If you thought it was too late to use your points and miles to fly to Europe on peak dates this summer, United Airlines and Swiss have plenty of seats available.
As first published by Find Flights For Me, numerous July and August dates are available in business class on Star Alliance carriers United and Swiss to and from Europe.
You can fly nonstop from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), Denver International Airport (DEN), Dulles International Airport (IAD) or O’Hare International Airport (ORD) to Heathrow Airport (LHR), Frankfurt Airport (FRA), Munich Airport (MUC), Brussels Airport (BRU), Geneva Airport (GVA) and Zurich Airport (ZRH).
Most availability is through flying with United, though some dates are flying with Swiss (especially between Chicago or New York and Zurich), and there is also some availability between these airports from Europe to the United States.
Related: Is United Polaris business class worth it to Singapore?
If you have American Express Membership Rewards points, Capital One miles or Citi ThankYou Rewards points, the cheapest way to book these flights is with Avianca LifeMiles, which charges just 63,000 miles each way in business class between North America and Europe without imposing fuel surcharges, though TPG has found some itineraries for as low as 60,000 miles.
Transfers to LifeMiles are usually instant, but make sure you can see the availability on LifeMiles’ own site before transferring credit card points.
If you have Amex Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Citi ThankYou or Chase Ultimate Rewards points, you could also book with Air Canada Aeroplan. It charges only 60,000 points for shorter flights from New York to Western Europe in business class and 70,000 points for most other itineraries.
You can also book these flights through United’s MileagePlus program, which charges 80,000-88,000 miles each way in business class.
If you want to search across multiple dates, United’s “flexible dates” search engine will show you prices for 30 days on one screen, so you can see which dates are offered at the lowest prices. As a reminder, the best availability is in July and August.
Best credit cards to earn points and miles for award travel
The following cards all currently offer strong welcome bonuses with points and miles that you can transfer to either your LifeMiles and/or Aeroplan accounts:
- The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
- The Platinum Card® from American Express
- American Express® Gold Card
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
- Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
- Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Bottom line
Europe will be a hive of activity this summer, especially with the Paris Olympics in July and August. You must usually redeem your miles many months in advance to pay this great low pricing. Luckily, an impressive amount of business class flying on United and Swiss is available right now for as low as 60,000 miles.
With some other programs charging 300,000-plus miles for flights to Western Europe, this is a great way to use your credit card points — but don’t wait, as these seats will likely be booked up fast.
