Travelling Free – Economy, Business & First Class FREE!

The Short Version:

Collect Points

Collect as many frequent flyer points as possible to get that free ticket. Where possible ensure you are collecting them or moving them into a frequent flyer program that actually gives you availability! There is no point in accumulating miles if you can’t use them when you want to!

Ways to collect frequent flyer points

1. Credit Cards

The obvious way – use credit cards to PAY for as many of your business expenses as possible (I will mention my favourite cards below)

2. Payment Service (for business)

The not-so-obvious way that you may not be aware of (and that’s why I am here!). If your business accepts credit cards as a payment method, some providers give YOU the points for customers’ purchases. Yes, exactly as you read it. Your customer will purchase from you, and YOU will receive the points. (I will elaborate below)

Convert Points

Convert your points to a ticket, and off you go!

I have done hours and hours of research to get to the best combination of cards and frequent flyer plans (FFP) to get to the best results. I even built my own miles redemption calculator to calculate what would give my points the best value, and I am so happy to share it with you.

So how exactly was I able to travel during the busiest time of the year, either business or first class, but more importantly, for free?

I will show you how I did it step by step and give you some tips on what to look out for. I have been doing it for the last 20 years for business, leisure and even “bleisure” and I have never missed a flight! And Yes, i have managed the 1A Seat on a few occasions and have also been the recipient of a low SEQ number (although I don’t particularly chase those any more).

If you need a hand searching for availability of a reward ticket,
feel free to contact me and I will be happy to help out 😊

The Long Version – Step by Step Guide

Here is what worked for me:

Swipe, Swipe, Swipe

But can you get free flights with a credit card? Absolutely! I paid everything I could using credit cards. I will talk about what cards worked for me below. The idea was that my business already had these expenses that needed to be paid. Converting these payments to free plane tickets is making lemonade out of lemons. Yes, you pay for these expenses but knowing that you can also enjoy a free airline ticket makes it so much better.

Here are a few examples of business expenses that I paid with my credit card.
Rent, utilities, suppliers, insurance, office supplies and equipment, and even tax bills!

Note: I negotiated no or minimum surcharge on my credit card payments. Most of my suppliers agreed. An excellent negotiating tool with my suppliers was to offer shorter payment terms.
I ensured I paid the credit card on time to avoid penalties and high-interest rates.
I did not add on any unnecessary purchases to collect points. The best thing was that I had these expenses anyway – I just found a way to enjoy my business purchases.

The Cards I Used

So what card is best for getting free plane tickets? I could have used any card to collect points. However, I found American Express Explorer the most beneficial. I also had a secondary card if my American Express was not accepted. Wanting to book reward tickets through my favourite frequent flyer programs was also a major determining factor in which credit card I would use. Remember not to put all your eggs in one basket.

Why AMEX?

Quite simply, I believe AMEX is in a league of its own. I believe this is the best credit card for points. It has enormous flexibility and benefits that other cards don’t always offer. These are the most relevant advantages:

• The main and most important advantage is that with AMEX, all my points went to my Amex Membership Rewards Program, and from there, I could choose to distribute the points to many airlines. Diversifying is an essential factor, especially when booking rewards tickets unplanned. This gave me enormous flexibility to book my flights, as I could transfer to whichever airline I wanted. Some airlines I could move my points to under the Amex Rewards Program are Air New Zealand, Emirates, Etihad, Malaysian, Singapore, Thai, and Virgin.
  
  They have recently added Qatar to their list which is a wonderful addition. Transferring Amex Points to Qatar is simple and the transfer rate is 2:1. The redemption for Krisflyer and Emirates unfortunately changed on 4th October 2023. It has gone from 2:1 to 3:1.
• Earn more points per dollar spent – currently, 2 points per $1 spent
• Earn points by paying taxes and rates as well – currently 1 point per $1 spent
• Your points don’t expire as long as you are a card member with them, are active and in good standing and are not overdue.
• No limits or caps on how many points you can earn.
• Points appear within a day or so in your account.
• Their site is very informative and user-friendly. See the below screenshot:

They have all the information you need to make that informed decision. For example, how many AMEX membership rewards points you need for a specific flight, how long it takes to transfer the points, and the minimum transfer. You can also use their simple calculator to understand how many airline miles you get in exchange for the Amex reward points.

How simple is that? You quite literally hop on to your frequent flyer program (FFP), check for availability, and pricing and when you are ready, move as many rewards points as you need and make your booking.

How Many Rewards Points Can I Transfer?

