outofofficebrb
HARRO HUNNAYYY
accumulating points and using them is a strategy and game in itself.
150K to upgrade one flight to business on top of whatever mileage or cash spent is AWFUL value so I don’t recommend that…that’s huge opportunity cost. as you say, that’s potentially a lot of other economy tickets. On the high end, business is 250K round trip with star alliance doing ultra long haul on a coveted route, likely with heavy business travel, but you can find it for less. Alternatives including doing mileage/cash combo upgrades or straight cash.
I frequent UA since I live near one of their hubs. For ultra long haul UA usually offers $450 or $600 plus 30K points from premium economy or economy, respectively. Of course, opportunity cost still exists but this is good info for the OP as they explore options and alternatives. Some of these offers are waitlist and therefore driven by status and fare class, others are immediately confirmed. (It will tell you which it is before you commit.) The cash price and/or mileage copay combo varies depending on the route. The shorter it is, the less miles and/or money it is. There is always an opportunity cost but I always look at it separately each time.
To @chillyinCanada’s point about rewards adding up, I will say having an airline specific credit card is usually the worst value as far as earning potential and spend potential but they may have perks with baggage if you don’t have status. Cards that allow you to accrue points and transfer to various airline partners or airline alliances, or even hotel groups are the most flexible. Flight deals are around and for less than or same as economy sometimes. Even with the same alliance, depending on who you transfer and book the same flight with, it can make a big difference. Or, using UA as an example, sometimes it’s fewer points to book with your credit card loyalty agency than it is with UA direct, or you can transfer to UA and go direct if that’s cheaper. (We use Chase Ultimate Rewards via Chase Sapphire Reserve and earn 3X travel and dining, 5X air travel through their portal, 10X hotel through their portal, and 10X on Lyft. Lounge access via priority pass is great. We then maximize more with 5X bonus points with Freedom and then 1.5X on everything else. We pay everything with a CC when possible.) these points can be used in their portal and are treated as a cash purchase with the hotel or airline or they can be transferred usually 1:1 to a partner. My partner’s UA card doesn’t offer high point accrual like that and it’s a lot more limited. Other options are available from American Express, Venture, Citi, etc.
deals can often be found, sometimes for the same or fewer points needed for economy award travel or not that much more. These are usually offered direct via the airlines.
I hope this helps.
