I defeated expensive tickets thanks to loyalty points. For my business and first vacations, I saved more than 10k euros
Technically it's not vacation since I'll also have to do smart work between flights, but it's the [...]
Technically it's not vacation since between flights I will also have to work in smart working, but it is the result that counts. This week I am leaving for a nice trip to the east. an itinerary completely bought using the points and will have me traveling aboard some of the best premium cabins in the world.
In this article:
These days there is nothing but talk about expensive tickets, I moved in time and gave myself an incredible itinerary while spending very little is the beauty of being an ant and accumulating every possible point. Certo last year at this time I had given myself a ticket to go around the world for less than €1,000, but in that case it was an all economy itinerary, whereas this one will always be aboard the best cabin available on every single plane.
The hunt for the bum is always on
Of course, this whole itinerary is included in the famous "bum hunting". If you catch me before I get to the gate and you are one of the subscribers to my social channels and you say the magic phrase "Hey bum I want your seat" you will sit in my seat and I will sit in yours.
The best bonuses
Of course it is not easy, but the reward is definitely attractive and most importantly, there is no obligation to buy or rip-off.
The itinerary
I will be departing from Milan Linate in the direction of London Heathrow, this is the only ticket paid cash. Of course I could have easily reset the cost to zero using Flying points, but I hope in the future to use them for something juicier. All Nippon Airlines' 777/300 is waiting for me here. And I will sit aboard The Suite, which is the first class cabin of Japan's largest airline to fly to Tokyo.
From the capital of Japan I will move to one of the cities I have most looked forward to in these pandemic years, viz. Hong Kong. Aboard business class on Cathay Pacific's flagship A350/900. Those who read TFC know very well that I am in love with the capital of Thailand and so I will be flying to Bangkok again aboard Cathay Pacific's business class.
My trip will end in hot (and humid) Thailand and I will depart from BKK back home with Air France, of course always in business class, and I will return to Linate after a short stop in Paris Charles De Gaulle.
How much I spent and how I booked
As mentioned the entire itinerary, with the exception of the approach flight over London, consists of award tickets, I will fly with 4 different companies which belong to the three different alliances and of course the reservations are all separate from each other, so if anything goes wrong I'll have to fix it myself.
The last ticket I got was for the first flight, which was the Milan/London. I had many options, even to use a handful of Avios and fly with British, but in the end I preferred to spend 106€ with ITA Airways. As mentioned. I could have halved the cost of the ticket Using Flying Points, maybe the ones I collected for free through the "introduce a friend" offer
The first ticket I got was the most valuable and the hardest to book: first class called The Suite aboard a very few 777/300s of All Nippon Airlines. The reservation was made in September 2022, as we have explained prize tickets, as well as regular tickets, Are put up for sale by companies with a certain amount of advance notice, this which is one of the hardest tickets to find you have to get it ASAP.
The cost of this cash ticket is between 8000 and 10 thousand each way, it cost me a whopping 700€ in taxes and 60 thousand Virgin points. Fees unfortunately are a blow, not only because of the company recently raising them, but because of the departure from London where taxes and surcharges are a real drain.
Today this ticket has become more expensive, Since 85k VS points are now needed each way. It is still cheap compared to what the traditional ticket price is. Accumulating Virgin points in Italy is not super easy, but now that the company has joined Skyteam you can also do this by flying ITA, Air France and the other companies in this alliance.
To book the second ticket I used American Express membership rewards points., I transferred the points to the British Airways account. The great thing about the points that you accumulate using Amex cards is. do not expire and can be moved, from time to time, Toward a different loyalty program.
The second ticket, the one from Tokyo to Bangkok with stopover in Hong Kong cost me 50 thousand avios points in addition to 175€ tax. The points avios are easier to accumulate in Italy compared to Virgin Atlantic's points, can be collected by flying with BA, Iberia and Vueling and with the many everyday activities, including even transferring points from Amex.
The last ticket on this trip will be aboard Air France. Again, the currency used to pay for it is loyalty points. For the most part, the points used to fly I earned by flying with Skyteam airlines; the ones I missed I got through my corporate spending made with American Express Platinum e the Mooncard, two cards that I use daily to settle all my company's invoices.
The cost was 87500 Flying Blue points., plus about 200€ in taxes and surcharges. Not a cheap ticket, but the alternatives available on the dates I was interested in were all more expensive.
The final cost of the itinerary was just over 1100 euros, I obviously could never have afforded to spend about 15k euros had I had to pay for the tickets out of my own pocket.
How do I make so many points
The answer is only one: I take advantage of every possible promotion. First of all every year you take advantage at 100% of the present-a-friend promo. Amex's one gives away 300 thousand points each year, Those of the hotel chains stay. With ITA's last two I have accumulated 20 thousand Volare points, which for example are worth 100€.
There is a work and a strategy. Just as the housewife carefully chooses where to go grocery shopping, so we do as a family in our daily lives. From gasoline, to bills. From supermarkets to every bonus that allows you to accumulate free points.
In my company we pay for everything, or almost everything, only with corporate credit cards. From providers to services, nothing is paid by wire transfer that can be charged to one of several cards.
I don't travel alone
I've often told of experiences we've had as a family using points, from flights to stays in hotels in crazy places where we would in no other way be able to afford to stay.
What I like is that many TFC readers have benefited greatly from our site, taking advantage of the tips, promos, and tricks, and that's what motivates me to keep growing this project.
How to start accumulating points
First, be enrolled in the companies' loyalty programs, one membership per alliance. And then Have the right credit card in your wallet that allows you to accumulate free loyalty points right now Amex Oro can be had for free for the first year and is perfect for trying to take your first steps in this world.