Success stories, Giampaolo: "Verona-Boston flight in First Class expensed by miles, at no cost."
We return to publish a success story. This time Giampaolo, a native of Verona who has been passionate about travel since [...]
Lufthansa
Air Dolomiti
We return to publish a success story. This time he wrote to us Giampaolo, a native of Verona, who has been passionate about travel since his first, made in 2001, For a study vacation in Toronto, Canada.
In this article:
Giampaolo tells how he discovered TFC, how he began to use his points strategically, and how he has accumulated 135,558 miles at no cost, how useful I found the posts published on the WhatsApp channel by The Flight Club. But most importantly, he tells how he managed to get a ticket Verona-Boston at First Class at no cost.
During the year of the Covid and lockdown, in one of my many aerobics sessions that I had dedicated myself to, quite by accident, I stumbled upon one of the numerous articles put online by the Barbone, I thought, "But who is this subject"?!? "What does he say"?!?!! "What does he do"?!?! I was between astonished and suspicious, but, a few minutes later, I was intrigued and a few videos later I was as gassed as Champagne at the end of the grand prix with Ferrari on the top step of the podium.
From there, the "post-Covid-19 life" restarted, but the only things that had not changed in my of life were my gym sessions and the television on the channel of the Barbone: I learned so much--perhaps all that little I know about the rewarding!
From there, a American Express Gold which I'm using for work and am taking advantage of more than I thought, combined with an account Mediolanum to get double the points of course (sorry Barbone but I had to be a bum too!).
But the turning point, the subject of this paper of mine, came with a post (I think on the Whatapp channel): 30x on Booking.com on Miles&More by Lufthansaof which I was already a member (I am, however, a person who travels a lot for tourism but never managed to grab status of any kind, just so you know!).
I do the math on the fly: I had planned for the twelve months to follow a twenty-day trip to Kenya, one in the U.S. in New York of one week e four days in Lanzarote, I see a mirage materializing and immediately cancel all reservations and rebook everything at the same cost (verified before cancelling of course!) but through the channel Miles&More to join the bonus; by the way, the flight to Kenya was with Lufthansa, which was worth a little over 4,000 miles anyway, practically nothing! At the end of it all, practically a year later, I ended up with 135,558 miles at virtually no cost!
At this point I decide to press on with Miles&More and the remaining overnight stays I credit the same way but the bonus is long gone and there are very few miles coming in; then a notice arrives warning of a change in Lufthansa award flights so I decide to "empty the piggy bank."
How to spend!!!? Where to go!!! How to optimize!!! Need the smartest way!(As Barbone always recommends!)
I study the flights, the possibilities (even on a personal level) and set my sights on Boston where I have a childhood friend and do some simulations.
I am from Verona where there is a flight operation of Air Dolomiti (LH group) and I'm thinking of doing a round trip in Business Class from there but, for some reason, Verona has few award flights that combine with a stopover in Frankfurt or Munich. I change my strategy and decide to take roundtrip from Munich (or Frankfurt) due to date availability and buy in cash the roundtrip flight to Munich (or Frankfurt) from Verona.
The choice works but among the various offers (I should point out that I was buying by single route) I come up with a proposal with a stopover, namely Frankfurt-Munich-Boston, with Airbus 380 in First Class at 115,000 miles (the idea, actually, was the direct in Business on 747 at 78,000 miles) and I think, "It's now or never!"
Of course I also had to get home from Boston and so I'm still thinking, and all of a sudden, a flash, the memory of a newsletter from Miles&More for the Boundle +50% and I decide to do some kind of combination by buying 50,000+25,000 miles for about 900 euros (and so I ended up with 135,558+50,000+25,000 for a total of 210,558 miles) and I propose:
- 17,000 miles (+€25 in taxes) the Verona-Frankfurt in Economy Class
- 115,000 miles (+175€ in taxes) Frankfurt-Munich-Boston in First Class and I also get the entire First Class experience in Frankfurt in the First Terminal with chauffeur and the First Lounge experience in Munich!
- 78,000 miles (+€47 in taxes) Boston-Zurich-Milan in Business Class
In practice the flight from Verona to Boston in First Class is fully expensed from miles earned with Booking.com's X30 bonus at no cost (taxes aside of course)....a huge satisfaction!
I could have spent zero and done everything in Business?!?! Maybe, but there are experiences "once in a life" That, possibly, are not to be lost, and, personally, I felt that this was the case! In the end, adding it all up, with 210,000 miles and 1,200 euros I make one way in First Classand a return to Business Class....credo be a good success!
Some may wonder why I did not return to Verona--there is a reason why: as already explained, on Verona, there were very few combinations and with unsustainable dates; so I booked the outward journey from Verona but the day before (in Economy Class there was a lot of availability), so I don't risk missing my connection with the flight to Boston the following day (considering they are two separate tickets I would not be re-routed in case something goes wrong on the first flight) and, in addition, I also pay a short visit to Frankfurt!
This way I can also access the First Terminal early in the morning and make the most of the experience as much as possible since the flight will leave at 12:15 p.m. from Frankfurt!
On the other hand, I booked the return flight on Milan because Verona was obviously not available but mainly because this way I could make a single ticket that, in case of problems with flights, guarantees me re-routing to Milan. With the miles available I could also propose two separate tickets on Verona (Boston-Frankfurt in Business and Frankfurt-Verona in Economy) but, and here the "BUTs" make a difference, firstly if I missed my connecting flight in Frankfurt to Verona I would have been dropped for "no show," plus I would have had to fly on a Lufthansa Business on a 747 where the seating configuration is typically 2-2-2 downstairs and 2-2 upstairs except for a single, single, unhappy seat in the main deck wedged between the 2 aisles!
Nothing like a seat on a Swiss 330-300 window side in (2)1-2-1 configuration where on the left are the famous (trone seats) which however are only good for daytime flights as in bed configuration they have a rather narrow "leg room" and besides it cost me $196 and since I am a "learned" from the bum I chose a free seat on the right side and window side, further from the aisle therefore and with more privacy as a result.
And the magic was over!
Thank you Barbone, thank you!
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