Virgin Bonus for ANA First/Biz to Tokyo or Cruise Europe, Avianca for Portugal & Southwest
Sweet spots for breakfast!
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Good morning,
If it’s not obvious by now that we love Japan, here’s a little more evidence. Today we’re kicking things off with a Virgin Flying Club deal that will get you to Tokyo in first class, only downside is that it’s expiring next Wednesday. If that doesn’t work for you, we have two other callouts to share from this week:
Virgin FlyingClub 30% Transfer Bonus expiring June 14th
Avianca LifeMiles 25% Transfer Bonus expiring June 30th
Southwest Bookings Available until January 7, 2024
Let’s jump straight in!
Virgin Atlantic Transfer Bonus via American Express
Virgin Atlantic is offering a 30% transfer bonus when you move American Express Membership Rewards points over to their Flying Club frequent flyer program.
This offer is accessible via American Express here, but will only show the bonus when you’re logged in. If you’re planning to take advantage of this, act now since this expires June 14th.
Virgin Atlantic offers two sweet spots to keep in mind:
(1) ANA First & Business Class to/from Japan
This isn’t straight-forward, but if you’re planning a trip to Japan, this is the best way to book First or Business on points. Despite a recent mileage price hike, it’s still worth booking, here’s how:
Search United awards tickets on Seats.aero for availability
Filter for direct flights to/from Japan, and once you find seats (and a backup plan or two), initiate the points transfer from Amex to Virgin, and then call Virgin to complete the booking
It’s easier to book this as two one-way flights because you greatly increase your chances of finding flights if you’re more flexible. Best of all, it’s the same price as booking a single roundtrip
Check out our Travel Guides: Intro to Japan & Tokyo
(2) Virgin Voyages European Cruises
While I have yet to try cruising as an adult, the idea of seeing multiple European cities without navigating train schedules or airports is quite appealing.
Virgin Flying Club allows you to convert miles to Virgin Red points on a 1:1 basis, and Virgin Red is currently offering European cruises at only 80k points for two people, which in cash would typically cost $2,800 + taxes and fees. If you factor in the 30% transfer bonus, 62k Amex points for up to $3,000 in value nets out to 4 cents per points (4x better than most portals).
Let us know if you book anything!
Avianca LifeMiles Transfer Bonus from Citi ThankYou Points
Avianca LifeMiles is offering a 25% transfer bonus when you transfer Citi ThankYou points to Avianca LifeMiles. Similar to the Qatar deal we spoke about this past weekend below. The bonus miles are awarded on the Avianca side, so you won’t see this advertised within the Citi ThankYou Points portal.
Instead you’ll simply send Citi ThankYou Points to your Avianca LifeMiles accounts and LifeMiles will provide the 25% bonus.
Four Avianca LifeMiles sweet spots to consider:
(1) Business Class to Europe
You can fly to Europe from 63,000 miles without having to pay extra fuel surcharges. This is exciting because fuel surcharges for other airlines like Lufthansa can be as high as $700-1000.
A supreme deal is the occasional Newark to Lisbon route, priced at just 35,000 miles. When factoring in this 25% bonus, that’s only 28,000 points!
(2) Business Class to South America
Avianca LifeMiles offers competitive pricing for Star Alliance flights across South America. Again, no fuel surcharges to worry about and you have the ability to mix cabin classes which makes booking easier (perhaps you’re willing to sacrifice on comfort for a shorter leg of the trip to save on miles).
(3) Domestic US Travel
If you're traveling within the United States, Avianca LifeMiles offers excellent one-way prices for United flights.
The U.S. is divided into three zones, and within a single zone, business class flights are officially priced at 10,000 miles one-way. For example, flights between Zone 1 (most of the East Coast) and Zone 2 (most of the states except the far west) are officially priced at 15,000 miles. However, many routes are priced lower than the official chart for unknown reasons.
In Economy, these flights start at just 7,500 miles one-way, meaning you can book a roundtrip with the current promo for just 12,000 Citi ThankYou Points.
(4) Economy to/from The Caribbean
Last but not least, if you need a little beach time, economy one-way flights start at just 12,500 miles. This deal yields a roundtrip at 20,000 Citi ThankYou Points.
Learn more via Avianca LifeMiles here.
Southwest Booking Calendar Open Until January 7, 2024
For the Southwest flyers out there, note that their booking calendar just opened up until early January. Unlike other airlines that follow the 330 day rule, Southwest marches to its own drum which makes for a refreshing (or confusing) change to norms.
While I haven’t flown Southwest yet, I’ve been keeping an eye out on their credit cards and would consider signing up during a promotional period if I was anticipating plenty of domestic US travel. The sweet spot of their program is their coveted Companion Pass which turns every booking into a buy one, get one free for a named companion. More to share on that in a future newsletter!
For now, check out the calendar here.
❤️ A&A
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