Cheap Business and First Class Deals With US Airways 100% Buy Miles Promo
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
Would you pay ~$2,200 to fly roundtrip business class to Australia or $1,800 for roundtrip business class to Tokyo or $1,000 for roundtrip first class United (on a 3 cabin plane) JFK-Los Angeles or San Francisco? If so, you might want to consider taking advantage of US Airways buy miles promotions, which essentially allows you to get those trips for around those prices.
There's no need to register, since this isn't a targeted promotion, and you'll receive the bonus automatically on the Buy Miles page. However, there are a few rules:
1. You must be a Dividend Miles member for at least 12 days, so sign up now if you are not and want to take advantage (sign-up here for a free account).
2. This promotion limits mileage purchases to 50,000 miles – 100,000 miles with the bonus.
3. For each purchase there is a processing fee of $30 and a 7.5% tax recovery charge, and GST/HST will be charged to Canadian residents.
4. These transactions are processed by points.com so it won't count towards airfare multiplier categories like the 3 points per $1 on the Premier Rewards Gold or 2 points per $1 on the Sapphire Preferred, or for reimbursements through the Amex Platinum $200 rebate.
While buying miles tends to be an iffy value proposition, with this promo, you basically end up getting miles for a cost of about 1.88 cents each. While that's still not jaw-droppingly amazing, it can end up saving you a huge amount of money if you plan on redeeming those miles for some ultra-premium Star Alliance awards like first class to Europe aboard a carrier like Lufthansa - or even in US Airways' Envoy Class - or business class on Singapore Airlines. So for instance you could take an ANA flight in business class from North America to Tokyo for just 90,000 miles roundtrip - which would cost you $1,693 with this promo - instead of paying $5,000-$6,000 dollars.
Or remember one of my favorite US Airways redemptions: 110,000 miles for roundtrip business class from North America to the South Pacific (which includes Australia or New Zealand), into which you can build a stopover in Asia. So you could take Singapore Airlines to Singapore, hang out there for a few days, then continue on to Australia, and head back the same way, all for 110,000 miles - that would cost the $1,881 you would need to purchase 100,000 miles from this promo, plus 10,000 miles you have sitting around in your Dividend Miles account - all for an itinerary that could easily reach $10,000 or more.
As always, I suggest having a specific award itinerary or goal in mind that you will use these miles for, and to do the math to see if it makes sense for you. When searching for awards, I recommend using united.com, or the ANA search tool, which have the most accurate Star Alliance award availability.
US Airways is a Star Alliance member and has a generous award chart with a few sweet spots like those business class redemptions between North America and North Asia or the South Pacific, so if you are hoping to redeem premium class awards on expensive routes with low taxes, then you could definitely pull a lot of value from this promotion. Crunch the numbers before deciding to jump on this promotion, but in my opinion, this is a pretty great US Airways mileage offer, and I don't know how many more like we're going to see anytime soon. See this post for more details and ideas for putting those bonus miles to use.
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.