If you’re familiar with credit card rewards and travel hacking, you probably know that booking family travel (particularly in business and first class) can be challenging. In fact, snagging more than 2 premium cabin tickets on the same flight is nearly impossible without meticulous planning.
Imagine if you can use as little as 100,000-150,000 points per person for an exotic, international first class vacation with your family. The problem, without a doubt, is finding availability.
In a post-pandemic world, award availability for family travel in business and first class is much more realistic; but it takes knowledge and timing. And you’ll definitely want to book the best first class seats for social distancing when possible.
If you’ve mostly booked economy tickets in the past, you’ll need to learn about the top things people get wrong about credit card points and luxury travel!
You’ll very quickly discover that flying in first class, visiting the best airport lounges, and staying in 5-star hotels for free is doable!
Here are some ideas for family vacations you can book using points that you’ve earned from running your business to save tens of thousands of dollars!
Most of these countries will eventually be open, which is great for planning travel further out, but if you’re looking for some last-minute places you can travel to, check out our top 5 best places you can visit that are open to U.S. citizens.
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U.S. to Spain in Business Class For 102,000 Points Per Person
One of the most convenient ways to fly to Spain is to fly on the Spanish flag carrier, Iberia. You can fly from the West Coast to Spain nonstop in Iberia business class for 102,000 Amex points per person (or 51,000 Amex points one-way per person). The best part? Iberia offers excellent award availability, and you can often find 4 award tickets available on the same flight. Overall, you might pay around 102,000 Amex points per person to save over $5,000 in ticket costs.
You’ll instantly save around ~$20,000 when you redeem points in business class!
Normally, the biggest challenge to accessing these phenomenal deals that you can’t book on portals like Amex Travel is to find availability. But, these airlines make it easier to book family travel, thanks to enhanced availability of tickets.
U.S. to Japan in Business Class For 95,000 Points Per Person
If you’re interested in crossing the Pacific, you can book business class flights from the East Coast to Japan on famed airline All Nippon Airways, or ANA. These tickets can be booked for 95,000 Chase, Amex, or Citi points per person, saving you ~$7,000 per ticket per person!
Availability is also relatively easy to come by, which means that a family trip for 4 people will save you almost $30,000, just by using points!
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U.S. to Switzerland in Business Class For 110,000 Points Per Person
Switzerland is a picturesque vacation spot, which happens to be very family-friendly! If you wanted to sample one of the best business class airlines in the world, Swiss Air, you can do so easily! Think about booking a luxurious business class flight nonstop from the U.S. to Switzerland, and you’ll pay around 110,000 Amex points per person, round-trip.
Flights, on average, will run around $6,000 round-trip, which represents savings of almost $25,000 for a family of 4.
U.S. to London in First Class For 240,000 Points Per Person
If you want to savor a taste of first class service, British Airways makes it easy to book family travel using points and miles. With your Amex or Citi points, you’ll redeem 240,000 points per person round-trip or 120,000 points one-way to fly from the U.S. to London nonstop in first class.
The biggest benefit of booking British Airways first class is how reliable they are with releasing flight availability. It’s a bit more expensive to enjoy this perk, but be sure to check out our best post-pandemic first class flight deals you can book using points!
As you can imagine, flights cost around $10,000 on average, so you’ll save almost $40,000 for a family of 4 by using points.
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U.S. to Dubai in Business Class For 145,000 Points Per Person
If you’re looking to check out Dubai, one of the ritziest vacation spots in the world, look no further than Emirates. The world-famous airline makes it possible to enjoy family luxury in the air en route to Dubai. You can book business class flights for 4 travelers reliably by redeeming 145,000 Amex, Chase, or even Citi points per person.
And although finding more than 2 Emirates first class seats is rare, doing so means you’ll get to enjoy ultimate luxury!
You’ll save over $8,000 per person by redeeming points, a total of over $30,000 for a family of 4. This is definitely one of the most far-flung places you can visit.
For more vacation inspiration, check out our top 5 exotic places to travel to using points.
Final Thoughts
Booking family travel in business or first class using points is challenging and time-consuming. However, some airlines make it easy by releasing lots of availability to book up more than 2 seats on the same flight. You’ll want to consistently track award availability in order to maximize your odds of saving tens of thousands of dollars.
If you’re interested in booking travel in luxury with a single companion, check out our best vacation spots for couples using points!
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