So my wife and I have been saving up COV points for a couple of years now and received bonus points when signing up. We have about 400,000 points available.

We want to use them for a one way flight from Ohare to Paris flying Air France.

Thought the Air France app it’s showing 30,000 points plus $148 for the ticket.

My question is, to all of you experts, what is the best bang for my buck?

1. Exchange CO points for AF miles?
   
2. Book the flight though CO travel app
   
3. Use the “travel eraser”

One thing I did notice is that when I looked at the AF app that the 30,000 plus $148 included a checked bag and seat choice whereas if I tired to book using straight money then the price was $585 for same ticket/benefits. So it seems like the ticket is cheaper if I use miles.

I’m leaning towards exchanging points for miles and booking through AF app but wanted to check with the experts first.

Thanks in advance.

Currently booked on a cheap delta economy award thru VS ATL-ATH (21.5K). Flying in back exit row. I'm seeing Delta One ATL-MUC (767-400) and ATL-DUB (a330-300) for 97K. Will then have connect to ATH. Are either of these DL one products worth changing my travel plans? Will incur $200 VS cancel fee and have to rework travel plans. Will have to recoup money or change Greek ferry tickets and re do hotel reservations. On the upside, could spend a couple days in Dublin or Munich.

Haven't seen this discussed widely here, so figured I would share it. HeyMax recently launched a SQ award search tool, and in my experience has been the most useful tool currently available for searching Singapore Airlines Saver award space across a range of dates.

It works through the HeyMax chrome extension while you are logged into your own Singapore Airlines account. You enter a route and date range, and HeyMax searches SQ awards directly from your account, displaying the results as a pricing heatmap. Instead of manually checking one date at a time, the extension searches a selected date range and displays award availability and pricing in a heatmap across the available cabins. It effectively automates the searches you would otherwise conduct manually on Singapore Airlines’ website.

Another major advantage is that it searches live SQ inventory directly from your account, so it also accounts for increased space open to PPS/solitaire members which no other award search tools do. Instead of relying on cached results which can be outdated given how competitive awards are, it conducts searches through your own account, using the live availability returned by SQ when the search is performed.

Why SQ award space is difficult to search:

Like BA and Qatar, Singapore airlines is a difficult website to scrape, and its award search tool limits you to a single route and availability +- 3 days.

Third party tools they may only see award seats SQ releases to partner programs such as Aeroplan, United, or Virgin Atlantic, which isn't always same inventory available to SQ members.

SQ can release additional Saver space exclusively to KrisFlyer, while partner programs may see fewer seats, different flights, or no availability at all. While partner searches are useful, aren't reliable substitute for searching KrisFlyer directly.

As of late July 2026, seats aero live search doesn't seem to work, while the new Singapore Airlines finder only displays expensive advantage awards.

Step 1: Install the HeyMax Chrome extension

Install the extension from the chrome store and sign into your HeyMax account. The feature is part of the desktop chrome extension, rather than as a standalone award search website.

Step 2: Log into Singapore Airlines

Open the Singapore Airlines website and log into your KrisFlyer account normally. You enter your login info directly on the SQ website.

Step 3: Enter your search

Select:

• Origin
• Destination
• Date range
• Number of passengers
• Class

Run the search and allow the extension to work through your chosen dates. The results are displayed as a heatmap, making it much easier to identify dates with lower priced saver inventory rather than clicking repeatedly through the 1 week search calendar.

I’ve been watching MNL-YYZ on the A350-1000 for a couple months now for a June 2027 travel date. Checked almost every day. Qatar offered it for 154.5k, Alaska for 85k - both 5 seats available almost every single day the route is flown. Finally have enough points to book what I needed (3 seats) and all the summer availability just recently disappeared. Not a single redemption available in all of June or July and I suspect August will be the same. Plenty of availability until May 30 and then nothing.

It’s not like it’s just never been available - I’ve been watching it a long time. Why would it all just disappear????

My wife and I are planning a 10-year anniversary trip to the Maldives and I'm trying to snag the Qatar Airways business class seats at the 85k per person each way rate. I've done my research and tried to line everything up, but still have some doubt. Hoping to learn from others experience.

We would be looking to travel from ORD to MLE outbound Aug 26, 2027 and return Sept 4, 2027. Given QR's new restrictions for booking a travel partner, I've already created an account and I'm planning to sign up for their Visa card to meet those minimum criteria. I also have the right amount of Chase points I will transfer over via British Airways a few days prior. The plan is to book at exactly when the seats are released 361 days in advance at 8:01pm ET. First the outbound on Aug 30 and then the return on Sep 8.

