and flight is best for you, but remember, after you transfer points to a partner platform, there’s no need to bring them back to your credit card!
Best Way to Earn Points/Miles
If someone wants to start booking flights with points or miles, the best thing they can do for themselves is sign up for and shift as much spending as possible to a travel card. These travel cards, like the American Express Gold or Chase’s Sapphire series, help get more points for travel-related expenses like airfare, hotels, and rideshares. As someone accumulates more points, their ability to book tickets or splurge on nicer business-class seats becomes a lot easier.
Typically, new cardholders can earn anywhere from 60,000 to 75,000 bonus points after they hit a certain spending limit in the first few months of having the card. Sign-on bonuses like this, in addition to point boost offerings for specific spending categories, make it easy to earn enough points to cover business class flights quickly.
Point Maximizing Tips
Redeeming points or miles for statement credits is always an option, but typically, this results in a lower value for each moment. If you want to maximize the value of every single point you’ve earned, follow these tips:
-Search for flights far in advance. Business class sections accommodate far fewer people than coach does, so giving yourself a more significant time window to find tickets increases the odds there will be business seats and potential deals available.
-Be flexible with your travel dates. Sometimes, flights on the precise day you had in mind might be unavailable or extra crowded, but being able to move forward or back a few days can make all the difference in terms of both availability and cost. Remember, if the plane is already rapidly filling up, the airline has no incentive to offer a discounted ticket; however, if there is a flight that is not selling out as quickly, the airline might be more inclined to reduce costs and increase point redemption values as a way to entice more people onto the plane.
Sign Up for airline loyalty programs like Delta Skymiles or American Airlines AAdvantage to accumulate vendor-specific points that can be used for business class flights and to stay up to date on any of the airlines’ time-sensitive bonuses or customer rewards.
-Check what kind of point boost your card offers. The Chase Sapphire cards, for example, incentivize users to utilize their points directly on the Chase Travel platform by increasing point values for trips directly booked on the platform. Chase Sapphire Preferred holders receive a 25 percent point boost, while holders of the more signature Reserve card receive a 50% boost for any trips, including business flights, booked through Chase.
Final Thoughts
Figuring out the most efficient or cheapest way to fly to Europe via business class might seem a little stressful. Still, it’s important to remember you are planning a trip that will be fun and incredibly memorable. After deciding which business flight is best for you, remember to stretch your feet out and truly enjoy the experience! After all, once you are lucky enough to have an international business seat, will you want to settle on anything less for your next trip overseas?
