One of the many top objectives in utilizing points and miles is to maximize your redemptions as much as possible. Now this objective is subjective depending on your traveling needs, it’s always good to be on the lookout for the best ways to stretch your miles and points. With the ever-evolving landscape of airline loyalty programs, many might overlook the power of booking award flights with airline partners. In this deep dive, we’ll explore why booking partner awards can often be the “smart choice” that can unlock incredible value for your travels.
Understanding Partner Awards
For those new to the travel hacking game, partner awards refer to the ability to use your points or miles from a particular loyalty program to book flights, hotels, or other services with their partner entities.
In simplest terms, think of partner awards as a currency exchange service between loyalty programs. Airlines, for instance, typically form alliances such as Star Alliance, SkyTeam, or Oneworld, allowing you to use the miles you’ve earned with one airline to book a flight with another in the alliance. Hotels operate similarly, with many brands sharing points systems within a larger parent company.
These partnerships can be particularly advantageous because they often offer:
- Access to a broader network of destinations
- Alternatives when your program’s primary airline or hotel has no availability
- And most importantly, a different set of award charts that might require fewer points for the same destination
Key Point: Partner awards expand your redemption options beyond your program’s traditional offerings, increasing the chance of finding a better deal.
Advantages of Booking Partner Awards
Partner awards are not just an alternative; they’re often a better choice due to several distinct advantages. Let’s look at these benefits in more detail:
Lower Costs
One of the sweetest deals in the travel award world is finding an airline partner with a more favorable award availability and price:
- Some partners may require fewer miles for the same flight.
- Partners may offer promotions that effectively discount the cost of an award.
Practical example
Suppose you have American Express Membership Rewards points. You can transfer these points to various airlines, including Delta Airlines SkyMiles and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club. Delving deeper, Delta and Virgin have a partnership and belong to the same alliance. This means you can use Delta miles for Virgin flights and vice versa.
Knowing that Delta’s mileage program may not always offer the best value (hint – they usually don’t), you can transfer your AMEX Membership Rewards points to Virgin and book a Delta flight at a significantly lower cost than if you were to transfer the same points to Delta and book directly with them.
How to Find Partner Award Availability
Finding available partner awards may seem daunting at first, but with the right approach and some patience, it can become a relatively straightforward process. Here are some essential tips to guide you:
- Start with your known travel destination and airline. Be flexible and don’t overlook booking at other major airports
- Start by visiting the website of the airline loyalty program you have points with or can transfer to (Membership Rewards or Ultimate Rewards). Let’s call this Airline A.
- Search for award availability on Airline A for your destination and dates.
- Now use the chart above and search the same flight you found with Airline A with an airline partner. Let’s call this one Airline B.
- Keep in mind the airline points and miles you have, or have the ability to transfer to make sure you have enough for Airline A or Airline B. Use this Transfer Partner Cheat Sheet from the Daily Drop to help you along the way.
- Compare the prices from Airline A and Airline B, make your points transfer, and then book your flight.
Here are some more tips:
- Utilize third-party tools and websites to search multiple programs simultaneously. Websites like Points.me, Seats.areo, or Pointsyeah can save you time by aggregating search results from multiple loyalty programs.
- Always remember the power of flexibility—keeping your travel dates, times, and even destinations open can greatly increase your chances of finding partner award availability.
When searching, keep these points in mind:
- Airlines and hotels may release award space at different times, so check back often if your initial search is unsuccessful.
- Some partners may not show up in online search results at all. In these cases, a phone call to the loyalty program’s customer service may be necessary.
- During peak travel seasons, award availability can be scarce. Searching during off-peak times can lead to better success.
- Search well in advance of your trip, like 11-12 months, for more award availability. Remember, you can modify later.
“Flexibility and diligence are the traveler’s best friends when hunting for award seats.”
Before you know it, you’ll start to uncover available awards that fit your travel plans perfectly. But availability is just the first step. However, even with the best strategies and searches to find availability, it’s important to be aware of potential downsides.
Potential Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them
Booking partner awards can be incredibly beneficial, yet it isn’t without its challenges. Awareness of potential pitfalls can help you navigate the process more smoothly.
Transfer Times and Risks
Sometimes you may need to transfer points between programs to book an award. This process can be fraught with delays and risks:
- Check transfer times: Some transfers are instantaneous, while others could take days. Time it wrong, and you could miss out on the booking you want. Always have a backup plan when transfers are not done the same day.
- Be aware of non-reversible transfers: Once you transfer points, you can’t transfer them back, so you’ll want to confirm award availability before you make a move. And again, have a backup plan (yep, I said it twice).
