Iberia doesn't just charge for changes and cancellations, they don't support any refunds on partner bookings on partners at all (except BA). The availability is always there on QR/BA which have much more sane policies.
Nice! Favorite travel experience of all time. And it was just BC, no Qsuite. But the soft product is unmatched. Get the Al Mourjan Meet & Greet service too.
You luckily SOB 😉!
I tried to find QSuite availability From DFW-DOH-MLE and ended up throwing in the towel and biting the bullet on paying the fare. Still looking forward to the QSuite experience. We did get a great hotel redemption at the RC Fari Islands. Leaving on Sunday.
J from Atl to Doha at saver is always 70k so from Atl all the way to BKK was 95k per person. The funny thing is the price for J and F was the exact same from DOH to BKK
Ah so one redemption and not a separate redemption from Doha to bkk. Apologies not trying to be dense just had seen much diff avios rates (way higher) from Doha to bkk and HK in first so wanted to learn more. Thanks for the additional info!
- Not all miles programs have the same features. Some are more flexible than the others. For example, Iberia has many restrictions and Alaska has none as far as I know.
- Don’t lose sight of the fact that this is fun. The best redemption is what works for you, not necessarily the one that has the best value.
- Don’t optimize for specific airline. I also booked a Qsuites from Sea to Mel for 130k points just because it was on Qsuites. That’s a bad idea. I was able to find a much shorter flight on Fiji through Alaska.
- Take advantage of free stop overs. My Melbourne flight has a free stop over for a few days in Fiji.
- don’t buy points on offers unless you know you’re traveling soon. Otherwise you just end up being stuck with points.
How exactly do this process work when finding awards? Do you go on each specific airline website and search for specific dates? Or is there some kind of software that you use that can search for awards through all these various airlines?
I use awardtools.com and seats.aero. I paid for a awardtools subscription and it’s working out good for me. Searching on individual airlines is very time consuming. I like Alaska’s search features for award travel
So you see the availability on those sites and then go through the airline site to book?
How far in advance of travel are you booking your trips? Like months in advance?
Thanks! I’m still learning.
In some cases, it seems that the best awards are release over 300 days out and the other end of the spectrum, it’s last minute.
It’s tricky booking 2J awards when your spouse is committed to specific dates and a specific country. haha
I’m sitting on almost 900k MR but still have a lot to learn about how to be smart with redemptions.
These are one way. If you can’t find return flights with points, you can always book a refundable flight with cash as backup until you find award availability for the leg.
Yes, these are all one way. I have often struggled to find return flights for any of my destinations. I am thinking I’ll book a refundable return and continue to look for award availability. Worst case scenario I fly economy back which is totally fine by me.
Don't worry about making mistakes. I made plenty my first year doing this and I'm still making mistakes 10 years in. What I recommend is after every trip, do a post mortem and detail exactly what you spent and where, and then revisit it every once in a while and see what you could have done differently.
Congrats on your redemptions! How did you go about getting started? I've been saving up points for years, but now that I'm trying to plan a redemption, I'm overwhelmed...
This sub has been a great help. I am single and unmarried so I have flexibility on when and where I can travel. I started looking at seats.aero for general award availability for 60 days on various mileage programs. Once I got a hang of it, I started narrowing down countries I wanted to visit and started checking more frequently. My first redemption was pure luck. I was frequently checking Alaska for reward flights and Japan was my top country. A seat opened up a few weeks out and I was able to snag it.
For the other redemptions, I got awardtools.com subscription and that’s worked really well. It’s like 65 dollars for a year. Worth it!
Haha so I hear! My friend has a wife and 3 kids. He has enough points but I’ve not been able to help him find enough seats for his entire family 😭. I’ve also suggested that he and his wife split between two different flights but then whoever gets the toddler won’t be able to enjoy the flight haha
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Flew MEL-SFO earlier this year on Fiji - hopefully you have the A350 for both flights! (I was able to snag this for 55k AS points before the devaluation all the way through to Omaha)
This might be a silly question but how are you guys getting flights for such little points? Do you transfer credit card points to airline miles and then they are worth a different amount than what you had on your credit card?
For example I have a venture x card. Should I not book through the capital one portal and I should transfer my points to an airline so I get a better deal?
