This report at a glance:
- Shrinking Supply of First Class Seats
- How To Win in First Class When Using Miles
- When Using Miles for First Class to Asia Works
These days, coveted First Class mileage award tickets to Asia seem to have disappeared faster than the Incredible Shrinking Man. And like that unfortunate soul, the shrinkage seems to be just as unstoppable. There are a few reasons for this.
SHRINKING SUPPLY OF SEATS
It’s not just your imagination. First Class seats are actually decreasing. Currently American doesn’t offer a First Class product to Asia and United has phased out First Class.
MORE TRAVELERS NOWADAYS
At the same time, the number of bank hackers (those who get credit cards just for the sign-up bonus only to cancel afterward) is increasing almost as fast as the number of First Class seats is shrinking. Serious premium travelers must now compete with college kids and otherwise, non-travelers who have newfound means to get First Class seats by hacking bank credit cards.
So, what’s a traveler to do to snag First Class award tickets to Asia before they shrink into oblivion?
FCF’S SOLUTION: HOW TO WIN FIRST CLASS USING MILES
There are ways to secure First Class seats to Asia when using miles. You just have to know where to look, when to look and know how to find what you need.
Where to Look: Check FCF’s Sweet Redeems page frequently. We have recently seen that All Nippon Airways and Cathay Pacific have First Class award availability for travel between the U.S. and Asia.
When to Look: When flash availability surfaces. There are a couple of airlines that seldom have mileage award seats who have started to release seats—even when many others don’t.
How to Do it: Be flexible to get the seats. You may have to be open to alternative dates of travel and be ready to pounce when flash deals become available.
WHEN USING MILES FOR FIRST CLASS TO ASIA WORKS:
Unlike travel to Europe, where some airlines (American, for instance) often charge 500,000+ miles for a First Class mileage award seat, many airlines have decent First Class mileage rates for travel to Asia.
ALL NIPPON
Take All Nippon for example, an airline that charges low First Class mileage award rates between the U.S. and Asia. The Chicago-Tokyo route cost in First Class using All Nippon miles is 150,000 miles plus $65 in taxes.
Don’t have Amex miles? No problem. If you don’t have enough points, you can buy points from Amex for 2.5 cents each and transfer them to its partner All Nippon Airways.
Given the baseline fare is $21,273, and you can buy 150,000 Amex Rewards Points for about $3,750, and taxes with All Nippon Airways loyalty program generally costs $65 dollars, you can use cash to buy points and save up to $17,458 or 82% on your next trip from Chicago to Tokyo.
United is a points-to-miles transfer partner with Chase. Already have a ton of United miles? If you want to use United miles (maybe because you have a lot) then the cost is actually more with United, at 220,000 miles, or if you’re short on miles you can top-off up to 175,000 miles annually which are typically 1.8 cents each when on sale, save up to $17,256 or 81%.
Air Canada is a points-to-miles transfer partner with Amex, Capital One, Chase or buy Air Canada miles when on sale: You can buy 220,000 Air Canada miles as low as 1.3 cents each for about $2,987 when they go on sale. Add taxes with Air Canada’s loyalty program, which generally costs $65 dollars, for a total of $3,052. We recommend that you only buy miles if you are confident there is availability you can work with or fly enough that, should availability shift, you can use the miles on a future trip.
LifeMiles is a points-to-miles transfer partner with Amex, Capital One, Citi or buy LifeMiles when on sale: You can buy 180,000 LifeMiles miles for as low as 1.4 cents each for about $2,475 when they go on sale. Add taxes with the LifeMiles loyalty program, which generally costs $65 dollars, for a total of $2,540. LifeMiles typically has less award space than All Nippon so we recommend that you only buy miles if you are confident there is availability you can work with or fly enough that, should availability shift, you can use the miles on a future trip.
CATHAY PACIFIC
Another airline that recently surprised us with First Class mileage award seats between the U.S. and Asia is Cathay Pacific. We have recently seen a handful of days with two seats, which is very rare.
Cathay Pacific goes for 250,000 miles plus $133 in taxes. Don’t have miles? No problem. Cathay Pacific is a points-to-miles transfer partner with Amex, Capital One, and Citi. If you don’t have enough points, you can buy points from Amex for 2.5 cents each and transfer them to its partner Cathay Pacific and save up to $14,890 or 70%.
American is a points-to-miles transfer partner with Citi, or buy American miles when on sale: Given the baseline fare is $20,061, and you can buy up to 150,000 American Airlines miles for about $3,668 when on sale, if you need to top-off, and taxes with American Airlines loyalty program generally costs $67 dollars, you can use cash to buy miles and save up to $16,326 or 81% on your next trip from Los Angeles to Hong Kong. We recommend that you only buy miles if you are confident there is availability you can work with or fly enough that, should availability shift, you can use the miles on a future trip.
So, if you long for First Class using miles with either of these airlines, you have to be very flexible and check FCF’s flash deal alerts, which will keep you posted on availability. Stay tuned—and be ready to pounce when these flash deals arrive.
Armed with such insider knowledge, you can say goodbye to the incredibly shrinking First Class award opportunities to Asia and travel much more comfortably.
Related Reports:
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The Art of Skipping Stones & What We Can All Learn from the Boise to Budapest Premium Traveler
Six Plays to Consider When There’s Only One Mileage Seat Available
Why One-Way Awards Can Make or Break a 50% to 90% Off Business or First Class Deal