Discover SkyTeam’s best Round-the-World (RTW) deal with miles + how to get the $10,920 ticket for just $4,400 if you DON’T have any miles.
You know I like very little about the Delta SkyMiles program, as I’ve written extensively on the topic, including last month’s eight reasons why I don’t like their co-branded credit cards (the kind that lock you into the most worthless of currencies).
Instead, you can—for little or no extra effort—get a card like Amex, which allows you to transfer those points into Delta miles (so you get the Delta miles without the Delta card), plus—and this is the best part—allows you to redeem those points for Delta SkyTeam partners, which—by and large—offer a much more lucrative program than Delta itself.
Example of Better Opportunities
with Amex and Delta SKYTEAM Partners
Here’s a deal that starts with an American Express Membership Rewards transfer bonus (for a limited time) to Aeromexico.
On Jan. 14 Amex announced a special limited-time promotion to transfer points to Delta’s SkyTeam partner Aeromexico miles to get a 25% bonus through February 14, 2019.
With the bonus, you get an RTW mileage award for about the same price as a simple round-trip with Delta to Europe, which normally starts at 172,000 miles.
(Of course, you can transfer Amex points to Aeromexico anytime to get the RTW ticket, but it will just cost a bit more.)
The hang-up that some people have about RTW flights is that they seem so long. Yet, the distance covered is often little more than many typical long-haul round-trips.
You don’t have to see the whole world. You’re free to skip destinations and stop where you want. But if you have a bucket list that needs checking off—and if SkyTeam airlines are your preferred carriers—here is a deal for you.
The Amazing Aeromexico Club Premier?
Curious about the deal but never heard of the airline?
Aeromexico has been in business since 1934 and officially became Aeromexico in 1972; it has offered its loyalty program, Club Premier, since 2011.
One of the best values the program offers is for Round-the-World tickets, for 352,000 “kilometers” in Business Class. With the current Amex bonus, you only need to transfer 176,000 Membership Rewards points.
To put this opportunity in context, consider that Delta charges 172,000 miles for a Business Class round-trip to Europe and 188,000 miles for one to South America.
NO MILES? NO PROBLEM.
You know the routine by now: Just buy the miles. Amex sells them for just 2.5¢ each—a five-minute phone call to Membership Rewards et voilà!
You can buy the 176,000 points from American Express for just $4,400 and transfer them to Aeromexico for RTW itineraries—for the ticket that would normally go for $10,920+.
THE BEST SKYTEAM ROUTES
If we’ve done our job, you should now be convinced that there are ways to maximize Aeromexico miles to score deals on SkyTeam flights.
If you’re ready to “hit the air,” here are a few SkyTeam Alliance partners and routes to keep in mind that generally offer good availability.
Korean generally has very good availability from Los Angeles and New York to Seoul. The best airlines to/from Europe are generally Air France and KLM—and at times even Delta to London.
So, although there’s no shortage of flights within the SkyTeam Alliance to Asia or Europe, availability is always a concern. That’s why this month FCF’s Daily Alerts will focus on SkyTeam flight availability that can help you piece together world-class itineraries with Aeromexico, fast. Keep an eye out for them.
FINE PRINT & WHAT ELSE TO KNOW
- You must book by phone (855) 412-2650.
- Use AirFrance.com to get a sense of availability for partner award flights, (because this airline’s website is relatively easy to use) before you call (FCF has heard reports that the engine sometimes displays phantom availability, causing people to transfer points, so before you do any transferring of points, call Aeromexico to make sure of availability.)
- Transfers from Amex to Aeromexico take about 24 hours, so there’s a chance your seat could disappear. Here’s how I think about this: I look for routes and dates with cluster availability, meaning if I miss one day, there’s a good chance the seat is available on the day before or after. More on the risks of transferring points here.
- You must travel in one direction (no back tracking), eastward or westward (FCF recommends westward for less jetlag).
- Travel must begin and end in the same country.
- Valid on 19 SkyTeam-operated partner flights including: Aeroflot, Aerolineas Argentinas, Aeromexcio, Air Europa, Air France, Alitalia, China Airlines, China Eastern, Czech Airlines, Delta, Garuda, Kenya Airways, KLM, Korean Air, and more.
- You must have a minimum of three stops and no more than 15 stopovers, with no more than five per continent (16 flights total).
- All flights must be booked in the same class of service.
FCF’s FAVORITE ROUND-THE-WORLD TICKETS
So, you’re getting a sense that we here at FCF like the amazing ways to book a Round-the-World dream trip using miles and points, which most people never think of. In fact, we’ve published three special reports on the topic, including FCF’s favorite The Ultimate Mileage Award Ticket, The Ultimate oneworld Business Class Mileage Award, and most recently Around the World in 80 Ways—for Much Less than Simple Round-Trips.