Every year we see increases in the number of miles needed for the flights you really want to take. But every year, a few stones are left unturned. Today I’m going to show you two handfuls of my favorite unturned stones – aka amazing business class values using points. Much like a secret encoded message – these deals will eventually disappear – so get in while the going is good.
35,000 Points One Way – US To South America – Star Alliance
What: Asiana offers arguably the very best rates for long haul travel between the US and South America, in either direction. Getting to Brazil or Argentina in a bed for just 35,000 points is nothing short of fantastic.
How: Asiana Mileage Club points. You can create these points by buying SPG points in a sale and converting them, by flying StarAlliance airlines and via the Asiana credit card.
Booking: Find “saver” availability in business class between your preferred US or South American gateway and destination on the United site. Once found, call Asiana Club to book.
Full Details: How To Book.
50,000 Points Round Trip – Europe To Dubai – Star Alliance.
What: Singapore Airlines left one crumb when they recently devalued their chart. 50,000 point round trip business class between Europe and the Middle East. You can fly on Swiss, Lufthansa and more – with great availability.
How: Singapore KrisFlyer miles. You can instantly create them using Amex Points, Citi Points, Chase Points, SPG Points and by flying Singapore and Star Alliance Airlines.
Booking: Book and search availability online at the Singapore Airlines website.
Full Details: How To Book.
50,000 Points One Way – US To Europe – Delta
What: Virgin Atlantic offers a great opportunity to save a bunch of miles and fly one way in business class for 50,000 points and about $5.60. By booking to Europe rather than London, you dodge major surcharges and may even get to try Delta’s cool new business class suite.
How: Virgin Atlantic FlyingClub miles. You can instantly create them using Amex Points, Citi Points, Chase Points, SPG Points and by flying on Virgin Atlantic and their partners.
Booking: Search for 70,000 point one way flights in business class on the Delta website. If you find one, call Virgin Atlantic Flying Club to book it for 50,000 points.
Full Details: How To Book.
45,000 Points Round Trip – Asia To Asia – Cathay Pacific
What: Flights within Asia can be tediously long. Using Alaska Mileage Plan miles however, you can fly round trip business class for just 45,000 points. Japan Airlines would cost you 50,000 round trip and works for even longer flights. Everyone loves Cathay Pacific business, and this is a steal.
How: Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Miles. You can earn them via frequent points sales, their US and Canadian credit card and by flying on their numerous airline partners all over the world.
Booking: Find space using British Airways website, or AwardNexus. Call Alaska MileagePlan to book.
Full Details: How To Book.
50,000 Points Round Trip – US To Africa – South African
What: South African Airways flies a lovely new plane with the airlines best business class seats from Washington DC to Dakar, Senegal – a great comfy head start to nearby South Africa. Virgin Atlantic charges just 50,000 round trip for these flights on South African Airways.
How: Virgin Atlantic FlyingClub miles. You can instantly create them using Amex Points, Citi Points, Chase Points, SPG Points and by flying on Virgin Atlantic and their partners.
Booking: Find space using United’s website and then call Virgin Atlantic Flying Club to book.
Full Details: How To Book.
140,000 Points Around The World – OneWorld Airlines
What: Cathay Pacific’s AsiaMiles program is very overlooked. For just 140,000 points – you can fly business class across the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, making dreamy stops in between. You can fly on Cathay, Japan Airlines and other great carriers, starting from multiple locations.
How: Asia Miles. These points, linked to Cathay Pacific can instantly be created using Citi Points, Amex Points, SPG Points or by flying OneWorld Airlines.
Booking: Consult this link for full details. But you’ll book with AsiaMiles.
Full Details: How To Book.
40,000 Points One Way – Europe To Mexico – Star Alliance
What: Asiana Mileage Club offers extremely good values to certain destinations. For just 80,000 round trip or 40,000 points one way – you can enjoy Swiss or Lufthansa business class between Mexico and Europe. These flights are often over 12 hours – so 40,000 points is phenomenal.
How: Asiana Mileage Club points. You can create these points by buying SPG points in a sale and converting them, by flying StarAlliance airlines and via the Asiana credit card.
Booking: Find business class “saver” availability using United’s website. Then call Asiana Club to book over the phone.
Full Details: How To Book.
