It’s the peak of summer travel, and planes, trains, and hotels are booked to capacity. But that doesn’t mean you can’t find a good travel deal—especially by using your miles and points. Whether you are booking a last-minute getaway (there are some bargains still to be had) or planning ahead, don’t miss these opportunities to multiply your loyalty balance, amplify your credit card perks, and maximize the value of your next big adventure.
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Fly to Europe or the Maldives for next to nothing
This month, Air France and KLM’s Promo Awards from Flying Blue are available for reservations made by July 31 for travel any time before the end of the year. Among some of the best deals are flights from Boston or Chicago to various cities in Europe like Paris or Amsterdam for as few as 11,250 miles in economy class, each way. Flights from Denver to Europe start at 15,000 miles each way, while those from Austin, Texas, begin at 18,375 miles.
Elsewhere, Qatar Airways currently has wide-open business class space on flights next year to the Maldives, Middle East, and many Asian cities. This includes the airline’s highly coveted Qsuites, but you’ll have to book quickly in order to score one. You can use 70,000 American AAdvantage miles or Qatar Avios points in each direction or 85,000 Alaska Mileage Plan miles for one-way redemptions from many of Qatar’s North American gateways. Using Cathay Pacific Asia Miles from the East Coast? It’s only 75,000 miles each way. The best availability is for May and June of 2024, but space is limited and not available on every date or route.
Score bonuses just for creating a loyalty account
Experts will tell you to never bypass signing up for a loyalty program. You never know when you will fly or stay with a brand again, or when that program may merge or create reciprocal perks with another. For example, IHG One Rewards and Iberostar Beachfront Resorts just launched a new partnership; this means any IHG member is eligible to earn points and benefits when staying with Iberostar across its portfolio of hotels in Brazil, the Caribbean, Mexico, Morocco, and Spain, among other destinations. This includes free room upgrades, late checkout, and welcome amenities.
And sometimes, just joining a program can save you cash, too. Between now and July 14, Azamara Circle members can book a cruise and receive double the traditional member discount. This 20% savings offer can be stacked with another bonus for a $600 onboard credit and three free nights available on select sailings. This offer is available just for joining the program.
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Leaders Club offers anyone that joins the program free breakfast for two as well as late checkout and early check-in considerations plus potential room upgrades. This can yield several hundred dollars in value since its properties are considered the crème de la crème of hotels (think: Ritz Paris, La Mamounia in Marrakech, and Hotel Fasano in São Paulo).
Purchase a cache of miles and points—that’s actually worth the cost
Is it ever a good idea to buy points and miles? Short answer: Yes. But only if you have plans in place to use them. Be sure to compare the cost to buy any miles or points with what the flight or hotel would otherwise cost in cash. In many cases, this roundabout strategy to buy miles and points can slash overall travel spending in half (or even more) if you find the right deal and can confirm that award space is available.
Some valuable promotions that would be worth considering this month include World of Hyatt’s offer fo a 25 percent bonus when you buy at least 5,000 points between now and Aug. 11. You can then redeem those points for potentially more value at world-famous hotels like the Park Hyatt Tokyo (before it closes in the spring of 2024 for a year-long renovation) or Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort. For $2,640 (including the bonus), you would receive 137,500 points. At the Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa, a beach villa goes for $750 plus tax per night on many nights in July. With World of Hyatt, it would cost 25,000 points per night. You could redeem 125,000 points for five nights or pay around $4,000 in cash. In this scenario, using points can save some serious cash.
Frequent flier programs offer similar deals. For instance, with the latest offer from Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, you can earn as much as a 60 percent bonus before the end of the month when buying points. If you buy between 3,000 and 19,000 points, the bonus is only 20 percent, but buying at least 100,000 points will yield a 60 percent bonus. Don’t forget that you can redeem Virgin Atlantic points on SkyTeam partners like Delta and KLM among others, often at a far better value than redeeming from those airlines’ own programs. Want to make a reservation using points between the US and the UK using Flying Club points? You can save 30 percent off a redemption for trips completed by before September 30. Reservations must be made before July 24.
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Refill your points balance as you travel this summer
There are plenty of ways to pad your loyalty accounts with more points as you vacation this month, thanks to a host of promotions from hotels, credit cards, and airlines.
Members of Leaders Club, the loyalty program for The Leading Hotels of the World, can earn more points with each stay this summer. Between now and September 5, members can earn bonus points based on every subsequent stay. The offer starts with the second stay, which awards 1,000 bonus points. The third stay earns 2,000 extra points; the fourth stay, 3,000 bonus points. You can then redeem those points at world-class properties like Villa La Massa near Florence or Reverie Saigon in Vietnam.
Qantas is offering double points for members using any remaining travel credits from the past three years to make a reservation before July 31 on a Qantas-coded flight. The 200 percent bonus offer is available for travel through July 18, 2024. Be sure to register for the offer before booking the trip this month.
Transferring American Express Membership Rewards points to British Airways or Iberia Avios accounts will net a 30 percent bonus for transactions made before August 31. You can then use these points any time for redemptions on Oneworld alliance flights.
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If you’re more of a Chase Ultimate Rewards fan, Chase cardholders can move points from their credit card account to Air Canada’s Aeroplan and receive a 20 percent bonus if completed before the end of July.