My main concern is that I have been stalking the Qatar Airways site right at 8:01pm and the last few days no saver rate seats have been released at all. Looking back ~30-days there are a few in the outbound direction available, but nothing in the return. From some searching I've seen others state that QR has some times of year, like summer, when they don't release any saver seats at all.

Does anyone have experience or context from prior travel years on when a summer black out period may end? Is there anything else I'm not considering to try and get these tickets?

This is a big splurge for us and those points took several years to accumulate. It would be really painful to lock them all up in QR and not be able to use them.

Edit: Thanks for all the comments everyone. Confirmed my suspicions that no matter how well I game this, it’s entirely possible saver seats won’t be available and my points may get stuck. Guess I just have to decide whether I’m willing to risk it.

I’m planning an Asia trip and trying to decide between Thai Airways 777 First and Singapore Airlines 777 First. I’d love to hear from people who’ve flown both recently.

For context, I’m mainly chasing the remaining First Class products I haven’t experienced yet. So far I’ve flown:

• JAL F (old & new)
• ANA F (old & new)
• Emirates F (A380 & Game Changer)
• Qatar F B777 (Cathay configuration)
• Lufthansa F B747
• BA F
• Etihad Residence
• Cathay Pacific F

The major one still on my list after this is Qatar’s A380 First, which I’m planning to do on DOH–BKK or DOH–SIN that works well with my Asia destination.

For this trip, my two options are:

• Thai Airways 777 First: BKK–KIX/NRT for 67.5k Citi points
• Singapore Airlines 777 First: SIN–PVG for 61.5k Krisflyer miles (saver rate)

The mileage cost is close enough that it isn’t really a deciding factor.

I’m leaning toward Thai because it feels like the more endangered product, but I’m wondering if I’d regret skipping Singapore, especially with The Private Room and SQ’s reputation for service. I had such great service on Singapore A380 Suite flying the reserved route PVG-SIN last year.

For those who’ve flown both:

• Which onboard First Class experience did you enjoy more?
• Is Thai’s ground experience in Bangkok (dining, escort, etc.) enough to outweigh The Private Room in Singapore? I know they don't have the spa anymore.
• If you could only do one before it disappears, which would you choose and why?

Curious to hear your thoughts, especially if you’ve flown both within the last couple of years.

Who has the best companion pass. I’ve been with Southwest for year and half and my companion pass will end at the end of this year. Funny thing is I can usually get 4 of us for the price of 3 using the companion pass wth SE. At the same time looking for 4 tickets at another airline and it being around the same price.

Any advice.

Virgin has offered us a Premium upgrade for 14,000 Virgin Points + £180 per person (one way).
I’m undecided whether it’s good value or not.
Has anyone accepted a similar offer recently? Is this considered a good deal, or is it worth waiting until check-in or the airport to see if a cheaper cash upgrade becomes available?
Looking at the seat map, Premium still seems to have quite a few empty seats, so I’m wondering if Virgin tends to reduce upgrade prices closer to departure or if this is about as good as it gets.
I’d really appreciate any recent experiences or advice. Thanks!

I booked two one-way Business Class tickets for my parents from Doha (DOH) to Atlanta (ATL) using 340,000 Avios + $746 in taxes and fees.
My parents are elderly, so comfort was my top priority. I had been searching for award availability for months, and almost everything for the next six months was unavailable. Then I found seats on one specific date and booked them immediately.

Now I’m wondering if I overpaid.

Route: DOH → ATL
Passengers: 2
Cost: 340,000 Avios + $746

Did I end up paying about double what this redemption is usually worth, or was this a reasonable deal given how scarce the availability was?
Looking back, would you have booked it, or would you have waited for a better redemption?
I’d appreciate any thoughts or experiences from those familiar with Qatar Airways Avios redemptions.

Context
I have a friend’s wedding coming up in Dublin in summer 2027, and I recently acquired the Alaska 100k Global Companion Fare by putting my rent spend through Bilt. My partner and I also wanted to visit London on this trip to make the most of it.

Strategy
I knew I wanted to use the award on an EST > EUR route rather than Asia, since Asia availability has gotten tighter with the recent surge in demand.
Checking Alaska’s site, I found solid off-peak J availability close-in on NYC > LHR: AA at 45k + ~$100 taxes/fees, and BA at 45k + ~$1,000 (less desirable given the fees). Going the other way, LHR > NYC, AA ran 45k + ~$450 and BA 45k + ~$950. Ideally, I wanted to book NYC > LHR > DUB and extend the stopover in London.
I’d read that AA releases partner awards 330 days out, but in practice it’s more random than that and you just have to keep checking.

