The Extra Mile, Nov. 11: My Biggest Travel Mistake Yet, JetBlue Flights from 2,100 Points & More

🤦‍♂️ My Biggest Travel Mistake … Yet!

My family and I flew to Lisbon last week … but not on the itinerary we originally booked.

In hindsight, my troubles really started the night before departure. After entering all of our passport info online, I got a notice that we’d need to check in at the airport instead. With a two- and five-year-old in tow, I didn’t think much of it – check-in hiccups like that have become pretty routine for us when traveling with kids, especially heading abroad.

The next day, we were scrambling to get to the airport for our flight, leaving home just an hour and 15 minutes before departure – not great! Living in a small city (with a small regional airport), an hour is normally more than enough time to make a flight – comfortably, even.

What I failed to account for:

• 🛂 We weren’t checked in yet
• 🧳 We had checked bags
• 🌎 We were on an international itinerary, even though our first flight was a domestic hop

American generally requires international passengers to check in at least 60 minutes before departure, versus 45 minutes for domestic trips. We reached the counter with about 10 minutes to spare. It was all pretty frantic, but at this point it seemed like we made it.

Boy, were we wrong!

Because we were connecting at London-Heathrow (LHR) on our way to Lisbon (LIS), American Airlines’ system flagged us as needing an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) to enter the U.K. The only problem? We weren’t entering the U.K. – we had a quick layover with no plans to leave the airport – so we never applied … and we didn’t need to!

I eventually convinced the frontline agents at our home airport that this wasn’t necessary, but they still had to call their support desk to override the system. By the time that was sorted out, we were well inside that 45-minute window, and the system wouldn’t let them check us in anymore.

AA’s solution? They’d get us on the next available flight … two days later. That sounded less than ideal.

So I took matters into my own hands and transferred Chase Ultimate Rewards points to United MileagePlus and booked us a different flight the next day using United’s expanded saver award space – a perk I get through my United debit card (yes… debit card!).

In the end, we landed in Lisbon only 16 hours later than planned. But without a stash of transferable points at the ready, we’d have lost two full days of vacation.

My wife and daughter with Lisbon’s famous Tram 28

Alright, so at the top I said this was my biggest travel mistake yet – but was it really all my fault? Yes and no.

If we’d shown up an hour earlier, there probably would have been time to untangle the ETA mess and still make our flight. Leaving 10 minutes for check-in requires the stars to align perfectly … and they didn’t.

But American’s automated system deserves some of the blame for flagging an ETA we didn’t need – and I doubt it’s the only airline with that problem.

A few lessons I learned the hard way:

1. Connecting in London (or anywhere in the U.K.)? Be ready for check-in hiccups thanks to the U.K.’s (relatively) new ETA program – even if you never leave the airport.
2. Build in wiggle room on international trips. Even if you’re comfortable showing up minutes before boarding, give yourself extra time when the trip is international … even if your first flight is domestic.
3. When you’re handed a bad rebooking, break out the points. This is exactly what a stash of points and miles is for!

And here’s the craziest part of this whole ordeal: That missed flight ended up (partially) saving us from a bigger headache on the other side of the pond. More on that travel snafu later this week …

– Jackson Newman, senior editor

🤝 Deal of the Day: Fly to St. Thomas Under $399 RT This Winter!

Heat scale (out of 3): 🔥🔥🔥

Why we love it: Jump on these cheap flights to the Virgin Islands while they last!

Flying from more than 30 U.S. airports to STT with best availability this January and February.

Sign up now to get all the details on this deal & don’t miss the next flight deal alert.

Already a member? Log in to see all your deals.

– Gunnar Olson, Thrifty Traveler Premium deal analyst

📖 Gettin’ Booksy: Regan Books a Delta One Honeymoon to Spain!

Welcome to Gettin’ Booksy, a celebration of our favorite feeling: Booking something awesome! Book something lately? Let us know at [email protected]!

What Did Regan Book?

Regan secured two Delta One Suites flights from Denver (DEN) to Madrid (MAD) for her honeymoon!

How’d Regan Book It?

Regan first booked a $300 per person deal to fly economy from Colorado to Spain. So she was ecstatic to wake up to a Delta One Suites deal from a ThriftyTraveler Premium alert, flying from Denver (DEN) to Madrid (MAD) with one stop for just 98,000 SkyMiles per person each way!

What Makes it So Awesome?

Upgrading from economy to Delta One is certainly honeymoon-worthy!

From Regan:

Regan said they took a cooking class with a Spanish chef and plan to make paella for their parents over the holidays!

Congrats on flying Delta One, Regan. What a special moment! (Oh, and congrats on the wedding, too …)

– Gunnar Olson, flight deal analyst and travel reporter

💙 JetBlue Sale Ends Tonight: Flights from 2,100 Points!

JetBlue is currently running a quick-hit sale with cash fares as low as $49, and award flights starting at 2,600 TrueBlue points each way. In practice, we’re finding award flights that are even cheaper than JetBlue’s advertised rates – as low as 2,100 points each way.

But if you want in, you’ll need to book today, Nov. 11!

