When it comes to air travel to far away places, let's face it, business and first class travel can cost thousands of dollars. But there are ways to fly to your favorite haute spots without breaking your Chanel wallet.
Insiders know that points and travel rewards are the way to go. If you have not become a member of airlines and hotels membership and loyalty programs, stop here. I love Delta skymiles and American Airlines one world alliance loyalty programs. I joined years ago and I collect miles everyday especially when I use my American Express Delta skymiles credit card or my American AAdvantage mastercard for everyday purchases in addition to
travel.
When I want to increase my miles, I put everything (airline tickets, phone bills, insurance payments, etc.) on the card to get my numbers up and pay it off quickly. I also collected about 60,000 bonus miles when I got my American Express Delta Skymiles card and used it. Moreover, after my trip to Europe, I just collected 30,000 bonus miles from American.
So here is my strategy when I decided to fly to London last month. I set the intention that I was going to fly in business class and not pay $8,000.00. I decided to use 70K sky miles for a one-way ticket to London in the Delta One cabin. My travel dates lined up with the airlines offering fewer miles than usual to London leaving me with a balance of $5 and off to celebrate my birthday I went. It was a great experience in the new Delta one cabin to say the least.
But on my return flight, I flew from Rome on American Airlines in business class using even fewer miles with miles saver rewards. I cashed in about 57.5K AAdvantage miles and connected in Chicago and continued my flight in first to my final destination. I really enjoyed my business class and first class travel cabin experiences on American. The service was great!
The more you spend and the more you travel, the more rewards you will get. There will be some trips where you may not have to come out of pocket for airfare or hotels when you use miles and points. I try not to use points for any travel under $500. However, I sometimes combine points with cash for hotels but when it comes to airfare, it doesn't work for me. It seems that I will give up lots of miles and money. And that's not a great strategy for me.
In addition, you also get two bags checked for no additional costs and you get access to the business and first class lounge depending on your cabin service. There's lots of food and drinks to enjoy while you wait to depart for your destination. Some of the lounges also offer sleeping and shower areas for those on long flights. Plus, you can speed through those long lines at airport security checkpoints with fast track service. The rewards for this class of travel are great!
Now you know my secret to using airlines miles to travel first class to my favorite haute spots. It's time for you to create your own first class travel memories.
BONUS Tip: Sometimes it's less expensive to purchase miles and cash them in than to buy a ticket. I only needed about 20k more miles for a business class ticket on an international flight on American Airlines. I bought the additional miles for much less than the $3,000 fare one way.
Insiders know that points and travel rewards are the way to go. If you have not become a member of airlines and hotels membership and loyalty programs, stop here. I love Delta skymiles and American Airlines one world alliance loyalty programs. I joined years ago and I collect miles everyday especially when I use my American Express Delta skymiles credit card or my American AAdvantage mastercard for everyday purchases in addition to
travel.
When I want to increase my miles, I put everything (airline tickets, phone bills, insurance payments, etc.) on the card to get my numbers up and pay it off quickly. I also collected about 60,000 bonus miles when I got my American Express Delta Skymiles card and used it. Moreover, after my trip to Europe, I just collected 30,000 bonus miles from American.
So here is my strategy when I decided to fly to London last month. I set the intention that I was going to fly in business class and not pay $8,000.00. I decided to use 70K sky miles for a one-way ticket to London in the Delta One cabin. My travel dates lined up with the airlines offering fewer miles than usual to London leaving me with a balance of $5 and off to celebrate my birthday I went. It was a great experience in the new Delta one cabin to say the least.
But on my return flight, I flew from Rome on American Airlines in business class using even fewer miles with miles saver rewards. I cashed in about 57.5K AAdvantage miles and connected in Chicago and continued my flight in first to my final destination. I really enjoyed my business class and first class travel cabin experiences on American. The service was great!
The more you spend and the more you travel, the more rewards you will get. There will be some trips where you may not have to come out of pocket for airfare or hotels when you use miles and points. I try not to use points for any travel under $500. However, I sometimes combine points with cash for hotels but when it comes to airfare, it doesn't work for me. It seems that I will give up lots of miles and money. And that's not a great strategy for me.
In addition, you also get two bags checked for no additional costs and you get access to the business and first class lounge depending on your cabin service. There's lots of food and drinks to enjoy while you wait to depart for your destination. Some of the lounges also offer sleeping and shower areas for those on long flights. Plus, you can speed through those long lines at airport security checkpoints with fast track service. The rewards for this class of travel are great!
Now you know my secret to using airlines miles to travel first class to my favorite haute spots. It's time for you to create your own first class travel memories.
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