Sometimes you can change
award airline tickets online, but other times, it is not as easy to change as a ticket paid outright.
Using points to obtain frequent flier miles that you can redeem for
award airline tickets can yield a much higher point value than booking flights directly with Membership Rewards points.
Not exact matches
Airline frequent flier programs have become less rewarding over the last few years by offering fewer upgrades to elite fliers and requiring more miles than ever for
award tickets.
In many cases,
award ticket pricing is different, with the disclaimer that each
airline's system varies significantly.
Some look for the best
airline miles card that they can use to earn
award tickets, while others prefer hotel cards.
In addition, several of the major hotel programs are featured, and transfers from this program are virtually instantaneous, allowing you to book
airline tickets or
award nights at hotels that you found before the availability disappears.
Japan
Airlines» Mileage Bank program provides the cheapest option at 42,000 miles for a one - way business class
award ticket.
Other
airlines generally require you to purchase a much more expensive
ticket if you want to be able to cancel it, and will charge a fee to cancel
award tickets unless you have status with that
airline.
If booking a partner
award, double check what the cost would be from the individual carriers, rather than just taking the quote from the
ticket issuing
airline.
The
airline needs time to credit the most recent mileage and then issue an
award certificate or
ticket.
Note:
Airline tickets, upgrades, points purchases, points transfer fees, gift cards, duty - free spending, and
award tickets do not fall under the category of «incidental fees.»
On an American
Airlines flight, business class and first class
award bookings will include about $ 280 in taxes and fees for a round - trip
ticket.
Because Mileage Bank miles are a bit harder to earn, it could be easier for you to use American AAdvantage miles to book off - peak economy class
award tickets for 45,000 miles round - trip on flights operated by American
Airlines.
Not all
airlines allow holds on
award tickets, but when they do you should definitely take advantage of it when buying miles!
ANA Mileage Club does pass on carrier - imposed surcharges when booking
award tickets with many partners, but not on flights with United
Airlines, so you won't have to worry about that when flying to London.
Japan
Airlines Mileage Bank will require the fewest miles from the East Coast for an economy class
award ticket, at just 39,000 Mileage Bank miles round - trip.
This is especially frustrating for business class and first class
award tickets, and even worse if you book on an
airline that hits you with steep carrier - imposed surcharges (such as British Airways).
If you are traveling from the West Coast, Japan
Airlines Mileage Bank will still have the best redemption rates, though the redemption rates aren't quite as good compared to
award tickets from New York City.
As a result, if you need to connect to one of American
Airlines» hub airports, your
award ticket might require more mileage.
Airlines typically only offer a certain number of
award seats per flight, so your itinerary options will be more limited than if you were paying cash for your
ticket.
For example, an American
Airlines frequent flyer can use AAdvantage miles to book a flight on British Airways, and the cost of that
ticket will be based on the American
Airlines mileage
award chart.
Once the
award is on hold, call back to American
Airlines in the U.S. so they can issue your
ticket.
$ 250 Air Travel Credit: The card offers travelers a $ 250 air travel credit, which automatically applies to purchases made directly with
airlines, including airfare and upgrade costs,
airline taxes on
award tickets, in - flight meals and entertainment, baggage fees, etc..
It's important to note that some
airlines impose ridiculously high fuel surcharges on
award tickets.
It tells you how many cents you get for each mile you redeem by dividing the cash price of the
airline ticket (minus taxes and fees charged for an
award ticket) by the number of miles the
award flight costs.
We've already talked about booking flights on United
Airlines with Singapore KrisFlyer miles, but you can actually use KrisFlyer miles to book
award tickets on Alaska
Airlines as well.
Korean Air SkyPass requires 45,000 miles for a round - trip business class
award ticket which is 15,000 miles fewer than the next closest program, Singapore
Airlines.
Upgrade
awards from paid
tickets are available on Singapore
Airlines, Silk Air, and Star Alliance.
With this in mind, British Airways»
award chart provides a great option to book nonstop economy class
award tickets from the West Coast to Hawaii on both American
Airlines and Alaska
Airlines.
> Value:
Award travel starts at just 20,000 FlexPoints (up to a $ 400
ticket value) on over 150
airlines with no blackout dates or redemption fees.
While some
airlines let you pay for an award ticket for a partial number of miles as a combination of cash plus points, American Airlines does not offer this
airlines let you pay for an
award ticket for a partial number of miles as a combination of cash plus points, American
Airlines does not offer this
Airlines does not offer this ability.
This card includes travel benefits such as a $ 25
airline allowance for
airline award tickets, and 12 complimentary Gogo Inflight Wi - Fi passes pear year.
American
Airlines is another option for searching for
award ticket availability to redeem with Avios.
Check out our step - by - step guide to learn the best ways to book business class
award tickets on American
Airlines.
Up to a $ 25
airline allowance with each
airline award ticket to use on baggage fees, in - flight food or drinks and more
For example, a one way domestic business class
award ticket in the contiguous U.S. redeemed through Singapore
Airlines will cost 20,000 miles, 17,500 economy to Hawaii or 30,000 business to Hawaii.
Landing a premium class
award ticket in First or Business class on Singapore has traditionally been a difficult task for North American points and miles collectors due to the common Singapore
Airlines practice of offering first and business class
award space almost solely to members of their own KrisFlyer program.
The American
Airlines coach
award tickets were 1 - way off - peak
awards which cost 17,500 to 22,500 American
Airlines miles per person and 40,000 to 50,000 American
Airlines miles during regular times.
Most travel rewards credit cards also
award bonus points or miles for specific purchases like hotel stays or
airline tickets.
With the help of my Southwest
Airlines Visa card, I had earned two
award tickets.
Because you can't use miles from other SkyTeam
airlines (like Delta) to book Flying Blue Promo
Awards, you'll have to book
award tickets with Flying Blue miles.
In addition to the card's $ 100 Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application waiver, it offers a $ 25 reimbursement for
airline fees charged to it when you're traveling on a FlexPerks
award ticket.
It can often be difficult to put an exact value on
airline miles because the cost of the
award ticket often depends on availability, date and time of travel, and the popularity of the route.
Other
airlines generally require you to purchase a much more expensive
ticket if you want to be able to cancel it, and will charge a fee to cancel
award tickets unless you have status with that
airline.
Hot Tip: Singapore
Airlines does pass on fuel surcharges when booking
award tickets.
You would need to spend significantly more money with the Virgin Atlantic World Elite MasterCard ® Credit Card in order to earn an
award ticket from New York to London, than with the British Airways Visa Signature ® Card — a difference of $ 3,333 on general spending, and $ 5,000 with
airline - specific spending.
On the positive side of things, most credit cards offer rewards to users in the form of cash back or points which can be later redeemed for things such as
airline tickets, or other goods — these points are
awarded to users based on spending money using the credit card.
Singapore
Airlines will let you book one - way
award tickets and stopovers but will require more miles.
This pass can be used on purchased
tickets and
award seats (virtually doubling your
airline miles).
Or transfer the points to partners like United
Airlines for travel such as a round - trip
award ticket within the US and Canada or a 1 - way flight to Europe.