Flying business class to Europe as a family of four? Most people think that’s a once-in-a-lifetime splurge. But with a little strategy, the right timing, and the right tools, I made it happen for a fraction of the cost.
Here’s the full story of how I saved over $10,000 on our flights and turned a dream family trip into reality.
Step 1: Catching the Points Sale of the Year
In late 2024, Hawaiian Airlines ran a 100% bonus sale on miles. When you know how to use points, deals like this are impossible to pass up. I didn’t hesitate. I bought around 320,000 Hawaiian miles for $4,064.00 because I knew I could put them to work later.
But here’s what made this special.
At the time, there was a workaround that let you transfer Hawaiian Airlines miles to Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan. This was huge. Normally, getting points into Alaska is difficult, but this Hawaiian path opened up access to some of the best award redemptions in the game.
I didn’t know exactly when I would use the miles, but I knew the opportunity was too good to miss.
Step 2: The Search for Four Business Class Seats
Fast forward to February and March 2025. I started searching for four business class tickets from the West Coast to Europe for a late spring or early summer family trip.
Finding four seats in business class on the same flight? That’s not easy. But it’s possible if you know where to look.
I spent weeks searching, checking routes, flipping through dates, and running searches across multiple airlines. I knew I needed a tool that could keep up with me and help me move fast.
That’s why I used PointsYeah’s Daydream Explorer. It’s fast, flexible, and my absolute go-to for finding award flights. You can search across programs and dates in seconds, which saves a ton of time and opens up flights most people miss.
Then I found it.
Four business class seats from Las Vegas to Frankfurt on Condor Airlines for just 70,000 Alaska miles per ticket.
Finding one seat at that rate is pretty rare. Finding four on the same flight? That’s tough, but this is exactly what Daydream Explorer is built for. It helped me spot this deal quickly before it was gone.
I stared at the screen, double-checked the dates, the cabin, the taxes. I refreshed the page. I ran the search again. I triple-checked everything just to be sure.
It was real. And I knew I had to move fast. Deals like this don’t wait around. If you hesitate, they’re gone.
So I booked them immediately.
The trip was locked in.
The Final Numbers:
- Total Miles: 280,000 Alaska miles
- Cash Paid: $196.80 in taxes and fees
Just out of curiosity, I checked the cash price for those same flights on Google Flights.
$14,080 for 4 people.
I booked them for less than $900 per person. That’s a savings of over $10,000.
That’s not a discount. That’s a major win!
Step 3: Flying in Style
When the day finally came, it all felt surreal. We weren’t crammed in economy. We weren’t worrying about sleep, legroom, or whether our kids would be miserable for ten hours. We were flying in comfort. We were flying in business class.
Boarding Condor’s A330, we settled into wide, spacious seats that fully reclined into beds. The cabin was quiet. The service was smooth. The food was surprisingly good. And when we took off, I had this moment of realizing this is why I chase points. It’s not just about saving money, it’s about creating moments that make travel easier, more enjoyable, and more memorable.
The flight was perfect. We dined, we slept, and we landed in Frankfurt feeling refreshed, rested, and genuinely excited to kick off our European adventure.
When you travel with your family, this matters. Arriving well-rested changes everything. It sets the tone for the entire trip.
And the best part? I didn’t need to spend $14,000 to make it happen.
This is the power of points. This is why I play the game.
How Daydream Explorer Made It Happen
It’s not just fast. It’s not just easy. It’s built to help you find flights most people miss. I could quickly scan wide-open date ranges, mix and match departure cities, and explore hidden opportunities that would have been buried in endless airline searches.
While others are still clicking through airline websites, I’m already booking.
If I wasn’t using Daydream Explorer, I never would have found those four seats. I never would have pulled this off.
Looking back, this whole experience changed how I think about buying points.
Buying Points Can Be a Game-Changer When It Makes Sense
This trip really opened my eyes to what buying points can unlock. It’s not something I do for every trip, but when the right opportunity shows up, it can make a huge difference.
When there’s a big sale, when you’ve done the math, and when you can actually find the seats you want, buying points can be the key to getting incredible value. It can turn flights that seem completely out of reach into something that’s possible.
I didn’t buy points just to have them sitting in my account. I bought them because I had a real plan and a real way to use them.
Buying points isn’t always the answer, but sometimes, it’s exactly what makes trips like this happen.
Important: The Points Game Is Always Changing
When I bought Hawaiian miles last year, the Hawaiian-to-Alaska transfer path was wide open. It was one of the best workarounds in the game. That path has since closed, and it’s a perfect reminder that these windows don’t stay open forever.
Award programs, transfer partners, and sweet spots are constantly shifting. What works today might be gone tomorrow. We’ve seen it happen with Virgin Atlantic’s rising fees, Emirates’ recent Amex transfer devaluation, and other changes across the points landscape.
The key takeaway?
Maximize transfer bonuses and partner sweet spots while you can, but don’t move points speculatively. Wait until you find a real, bookable flight. Programs can devalue, transfer ratios can shift, and award space can vanish overnight.
There will always be new deals, but the industry moves fast. Staying ready, staying flexible, and using the right tools is how you stay ahead.
Final Takeaway: You Can Do This Too
Buying points when the math works out can be one of the smartest moves in points travel. You don’t have to be an expert. You just need to:
- Be ready to act when a deal drops.
- Use the right tools, like Daydream Explorer, to search smarter and faster.
- Trust the process.
This is how you win with points.
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