6 Ways to Fly Business Class to Europe Under 50K Points

It may sound too good to be true, but the 50,000 or so points in your credit card account could be more than enough to book your next big international trip … even if you want to fly lie-flat business class. 

Business class seats typically cost $2,000, $3,000, or more each way. But by transferring the right credit card points to the best airline mileage programs, you can book those same pricey seats for the miles you're used to forking over for economy. In some cases, you can book a lie-flat seat over to Europe for as few as 21,000 points each way! 

From Aer Lingus business class nonstop to Dublin (DUB) to Air France business class to Paris-Charles de Gaulle (CDG) and throughout Europe to many more, you can book a business class seat for 50,000 points or less. You just need to know where to look, when to book, and – most importantly – when to transfer your credit card points. 

Flexible Points (& Transfer Bonuses) are the Key

Many of the best ways to book business class for under 50,000 points are with airlines that actually sell those seats at criminally low rates. A handful, though, might require taking advantage of a transfer bonus to stretch your miles.

Big banks like American Express, Bilt, Capital One, Chase, or Citi routinely roll out bonuses of 15%, 25%, 30%, or more when transferring points to a specific airline partner. For example, Chase recently rolled out two new 25% transfer bonuses when sending Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Air France/KLM Flying Blue and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club. 

Read next: Save Points When Booking Flights: Transfer Them to an Airline Partner

That means 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. 

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% or more 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: 

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 50,000 points. 

American Airlines from 45K Miles

American Airlines business class has a lot to love, including a huge network of flights from the U.S. to some epic destinations. But one of the more reliable ways to book AA's lie-flat seats is flying to London.

And while you can definitely book using your American Airlines miles and through some of American's partners, the cheapest way – and the key to get under 50,000 points each way – is to use your Alaska miles instead. 

Read more: A Neat Trick to Book Biz Class for Fewer Alaska Miles

Alaska typically charges 55,000 miles each way for a nonstop business class award between the U.S. and Europe. But thanks to a pricing quirk, you can drop that to 45,000 miles by adding a connection! 

Don't have Alaska miles? They're normally some of the hardest miles to pile up … but these aren't normal times. Thanks to its merger with Hawaiian Airlines, you can temporarily transfer Amex Membership Rewards from cards like the *amex gold* to Hawaiian, then kick them over seamlessly to Alaska.

Add it all up, and it's one of the best ways to book business class for a trip in 2025 or 2026, period.

Iberia Biz Class to Spain (& Beyond) from 29K Points Each Way

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. And when transfer bonuses come around, just 30,000 points or less is all you'd need to book these seats!

With rates like these, you don't even need to book during a transfer bonus to get elite value. I'd recommend booking the routes from Boston (BOS) and San Juan (SJU) so you can fly the brand new A321neo business class (pictured above) that I flew and reviewed just a few months ago.

But flights from Chicago-O'Hare (ORD), New York City (JFK), and Washington, D.C.-Dulles (IAD) all benefit from this rock-bottom pricing. 

Flying Iberia is a surefire cheap way to fly lie-flat to Europe this year or next. 

Aer Lingus Biz Class to Ireland from 45K Miles Each Way

Aer Lingus business class isn't just one of the best ways to fly nonstop to the Emerald Isle. It's one of the cheapest ways to get to Europe in a lie-flat seat, too.

Yet again, you'll want 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. 

Better yet, the airline is regularly generous with typically hard-to-find award availability to actually book these seats at that low rate. Transfer 45,000 Amex points to Hawaiian, kick them over to Alaska, and you're set. 

Priced just like American Airlines business class, these 45,000-point rates are fantastic for flyers looking for a little comfort. And with Aer Lingus's expanding footprint in the U.S., you can secure one of these flights from your home airport, or at least nearby. 

Virgin Upper Class to London from 23K Points Each Way

When Virgin Atlantic announced it would shift to dynamic award pricing, we braced for the worst. Airlines like to hide price increases in these kinds of changes, after all. 

But this time was different. Virgin's new dynamic pricing means many flights actually got cheaper: As low as just 29,000 miles each way for a Virgin Atlantic Upper Class seat! 

Those outstanding fares – from just 29,000 Virgin Atlantic points each way (or less with a transfer bonus) – mean you can fly nonstop to London-Heathrow (LHR) or Manchester (MAN) for under 30,000 points in some cases! 

This crazy flight is a treat for U.S.-based flyers who can earn Virgin points (and they're so easy to earn!). 

SAS Business Class to Copenhagen from 29K Points 

Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) recently joined SkyTeam, the airline alliance of Delta, Air France, and KLM, among others. And that move means you can now book SAS flights with Flying Blue miles. 

Since those SAS flights first went on sale, we've been searching every day for these elusive seats. We recently struck gold, finding plenty of flights between the U.S. to Copenhagen (CPH) later this year for low rates through Flying Blue! 

How low? How about just 29,000 points each way!

This kind of dirt-cheap award space flying SAS business class is so rare, we declared it a “Unicorn Alert” – and we heard from several members who made this booking to fly to or from Copenhagen (CPH) for their Northern European adventure this year! 

Air France Business Class to Europe from 36K Points

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. Even after raising award rates to 60,000 miles each way for a lie-flat seat, it's one of the best ways to book business class – at least if you can find the award space.

But it can be done – especially if you look to the north, as Canadian airports like Toronto (YYZ) and Montreal (YUL) benefit from much more generous award space than major U.S. hubs. And it gets even better when the airline rolls out one of its monthly Promo Rewards specials, slashing its normal award rates by 25% or more from select cities. 

Here's the result: 

By stacking this monthly special with a transfer bonus, travelers in Montreal could snag these nonstop Air France business class flights for just 36,000 points each way! Ditto for flying KLM business class to Amsterdam (AMS).

If you live in Montreal (YUL) or have a quick way to connect to the French Canadian hub, this deal is the best way to get peak summer flights to Europe. 

Bottom Line

You don't have to be points and miles rich to fly lie-flat for your next vacation. Just 50,000 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.