When it comes to airline travel, we have all been trained to think A-to-B, non-stop, JFK-LAX, O’Hare-DeGaulle. Yes, we’re all pressed for time, so non-stop is what we want— because we travel for work non-stop.
But if you have a bit of time in your schedule (especially on a leisure trip), don’t give in to non-stop near-sightedness. Buried in the fine print of award ticket rules are loopholes regarding stopovers and side-trips that can net you a richer travel experience for free. You can get more for your miles.
Stopover Defined In airline terms, a stopover is a stop of more than four hours on a domestic itinerary, or more than 24 hours on an international itinerary. If you can make a connection in a city, you can usually have a stopover there. In the U.S. and Europe, connecting cities are most often an airline’s hub city.
For example, take a New York-Chicago itinerary and say your mileage currency is American Express Membership Rewards points. If you use Amex’s partner Delta, you could fly New York-Chicago and make a free stopover in a connecting city, such as Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, or Minneapolis, for the same number of miles.
Side-Trip Defined You can add a second destination to an award booking by aggressively using award charts and stopover strategies. The mileage award charts of U.S.-based airlines are regional, meaning a mileage award ticket costs the same number of miles for travel between all destinations served in regions A and B. Almost every American carrier also designates the U.S. (except Hawaii) and Canada as one region—which means you’re entitled to one free side-trip on an award ticket at no extra cost (see chart on page three for airlines).
Let’s say you’re flying New York-Phoenix with an airline that has a hub in Phoenix, such as US Airways. Your award ticket permits travel in “Continental U.S. and Canada”, so your itinerary could be New York-Vancouver, with a stop in Phoenix. Of course, your free side-trip doesn’t have to be Vancouver. It could be almost any city US Airways serves.
Rules to Keep in Mind
Open-jaw itineraries don’t usually qualify
An open-jaw itinerary is airline-speak for flying to one city and returning from another. Most airlines don’t permit stopovers on open-jaw itineraries, because it is already akin to a side-trip: You’re departing from City A to City B, but returning from City C.
One-way awards don’t qualify either
One-way awards offered by domestic airlines such as American and United do not offer free stopovers. Instead, book round-trip awards through United’s Star Alliance and American’s All- Airline Awards, which allow stopovers for the same price.
Take advantage of the hub-and-spoke system
Make your destination city the stopover and the stopover the destination. For instance, if you’re flying New York-Charlotte but want to stop in Miami, then book a New York-Miami flight on a carrier that offers a connection in Charlotte (US Airways).
Tap airline alliances to increase international stopover options
U.S.-based airlines are prohibited from operating flights between European cities, so they don’t have European hubs. But that doesn’t mean you can’t get a free stopover when flying your favorite U.S. carrier. Fly non-stop from the U.S. to a European gateway city and stay a few days. Then use alliance partnerships to make an easy switch to a European carrier for a connecting flight to your destination. Example: Fly United from Chicago to Munich, with London as the stopover city and United’s partner Lufthansa as the London-to-Munich carrier.
Use multiple airline or credit card programs To maximize your stopover and side-trip possibilities, carry a credit card that allows points transfers to more airline programs. The Starwood Preferred Guest Card, for instance, allows transfers into 28 programs.
Award Ticket Free Stopover Rules for International Travel
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