It may not seem like it, but the 40,000 points in your account is more than enough to book your next big international trip – and that includes if you want to fly lie-flat business class.
In fact, some of our favorite business class seats in the world can be booked for under 40,000 points each way. That means if you want to make it a roundtrip or you're flying with someone else, you're only looking at 80,000 points, too.
In some cases, a business class flight across the Atlantic over to Europe can be found for as few as 27,000 points each way! I've booked domestic flights for that much, and I'm a so-called “expert” in this stuff.
From Aer Lingus Business Class to Dublin (DUB) to Air France Business Class to Paris (CDG) and several others, you can book a business class seat for 40,000 points or less if you know where to look, when to book, and most importantly, when to transfer your credit card points.
Transfer Bonuses are the Key
Few airlines actually sell business class seats for under 40,000 points, but if you take advantage of something called a “transfer bonus,” you can turn your 40,000 American Express, Bilt, Capital One, Chase, or Citi points into enough airline miles to book one of these seats.
Typically, you can transfer your credit card points to one of the bank's airline partners on a 1:1 ratio. Transferring 10,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points to United would get you 10,000 United Miles, for example. Or 10,000 Southwest Rapid Rewards points. Or 10,000 Virgin Atlantic Flying Club points. You get the idea.
Read next: Save points When Booking Flights: Transfer Them to an Airline Partner
But every so often, banks like Amex, Capital One, Chase, or others offer bonuses for transferring points to one of their airline partners, meaning you don't have to transfer as many points as you normally need to book an award flight. Think of these transfer bonuses as a way to get free miles.
For example, Chase just rolled out a brand new 30% transfer bonus when sending Chase Ultimate Rewards points to British Airways, Iberia, and Aer Lingus.
From booking short American Airlines or Alaska flights within the U.S. to the world's best business class and one of the cheapest ways to book a lie-flat seat to Europe, there are tons of great ways to use Avios – and considering you can combine Avios between a growing number of airlines, that list is longer than ever.
Now, when you transfer 10,000 Chase points to British Airways, (or Iberia, or Aer Lingus), you'll end up with 13,000 Avios. That means your hard-earned Chase points just got nearly a third more valuable over night when moving them to this program.
Transfer bonuses come and go every month or so. They can range from a lowly 15% bonus when transferring points to even some one-day-only 100% transfer bonuses we've seen from Bilt. If you can strike while the transfer bonuses are hot, it can lead to outsized savings on business class flights, making it so you can book flights that may typically cost many more points for 40,000 points or less.
Here are all the active transfer bonuses you can take advantage of right now:
| Transfer from | Transfer to | Bonus | Expires | More info |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amex | Air France/KLM Flying Blue | 20% | Nov. 10, 2024 | Full details |
| Chase | British Airways, Aer Lingus & Iberia Avios | 30% | Oct. 31, 2024 | Full details |
| Chase | Marriott Bonvoy | 50% | Nov. 15, 2024 | |
| Citi | Avianca LifeMiles | 25% | Oct. 19, 2024 | |
| Citi | Etihad Airways | Up to 40% | Oct. 31, 2024 | Tiered-bonus from Etihad's side (full details) |
| Citi | Qatar Avios | Up to 35% | Oct. 31, 2024 | Bonus is on Qatar's side (full details) |
| Citi | The Leading Hotels of the World (LHW) | 25% | Oct. 19, 2024 | Points transfer 1,000:250 (with bonus) |
| Marriott | Air Canada Aeroplan | 15% | Oct. 31, 2024 | Points ordinarily transfer 3:1 (read our guide) |
As you can see, there are some amazing ways to multiply the value of your hard-earned points for travel this year or next. And it could take the cost of your next business class flight down to economy rates just like that.
Whenever there's a transfer bonus, we clue our Thrifty Traveler Premium members into all the best ways they can use it to maximize their points and miles. Here are some of the best business class deals we've found, all for under 40,000 points.
