<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0"
	xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"
	xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/"
	xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
	xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"
	xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/"
	xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/"
	>

<channel>
	<title>British Airways Archives - Easy Travel Points</title>
	<atom:link href="https://easytravelpoints.com/tag/british-airways/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
	<link>https://easytravelpoints.com/tag/british-airways/</link>
	<description></description>
	<lastBuildDate>Wed, 01 Nov 2023 22:31:29 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<language>en-US</language>
	<sy:updatePeriod>
	hourly	</sy:updatePeriod>
	<sy:updateFrequency>
	1	</sy:updateFrequency>
	

<image>
	<url>https://easytravelpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/cropped-ETP-Favicon-32x32.png</url>
	<title>British Airways Archives - Easy Travel Points</title>
	<link>https://easytravelpoints.com/tag/british-airways/</link>
	<width>32</width>
	<height>32</height>
</image> 
	<item>
		<title>How To Fly To Hawaii For 26,000 Points Or Less</title>
		<link>https://easytravelpoints.com/how-to-fly-to-hawaii-for-26000-points-or-less/</link>
					<comments>https://easytravelpoints.com/how-to-fly-to-hawaii-for-26000-points-or-less/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Rob Dulgarian]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sat, 13 May 2023 05:59:00 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Credit Cards]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Guides]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Points & Miles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Aadvantage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[American Airlines]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[American Express]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AMEX]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Avios]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[British Airways]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chase]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Membership Rewards]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ultimate Rewards]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://easytravelpoints.com/?p=213</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Hawaii is one of the most beautiful places in the world.&#160; It&#8217;s no wonder why so many people visit...</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://easytravelpoints.com/how-to-fly-to-hawaii-for-26000-points-or-less/">How To Fly To Hawaii For 26,000 Points Or Less</a> appeared first on <a href="https://easytravelpoints.com">Easy Travel Points</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<p class="has-text-align-left wp-block-paragraph">Hawaii is one of the most beautiful places in the world.&nbsp; It&#8217;s no wonder why so many people visit the Islands every year.&nbsp; Because it&#8217;s such a popular tourist destination, the cost to get there is typically pretty expensive.&nbsp; The great thing about using points to travel is there are some fantastic sweet spots to take advantage of.&nbsp; If you live on the West Coast, there&#8217;s a way to book a round-trip flight to Hawaii with just 26,000 points.</p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" width="700" height="500" src="https://easytravelpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/naapali-coast.jpg" alt="View on Na Pali Coast on Kauai island on Hawaii in a sunny day" class="wp-image-566"/></figure>
</div>


<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Hawaii Sweet Spot</h2>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The way to book these tickets, is by using your British Airways Avios miles to book a flight on their One World partner, American Airlines.&nbsp; British Airways uses a mileage-based award chart to redeem points for flights on British Airways or with their partner airlines.&nbsp; Based on their award chart, you can book flights that are less than 3,000 miles for only 13,000 Avios each way.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Fortunately for everyone on the West Coast, Hawaii is located just under 3,000 miles from the mainland.&nbsp; British Airways calculates the cost of the award based on each flight segment, so this deal only works on nonstop flights.&nbsp; British Airways partners with both American Airlines and Alaska Airlines, so there are plenty of nonstop options from multiple West Coast cities.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>American Airlines</strong> &#8211; You can fly nonstop from either Los Angeles or Phoenix to Honolulu, Maui, Kauai or Kona.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Alaska Airlines</strong> &#8211; Flying on Alaska Airlines gives you options to fly out of many more cities than American does.&nbsp; You can fly to the Hawaiian Islands from any of these cities; Anchorage, Bellingham, Los Angeles, Oakland, Portland, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose and Seattle.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">How To Find Award Availability</h2>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">When you start your search to see if award space is available, be aware that availability on Alaska doesn&#8217;t show up on the British Airways website.&nbsp; I always start my search on American&#8217;s site because they are partners with Alaska too and have access to their award space.&nbsp; Just be sure you log in to your frequent flyer account first.&nbsp; When you do your search, you&#8217;ll want to look for dates that have Mile Saver availability.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">If you&#8217;re planning to fly on Alaska Airlines, you&#8217;ll need to call British Airways and book the flight <a href="https://www.britishairways.com/en-us/information/help-and-contacts" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">over the phone</a>.&nbsp; Just have the flights you found available to give to the phone agent to make the call go quicker.&nbsp; Before transferring points to your Avios account, I would call them and confirm the availability of the Alaska flight with them first.&nbsp; If you&#8217;re flying on American, you can go to BA&#8217;s website and confirm the flight is available there.</p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img decoding="async" width="700" height="341" src="https://easytravelpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/BA-Hawaii-Screen-700x341.jpg" alt="screen shot of British Airways Hawaii availability" class="wp-image-563"/></figure>
</div>


<p class="wp-block-paragraph">After you select the nonstop flights you want, you&#8217;ll see the total is 26,000 miles plus the $11.20 for the airport taxes.</p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img decoding="async" width="700" height="334" src="https://easytravelpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/British-Airways-Hawaii-26000-700x334.jpg" alt="a screen shot of a flight to Hawaii for 26,000 miles" class="wp-image-564"/></figure>
</div>


