I am eternally grateful to be afforded the opportunity to explore the world for a bargain. I could state that almost all of my plane fares in the past decade or so have been almost free or deeply discounted using miles and points.
This has provided me with the ability to divert much-needed financial resources to fund more future trips or simply invest the extra cash. Essentially, the universe has generously blessed me with the gift of travel and I am enormously grateful.
Thankfully, utilizing miles and points to save on travel is a strategy that can easily be replicated by anyone who puts forth the effort to learn the methods involved.
In this post, I’d like to share a tried and tested strategy that I’ve implemented multiple times in the past and is almost a sure-fire approach in capturing an award seat using miles/points in the cabin of your choice.
This travel strategy is booking award travel at least 11 months in advance.
This tactic evidently works if you can anticipate exactly when you are free to embark on a vacation. Like me, my work calendar is pretty set every year so I typically know that I have vacation time scheduled around holidays throughout the year plus a 2-month summer break.
This strategy can still conceivably work if you book less than 10 months out but the longer you wait, the pickings lamentably become much slimmer AND unjustly pricier.
Case in point:
A friend who booked an economy ticket from San Francisco to Tashkent, Uzbekistan paid 35,000 United Miles because she booked about 11 months out. Another friend who booked an identical ticket paid 90,000 United miles because she booked 6 months out. A difference of 55,000 United miles for the same exact flight and cabin!
What Else Can Be Redeemed with 55,000 United Miles?
a. 5K short of a round trip coach ticket to Europe or South America (60K)
b. 5K short of a one-way business class tickets to Europe or South America (60K)
c. Two round-trip domestic tickets within the U.S. and/or Canada (25K each)
Update: United’s award seat pricing will change starting Nov 15, 2019
What’s somewhat absurd here was that a business class ticket between SFO and Tashkent booked about 11 months out would have only cost 70,000 United miles, 20,000 miles cheaper than the expensive 90,000 coach ticket in the example above.
Take away:
Book as soon as you have a definite date in mind. The chart below outlines when some of my favorite airlines start opening their award space and also precisely the moment you need to start watching their apps or websites like a hawk.
| Airline | Frequent Flyer Program | Award Space Opens |
| United | Mileage Plus | 336 days out |
| American | AAdvantage | 331 days out |
| Alaska | Mileage Plan | 331 days out |
| Delta | Sky Miles | 331 days out |
| Singapore | Kris Flyer | 360 days out |
| Cathay | Asia Miles | 360 days out |
| British | Executive Club | 356 days out |
Monitor Award Space Like a Vulture
On some occasions, award seats may not be readily available when they are supposed to be. It is recommended to regularly check availability as it sometimes takes a few days for the award seat inventory to show up.
I typically start checking a day or two before the seats are scheduled to become available and then closely monitor award seat availability until I am able to book the seat that I want.
I also do not like putting all of my eggs in one basket so I typically search for seats in about 2-3 different airlines simultaneously.
When my plans involve travel during peak dates (i.e. holidays), I conscientiously monitor award seat availability like a voracious vulture a couple of days before the date they are scheduled to become available.
Exception to the Rule
This strategy of booking at least 11 months out, however, is not set in stone. As with anything, there are exceptions to the rule.
Sometimes, the best time to book a FREE ticket is a few days or weeks before departure. Airlines tend to hold on to inventory up until the last week or so in the hopes that seats will get sold.
If there is less than stellar demand, chances are that more award seats will be released closer to your departure date. So, keep on checking.
Case in point:
A friend recently booked a first-class ticket with Lufthansa (LH) about 3 days before departure. I am not a big fan of waiting until the last minute but if you want to take a gamble, go for it.
Also, some airlines such as LH are known to only make first-class seats available 14 days before departure to their partners. However, this is dependent on whether spots have not been sold yet or have been redeemed by their own members.
A friend also shared that Cathay Pacific periodically releases award space several days before departure but I absolutely won’t bank on it. I, myself, have only done this a couple of times so I am not sure if it will consistently work for everyone. It is certainly a game of chance.
Not All Miles are Created Equal
There is also another important consideration to take into account:
The TOTAL MILES required and the CASH COMPONENT of the airline miles you want to redeem.
