American Airlines

How I booked Three Business Class tickets to Japan & India for just $150

Posted on January 10, 2016 by Amit

Introduction

Lets get to the bottom-line. I booked three one-way business class tickets to Japan and on wards to India for a total of $150 (snapshot below of my wife’s CC bill shows three tickets purchased for $48.20 each) while using 70,000 American Airlines miles each way .

$48.20 for each Business class ticket from USA to Japan and onward to India

The tickets usually sell retail at $4000 + each (snapshot below) so this was a great way to redeem miles and simply fly business class on an Amazing Japan Airlines product for just $50 a pop. Guess what at that price my 20 month old son had his own seat!!

Screenshot 2016-01-10 at 2.51.23 PM

Getting Spoiled at a young age

Extremely confortable on a 14 hour flight

Business Class Travel- Secret of a Happy Family

Green Tea souffle was off the hook

Amazing Japanese food

We thoroughly enjoyed the business class experience from the complimentary lounge access to the amazing food and staff of JAL airlines.

How can anyone do it?

That’s right anyone can do this kind of luxurious travel while paying pennies. I signed up for the AA executive credit card last year when the bonus was 100K AA miles. Citi at that time allowed multiple approval in span of 60 days for the same product and I quickly amassed a huge stash of AA miles (half a million to be precise). I offer free credit card consultation to anyone who is interested in traveling around the world for pennies like we’ve been now doing it for a long time. Feel Free to contact me over the website or by leaving a message below.

Fun In Japan

We stayed at the Hilton Narita Airport Hotel which has a free shuttle pick-up from the Airport every 30 minutes and transfer was very smooth. I used a total of 16000 Hilton points and ~9000 JPY (~$80 USD) total for a two night stay. You can sign-up for the Citi Hilton credit card to earn 60K Hilton points and a free silver status, although I recommend waiting to apply when the sign-up bonus is 80K.

Zane loving hot dinner at the Hilton Narita after a long flight

We had free breakfast at Hilton due to Diamond Status with Hilton saving us several hundred dollars in meal expenses especially in a city like Tokyo were things can get expensive.

My Hilton Diamond Status gets me free breakfast at Hilton’s worldwide

I booked a 6 hour private Tokyo city tour for USD $250 using the website toursbylocals.com and our tour guide Izumi was excellent and very friendly. I charged the $250 on my Capital one venture Credit card and was able to claim all of it as a Travel Credit. Capital One venture card comes with a sign-up bonus of 40,000 Reward points which is good towards $400 in Travel related expenses and you earn 2X points on all purchases.

Street Food at its best

Thats all Sake in the drums

Bfast at Hilton

Our Tour guide Izumi

Taking Subway in Japan

I am in absolute love with Japanese food and culture. Tokyo s very well connected via the subway system and its very easy to around. The people are so friendly and humble. We visited the Meiji Shrine, Sensoji Temple and a bunch of shopping district for one-day we were there. Street food is inexpensive and extremely delicious.

Conclusion

We had an amazing family trip to Japan flying Business class in Japan Airlines and staying at a nice hotel while paying pennies. I’d love to get you started on your travel journey and travel around the world as several of my friends, family and clients have been able to do it. Shoot me an email to get you started for an absolutely free consultation.

Super Deal Alert – Philly to Las Vegas $36 each way

Posted on August 15, 2015 by Amit

Getting to Sin City the cheap way

There is an amazing sale on American/US Air flights from Philly to Las Vegas and a couple more west coast cities. This super duper deal may not long last so if you have never been to Vegas you can escape there for just $36 from Philly. You can use Google Flights to see all available dates. Below is a random search I performed for August 29th and results are below –

Cheapest fares I’ve seen to Vegas from Philly

I am seeing availability on several days from August thru November but again this super sale may not last long.

Categories: American Airlines, cheap travel, Las Vegas | Tags: American Airlines, Cheap Travel, Las Vegas | Leave a comment

2.25% Cash Back on AMEX Gift Cards (7/23 ONLY)

Posted on July 23, 2015 by Amit

For those who would like to take advantage of the offer again. You can use my referral link to sign-up. We both earn $10 after you spend $20

Danny the Deal Guru

The deal is being offered today only, until 11:59PM PST (7/23/2015)! You can get 2.25% cash back on Amex Business Gift Cards when you shop through topcashback.com. If you dont have an account, you can use my referral link (we both get $10 back after you spend $20 or more).

