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Biz Class Seats for 33k Points - Air France

Every month, Air France publishes deals for flights that are 25%+ off. Right now, AMEX has a 25% transfer bonus to Air France/KLM Flying Blue (until 09/22/23, or ~2 more weeks).

Combining these two offers creates some sweet spots where you find business-class flights to Europe for as low as 33k AMEX points.

Note that the Air France list may not be comprehensive. You can find non-listed routes that are also discounted (these are the real sweet spots). These promo deals expire 09/30/23 and are good for flights thru 03/31/24.

Here’s how to find availability and explore hidden routes:

1. Go to airfrance.us

2. Click “book with miles”

3. Enter city and destination

4. If you want a calendar view as shown above, exclude your dates

In my example search above and below, we’re seeing discounted rates from New York to Paris in Dec 2023, Jan 2024, & Feb 2024.

Business class seats can be claimed for just 41,250 points.

Now if you combine this with the AMEX 25% transfer bonus, you’ll only need to transfer 41,250/1.25 = 33,000 points. Amazing value if you ask me.

Flights can also be found for other popular cities such as Los Angeles and Austin. Transfer partners are plentiful and include Chase, AMEX, Citi, Capital One, and Bilt. See a comprehensive transfer partner list here.

***Note: When transferring points, the name on your credit card accounts must match EXACTLY with the name on your loyalty programs.

Everyone knows about these deals. They’ll go fast, so be faster!

⏳️Final Boarding Call

Citi American Airlines AAdvantage Executive Card - $10k spend for 100k miles (expires in 2 days)

I’ve really come to appreciate AA miles recently due to the ease of booking/finding award flights, particularly for Asia (I’m always flying to Japan). This is currently the highest offer for this card, but it comes with a hefty $595 annual fee.

If you’re an AA maxi, you don’t need to be sold on this. For everyone else, here’s why the card may be worth getting for at least 1 year:

Admirals Club lounge access

As you can see from the photo above, many Admirals Club lounges are getting significantly upgraded. The annual fee for Admirals Club access is a whopping $850 (who in the world pays for this?). Better than going to a Priority Pass lounge and not getting admitted, I guess.

$10/mo for GrubHub

If GrubHub covers your location, this should be an easy $120 to claim for the year with pickup orders. Yes, I started picking up all my orders when I realized 2 weeks ago that nearly every restaurant is marked up 10-15% on deliveries. I’m an idiot for not noticing earlier.

$240 for car rentals

You can now get $120 per calendar year for car rentals booked directly with Avis/Budget. This means if you rent a car:

1. now until the end of 2023 and

2. once in 2024 before your annual fee renews

You’ll get $240 in statement credits for car rentals with one annual fee. This is massive value when combined with corporate codes - easily 1-2 weeks in free car rentals.

Card issuers that offer calendar-year benefits eventually realize their mistake and switch to the cardmember’s anniversary year. Exploit these benefits/perks while you still can.

Result

$240 in car rentals and $120 in GrubHub = $360 in value, turning your annual fee from $595 to $235. Further savings can be achieved if you use their TSA/Global Entry perks ($100) or are a Lyft loyalist ($120/yr in credit…sort of).

I’ll likely get this card myself in the next 2 days before the offer expires. If you know me personally and don’t have Global Entry yet, hit me up and I’ll let you use my credit for free since I can’t renew mine until 2025. 🫡 

Chase Ultimate Rewards 30% Transfer Bonus to British Airways Avios

I won’t cover this in as much detail today but it’s the same idea as above. Transfer bonus is valid thru 09/22/23.

British Avios are a great way to redeem oneworld Alliance flights which have some great sweet spots around the world: Middle East, India, Africa, Europe, Japan, and more.

As an example, Business/First-class flights to Japan via JAL will run you for 60k/80k miles. With the 30% transfer bonus, you’ll only need 46,154 for business-class, and 61,539 points for first-class.

Unfortunately, it seems AA’s search engine is broken right now for award flights so I won’t be able to provide screenshot instructions for searching availability.

The only caveat is British Airways has some hefty fees attached to their award flights, which I usually turn my nose up at.

☁️Cloud 9 - Vacation Inspiration

Halo Suites - Cathay Pacific First Class

Cathay Pacific previously applied for two trademarks:

• The Aria Suites - confirmed to be Business Class

• The Halo Suites - presumed to be First class

These concept images speak for themselves. If the first-class product actually ends up 1:1 with these images, these seats would be absolutely insane.

Unfortunately, Cathay seems to be set on launching this with their newest Boeing 777-9s which likely won’t be in service until 2025 at earliest.

With 21 of these jets waiting to be delivered, I’ve got my fingers crossed, hoping that with extreme diligence, I’ll be able to score these seats on points. I also expect reality to backhand me.

Regardless, Cathay’s premium products have always been stellar. It’s a great time to start accumulating points with transfer partners: Amex, Citi, Capital One, and Bilt.

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Delta flight does U-turn back to airport because “passenger diarrhea all over aircraft — biohazard.”

Qantas fined for selling tickets for cancelled flights.

99.4% of AA flight attendants who voted chose to strike.

Register for this Marriott promotion by 11/22/23: 1.5k pts per stay (unlimited) and 3k points for every 3 brands visited.

Priority Pass increasing guest fees (beyond the 2 free guests) from $32 to $35. Not the worst, but not great.

Lufthansa is bringing back all 8 Airbus A380s. Great news for those coveting those luxurious first-class redemptions.

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