This feature is available mostly for the flights paid entirely with your card, but
not awards flights when you pay only fees and taxes.
Complimentary upgrades on paid flights (
not award flights), up to 24 hours before departure if available
These are
not award flights; these flights are cash tickets purchased when you use points, so they earn miles and status credit like a normal cash fare.
But
not all award flights are a great deal.
Not exact matches
The Gold Delta SkyMiles ® Credit Card from American Express won't help you save on any domestic airline you choose, but it will help you earn
awards flights with Delta and other international SkyTeam partners.
Maximizing rewards to book
award flights can require a lot of research and strategizing, so it definitely isn't for everyone.
Virgin Atlantic doesn't have one of the best
award redemption charts for
flights.
Although he didn't get his name on the scoresheet, Eden Hazard spent another afternoon tormenting defences in the English Top
flight as he picked up yet another Man of the Match
award for his industrious performance in the Blues» 2 - 0 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion.
Tarik Saleh, director of «The Nile Hilton Incident,» which won the Grand Jury
Award in the World Cinema Dramatic competition, recounted his experiences being detained before every
flight he's taken since 9/11 and reminded the audience that a majority of Americans didn't vote for Trump.
If you are
not concerned with elite status, then you will at least earn 6,000 anniversary points and plenty of points to get in an
awards flight or two each year by using the Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards ® Premier Credit Card.
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.
The card doesn't have much in the way of travel benefits but it does have some interesting perks, such as a $ 25 bonus to spend on airline fees and in -
flight purchases every time you redeem your points for an
award flight and a free rental car day every year.
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.
This benefit is invaluable to people whose schedules frequently shift and who don't want to worry about scheduling an
award flight well ahead of time.
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.
So long as the alternative
flights are operated by the airline whose miles you redeemed,
not a partner, it will be able to open up
award space in response to a schedule change that affected your reservations.
For instance, Alaska Airlines doesn't fly to Paris either, but you can redeem its miles for
award flights on several of its partners that offer overseas service.
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 is your opportunity to contact the airline and request alternate
flights that are more ideal for your schedule, even if there isn't
award availability.
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.
With a distance - based
award chart, it's particularly important to find
award flights that are nonstop so you don't have to use more miles and points.
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.
If we use Delta, we avoid those, but I'm
not seeing the same
award availability through Delta on the Air France
flights we usually use.
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.
Sometimes
award flight availability might
not show up at all.
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.
Even if your final destination is
not Brussels, you can use this
award flight as a springboard to explore other parts of Europe!
The taxes and fees on a round - trip first class
award ticket will be roughly $ 700 but for two 10 - hour
flights in first class, that's
not bad at all.
And for good reason: United does
not charge a fuel surcharge on
award flights, even on partner airlines.
Booking online is the easiest, but
not all the airlines are great at showing availability for
award flights.
As
flights fill up, or don't fill up, the availability and cost of
award seats can fluctuate.
If you can't find
award space on the outbound
flight, give it a try on the return
flight.
If at all possible, don't book
award flights during high season.
Upgrade
awards on Korean Air
flights are limited to generally expensive fare classes on paid tickets, so your ticket may
not be eligible.
There's also a handy calculator that will tell you how many points you'll need for
flights without logging in, but it won't tell you whether
award seats are available on the day you want to travel.
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.