Cancellation and Change Policies
Last-minute changes can be a reality of travel. To avoid losing out, you should:
- Understand cancellation policies: These might differ significantly between your main program and its partners. Most airline loyalty programs credit back your points to your loyalty account.
- Check for flexibility: Some programs may offer more generous change and cancellation policies than others. Air France allows you to modify your booking for $50 a ticket. Others, like United, don’t charge any fees.
Cautionary Tale: We learned the hard way that one of our favorite airline’s generous cancellation policy didn’t apply to a partner airline, leading to an unexpected fee when our plans changed.
By anticipating these potential issues and preparing accordingly, you can avoid common frustrations and make your partner award bookings with confidence. Next, we’ll share some real-world examples of how booking partner awards can lead to significant savings and upgraded experiences.
Real-world Examples of Booking Partner Awards
To truly understand the advantages of booking partner awards, let’s explore some real-world scenarios where travelers have reaped the benefits:
Case Study #1: Let’s say you are looking at a flight from LAX to London Heathrow. You search and find an economy class flight on KLM for 22,000 miles. Now search on Virgin Atlantic, a KLM airline partner for the same flight. That same flight is 15,000. The fees are a bit more, but less in points.
Case Study #2: This next one is to Lisbon from JFK. Tap Airlines is Portugal’s national airline and has direct flights from JFK into Lisbon. This is an over 6 hour flight and the business lay-flat option is a great way to start your trip in Lisbon. If you book this flight on Tap, you would need 100,000 miles and $30.60 in taxes and fees. The same flight if booked on Air Canada is only 60,000 and $76 in taxes and fees. You can transfer both American Express Membership Rewards and Chase Ultimate Rewards for this flight.
Case Study #3: Now let’s go to Cancun from SFO! United as a direct flight for 35,000 miles and $43.65 in taxes and fees. The same flight can be booked on Air Canada (again) for 25,000 and $128 in taxes and fees. Again, more taxes and fees with Air Canada, but it’s less in miles.
These examples illustrate that with a bit of research, you can unlock tremendous value that would otherwise go unrealized. It’s about leveraging the diversity of options that partner relationships bring to the table.
Key Insights:
- Booking with a partner can often bypass mileage inflation within your primary loyalty program.
- Partner programs can also offer different availability, more generous seat allocations for awards, and unique cabins or routes.
The art of finding the best award is not just about spending the fewest miles but about getting the highest return on your points investment and meeting your travel objectives.
By analyzing and learning from such case studies, you can better predict when and how booking partner awards might benefit your future travels. Now that you’ve seen real-world success stories, let’s move on to some expert tips that can turn you into a savvy booker of partner awards.
Tips for Booking Partner Awards Like a Pro
Ready to book partner awards with the confidence of a seasoned traveler? Heed these pro tips and you’ll be on your way to unlocking exceptional travel experiences while making the most of your loyalty program.
Timing Your Booking
Timing is crucial when it comes to booking partner awards. Here’s what you need to keep in mind:
- Book early: Some programs release award seats up to 330 days in advance, and the best value often gets snapped up quickly.
- Be on the lookout for last-minute releases: Conversely, airlines may also release additional award space as the departure date nears.
Leveraging Transfer Bonuses
Keep an eye out for promotions that offer bonuses on point transfers between loyalty programs:
- Promotional periods can offer anywhere from 10% to 30% more points when you transfer between certain programs.
- Plan your transfer to coincide with these bonuses to stretch your points even further.
Example: If you transfer 20,000 points during a 20% bonus period, you’ll end up with 24,000 points – enough for an economy flight to Europe in some programs.
Keep an Eye on Changes
Loyalty programs are notorious for making changes, often without much notice:
- Stay informed about any devaluations or changes in partner relationships that could affect how you use your points.
- Regularly review the loyalty program’s website and subscribe to travel blogs or newsletters that track these updates.
- Log into your booked airline and check the current award prices.
Some airlines reduce their award flights or have promo rewards. These are opportunities to re-book your flight, pay any associated fees, and get a credit back to your account. Or even better, upgrade your seats to business class!
Tip: Use social media and online forums like FlyerTalk to stay up-to-date on the latest loyalty program trends and changes.
By following these tips, you can navigate the complexities of partner awards and emerge with outstanding travel deals. You’ll be convinced that booking partner awards isn’t just for travel hackers—it’s a strategy every traveler should consider.
Conclusion
In conclusion, we’ve seen how booking partner awards can be a smart choice for savvy travelers, offering a way to stretch your travel budget, enhance your experience, and open up a world of possibilities. Whether you’re a seasoned points collector or just starting out, consider how partner awards can add value to your next travel adventure.
