If at all possible, don't book award flights during high season.
If at all possible, don't book award flights during high season.
As you can see, the lack of major U.S. partners doesn't mean you can't book an award flight on a U.S. carrier if they offer the best route to your destination.
Meaning you can't book an award flight from Dubai to Cape Town.
Not exact matches
Maximizing rewards to
book award flights can require a lot of research and strategizing, so it definitely isn't for everyone.
Just make sure you
book award flights on American Airlines and
not British Airways so you don't get hit with high surcharges.
This gives the card a decent level of flexibility and options to
book award travel in spots where Alaska Airlines may
not offer
flights.
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.
Using Asiana Club to
book United
award flights isn't what comes to mind first for many people, but it's an option that shouldn't be overlooked.
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.
If you
book an
award flight with a partner airline such as American Airlines and do
not include a
flight operated by British Airways on your reservation, you'll be required to pay peak - level
award prices.
While it's tough to trust that Delta won't devalue their unpublished
award chart without warning, if you have a nice chunk of SkyMiles, you can easily
book a nonstop
flight to London.
For instance, just because you fly 1,504 miles from San Francisco to Austin doesn't mean that you have now earned enough miles for another trip; rather, the 1,500 - odd miles you just flew have earned you a mere fraction of what you'll need to
book an
award flight.
They offer the most flexibility because you don't need to deal with
award flights (
booking flights with points / miles) or airline loyalty programs.
Not only that, but you can also use British Airways Avios to
book award flights on Alaska Airlines.
The remaining states are part of Zone 4; Singapore KrisFlyer's
award chart for
flights on Alaska Airlines does
not allow for
award bookings to Hawaii from Zone 4.
Using British Airways Avios won't be a great way to
book this
flight, but you can use 63,000 Japan Airlines Mileage Bank miles or 80,000 American AAdvantage miles for a round - trip business class
award.
If you can find
award space on Delta or Alaska Airlines on the outbound
flight but
not on the dates you need to return, you could
book a one - way
award with Flying Blue and a one - way
award on United Airlines or American Airlines with another program.
Don't use Asia Miles to search for
award space on
flights operated by Cathay Pacific if you are
not using Asia Miles to
book.
Most
flights have a fixed
awards cost based on distance and typically don't adjust too much based on when you
book.
Korean Air SkyPass miles will
not be a go - to for economy class
awards, but they are a solid way to
book business class
awards on Delta
flights.
Delta doesn't make
award flights as seamless as others like American Airlines, but it is possible to find and
book something amazing!
Since stopovers and open - jaw
flights are
not allowed, you may want to
book several one - way
awards.
This is a good option if you're
not flexible with your travel dates, are
booking last - minute
flights, or don't want to fuss with finding
award seats.
If you don't already have a stash of Aeroplan points, you can transfer American Express Membership Rewards points from your Business Platinum Card from American Express Open to Aeroplan, or
book an Air Canada
flight as a partner
award through United.
Booking online is the easiest, but
not all the airlines are great at showing availability for
award flights.
A Companion
Award eVoucher can only be used if and when the Eligible Member is
booking a Reward
flight using Avios points (i.e. can
not be
booked using a combination of Avios points and cash or a charge to the Card) and can
not be combined with any other offer, promotion, mileage or frequent flyer programme.
Virgin Atlantic agents are
not always well - versed in researching and
booking partners
award flights.
You can
NOT book a one - way
award flight with ANA.
On the other hand, I don't use the JetBlue card frequently, but I do
book JetBlue
award flights every so often.
Etihad may
not be able to
book awards on these
flights.
If Delta has
award availability on a
flight you want, this fee probably shouldn't be enough to stop you from transferring your miles and
booking the ticket, but it's something to be aware of nonetheless.
While that's
not the best value,
award flights booked through Amex Travel do accrue both redeemable and elite qualifying miles.
Because you can't transfer your points directly to the partners, you'll have to search for
award flights and then call AAdvantage (1-800-433-7300) to
book the
flights.
I love making tentative
bookings with Southwest because the airline doesn't levy any change or cancellation fees on its tickets, even for
award flights.
Korean Air SkyPass miles will
not be a go - to for economy class
awards, but they are a solid way to
book business class
awards on Delta
flights.
Hawaiian Airlines does
not always present the most lucrative options for
booking award flights, but there are a few sweet spots travelers can leverage if they've amassed a healthy balance of HawaiianMiles.
The most important of those advantages is that US airlines don't typically charge fuel surcharges on
award tickets
booked on their own
flights, and often don't pass along their partners» fuel surcharges.
If you don't see the
flights you want or see the airlines you need, you can always call their North American service line at (312) 843-5333 to
book your
award.
While there aren't many airlines that fly between the U.S. and Australia, you do have a number of great options to
book award flights with your miles and points.
Similar to airlines previously mentioned, these
awards can
not be
booked on
flights operated by Virgin Australia's other partners.
If the
flight doesn't show on Singapore Airlines, call Singapore Airlines «Houston, Los Angeles, New York, or San Francisco offices to
book the
award.
While this isn't a perfect solution, it still allows you to help friends and family
book award flights.
However, you can
not book one way
awards involving SAS, TAP Portugal or Virgin Atlantic
flights.
Unfortunately, American does
not allow for stopovers, so if you'd like to visit Hawaii on your way to Fiji or someplace else in the Pacific afterwards, you'd need to
book two separate
award flights.
Noting the specific dates you'd like to take each of these
flights also greatly decreases the likelihood of United's
award engine timing out and returning an error
not because a
booking is invalid but simply because it has too many variables to process in the time allowed by the
booking engine.
Since Delta doesn't publish an official
award chart anymore, it can be tough to determine the lowest price available for a given
flight you want to
book.
Although this isn't the absolute best value you can get out of your Ultimate Rewards points, you don't have to worry about
award flights or nights
not being available when you want to travel if you
book this way.
If you can't find
award space on Delta, you can also
book an
award flight on Alaska Airlines for 60,000 miles.
You can speak with Delta via online chat or over the phone and they can add the connecting
flight so you don't have to
book separate
awards.