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Categories: American Airlines, Gift Cards | Tags: Gift Cards | Leave a comment

Free Miles – American & JetBlue, Frontier Airline $19 Sale, Hyatt Joins Nepal Earthquake Relief Efforts, Free Movie tickets using Visa Signature card

Posted on April 30, 2015 by Amit

1) 1000 Free AA miles for watching a video – In an effort to help recently converted Dividend Miles members get acquainted with AAdvantage, American Airlines is holding a promotion where you can very easily earn 1,000 AAdvantage miles. I just did it and it took only about 2 minutes. 1000 miles may not sound a whole lot but I had a few instances in the past where all I was short was a few 1000 miles to book an award ticket so 3 minutes may be well worth your effort to earn an extra 1000 miles.

Dream Destination – Hawaii

As part of the promotion you have to watch 6 videos. Each video tells you a little about AAdvantage before requiring you to answer a simple question. After completing all six videos you will have earned 1,000 AAdvantage miles and you can also enter to win the grand prize of two first class tickets to anywhere American Airlines flies.

However, you may scroll to the end of the video if you are operating in rush mode and simply answer the questions on the next page.

2) JetBlue 7000 Miles promotion – New Flying blue members can earn 7,000 JetBlue bonus points. To earn the points. sign-up for JetBlue frequent flyer account (through this link), book a paid flight on JetBlue, and travel by June 18, 2015. JetBlue points are worth ~1.4 cents per point. So the 7,000 points you earn are worth ~$98. If you find a good price on a 1-way flight, you may come out ahead!

3) Frontier Airlines is having a one day sale today with flights starting at $19 for many of their routes, including flights from Atlanta, GA; Charlotte, NC; Cincinnati, OH; Indianapolis; New Orleans; Orlando, FL; Philadelphia and Washington-Dulles for select dates in May and June.
If you are interested in scoring any of these fares for $19, be sure to book sooner than later because the fares usually sell out rather quickly.

Tickets must be purchased by 11:59 pm Eastern time on April. 30, 2015 for domestic, nonstop travel in select markets and dates, May 5, 2015 through June 10, 2015. If you are looking for a quick getaway, you might want to take a look at some of these deals.

4) Hyatt Joins Nepal Earthquake Efforts – It’s great to see airlines and hotels join this cause in supporting Nepal. I have been to Nepal few times and the beauty country has to offer is second to none. Every dollar donated will go a long way in helping those who have lost almost everything

Destruction in Nepal

You can visit the link here and donate either Hyatt Points increment of 5000 or cash.

5) Free Movie Tickets using Visa Signature Credit card

If your visa card bears a logo which says “Signature” like the one below than you are in for a treat rest of this summer.

You can get this deal each Friday starting at 12:01 am Eastern Time and ending Saturday at 5:59 am Eastern Time, through August 21, 2015. To get your free ticket, add 2 or more tickets to your cart and the lowest priced ticket is free. As per the offer terms you can only get 1 free ticket per card, every 30 days but a workaround is adding co-users on your card so now you can get multiple ticket offer for each cardholder. Also, there is a limit of 1 registration per email address (regardless of card number) per 7 day period so you may need a different email address for each visa signature card you have in your wallet.

Categories: American Airlines, Fandango, Free Miles, Frontier, Hyatt, JetBlue, Nepal, Visa Signature | Tags: aadvantage, Free Miles, Frontier, Hyatt, JetBlue, Nepal | Leave a comment

Master List of Airline Award Fees – Change Fees, Cancellation Fees, & Phone Booking Fees

Posted on January 30, 2015 by Amit

Using airline miles for award flights is one of the best ways to travel for less, however if you have to change or cancel an award ticket you’re often hit with high fees. Each airline program has its own award ticket fee policy and may charge you for anything from date or destination changes, refund/redeposit of miles on cancelled tickets, phone booking, and close-in booking. In general airline award fees range from $0 to $150+, but it’s a good idea to know exactly what you’d have to pay before booking so you’re not surprised by any fees if your plans change.

