Okay, it’s semi-complicated, but it saves a lot of money.
Sometimes, a horse needs a final stretch to win the race, just a small extension as he approaches the finish line to beat his nearest competitors. And don’t we love it when he does.
So, too, you can win (big) when you “stretch” options that let you add additional trips—on different continents—to a single ticket—for no extra cost.
Let’s review: Over the last year Delta has dominated FCF’s Leg Stretch Strategy with fares starting as low as $2,531 for travel Europe > U.S. > South America > U.S. > Europe, which was most convenient for residents in Atlanta, New York, and Washington, DC (permitted stopover cities).
Then just last month FCF showed you how to “stretch” a ticket with American to get Business Class 3-for-1s for travel Asia > U.S. > South America > U.S. > Asia with fares starting at $3,347, which permitted stops in Dallas, Los Angeles, and New York.
FCF seldom sees great Leg Stretch Strategy fares on United, but this month we came across some for travel Asia > U.S. > South America > U.S. > Asia with fares starting at $3,337, for the four long-haul segments.
Arguably the Best Part:
Not only does United have low fares, but it also offers a rich array of U.S. cities it works well with, including Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Washington, DC.
Recap of FCF’s Leg Stretch Strategy
It’s a counter-intuitive yet completely legitimate strategy we call FCF’s Leg Stretch Strategy.
It simply involves taking a step back and surveying your travel needs (or wants) over a few months or a year and finding a much better way to package them together.
WHO IT’S FOR
This 2-for-1 Leg Stretch Strategy works best for the person who travels (or would if the price was right) to Asia and South America. So, it’s not for everyone. But if you fall into that category, it’s a winner.
QUICK DEFINITION
The strategy takes advantage of the fact that U.S. airlines offer free stopovers in U.S. hub cities when traveling from Asia to South America and back.
This Leg Stretch Strategy starts in Asia. So clearly, you have to fly to Asia first. We suggest getting a one-way ticket using miles. We’ve made that part easier with this special report. You can also get a ticket with cash.
Our example below uses New York–Seoul–Buenos Aires because it’s particularly cheap, but the same strategy nets similar savings from six other U.S. cities. So, that totals seven major U.S. hub cities with United.
STRETCHING YOUR FARE FURTHER
Here are two ways to look at it (i.e. ways to brag to your friends):
Perspective #1: Free Upgrade:
A New York-to-Seoul return ticket in economy ranges from ~$920 to $1,822 on United. A New York-to-Buenos Aires return ticket in economy ranges from ~$1,048 to $1,948. That’s $1,968 at a minimum to fly economy on United — and often $3,770 depending on your dates.
If you use FCF’s Leg Stretch Strategy, on the other hand, you can get those same destinations in Business Class for $3,337 (on United at the current exchange rate). Now that’s what we call winning the race.
Perspective #2: Save $4,041 in Business Class or a 2-for-1:
If you were to book these destinations separately, you’d pay rack rate. A New York-to-Seoul return ticket in Business Class starts at $4,364. A New York-to-Buenos Aires return ticket in Business Class starts at $3,014. That’s $7,378 at a minimum to fly Business Class on United.
If you use the Leg Stretch Strategy, on the other hand, you can get to those same destinations in Business Class for $3,337 (on United at the current exchange rate)—a 2-for-1.
Another big winner!
united.com screenshot above (four segment = two round-trips).
google.com currency converter above.
A Quick How-To:
This itinerary has four discreet legs on one ticket (equivalent to two round-trips): Asia > U.S. > South America > U.S. > Asia, starting at $3,337 in Business Class on United.
Quick story summation:
- Fly one-way from New York to Seoul (the lowest LSS fare we found from Asia at the moment); see #1 on the map above (in yellow). Pay with miles or take advantage of a great published fare.
- Return to New York on the first segment of your LSS ticket with a free stopover (#2 on the map). Stay home for a week or month or five or whatever until your next flight.
- Later, fly to Buenos Aires as segment #2 of the LSS ticket (#3 on the map).
- Then fly back to New York (free stopover) as segment #3 of the LSS ticket (#4 on the map). Stay home for a week or month or five or whatever until your next flight.
- Return to Seoul, which is segment #4 of the LSS ticket (#5 on the map).
- Decision Time: You can return home on another one-way ticket OR start the process again, returning to the U.S. as leg one of your next Leg Stretch Strategy ticket (#6 on the map in yellow).
HOW TO BOOK
You have several options but booking through a travel agent is best because an agent has easy access to inventory information (booking class I). You can also book online with united.com, but it’s a complex process. The other option is using Google Flights to plan out the trip by selecting the “Multi-city” option.
google.com/flights multi-city screenshot below:
Five *Example* Opportunities to Reap With
First Class Flyer's Leg Stretch Strategy (LSS)
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*Fares valid at time of publishing and change all the time.