Iberia Business Class to Spain from 27K
Iberia practically invented the cheap business class flight to Europe, and we love them for it.
That's because, in the shoulder months around the peak holidays and peak summer travel season, Iberia charges only 34,000 Avios each way to fly in their lie-flat seats to and from their Madrid (MAD) hub.
It's a spectacular deal all on its own, but when you add in a 30% transfer bonus to Iberia (or another Avios airline) like like we just saw with Amex and now we're seeing with Chase, it's literally an unbeatable one.
To book Iberia's brand new business class seats (pictured in the renderings above) that launch this November, you only needed 27,000 American Express points last month or 27,000 Chase points this month to make it happen.
These brand new lie-flat seats are only available from Boston (BOS) and Washington, D.C. (IAD) currently at the cheapest, 34,000-point award rate.
But you don't have to fly in the winter to get a good deal with Iberia. Even the airline's peak summer rates can dip down to 39,000 points each way if you can time it right with a good transfer bonus.
This deal we sent a few days ago featured some 50,000-point rates flying to Madrid (MAD) during summer 2025, but you could book for just 39,000 Amex or Chase points when you factor in the 30% transfer bonus.
Plus, you can find these seats available on several more routes than just the East Coast.
The sub-40,000-point business class flight category only exists because of Iberia. They were the first and are still the best, but they're not alone anymore!
Aer Lingus Business Class from 39K
Aer Lingus Business Class can now be found on all of the airline's long-haul flights, which is a huge boon for travelers hoping to get to the Emerald Isle or beyond in style.
Like Iberia, Aer Lingus is also a member of the Avios mileage currency family, and you can take advantage of similar transfer bonuses to snag one of these seats for not many points at all.
With a transfer bonus like last month Amex one or the current one from Chase, you can get 30% more Avios for your points
Aer Lingus Avios (combinable with are super valuable and are susceptible to sweet transfer bonuses like last month's Amex bonus and this month's 30% Chase Ultimate Rewards bonus.
If you transfer during the bonus, you 39,000 Amex or Chase points turn into the 50,000 Avios you need to book these flights from the East Coast. You only need a few more to book from Miami (MIA), too.
Have some Alaska Airlines miles? Aer Lingus and Alaska are both members of the Oneworld airline alliance, meaning you could book these Aer Lingus business class seats for just 45,000 Alaska miles each way, too.
Air France or KLM Business Class From 32K
European carriers Air France and KLM share a loyalty program called Flying Blue, and in-the-know travelers have watched as Flying Blue has improved its program over the years while other airlines tear theirs down.
You can book Air France Business Class or KLM Business Class to and from Amsterdam (AMS) and Paris (CDG) from anywhere in the U.S. for just 50,000 Flying Blue miles each way. But those rates get even better if you fly from Canada and there's a transfer bonus in play, like there was for this latest deal we sent our Thrifty Traveler Premium members.
Travelers in Montreal (YUL) and Ottawa (YOW) could snag these nonstop flights from 32,000 Capital One miles each way if you transferred during a 20% bonus from the bank to Flying Blue last month.
Don't have Capital One miles? No sweat, as you could transfer points from any of the other banks – Amex, Bilt, Chase, Citi, or Wells Fargo to Flying Blue to book for the full rate of just 38,000 points each way.
Those cheaper award rates flying to and from Canada were during one of Flying Blue's monthly promos. Typically, you'll more likely to see these 50,000-mile rates for Air France and KLM business class.
But with a 25% transfer bonus to Flying Blue like this one from Citi a few months ago, you could book rates for just 40,000 Citi points each way.
It's not uncommon to see Flying Blue business class rates touch dozens of U.S. and Canadian cities, too. This is a program to closely watch if a cheap business class flight is on your radar.
SAS Business Class to Copenhagen from 35K
Speaking of Flying Blue, Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) recently joined the SkyTeam, the same airline alliance to which Air France and KLM, along with Delta and others, belong, meaning you can now book SAS flights with Flying Blue miles.