52,000 Points Round Trip – Europe To Asia – Czech Airlines
What: Etihad Airways offers an awesome way to use their points on their partner Czech Airlines. The flight goes from Prague to Seoul, with 10 hours of flight time or more, giving you at least 20 hours in a bed for 52,000 points. The plane was previously Korean Airlines, and seats are nice.
How: Etihad Guest Points. You can create these points using Amex, Citi or SPG – or by flying Etihad and their numerous airline partners.
Booking: Use a site like FlyingBlue to search direct flights between Prague and Seoul on Czech Airways. If you find availability using miles, call Etihad Guest to book.
Full Details: How To Book.
45,000 Points Round Trip – US To Hawaii – Delta
What: Korean Air offers a tempting opportunity to fly Delta between the US and Hawaii for just 45,000 points round trip. For 6+ hour flights both ways, that’s pretty fantastic. Delta now offers flat beds on quite a few routes, making it even better.
How: Korean Air SkyPass points. You can instantly create Korean SkyPass points with Amex, SPG or Chase points. You can also earn them by flying SkyTeam airlines, like Korean.
Booking: This is tough to book, but the value is off the charts. You’ll need to find business class “saver” availability to Hawaii on Delta. You’ll then need to call Korean to book.
Full Details: How To Book.
35,000 Points One Way – US To South America – Star Alliance
What: Asiana offers arguably the very best rates for long haul travel between the US and South America, in either direction. Getting to Brazil or Argentina in a bed for just 35,000 points is nothing short of fantastic.
How: Asiana Mileage Club points. You can create these points by buying SPG points in a sale and converting them, by flying StarAlliance airlines and via the Asiana credit card.
Booking: Find “saver” availability in business class between your preferred US or South American gateway and destination on the United site. Once found, call Asiana Club to book.
Full details: How To Book.
40,000 Points One Way – Middle East To Asia – OneWorld Airlines
What: American Airlines has very favorable value for flights from the Middle East to Asia in business class. Best of all, you can choose between Etihad and Qatar, both of whom American partner with. This is a great way to fly for just 40,000 points.
How: American Airlines AAdvantage miles. These can be created with an American Airlines credit card, by flying OneWorld airlines and by transferring SPG points. Amongst others.
Booking: Find availability using British Airways website or Ethad – for Etihad flights. Once you find availability, call American Airlines to book your flight over the phone.
Full details: How To Book.
40,000 Points One Way – Australia to Asia – Star Alliance
What: Star Alliance offers some of the very best business class seats between Asia and Australia. But it’s a South American mileage program called LifeMiles which unlocks their very best values. Flights in either direction can easily clock over 10 hours, so this is nice comfort to lock in.
How: Avianca LifeMiles points. You can create LifeMiles with Citi points, by flying Star Alliance airlines or by purchasing points at a deep discount, during their frequent points sales.
Booking: Use the LifeMiles website to find and book available business class flights starting in either direction. You can book and pay online instantly.
Full Details: How To Book.
What’s your favorite?
Featured image courtesy of United Airlines.
Good list! I have to think the 68k round trip Iberia Madrid to Chicago or New York should be there. Acids are so easy to come by!
Avois, not acids. Autocorrect.
Wowwww! The best publication ever seen. congratulations!
A small correction: Mexico and Europe are less than 12 hours.
I love this post!! Can you do the same for First class?
I get Asiana is a steal to South America, but you have it twice.
I must say this is my favorite miles / points / travel blog out of all. Thank you for your very useful articles.
Great post. Everything i need all in one article. #bookmarked
How about US to Asia?
This is the best post on boardingarea in a very long time. No ego, no politics, no drama—just the facts! Thanks for doing this.
Thank you. Honestly. Means a lot. Lots of great blogs out there and I’m just trying to share the knowledge that has helped improve my travels. Cheers.
excellent article. you manage to even highlight program(s) that most of us experienced folks don’t know much about, cheers.
Could you help India or Thailand round trip to Europe with Star Alliance points?
This is fantastic and thorough – thank you for taking the time to put this together! Really appreciated! I also would second one of the comments above…any tips on US to Asia? Thanks!
Look at my comment to Jhona below.
Gilbert – This is a very thorough article, and as usual, also very informative, but I do not think Amex transfers to Korean, unless you convert to SPG first which is not a fun redemption. Thx!
@Jhona – You can get to asia from the US via Cathay using Alaska, Korean using Chase, JAL using SPG….