Seven North American Cities to Ireland for 13k Miles Most of Year

Bad news, good news:

The bad news is that the year-round 12,500 Avios award from Boston to Dublin or Shannon, Ireland on Aer Lingus is dead.

The good news is that those awards from Boston as well as awards from New York, Newark, Hartford, Toronto, Washington-Dulles, and Chicago to Ireland are now only 13,000 Avios for more than two-thirds of the year.

Price of Avios Redemptions Cut in Half for American Airlines Domestic First Class

Prior to this weekend, American Airlines classified the premium cabin on all domestic flights (domestic First Class) as First Class, whether or not the plane had two cabins or three. It was distinguished with fare code F, A, or P.

[Last Chance] 50% Avios Transfer Bonus Means 21k Membership Rewards for Roundtrip to Hawaii

250 Membership Rewards will transfer to 300 British Airways Avios from now until 11:59 p.m. CT on October 10, 2016. The normal transfer rate is 250 Membership Rewards = 200 British Airways Avios, so this transfer bonus will get you 50% more Avios.

For only 25,000 Avios and $11, you can fly roundtrip on American Airlines or Alaska Airlines planes in economy from the West Coast to Hawaii.

Anatomy of an Award: Low Cost Carrier and Avios Tickets within Europe

I've been hopping around Europe for the last few months with flight that I've booked a variety of ways:

Barcelona, Spain to Leipzig, Germany (cash, Vueling)
Prague, Czech Republic to Belgrade, Serbia (Etihad Guest miles, Air Serbia, Anatomy of an Award)
Belgrade to Tivat, Montenegro (cash, Air Serbia)
Sarajevo, Bosnia to Zagreb, Croatia (cash, Croatia Airlines)

Now I have two more flights coming up from Zagreb to Spain and back for a quick trip.

When Does British Airways Add Fuel Surcharges to Avios Awards?

British Airways collects fuel surcharges on almost all award redemptions. People constantly complain to me that their recent "free ticket" cost $650 or $1,000 or more in "taxes."

In fact, taxes make up a small share of the cash component of most British Airways awards.

Buy Avios for 1.45 Cents through Starpoint Sale & Avios Transfer Bonus

Until July 5, 2016, you can transfer 20,000 Starpoints to 33,750 British Airways Avios. The normal rate is 20,000 points to 25,000 Avios, but Avios is running a 35% bonus on transferring hotel points.

The only hotel-point transfer option with a decent rate is Starpoints.

 

If you don't have Starpoints, you can buy them right now for 2.45 cents each. The best number to buy would be 20,000 for $490 to maximize this promotion, since Starwood gives a bonus for every 20,000 Starpoints transferred to airlines.

Buy Avios for 1.44 Cents Each Until Tomorrow with This Simple Trick

Through tomorrow (May 26, 2015), British Airways is offering a 40% bonus on the purchase of Avios. The biggest bonus ever offered on the purchase of Avios was 50% in February 2015, so this is a big bonus.

The maximum Avios you can purchase in a year is normally 35,000, but is being raised to 100,000 during this promotion. With a 40% bonus, that means you can add 140,000 Avios to your account.

Buy Avios for 1.26 Cents Each by Stacking Two Deals

Groupon Spain is having a sale on Iberia Avios, offering them for 1.38 cents each.
Iberia has a portal that allows you to earn 8 Avios per euro on the purchase of Groupons.
Those extra Avios bring the effective purchase price down to 1.26 cents each.
You can freely transfer Iberia Avios to British Airways Avios if both your Iberia and British Airways accounts are 90 days old.
Both types of Avios are worth well more than 1.26 cents each.

Preparation
The only three things you need to make this deal work are a credit card that charges no

Round-the-World Example with Half in Flat Bed for 100,000 Miles

You can book yourself a tour around Europe, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia stopping in four places for only 100,000 miles total with nearly half the trip in a flat bed. By stopping in four places, I am referring to actual destinations, not connections that have to be under 24 hours.

Much like the Mega Trip to the Caribbean and South America I wrote about a few days ago, this deal relies on piecing together some sweet spot awards (and this time also a low cost carrier flight within Europe) into one big trip.