Some airlines like Southwest do not publish a fixed award chart; instead,
the cost of an award flight fluctuates to match the cash sticker price of the paid fare equivalent.
This makes
the cost of those award flights very high in some instances.
Check
the cost of award flights using the Flying Blue Miles Calculator.
There are far too many possibilities to list, however Alaska makes it very easy to determine
the cost of award flights.
The cost of an award flight is also determined by its fare class.
As domestic carriers like United Airlines and American Airlines raise
the cost of their award flights — particularly when partners are priced much higher than the domestic carrier — I've been... [Read more...] about How You Can Fly to Europe with One Credit Card Bonus
With a load factor of 84 %, the carriers are constantly tweaking
the cost of award flights by either raising redemption levels or reducing the saver award inventory, especially in first and business classes.
To calculate
the cost of award flights, we researched routes between major hubs on both coasts of the U.S. to various popular airports in the Middle East.
convert Avios points are extremely cost effective when redeemed for short - haul flights on both American Airlines and British Airways, although
the cost of an award flight will increase if there are multiple segments as the cost of a ticket with multiple segments is based on the combined cost of each individual segment.
As domestic carriers like United Airlines and American Airlines raise
the cost of their award flights — particularly when partners are priced much higher than the domestic carrier — I've been focusing on earning more miles with foreign airline loyalty programs.
The chart divides the country in 5 zones, so you need to figure out in what zone is your origin and your destination in order to figure out
the cost of your award flights.
To figure out
the cost of award flights and the best programs to use, I looked at a variety of routes between major hubs in China and the U.S..
In general,
the cost of award flights are competitive with other programs.
My guess is that American may be raising the minimum
cost of an award flight to British Airways, hence the price increase for zone 1 short - haul flights in the US market only.
This is because
the cost of an award flight is more or less tied to the cash price of the ticket.
Not exact matches
However, the United
award chart shows that business class saver tickets only
cost 60,000 each way, or 120,000 round - trip for the same exact
flight, a quarter
of how many miles or points you would have needed with cash back or a statement credit.
Since
award flights booked with United miles do not incur fuel surcharges, this can be a great way to keep your out -
of - pocket
costs down.
Flying Blue recently switched to using dynamic pricing with
award ticket mileage tied to the revenue
cost of the
flight.
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.
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.
Based on the best available data, this chart shows the saver level
cost of Delta One
award flights to and from the U.S.
As
flights fill up, or don't fill up, the availability and
cost of award seats can fluctuate.
The reason is that Southwest has a revenue based system whereby the number
of miles they charge for an
award flight is directly related to how much the
flight would
cost in cash.
There is no
award chart - the number
of points needed depends on how much the
flight costs.
Because British Airways calculates the price
of an
award based on individual
flight segments, this means you can actually make a stopover for as long as you want and the ticket will
cost the same.
The mileage
cost to fly one
of ANA's partner airlines to Japan aren't as good redeeming miles for ANA
flights, but the
award chart does have a few solid partner redemption options.
Unlike most other airlines, Southwest
award flight redemptions are based on the
cost of the ticket in most cases.
Though many flagship carriers now
award redeemable miles based on the
cost of a ticket, HawaiianMiles still lets flyers earn miles based on the distance
of their
flight.
In any case, especially given the extraordinary
cost of many intra-South American
flights, taking advantage
of this stopover is a good way to really maximize the value
of their
award tickets.
It tells you how many cents you get for each mile or point you redeem by dividing the cash price
of the airline ticket by the number
of miles or points the
award flight costs.
If I can make as controversial a claim as is supported by the evidence, even the American Express Delta Platinum credit card, with its $ 195 annual fee and companion ticket
awarded on each account anniversary, only makes sense (compared to redeeming Arrival + miles) if you can consistently redeem the companion ticket for
flights costing more than $ 672 — the value
of the Arrival + miles you could manufacture with the same $ 195 in disposable income — or if you can use the Medallion Qualifying Miles earned with the card to achieve Platinum or Diamond Medallion status.
The FlexPerks card is a great backup for booking paid
flights when either the
cost or availability
of awards prevents you from using traditional airline miles.
While it's possible to maximize value further and take advantage
of the 10 % Redemption Bonus right away by booking
flights and splitting hotel nights into separate bookings over the course
of a few days, we'd keep things simple in this case by recommending Tiffany's husband apply his bonus toward the taxes and fees on the Alaska
award bookings, wiping out these
costs entirely, and having Tiffany apply her bonus toward the total hotel booking at Hotels.com.
When booking economy class
flights, you should always compare the
cost of an
award ticket if you transfer Ultimate Rewards points to the
cost of using points to book through the Chase travel portal.
Keep in mind, the
award prices
of Southwest
flights are pegged to the cash ticket
cost so it can vary based on the day you book.
Avoid
awards that place you on British Airways
flights unless you want to pay steep fuel surcharges that add hundreds
of dollars to the
cost of your redemption.
Given that
award flights cost a mere $ 5
of security fees each way prior to adding baggage or seat upgrade charges,
award flight passengers in particular may find Stretch Seating to provide a fair value.
Award flights cost the same number
of miles as from the US if you want to visit Europe before or after an island adventure.
For example, you could fly from the U.S. to Paris with a stopover in London for the
cost of one round - trip
award flight.
Again, because there's no strict
award chart, the
cost in miles will depend on how good
of a deal you can find on
flights.
Redemptions are done against an
award chart which lists the
cost for each type
of flight, either based on zones, countries, or distances.
It tells you how many cents you're getting for each mile or point you redeem by dividing the cash price
of the airline ticket by the number
of miles or points the
award flight costs.
If you already have points with JetBlue or Southwest, or have a stockpile
of Ultimate Rewards points on hand, using them toward an
award flight can be a nice use, but the cash
cost is low enough that it's not worth applying for a new card specifically for the purpose
of paying for
flights.
After choosing each
flight, the summary page displays the itinerary and the
cost of the
award is confirmed.
A word
of warning about how Delta's
award booking engine works: if any
flight segment is lacking Low level availability, the overall miles
cost will be increased.
It didn't have a real
award chart that it could remove, and some
of its
flights will still
cost the same amount.
Large carriers such as American Airlines or United Airlines have a fixed price
award system, where taking an
award flight will
cost the same amount no matter the cash value
of the ticket.
Yes, it is possible to pay 18,000 miles to cover the
cost of taxes and fees on
award flights within Europe operated by Lufthansa and Miles & More airline partners.
A slightly higher
cost of redemption applies to
award flights booked between South Africa and the following destinations:
ANA does not offer an easy
award chart to view the
cost of itineraries with only ANA - operated
flights.