Alex flies from his home in America, all over the world in First Class all paid for using credit card points. He says that “anyone can do it” and shares his favourite free Credit Card here to get you started.
In 2017, he surprised his wife with a 24-day trip around the world with 3 First Class flights in airline suites and apartments and 2 Business Class flights. They spent more than 52 hours in the air drinking champagne and eating luxurious food traveling to Singapore, Vietnam, Australia, and Dubai.
The full price for their trip would have cost around $55,000 USD. If they had flown economy, it would have cost them $4,620 USD. But by using our points (311,000 in total), they paid only $2,173 USD to fly around the world (essentially just taxes and fees).
Here’s the detail:
- Flights Flown (2 seats on each flight)
- 2 x business class (Singapore A330 & 777)
- 3 x first class (Singapore, Etihad, Emirates)
- Butt-in-seat flying: 54 hours and 28,000 miles
- Cost per hour in the air (based on what we paid in taxes and fees): $19.59 USD each
Total Miles Used:
- 311,000 per person
- 612,000 total for 2 people
Miles Breakdown:
- 182,000 American Express Membership Rewards Points
- ~280,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points
- 160,000 SPG Points
Total Taxes & Fees Paid
Per Person: ~$1,086 USD
Total: ~$2,173 USD
Retail Cash Value (First & Business Bookings)
Per Person: $27,613 USD
Total: $55,226 USD
Retail Cash Value (Economy Equivalent)
Per Person: $2,310 USD
Total: $4,620 USD
The Credit Cards Used to Earn These Points
Here, we break down exactly how Alex was able to fly each of the airlines as well as the credit cards used to earn enough miles to make the booking.
Fly Singapore Suites & Business Class
Singapore Airlines First Class Suites and Business Class offers some of the best luxury experiences in the sky. Singapore Airlines is a transfer partner of Chase, Amex, SPG, and Citi! That makes it a piece of cake to earn enough of these points if you use these cards.
Fly Etihad Business Class
He also transferred Amex Membership Rewards points directly to Etihad to fly in Business Class, since this airline is a transfer partner. Earning enough Amex points was really easy and only required signing up for 1 card each.
I usually book my British Airways flights for free on air miles and American Express Rewards which convert directly to Avios (along with other airline miles). The free Amex Gold Card is an incredible deal with a huge free bonus of Membership Rewards and even more if you apply through our referral link. You can apply for the UK & US card right here.
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