There are a few catches to be aware of: Travel has to fall between Dec. 1, 2026, and Feb. 10, 2027, and holiday blackout dates apply. You’ll typically find the lowest prices and the most availability on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays.

The best deals we’ve found are flights to, from, or connecting through Fort Lauderdale (FLL). Here are a few examples:

• Atlanta (ATL) to Fort Lauderdale: 2,100 points + $5.60 one-way
• Nashville (BNA) to Fort Lauderdale: 2,700 points + $5.60 one-way
• New York (JFK) to Punta Cana (PUJ), with a layover in FLL: 4,400 points + $55.52 one-way

The same routes are going for anywhere from $50 to $150 each way in cash, so you’re getting a pretty great return on your TrueBlue points.

One thing to keep in mind is that these lowest fares are “Main Base,” which is JetBlue’s version of basic economy. And checking a bag now costs at least $50, after JetBlue raised its checked bag fees (again!) just last week.

Thankfully, a carry-on is still free (even on Main Base), so you should be fine on a shorter winter getaway. Add it all up and there are some pretty stellar deals out there for travel to, from, or through South Florida this winter.

Just make sure to book before it’s too late: This sale ends tonight!

– Jackson Newman, senior editor

🎙️ Starter Kit: Other Experts’ Top Travel Tips

📻 Kyle and Gunnar have fellow points and miles experts share their top tips for travelers. The guys react to tips about points earning, redemptions, and a special appearance by their boss, too!

Watch it now on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

🏔️ Banff’n on a Budget: How I Booked Our Summer Trip

By next summer, my two oldest daughters will be 6 and 9, which is still too young to fend for themselves all day while my wife and I are at work.

Summer camp is the usual answer, but it gets expensive in a hurry. Personally, I’d rather spend that money on a family trip than another week of summer camp they surely won’t remember. So next June we’re taking all three girls (Olivia, our youngest, will be almost 3 by then) to Banff outside of Calgary, Alberta.

I’ve never been, and the pictures look absolutely incredible, though I’m told they don’t do it justice.

We booked the WestJet nonstop from Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) to Calgary (YYC) for all five of us, roundtrip, using Air France-KLM Flying Blue miles.

Flying Blue is the loyalty program for Air France and KLM, and it also partners with WestJet, so you can use Flying Blue miles on WestJet flights.

The flights cost just 11,500 miles per person each way (or 23,000 miles roundtrip). Paying cash for those same flights would have cost $708 per person, or $3,540 for the family.

A transfer bonus made this even cheaper. I transferred 83,000 American Express Membership Rewards points to Flying Blue while Amex was offering a 25% bonus (that bonus ended Oct. 31), which converted to 103,750 miles.

I added the 11,895 miles already in my Flying Blue account, and that covered all five tickets: 115,000 miles total, plus $452.85 in taxes and fees.

I don’t get too concerned with points valuations, but for those keeping score at home, that works out to about 2.7 cents per mile in value. It’s a strong return on my Amex points, and it certainly beats paying cash for all five tickets.

Booking WestJet through Flying Blue doesn’t get you seat selection, which could have been a real (expensive) headache with three kids in tow. I was contemplating if I wanted to pony up for the seat selection fees, or just wing it.

Thankfully, the morning after I booked, WestJet emailed to say it had already seated all five of us together in the same row. WestJet’s family seating policy guarantees that kids under 14 sit next to an accompanying adult at no extra cost, and it applied to our award tickets, too.

That wasn’t entirely clear during the booking process, so if you’re making a similar booking, don’t pay for those seat selection fees at checkout.

I’ve also already booked a Turo for when we land: a 2024 Lexus TX 7-seater SUV for about $650 USD for the whole trip. If you’re not familiar with Turo, think of it as Airbnb for rental cars.

Turo lets you rent a car directly from its owner, and I love it for family travel because you know exactly which vehicle you’re getting. You’re not reserving a “Chevy Suburban or similar” at the rental car counter only to find out it’s neither a Chevy Suburban nor similar. I find the prices competitive, and you can pick up most vehicles at the airport, just like you would with a rental car.

We’ve still got plenty to figure out. Lodging will likely be an Airbnb in the Canmore area, and I haven’t even started on an itinerary.

So if you’ve been to Banff with kids, hit reply and tell me what we can’t miss, and what to skip with a 2-year-old in tow.

– Nick Serati, Thrifty Traveler co-founder

✈️ Other Travel Tidbits

• 🏨 Last chance at 200K Bonvoy points! Even if you don’t care about Marriott hotels, you can turn them into roughly 80K airline miles.
• 🇧🇷 Alaska just added a new Brazil partner: Atmos Rewards members can now earn points on select GOL flights booked through Alaska or Hawaiian, with award redemptions expected in early 2027. (Alaska Airlines)
• 🛰️ Off-grid Wi-Fi just got more portable: The new Starlink Mini 2 packs a satellite dish, Wi-Fi router, and swappable battery into a laptop-size device, with up to 4.5 hours of connectivity per charge. Invite-only U.S. preorders cost $999, including a year of Roam Unlimited service, with initial shipments expected in mid-December. (Starlink)
• 🍽️ American is reportedly bringing back “light bites” mini-meals in domestic first class on flights of 700 to 899 miles. (JonNYC, via X)