<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Booking Flights</h2>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Once you have confirmed the flights you want are available, you&#8217;ll need to transfer enough points to your Avios account.&nbsp; Simply log in to your Chase Ultimate Rewards account and find British Airways by selecting &#8220;transfer to travel partners&#8221;.&nbsp; Every time I&#8217;ve transferred points from my UR account to BA, it has taken less than 5 minutes for the points to show up in my Avios account.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">If you&#8217;re flying on Alaska, I would politely ask the agent to wait a moment while you transfer the points.&nbsp; Just be sure you&#8217;re already logged into your Chase account and ready to go before you make the call.&nbsp; Once your points are in your account, book your flights to the Aloha State.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">How To Book For Less</h2>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This sweet spot works any day of the year, as long as there is availability on the flights you&#8217;re looking.&nbsp; However, sometimes it is possible to book flights to Hawaii with less than 26,000 points.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Transfer Bonuses</strong> &#8211; Occasionally, credit card companies will offer bonus points if you transfer your points to British Airways.&nbsp; Recently, Chase UR offered a 30% bonus on points transferred to BA.&nbsp; In this case, you could book your flights to Hawaii for only 20,000 points!&nbsp; Keep an eye out for these transfer bonuses if you&#8217;re planning a trip to Hawaii.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Travel Portals</strong> &#8211; Periodically, I&#8217;ve also seen some really great sales to Hawaii from the West Coast.&nbsp; If you have the <a class="sh-quidget-markup" data-rate-name="Chase Sapphire Reserve(R)" data-content="{*credit_card_id*:*4048084*,*field*:*LinkTagPDPUrl*,*api*:*cc*,*linkText*:*card_name*,*linkTarget*:*_blank*,*linkRel*:*sponsored*}">card_name</a>, <a class="sh-quidget-markup" data-rate-name="Chase Sapphire Preferred(R) Card" data-content="{*credit_card_id*:*2061159*,*field*:*LinkTagPDPUrl*,*api*:*cc*,*linkText*:*card_name*,*linkTarget*:*_blank*,*linkRel*:*sponsored*}">card_name</a> or <a class="sh-quidget-markup" data-rate-name="Ink Business Preferred(R) Credit Card" data-content="{*credit_card_id*:*3006145*,*field*:*LinkTagPDPUrl*,*api*:*cc*,*linkText*:*card_name*,*linkTarget*:*_blank*,*linkRel*:*sponsored*}">card_name</a> you can redeem your points for travel at a fixed rate.&nbsp; Based on their redemption rates, if you see a fare for less than $390 and you have the Sapphire Reserve card, it will cost you fewer points by booking through Chase.&nbsp; The same is true if you find a fare for less than $325 and use one of the other cards.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Do You Need More Points</h2>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Are you a few points short for your trip to Hawaii or are you just starting out earning miles?&nbsp; My favorite way to accumulate points for this redemption is by using my Chase cards that earn Ultimate Rewards.&nbsp; By using the <a class="sh-quidget-markup" data-rate-name="Chase Sapphire Preferred(R) Card" data-content="{*credit_card_id*:*2061159*,*field*:*LinkTagPDPUrl*,*api*:*cc*,*linkText*:*card_name*,*linkTarget*:*_blank*,*linkRel*:*sponsored*}">card_name</a>, <a class="sh-quidget-markup" data-rate-name="Chase Freedom Unlimited(R)" data-content="{*credit_card_id*:*3006090*,*field*:*LinkTagPDPUrl*,*api*:*cc*,*linkText*:*card_name*,*linkTarget*:*_blank*,*linkRel*:*sponsored*}">card_name</a> and <a href="https://easytravelpoints.com/ChaseFreedom" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Chase Freedom Flex</a> cards together, you can <a href="https://easytravelpoints.com/chase-trifecta/">easily build up your balance</a> over time.&nbsp; However, if you need points in a hurry, the quickest way to get them is through a welcome bonus.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">You can transfer both Chase Ultimate Rewards and American Express&#8217; Membership Rewards points to British Airways.&nbsp; Keep in mind <a href="https://easytravelpoints.com/guide-chase-5-24-rule/">the 5/24 Rule</a> if you&#8217;re applying for a new Chase card.&nbsp; Right now, the cards with the best welcome bonuses are:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><a class="sh-quidget-markup" data-rate-name="Chase Sapphire Preferred(R) Card" data-content="{*credit_card_id*:*2061159*,*field*:*LinkTagPDPUrl*,*api*:*cc*,*linkText*:*card_name*,*linkTarget*:*_blank*,*linkRel*:*sponsored*}">card_name</a> &#8211; <span class="sh-quidget-markup" data-rate-name="Chase Sapphire Preferred(R) Card" data-content="{*credit_card_id*:*2061159*,*field*:*bonus_miles_full*,*api*:*cc*}">bonus_miles_full</span>&nbsp; This is a great bonus for this card. Here&#8217;s why I think this is the <a href="https://easytravelpoints.com/chase-sapphire-preferred-review/">best rewards card for people to start earning points</a>.</li>



<li><a class="sh-quidget-markup" data-rate-name="The Platinum Card(R) from American Express" data-content="{*credit_card_id*:*4028089*,*field*:*LinkTagPDPUrl*,*api*:*cc*,*linkText*:*card_name*,*linkTarget*:*_blank*,*linkRel*:*sponsored*}">card_name</a> &#8211; <span class="sh-quidget-markup" data-rate-name="The Platinum Card(R) from American Express" data-content="{*credit_card_id*:*4028089*,*field*:*bonus_miles_full*,*api*:*cc*}">bonus_miles_full</span>  Terms apply. You can read my<a href="https://easytravelpoints.com/american-express-platinum-card-review/"> review of the card here.</a></li>



<li><a class="sh-quidget-markup" data-rate-name="Chase Sapphire Reserve(R)" data-content="{*credit_card_id*:*4048084*,*field*:*LinkTagPDPUrl*,*api*:*cc*,*linkText*:*card_name*,*linkTarget*:*_blank*,*linkRel*:*sponsored*}">card_name</a> &#8211; <span class="sh-quidget-markup" data-rate-name="Chase Sapphire Reserve(R)" data-content="{*credit_card_id*:*4048084*,*field*:*bonus_miles_full*,*api*:*cc*}">bonus_miles_full</span>.&nbsp; Here&#8217;s why I <a href="https://easytravelpoints.com/chase-sapphire-reserve-review/">think this is the best travel rewards card out there</a>.</li>
</ul>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Final Thoughts</h2>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Remember that Hawaii is a popular destination and will require some flexibility when looking for award space.&nbsp; If there&#8217;s no availability, try other dates or check back periodically because awards seats can open up later. We planned our trip when the kids were out of school for Spring Break.&nbsp; At first there was no availability at all during the week we wanted to go.&nbsp; I checked back every week and few months before we wanted to go, seats became available on multiple flights.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://easytravelpoints.com/how-to-fly-to-hawaii-for-26000-points-or-less/">How To Fly To Hawaii For 26,000 Points Or Less</a> appeared first on <a href="https://easytravelpoints.com">Easy Travel Points</a>.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
					
					<wfw:commentRss>https://easytravelpoints.com/how-to-fly-to-hawaii-for-26000-points-or-less/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>Turkish Airlines Miles &#038; Smiles: Everything You Need To Know</title>
		<link>https://easytravelpoints.com/turkish-airlines-miles-smiles/</link>
					<comments>https://easytravelpoints.com/turkish-airlines-miles-smiles/#comments</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Rob Dulgarian]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sat, 29 Apr 2023 04:41:00 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Credit Cards]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Guides]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Points & Miles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Avios]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[British Airways]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Citibank]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Miles & Smiles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Turkish Airlines]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://easytravelpoints.com/?p=1690</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Recently I discovered the Turkish Airlines Miles &#38; Smiles program and thought I was dreaming.&#160; The program has several...</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://easytravelpoints.com/turkish-airlines-miles-smiles/">Turkish Airlines Miles &#038; Smiles: Everything You Need To Know</a> appeared first on <a href="https://easytravelpoints.com">Easy Travel Points</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<p class="has-text-align-left wp-block-paragraph">Recently I discovered the Turkish Airlines Miles &amp; Smiles program and thought I was dreaming.&nbsp; The program has several great ways to redeem the miles and they&#8217;re fairly easy to earn.&nbsp; How is it possible that I&#8217;ve never known about this program sooner?!</p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="700" height="500" src="https://easytravelpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Turkish-Airlines-A330.png" alt="Turkish Airlines A330" class="wp-image-1703"/></figure>
</div>