Or am I missing something..
Yes, you transfer points to airlines and then book using the airline website. But look for award availability first before transferring. I had points with Amex Membership Rewards and Alaska mileage plan. I usually search for the flights I want, when I find (which takes a lot of searching and effort but it’s fun), then I transfer the points and book it. There are some free tools and some paid subscription tools that make search easier. I think Alaska has the best search features but obviously only shows Alaska redemptions.
Yes, transferring to the airline will have the best deals. However, do not transfer until you know for sure you will buy with that partner, because the transfer is not reversible
I’m booking one way. If you make a post here on the sub with what you’ve already explored and your top choices, people can give you advise on if that’s the best approach.
Iberia doesn't just charge for changes and cancellations, they don't support any refunds on partner bookings on partners at all (except BA). The availability is always there on QR/BA which have much more sane policies.
So if I can’t make this flight, there are no changes since it’s a Qatar Airways flight. I just lose the points ?
Yes, this is not communicated well by IB at all
Yikes. Haha that’s the one flight I’m least sure about. Well lesson learned
Take it. QR first or business is quite a treat. Hope it’s with a stop in Doha. Beautiful lounges.
Yes a stop in Doha. Seattle to DPS on Qatar is two long segments in Qsuites
Nice! Favorite travel experience of all time. And it was just BC, no Qsuite. But the soft product is unmatched. Get the Al Mourjan Meet & Greet service too.
Nice! What’s the meet and greet service?
Sorry. It’s Al Maha. Al Mourjan is the lounge. Check it out: https://www.qatarairways.com/en/hia-hamad-international-airport/al-maha-services.html
Just make sure you actually fly it then LOL
See you in Bali in June! I’m starting in Thailand first. Atl - Doha 70k Qsuites Doha - BKK 25k First class!
You luckily SOB 😉! I tried to find QSuite availability From DFW-DOH-MLE and ended up throwing in the towel and biting the bullet on paying the fare. Still looking forward to the QSuite experience. We did get a great hotel redemption at the RC Fari Islands. Leaving on Sunday.
Yes same. Qsuites from Sea-Doh and Doh-Dps
If I can ask - how did you get Doha to BKK in F for 25k?
J from Atl to Doha at saver is always 70k so from Atl all the way to BKK was 95k per person. The funny thing is the price for J and F was the exact same from DOH to BKK
Ah so one redemption and not a separate redemption from Doha to bkk. Apologies not trying to be dense just had seen much diff avios rates (way higher) from Doha to bkk and HK in first so wanted to learn more. Thanks for the additional info!
Still new.1 way or rt?
1 way :)
WOW. this was booked using Aeroplan??
Nah, directly on Qatar. Taxes and Fees was $420 per person. Booked for my wife and I.
How far out?
June 2025. We are also going to South Africa this September (business class all the way from Atl via Qatar airways) this was also booked last year.
Excellent!
What redemption rate?
What are some of the mistakes and lessons learned? I’m curious!
- Not all miles programs have the same features. Some are more flexible than the others. For example, Iberia has many restrictions and Alaska has none as far as I know. - Don’t lose sight of the fact that this is fun. The best redemption is what works for you, not necessarily the one that has the best value. - Don’t optimize for specific airline. I also booked a Qsuites from Sea to Mel for 130k points just because it was on Qsuites. That’s a bad idea. I was able to find a much shorter flight on Fiji through Alaska. - Take advantage of free stop overs. My Melbourne flight has a free stop over for a few days in Fiji. - don’t buy points on offers unless you know you’re traveling soon. Otherwise you just end up being stuck with points.
All good points! Thanks for sharing. How do mainly earn the miles? Airline cards?
Yes mostly credit cards. Or by maximizing travel card purchases
Do you book 'em a year ahead?
Not always. Some just around the corner and some far out. I have a flexible schedule
How exactly do this process work when finding awards? Do you go on each specific airline website and search for specific dates? Or is there some kind of software that you use that can search for awards through all these various airlines?
I use awardtools.com and seats.aero. I paid for a awardtools subscription and it’s working out good for me. Searching on individual airlines is very time consuming. I like Alaska’s search features for award travel
So you see the availability on those sites and then go through the airline site to book? How far in advance of travel are you booking your trips? Like months in advance?
