There is only one thing better than flying first class - flying it for FREE.
Flying in luxury can be 10X the purchase price of an Economy ticket. Most people tend to spend all of their travel budgets on nice hotel rooms, food & drinks, and fun activities. This doesn’t leave much for upgraded airline seats.
If you aren’t booking flights with airline miles or credit card points you are missing out!
TIPS AND TRICKS; The Basics:
Airline Loyalty
Sign up and join an airline's mileage program and earn miles for EVERY flight you take.
You may be enticed to book a “cheap flight” on a third party website but you should always book direct from an airline. You may find cheaper airfare but those third party websites will never get you a free first class flight. Be sure to read the fine print on some of those “deals” as a lot of those “cheap” fares don’t allow you to pick a seat or have added fees for upgrades, luggage, etc..
Figure out which airline is the best fit for you!
Does an individual airline have a hub in your local airport?
Do you fly internationally?
Do you typically only fly to a few cities?
Alaska Airlines:
Primary Hub - Seattle
Secondary Hubs - Anchorage, Los Angeles, Portland, & San Francisco
A great airline for flying primarily on the west coast but doesn't offer the most extensive route map for non stop travel. They don’t have the greatest first class seats but they have osme of the best partners for international travel, such as Qatar, Qantas, & British Airways with some of the best seats to book.
American Airlines:
Primary Hub - Dallas
Secondary Hubs - Philadelphia, Phoenix, Charlotte, Chicago, Miami, New York, & Los Angeles
Their award mileage is tough to navigate but if you are flexible you can secure a great flight on their Flagship Business or Flagship First Class Planes (typically on the Boeing 777s).
Delta Airlines:
Primary Hub - Atlanta
Secondary Hubs - Boston, Detroit, Minneapolis, New York, Los Angeles, and Salt Lake City.
Delta flies the most Airbus planes out of any of the US airliners. They have great premium products like Delta One which offer their finest way to travel.
United Airlines:
Primary Hub - Houston
Secondary Hubs - Chicago, Denver, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington DC.
United actually has the most destinations worldwide compared to any of the US Airline companies. Their luxury first class products are the polaris seats.
Purchasing Points
You can always purchase miles directly from an airline If you ever need a few extra miles to purchase that elusive award mile trip. They typically aren’t the best value but they do offer deals and promotions where purchasing points can be lucrative. Airlines can devalue their programs at any time so be sure not to purchase miles only when having an immediate need.
Airline Credit Cards
This is one of the best ways to get first class seats. Sign up for an airline credit card and you’ll get a huge sign up bonus which should immediately get you the seat you want. Keep spending money on the individual airline card and earn miles for more luxury trips!
Pick a card for the airline you will use the most !
Travel Credit Cards
Another amazing option is booking one of the best travel cards out there, the American Express Platinum Card. It comes with a high annual fee but if you utilize the perks (travel credits, uber credits, hotel status, car rental status, etc.) you will far exceed the yearly price tag.
This credit card has allowed me to fly and book flights on the world’s best airlines such as Emirates, Qatar, and Singapore Airlines.
Use this link and get 100,000 points!
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