We always say that it is easier to earn credit card points/miles and more complicated to redeem them. That is where we really find the value of flight award alerts. There are several award alert subscriptions you can pay for. These are especially valuable if you have flexibility, as they will alert you to significant redemptions, but you need to book quickly if you want to take advantage of them. Here are some of our favorites:

• Thrifty Traveler
• Straight to the Points
• The Points Analyst
• Roame Travel

 

Recent Booking with Flight Award Alert

Yesterday, I received an alert from Thrifty Traveler Premium about Virgin Atlantic flights to/from London that were available at a reduced award cost. Virgin Atlantic recently adopted dynamic pricing, but they also reduced some of their taxes and fees on some flights. It was a perfect storm for me because there is a 40% transfer bonus from Chase to Virgin Atlantic.

I have a trip planned to Spain with Alex and Jess in May and I was planning on staying longer than they are in Europe, so I hadn’t booked my flight home yet. I used the info in the alert to look at flights from LHR-BOS on a date that would work for me to return in May.

Imagine my shock when I found a flight for only 29,000 miles in business class! Yes, the taxes/fees were almost $700, but that is fine by me for a business-class flight when the redemption cost in miles was so low. 

 

Using a Transfer Bonus

Transferring 21,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards® with the 40% transfer bonus would mean that I ended up with 29,000 Virgin Atlantic miles. I didn’t hesitate. I quickly got into my Chase account and transferred those miles to Virgin Atlantic, which added the 40% bonus to my 21,000 points for a total of 29,000 miles.  I then quickly booked my flight. A business class flight from London to Boston for 21,000 points? That is the cheapest business-class flight I’ve ever booked—made possible by a flight award alert!

 

 

 

 

Bottom Line

This is not the first time I’ve found the value of flight award alerts in getting an excellent redemption for a flight. Flexibility is key to travel, and that, combined with a flight award alert, can make a great redemption happen!