In the end, most of us here in the United States probably weren't crediting our flights to the Miles & More program anyway, since they are known to charge
high taxes and fuel surcharges on awards.
A business class flight between North America and Europe can run as low as 62,500 miles per roundtrip, but the $ 500
in taxes and fuel surcharges makes it somewhat less appealing.
The Virgin Atlantic Flying Club program isn't that great either since they charge
heavy taxes and fuel surcharges on award tickets (100K points plus ~ $ 1,300 in taxes from LAX to LHR round trip Upper Class).
And even if you're one of those people that would only ever book an award flight, the premium from booking a pure award flight to this upgrade isn't much considering the
large taxes and fuel surcharges on BA award travel.
The only catch is that British Airways does impose fuel surcharges for travel on both of those carriers, so expect to pay $ 300 - 400
between taxes and fuel surcharges.
I booked these flights using 150,000 Delta SkyMiles, which is probably the best option given that bookings with SkyMiles incur only ~ $ 117 in taxes and fees, whereas redemptions through the Virgins
require taxes and fuel surcharges of more than $ 1,000.
It's best to transfer your ThankYou points to Singapore's loyalty program, KrisFlyer, because it offers a 15 percent discount to members booking award flights online.With the discount, you can fly one way between New York and Frankfurt, or Houston and Moscow, in the carrier's extravagant First Suite for 57,375 miles and $ 203
in taxes and fuel surcharges.
Considering that this ticket would normally cost thousands of dollars, it's not a bad use of ThankYou points, even when you consider the $ 221 worth
of taxes and fuel surcharges that you'd have to pay.
Airport taxes and fuel surcharges would add a few hundred dollars to the bill, but we are talking about visiting 4 fascinating cities for about the same miles as a round trip.
High cost for
tax and fuel surcharges on long - haul British Airway flights (equals the cost of a regular ticket on some airlines)
When the points have been transferred to your frequent flyer account, you can visit the airline's website to book your tickets (subject to availability, fees,
taxes and fuel surcharges).
The taxes and fuel surcharges on such tickets can be somewhere in the vicinity of $ 500.
The Travel Together Ticket allows you to bring a companion on an award flight for no additional Avios miles, but you're still required to pay for the passenger's
taxes and fuel surcharges.
This means that I received 4.6 cents in value per point redeemed, after subtracting the cost of
the taxes and fuel surcharges I paid.
Taxes and fuel surcharges are paid on both award tickets.
I then had to contribute a further $ 510 in
taxes and fuel surcharges.
When the points have been transferred to your frequent flyer account, you can visit the airline's website to book your tickets (subject to availability, fees,
taxes and fuel surcharges).
While the cost is relatively low at 20,000 miles roundtrip,
the taxes and fuel surcharges add up to $ 258.
While British Airways and Singapore Airlines offer lower redemption rates, keep in mind that those rates are restricted geographically and will usually incur much higher
taxes and fuel surcharges than booking a partner airline like Delta with Korean Air.
And if you find a United business class flight from a not - too - greedy airport in Europe, you will save on
taxes and fuel surcharges.
You must pay
the taxes and fuel surcharges for both passengers.
It's worth noting that there are
taxes and fuel surcharges of roughly $ 400, though in the grand scheme of things I'd say it's still an excellent value given how unattainable Singapore Airlines first class previously was.