Last night, I started looking for flights to Chengdu, China departing on June 6 for my summer vacation.
I’ve been dreaming about being at close quarters with pandas for years now and I was determined to make this a reality next year.
The chart below summarizes the results of my “award seat” search and how strikingly variable the miles and cash requirements are.
It is truly crucial to thoroughly compare each program before redeeming your miles.
SFO (San Francisco) – CTU (Chengdu, China) on June 6, 2020
| Airline Miles | Cabin / Operating Airline Partner | Miles | Cash (Taxes) |
| United | Coach on All Nippon Airways | 35K | $20.10 |
| United | Business on All Nippon Airways | 80K | $20.10 |
| American | First (Business not available) on Cathay | 110K | $100+ |
| Alaska | Business on Hainan | 50K | $191 |
United Mileage Plus
Alaska Mileage Plan
I Booked Alaska Airlines
I ultimately picked Alaska Airlines even if it arrives about 7 hours later than the United flight. Since I am in no rush, I figured that I do not mind arriving a little bit later.
Additionally, I get to save a total of approximately 30,000 miles if I were to compare it apples to apples (Alaska business versus United business).
With that said, I did have to pay an extra $170 with Alaska though, but if we crunch the numbers (see below), it undoubtedly reveals that Alaska still emerged as the clear winner.
- If 1 United point is equivalent to about 1.5 cents then 30,000 miles = $450
- $450 minus $170 (taxes on Alaska) = $280
- Choosing Alaska roughly saved me $280
What Else Can Be Redeemed with 30,000 United Miles?
- One-Way Coach Ticket to Europe
- One-Way Coach Ticket to South America
- Round trip Coach Ticket within the U.S. and/or Canada
You could argue that I could have saved miles if I had booked coach at 35K. However, the difference between a coach ticket and a business class ticket here is only 15K.
Crunching the numbers, a coach ticket will probably cost about $700 and a business class seat would have been priced at about 3-4X more.
The return of investment in this purchase is exponential, particularly that having generous space and luxurious comfort on a 15+ hour-long flight can be invaluable.
An additional 15K is absolutely miles well spent if you have access to it; otherwise, a 35K coach ticket is also an excellent redemption.
At any rate, I am incredibly delighted about finally booking this ticket and I look forward to putting the rest of the puzzle pieces together soon.
Points Devalue
Airline loyalty programs regularly change their mileage requirements on their award seats so it is best to refer to their most current charts before booking flights.
More importantly, check for award space availability first before you transfer bank points to an airline loyalty program.
Lastly, it is advisable to compare different programs so you can increase the likelihood of snagging the best award seat available.
How Did I Get All Of These Miles?
I had accumulated the majority of my miles by applying for credit cards that provide travel rewards.
I’ve been doing this for at least a decade now and it had truly given me countless opportunities to see the world for free or for a fraction of the price.
The only requirements to be able to partake in this hobby are consistently staying debt-free and maintaining a relatively good credit score (>740).
Our favorite travel credit card, the Chase Sapphire Preferred ® Credit Card, is currently offering a sign-up bonus of 100,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months. This bonus is equivalent to at least $1,250 worth of travel rewards. You can read more about this generous offer here.
Feel free to join our Travel Miles and Points Facebook Group where we talk about the best travel credit card deals available in the market.
Conclusion
This hobby has given me numerous opportunities to travel the globe without inflicting a massive dent in my savings.
Not only does it provide me an opportunity to save for future travel, it also allows me to invest my extra cash so I could be financially independent sooner rather than later.
In fact, there is no way that I could have traveled to 85 countries on 6 continents if it had not been for travel miles and points.
I hope that this post has given you a framework that can increase your chances of booking your next award seat.
Utilizing this strategy of scouring for award seats 11 months out has helped me capture almost all of my aspirational award bookings over the past decade. And, you can definitely do this yourself, too!
Just remember that the adage “the early bird gets the worm” applies to searching for award seats as well.
Please leave a comment if you find this tactic valuable when snagging award seats.
Safe travels!
EDITORIAL DISCLOSURE – Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. The content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
DO NOT TRAVEL WITHOUT TRAVEL INSURANCE. GET A QUOTE HERE.
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