<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The Turkish Airlines Miles &amp; Smiles program has been around for a long time.&nbsp; I have seen it listed as a Citibank <a href="https://easytravelpoints.com/credit-card-transfer-partners/">transfer partner</a> but didn&#8217;t know much about it.&nbsp; I knew the program had a region-based award chart and you can typically find a sweet spot or two with those types of programs.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I&#8217;m a huge fan of British Airways&#8217; Avios distance-based program because there are some excellent redemption options.&nbsp; The most popular redemption is the <a href="https://easytravelpoints.com/how-to-fly-to-hawaii-for-26000-points-or-less/">sweet spot from the West Coast to Hawaii</a>.&nbsp; Another great redemption is being able to <a href="https://easytravelpoints.com/how-to-fly-to-mexico-using-british-airways-avios-points/">fly from several cities in the U.S. to Mexico for under 10,000 points each way</a>.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">With most loyalty programs converting to a dynamic pricing model, I didn&#8217;t think I&#8217;d find another overall program that I would like as much.&nbsp; Boy was I wrong!&nbsp; Turkish&#8217;s Miles &amp; Smiles program has a lot of great redemptions that almost everyone can take advantage of!&nbsp; I promise, you guys are going to love this program!</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Earning Turkish Miles &amp; Smiles Miles</h2>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Unless you frequently fly to Istanbul for business, you may be asking yourself, &#8220;How do I earn Turkish Airlines miles&#8221;?</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Credit Cards</h3>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Earning points with your credit cards is the quickest way to earn miles.&nbsp; The Miles &amp; Smiles program is a <a href="https://easytravelpoints.com/credit-card-transfer-partners/">transfer partner of Citibank&#8217;s ThankYou program</a>.&nbsp; Your ThankYou points will transfer to the Miles &amp; Smiles program at a 1:1 ratio.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">You can quickly earn ThankYou points with cards like the Citi Prestige or the <a class="sh-quidget-markup" data-rate-name="Citi Premier(R) Card" data-content="{*credit_card_id*:*520083*,*field*:*LinkTagPDPUrl*,*api*:*cc*,*linkText*:*card_name*,*linkTarget*:*_blank*,*linkRel*:*sponsored*}">card_name</a>.&nbsp; Plus, if you also have the <a class="sh-quidget-markup" data-rate-name="Citi(R) Double Cash Card - 18 month BT offer" data-content="{*credit_card_id*:*3002009*,*field*:*LinkTagPDPUrl*,*api*:*cc*,*linkText*:*card_name*,*linkTarget*:*_blank*,*linkRel*:*sponsored*}">card_name</a>, you convert your points into ThankYou points on a 1 cent per point basis.&nbsp; Here are a few highlights of these cards:</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong><a class="sh-quidget-markup" data-rate-name="Citi Premier(R) Card" data-content="{*credit_card_id*:*520083*,*field*:*LinkTagPDPUrl*,*api*:*cc*,*linkText*:*card_name*,*linkTarget*:*_blank*,*linkRel*:*sponsored*}">card_name</a></strong> &#8211; <span class="sh-quidget-markup" data-rate-name="Citi Premier(R) Card" data-content="{*credit_card_id*:*520083*,*field*:*bonus_miles_full*,*api*:*cc*}">bonus_miles_full</span>&nbsp; There are several excellent categories that will be earning 3x ThankYou points.&nbsp; This card has a $95 annual fee.</p>



<a class="sh-quidget-markup" data-rate-name="Citi Premier(R) Card" data-content="{*credit_card_id*:*520083*,*field*:*LogoImageListingUrl*,*api*:*cc*}" rel="sponsored noopener" target="_blank"><img alt="card_name" height="180" width="300" style="display:none"></a>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong><a class="sh-quidget-markup" data-rate-name="Citi(R) Double Cash Card - 18 month BT offer" data-content="{*credit_card_id*:*3002009*,*field*:*LinkTagPDPUrl*,*api*:*cc*,*linkText*:*card_name*,*linkTarget*:*_blank*,*linkRel*:*sponsored*}">card_name</a></strong> &#8211; This is an excellent card for everyday spending.&nbsp; <span class="sh-quidget-markup" data-rate-name="Citi(R) Double Cash Card - 18 month BT offer" data-content="{*credit_card_id*:*3002009*,*field*:*bonus_miles_full*,*api*:*cc*}">bonus_miles_full</span>&nbsp; I think this is such a great card that I&#8217;ve had it in my wallet for several years.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Citi Prestige</strong> &#8211; New cardmembers will get 50,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 within the first 3 months of opening an account.&nbsp; You&#8217;ll earn 5x points on all restaurant and air travel purchases, as well as 3x on other travel purchases. This card gives you an incredible 4th night free on virtually all hotel bookings made through ThankYou.com.&nbsp; You also get several statement credits and a free Priority Pass membership.&nbsp; The card does carry a $495 annual fee.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Other Ways To Earn Miles</h3>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Flying</strong> &#8211; Turkish Airlines is a member of the Star Alliance, so you can earn points by flying on one of their partner airlines.&nbsp; United would be the most popular airline to earn Turkish miles with for those living in the U.S.&nbsp; The amount you&#8217;ll earn will vary by airline and the type of ticket you have.&nbsp; Just be sure to enter your Miles &amp; Smiles number when making a reservation.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Marriott Bonvoy&nbsp;</strong>&#8211; You can transfer your Marriott Bonvoy points to the Turkish Miles &amp; Smiles program at a 3:1 ratio.&nbsp; Plus, for every 60,000 points you transfer, you&#8217;ll get a 5,000 mile bonus.&nbsp; For example, if you can transfer 60,000 Bonvoy points for 25,000 Turkish miles.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Turkish Airlines Miles &amp; Smiles Program Overview</h2>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The more I have looked into this program, the harder it was for me to understand why this program isn&#8217;t more popular.&nbsp; Then I read that the Miles &amp; Smiles program has recently upgraded their website.&nbsp; Apparently, the previous site had a horrible search function and it was next to impossible to find award availability.&nbsp; Sounds like a recipe for turning your loyalty program into something no one wants to use.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The current website is actually really easy to use.&nbsp; I was able to find a lot of availability for the sweet spots I was researching.&nbsp; There were a couple wonky things about it but once you know about them, it&#8217;s pretty easy to use.&nbsp; For example, when <a href="https://www.turkishairlines.com/en-int/miles-and-smiles/sign-up-form/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">setting up a Miles &amp; Smiles account</a>, you are only allowed to use numbers for your password.&nbsp; The site doesn&#8217;t tell you this, so I won&#8217;t tell you how many times I received an error message before I finally figured it out.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Before we get into the best uses of your Turkish miles, here are several highlights about the program:</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Program Highlights</h3>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Traveling With Others</strong> &#8211; You can purchase up 5 award tickets at once using miles from your account.&nbsp; You can also purchase an award ticket for someone else even if you&#8217;re not traveling with them.&nbsp; I have read in different forums that booking an award ticket for someone else can range from fairly easy to somewhat tedious.&nbsp; I haven&#8217;t done this yet but when I do, I will update you on the process once I do.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">When you call to put your award reservation on hold, they&#8217;ll be able to tell you how to do it.&nbsp; Just be sure to have everything set up before you transfer your miles.&nbsp; You don&#8217;t want the award space to disappear while you&#8217;re waiting for your miles to show up.&nbsp; You can call them at 1-800-874-8875.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Promo Awards</strong> &#8211; Turkish Airlines periodically will offer promo awards at reduced rates.&nbsp; Be sure to sign up for their newsletter to be notified of these award sales.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Award Reservation Holds</strong> &#8211; You can put an award reservation on hold for up to 72 hours.&nbsp; This is very important because it can take a day or two for <a href="https://easytravelpoints.com/credit-card-transfer-partners/">the miles to transfer from your Citi ThankYou account</a> to show up in your Miles &amp; Smiles account.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Segments</strong> &#8211; You are allowed to have up to 4 segments on both the outbound and return flights.&nbsp; This is huge!&nbsp; This allows pretty much everyone the ability to take advantage of the sweet spots mentioned below.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Stopovers</strong> &#8211; When flying on Turkish Airlines, you are allowed one stopover in Istanbul.&nbsp; It doesn&#8217;t matter if this is on the outbound or the return flight.&nbsp; Stopovers are great because they allow you the chance to see another city for free.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Open-jaw</strong> &#8211; Open-jaw itineraries are allowed if you&#8217;re booking a round-trip award ticket.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>One-way Awards</strong> &#8211; You are allowed to purchase one-way award tickets.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Change/Cancellation Fees</strong> &#8211; You can change or cancel your award flight for $25.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Surcharges</strong> &#8211; Turkish Airlines doesn&#8217;t pass on any surcharges for flights on United.&nbsp; However, surcharges are imposed on Turkish and other Star Alliance partner flights.&nbsp; For some itineraries, they can be pretty hefty so it won&#8217;t be worth redeeming your miles for those flights.&nbsp; For instance, I found a one-way flight to Venice on Lufthansa that had a fuel surcharge of $263.90.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Mileage Expiration</strong> &#8211; The miles you earn with this program will expire 3 years from the date you earned them.&nbsp; You can pay a fee to extend the expiration date of your miles.&nbsp; The fee can get expensive, so I would simply recommend not transferring them until you&#8217;re ready to use them.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Booking Miles &amp; Smiles Award Tickets</h2>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">From what I&#8217;ve read, redeeming your Miles &amp; Smiles miles before was quite the Herculean task.&nbsp; However, now the process is actually quite simple.&nbsp; Just be aware there is one search tool for Turkish Airlines flights and another to book awards on Star Alliance partners.&nbsp; Don&#8217;t worry, I&#8217;ll walk you through it.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Booking A Flight On Turkish Airlines</h3>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">If you want to book a flight on Turkish Airlines, the process is pretty simple.&nbsp; Start by logging in to your Miles &amp; Smiles account.&nbsp; Next, check the &#8220;Award ticket&#8221; box in the search area, which will then take you to the search function.&nbsp; Enter in your itinerary and the search tool will display any available award flights.</p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="700" height="260" src="https://easytravelpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Turkish-Award-Search-700x260.png" alt="Turkish Airlines Home Page" class="wp-image-1705" srcset="https://easytravelpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Turkish-Award-Search-700x260.png 700w, https://easytravelpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Turkish-Award-Search-1024x380.png 1024w, https://easytravelpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Turkish-Award-Search-768x285.png 768w, https://easytravelpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Turkish-Award-Search-1536x571.png 1536w, https://easytravelpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Turkish-Award-Search-2048x761.png 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /></figure>
</div>


