Flights of fancy: c with points and miles
Free flights are great and gratis hotel nights are a dream, but if you're a true #AvGeek, there are aviation redemptions for your hard-earned points and miles that are even more rewarding. You can fly an Airbus A320 simulator or an A220 flight simulator or tour United Airlines' huge maintenance facility. Most of these experiences aren't available all the time and they don't come cheap, so you'll want to start stockpiling your points and miles now instead of burning them on a run-of-the-mill award flight.
Here are a few of the aviation-centric opportunities you could take advantage of if you play your rewards right:
American Airlines
American helps make loyalty even sweeter for some of its best elite AAdvantage members with surprise once-in-a-lifetime experiences. For example, earlier this year select elite members had the chance to enter a sweepstakes to travel on one of the final retirement flights for the airline's iconic McDonnell Douglas MD-80 fleet.
United Airlines
You'll find United's aviation experiences at auction through its MileagePlus Exclusive program. Because members bid, there's no set number of miles required. Typically, experiences go for about 100,000-500,000 miles. Currently, you can bid to take a private tour of United's three-million-square-foot maintenance facility in San Francisco on Dec. 13, 2019. You'll get the inside scoop on all basic maintenance operations, from overhaul of major machinery like engines and landing gear, to routine work on composites and components from United Managing Director Tony Spaulding. United offered two of these experiences; the first one went for a mere 5,000 miles.
Sign up for the free daily TPG newsletter for more travel tips!
Although flight-simulator experiences similar to the one TPG contributor Jason Steele "flew" are only offered at select times each year, they are well worth it, according to Steele. There aren't any simulator experiences available at the moment but past examples included the chance to experience a Boeing 777 flight simulation. There was also an auction for parts of the airline's now-retired 747 fleet (TPG Credit Cards Editor Benét Wilson bought a keychain). Make sure to check the MileagePlus Exclusive website for upcoming opportunities.
Delta Air Lines
Delta's aviation-related experiences are hosted through SkyMiles Experiences, which launched in 2010. The only current AvGeek experience is an auction for a Delta Private Jets® membership that gets you unlimited access to empty-leg private jet travel for one year. The current bid is 656,000 miles as of Nov. 22, with a closing date of Dec. 13, 2019.
Experiences have ranged from touring the A220 facility before Delta took delivery to bidding on seats in Delta One as a part of the airline's 747 farewell tour last year. The journey around the country with the 747 was primarily an employee tour, according to Delta, but "customers were thrilled to share that exclusive experience with Delta employees." In order to determine what to feature, Delta says it talks with customers to determine what types of experiences resonate best and develop ways for members to customize their experience with Delta using miles.
Alaska Airlines
If you are one of the few to join Alaska's 2-million-mile club and earn lifetime MVP Gold 75K status, you're in luck. These elite flyers get "surprised" with a free Boeing 737 flight simulator experience at Alaska Flight Ops — one of several congratulatory gifts members can choose after hitting the milestone, an airline representative told TPG.
Representatives for JetBlue, American Airlines and Southwest Airlines said in individual statements that the airlines do not offer anything similar to the aviation experiences detailed above at this time.
Additional reporting by Benét J. Wilson
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.