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There’s a big cost difference between business class and economy. Check out easy and effective travel hacks to get cheap business-class flights.
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The business-class experience can be incredible, especially when you compare it to economy. Goodbye cramped, uncomfortable seating where you need to battle for the armrest. In business class, the seats are spacious — they may even turn into beds — and the in-flight meal service is a giant step up.
A premium experience also normally comes with a premium price tag. If you want to book a business-class ticket on an international flight, it could cost $3,000 or more each way.
Some people see those hefty ticket prices and decide to stick to economy. But there are several easy hacks that savvy travelers use to book business class at a fraction of its typical cost.
1. Start earning credit card travel rewards
The best way to save on business class is with travel credit cards. You can use these cards to earn points or miles, and then use those rewards to pay for business-class airfare.
If you always fly with the same airline, you could open one of its airline credit cards. When you use an airline card, you earn miles that you can redeem with that airline. But if you’re not loyal to one airline, a better option is a travel card with transferable rewards. These are travel cards that let you transfer your rewards to airline partners.
Instead of having miles that you can only use with one airline, you’ll be able to transfer your rewards to any of your card issuer’s partner airlines. This gives you far more options for booking business class.
2. Fly to an affordable destination
Airfare tends to be much cheaper when you fly to places with a lower cost of living. That’s true with economy and business-class seats. So if you’re hoping to have a better travel experience, without shelling out thousands of dollars for a flight, try looking for more affordable destinations.
Latin America is a popular choice because it has a low cost of living and it’s not far from the United States. I’ve often found business-class tickets for $500 to $700 traveling to and around Latin America. If you’re interested in going to Europe, Portugal and Spain are two of the less expensive options.
3. Go where the deals are
If you’re the adventurous type, another way to save is an open-ended flight search. Many flight booking tools, including Google Flights and Skyscanner, let you explore destinations this way. Here’s how:
Choose your departure airport.Select the option to search for business-class flights.Enter your desired travel dates.In the destination field, choose the “anywhere” option.
You’ll get a list of places you can visit, with prices for business-class airfare. Open-ended flight searches have become popular — Skyscanner reports that 1 in 2 travelers start their searches without a destination in mind.
4. Compare prices on different travel dates
When you’re trying to get cheap flights, being flexible makes it much easier. Flights sometimes cost half as much, or less, depending on the travel dates you choose. This is true when you’re paying in cash or credit card miles.
The cheapest days to fly are Tuesdays and Wednesdays, according to research by CheapAir.com, so you may want to start your search there. With most airlines and online travel portals, you can quickly jump from day to day and see which have the lowest prices. Many airlines also have low-fare calendars where you can quickly check prices for an entire month at a time.
5. Upgrade your way into business class
Can’t find a deal on the flight you want? You could book an economy ticket, and then see if it’s possible to upgrade it later, space permitting. This is more of a gamble, so only do it if you wouldn’t mind flying economy.
The upgrade process will depend on the flight and the airline. Some airlines give you the option to pay a flat fee for an immediate upgrade. Others use bidding systems, where you bid the amount you’re willing to pay, and the airline later lets you know if your bid was accepted.
You don’t need to stretch your travel budget to the limit for a business-class flight. If you shop around for deals, are flexible about when you travel, and use credit cards that earn travel rewards, you can fly this way at a reasonable cost.
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