December 11, 2024
Economy-Class Seats on Points and Miles
Pam
I know you’ve seen all our business-class flights, and we might give the impression that that’s the goal of using credit card points and miles, or that we never fly in economy-class seats. Business class may work for us sometimes, but there are also several pros to flying in economy class using points and miles. And it’s worth noting that we don’t always fly business class—we fly economy most of the time. (Well, at least Alex and Jess do!) Here are some of the ways booking economy-class seats on points and miles can make a lot of sense.
Economy Seats Mean Better Availability
How many of you have had trouble finding business-class flights? Although I can usually find what I am looking for in business class, it is definitely a work in progress. If you want to avoid frustration, go for economy class seats on points and miles.
Not only can you usually find more economy-class seats available on a greater number of flights than business-class seats, but you’ll usually find more economy award seats available on any given plane than you will business award seats. If you’re flying with a big family, you’ll be lucky to find six business-class seats on the same flight, but finding six economy seats on the same flight is usually no problem.
We all traveled economy class for years, even internationally. Figure out the best seat on the plane in economy and make that work for you. I NEVER have problems finding economy class availability for international flights. Don’t have flexibility when you travel? Go for those economy-class seats!
Most of my trips to London to visit my daughter have been in economy class until the last couple of years – I survived just fine!
Economy Seats Mean Cheaper Redemptions
This is obvious, but economy class seats usually cost fewer miles and points. I hear from people all the time who prefer quantity over quality—I can totally understand that. You will get many more trips if you book primarily economy-class seats. For many, the trip starts at the destination, not when you get on the plane. That is how I also thought for years and years. Then I got bad knees, and my thinking changed. I didn’t fly business class until I was in my 50s (and that’s what I’d still be flying without this hobby)!
Flying to Europe for 60K miles round-trip economy versus 90K one-way in business class will definitely let you stretch your stockpile. This is even more important if you are traveling with a family. Business-class seats for family travel can diminish your points in an instant!
Consider Upgrading to Premium Economy
One thing I did early on when traveling to London frequently was to book economy class and then pay to upgrade to premium economy for about $100+ each way. This was huge in making my United flights more comfortable. My daughters will still do this for daytime flights. They smartly say, “Who needs to lie down and sleep during daylight hours?” Premium economy may be just fine for you.
The interesting thing is that booking premium economy seats from the start can sometimes be almost as expensive as business class. Check it out when you go to book—maybe booking regular economy and just paying a little more with cash to upgrade instead of using points will work better for you, too. Here’s my old flight from SFO-LHR, which I’ve flown several times. Notice the premium economy price—does that even make sense?
Bottom Line
Please, please don’t think you are doing anything wrong if you book economy seats on points and miles and not business-class seats. We 100% applaud anyone who wants to use points and miles in any way. I would say most people who do this are flying economy, so you’re not the only one by far. Keep being you! Free is free, which is the common goal for all of us!
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Like I always say, “you do you”. Using credit card points and miles is not a one size fits all game. Most people fly economy and prefer to travel more often – you won’t be alone!
Hi Travelmomsquad,
I am continuing my journey with points and miles and I appreciate all the content that you put out there on social media. I have even been listening to your podcast! My question after reading this blog is could you buy a basic economy ticket and then upgrade at the airport
I would never buy basic economy because upgrades are not always possible from them – depends on carrier. I would just buy economy because you can upgrade with those. Alternatively, you can call the airport you are thinking of flying on and ask them about your situation.
To go from economy to premium economy, do you book economy, pay, and then upgrade? Do you do that right then at initial purchase or wait? Thanks!!
We’ve done it a mixture of those ways but if you are certain you want PE, I’d do it when booking. Sometimes, we’ve decided later we want PE and we will then book it later, and sometimes at check-in. The offers are sometimes cheaper on certain airlines at check-in but you risk getting enough seats too.