It depends on the airline. As a general rule move ONLY the amount of points you need for the ticket you are booking. The remaining keep for your next trip. With Emirates there is a minimum transfer of 2000 points and a maximum of 999,000. If you are transferring over 1 million points, just do it in a couple of transfers in the same day.

Additional Cards You Can Use:

It is always great to have either a VISA or MasterCard in addition to an AMEX card, simply because not every place accepts American Express for payment, and you don’t want to lose a single point.

I use the Virgin Money High Flyer – VISA card. It sends your points straight into the Virgin Velocity FF Program. This way i spread out my options. Velocity also has the benefit of transferring miles into my KrisFlyer account. But I only ever use that as a top up method because the redemption is not 1:1

Collecting Points with LIVE EFTPOS BLACK:

This may be the best piece of information that you were not aware of. If you accept credit cards in your retail store or over the phone, you can use a provider that gives YOU the points for your customers’ purchases. Yes, THEY purchase, and YOU get the points. The provider I used, successfully is Live Eftpos BLACK.

They will provide you with their EFTPOS terminal and when your customers swipe their card YOU get the points.

Live Eftpos automatically transfer your points to your Qantas Business Rewards. (If you don’t have a membership with them, you will need to register – and that’s simple).

A few points to consider:

• Live Eftpos Fees may be a bit higher than other merchant providers, however, the ticket is usually worth much more. I decided it was certainly worth paying that little bit more to Live Eftpos and gaining a full return business class ticket with Qantas. 
• Qantas reward tickets in premium classes are very hard to get a hold of especially if you don’t have status with them. You will need to book well in advance to find availability or be flexible with your dates and destinations. Check their award seat opening times and book well in advance. I have managed to book only 2 flights through Qantas rewards however if you plan in advance you may get luckier and much less Cranky than me!

My Favourite Frequent Flyer Programs & Why:

So how can you get free airline tickets? A-Ha!
Now that you have collected all these points, you can convert them to free tickets or even upgrades with your frequent flyer program (FFP).
You can have as many frequent flyer programs (FFPs); they are generally easy to apply and free.

When selecting a frequent flyer program (FFP) I considered the following:

• Excellent availability for tickets – the availability to travel at short notice – no need for long planning.
• What are the additional charges for a ticket (example: fuel surcharge, carrier-imposed fees and if these can be paid with miles)
• How long it takes for miles to land from Amex rewards (Emirates states one business day but is instant)
• What the transfer ratio is from the credit card or from the rewards program to the frequent flyer program. You would want at the very least for this to be 1:1 (1 reward point = 1 frequent flyer point) or ($1 spent converts to 1 frequent flyer point)
• One of the best perks of flying business and first class is the lounges, where you get to wait in peace for your flight with free access to food, drinks, Wi-Fi, quiet areas, and even showers. I would check to see if they have lounges in major cities and, if not, who they partner with.
• Excellent customer service.
• Flexibility in changes and cancellations.
• Additional services such as chauffeur and priority boarding and immigration clearance.
• If miles are capped and if they expire.
• I was interested in the type of aircraft the airline uses. This would define how many classes were available, the type of seats (recliners or flatbeds), a bar on board, a shower spa, or any great amenities that make your flight joyful.

For the above reasons, my top frequent flyer programs are:

1. Emirates Skywards

When does Emirates release it’s award tickets?

Emirates is not currently part of an alliance but has partnerships with several other airlines. Emirates releases its award seats 331 days from departure. You can use my date calculator to figure out what date that might be.

Emirates is also one of the few airlines that release additional seats periodically. They are known to open up award space at the last minute (normally within 14 days of departure). This is one of the main reasons I have been a loyal member of their program. I have never had difficulty finding a reward seat with Emirates even post covid.

In addition to the above, Emirates also offers free stopovers in Dubai if your connecting flight is longer than 6 hours. Emirates puts you up in a hotel fully paid as well as complimentary meals. There’s heaps to do in Dubai in one day, so this is a great incentive.

Note: Being a member of the Emirates Skywards program and accessing their rewards seats is not the same as trying to access their seats on a partner program like Qantas. Be mindful of the features you may not receive if you book through a partner site (such as lounge access, chauffer cars, ability to upgrade).

Emirates has never let me down regarding availability, value, customer service, lounges, chauffer pick up and drop-offs. Their fleet of aircraft is top-notch, and their product is spectacular. When transferring from AMEX rewards into Skywards, the points land within minutes.

TIP 1: Compare aircraft features that you prefer. For example, their new Boeing 777 – Game Changer has floor-to-ceiling private suites with unbelievable features and only six first-class suites in the cabin. Their A380, on the other hand, has first-class suites which are not floor to ceiling but still provide you with privacy and have the additional features of a shower and bar on board.