<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The results will display both economy and business class availability.&nbsp; The one thing I didn&#8217;t like, was the search tool doesn&#8217;t give you a flexible search option.&nbsp; So if the day you&#8217;re looking to fly doesn&#8217;t have availability, then you&#8217;ll need to search day by day until you find an open seat.&nbsp; Hopefully they&#8217;ll add the ability to search by week or month soon to make it a little easier.</p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="700" height="280" src="https://easytravelpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Turkish-Award-Availability-700x280.png" alt="screen shot of miles &amp; smiles award availability" class="wp-image-1707" srcset="https://easytravelpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Turkish-Award-Availability-700x280.png 700w, https://easytravelpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Turkish-Award-Availability-1024x409.png 1024w, https://easytravelpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Turkish-Award-Availability-768x307.png 768w, https://easytravelpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Turkish-Award-Availability-1536x614.png 1536w, https://easytravelpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Turkish-Award-Availability-2048x818.png 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /></figure>
</div>


<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Booking A Star Alliance Flight</h3>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">If you want to fly on a Star Alliance partner, you can&#8217;t use the same search tool that you find on the home page.&nbsp; It&#8217;s a little hidden but once you find it, it&#8217;s just as easy to search for flights.&nbsp; Let me show you how to find it.&nbsp; First, you&#8217;ll need to log into your Miles &amp; Smiles account.&nbsp; Next, click on your name in the top right corner to display the drop down menu and then select &#8220;Miles Transactions&#8221;.</p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="700" height="245" src="https://easytravelpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Turkish-Airlines-Home-700x245.png" alt="Account menu on Turkish Airlines website" class="wp-image-1730" srcset="https://easytravelpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Turkish-Airlines-Home-700x245.png 700w, https://easytravelpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Turkish-Airlines-Home-1024x359.png 1024w, https://easytravelpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Turkish-Airlines-Home-768x269.png 768w, https://easytravelpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Turkish-Airlines-Home-1536x538.png 1536w, https://easytravelpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Turkish-Airlines-Home-2048x717.png 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /></figure>
</div>


<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This will take you to a summary page of your account&#8217;s activity.&nbsp; On the right side of the page you&#8217;ll find the &#8220;Star Alliance award ticket&#8221; section.&nbsp; Click on &#8220;book now&#8221; and it will take you to the search tool for flights on Star Alliance partners.&nbsp; From here, the search tool is the same as the other one as far as I could tell.</p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="700" height="188" src="https://easytravelpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Turkish-Star-Alliance-Search-1-700x188.png" alt="Turkish Airlines Star Alliance award search tool" class="wp-image-1710" srcset="https://easytravelpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Turkish-Star-Alliance-Search-1-700x188.png 700w, https://easytravelpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Turkish-Star-Alliance-Search-1-1024x275.png 1024w, https://easytravelpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Turkish-Star-Alliance-Search-1-768x206.png 768w, https://easytravelpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Turkish-Star-Alliance-Search-1-1536x412.png 1536w, https://easytravelpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Turkish-Star-Alliance-Search-1-2048x550.png 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /></figure>
</div>


<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Miles &amp; Smiles Sweet Spots</h2>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Buckle your seatbelts, this is where the magic happens.&nbsp; A lot of airlines are changing their programs to have a dynamic pricing model.&nbsp; Translation; they can charge you whatever they want, whenever they want.&nbsp; That&#8217;s one reason why I&#8217;m loving the Miles &amp; Smiles program.&nbsp; As long as you can find availability, the rates are fixed no matter when you travel.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">To make it even better, because this program is region-based, allows multiple segments and is a partner of United, virtually anyone can take advantage of these redemption sweet spots.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Hawaii</h3>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Last year when I took advantage of the amazing sweet spot to Hawaii I thought it was an absolute steal!&nbsp; Not only does it require fewer miles but it isn&#8217;t limited only to flights from the West Coast.&nbsp; With Turkish miles, you can fly in economy from anywhere in the U.S. to Hawaii for only 7,500 mile each way plus $5.60 in taxes.&nbsp; And if you&#8217;re lucky enough to find availability, you can fly in business class for only 12,500 miles each way!</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I found availability from Phoenix (where I live), New York and even South Bend, Indiana to Hawaii.&nbsp; If you&#8217;ve ever wanted to visit Hawaii, this is how you need to do it.&nbsp; Any other airline will easily cost you triple the points to go to Hawaii.</p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="700" height="324" src="https://easytravelpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Turkish-Hawaii-Results-700x324.png" alt="miles &amp; smiles award availability to Hawaii" class="wp-image-1712" srcset="https://easytravelpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Turkish-Hawaii-Results-700x324.png 700w, https://easytravelpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Turkish-Hawaii-Results-1024x474.png 1024w, https://easytravelpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Turkish-Hawaii-Results-768x356.png 768w, https://easytravelpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Turkish-Hawaii-Results-1536x712.png 1536w, https://easytravelpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Turkish-Hawaii-Results-2048x949.png 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /></figure>
</div>


