Pam
I’ve been to Greece twice and I am all about heading there again. There is something about those white stucco buildings against that blue Aegean Sea that gets to me every time. Add in the sunsets, the fresh feta, and the Greek people and I am a goner. We know a lot of our readers would like to go to Greece too so wanted to show you 7 ways to Greece on points and miles. We hope this will give you the push to book your ticket there – you will not be disappointed!
First, here are our posts about our prior trips to Greece:
Avianca is a Colombian airline and its loyalty program is called LifeMiles. You can transfer points from American Express Membership Rewards, Capital One Venture Miles, and Citi ThankYou Points to LifeMiles for flights to Greece. You can read how to transfer to LifeMIles here. Let’s check out a couple of flights to Athens with points and miles.
Now let’s look for a business flight. Don’t forget that business flights may be harder to find and that it may be worth positioning to get one.
My first flight to Athens was this same flight and it was fantastic. Turkish has the chef in the chef’s hat who takes your order, little tea lights with dinner, and a dessert trolley – what’s not to love!
It seems a little strange that Singapore Airlines is one of the 7 ways to Greece on points and miles, right? The thing to remember is that it is a part of the Star Alliance so that means you can book a flight with them but travel on United, Turkish, Brussels Airlines, and others. The great thing is that all four of the transferable point currencies have Singapore as a travel partner so you have a ton of options.
It took some looking to find my business class seat. I checked Chicago and Newark and finally found one from JFK. Don’t get discouraged if you are looking for business seats. I can always find some but I have to be flexible.
All but Citi ThankYou Points have Air Canada as a transfer partner. Let’s see what they have to offer. At first glance it looks great but that 70K business class seat is only 15% in business! No thank you. Be careful when you look at their site for business class seats.
I didn’t have to look too hard to find a true business class seat. I would have to fly economy to Toronto but then it would be business class for the long haul.
I have always had great luck booking with United Airlines for travel to Europe and Greece is no exception. It took me little time to find the following from my home airport in Denver. I especially like that I can use the Polaris Lounge in Denver with my business class ticket as it is one of my favorite airport lounges. Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer to United so this is an easy transfer for many of our readers. You will get exclusive prices if you sign up for a loyalty account and have one of their cards. (Hence the “exclusive to you” prices).
I already told you how much I loved my flight on Turkish to Greece. Capital One Venture Miles and Citi ThankYou Points have Turkish as a partner so if you can’t grab a Turkish Airline seat with United Miles, you can get one with one of those currencies.
Business-class was pretty steep and I looked at a few scenarios. I have actually found it cheaper on the United site for a Turkish flight than here. In the past, they have been found for 45K _ about $200 but I can’t find them this summer!
The cheapest option is All Nippon Airway, an airline from Japan. There are a few caveats to finding award flight availability to Greece with it. You can only book an award flight if you are booking a round-trip flight and the flights book out fast. American Express Membership Rewards have ANA as a transfer partner.
Here’s the business class flight. 88K is a huge bargain if you can find it!
One of my favorite past flights was on Emirates Airlines. They fly from Newark-Athens on a fifth freedom flight. What is a fifth freedom flight? It’s when an airline carrier flies between two places that they don’t have as a home base. Emirates is a Mid-Eastern carrier so when they fly between the US and Greece, it is a fifth freedom flight. I think this might be my next flight to Greece!
If Greece is your destination of choice, here are 7 ways to Greece on points and miles. There are many more options for you. Having transferable points from credit cards makes it easier to find the flight that will work for you. Some of our current favorite offers that will make these flights work for you include:
If transfer partners confuse you, you can request our Master List of Transfer Partners and Airline Alliances.
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Hello!! Love the article. This is the first time I’ve decided to use points for travel to Athens for a cruise. Any idea what would be the best way to use my Amex Gold points to fly business? Any advice would be appreciated. We plan on going next June.
Look at the transfer partners from AMEX. Air Canada, British Avios, Avianca, and Virgin Atlantic are possibilities. A lot depends what airport you fly out of. Start doing that research now. Look at the examples we give in the article where you can you AMEX rewards.