TIP 2: Opt-in for an upgrade email. Emirates will notify you last minute of any seat or class upgrade. These are usually great bargains. I did an upgrade on many occasions. You can also ask at the check-in counter.

TIP 3: Always make sure you get the best value for your points using my miles redemption calculator

Cons: The additional charges are extremely high (you can use your miles to pay for these charges but the redemption rate is not great).

2. Singapore Kris Flyer

When does Singapore release it’s award tickets?

Singapore Airlines is a Star Alliance member and also has partnerships with airlines that are not members of any alliance. It releases its award seats 355 days from departure. You can use my date calculator to figure out what date that might be.

That’s not to say it doesn’t have availability at short notice. It does, but it may mean being flexible with your departure and arrival cities. It’s worth the time and effort as they have a spectacular product. KrisFlyer also allows you to transfer your miles over to the Virgin Velocity Program.

KrisFlyer is known to restrict most of its business and first-class long-haul award tickets to its members. This means you may have difficulty securing one of these tickets through its partner airlines (such as Virgin Velocity). It pays to become a member directly with their Frequent Flyer program (KrisFlyer). You get access to seats on airlines that are part of the Star Alliance. For example I have secured tickets on Aegean through the KrisFlyer program.

Their availability for reward tickets is good.

TIP 1: Don’t rely on their waitlist – it never cleared for me.

TIP 2: Always make sure you get the best value for your points using my miles redemption calculator

Cons: Very difficult to get a saver ticket on short notice – they are forever waitlisted. Their Business advantage is easier but will cost more miles.

3. Virgin Velocity

When does Virgin Australia release it’s award tickets?

Virgin Australia is not currently part of an alliance but has partnerships with several other airlines, notably Singapore Airlines, Etihad and Qatar.

Virgin releases its award seats 330 days from departure. You can use my date calculator to figure out what date that might be.

Virgin reward tickets work very well with domestic flights within Australia. Availability is excellent, and so is value. Their lounges are lovely, and their customer service is exceptional. Their international redemption however is a painstaking experience. Here is the best way to find a reward seat on an international flight with Virgin.

TIP 1: You can transfer Velocity points to the Kris Flyer program if you are struggling to find availability for a long-haul (international) flight. The only downside is the conversion ratio. It currently sits at 1.55:1. It is not something I would do as a strategy, but is definitely something to consider if you would like to top up your points in the KrisFlyer FFP.

TIP 2 : Always make sure you get the best value for your points using my miles redemption calculator

Which other Airlines /Frequent Flyer Programs should you be looking at?

It depends on what you are trying to achieve. I have always put availability as a high priority. As I mentioned previously, there is no point in accumulating points if you can’t use them when you want to. Asia Miles is definitely a contender and one that I have successfully used most recently on a bleisure trip to Europe and the gorgeous islands of Astypalaia and Amorgos in Greece. The new Cathay Pacific A350-1000 is up there in my top 5 aircrafts when flying business class.

When Do Airlines Release Award Seats?

Here is a list of some of the major airlines and when they approximately open up their award seats.
Award Seat Opening Times:

Last Minute Reward Tickets

The following airlines are known to have the most last-minute reward tickets available (usually 14 days before departure).

(Being a member of their frequent flyer program would be beneficial as you could be one of the first to access their tickets:)

• ANA
• Austrian Airlines
• Cathay Pacific
• Emirates
• Etihad
• Japan Airlines
• Lufthansa
• Swiss
• United Airlines

So when is the best time to book your reward seat?

It depends on the airline and the frequent flyer program. If you are like me and don’t have time to plan or love last-minute travelling, look out for the last-minute reward tickets on the above airlines. In fact you will be in for a treat if you manage a first class reward seat on board the new JAL A350 First Class. You can booking this through Qantas Rewards.

If you have time to plan, look at the opening times of the award seats on your preferred frequent flyer program and their airline. You can use the following date calculator to ensure you get in when those tickets are released, as they get snapped up quite quickly on some airlines.

Date Calculator – Know which date to book your reward ticket.

How to calculate the best value for your points:

Now that you have collected all these fantastic points, you will have many options to choose from. Assuming you have a limited number of points, you would want to use your points and get the best value. That’s why I created this simple miles redemption calculator so you can compare tickets.

Why do you need this calculator?

Quite simply because you would not want to use 100,000 points to get something to the value of $100 if you can get something to the value of $1000. My miles redemption calculator will give you your redemption value. The higher the number, the better the deal.

Go ahead and have a play with the calculator – it’s heaps of fun, and you may be pleasantly surprised by your findings.

