I Found My New Best Friend Traveling to London: Part 10 – Phantom of the Opera and London at Night

• Part 1 – Introduction and Planning
• Part 2 – Flights to London
• Part 3 – British Airways Galleries Club Lounge Review
• Part 4 – Where to Stay in London – Intercontinental London Park Lane Hotel Overview
• Part 5 – Where to Stay in London – Intercontinental London Park Lane Hotel Room Overview
• Part 6 – Where to Eat Around Mayfair
• Part 7 – Where to Eat in London
• Part 8 – What to Do in London Part 1 – Big Bus Tour
• Part 9 – What to Do in London Part 2 – Mall, Museum, and Buckingham Palace
• Part 10 – What to Do in London Part 3 – Phantom of the Opera and London at Night
• Part 11 – What to Do in London Part 4 – Day Trip to Olney
• Part 12 – Return Business Class Flight to US
• Part 13 – Blog Giveaway

We used British Airways Avios points to fly to London.  But we ended up paying a lot in fuel surcharges.  And we stayed at the Intercontinental London Park Lane.

But there are cheaper ways to get to London on miles & points!  And plenty of options for hotel award stays.

Here are my top recommendations for booking award flights to London.  And some ideas for where to stay!

Flights

1.   American Airlines

Using American Airlines miles to get from the US to Europe costs:

• 30,000 miles one-way in coach (22,500 miles between November 1 and December 14, and January 10 and March 14) + taxes & fees
• 57,500 miles one-way in Business Class + taxes & fees
• 85,000 miles one-way in First Class + taxes & fees

Note:   Make sure you don’t fly on British Airways planes, because American Airlines will pass along the fuel surcharges!  Try to cross the ocean on an American Airlines or Air Berlin plane.

It’s easier to earn American Airlines miles than you might think!  Right now, Citi American Airlines credit cards are offering:

• Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite™ Mastercard® – 50,000 American Airlines miles after spending $3,000 within the first 3 months of opening your account
• Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite™ Mastercard® – 50,000 American Airlines miles after spending $5,000 within the first 3 months of opening your account
• CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Mastercard® – 50,000 American Airlines miles after spending $5,000 within the first 3 months of opening your account

The information for the Citi AAdvantage Platinum and CitiBusiness AAdvantage Platinum card has been collected independently by Million Mile Secrets. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Redeeming American Airlines miles is simple, too.  Look for flights on your desired dates by logging into either your American Airlines account.  Make sure you click on “Redeem Miles” and then “Show Full Calendar” for the fewest number of miles needed if your dates are flexible.

Check out my guide on how to book American Airlines miles!

2.   United Airlines

You can fly from the US to Europe on United Airlines for:

• 30,000 miles one-way in coach + taxes & fees
• 57,500 miles one-way in Business Class + taxes & fees (70,000 miles if you fly on a United Airlines partner)
• 80,000 miles one-way in First Class + taxes & fees (110,000 miles if you fly on a United Airlines partner)

You can earn United Airlines miles quickly by signing-up for these cards:

• Chase United Explorer – 30,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
• Chase United small business card – 50,000 United Airlines miles after spending $3,000 in purchases within the 1st 3 months of opening your account

You can also transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to United at a 1:1 ratio with:

• Chase Sapphire Reserve – 50,000 points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
• Chase Sapphire Preferred – 50,000 points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
• Chase Ink Business Preferred – 80,000 points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening

Check out my ultimate guide to booking United Airlines miles!

Note:   Remember, Chase has changed their application rules.  So if you’ve opened 5+ cards from any bank (except these business cards) in the past 24 months, it’s unlikely you’ll be approved for new Chase cards.

Hotels

1.   IHG

You can book IHG hotels for between 10,000 and 60,000 IHG points per night (or just 5,000 IHG points per night during IHG PointBreaks!).

I stayed at the 5-star Intercontinental London Park Lane, which costs 60,000 IHG points per night.  But you can stay at cheaper options, like the Holiday Inn Stevenage, 30 minutes north of London, for just 10,000 IHG points per night.

2.   Hyatt

Hyatt charges between 5,000 and 30,000 Hyatt points per night.  I’ve previously stayed at the Hyatt Regency London – Churchill and loved it!  The hotel costs 25,000 Hyatt points per night.  But you can also stay in cheaper hotels, like the Hyatt Place London Heathrow, which costs 12,000 Hyatt points per night.

3.   Marriott, Ritz-Carlton, & Starwood

Marriott and Starwood have merged!  You can link your accounts, and transfer points between your Marriott and Starwood accounts at a 3:1 ratio.  And Marriott and Ritz-Carlton essentially have the same rewards program, just with different branding .  So if you collect Marriott or Starwood points, you’ll have lots of options in London!

It costs between 7,500 and 70,000 Marriott points to stay at a Marriott or Ritz-Carlton hotel.  And Starwood hotels charge between 3,000 Starwood points (2,000 points on weekends) and 35,000 Starwood points for a free night.

You could stay at The London EDITION, a 5-star Ritz-Carlton hotel, for 50,000 Marriott points (or convert 17,000 Starwood points into Marriott points).  Or you could stay at the Aloft London Excel for 10,000 Starwood points (or convert 30,000 Marriott points to Starwood points).

4.   Hilton