<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Alaska &amp; Puerto Rico</h3>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Alaska has been on my bucket list for a long time.&nbsp; For only 7,500 miles each way, I can check it off my list.&nbsp; You can also fly to Puerto Rico for the same rate and soak up some sun.</p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="700" height="243" src="https://easytravelpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Turkish-Alaska-Results-700x243.png" alt="Miles &amp; Smiles award flights to Alaska" class="wp-image-1713" srcset="https://easytravelpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Turkish-Alaska-Results-700x243.png 700w, https://easytravelpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Turkish-Alaska-Results-1024x355.png 1024w, https://easytravelpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Turkish-Alaska-Results-768x266.png 768w, https://easytravelpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Turkish-Alaska-Results-1536x533.png 1536w, https://easytravelpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Turkish-Alaska-Results.png 2042w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /></figure>
</div>


<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Domestic Flights</h3>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">These same rates apply to all domestic flights as well.&nbsp; These are perfect if you&#8217;re flying between major cities or to a small town that can typically be very expensive to fly to.&nbsp; How about flying to Rapid City, South Dakota to see Mt. Rushmore?</p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="700" height="293" src="https://easytravelpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Turkish-Domestic-Results-700x293.png" alt="Domestic US Miles &amp; Smiles award flights" class="wp-image-1714" srcset="https://easytravelpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Turkish-Domestic-Results-700x293.png 700w, https://easytravelpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Turkish-Domestic-Results-1024x428.png 1024w, https://easytravelpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Turkish-Domestic-Results-768x321.png 768w, https://easytravelpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Turkish-Domestic-Results-1536x643.png 1536w, https://easytravelpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Turkish-Domestic-Results.png 2044w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /></figure>
</div>


<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Europe</h3>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This program is also a decent value when it comes to award flights to Europe.&nbsp; You can fly each-way for 30,000 miles in economy or 45,000 miles in business class.</p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="700" height="296" src="https://easytravelpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Miles-Smiles-Europe-700x296.png" alt="miles and smiles award space to Venice" class="wp-image-1729" srcset="https://easytravelpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Miles-Smiles-Europe-700x296.png 700w, https://easytravelpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Miles-Smiles-Europe-1024x432.png 1024w, https://easytravelpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Miles-Smiles-Europe-768x324.png 768w, https://easytravelpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Miles-Smiles-Europe-1536x649.png 1536w, https://easytravelpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Miles-Smiles-Europe.png 2008w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /></figure>
</div>


<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Mexico</h3>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This summer I took advantage of another <a href="https://easytravelpoints.com/how-to-fly-to-mexico-using-british-airways-avios-points/">Avios sweet spot to Mexico</a> but again, this is only good if you live in select U.S. cities.&nbsp; Now everyone can fly to Mexico for cheap!&nbsp; Economy tickets are only 10,000 miles each way and business class is just 15,000!&nbsp; If you find it, definitely spend the extra miles and fly in the front of the plane.</p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="700" height="345" src="https://easytravelpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Turkish-Mexico-Results-700x345.png" alt="Miles &amp; Smiles award availability to Mexico" class="wp-image-1716" srcset="https://easytravelpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Turkish-Mexico-Results-700x345.png 700w, https://easytravelpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Turkish-Mexico-Results-1024x505.png 1024w, https://easytravelpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Turkish-Mexico-Results-768x378.png 768w, https://easytravelpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Turkish-Mexico-Results-1536x757.png 1536w, https://easytravelpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Turkish-Mexico-Results-2048x1009.png 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /></figure>
</div>


<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Other Sweet Spots</h3>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">With this program being region-based, I&#8217;m sure there are many more sweet spots to take advantage of.&nbsp; I&#8217;ll update this with more as I find them.&nbsp; In the meantime, play around with it and I&#8217;m sure you&#8217;ll stumble on something great!</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Final Thoughts</h2>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The Turkish Airlines Miles &amp; Smiles program is quickly becoming one of my favorites.&nbsp; I love that there are so many great values and they aren&#8217;t limited to just certain cities.&nbsp; I don&#8217;t think this program will stay under the radar for too much longer, so take advantage of some of these deals as quickly as possible.&nbsp; If you find a great redemption that I missed, let me know in the comments so we can add it to the list.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://easytravelpoints.com/turkish-airlines-miles-smiles/">Turkish Airlines Miles &#038; Smiles: Everything You Need To Know</a> appeared first on <a href="https://easytravelpoints.com">Easy Travel Points</a>.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
					
					<wfw:commentRss>https://easytravelpoints.com/turkish-airlines-miles-smiles/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>How To Fly To Mexico Using British Airways Avios Points</title>
		<link>https://easytravelpoints.com/how-to-fly-to-mexico-using-british-airways-avios-points/</link>
					<comments>https://easytravelpoints.com/how-to-fly-to-mexico-using-british-airways-avios-points/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Rob Dulgarian]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 23 Apr 2023 13:25:00 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Destinations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Guides]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Points & Miles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Alaska Airlines]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[American Airlines]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[American Express]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AMEX]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Avios]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[British Airways]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chase]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mexico]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://easytravelpoints.com/?p=873</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Mexico has some of the most beautiful beaches in the world.&#160; It&#8217;s no wonder why it has always been...</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://easytravelpoints.com/how-to-fly-to-mexico-using-british-airways-avios-points/">How To Fly To Mexico Using British Airways Avios Points</a> appeared first on <a href="https://easytravelpoints.com">Easy Travel Points</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<p class="has-text-align-left wp-block-paragraph">Mexico has some of the most beautiful beaches in the world.&nbsp; It&#8217;s no wonder why it has always been a top destination for beach vacations.&nbsp; Along with the popularity comes higher airfares, especially during peak travel times.&nbsp; With a little planning, I&#8217;m going to show you how to fly to Mexico using British Airways Avios points using another redemption sweet spot. </p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="700" height="500" src="https://easytravelpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/cancun-beach.jpg" alt="the coastline at a beach in Cancun, Mexico with palm trees in the foreground and a boat in the aqua water" class="wp-image-884"/></figure>
</div>