How to use this calculator:

• Go to your frequent flyer program and select a flight.
• Enter the total price of the ticket into the first field.
• Put the number of miles you need to get this ticket for free into the second field.
• Put the extra charges you will need to pay, such as fuel surcharge, taxes etc., into the third field. (If there are no additional charges, enter “0”).
• Now you will see the redemption value in “cents” in the last field.
• Remember, anything above 3.0 cents – for me was a good deal and around & above 5.0 cents was a great deal.
• Repeat this process to check the value of a different flight.

MILES Redemption CALCULATOR

Let’s try an example together:

Cash Ticket Price is AUD $ 6011.93 (includes taxes, fees & carrier imposed charges)
Its reward price is 105,000 Miles + AUD $ 925.13 (taxes, fees & carrier imposed charges)

If we enter this information into our calculator above, we will see that the redemption value of our mile is 4.8 cents.

Let’s take a look at what happens when we select a different airline:

Cash Ticket Price is AUD $ 4081.95 (includes taxes, fees & carrier imposed charges)
It’s reward price is 180,000 Miles + AUD $ 100.41 (taxes, fees & carrier imposed charges)

If we enter this information into our calculator above, we will see that the redemption value of our mile is 2.1 cents.

The Comparison:

We are literally comparing apples to apples and its obvious that the first option with Emirates give us better value on mile redemption. But here’s the thing, and this is where it becomes subjective:

Even though Singapore Airlines’ redemption value is lower, I may want to use the entire 180,000 miles I have banked up in my rewards account and save myself the $800 that I must pay on carrier-imposed fees with Emirates. Remember, miles can devalue quite quickly. You want to use them at the first opportunity.

These are the sorts of things you would have to consider, and this is the difference or subjective “value” that I often refer to. You may also wish to travel Economy or premium economy or perhaps pay for an economy ticket and upgrade to business using your points. These are personal choices. It’s tricky, but you know what? If you’ve reached this point, it’s a great problem to have!

That kind of you gives you a feel of what a redemption value is. It can really be anywhere from 0.5 cents to 5 cents depending on what you are redeeming; and its all subjective. It’s what value you place on certain things. But I like to have some sort of a benchmark.

TIPS:

• Ensure you are aware if and when any of your miles expire.
• Be flexible in your dates and destinations in order to get the best value out of your points. Sometimes flying into a different city can be cheaper. For example, you may need fewer miles to fly from Dubai to Manchester than Dubai to London. You may also find better value by breaking up your journey and flying different airlines. For example Melbourne – Singapore with Singapore Airlines and Singapore -Dubai with Emirates.
• Check for changes in FFP policies
• I found that you get more value for your miles booking flights than using them to book hotels or buying things like electrical appliances etc. Things like Miles plus cash don’t really provide good value. Neither does the new classic PLUS rewards that Qantas has introduced. Its dynamic pricing and you will find more value with the classic rewards.
• Some airlines offer you to use your miles to pay for your carrier imposed fees and taxes – whilst this is tempting, most of the time it is not good value to do so.
• You can use the above calculator to check the value of other rewards available such as hotels, car rentals, appliances etc – same rules apply, anything above 3.0 cents I consider to be good value.
• Last but not least, always remember that you are the one giving the value. If you would rather spend your miles on electricals or other rewards the decision is always yours to make.

Below is the STEP BY STEP
Process on how to make that booking
(including screenshots)

Four-Step Process on how to make a reward booking.
(includes screenshots)

Step 1.

Login to your frequent flyer program and search for flights and availability. Compare miles needed + carrier-imposed fees. Then choose between them.

Let’s take a look at an example. I will be comparing between Emirates and Singapore Airlines.

➡️ Search Flights – Enter your Departure & Arrival Airports and Dates. Ensure you check off the box of ➡️ My Dates are Flexible and the Box of ➡️ Classic Rewards. (see screenshot below):

➡️ Once you have selected your dates lets move to the next screen to see what is available from either business or first class. (see screenshot below):

➡️ So our outbound and inbound options are now displayed. I am showing you the outbound in this example. The basic information we need to see here is the following:

• The Miles required for the specific class
• I have two flight options to choose from
• The carrier imposed fees
• The flight times including layovers
• The aircraft we are flying – as this determines the cabin and its features.

➡️ Let’s now make a choice and move on.

➡️ I have selected both outbound and inbound to be First Class and can now see the following information:

• I will require 197,500 miles for a return First Class Ticket or 105,000 for a Business Class Ticket
• The carrier imposed fees are coming in at approximately $925 Australian Dollars
• I will be flying a Boeing 777 aircraft from Dubai to Singapore
• I will be flying an A380 Airbus from Singapore to Dubai
• My flight time is approximately 7.5 hours each way with no stop-overs. 

