FirstClassFlyer

Plus, Going to Europe in First for Much Less than Business Class

The best time to transfer credit card points to miles is usually when the two offer special bonuses. This month, a 50% bonus can be had with British Airways, whose miles are valid on American, Cathay Pacific, Iberia, Japan Airlines, LAN, Qantas, and nine others.

Use this promotion in combination with BA’s free companion ticket (available through BA’s Visa Signature credit card program) and you can have an even more amazing deal.

A Triple Scoop

It’s good to know a few other things like BA’s Distance Awards, Cash & Miles Awards, and Partner Awards, which we’ll get to in a moment.

The Deal

Through Oct. 15 (see that announced the new promo), British Airways is offering a 25% bonus on points transferred from Starwood, on top of the every-day 25% Starwood bonus. That yields a whopping 11,250 mile bonus—31,250 BA points on a 20,000-point transfer from Starwood.

Fast Miles + Distance Awards = Business Class for Less than Coach, Oftentimes

To take full advantage of the opportunities, you need to know your way around BA’s flight-distance award chart. You can reap the benefits even if you’re not a member of BA’s loyalty program.

How Best to Use the Plan on American for Domestic First Class

For short-haul, non-stop flights, book award travel on American using BA Avios points, to take advantage of the discrepancies between AA’s and BA’s award charts. AA uses a zone chart, which means every destination within a given zone costs the same number of miles, whereas BA uses a flight-distance chart, in which the cost in miles is based on the flight distance.

Thus, LAX-Boston in First on BA costs 75,000 miles round-trip, whereas on AA it only costs 50,000. On short-haul flights such as Atlanta-Miami, however, BA charges only 27,000 r/t in First, almost half the cost of AA. Add in the transfer deal and the cost drops to 20,000 miles, 5,000 fewer than an economy award ticket.

Another good short-haul U.S. route for the BA deal is Chicago-Washington, DC. American charges 50,000 miles r/t for a First Class ticket, but as the flight distance is only 594 miles one-way, you only need to transfer 20,000 miles to BA, as the promotion yields the 27,000 miles needed, not to mention 4,250 miles leftover. Again, that is 5,000 miles less for First Class than for economy on this route—making this a free upgrade to First Class. The best short-haul domestic awards are generally from AA hubs, like Chicago, Dallas, Miami, and New York.

Go here to use the BA mileage calculator to see how many points are required for your route.

How Best to Use the Promotion on American to the Caribbean, Central America, and Mexico in Business Class

Let’s take American’s Miami-Aruba route as the Caribbean example. AA charges 60,000 miles round-trip in Business Class and 35,000 miles in coach for an award ticket. Use BA Avios points and the trip costs 30,000 miles r/t in Business, but then factor in the 50% transfer bonus and the real cost comes down to 20,000 miles. You’re getting Business Class for less than coach. In fact, you can get three tickets in Business Class with BA points for the cost of one ticket using American miles. See the chart above at the top right for more routes on which you can get similar deals.

Business Class for Less than Coach to the Caribbean, Central America, and Mexico

Route	Coach With AA Miles	Business Class With BA Miles	Starwood Transfer Amount Needed During Promo	Business Class Savings Over Coach
Dallas - Cancun	35000	30000	20000	15000
Dallas - Puerto Vallarta	35000	30000	20000	15000
Dallas - San JosenDel Cabo	35000	30000	20000	15000
Miami - Aruba	35000	30000	20000	15000
Miami - Belize City	35000	30000	20000	15000
Miami - Guatemala	35000	30000	20000	15000
Miami - Punta Cana	35000	30000	20000	15000
Miami - San Jose (CR)	35000	30000	20000	15000
Miami - San Juan	35000	30000	20000	15000
Miami - St. Thomas	35000	30000	20000	15000

Use Cash & Miles to Multiply Opportunities

BA, like many other airlines, offers the option to use miles for an upgrade or for Screen Shot 2015-11-16 at 8.56.34 AMlow-mileage awards. But BA also offers a program called Avios & Money, in which you pay more cash and fewer miles—not always the goal for most travelers—but it’s an amazing deal nonetheless.

Looking at New York-London in First Class, our research shows that BA’s normal-miles option is 120,000 Avios points plus $1,166 (in taxes); but through Avios & Money, it takes half the points, 60,000, but $1,250 more in cash.

The airline is essentially selling, in unusual quantities, miles at 2¢ each, almost a penny a mile less than the usual cost —a great value. Plus, there doesn’t seem to be a cap on milage purchases, as there is in BA’s buy- or gift-miles program, which is capped at 24,000 miles per year.