<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Next summer our family is planning an adults trip to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico over a long weekend.&nbsp; Cabo is definitely a popular destination during the summer time so flights can be very expensive.&nbsp; When I searched for flights from Phoenix for the weekend we&#8217;re going, they were over $600 round trip.&nbsp; Luckily, using British Airways Avios points I was able to book the flights for only 18,000 points per person plus taxes.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Avios Sweet Spot To Mexico</h2>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">If you don&#8217;t have a <a href="https://easytravelpoints.com/how-to-earn-southwest-companion-pass/">Southwest Companion Pass</a>, the next best option for flying to Mexico is to use your Avios points.&nbsp; Just like the <a href="https://easytravelpoints.com/how-to-fly-to-hawaii-for-26000-points-or-less/">sweet spot to Hawaii</a>, these great redemptions exist because British Airways uses a distance-based award chart.&nbsp; And because they are part of the OneWorld Alliance you can redeem your Avios points for flights on American Airlines.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">British Airways prices their award flights on a per segment basis, so this redemption only works on nonstop flights to Mexico.&nbsp; If you live near an American Airlines hub in the southern part of the country, this redemption option is perfect for you.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">To redeem your points using the lowest number of miles required, the flights need to be less than 1,151 miles.&nbsp; However, nonstop flights that are longer than this might still be a better redemption with Avios than using your American miles.&nbsp; Here are a few examples of routes that fall right into this sweet spot:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li><strong>Los Angeles</strong> (LAX) to Cabo San Lucas (SJD) are only 9,000 BA points each way.</li>



<li><strong>Phoenix</strong> (PHX) to Cabo, Guadalajara (GDL), Puerto Vallarta (PVR) and Mazatlan (MZT) are all 9,000 BA points each way.</li>



<li><strong>Dallas/Fort Worth</strong> (DFW) to Cancun (CUN) Cabo and Mexico City (MEX) are all just 9,000 BA points each way.</li>



<li><strong>Charlotte</strong> (CLT) to Cancun are just 9,000 BA points each way.</li>



<li><strong>Miami</strong> (MIA) to Cancun are only 7,500 points each way.</li>
</ul>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Here are screen shots of the flights I was looking at when planning our trip to Cabo next summer.&nbsp; You can see the nonstop flight we wanted to take from Phoenix to Cabo San Lucas was over $600 if we wanted the main cabin option where we can make sure we sit next to each other on the flight.</p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="700" height="500" src="https://easytravelpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/SJD-AA-Search-Results.png" alt="search results on American Airline's website for flights from Phoenix to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico" class="wp-image-886"/></figure>
</div>


<div style="height:44px" aria-hidden="true" class="wp-block-spacer"></div>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I found the exact same flights on American while searching for award space using British Airways.&nbsp; Instead of paying over $600 for those flights, I spent just 18,000 Avios points per person plus taxes.</p>



<div style="height:43px" aria-hidden="true" class="wp-block-spacer"></div>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="700" height="344" src="https://easytravelpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/SJD-Cabo-BA-Search-700x344.jpg" alt="Search results from British Airways for reward flights using Avios points from Phoenix to Mexico" class="wp-image-888"/></figure>
</div>


<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Finding Award Availability</h2>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">In order to search for award availability to use your Avios points to fly to Mexico, you&#8217;ll need a British Airways account.&nbsp; If you don&#8217;t have one, it&#8217;s free to sign up and only takes a few minutes set it up.&nbsp; Once you&#8217;re logged in, you can start searching for your flights.&nbsp; British Airways will show both nonstop and connecting flights when you&#8217;re searching for award availability.&nbsp; Remember, because they charge per segment, you will only want to look at the nonstop flights.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">If you don&#8217;t see availability, you can always double check for flights on American&#8217;s website.&nbsp; You&#8217;ll want to look for nonstop flights that are available under the saver award category.&nbsp; If you happen to find some there, give British Airways a call with the flights you found and they should be able to help you book the award flight.&nbsp; They do charge to book award flights over the phone but if you kindly tell them the flight wasn&#8217;t available on the website, they will typically waive the fee.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">How To Earn Avios Points</h2>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I&#8217;m sure reading about these great award redemptions already has you planning your next beach vacation.&nbsp; However, what if you don&#8217;t have enough Avios points to book your trip today?&nbsp; Don&#8217;t worry, Avios points are one of the easiest point currencies to earn.&nbsp; They are a <a href="https://easytravelpoints.com/credit-card-transfer-partners/">transfer partner</a> with both Chase and American Express, so there are several options to earn the points you need.&nbsp; Keep in mind that each of the Chase cards mentioned below is subject to the <a href="https://easytravelpoints.com/guide-chase-5-24-rule/">infamous 5/24 rule</a>.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The easiest way to get Avios points into your account is by transferring them from a credit card that partners with British Airways.&nbsp; Both Chase and American Express allow you to transfer your points at a 1:1 ratio.&nbsp; My favorite Chase card <a class="sh-quidget-markup" data-rate-name="Chase Sapphire Preferred(R) Card" data-content="{*credit_card_id*:*2061159*,*field*:*LinkTagPDPUrl*,*api*:*cc*,*linkText*:*card_name*,*linkTarget*:*_blank*,*linkRel*:*sponsored*}">card_name</a> card.&nbsp; <span class="sh-quidget-markup" data-rate-name="Chase Sapphire Preferred(R) Card" data-content="{*credit_card_id*:*2061159*,*field*:*bonus_miles_full*,*api*:*cc*}">bonus_miles_full</span>&nbsp; If you&#8217;re a frequent traveler, I also like the <a class="sh-quidget-markup" data-rate-name="Chase Sapphire Reserve(R)" data-content="{*credit_card_id*:*4048084*,*field*:*LinkTagPDPUrl*,*api*:*cc*,*linkText*:*card_name*,*linkTarget*:*_blank*,*linkRel*:*sponsored*}">card_name</a>.</p>



<a class="sh-quidget-markup" data-rate-name="Chase Sapphire Preferred(R) Card" data-content="{*credit_card_id*:*2061159*,*field*:*LogoImageListingUrl*,*api*:*cc*}" rel="sponsored noopener" target="_blank"><img alt="card_name" height="180" width="300" style="display:none"></a>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Another option to consider is the <a class="sh-quidget-markup" data-rate-name="American Express(R) Gold Card" data-content="{*credit_card_id*:*4028085*,*field*:*LinkTagPDPUrl*,*api*:*cc*,*linkText*:*card_name*,*linkTarget*:*_blank*,*linkRel*:*sponsored*}">card_name</a>.&nbsp; You will earn membership rewards points with each purchase that can also be transferred to British Airways at a 1:1 ratio.&nbsp; <span class="sh-quidget-markup" data-rate-name="American Express(R) Gold Card" data-content="{*credit_card_id*:*4028085*,*field*:*bonus_miles_full*,*api*:*cc*}">bonus_miles_full</span>&nbsp; Terms apply.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The last option is the <a class="sh-quidget-markup" data-rate-name="British Airways Visa Signature(R) Card" data-content="{*credit_card_id*:*740101*,*field*:*LinkTagPDPUrl*,*api*:*cc*,*linkText*:*card_name*,*linkTarget*:*_blank*,*linkRel*:*sponsored*}">card_name</a> that allows you to earn Avios points with every purchase.&nbsp; If you live near an American Airlines hub and travel with them frequently, this could also be a good option.&nbsp; <span class="sh-quidget-markup" data-rate-name="British Airways Visa Signature(R) Card" data-content="{*credit_card_id*:*740101*,*field*:*bonus_miles_full*,*api*:*cc*}">bonus_miles_full</span></p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Bottom Line</h2>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Flying to Mexico using British Airways Avios points is great sweet spot for award travel.&nbsp; Using these points can easily save you hundreds of dollars of flights.&nbsp; If you plan ahead, you can even use your points to fly during busy times like Spring Break or over a holiday weekend.&nbsp; If you have any questions about how to redeem your Avios points for flights on American, leave me a comment below or <a href="https://easytravelpoints.com/contact/">contact me any time</a>.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://easytravelpoints.com/how-to-fly-to-mexico-using-british-airways-avios-points/">How To Fly To Mexico Using British Airways Avios Points</a> appeared first on <a href="https://easytravelpoints.com">Easy Travel Points</a>.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
					
