If you haven’t already, be ready to strike when Amex’s next bonus promo hits and you’ll score the best premium mileage deal to the Caribbean ever.
Last month we reported that many
and that Business Class prices were dropping like coconuts. Well, we’ve got more sunny Caribbean news for you: instead of using American Airlines miles to get to these turquoise waters, consider transferring Amex points to BA miles (redeemable on American) to snag a 40% bonus deal. It brings British Airways’ Business Class costs for American flights into the realm of the American AAdvantage coach price for the same flights.
Or even less.
Business Class for Less Than Coach
I’m talking about a free, nearly-free, or less-than-free upgrade from coach to Business Class on some routes. That’s right. Once you apply this points transfer discount, coach costs more than Business Class if you use everyday American miles.
Example: A Miami-Montego Bay round-trip costs 30,000 British Airways miles — which comes down to just 22,000 Amex points when you transfer during Amex’s intermittent 40% bonus promos — for Business Class on American. Compare that to spending American AAdvantage miles where you’d pay 25,000 to fly coach (3,000 more), or 40,000 in Business (18,000 more).
Or this route: Philadelphia-Nassau costs 33,000 BA miles round-trip for Business Class on American flights — or just 24,000 Amex points when you transfer during Amex’s 40% bonus promos versus American’s 25,000 to fly coach or 40,000 in Business. That’s a hammock-swinging difference.
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More Good News
As we’ve reported before, British Airways has hefty fuel surcharges on award tickets to London and many other destinations operated by its own flights. But happily, when you’re booking a trip to the Caribbean on American flights, British Airways only imposes modest taxes, sometimes less than American does. Icing on the rum cake of an awesome opportunity.