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Our site may earn compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened with our partners, and this may impact how or where these products appear. While we don't cover all available credit cards, our editorial team creates and maintains all of the analysis of these cards, and our content is not influenced nor subject to review by any credit card company, bank or partner prior to (or after) publication. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.
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TPG readers' best tips for booking international first and business class with points and miles
After spending seven years in New York City working as a full-time writer and editor, Kaeli sold everything, left her cushy NYC apartment, and embarked on a solo travel adventure through Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Thailand before doing the Working Holiday Visa thing in Australia and New Zealand. Kaeli then spent several months freelance writing and editing full-time as she continued to travel around Australia and New Zealand, before returning to the U.S. in March 2020. Her writing has been featured by The Points Guy, Forbes, and Budget Travel, as well as CNN Travel, Fox News Travel, NBC News Travel, Yahoo Travel and, Huffington Post Travel. Her greatest adventure: a two-month solo road trip through the Northern Territory and Western Australia while updating the Outback chapter of Fodor’s Essential Australia guidebook. Follow along with all her travel adventures on Twitter and Instagram: @KaeliTravels and her new website, KaeliTravels.com.
November 24, 2019 • 7 min read
The cards we feature here are from partners who compensate us when you are approved through our site, and this may impact how or where these products appear. We don't cover all available credit cards, but our analysis, reviews, and opinions are entirely from our editorial team. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
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.
Related stories
Quick summary
TPG Lounge readers shared their preferred strategies for booking international first- and business-class flights using points and miles.
Popular methods include transferring points to airline partners for better redemption value and leveraging partner award availability across different loyalty programs.
Readers highlighted the importance of comparing redemption rates between programs, sometimes finding significant savings by booking through less obvious partners.
Community members also offered advice on tracking award space and maximizing the value of accumulated miles for premium travel experiences.
What to consider
Some award booking opportunities may require transferring points between programs, which can involve additional steps or waiting periods.
Award availability for premium cabins can be limited, especially on popular routes or during peak travel times.
The article notes that some offers discussed are no longer available.
What you'll miss from the article
Specific real-world examples and reader tips for navigating partner bookings and maximizing points for first- and business-class flights.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
It seems our well-traveled TPG Lounge members know all the tricks of the trade when it comes to working with preferred airlines and their respective partners to make the most of their hard-earned points and miles.
"Sometimes [it's more] straightforward, like booking a one-way flight on Japan Airlines (JAL) from Tokyo (NRT) to Los Angeles (LAX) on the Alaska Airlines site. Sometimes [it's more] complicated, like booking a one-way flight on Virgin Atlantic via Delta but after transferring Membership Rewards points over from American Express. I called Delta, had them make a reservation and transferred the Amex Membership Rewards points over while I was on the phone. I prefer the more straightforward method of 'Alaska has X available for Y Alaska points on Z partner." Also, I have not done it yet for first class, but have checked for flights on United's site in business class, then cross-checked the amount of Avianca Lifemiles needed — it was far less — and went with an instant buy on the Avianca site." — Paul L.
"Using United miles to fly on its partner airlines presents some awesome opportunities. I've flown in first class on United from Honolulu (HNL) to Tokyo (NRT) on a 744, first class on a Thai Airways A380 and business class on an ANA 789. Last summer, I flew from Kansai (KIX) to Toronto (YYZ) thru Bangkok (BKK) and Zurich (ZRH) in business class for 120,000 United miles. What’s funny is I’m usually a devout Delta flyer." — Scott M.
"[I've flown with] All Nippon Airways (ANA) via Virgin Atlantic, Lufthansa via United Airlines or [have flown] Mandarin Airlines last-minute after making a trip happen because there was availability. Haven't done Singapore Airlines as an award flight yet. Also have flown on Cathay Pacific from Hong Kong (HKG) to Tokyo (HND and NRT) for low miles via British Airways and American Airlines." — A. R. M.
"It depends on the product. For Singapore Airlines Suites, transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Singapore KrisFlyer miles. Otherwise, United miles is the default for me for flying in first class on Asiana, Thai Airways and Lufthansa. I've also used Korean Airlines Skypass for Korean Airlines flights. This used to be an amazing way to redeem miles, but earning with Skypass is tough these days. From Chase, I once transferred enough over to cover two business-class round-the-world tickets through SkyTeam, but could also cover up to six one-way first-class tickets from the United States to Korea, China and Hong Kong." — Carl C.
There's nothing quite like the feeling you get when you reach the end of a points-and-miles quest — whether you spent ages earning, have finally gotten your reward for reaching the minimum spend or have purchased the points you need — and know you're now able to fly in a top-notch first- or business-class product for (nearly) free.
"My best was to use 115,000 American Airlines miles — earned from making one small purchase on the Barclaycard AAdvantage Aviator Red World Elite Mastercard to get 60,000 miles and spending $5,000 [in three months] on the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® to get 50,000 miles* — to book a one-way ticket in Etihad's First Class Apartment, which could have cost $10,000 if I had paid for it with cash. That's twice as much as the credit card spend to get the miles!" — Shana G.
The information for the Barclaycard AAdvantage Aviator Red World Elite Mastercard has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
*50,000 miles after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months for the Citi Executive card
Have you flown in Etihad's First Class Apartment yet? (Photo by The Points Guy staff)
"I still want to do this but [spending] 70,000 miles for Qatar Airways' QSuites and still having 45,000 miles left over seems like a better deal to me." — Christopher B.
"Just bought Alaska Airlines miles and will be using them [to fly] on Cathay Pacific. Super excited." — Dev B.
"I like tracking down JAL first-class award availability for months on the British Airways website, then being able to call American Airlines and give them the exact date and flight number I want. They are usually pretty surprised to hear that I know all the legs will be available." — Derek R.
We love it when our TPG Lounge members get so involved in a topic they end up sharing tips and advice based on their own experiences. That's what happened when TPG reader Amber F. asked for airline partner suggestions from the rest of the group.
"What if you can only use a SkyTeam partner? I am going to Asia but my points are primarily with Delta." — Amber F.
"Korean Air has some decent awards." — Scott M.
Reader Guarang K. also got some good advice from another TPG Lounge member when he asked who he should fly with when using points and miles to book a future flight.
"I need to book a flight from New York (JFK) to Ahmedabad (AMD) or Mumbai (BOM). Any suggestions?" — Guarang K.
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.