And when those SAS flights first went on sale, we found these unbelievable SAS Business Class rates flying from Chicago (ORD) to Copenhagen (CPH) later this year for low rates through Flying Blue!
Flying Blue charges 41,000 miles each way for these SAS business class seats, but if you timed it right with that 20% transfer bonus from Capital One, you'd only be 35,000 Capital One miles lighter!
LATAM Business Class to Peru from 30K
Europe isn't the only place you can find sub-40,000-point business class fares. LATAM Airlines and its nonstop flights to Lima, Peru (LIM) would like a word!
You've got several options to book LATAM business class with points and miles, but the best way, of course is any one that takes advantage of a transfer bonus.
For these flights to Lima (LIM), you were best off transferring your Amex points to British Airways (and then moving them to Qatar Airways) to turn your 30,000 Amex points into the 40,000 Qatar Avios you need to secure the lie-flat seat and make a bucket-list trip to Peru happen this year.
Nerd Alerts: Maldives, Japan, the Caribbean, & More From 12K
Fair warning: These deals probably violate the spirit of this post, but technically, they qualify as sub-40,000-point business class flights that I think you should be aware of.
This first deal, flying JetBlue Mint Business Class, is by far the comfiest way to fly to the Caribbean this year or next.
You can book JetBlue Mint to Aruba (AUA) or San Juan (SJU) through Qatar Airways for just 26,000 Avios each way. But taking advantage of a 30% transfer bonus to British Airways Avios (which you can combine with Qatar Avios), you'd only need transfer 20,000 Amex points (or Chase points this month) to fly in one of these seats down to the Caribbean.
Even JetBlue itself is only charging 28,000 to 35,000 points to make these lie-flats your home for the flights down to paradise – and you can transfer points to JetBlue from Amex, Chase, or Citi (although it's not always a 1:1 transfer).
When it comes to business class flights to the Caribbean, an unlikely carrier takes the cake for the best lie-flat rates out there: British Airways.
Wait, what?
That's right! B.A. operates a short fifth freedom flight between the Bahamas (NAS) and the Cayman Islands (GCM) for just 15,000 points and a hilarious $1 in taxes and fees each way. If you grab these during a transfer bonus, it's only 12,000 points each way, too!
This deal and the next few that we're about to look at fall under a category Thrifty Traveler Premium flight deals we call Nerd Alerts. Nerd Alerts are deals that have extremely limited availability, can only be booked one-way, or feature flights that do not touch U.S. or Canadian soil – meaning you have to be a special kind of nerd (like us!) to appreciate them. These deals all qualify as Nerd Alerts, but have some insane value in them if you can make them work.
Forget business class, how about a first class flight on Qatar Airways, for example?
Flying from Doha (DOH), you can get to Bangkok (BKK), Hong Kong (HKG), or the Maldives (MLE) for just 40,000 American Airlines miles each way! If you take advantage of a transfer bonus, you can also snag these seats for as few as 41,000 BA or Qatar Avios, too.
And finally, one more swanky business class seat you can book for less: Korean Air.
If someone ever tells you your SkyMiles are worthless, you can point them to this deal flying between Japan (NRT) and (FUK) and Seoul (ICN) for just 15,000 Delta SkyMiles each way!
If you don't have Delta SkyMiles, other Korean Air partner airlines Virgin Atlantic and Alaska Airlines also had award availability on this deal, meaning you could also book one of these seats next winter for just 16,000 Virgin points (transferrable from all the major banks) or 15,000 Alaska miles, each way.
Bottom Line
You don't have to be points and miles rich to fly lie-flat for your next vacation. Just 40,000 points can be enough for a business class seat if you know where to look and how to book.
The key is taking advantage of credit card transfer bonuses to book the best seats at the lowest rates this year or next.
I have flown business class KLM-AMS (and onward) several times for 50K from the U.S., but I have not been able to find 50K for quite some time, looking at Oct-Nov-Dec.