We’re on to another new month and no better time than the present to review the top deals and stories of the previous month. Last month, I focused on my upcoming winter trips and some useful info to plan more winter trips. I laid out my full plan for Rio de Janeiro, including how I got a free one-way business class ticket. I discussed how to take advantage of the American Airlines off-peak award chart, including a trick to save 30,000 miles flying to the Middle East in the off-peak. I also highlighted some great Starwood hotel point uses in the Caribbean!
1. Rio de Janeiro for Carnival 2014 for a Total Cost of $120
We’re going to Rio de Janeiro for Carnival 2014. I explain how we got our tickets with miles and hotel with points. The hotel and flight expenses have added up to just $120 for us!
Carnival in Rio
2. Top Five Values for Starwood Hotels in the Caribbean With Points
Heading to the Caribbean in winter or spring and finding hotels expensive? I went through the Starwood Preferred Guest hotel options and found some great values in Grand Cayman, St. John, Sint Maarten, Aruba and Puerto Rico’s Vieques Island.
The Westin Resort & Casino, Aruba
3. How I Accidentally Got a Free Business Class Flight to Rio de Janeiro.
No deal is better than getting a free ticket. When I went to book my first class award ticket from New York to Rio de Janeiro, a conveniently confusing itinerary caused a United agent to price my combined ticket to Grand Cayman and Rio de Janeiro as just a ticket to the Caribbean. Now I’ll be flying US Airways Envoy Suites to Rio de Janeiro for free!
I am going to visit Rio de Janeiro again!
4. American Airlines AAdvantage Off-Peak Award Chart
The American Airlines award chart has some great deals in the off-peak! You can use 20,000 miles each way to fly to Europe to Europe in the fall and spring. You can also fly to South America in the summer and late spring for 20,000 miles each. way. I explain how to use the American Airlines off-peak award chart and how to even take advantage of these deals all year-round, if you’re lucky enough to live in the right city.
American Airlines charges just 20,000 miles each way for off-peak travel to Europe
5. The Trick to Create American Airlines Off-Peak Award Pricing to the Middle East And Save 30,000 Miles
The Middle East is a notoriously expensive destination. Some relative asked me to come up with a decent plan for them to fly to Israel and optimize their miles. Using American Airlines to fly to Israel will cost 45,000 miles each way. However, if you make the right use of the American Airlines off-peak award chart and combine with British Airways miles, you can pay for the full round-trip for just 60,000 miles. This is a savings of 30,000 miles!
Save miles flying to Dubai
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