News You Can Use – Don’t Pay the New $18 Fee for These Airlines!, 25% Off European Award Flights, Cheap Alaska Airlines Award Flights, Starwood’s New Partner

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UPDATE: The Starwood American Express credit card offers in this post are no longer available, but check Hot Deals for the latest offers!

1.   Save 25% on Award Flights to Europe

You can get 25% to 50% off with Flying Blue Promo Award flights on Air France and KLM each month.  And this month’s sale includes 25% off award flights between Europe and certain cities in North America.

You can transfer your AMEX Membership RewardsCiti ThankYou, and Starwood Preferred Guest points to the Flying Blue program to take advantage of these sales.

After the discount, here’s a look at how much you’ll pay for 1-way award flights between Europe and:

  • Houston in coach – 18,750 Flying Blue miles
  • Montreal in World Business Class – 46,875 Flying Blue miles
  • Toronto in Business Class – 46,875 Flying Blue miles
  • Vancouver in World Business Class – 46,875 Flying Blue miles
News You Can Use Don't Pay The New 18 Fee For These Airlines 25 Off European Award Flights Cheap Alaska Airlines Award Flights Starwoods New Partner
You Can Save 25% on Award Flights to Europe This Winter

To get the discount, book by September 30, 2015, for travel from November 1, 2015, to December 31, 2015.

Keep in mind, Flying Blue awards also come with taxes and fees.  So do the math to see if this is a good deal for you!

News You Can Use Don't Pay The New 18 Fee For These Airlines 25 Off European Award Flights Cheap Alaska Airlines Award Flights Starwoods New Partner
Fly to the City of Lights in Coach for Just 18,750 Flying Blue Miles and ~$94 1-Way

If you need Flying Blue miles, you can transfer AMEX Membership Rewards, Citi ThankYou, and Starwood Preferred Guest points.

And when you transfer Starwood points to airlines in increments of 20,000 points, you’ll get a 5,000 point bonus.

So you could sign-up for the Starwood Preferred Guest from American Express personal and small business cards, and earn the increased sign-up bonus of 30,000 Starwood points on each card when you complete the minimum spending.

Then when you transfer the 60,000 Starwood points to Flying Blue in 20,000 point increments, you’ll have 75,000 Flying Blue miles (60,000 miles + 15,000 bonus miles).

With this month’s Flying Blue Promo Awards, that’s enough for 2 round-trip coach tickets or a 1-way Business Class flight to Europe!

2.   Alaska Airlines Award Flights as Low as 5,000 Miles Each Way

Via Frequent Miler, you can book Alaska Airlines 1-way flights between certain cities for Fall travel starting at 5,000 miles.

Book by September 13, 2015, for travel between September 9, 2015, and December 16, 2015.

Here are few examples of 1-way sale flights:

  • Seattle to San Francisco – 5,000 Alaska Airlines miles
  • Portland to San Jose – 5,000 Alaska Airlines miles
  • Denver to Seattle – 7,500 Alaska Airlines miles
  • San Jose to Kona – 12,500 Alaska Airlines miles
News You Can Use Don't Pay The New 18 Fee For These Airlines 25 Off European Award Flights Cheap Alaska Airlines Award Flights Starwoods New Partner
Fly From Seattle to San Francisco for Just 5,000 Alaska Airlines Miles Each Way!

3.   ~$18 Fee for These European Airlines at 3rd-Party Sites

If you plan on booking a paid flight on Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Lufthansa, or Swiss Air, make sure you book directly.  That’s because these airlines now charge  ~$18 fee when you book through 3rd-party sites like Orbitz and Expedia.

I did a test booking from Washington, DC, to Frankfurt, Germany directly through Lufthansa.

News You Can Use Don't Pay The New 18 Fee For These Airlines 25 Off European Award Flights Cheap Alaska Airlines Award Flights Starwoods New Partner
A Round-Trip Flight from Washington, DC, to Frankfurt, Germany, Costs ~$1,483 When You Book Directly Through Lufthansa

Then I checked Expedia for the same dates.

News You Can Use Don't Pay The New 18 Fee For These Airlines 25 Off European Award Flights Cheap Alaska Airlines Award Flights Starwoods New Partner
The Same Flight Costs ~$1,500 on Expedia

This flight also costs ~$1,500 through Chase Ultimate Rewards and the Citi ThankYou Travel portals.  So for paid flights on Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Lufthansa, or Swiss Air make sure you book with the airline to save money!

4.   Korean Airlines Now a Starwood Transfer Partner

View from the Wing reports, you can now transfer Starwood Preferred Guest points to Korean Airlines at a 1:1 ratio.

Korean Airlines miles are great for cheap award flights to Hawaii on Delta (if you can find award seats!).

News You Can Use Don't Pay The New 18 Fee For These Airlines 25 Off European Award Flights Cheap Alaska Airlines Award Flights Starwoods New Partner
You Can Fly to Hawaii on Delta for Just 25,000 Korean Air Miles Round-Trip!

You can sign-up for both the AMEX Starwood personal and small business cards, and earn 60,000 points when you complete the minimum spending.

You get a 5,000 mile bonus whenever you move 20,000 Starwood points to an airline partner.  So this will give you 75,000 Korean Airlines miles (60,000 miles + 15,000 bonus miles).  That’s enough for 3 round-trip tickets to Hawaii!

Check out my Korean Air award booking guide for tips on how you can use Korean Air miles.

And remember, this Saturday is the Million Mile Secrets Giveaway!  And, shh, we’ll be having an 2nd EXTRA giveaway sometime this week!

Editorial Note: We're the Million Mile Secrets team. And we're proud of our content, opinions and analysis, and of our reader's comments. These haven’t been reviewed, approved or endorsed by any of the airlines, hotels, or credit card issuers which we often write about. And that’s just how we like it! :)

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