So, before buying a lot of Amex Rewards points at 2.5¢, which is capped at 500,000 per year, for travel on BA, exhaust first the Avios & Money program, leaving your options more open with Amex Rewards and its other airline partners.

British Airways Avios & Money Opportunity

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How Best to Use these Opportunities to Get Business Class for Less Than Coach to Europe

On Washington, DC-London, most airlines charge about 100,000 miles round-trip in Business Class for an award ticket and 60,000 round-trip in coach. BA, however, only charges 80,000 miles in Business Class, and with the bonuses, it takes only 54,000 points to get a Business Class ticket. The math: 54,000 Starpoints plus 5,000 points for every 20,000 points transferred, plus 25% bonus points (16,000), equals 80,000 points. That’s less than the mileage cost of a coach class award ticket. The chart at the top right lists other routes on which you can score this deal.

Business Class for Less than Coach to Europe

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How Best to Use Opportunities to Get to London in First Class for Less than Business

On Boston-London, most airlines charge about 125,000 miles round-trip in First and 100,000 in Business Class. Using the programs discussed brings the total down to 80,000 points, in effect giving you First for less than Business Class. ‍

To London in First Class for Less than Business

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Survey of Award Availability on British Airways to London for One Traveler in First Class

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The Bigger Deal: Get a BA Credit Card & Free First Class Companion Award Ticket

The opportunities increase when used in combination with BA’s Travel Together Ticket (via the BA Visa card). For each year in which you spend $30,000 on the card, you get a free companion ticket, valid for two years, for U.S. departures.

How Best to Use the Opportunities to Get Business Class for only 5,000 Miles More than Coach to Japan, Europe, and South America

On many other routes, this deal can net Business Class for only 5,000 more miles than coach. On Miami-Rio de
Janeiro, most airlines charge about 100,000 miles or more round-trip in Business Class and 60,000 or more round-trip in coach. Booking American flights with BA miles, the trip costs 65,000 Avios points, only 5,000 miles more than coach.

Drawbacks to using Avios points:

Connecting flights are priced separately, which means it’s smarter to use miles on a U.S. carrier, which employ zone charts to make a connection in the U.S. When flying within Europe connecting flights require a second ticket, so consider maybe flying coach if the flights aren’t very long.

Business Class for only 5,000 Miles More than Coach to Japan, Europe, and South America

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Long-haul routes, at times, cost more using a flight distance chart than a zone chart.
BA imposes high taxes and fees for award travel on international flights (up to $1,200 for First and Business Class) and international partner flights. But flights to the Carib-bean, Central America, and Mexico, on American, are much lower, from $70 to $200.
BA awards do not allow a stopover because points are
calculated per segment.
The extra 25% bonus deal takes four to six weeks to post.

See chart below for favorable Business Class award availability on British Airways. (Our research shows that free award inventory on BA and upgrade inventory is the same.)

Final Thoughts

BA’s Avios can be great with many itineraries, but it is not a perfect program. So don’t put all your eggs in one basket—even when a great deal comes along. You knew I was about to say that, right? Stay diversified, keep your options open, strike only when the opportunity is right.

Survey of Award Availability on British Airways for One Traveler in Business Class to London

U.S Departure City	Departure Availability			Return Availability
U.S Departure City	Handful	Decent	Go For It	Handful	Decent	Go For It
Atlanta	Oct., July	April	Dec. to March, May, June	July	Dec., April	Jan. to March, May, June
Baltimore	Oct., May		Dec. to April, June, July	Oct., July		Dec. to June
Boston	Nov.	May	Dec. to April, June, July	Nov.		Dec. to July
Chicago	Dec., April		Jan. to March	April	Dec.	Jan. to March
Dallas	July	Jan. to March		July	Feb. to March	Jan.
Denver	Oct., Feb., April, June	March, May	Nov. to Jan.	Dec., June	Feb., May	Nov., Jan., March, April
Houston	Oct., Nov., April, July	Jan. to March	Dec.	Oct., April, July	Nov., Feb., March, May, June	Dec., Jan.
Las Vegas	Dec., Jan., June	July	Feb., March	Jan., April, May, July	Nov., Dec., June	Feb. March
Los Angeles	May, June	July			June	May
Newark		Dec., July	Jan. to June	Dec.	July	Jan. to June
New York-JFK	April		Dec. to March, May to July	Nov.	April	Dec. to March, May to July
Philadelphia	Oct., May		Nov. to April, June, July	Oct., May	June, July	Nov. to April
Phoenix	Oct.	Nov., July	Dec. to March	Nov., Dec., Feb., May to July	Jan., March, April
San Diego	Nov., Dec., April, July	Jan.	Feb. March	Nov., Apil	Feb., March	Jan.
San Francisco	Jan.	Feb. to March		Jan. to March
Seattle	Dec., May	Jan. to March, July		Dec., June, July	April, May	Jan. to March
Washington, DC	May		Dec. to April, June, July		May	Dec. to April, June, July