Planning ahead is often the best way to keep fees to a minimum and you’re less likely to have to pay close-in booking fees or change fees if your plans were not set in stone. Of course you’ll want to keep these fees to a minimum to save money on award flights, but in either case when you are using miles for a free flight you sometimes just have to bite the bullet and pay certain fees (such as phone booking) to get the flights you want.

Often times these fees are buried within the airlines website, so I have created a master list of airline fees across the majority of larger airline programs. Included in the table are the most common date and destination fees, cancellation fees, close-in booking fees, and phone booking fees, however some programs have unique policies that don’t fall into these clear-cut categories. There are also links to the airline’s own webpage where the fees are outlined in their verbiage.

As the list will be a work-in-progress I’ll continue to add more information to complete the list. If you see any mistakes, missing information or have helpful information or experience with an airline on the list, please feel free to leave a comment below and I will make updates.


Airline	Alliance	Change Date Fee	Change Destination Fee	Refund/Redeposit Fee	Close-in Booking Fee	Phone Booking Fee	Mile Expiration Length	Waivers (all fees unless noted)	More Details…

AeroMexico Club Premier	SkyTeam	$26	$26	$26	None	N/A	24 months	Fees waived for Platinum Club Premier members.	See full details at AeroMexico.com
Air Canada Aeroplan	Star Alliance	$90	$90	$90 up to 22 days prior to departure	None	$30 CAD	12 months	Fees waived for Super Elite 100K members.	See full details at Aeroplan.com
AirBerlin	OneWorld	Domestic awards within Germany or Europe = €50, awards within all other regions = €75	Domestic awards within Germany or Europe = €50, awards within all other regions = €75	No refunds	None	None	36 months		See full details at AirBerlin.com
Air France / KLM Flying Blue	SkyTeam	€45 (changes not allowed on ‘Promo Awards’, no fees for ‘Flex Awards’)	€45 (changes not allowed on ‘Promo Awards’, no fees for ‘Flex Awards’)	€45 (changes not allowed on ‘Promo Awards’, no fees for ‘Flex Awards’)	None	$25	20 months		See full details at FlyingBlue.com
Alaska MileagePlan	N/A	Up to 60 days prior to departure =$0, within 60 days of departure = $125	Up to 60 days prior to departure = $0, within 60 days of departure = $125	Up to 60 days prior to departure =$0, within 60 days of departure = $125	None	$15	24 months	Fees waived for Gold MVP members.	See full details at AlaskaAir.com
Alitalia Mille Miglia	SkyTeam	None	€55 or 5,000 miles	€55 or 5,000 miles	None		24 months		See full details at Alitalia.com
American AAdvantage	OneWorld	Up to 21 days prior to departure = $0, within 21 days of departure = $150	$150	$150 for first award reservation, $25 for additional reservations	$75	$25	18 months	All fees waived for Executive Platinum members. Close-in booking fees waived for Gold and higher members.	See full details at AA.com
ANA Mileage Club	Star Alliance	None	None	3,000 miles	None	$25	36 months		See full details at ANA.com
Asia Miles	Multiple	$25 or 1,000 miles	$100	$120 or 12,000 miles	None		36 months		See full details at AsiaMiles.com
British Airways Avios	OneWorld	$55	$55	$55	None	$25	36 months	Fees wavied for Gold members.	See full details at BritishAirways.com
Delta SkyMiles	SkyTeam	$150	$150	$150 (must be completed 72 hours prior to departure)	None	$25	Miles do not expire	Fees wavied for Platinum and Diamond Medallion members.	See full details at Delta.com
El Al Matmid	N/A	$60	$60 – $125	$60 – $125	None	$10	36 months	Fees waived/reduced for Platinum and Top Platinum members.	See full details at ElAl.com
Emirates Skywards	N/A	$25	$75	$75	None		36 months	Fees waived for Platinum members.	See full details at Emirates.com
Frontier Early Returns	N/A	Up to 8 days prior to departure = $0, within 8 days of departure = $75	$75	$75	None	None	18 months	Fees wavied for Summit members and Standard Awards.	See full details at FlyFrontier.com