I can pretty much see from this whole process that i will be able to find a first class ticket on this particular destination. Either by opting for a different time or date. It’s unlikely that in 24 hours all of this will be unavailable. It’s a calculated risk that I am willing to take. In a worst case scenario, the First Class gets booked out, but i can still get business class.

The next thing i do is head on over to Singapore Airlines to see what they have on offer for around about the same time.

➡️ Search Flights – Enter your Departure & Arrival Airports and Dates. Ensure you check off the Box of ➡️ Redeem Flights. Select First Class/Suites as your first choice.

You can see here that there are no available seats in First Class to redeem. In this instance you can either keep trying to find something on a different date or move straight to business class. You can see in that screenshot that the whole week pretty much has no availability in First Class.

➡️ Let’s move on to Business Class.

➡️ So we can now clearly see that top row showing us a fair bit of availability on different dates in business class. Im going to stick to my original dates and make a selection so i can see what its going to cost me.

➡️ So here we have it. I am looking for that same information as i previously did with Emirates.

• I will require 139,000 miles for a return Business Class Ticket
• The carrier imposed fees are coming in at approximately $105 Australian Dollars (Arab Emirate Dirhams 275)
• If i click on the “more details” blue button, it lets me know that I will be flying a Boeing 777 300ER aircraft both outbound and inbound.

Step 2:

Now is the time to weigh it all up and make that comparison. In this example, Emirates is coming in with fewer miles required for the business class cabin, but you are paying heaps more in carrier-imposed fees.

Then there’s the option of just wanting to fly first class! Emirates has availability in this case and not Singapore. Do you have enough miles, and do you think it’s worth it?

I would generally make use of first class cabins for really long haul flights like Melbourne to Dubai 14 hours +.

A sector like dubai to singapore is only 7 hrs or so, and business class is just as exquisite. But these are personal preferences and the choice is yours to make.

Finally, it’s worth taking a look at the cabin features. You need to enjoy to the fullest what you are getting. So if you are going to spend the miles, get as much benefit as you can.

There is a new game changer 777-300ER that Emirates flies to specific destinations only, and its first-class cabin has only six seats. They are complete suites from ground to ceiling. It is an absolute game-changer, as they call it.

Then again, the A380-800 has a shower on board and a bar.

❓So how do you know which aircraft you are flying and its features?

I would figure it out by two ways:

1. ➡️ As shown above they let you know which aircraft you are flying and you can see the features quite easily on their main website.
2. ➡️ The Seat Map is the give away. When you come to confirm your ticket you will be given the opportunity to select your seats.

If you are travelling first class in the new version of the 777-300ER  you will see this configuration:

If you are travelling first class in the old version of the 777-300ER you will see this configuration:

➡️ Emirates also has a place on its website where you can enter your flight number and date (so you can do this before you book) and it will let you know the features on your flight. It will go as far as even listing the menu. Its great and here’s what it looks like:

Step 3.

➡️ Now that you have decided who you want to fly with, head on over to your Amex Membership Rewards (unless you already have enough points in your FFP).

➡️ Convert the amount of rewards points to miles and send over those points to your FFP. Wait 1-3 business days depending on the FFP. (They get into my Emirates FF programme in 5 minutes)

Step 4.

➡️ Log back into to your FFP. Ensure your points have landed.

➡️ Repeat that step 1 again and now complete your booking using your points and pay for any surcharges that you need to. *Some airlines offer you to pay for your surcharges and carrier imposed fees with your points (I didn’t find much value in doing so though.)

➡️ Don’t forget your Travel Insurance! You may have it complimentary with your credit card, but I always take out a separate, comprehensive top cover. Allianz Travel Insurance has always been my choice for this. Straight forward, easy to read and understand and well priced.

➡️ If you are heading over to Europe, familiarise yourself with getting compensated by airlines for delays and cancellations.

Enjoy your trip – you’ve worked hard for it, and remember to protect yourself and never share your boarding pass on social media.

If you need a hand searching for availability of a reward ticket,
feel free to contact me and I will be happy to help out 😊

Here are some of the destinations I’ve managed to get to, flying on rewards tickets.

Emirates Airlines – Skywards

Has taken me to the following amazing destinations both on Business and First Class:

• Dubai
• Athens
• Paris
• Los Angeles
• New York
• Phuket
• Singapore
• London
• Manchester

Singapore Airlines – Kris Flyer

Has taken me to the following amazing destinations on Business Class:

• Dubai
• Singapore
• Phuket
• Istanbul
• Amsterdam

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