					<wfw:commentRss>https://easytravelpoints.com/how-to-fly-to-mexico-using-british-airways-avios-points/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>Best Things To Do In Dublin Ireland</title>
		<link>https://easytravelpoints.com/best-things-to-do-in-dublin/</link>
					<comments>https://easytravelpoints.com/best-things-to-do-in-dublin/#comments</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Rob Dulgarian]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 11 Apr 2023 19:44:00 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Destinations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Guides]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[American Express]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AMEX]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[British Airways]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Capital One]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chase]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dublin]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ireland]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://easytravelpoints.com/?p=1448</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>From ancient monuments, to medieval artifacts Dublin is full of fascinating things to do.&#160; After visiting these incredible places...</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://easytravelpoints.com/best-things-to-do-in-dublin/">Best Things To Do In Dublin Ireland</a> appeared first on <a href="https://easytravelpoints.com">Easy Travel Points</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<p class="has-text-align-left wp-block-paragraph">From ancient monuments, to medieval artifacts Dublin is full of fascinating things to do.&nbsp; After visiting these incredible places during the day, you can enjoy the wonderful nightlife and great food at one of Dublin&#8217;s famous pubs.&nbsp; It doesn&#8217;t matter how you like to vacation, Dublin has something for everyone.</p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="700" height="500" src="https://easytravelpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/dublin-1.png" alt="downtown Dublin next to a bridge" class="wp-image-1457"/></figure>
</div>


<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Recently we had the chance to visit the gorgeous country of Ireland.&nbsp; We spent about 10 days driving around and exploring the country.&nbsp; We spent the first 2 days, as well as the final day, of our trip in Dublin.&nbsp; Compared to most European cities, Dublin is relatively small.&nbsp; It&#8217;s easy to get around and the people couldn&#8217;t be any friendlier.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">You can easily fill a couple of days seeing everything Dublin has to offer.&nbsp; However, I do recommend renting a car and driving outside the city.&nbsp; The country is too gorgeous to stay in Dublin the whole time.&nbsp; However, while you&#8217;re in Dublin here are a few things you absolutely have to do.&nbsp; I promise, you&#8217;ll be happy you did.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Travel Tips When Visiting Dublin</h2>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Before you head across the pond, here are a couple of tips that will help with your planning.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Getting There</strong> &#8211; I constantly see fare sales to Ireland, so it&#8217;s pretty inexpensive to visit.&nbsp; I&#8217;d recommend using <a href="https://www.google.com/flights?hl=en#flt=/m/0d35y..2020-02-26*./m/0d35y.2020-03-01;c:USD;e:1;ls:1w;sd:0;t:h" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Google Flights</a> to search for airfare.&nbsp; They have a great feature that shows you historical prices so you can compare current prices.&nbsp; You can also set up an alert and Google will notify you when prices drop.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">If you&#8217;re looking to redeem your points, there is a great sweet spot if you&#8217;re flying to Dublin.&nbsp; Off-peak flights on Aer Lingus start at just 26,000 miles, round-trip, in economy from the East Coast.&nbsp; From the West Coast, it&#8217;s just under 33,000 points round-trip.&nbsp; You can also score one-way business class seats starting at just 50,000 points each way.&nbsp; You can transfer points to the Avios program from either Chase&#8217;s Ultimate Rewards program or American Express&#8217; Membership Rewards program.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Getting Around</strong> &#8211; The best way to get around Dublin is either in a rental car or a taxi.&nbsp; Ireland doesn&#8217;t allow you to hire a private car through popular ride sharing apps, so these are your two best options.&nbsp; Taxis are plentiful, so if you&#8217;re planning on staying in the city, that&#8217;s probably your best bet.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">If you do rent a car, be sure to pay extra for insurance.&nbsp; Most insurance companies, including credit cards that offer rental car insurance, don&#8217;t cover vehicles in Ireland.&nbsp; It&#8217;s not difficult driving on the other side of the road but it takes a little time before you feel comfortable.&nbsp; During our trip, I misjudged a turn and smashed the side mirror into a stone wall.&nbsp; When we returned the car, they simply noted the damage and we were off to the airport.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Where To Stay</strong> &#8211; There aren&#8217;t very many hotel options if you&#8217;re looking to redeem your points for a free night.&nbsp; If you&#8217;re looking to redeem points, I would recommend using a card (like the <a class="sh-quidget-markup" data-rate-name="Capital One(R) Venture(R) Rewards Credit Card" data-content="{*credit_card_id*:*3006151*,*field*:*LinkTagPDPUrl*,*api*:*cc*,*linkText*:*card_name*,*linkTarget*:*_blank*,*linkRel*:*sponsored*}">card_name</a>) that has the option of using your points to &#8220;erase&#8221; travel purchases at a fixed rate.&nbsp; I would also recommend booking your stay through <a href="https://easytravelpoints.com/Hotels" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Hotels.com</a> whose award program gives you credit for staying at any hotel.&nbsp; Both are great options for staying at any one of the great independent hotels in Dublin.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Money</strong> &#8211; When you&#8217;re traveling abroad you always to want to make sure you don&#8217;t pay foreign transaction fees on your purchases.&nbsp; <a href="https://easytravelpoints.com/chase-sapphire-preferred-review/">Make sure you have a credit card</a>, like the <a class="sh-quidget-markup" data-rate-name="Chase Sapphire Preferred(R) Card" data-content="{*credit_card_id*:*2061159*,*field*:*LinkTagPDPUrl*,*api*:*cc*,*linkText*:*card_name*,*linkTarget*:*_blank*,*linkRel*:*sponsored*}">card_name</a>, that won&#8217;t charge you these fees.&nbsp; If you need cash, I would recommend using the <a href="https://easytravelpoints.com/sofi-money-review/">SoFi Money account</a>.&nbsp; This allows you to withdraw cash internationally for a nominal fee.&nbsp; This way, you only withdraw what you need and you avoid paying the hefty fees if you get foreign currency from your local branch before you go.&nbsp; There are ATMs everywhere in Dublin, so you won&#8217;t have a problem finding one.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Things You Have To Do</h2>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Dublin is such a fun city to visit with some wonderful things to see and do.&nbsp; If you&#8217;re going to Ireland, I would definitely spend the majority of your time outside of the city.&nbsp; There are so many incredible things things to see, you won&#8217;t want to miss any of them.&nbsp; In fact, one of the most amazing places I&#8217;ve ever been was <a href="https://www.somewhatsimple.com/skellig-michael/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Skellig Michael</a>.&nbsp; It&#8217;s an island off the southwest coast of Ireland that you don&#8217;t want to miss!</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Like most people, we only spent a couple of days in Dublin before we headed out to explore the rest of the country.&nbsp; If you have a similar itinerary, here are a few things I would highly recommend seeing while you&#8217;re there.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Trinity College Library</h3>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">For me, this was the highlight of everything we saw while we were in Dublin.&nbsp; The library was built in the 1700s and inside was absolutely gorgeous!&nbsp; You don&#8217;t have to be a book lover to enjoy strolling down the halls of The Long Room.&nbsp; Seeing those beautiful arches and shelves covered with vintage books is just beautiful.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Within the Trinity College Library is an exhibit that contains the Book of Kells.&nbsp; This is a 9th century medieval manuscript that documents the four Gospels found in the Bible.&nbsp; This book is one of the most famous artifacts in all of Ireland and is amazing to see.&nbsp; I would strongly recommend <a href="https://easytravelpoints.com/DublinTours" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">purchasing your tickets</a> before you go.&nbsp; This will guarantee you an entrance time and you can avoid standing in a long line.&nbsp; This is especially beneficial when it&#8217;s raining outside.</p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="700" height="889" src="https://easytravelpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Trinity-College-Library.png" alt="the long hallway inside Trinity College library" class="wp-image-1467" srcset="https://easytravelpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Trinity-College-Library.png 700w, https://easytravelpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Trinity-College-Library-394x500.png 394w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /></figure>
</div>