[["Route","Coach With AA Miles","Business Class With BA Miles","Starwood Transfer Amount Needed During Promo","Business Class Savings Over Coach"],["Dallas - Cancun","35,000","30,000","20,000<\/strong>","15,000<\/strong>"],["Dallas - Puerto Vallarta","35,000","30,000","20,000<\/strong>","15,000<\/strong>"],["Dallas - San JosenDel Cabo","35,000","30,000","20,000<\/strong>","15,000<\/strong>"],["Miami - Aruba","35,000","30,000","20,000<\/strong>","15,000<\/strong>"],["Miami - Belize City","35,000","30,000","20,000<\/strong>","15,000<\/strong>"],["Miami - Guatemala","35,000","30,000","20,000<\/strong>","15,000<\/strong>"],["Miami - Punta Cana","35,000","30,000","20,000<\/strong>","15,000<\/strong>"],["Miami - San Jose (CR)","35,000","30,000","20,000<\/strong>","15,000<\/strong>"],["Miami - San Juan","35,000","30,000","20,000<\/strong>","15,000<\/strong>"],["Miami - St. Thomas","35,000","30,000","20,000<\/strong>","15,000<\/strong>"]]

[["Route","Airline","Class of Service","Option One","#colspan#","Option Two","#colspan#"],["#rowspan#","#rowspan#","#rowspan#","(More) Miles","(Less) Cash","(Less) Miles","(More) Cash"],["New York- London","BA","First","120,000","$1,165","60,000","$2,415"],["Miami u2013 Sao Paulo","AA","First","150,000","$55","75,000","$1,615"],["Dallas - Tokyo","AA","First","180,000","$603","90,000","$2,493"]]

[["Route","Coach Miles With Other Airlines","Business Class With BA","Starwood Transfer Amount Needed During Promo"],["Boston - London","60,000","80,000","54,000<\/strong>"],["Chicago - London","60,000","80,000","54,000<\/strong>"],["Chicago - Madrid","60,000","80,000","54,000<\/strong>"],["New York - Barcelona","60,000","80,000","54,000<\/strong>"],["New York - London","60,000","80,000","54,000<\/strong>"],["New York - Madrid","60,000","80,000","54,000<\/strong>"],["New York - Manchester","60,000","80,000","54,000<\/strong>"],["New York - Paris","60,000","80,000","54,000<\/strong>"],["New York - Zurich","60,000","80,000","54,000<\/strong>"],["Philadelphia - London","60,000","80,000","54,000<\/strong>"],["Raleigh Durham - London","60,000","80,000","54,000<\/strong>"],["Washington, DC - London","60,000","80,000","54,000<\/strong>"]]

[["U.S. Departure City","Business Class Rate on Many Airlines","First Class Rate on BA","Starwood Transfer Amount Needed During Promo","First Class Savings Over Business Class"],["Boston","100,000","120,000","80,000<\/strong>","20,000<\/strong>"],["Chicago","100,000","120,000","80,000<\/strong>","20,000<\/strong>"],["New York","100,000","120,000","80,000<\/strong>","20,000<\/strong>"],["Philadelphia","100,000","120,000","80,000<\/strong>","20,000<\/strong>"],["Washington, DC","100,000","120,000","80,000<\/strong>","20,000<\/strong>"]]

[["U.S Departure City<\/strong>","Departure Availability<\/strong>","#colspan#","#colspan#","Return Availability<\/strong>","#colspan#","#colspan#"],["#rowspan#","Handful<\/strong>","Decent<\/strong>","Go For It<\/strong>","Handful<\/strong>","Decent<\/strong>","Go For It<\/strong>"],["Boston","","Oct.","Dec. to July","Nov.","Dec.","Jan. to July"],["Chicago","Feb. to April","Jan.","","April","Jan., May, June","Feb., March"],["Newark","Oct., Dec.","July","Feb. to June","July","","Jan. to June"],["New York- JFK","Oct., April","Dec.","Jan. to March, May to July","Nov., Dec.","April","Jan. to March, May to July"],["Philadelphia","Nov., April, May","Dec., June, July","Oct., Jan. to March","Nov., July","Oct., Dec., April, June","Jan. to March, May"],["Washington, DC","Oct., Dec., Jan.","May","Feb. to April, June, July","Oct., Jan.","May","Feb. to April, June, July"]]

Handful: Our most recent research shows that award space is available for at least one person about 4 to 8 days during the months indicated in the chart. Worth pursuing if you’re flexible. Decent: Our most recent research shows that upgrade award space is available for at least one person about 9 to 12 days during the months indicated. Go For It: Our most recent research shows that award space is available for one person about 13 days or more during the months indicated.

