Flying business class is a fun way to make a trip more special. It almost feels like a different world than the economy cabin. You get a spacious seat, and on long flights, it could be a lie-flat seat that turns into a bed. There’s also a premium meal service. And who doesn’t love champagne before takeoff?
The biggest downside is the price tag, but savvy travelers know how to score a better deal. If you’d like to get the business-class experience for less, here’s what the experts do.
1. Pay for tickets with miles
Most airlines sell tickets in cash or miles. Cash is how most people pay, and sometimes you can get a reasonable price. But in business class, tickets are expensive. On a long-haul international flight, you could be looking at $3,000 or more.
In that situation, you’re much better off paying with miles. The same ticket could cost 70,000 miles, plus taxes and fees. I’ve saved over $5,000 booking business class with miles instead of cash.
You may be wondering just how you’re supposed to earn all those miles. To start, you can sign up with the airline’s loyalty program and earn miles on flight bookings. But there’s also a way to speed up the process.
2. Use travel credit cards
Travel cards make it much easier to earn the miles you need for business class. You could:
- Get an airline credit card that earns miles with one specific airline.
- Get a travel card with points you can transfer to multiple airlines.
I prefer the latter because it gives you far more booking options. For example, I have travel cards with Chase and American Express. Each of them earns points I can transfer to more than 10 domestic and international airlines.
With a travel card, you can earn points or miles on your everyday spending instead of just when you fly. Many of these cards also have big welcome offers worth 50,000 points or more. Click here to learn more and check out the top travel rewards cards.
3. Keep your travel dates open
Airfare prices can vary quite a bit from one day to the next. This is true no matter which cabin you’re booking. But you may see particularly large fluctuations in business class, since prices are much higher.
Whether you’re booking with cash or miles, try to avoid getting locked into a specific date. The more flexible you are, the more likely it is that you find an affordable ticket. Review prices on multiple dates to see what’s available. Low-fare calendars are a useful tool to quickly see which days have the best deals.
Getting a deal on business class is a numbers game. It helps to give yourself as many chances as possible to find a ticket. If you’re shopping at the last minute, you’re forced to grab whatever’s available.
So, how soon should you start shopping? Going, a travel deals site, recommends one to three months before departure for domestic flights and two to eight months before departure for international flights. These are the periods when fares are most likely to be at their lowest. If your trip will be during the peak travel season, add a few months to those time frames.
5. See if you can score elite status
Most airline loyalty programs are tiered. Frequent flyers who spend enough money with an airline can move up into its elite status tiers. This gets you special benefits, which often include complimentary upgrades when available.
Trying to get elite status with an airline is only worth it if you travel often. If you think you can do it, look into the requirements for reaching elite status with your favorite airline.
If one of your travel goals is to fly business class, there are plenty of ways to make it happen. To start, find a credit card with a travel rewards program you like. Make sure you earn the welcome offer, and sign up for the loyalty programs of any airlines you use. After that, it’s all about shopping around, finding the best business-class deals, and maybe seeing if you can land elite status.
