Practical Strategies for Flying Business Class with Credit Card Points
Have you ever wanted to use points to fly business or first class, but aren’t sure where to start? We’re here to help! This week Spencer Howard, credit card loyalty program and travel rewards expert, joins us to help you learn how to get started!
Spencer Howard is a credit card loyalty program and travel rewards expert. He’s also the founder of Straight to the Points - the go-to resource for individuals looking to demystify credit card points so they can experience traveling in luxury for business or pleasure (and occasionally, both!).
Spencer believes that everyone deserves to fly business class at least once in their lifetime, and he’s on a journey to make that happen. Since 2017 he’s traveled for 3 months of the year and seen 60+ countries. We were so excited to have him join our podcast and share all of his tips!
Let’s get down to the details!
Why spend points on business and first class?
Access to airport lounges
Makes flying more fun
If you need to work at the airport, lounges are great!
More personalized service
Food is way better
It’s nice to stretch out on long flights
Get a good night’s rest
How do I get started?
Spencer recommends first deciding how “into it” you want to get as in how many cards you want to work with (2-3 or even up to 20).
If you want to be more casual about the process, you could work with the Capital One Venture or Venture X card.
If you want to build a group of cards, some good options could be the AMEX Gold for dining and groceries and AMEX Platinum for flights, etc.
There is no “one size fits all” approach to this. You will need to decide your priorities.
How to collect points?
It mostly comes down to spending. There are online shopping portals that you can use to add points.
Cashback Monitor will show you the cashback rates for different portals.
Bilt has a dining program that lets you eat at certain restaurants for extra points.
If you run a business, putting all expenses on credit cards for points is the best hack!
How to make my points go the furthest?
Every airline program has their own rates. It’s all about the program you use to book your flights. Make sure to check which airlines partner with other airlines, so you can see all the places you’re allowed to spend your points (Ex: United and Star Alliance)
Look to see where your points are transferable to!
Be flexible with dates, routes, and times to make your points give you the best value.
Example: Flying Blue is Air France and KLM’s program. It’s about 50,000 points to fly business class to Europe. This is a great option for flying from the USA to Europe.
Be sure to listen to this podcast episode!!! Spencer shares some great specific examples with actual airlines about how to book flights!
How to book flights with connections?
Start by looking at the “long haul” flights. Pick the nearest international airports and see what options there are to get you where you want to go.
Then you can focus on getting flights from your hometown to the international airport that your long flight is from.
Sometimes it's a better deal to stop in other cities for a day or two before taking the long flight to your final destination.
What services does Spencer offer?
He writes a newsletter with tips using points!
You can pay $99/year for much more in depth information
Check out his website to find premium flight availability
You can reach out to him and he can direct you to a company to help you plan these trips with points
Connect with Spencer!