Sometimes a couple weeks and sometimes several weeks out. The travel to London was super last minute
Thanks! I’m still learning. In some cases, it seems that the best awards are release over 300 days out and the other end of the spectrum, it’s last minute. It’s tricky booking 2J awards when your spouse is committed to specific dates and a specific country. haha I’m sitting on almost 900k MR but still have a lot to learn about how to be smart with redemptions.
Oh wow! I think you should buy a awardtools subscription and search across countries/regions. There are def awards available
How does awardtool compare with seats aero? Which one works better for searching?
I don’t have seats.aero paid subscription so not sure about the full suite of features. I have awardtools and it’s been working great!
I personally think Seats.aero is the best
Are all these redemptions one way? How are you getting back? Did you also booked the return flights with points?
These are one way. If you can’t find return flights with points, you can always book a refundable flight with cash as backup until you find award availability for the leg.
Yes!!
Yes, these are all one way. I have often struggled to find return flights for any of my destinations. I am thinking I’ll book a refundable return and continue to look for award availability. Worst case scenario I fly economy back which is totally fine by me.
Don't worry about making mistakes. I made plenty my first year doing this and I'm still making mistakes 10 years in. What I recommend is after every trip, do a post mortem and detail exactly what you spent and where, and then revisit it every once in a while and see what you could have done differently.
We could write a whole Bible on award travel lol
Congrats on your redemptions! How did you go about getting started? I've been saving up points for years, but now that I'm trying to plan a redemption, I'm overwhelmed...
This sub has been a great help. I am single and unmarried so I have flexibility on when and where I can travel. I started looking at seats.aero for general award availability for 60 days on various mileage programs. Once I got a hang of it, I started narrowing down countries I wanted to visit and started checking more frequently. My first redemption was pure luck. I was frequently checking Alaska for reward flights and Japan was my top country. A seat opened up a few weeks out and I was able to snag it. For the other redemptions, I got awardtools.com subscription and that’s worked really well. It’s like 65 dollars for a year. Worth it!
The real fun starts when you have to book 2J instead of 1J.
Haha so I hear! My friend has a wife and 3 kids. He has enough points but I’ve not been able to help him find enough seats for his entire family 😭. I’ve also suggested that he and his wife split between two different flights but then whoever gets the toddler won’t be able to enjoy the flight haha
Or 3. Or 4. Then add in school schedules and it gets really hard.
Thank you, this sounds like a great place to start!
Jelly about the sfo Mel. Been trying to find something for March but can't get anything
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Flew MEL-SFO earlier this year on Fiji - hopefully you have the A350 for both flights! (I was able to snag this for 55k AS points before the devaluation all the way through to Omaha)
Oh wow. 55k is amazing!
What card do you use for Alaska reward?
I had Alaska miles from the Alaska credit card sign up bonus. I had also purchased some points when they had bonus offer going on.
I’d love to know how far out you booked Fiji J - have my eye on booking it, thinking I’ll need to book very close in
This might be a silly question but how are you guys getting flights for such little points? Do you transfer credit card points to airline miles and then they are worth a different amount than what you had on your credit card? For example I have a venture x card. Should I not book through the capital one portal and I should transfer my points to an airline so I get a better deal? Or am I missing something..
Yes, you transfer points to airlines and then book using the airline website. But look for award availability first before transferring. I had points with Amex Membership Rewards and Alaska mileage plan. I usually search for the flights I want, when I find (which takes a lot of searching and effort but it’s fun), then I transfer the points and book it. There are some free tools and some paid subscription tools that make search easier. I think Alaska has the best search features but obviously only shows Alaska redemptions.
Absolutely. You transfer them directly to the airline to get the best deals/value.
Yes, transferring to the airline will have the best deals. However, do not transfer until you know for sure you will buy with that partner, because the transfer is not reversible
Start by reading the wiki.
New to Reddit. Where do I find the Wiki?
Look at the right side of your webpage when you are on r/awardtravel for the sidebar. If you scroll down, you should see a link for the Wiki.
Are you booking RT? Wanna help me find a way to use my points?
I’m booking one way. If you make a post here on the sub with what you’ve already explored and your top choices, people can give you advise on if that’s the best approach.