Welcome back to the Points Insider Mailbag. Each week, we round up a handful of your questions about points, miles, credit cards, and travel and answer them in one convenient place: right here.
This week, we’re looking at how to put a big stash of points (and some British Airways Avios) to use for flights to Europe, finding award availability when your dates aren’t flexible, booking Oneworld flights with Atmos Rewards points, and deciding whether airline credit cards still deserve a place in your wallet.
Here we go.
What’s the Best Way to Use Points to Fly Lie-Flat to Europe?
A reader has 64,000 British Airways Avios, roughly 220,000 Capital One miles, and 40,000 Chase points. They’re looking for ways to fly business class (or premium economy) from New York to Europe.
You’ve got plenty of options with those balances (especially flying out of New York).
One of my favorite programs for booking business-class flights to Europe is Air Canada Aeroplan, which is a transfer partner of both Chase and Capital One.
From New York (JFK), you can book business class to Zurich on SWISS or Frankfurt on Lufthansa or Singapore Airlines (the latter operates a neat fifth-freedom route across the Atlantic) for 60,000 Aeroplan points each way, plus relatively low taxes and fees.
You can also fly farther into Europe, including destinations like Vienna and Athens, for 75,000 points. And those are just a few examples.
Aeroplan uses a distance-based award chart (PDF link) for partner flights, so the number of points required depends on where you’re going.
As for your British Airways Avios, they’re a little trickier to use for transatlantic flights because British Airways adds hefty taxes and fees to award tickets (which I personally don’t enjoy paying). But there are other ways to put them to work.
One option is to use Avios for flights within Europe. British Airways typically offers several combinations of Avios and cash for the same award, allowing you to redeem more points to reduce what you pay out of pocket.
For example, if you use your other points to get to London, you could then redeem Avios to continue to somewhere like Athens for as little as 26,750 Avios plus $40. Economy flights can cost even less.
You can also transfer Avios between participating programs, including British Airways, Iberia, and Qatar Airways. Iberia is particularly useful for business-class flights to Spain, with some East Coast departures starting at just 40,500 Avios one-way. Qatar Airways is another option worth keeping in mind if you eventually want to try its Qsuite business class.
I’d start by searching PointsYeah for two business-class seats to Europe using your available points, then look at ways to use your Avios for the rest of the trip, if needed. With your combined balances and the transfer partners Chase and Capital One share, there’s no need to limit yourself to a single loyalty program.
{{ search-widget mode=”flight-hotel” }}
How Can You Find Award Flights for Fixed Dates and Destinations?
A reader takes tours that require arriving at specific destinations on specific dates. What tools can help find award flights when there’s little flexibility?
For trips where your dates and destinations are already set, I’d recommend starting with PointsYeah.
You can search for award flights between specific airports on specific dates and compare options across multiple airline loyalty programs. That makes it easier to see what’s available without checking each airline’s website individually.
If you’re not finding anything that works, I’d also recommend setting up a Points Price Alert. That way, you’ll get notified if availability opens up as your trip approaches.
Another tip is to consider nearby airports or arriving a day or two before your tour begins. Even a little flexibility around your departure airport or arrival date can make a big difference. PointsYeah’s Multi-Region Alerts can also help you monitor availability across multiple airports and regions at once.
And because you’re working around a tour, I’d avoid waiting until the last minute in hopes of finding a better redemption. Getting there on time is more important than getting the absolute lowest award price.
Remember that some airline programs have favorable change and cancellation policies, too. What you book initially doesn’t necessarily have to be what you end up flying.
More on This: What’s a Positioning Flight?
How Can You Book Oneworld Flights With Atmos Rewards Points?
A reader wants to book Oneworld partner flights using Atmos Rewards points, but some routes aren’t appearing in Alaska Airlines’ award search.
You can redeem Atmos Rewards points for flights on participating Oneworld partners (American, British Airways, etc.) through Alaska’s website, but there’s a catch: not every flight is available to book with points.
Airlines only release a certain number of award seats to partner loyalty programs. Sometimes that’s plenty of seats, sometimes it’s just a few, and sometimes there aren’t any at all.
I’d also recommend searching for individual flight segments rather than your entire itinerary. Alaska’s search engine doesn’t always piece together connecting flights particularly well, so breaking up the search can help you identify what’s available.
If you find award availability through another airline’s website but it doesn’t appear on Alaska, you can try calling Alaska’s reservations desk.
Just remember that Alaska doesn’t necessarily have access to the same award inventory as other Oneworld programs. Finding a seat through American Airlines or British Airways, for example, doesn’t guarantee you can book it with Atmos Rewards points.
Are American Airlines and United Credit Cards Worth Keeping?
A reader recently opened Capital One, Chase, and Amex cards and redeemed their rewards for multiple business-class trips. They also hold the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select and United Explorer cards and wonder whether those airline cards are worth keeping when other cards earn more points on purchases.
First, it sounds like you’ve had a great year putting those welcome bonuses to work!
And you’re asking the right question. When you have several cards earning transferable points, it can be difficult to justify putting everyday spending on an airline-specific card.
But there’s a difference between a credit card that’s worth keeping and one that’s worth using for everyday purchases.
Both the Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select card and United Explorer offer travel benefits like free checked bags and priority boarding. If you fly either airline regularly, those benefits could justify the annual fee even if you rarely use the card for purchases.
There are a couple of other things worth considering, too.
For United, holding an eligible co-branded credit card can unlock additional award availability and discounted award pricing. If you redeem United miles regularly, that benefit alone could be valuable.
The Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select is also getting new benefits and a higher annual fee in 2027. Depending on how you value those changes, they could make the card more or less worthwhile to keep.
As for earning more American Airlines miles, you’re not limited to spending on an AAdvantage credit card.
The AAdvantage eShopping portal and AAdvantage Hotels are two useful ways to build your balance, and eligible activity can also earn Loyalty Points toward status.
Plus, Citi ThankYou Rewards points can now be transferred to American Airlines AAdvantage. If you want to keep earning American miles without sacrificing the flexibility of transferable points, that could be worth considering as part of your longer-term card strategy.
Ultimately, I’d judge the airline cards by whether their benefits outweigh their annual fees, not how much spending you put on them. There’s no need to find a spending category for every card in your wallet, but there’s also little reason to keep paying for benefits you don’t use.
Missed Last Week’s Mailbag?
Catch up on last week’s questions and answers in our previous edition.
Ask Your Own Question
Got a points question of your own? Email us at newsletter@pointsyeah.com, and we’ll answer a few each week.
Leave a Reply