<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Kilmainham Gaol</h3>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This is an old Irish prison that was used during the 1800s to house criminals of all kind.&nbsp; From famous rebellion leaders, to petty criminals, this prison had them all.&nbsp; There&#8217;s just something about old prisons that I find fascinating.&nbsp; Whether you&#8217;re a history lover or not, this is another place you have to visit.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The only way to walk the halls of the prison is on a guided tour that lasts about an hour.&nbsp; This is an incredibly popular attraction and often sells out.&nbsp; I would strongly <a href="https://easytravelpoints.com/DublinTours" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">recommend buying your tickets</a> before you go.&nbsp; You can purchase tickets up to 60 days in advance of your visit.</p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="700" height="500" src="https://easytravelpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Kilmainham-Gaol.png" alt="a hallway in Kilmaiham Gaol prison in Dublin" class="wp-image-1458"/></figure>
</div>


<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Newgrange</h3>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Newgrange is a monument and tomb that is over 5,000 years old.&nbsp; This is a World Heritage Site and there are actually two different monuments you can visit.&nbsp; The other is called Knowth.&nbsp; The only way to visit these sites is by purchasing a tour at the visitors center.&nbsp; As part of the tour, you&#8217;ll be able to go inside the chamber at Newgrange.&nbsp; You&#8217;ll be amazed at how these monuments were built thousands of years ago.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Newgrange is located about 30 minutes north of Dublin, so you&#8217;ll want to plan your day accordingly if you&#8217;re going to visit.&nbsp; <a href="http://www.worldheritageireland.ie/bru-na-boinne/visitor-information/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Tickets are sold on a first come, first served basis</a>.&nbsp; If you don&#8217;t have a rental car, there are several companies that provide <a href="https://easytravelpoints.com/DublinTours" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">inexpensive day tours</a> if you want to visit.</p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="700" height="500" src="https://easytravelpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Newgrange.png" alt="an attractive couple in front of Newgrange in Ireland" class="wp-image-1459"/></figure>
</div>


<h3 class="wp-block-heading">St. Patrick&#8217;s Cathedral</h3>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I&#8217;m a sucker for old churches and St. Patrick&#8217;s Cathedral is a beautiful one.&nbsp; Built over 800 years ago, this church is located in the heart of Dublin.&nbsp; You do have to pay a small entrance fee to get in but it&#8217;s definitely worth it.&nbsp; I&#8217;m always amazed at the incredible workmanship of those who built these magnificent structures.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">There&#8217;s no need to purchase tickets ahead of time, so I would wait until you get there in case your plans change.&nbsp; If you don&#8217;t have time to go inside, I would recommend that you&#8217;d at least walk the grounds for a few minutes to appreciate it&#8217;s beauty.</p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="700" height="500" src="https://easytravelpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/St-Patrick-Cathedral.png" alt="the exterior of St Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin" class="wp-image-1460"/></figure>
</div>


<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Day Trips</h3>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">With Ireland being a relatively small country, it&#8217;s easy to get outside of the city and see some of the popular sites.&nbsp; Here are two day trips I would recommend if you weren&#8217;t planning to leave Dublin.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Northern Ireland</strong> &#8211; Northern Ireland is a beautiful country with a rich history.&nbsp; There are several day trips you can take to some of the more popular sites.&nbsp; <a href="https://easytravelpoints.com/DublinTours" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">We took one that let us visit Belfast and Giant&#8217;s Causeway</a> that I would highly recommend.&nbsp; There are others that will take you to some of the filming locations from Game of Thrones.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Cliffs Of Moher</strong> &#8211; The Cliffs of Moher are located along a beautiful stretch of the west coast of Ireland.&nbsp; They are absolutely breathtaking and worth every minute of your visit.&nbsp; You do need to purchase a ticket to view the cliffs.&nbsp; If you aren&#8217;t <a href="https://easytravelpoints.com/DublinTours" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">booking a day trip tour</a>, you can just wait until you get there to buy your tickets.</p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="700" height="500" src="https://easytravelpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/giants-causeway.png" alt="Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland" class="wp-image-1463"/></figure>
</div>


<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Visit A Local Pub</h3>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Dublin pubs are world famous and you have to visit on while you&#8217;re in town.&nbsp; Our local tour guide recommend we go to a traditional downtown Irish pub called <a href="http://murraysbarandgrill.ie/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Murray&#8217;s</a>.&nbsp; It was so much fun and recommend you go and check it out!&nbsp; The food was excellent and they have free entertainment while you eat.&nbsp; Each night they have live Irish music and each weekend they also have a show with traditional Irish dancing.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">We were lucky to be there on the weekend and the entertainment was fantastic!&nbsp; This is a very popular pub amongst the locals, so you&#8217;ll want to get there early or you can expect a decent wait.</p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="700" height="500" src="https://easytravelpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Murrays-pub.png" alt="musicians playing inside Murry's pub in Dublin" class="wp-image-1461"/></figure>
</div>


<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Final Thoughts</h2>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">If you&#8217;ve never been to Ireland, you need to add it to your bucket list.&nbsp; Dublin is an exciting city with no shortage of things to do while you&#8217;re there.&nbsp; You should definitely plan on spending a couple of days here during your trip.&nbsp; Have you guys been to Dublin before?&nbsp; Is there something I missed that you would highly recommend?&nbsp; If so, leave us a comment below and let us know!</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://easytravelpoints.com/best-things-to-do-in-dublin/">Best Things To Do In Dublin Ireland</a> appeared first on <a href="https://easytravelpoints.com">Easy Travel Points</a>.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
					
					<wfw:commentRss>https://easytravelpoints.com/best-things-to-do-in-dublin/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>5</slash:comments>
		
		
			</item>
	</channel>
</rss>