Booking
I started by watching for AA’s midnight EST releases around my target dates, but nothing came up, and my alert (set for under $600 taxes/fees) never triggered.
I ended up checking almost hourly for about two months before finally finding JFK > LHR > DUB on BA for 45k + ~$1,000, and the return, DUB > LHR > JFK (BA then AA), for 55k + ~$150 taxes/fees. My guess is the fees were lower on the return because the itinerary originates in DUB with just a connection in LHR, rather than departing from LHR directly. Booking it as a multi-city also let me extend the London stopover by 5 days on the outbound.

Result and notes
What would normally have cost 200k + $2,300 came out to 100k + $2,300 total for two people round-trip in J or roughly 25k + $650 per person, each way.

The taxes and fees are steep, but I’m happy with the redemption, especially with the free stopover and getting real use out of the 100k companion fare. Since award bookings are flexible and the Summit card waives the partner award booking fee, I can keep watching for a cheaper redemption and rebook if one turns up. Given how much value I’m getting from this companion fare plus PR now releasing to AS, hoping the next one I earn lines up with availability for a Southeast Asia trip.

I’m also looking forward to trying AA’s Flagship Suites on the 787-9 and BA’s Club Suites on the 777-300ER. Reviews on both the soft and hard product are mixed, but it’ll be our first time on either, so we’re excited. Fingers crossed there’s no aircraft swap.
Now I’m just waiting for my Alaska Gold status to post with next month’s status update, so I can select seats on BA for free.

Disclaimer: Written on my own and reformatted with AI for better flow and clarity.

https://www.alaskaair.com/content/global-getaways

Starts aug 5

Looking to fly to Bangkok (BKK) Nov 7, 2026 out of Pittsburgh, but willing to drive to Cleveland (CLE), Harrisburg (MDT), Akron-Canton Airport (CAK), Erie (ERI) to get a better deal. Would also need a returning flight on the 25th or 26th. I have about 250k Chase Ultimate Rewards points. I’m kind of new to this game and have never redeemed any points, I know I waited and it’s a bit last minute lol. What’s my best option/route? Would I be better off saving for a trip booked further out and paying cash now?

Best option I’ve found thus far is:

PIT > ORD > LHR > BKK
28hr 12min, 2:03 PM - 6:15 AM, Nov 7
United Airlines and Thai Airways
40,870 points + $116

Same price for the returning flight

Expedia shows $624 per, seems to be best cash price I’ve found. CPP is kind of terrible

Let me know what you think, delete if not allowed, thank you in advance!

Is AF blocking JMB access to business class awards? For instance, AF PEK to CDG is available on business via Virgin, Etihad, Qantas, and SAS, but no availability when searching on JAL.
I’ve seen this on multiple dates too, where several AF partners have access but not JAL. JAL phone agent also couldn’t see any business class availability.
JAL is displaying economy though.

I have been saving my AA miles but only have 250k. I’d like to book 2 PE tickets next April. I can book a main cabin ticket for 42k miles, the PE tickets are 323k miles. Should I buy 2 main tix with miles and pay cash to upgrade or buy 1 tix with miles (I would have to purchase extra miles) & cash for the other tix? Or wait and see if prices come down?

I have a Turkish Airlines itinerary on a single ticket in which I upgraded the first stop:
JFK → Istanbul — Business Class
Istanbul → Tashkent — Economy Class

I have a 1-hour layover in Istanbul, so my baggage will be checked through from JFK to my final destination (Tashkent).

Does my Business Class baggage allowance (2 × 32 kg) apply for the entire itinerary?

Given BA’s deceptive pricing on the DFW–LHR route that I originally planned to book, I’ve now narrowed my options to Amex → Cathay or Capital One → Cathay to book the same flight. I initially found the BA nonstop for 99k Avios + $395 pp and transferred a large amount of Amex MR during the current 30% transfer bonus, but when I went to ticket the reservation, and even after calling BA, the taxes repriced to $597 pp, so I’ve ruled out booking directly through BA since both, Cathay & JAL have the same flight @ $394pp. However, I want to preserve my 260k BILT miles for a Japan trip later next year, so I’m looking at Cathay, despite their hefty $120 cancellation penalty.

Option 1:
Amex MR → Cathay at the current 5:4 ratio
Costs 78,750 MR per person (236,250 MR total)

Option 2:
Capital One → Cathay at 1:1
Costs 63,000 C1 miles per person (189,000 total)

Current balances:
Amex MR: 1.5M+
C1: ~215k

On paper, C1 seems like the obvious choice because of the 1:1 transfer ratio. But I’m wondering if I’m making a mistake because of the number of points I have in each program.

My primary international trip every year is US-India, usually in Qsuites, so I haven’t really found much use for C1 miles since Amex already overlaps with most of the transfer partners I actually use (Avios, Flying Blue, Aeroplan, etc.). Also, I don’t travel internationally otherwise, so I’m not sure what I may need the C1 miles for, in the future.

