We’ve been telling you for awhile now that American Airlines (for the most part) doesn’t offer much space for free premium award travel to Europe with miles, and that you need a Plan B (namely, grabbing Business Class mileage upgrades)…
But the data is now telling us that the ample American mileage upgrades we used to see so often in the past few years are fewer and farther between. But the good news is, there’s still some upgrade options, even if they seem to be dwindling.
Here’s how it works…
Are you a collector of American Airlines miles? Do you have an American Airlines credit card?
Have you tried to find a free Business Class mileage award ticket to Europe recently? How successful were you?
Right, Free Mileage Award Seats Are Difficult to Find!
The myth is that the odds of getting a free Business Class award ticket are the same as, or better than, an upgrade award on American—wrong. On most routes, American releases more Business Class upgrade awards, but these mileage upgrades also seem to be dwindling, so we’re going to help you find the best routes to grab Business Class upgrades where you still can with those hard-earned AA miles and get the biggest bang for your buck.
In this exclusive report, we’re ignoring the hunt for free mileage awards because, really, they don’t earn elite credit and are difficult to find. Instead, using miles to upgrade (even though your options will be more limited than recent years), if you’re a flexible, smart traveler think about using miles to upgrade instead given you’ll earn miles and elite credit
But first of all, a serious word of warning: stop earning more American miles and switch to multi-currency credit cards instead to avail yourself of many more upgrade options. Our favorites right now are cards that earn Amex points—which are most of them. For more on Amex Rewards go here, here and here.
Now then, on to learn about how to score American mileage upgrades to Europe with the miles you already have.
The Hidden Power of American Upgrades to Europe
Here’s the secret: Most people don’t understand how upgrades work with American. So that’s exactly what we will uncover in this report, which includes both information on the upgrade system and an FCF special survey on what routes currently have upgrades available. Let’s start by fishing for Business Class savings.
Here are a few examples on how to make this European upgrade work.
Example #1
New York to London: Save 59% on Business Class
Say you’re traveling New York-London in mid-January. You can easily pay $511 for a non-stop on American in economy, while Business Class is often $2,919 ($2,408 more). So even with the $700 co-pay (to Europe, AA requires 25,000 miles plus a $350 co-pay each way to upgrade from the lowest upgradeable economy fares), you can save 59% ($1,708) off the published fare by using miles. See chart below for upgrade award availability survey.
Example #2
Dallas to Paris: Save 66% on Short Notice
Book a Dallas-Paris trip in August and you’re looking at a Business Class fare of $5,170—while the upgradable coach fare is $1,070. Upgrade on routes with good availability and you can easily save $3,400, or 66%, by using your miles.
The Picture: Number of Days with Business Class Upgrade Awards vs. Free Awards for Four Passengers
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BRIDGE ROUTE CONNECTIONS CAN SAVE UP TO 52%
One of our favorite strategies teaches smart travelers how use the long-haul Business Class flight as a “bridge.” What this means is that all they have to do is get to and from the “bridge” gateway.
From the U.S., that means you might even buy an economy “through-fare” ticket whereby the fare gets you to and from the international gateway all on one ticket—not two separate tickets (you often have to purchase two separate tickets with free awards that don’t have availability on the connecting flights). You just look first to upgrade the long international legs of the trip, which are the ones that count the most anyway. If upgrade space is there for the short-haul connecting flights, that’s just icing on the cake.
For example, say you are traveling from Memphis to Paris in January. The through-fare economy ticket gets you to and from Paris with a connection in Miami from Memphis—as AA does not fly nonstop from Memphis to Paris—for $1,127 instead of $3,803 for a Business Class ticket. Even with the $700 co-pay, you can save 52% ($1,976) off the published fare by using miles.
Know American’s Partners
Traveling Onward in Europe
Long story short: It’s easy if you stick with AA’s partners—British Airways, Finnair, and Iberia—and book the entire trip on one ticket.
For example, say you are traveling from New York to Oslo in January. Again, AA does not have nonstop service from NYC to Oslo, that means making a connection in London. The through-fare is $580 round-trip versus $3,144 in Business Class. You upgrade the bridge leg of the trip (New York-London-New York). Even with the $700 co-pay, you can save 59% ($1,864) off the published fare by using miles and end up only paying $1280 ($580 original round-trip price + the $700 co-pay to upgrade with miles). Note that the London-Oslo leg will be on British Airways and will be in economy.
HOW ANYONE CAN PLAY THIS UPGRADE GAME
Don’t have any or enough American miles? No problem. Just buy American miles when they go on sale (recent opportunity here) or transfer Marriott points and you too can save up to 66%.
Sweet Redeems Survey: American Business Class Upgrades to Europe
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So, don’t sit around fretting about how to use your piles of AA miles. Follow our exclusive insights and fly your way to Europe in comfort.