A look at the best premium routes for your December mileage run (or a vacation)—and a bonus you may not know about, free EQM upgrades
The mileage-run season is upon us— your last chance to retain or up your elite status position. But you can’t wait much longer to book because many discounted premium fares require an advance purchase (and it’s already late for many of the best deals), and your mileage run will soon be a
Buying a discounted economy ticket is not always a good idea when trying to earn EQMs (elite qualifying miles) because on many airlines they yield only 50% mileage credit on miles flown (and on some airlines, no EQMs at all). To get full credit on miles flown, you often have to pay a higher economy fare. The most economical choice, in terms of time and money spent for miles obtained, is a First or Business Class ticket because they can yield up to 150% EQM credit on the miles flown.
[aside headline="What is a “Free EQM Class Upgrade”?" alignment="alignright" width="half" headline_size="default"]FCF defines an upgrade as “any way of getting a better result than you would by paying the straight fare or by following ordinary practices.” In this case, the “better” is the class of service or comfort that can be had, at no extra cost per EQM, if not less, by following the approach FCF outlines here. In many of the examples shown, “cheaper than free” means that the cost to earn a given number of EQMs is cheaper or almost the same in a premium class than it is in coach. Thus, the upgrade has no cost—it’s free! Most people I read and hear about take mileage runs in economy class. The question is, why? When you can fly in a premium class and “get more for less.” That’s what FCF calls cheaper than a free upgrade.[/aside]
The Savvy (Premium Cabin) Mileage Runner
Don’t just buy any Business Class ticket. The trick is finding a Business Class fare that nets EQMs at a cost-per-EQM that’s almost equal to or less than economy (see table on page 4 for a selection).
Let’s take American Airlines’ New York-Guayaquil (Ecuador) route for example. The lowest economy fare, $672, nets 3,025 EQMs. Divide the EQMs earned by the fare to get the cost per EQM, in this case 22¢.
The best Business Class fare is $1,055, which yields 9,075 EQMs and amounts to 12¢ per EQM. If you need about 6,000 EQMs, it would take two trips to Guayaquil in economy (or $1,400) to get them, but only one trip in Business Class, and at half the cost per EQM (12¢ vs. 22¢ in economy). It’s actually cheaper than a free upgrade, when you think about it.
Some Examples of Free or Low Cost EQM Upgrade Routes in December for Each Major U.S. Airline:
American: Central America is one of the lowest-cost EQM regions, with Ecuador (Quito or Guayaquil) having the lowest EQM cost (10¢ to 12¢) on a per-mile basis for short notice Business Class tickets. Another good opportunity to earn EQMs on AA is British Airways to London in Premium Economy, which earns 150% of EQM flown, the same as First and Business Class, at a cost of just 5¢ per EQM! BA only requires a seven-day advance purchase. (Keep in mind that it only takes 20,000 to 25,000 miles for a round-trip upgrade to Business.) Also, check out holiday Business Class fares to Europe on both airlines.
Delta: San Jose, Cost Rica, has the lowest EQM cost (about 9¢) for travel in Business Class, with only a seven-day advance-purchase requirement. Other good low-cost EQM destinations include Europe, taking advantage of holiday Business Class fares. Look especially at Delta’s SkyTeam partner Air France in Premium Economy, which earns 150% EQMs, the same as Business Class on Delta. Air France’s Premium Economy Class also offers the lowest-cost EQMs (5¢ to 6¢) on routes to Asia and India. Also, for a limited time only (through Dec. 15) you can buy up to 10,000 EQMs; the cost ranges from 9¢ to 12¢. (Link: Buy Delta EQMs) Don’t forget that Delta rolls over EQMs in excess of the amount needed to retain or upgrade elite status into the next calendar year, so you may even get a head start for 2012.
United/Continental: Check out the carriers’ European routes, taking advantage of holiday Business Class fares. Promotional fares to Asia usually yield an EQM cost of 8¢. United and Continental Star Alliance partners All Nippon and Thai Airways both offer low-cost EQMs on their Asia routes in Premium Economy class. (Continental elite members, keep in mind that you can purchase OnePass Elite Maximizer to get even more EQMs.)
US Airways: US Airways is the odd ball, the only U.S. airline that sells EQMs year-round. The cost ranges from about 12¢ (1,999 EQMs for $249) to 3¢ (99,999 EQMs for $2,999); the more you buy the better the rate. So forget about doing an EQM run, unless you have to travel anyways.
EQM Class Cost Comparison
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