Few things in life excite me more than using points and miles to make memories with my wife and 9-year-old daughter. On a recent flight home from Europe, I did just that.
I upgraded all three of us to Emirates first class — as we stood at the airport check-in counter.
We were flying the carrier’s fifth-freedom route from Athens International Airport (ATH) to Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), and we had used miles to book business class. But I knew that Emirates typically opens up mileage upgrades at the airport — and with seven of the eight seats on the Boeing 777-300ER still open when we left our hotel, I had high hopes.
And I was right.
Once the agent confirmed availability, I logged in to my Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card account and transferred 117,000 miles — 39,000 per person — to Emirates Skywards (Chase, American Express and Citi are also 1:1 transfer partners). The miles arrived immediately, and a few minutes later, we had three first-class boarding passes in hand.
I felt like a kid on Christmas as we boarded the plane, though my daughter may have been even more excited (it was her first time in international first class), and Emirates didn’t disappoint.
Personal minibars. Caviar. Dom Perignon 2013. Pajamas. Sliding doors. It was so over the top — and we loved every second of it.
Sure, it was a splurge. Those miles could’ve been put toward a future trip. But seeing the pure delight on the faces of my family made it one of my best redemptions to date.
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