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Update: American just launched a promotion offering 25,000 miles for each round-trip booked in business or first class flown between now and July 31. The deal below books into the I fare class, so these flights should be eligible for this promotion!
The cheapest fares are from the East Coast to a handful of European destinations, including New York (JFK and Newark), Boston, Washington DC, Atlanta, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Miami, Tampa and Orlando, but you can also save quite a bit when flying from BA’s other US gateways. For example, you’ll pay just a bit more to fly from Chicago, Denver, Dallas, Houston or Austin. You can also depart from Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Diego, Seattle, San Francisco or San Jose, CA on the West Coast.
Here’s what you can expect to pay for a round-trip (before the AARP and Visa discounts):
You do need to be an AARP member to get the biggest discount, but anyone can join AARP for just $16 per year. You’ll get the deepest discount on flights operated by British Airways or OpenSkies, since you can apply an additional 10% off coupon (more on that below) when you pay with a Visa card. Note that flights are also available on American Airlines, though the additional 10% discount won’t apply. You must book by midnight ET on May 12 to take advantage of these discounted fares.
Airline(s): British Airways, OpenSkies, American Airlines, Iberia and others
Route(s): Many US cities to many destinations in Europe
Cost: $1,659-$2,141 round-trip in business
Dates: June 2016 through March 2017 (some cities have limited dates)
Booking Link: British Airways via AARP or British Airways
Pay With: American Express Premier Rewards Gold, Citi Prestige or Chase Sapphire Preferred
Here are a few examples of flights we found:
Boston (BOS) to London (LHR) in business class on British Airways for $1,659:
New York (JFK) to London (LHR) in business class on British Airways for $1,929:
Los Angeles (LAX) to Barcelona (BCN) in business class on British Airways for $2,141:
Here’s how to book in five easy steps:
Step 1: Head to AARP’s British Airways discount page to save $400 off this flight (per person). You do need to be an AARP member, but anyone can join for $16 per year (as low as $12.60 per year if you pay $63 for a five-year membership). Log in to verify your membership and click through to British Airways.
Step 2: You should be redirected to a special British Airways booking page. Select New York as your departure city and one of the cities listed above as your destination, enter your dates and be sure to select Business/Club class, then click Get Flights.
Step 3: Select your flights and click Continue to price. Remember: Only British Airways is eligible for the extra 10% off.
Step 4: On the next page, you should see a fare of about $1,843 round-trip, including taxes and fees. Scroll down to the Promotion Code Or eVoucher field and enter promotion code “CARDOFFERU” and click submit.
Step 5: Review your fare and click through to purchase. If all goes well, you should see an additional 10% discount applied, dropping the fare by $184 to $1,659. Confirm all flight details — you can cancel for a full refund within 24 hours of purchase, or you can cancel any time before departure for a $500 fee.
Maximize Your Purchase
Don’t forget to use a credit card that earns additional points on airfare purchases, such as the American Express Premier Rewards Gold or Citi Prestige (3x on airfare) or the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card (2x on all travel purchases). Check out this post for more on maximizing airfare purchases.
See TPG’s reviews of business class on British Airways and OpenSkies.
Source: thepointsguy.com