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Deals
Switzerland is reopening, and you can fly there with wide-open business-class award space
Andrew Kunesh is TPG's Points & Miles editor. He has been active in the points and miles space since 2014, using them to travel far and wide around the world. He is originally from Chicago but moved to New York City after graduating from DePaul University. His work is featured on Credit Karma, UpgradedPoints, ValuePenguin and various other travel and finance publications. He currently holds Delta Diamond Medallion and Marriott Titanium status, and 20+ credit cards that each have a special place in Andrew's wallet.
June 19, 2021 • 8 min read
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Quick summary
Switzerland is reopening to U.S. travelers, with award business class seats widely available from the U.S. to Zurich and Geneva this summer and early fall.
Award tickets can be booked using miles from major Star Alliance airline loyalty programs, with the best value often found by transferring points to certain partners.
Some options may involve higher fuel surcharges, while others offer more flexibility or lower fees for changes and cancellations.
Round-trip business class tickets typically cost thousands in cash, but award redemptions can offer significant value compared to standard ticket prices.
What to consider
Award space is most plentiful from New York City but is also available from other major U.S. cities; connecting through hubs may increase options.
Transferring points to ANA Mileage Club offers strong value but may incur high fuel surcharges on Swiss-operated flights; Aeroplan and LifeMiles can help avoid these surcharges at a higher mileage rate.
Change and cancellation policies vary by loyalty program, with some offering more flexibility than others.
What you'll miss from the article
A detailed breakdown of which routes and dates have the best award availability and step-by-step guidance for booking with different loyalty programs.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
Switzerland and the U.S. are well-connected by air. Numerous U.S. airlines fly to Zurich (ZRH), and Swiss flies from both Zurich (ZRH) and Geneva (GVA) to major U.S. cities. In a recent hunt for award space, I found that Swiss and United Airlines have wide-open business class award space from the U.S. to Zurich this summer and early fall. Most space is from New York City, but others have open business class seats as well.
So if Switzerland has been at the top of your travel bucket list, now's the time to book your flights. I'll give you a closer look at open award space and how to book award flights to Switzerland in this article.
The deal
Airline: Swiss and United Airlines
Routes: Dozens of continental U.S. cities to Switzerland, round-trip
Cost: From 88,000 Amex points round-trip (transferred to ANA Mileage Club)
Dates: Now through early Fall 2021
How to book: Find award space with your favorite Star Alliance search tool and transfer points to book your ticket.
If transferring Amex points, you'll find the best points pricing with ANA Mileage Club, but will pay high fuel surcharges on Swiss tickets. Consider booking Swiss-operated tickets with Aeroplan or LifeMiles at a higher mileage rate to avoid paying these surcharges. Or, book United-operated tickets with ANA.
You can also book with United miles. These transfer in from Chase Ultimate Rewards. Unfortunately, Untied charges the highest mileage price for transatlantic awards booked with partner airlines like Swiss.
Pay Taxes/Fees With: The Platinum Card® from American Express (5x on airfare booked directly with the airline; on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year), Chase Sapphire Reserve (3x on travel) or Chase Sapphire Preferred Card (2x on travel) for travel protections on the award flight.
Business class onboard Swiss' A340. (Photo by Andrew Kunesh/The Points Guy)
Round-trip tickets from the U.S. to Zurich (ZRH) and Geneva (GVA) typically cost thousands of dollars. For example, this round-trip ticket from Newark (EWR) to Zurich (ZRH) in United Polaris business class costs $4,443 round-trip.
(Screenshot courtesy of google.com/flights)
I expect premium airfare to stay high from the U.S. to Switzerland through the summer due to the country's reopening. So, your miles have the potential to save you some serious coin on your transatlantic journey.
For example, if you book a United round-trip award by transferring 88,000 Amex points to ANA, you'll get 4.9 cents per point in value. TPG values Amex points at 2.0 cents per point, so this is an excellent redemption.
(Screenshot courtesy of ana.co.jp)
Of course, a country's reopening plans can change at the last minute. Make sure you fully understand the change and cancellation policy of the loyalty program you book with if you need to make changes at the last minute. Of the airlines on this list, you'll find that Aeroplan and United offer the most generous flexibility, while LifeMiles charges a fee to change or cancel.
Here's the United and Swiss award space we found from the U.S. to Switzerland between July and September 2021. Note that you may be able to find more availability in the months following. If you don't see your airport, search and see if you can connect to Zurich through a United hub or Swiss gateway.
You can earn American Express Membership Rewards points by spending on an Amex card. Here's a look at some of my favorite Amex cards and their current welcome offers. Each of these cards has its own set of benefits and fees, so do your own research and see which is best for your wallet.
American Express® Green Card:Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $3,000 on purchases within the first six months of card membership. Plus, 20% back on eligible travel and transit purchases in the first six months, up to $200 back in the form of a statement credit. Earn 3x points on dining at restaurants, travel and transit (including flights, hotels, taxis, tours, and ridesharing services), 1x points on all other purchases ($150 annual fee; see rates and fees).
American Express® Gold Card: Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $4,000 on eligible purchases with your new card within the first six months of account opening. Earn 4x points on dining at restaurants; 4x points at U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000 per calendar year; then 1x points); 3x points on airfare purchased directly from airlines or American Express Travel; 1x points on all other purchases, ($250 annual fee; see rates and fees).
The Platinum Card® from American Express: Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards Points after you spend $6,000 on purchases within the first six months of card membership. Earn 5x points on airfare purchased directly from airlines or with American Express Travel (earn 5x points on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year), 5x on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel, and Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts; 1x on all other purchases, ($695 annual fee; see rates and fees).
Switzerland is reopening for tourism and this glut of award space can help you get there without breaking the bank. Consider booking your flights now if you're comfortable traveling abroad this summer. It could be just the trip you need to get back into the travel spirit.
For rates and fees of the Amex Green card, click here. For rates and fees of the Amex Gold card, click here. For rates and fees of the Amex Platinum card, click here.
Feature photo by canadastock / Shutterstock.com
Comments
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