[["Route","Coach Class Miles With Other Airlines","Business Class With BA","Starwood Transfer Amount Needed During Promo"],["Atlanta - London","60,000","100,000","65,000<\/strong>"],["Calgary - London","60,000","100,000","65,000<\/strong>"],["Chicago - Paris","60,000","100,000","65,000<\/strong>"],["Dallas - Buenos Aires","60,000","100,000","65,000<\/strong>"],["Dallas - Frankfurt","60,000","100,000","65,000<\/strong>"],["Dallas - London","60,000","100,000","65,000<\/strong>"],["Dallas - Santiago","60,000","100,000","65,000<\/strong>"],["Denver - London","60,000","100,000","65,000<\/strong>"],["Houston - London","60,000","100,000","65,000<\/strong>"],["Las Vegas - London","60,000","100,000","65,000<\/strong>"],["Los Angeles - Lima","60,000","100,000","65,000<\/strong>"],["Los Angeles - London","60,000","100,000","65,000<\/strong>"],["Los Angeles - Tokyo","60,000","100,000","65,000<\/strong>"],["Miami - Buenos Aires","60,000","100,000","65,000<\/strong>"],["Miami - London","60,000","100,000","65,000<\/strong>"],["Miami - Paris","60,000","100,000","65,000<\/strong>"],["Miami - Rio de Janeiro","60,000","100,000","65,000<\/strong>"],["Miami - Santiago","60,000","100,000","65,000<\/strong>"],["Miami - Sao Paulo","60,000","100,000","65,000<\/strong>"],["New York - Buenos Aires","60,000","100,000","65,000<\/strong>"],["New York - Milan","60,000","100,000","65,000<\/strong>"],["New York - Santiago","60,000","100,000","65,000<\/strong>"],["New York - Sao Paulo","60,000","100,000","65,000<\/strong>"],["Orlando - London","60,000","100,000","65,000<\/strong>"],["Phoenix - London","60,000","100,000","65,000<\/strong>"],["San Diego - London","60,000","100,000","65,000<\/strong>"],["San Francisco - London","60,000","100,000","65,000<\/strong>"],["Seattle - London","60,000","100,000","65,000<\/strong>"],["Tampa - London","60,000","100,000","65,000<\/strong>"],["Vancouver - London","60,000","100,000","65,000<\/strong>"]]

[["U.S Departure City","Departure Availability","#colspan#","#colspan#","Return Availability","#colspan#","#colspan#"],["#rowspan#","Handful","Decent","Go For It","Handful","Decent","Go For It"],["Atlanta","Oct., July","April","Dec. to March, May, June","July","Dec., April","Jan. to March, May, June"],["Baltimore","Oct., May","","Dec. to April, June, July","Oct., July","","Dec. to June"],["Boston","Nov.","May","Dec. to April, June, July","Nov.","","Dec. to July"],["Chicago","Dec., April","","Jan. to March","April","Dec.","Jan. to March"],["Dallas","July","Jan. to March","","July","Feb. to March","Jan."],["Denver","Oct., Feb., April, June","March, May","Nov. to Jan.","Dec., June","Feb., May","Nov., Jan., March, April"],["Houston","Oct., Nov., April, July","Jan. to March","Dec.","Oct., April, July","Nov., Feb., March, May, June","Dec., Jan."],["Las Vegas","Dec., Jan., June","July","Feb., March","Jan., April, May, July","Nov., Dec., June","Feb. March"],["Los Angeles","May, June","July","","","June","May"],["Newark","","Dec., July","Jan. to June","Dec.","July","Jan. to June"],["New York-JFK","April","","Dec. to March, May to July","Nov.","April","Dec. to March, May to July"],["Philadelphia","Oct., May","","Nov. to April, June, July","Oct., May","June, July","Nov. to April"],["Phoenix","Oct.","Nov., July","Dec. to March","Nov., Dec., Feb., May to July","Jan., March, April",""],["San Diego","Nov., Dec., April, July","Jan.","Feb. March","Nov., Apil","Feb., March","Jan."],["San Francisco","Jan.","Feb. to March","","Jan. to March","",""],["Seattle","Dec., May","Jan. to March, July","","Dec., June, July","April, May","Jan. to March"],["Washington, DC","May","","Dec. to April, June, July","","May","Dec. to April, June, July"]]

Business Class for Less Than Coach: To Europe, the Caribbean, Central America, and Mexico