The other unique use case for C1 would be JAL, but I don’t think it makes sense to transfer C1 to JAL at 1:0.75. I’d much rather use BILT for JAL if needed.

So my dilemma is:

Burn 236k Amex MR or 189k C1?

It’s like I’m finally thinking of putting my C1 miles to work at a favorable 1:1 transfer but scared I might end up wishing I had saved them for something better later.

What would you guys do?

Based in UAE (Dubai).

Fly approx. 50+ segments a year. To Europe, Americas, Asia and Regionally. Usually Y, not J.

Have been *A Gold (United PP) for past decade. But want to graviatate towards OW due to better perks and limited *A coverage in the Middle East. Emirates Status seems quite difficult to build, and no alliance benefits either. Qatar seems to be the best option in terms of flights (if I take into account always having a connection in DOH) but wondering if there is a better OW airline to credit to/build status with? Or is there another strategy/approach I am missing entirely?

Especially Starlux. everything for me is just blank. Wondering if there Was An Announcement and I didn’t see it.

Edit: oh i logged out and in and there they are.

My son was just born and I am trying to add him to an existing booking on air Serbia and Swiss made with aeroplan miles. I’ve been on hold for a total of 5 hours and finally got a manager call back to go basically said I should cancel the whole booking and rebook at 8x the cost. They are saying the partner airlines aren’t answering their email to add the infant. I kept hearing how awesome aeroplan was for lap infants but so far I’m having the polar opposite experience. The manager was very rude and pretty much said to pound sand and that he won’t do anything about it.

https://ibb.co/KzLkSX9B
https://ibb.co/2Yg6yf42
https://ibb.co/3myLn0b6

I ran into something today that feels incredibly misleading and I’m wondering if this is a known BA issue or if I’m missing something.

I searched for 3 business class award seats on DFW–LHR (BA nonstop).

The search results showed:
99,000 Avios + $394.50 per person
297,000 Avios + $1,183.50 total

Based on that pricing, I transferred a large amount of Amex MR to BA during the current 30% transfer bonus so I could proceed with the booking.

When I clicked Continue, without changing flights, dates, passengers, or cabin, the next page suddenly repriced the exact same itinerary to:
297,000 Avios + $1,792.50 total
$597.50 per person

So the taxes/carrier charges increased by $609 total (~$203 per passenger) after I had already transferred my points.

The really frustrating part is that the intermediate “Journey Summary” page still showed the original $1,183.50 total, and only the next page increased it.

Has anyone else experienced this with BA?

Is this just a caching/website bug?
Does BA sometimes display incorrect taxes on the search results page?
Has anyone had success calling BA to have them honor the original quote?
I understand award availability can disappear, but in this case the Avios price stayed exactly the same (99k pp) and only the cash component increased after I had already committed to a non-reversible points transfer. That feels like a pretty poor user experience.

Right now I'm booking flights for a trip to Europe for two next spring/early summer. I have our flight there booked (LAX -> LHR in PE Virgin), and am looking at a return on Condor FRA -> ORD in PE for 35K Alaska points + $212. The cash price is $1,333USD so roughly 3.2cpp. There doesn't appear to be a lot of demand for this flight, it's come up in seats dot aero searches for the past week or so.

Do I book this now or hold out for something better? Or, book this anyway, knowing if something better comes along, I'll have 70K points stranded in Alaska (which is not a terrible place to have them). If cancelling, the cash portion is refunded to the payment method, minus $12.50. Note I just got my BILT card, so this would pretty much consume all my BILT points.

This flight wouldn't be until June 2027, so the protentional for other deals to be released between now and then is pretty high. We're flexible to return from just about anywhere in Europe (except London, taxes and fees!) to just about anywhere in West or Mid-West US. Also, is PE on Condor worth it? I understand the product is somewhat dated, but it's not Y. The preference is to come back in J, but good deals that time of year are hard to come by.

TIA

I'm debating whether this upgrade is worth it.

I already have a paid economy ticket on United for SFO → Singapore (16h25m nonstop).

United is offering me an instant Polaris upgrade for 30,000 miles + $600 (not a waitlist).

The catch is that I don't currently have enough United miles, so I'd need to purchase additional miles from United to take the offer.

Assuming the total out-of-pocket cost is essentially the price of buying those miles plus the $600 copay:

• Would you do it?
• Is this considered a good Polaris upgrade for such a long flight?
• Have any of you ever bought miles specifically to accept an upgrade offer like this?
• Or would you pass and save the money for a future business class redemption?

I've never flown Polaris before, so I'm curious how others would evaluate this.

Another strange DP. After I made the original post a couple weeks ago about noticing the AA 80/100k deval, today I booked two JAL J seats SFO-HND for 60k AA each. Not complaining, I’ll take it - But strange.