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Anyone can book themselves a roundtrip to Europe this winter for 30,000 US Airways miles. Award space is excellent, and you can get the miles you need from opening one credit card and making one purchase on it.

Yesterday, I wrote about the unannounced demise of US Airways off peak awards to South America. On a happier note, US Airways off peak awards are still alive to Europe for only 30,000 to 35,000 miles roundtrip to all of these destinations:

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If you fly between January 15 and February 28, 2015 on US Airways flights, you can book a roundtrip in economy from anywhere in the United States to any of those European destinations for 35,000 miles, award space permitting.

If you have The US Airways® Premier World MasterCard®, you get a 5,000 mile discount on all US Airways awards flown completely on US Airways flights, like off peak awards. That means cardholders can book these off peak awards to Europe for 30,000 miles roundtrip.

The US Airways® Premier World MasterCard® comes with 40,000 bonus miles after first purchase and paying an $89 annual fee. Opening the card gives you more than enough miles for an off peak award to Europe.

  • How can you search for off peak award space?
  • What is the award space picture?
  • What if you want to fly different dates?

Searching Off Peak Award Space

You can search for off peak award space at usairways.com. Perform a normal award search during off peak dates, and the results will show any off peak award space that exists.

I searched for award space on several routes from Charlotte and Philadelphia, US Airways’ European gateways, to Europe. You can add on flights from your home airport to Charlotte and Philadelphia for zero extra miles, as long as there is “Low” priced award space on those domestic flights.

Charlotte to Frankfurt

Search results will look like this. The lightest dates have award space at the off peak price. Between Charlotte and Frankfurt, that means there is off peak award space in both directions nearly every day.

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If you select dates and then flights, you’ll get a price quote. In this case, I was quoted 35,000 miles + $186. If you have The US Airways® Premier World MasterCard®, you should automatically see the price discounted to 30,000 US Airways miles.Screen Shot 2014-09-23 at 12.51.03 AM

The taxes out of Germany are a little high at $136 roundtrip. US Airways awards to Europe include a $50 award processing fee unless you have Gold Status or higher with US Airways.

Philadelphia to Madrid

If you want to go to a warmer part of Europe, check out Madrid or Rome. Off peak award space from Philadelphia to Madrid is available most days in February.

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Taxes are very low to and from Spain, so the award costs only $100 out of pocket plus 30,000 to 35,000 miles.

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Fly Later in the Year

You can book the outbound during the off peak period and the return during regular dates and pay halfway between the off peak and normal prices.

For instance, if you fly from Madrid to Philadelphia with an outbound February 28 (off peak) and return in mid-March, you pay only 47,500 miles roundtrip–halfway between the off peak price (35,000 miles) and normal price (60,000 miles).

And of course, if you have The US Airways® Premier World MasterCard®, you would get a 5,000 mile discount and pay only 42,500 miles roundtrip to return after the off peak award window ends. Screen Shot 2014-09-23 at 12.57.49 AM

Awards Next Summer

If you want to fly to Europe next summer with US Airways miles, you can do that for 60,000 miles roundtrip on nine airlines including American Airlines, airberlin, Finnair, and more.

Bottom Line

Award space is excellent to Europe this winter with US Airways miles. When you book off peak awards that fly US Airways planes from January 15 – February 28, 2015, you pay only 35,000 miles roundtrip to Europe.

If you have The US Airways® Premier World MasterCard®, you get a 5,000 mile discount and pay only 30,000 miles roundtrip. The card comes with 40,000 bonus miles after first purchase.

We know that the US Airways® Premier World MasterCard® will no longer be offered as soon as the US Airways and American Airlines frequent flyer programs integrate, some time in early 2015. Check out all the places you can go with just the sign up bonus.!

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