If you haven’t already, be ready to strike when Amex’s next bonus promo hits and you’ll score the best premium mileage deal to the Caribbean ever.
Last month we reported that many
and that Business Class prices were dropping like coconuts. Well, we’ve got more sunny Caribbean news for you: instead of using American Airlines miles to get to these turquoise waters, consider transferring Amex points to BA miles (redeemable on AA) to snag a 40% bonus deal. It brings British Airways’ Business Class cabin into the realm of American Airlines’ coach price.
Or even less.
Business Class for Less Than Coach
I’m talking about a free, nearly-free, or less-than-free upgrade from coach to Business Class on some routes. That’s right. Once you apply this points transfer discount, coach costs more than Business Class if you use everyday American miles to fly on American.
Example: A Miami-Montego Bay round-trip costs 30,000 British Airways miles — which comes down to just 22,000 Amex points ($550 value at 2.5 cents each) when you transfer during Amex’s intermittent 40% bonus promos — for Business Class on American. Compare that to spending American AAdvantage miles where you’d pay 25,000 ($900 value at 3.6 cents each) to fly coach or 40,000 ($1,440 value at 3.6 cents each) in Business .
Or this route: Philadelphia-Nassau costs 33,000 BA miles round-trip for Business Class — or just 24,000 Amex points ($600 value at 2.5 cents each) when you transfer during Amex’s 40% bonus promos versus American’s 25,000 ($900 value at 3.6 cents each) to fly coach or 40,000 ($1,440 value at 3.6 cents each) in Business . That’s a hammock-swinging difference.
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More Good News
As we’ve reported before, British Airways has hefty fuel surcharges on award tickets to London and many other destinations operated by its own flights. But happily, when you’re booking a trip to the Caribbean on American flights, British Airways only imposes modest taxes, sometimes less than American does. Icing on the rum cake of an awesome opportunity.