Deal Alert: Business Class Flights to Europe During Summer From $1,299 Round-Trip
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
Want to see the latest flight deals as soon as they're published? Follow The Points Guy on Facebook and Twitter, and subscribe to text message alerts from our deals feed, @tpg_alerts.
Airfare deals are typically only available on limited dates. We recommend you use Google Flights to find dates to fly, then book through an online travel agency such as Orbitz or Expedia, which allows you to cancel flights without penalty by 11pm Eastern Time within one day of booking. However, if you're using The Platinum Card® from American Express, you'll need to book directly with the airline or through the Amex Travel portal to get 5x MR points. Remember: Fares may disappear quickly, so book right away and take advantage of Orbitz or Expedia's courtesy cancellation if you're unable to get the time away from work or family.
With strong demand from travelers recently, business class deals to Europe are few and far between. Finding a sub-$2,000 business class deal -- especially when avoiding premium economy-style products like Icelandair -- can be especially elusive. But today we are seeing a few different options in true business class to Europe for under $2,000 round-trip, and many of these are even available during peak summer travel season.
The main deal that we're going to focus on is from New York City to Berlin on British Airways. When you go to Google Flights, you're going to see these flight options starting at $1,850 round-trip. However, after applying two discounts (AARP and Chase), you can book these same flights for as little as $1,539 round-trip.
While looking for other possibilities, we stumbled across a couple of other deals from other cities to Europe for under $2,000 round-trip in business class that we've added to the round-up -- such as Newark (EWR) to Nice (NCE) and Paris (ORY) on La Compagnie.
It's possible there are other routes outside of the ones listed, so if you see cheap British Airways business class fares, make sure to pay attention to the below section to save even more.
How to Book the British Airways Deal
To get the $1,539 round-trip business class rate, you're going to need an AARP membership. The good news: anyone can pay just $16 per year to get this membership and save $200 per person per round-trip off business class flights from the US on British Airways -- or up to $65 per person per round-trip off economy flights on BA. Here are the full details of how the discount works.
On top of that discount, you can save 10% off British Airways marketed and operated flights by applying the latest Chase Visa discount code at checkout.
For this deal, I'd recommend finding cheap dates that work for your schedule through Google Flights first. Since the flights must be operated by and marketed by British Airways, you'll want to limit the airline to British Airways and select London as your connection airport. Here's a link with these two filters selected to get your search started.
Once you have dates selected, you'll need to start the booking on AARP's British Airways discount page. Note that British Airways' AARP discount page makes it seem like you're only searching economy flights, but business class options will appear in the results.
Once you get through those annoyances, you can pick out flights. Again, make sure to select British Airways-operated flights to get both discounts. After selecting flights and clicking continue, you'll need to click "Promotion code or eVoucher" and enter the discount code CHASEBA10 and click submit:
Despite only paying around $1,539, the flights from NYC to Berlin will earn the following when credited to American Airlines AAdvantage:
- Elite Qualifying Miles (EQM): 16,166
- Elite Qualifying Dollars (EQD): 2,022
- Award miles: 10,108 -- before elite bonuses
Airlines: La Compagnie, British Airways, Finnair
Routes: EWR/JFK/PHL/IAH/ATL to NCE/ORY/TXL/MAD/BLQ/MXP/MUC
Cost: $1,299+ round-trip in business class
Travel Dates: May to August 2019 (and beyond for fall travel)
Pay With: The Platinum Card® from American Express (5x on airfare booked directly with the airline), Citi Prestige Card (5x on airfare on plus trip delay insurance), Citi Premier® Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve, American Express® Gold Card (3x on airfare) or Chase Sapphire Preferred Card (2x on travel)
Here are a few examples of what you can book:
Newark (EWR) to Nice (NCE) for $1,299 round-trip nonstop in business on La Compagnie in June:
Newark (EWR) to Paris Orly (ORY) for $1,498 round-trip nonstop in business on La Compagnie in July:
New York Kennedy (JFK) to Berlin Tegel (TXL) for $1,539 round-trip in business class after AARP and Chase discounts in July:
New York Kennedy (JFK) to Madrid (MAD) for $1,720 round-trip nonstop in business class after AARP discount in August:
Philadelphia (PHL) to Bologna (BLQ) for $1,774 round-trip in business class after AARP and Chase discounts in June:
Houston Intercontinental (IAH) to Milan (MXP/LIN) for $1,866 round-trip in business class after AARP and Chase discounts in July:
Atlanta (ATL) to Munich (MUC) for $2,018 round-trip in business class after AARP and Chase discounts in July:
Maximize Your Purchase
Don't forget to use a credit card that earns additional points on airfare purchases, such as The Platinum Card® from American Express (5x on flights booked directly with airlines or American Express Travel), Citi Prestige Card (5x on airfare on plus trip delay insurance), Chase Sapphire Reserve, American Express® Gold Card, Citi Premier® Card (3x on airfare) or the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card (2x on all travel purchases). Check out this post for more on maximizing airfare purchases.
For more TPG news delivered each morning to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter here: https://thepointsguy.com/mailing-list//
TPG featured card
at American Express's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 5X | New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
- Valuable dining and food-related credits
- Flexible rewards with airline and hotel transfer partners
- Multiple travel and purchase protections
- No foreign transaction fees
- Access to Amex Offers for additional savings (enrollment required)
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- Pay It® lets you tap in the American Express® App to quickly pay for small purchase amounts throughout the month and still earn rewards the way you usually do. Plan It® gives you the option to split up big purchases into equal monthly payments with a fixed fee. You’ll know upfront exactly how much you’ll pay.
- Updated! $120 Dining Credit: Earn up to a total of $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the Gold Card at Grubhub (including Seamless), Buffalo Wild Wings, Five Guys, The Cheesecake Factory, and Wonder. This can be an annual savings of up to $120. Enrollment required.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year at over 10,000 qualifying U.S. Resy restaurants after you pay for eligible purchases with the American Express® Gold Card. That’s up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: Earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin’ locations. Enrollment required.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Enjoy up to $120 in Uber Cash annually with your Gold Card. Just add your Card to your Uber account and you'll get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction.
- New! As an American Express® Gold Card Member, you can enjoy complimentary Hertz Five Star® Status. Enjoy benefits like skipping the counter at select locations, adding an additional driver at no additional cost*, and vehicle upgrades**. Benefit enrollment and Hertz Gold+ registration are required. *Additional drivers must meet standard rental qualifications and must be a spouse or domestic partner to qualify as complimentary. Other additional drivers subject to fees. **Benefits are subject to availability and vary by location. Additional Hertz program Terms and Conditions including age restrictions apply.
- Take advantage of a $100 credit towards eligible charges* at over 1,300 upscale hotels worldwide when you book The Hotel Collection through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App **. *Eligible charges vary by property. **The Hotel Collection requires a two-night minimum stay.
- Book your travel through the Amex Travel App with added peace of mind – backed by American Express® service and support. Only for American Express® Card Members.
- Whenever you need us, we're here. Our Member Services team will ensure you are taken care of. From lost Card replacement to statement questions, we are available to help 24/7.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.