Travelers often ask me, “Is business class worth it?” and “How can I upgrade my flight?”
For me, it’s all about deciding whether business class is a good value. Oftentimes, you don’t need to redeem many more points or miles to fly in a premium cabin. And if you’re chasing elite status — such as on select partners credited to American Airlines AAdvantage — higher cabin classes on paid fares may credit at a much higher rate than economy.
Of course, the experience also plays into my calculation. I wrote most of this newsletter in a 100%-full American Airlines 777-200 economy cabin on a nine-hour flight from Munich to Charlotte. So it’s front of mind for me how difficult it can be to sleep well, work on a laptop and keep your lower back happy on a long flight in a packed economy cabin.
But, was it worth paying the around $1,400 American was charging to upgrade to business class on that leg? In my opinion, no. And although I theoretically could have redeemed 25,000 miles and paid a fee of $350 to upgrade my entire outbound itinerary from Munich to Monterey, California, space in the fare classes I needed never opened up.
To learn more about upgrading flights and deciding whether business class is worth it for you, check out the following stories:
Posts in this newsletter contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products, and this may impact how or where they appear. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit this page.
You are receiving this email because you opted in atthepointsguy.com.
Where to find us:
The Points Guy 100 5th Ave., 16th Floor New York, NY 10011 USA USA
If this newsletter was forwarded to you, you can subscribe here.
Advertiser Disclosure:
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. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.
Editorial Note: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
