Here’s how to add on stops, depart from your hometown—and still save miles or dollars–with an airline that works with American Express, Chase, and Marriott points (and Capital One indirectly)
In this special report last month, we told you about Iberia’s delicious offering: cheap ways to get to Europe in Business Class with miles, points, or cash, starting at just $1,499 *OR* 49,000 miles or points with transfer bonus. Those were simple nonstop, round-trip tickets. But what if you don’t live in one of the airline’s U.S. hub cities, and/or maybe you want to go beyond Madrid at the other end? More on that concept here.
The beauty of these cheap flights to Europe is that they give you flexibility to do more with your trip like adding on stops and departing from your own hometown while still saving money. Let’s say you live in Chicago. You can make a stop in New York to see grandma Beatrice, pop over to Madrid for the La Paloma festival, fly down to see cousin Carlos in Málaga, and even catch a game at Yankee Stadium on the way back. That’s living.
It’s all made possible by low Iberia pricing because those four stops would end up costing what other airlines charge for two.
Case in point: If you live in Nashville and want to go to Bordeaux, France, for some wine tasting, it will cost you 119,000 Iberia miles. Or the lowest cost we found for the same two-stop itinerary on United is 310,000 miles. On American Airlines, it was 230,000 miles.
Bottom line: If you were to fly Iberia instead, you can add New York and Madrid AND still pay way less overall. Let’s break it down.
- Nashville to New York (on American)
- New York to Madrid (Iberia)
- Madrid to Bordeaux (Iberia)
- The total for this entire itinerary is 119,000 miles, round-trip during off-peak dates.
By flying Iberia:
- You’d save up to 191,000 miles versus United
- You’d save up to 111,000 miles versus American
Check out the screenshot below.
- Iberia add-on connection mileage Off-Peak / Peak dates
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Take Iberia’s Deal Even Further
Travel Beyond Madrid for 9,000 Miles
For 9,000 off-peak (10,000 peak) miles one-way or 18,000 off-peak (20,000 peak) miles round-trip, you can replace Bordeaux with other awesome cities near Madrid like Barcelona, Bilbao, Ibiza, Malaga, Palma de Mallorca, Seville, Valencia, Geneva, Lisbon, Lyon, Marseilles, Nice and many other cities.
Oh by the way: you can also get a stopover in Madrid for the same price.
Travel Well Beyond Madrid for 15,000 Miles
Want to go even farther afield? For 15,000 off-peak (16,500 peak) miles one-way or 30,000 (33,000 peak) miles round-trip, you can add on Amsterdam, Berlin, Brussels, Dublin, Dubrovnik, Florence, Frankfurt, Genoa, Glasgow, Hamburg, London, Malta, Manchester, Milan, Munich, Naples, Palermo, Paris, Prague, Rome, Strasbourg, Tenerife, Turin, Venice, Vienna, Zagreb, Zurich, and more.
Oh by the way: you can also get a stopover in Madrid for the same price.
Start or End in a U.S. City Other than Iberia’s Hub
Here are some Oneworld U.S. cities you can depart from to connect with the Spanish carrier’s seven transatlantic flights.
Oh by the way: you can also get a stopover in the U.S. City coming and/or going for the same price.
Add-Ons from Iberia U.S. hubs
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You can stop in the U.S. and Beyond Madrid
As shown in the Nashville to Bordeaux example below.
Use fewer Miles / More Money Non-stop Example
You can also split the cost between miles and cash. You pay the least number of miles: 13,600, which has a higher co-pay of $1,142 EUR / $1,294 USD. Or you can pay the highest number of miles at 68,000, and the lowest co-pay amount of $242 EUR / $274 USD, or somewhere in-between. It’s your call. See the screenshot below for the Boston-Madrid example.
Use Fewer Miles / More Money
Example with Europe Stop
You can also travel from New York to Bordeaux for 86,000 miles round-trip or you can split the cost between miles and cash. You pay the least number of miles: 17,200, which has a higher co-pay of $1,399 EUR / $1,586 USD. Or you can pay the highest number of miles at 86,000, and the lowest co-pay amount of $349 EUR / $395 USD, or somewhere in-between. It’s your call. See the screenshot below for the New York-Bordeaux example.
Cheap One-Way Awards
You don’t have to book round-trips either. Use one-ways to complement other plans you may have in mind.
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You can use this Iberia play to launch another incredible low-cost deal we call The Leg Stretch Strategy. For example, if you’re planning to visit Europe and South America in a 12-month window, these Iberia one-ways are for you.
Note: This strategy doesn’t work as well from the West Coast, such as Seattle, because the mileage requirements are higher. If you're pushing the envelope with stopovers it can be lucrative though however.
Leverage FCF’s Award Availability Treasure Map
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