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Flying business class feels like you’ve unlocked a secret level of air travel. We’re talking priority boarding, extra-wide seats, delicious meals, and yes — champagne before takeoff.
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But as you’re probably well aware, business class tickets can cost an absolute fortune. Like, three to five times more than economy tickets. Who can afford that?! (Not me.)
The good news is savvy travelers have a few tricks to avoid paying full price. Here are some habits you need to start copying.
1. Buy tickets with miles, not money
Most airlines give you two ways to book a ticket: pay cash or redeem miles. And while paying cash might work fine for economy, business class prices often offer discounts for redeeming miles.
For a long international route, it’s not uncommon to see fares north of $3,000 if you pay in dollars. But you might be able to book the same business class seat for around 70,000 miles (plus a small amount for taxes and fees). That’s an incredible deal.
So how do you rack up enough miles to pull that off? Well, it starts with joining an airline’s frequent flyer program. But if you want to speed things up, using credit cards will help.
2. Use travel credit cards for everyday spending
Travel credit cards are the secret weapon for earning enough miles to fly business class. There are two main types you can choose from:
- Cobranded airline cards that earn miles with a single airline.
- Flexible travel cards that earn points you can transfer to various airlines.
Personally, I prefer cards that give me transfer flexibility. For instance, I use travel cards from Chase and Capital One. Each one earns points I can send to a dozen or more airline partners, which gives me way more choices when I’m ready to book.
The best part is it doesn’t cost you anything. Since you earn points on everyday purchases like groceries, gas, and shopping, you can continue doing what you’re already doing, but quietly build up points/miles in the background.
Many travel cards also offer large welcome offers for new customers. So you could even snag a quick 50,000 points or more after you meet the spending requirement.
3. Keep travel dates flexible
Award seat availability is limited, and airlines release business class deals sporadically. So being flexible — even by just a day or two — can save you thousands of dollars (or tens of thousands of miles).
Some tools, like Google Flights and airline award calendars, make it easy to spot the cheapest days to fly. Flexibility isn’t always convenient, but it’s often the difference between flying up front or in the back.
4. Shop for airfare way in advance
Landing a business class bargain often comes down to playing the numbers. If you’re booking last minute, you’re stuck with whatever high-priced seats are left. So you need to shop as early as possible.
So, when should you start your hunt? According to Going, a site that tracks flight deals, the sweet spot is about one to three months before takeoff for domestic trips, and anywhere from two to eight months out for international flights.
These windows are when airlines typically drop their best fares.
If you’re planning to fly during busy seasons — like summer holidays or spring break — you’ll want to extend that search window by a few extra months.
5. Join loyalty programs and try to score elite status
Most airline loyalty programs are tiered. The more you fly and spend, the higher you climb up the ranks. The top tiers often come with free upgrades to business class when seats are available.
Chasing elite status is only worth it if you travel a lot. But even if you’re not aiming for top-tier perks, signing up for loyalty programs never hurts anyway. It’s usually free.
And pairing a good travel rewards credit card with airline loyalty programs gives you more ways to earn points and snag better seats. From there, it’s just a matter of keeping an eye out for business class deals and working your way up to those elite perks.
Ready to earn your first business class ticket? Explore our favorite travel credit cards and start turning your everyday purchases into luxury travel rewards.
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