Hawaiian Airlines HawaiiMiles	N/A	$50 ($30 for interisland flights)	$50 ($30 for interisland flights)	$150 ($30 for interisland flights)	None	$25	18 months	Interisland change fees waived for Pulani Platinum members.	See full details at HawaiianAirlines.com
Iberia Plus Avios	OneWorld	€25	€25	€25	None		36 months
JetBlue True Blue	N/A	More than 60 days prior to departure = $75. Less than 60 days prior to departure = $75 for fares of $100 – $149, $150 for fares $150+	More than 60 days prior to departure = $75. Less than 60 days prior to departure = $75 for fares of $100 – $149, $150 for fares $150+	More than 60 days prior to departure = $75. Less than 60 days prior to departure = $75 for fares of $100 – $149, $150 for fares $150+	None	$25	Miles do not expire.	Fees waived for Mosaic level members.	See full details at JetBlue.com
Korean SkyPass	SkyTeam	None	None	Within 1 year of ticket issue date = $0, if ticket was issued over 1 year = 10,000 miles	None		5 years		See full details at KoreanAir.com
LifeMiles Avianca / TACA	Star Alliance	$150	$150	$50	$25 fee for all bookings		24 months		See full details at LifeMiles.com
Lufthansa Miles & More	Star Alliance	$60	$60	$60	None	No fee	36 months	Fees may be waived or reduced only for date and time changes.	See full details at Miles-and-More.com
Gol Smiles	N/A			$40 to $50			36 months
Singapore KrisFlyer	Star Alliance	Singapore awards = $0, partner awards = $20,within 24 hours of departure = $75	Singapore awards =$12, partner = $20, within 24 hours of departure = $75	More than 24 hours prior to departure = $30	None	$0	36 months		See full details at SingaporeAir.com
Southwest RapidRewards	N/A	None	None	None	None	None	24 months	N/A	See details at Southwest.com
Spirit FreeSpirit	N/A	$110	$110	$110	$100	$25	3 months	None	See full details at Spirit.com
United MileagePlus	Star Alliance	More than 21 days prior to departure = $75, within 21 days of departure = $100	$200	$200	$75	$25	18 months	All fees waived for Platinum, 1K, Global Services. Some fees waived for Silver, Gold, and United Club cardholders.	See full details at United.com
US Airways Dividend Miles	OneWorld	$150	$150	$150	$75 (additional $25 to $50 processing fee)	$30 to $40	18 months	Fees waived for Chairmans members. Close-in booking fee waived for Gold / Platinum members.	See full details at USAirways.com
Virgin Atlantic FlyingClub	N/A	More than 24 hours prior to departure =$50	More than 24 hours prior to departure =$50	More than 24 hours prior to departure =$50	None		36 months		See full terms at VirginAtlantic.com
JAL	OneWorld	Free if reservation for new flight is confirmed before boarding. (Changes of flight number and date can be made through the JAL website by 12:00 4 days prior to the day of departure.)	Changes not allowed to traveler’s name, flight sector, class of service, routing, or the direction of travel and exchange.	“Mileage Reinstatement Service for Unused Awards” is applicable in case of cancellation of unused award tickets. Members are responsible for all the mailing costs of award tickets		$21	36 months		See full details at JAL.com
LAN	OneWorld	Fee varies from $35 – $75 depending on flight distance and days prior to departure.	Fee varies from $35 – $75 depending on flight distance and days prior to departure.	Fee varies from $40 – $125 depending on flight distance and days prior to departure.	None	Domestic flights = $15, International flights = $25	36 months		See full details at LAN.com
Virgin America	N/A	$100	$100	$100	None	$20	18 months	Fees waived for Silver and Gold members.	Full terms at VirginAmerica.com
Thai Airways Royal Orchid	Star Alliance	Flights within Thailand = $16, international flights = $40, Star Alliance Awards = $95	Flights within Thialand = $60 (International awards are not eligible)	Regional awards = $120 or 10,000 miles, international awards = $190 or 15,000 miles	None		36 months		See full details at ThaiAirways.com

Categories: Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Award fees, British Airways Avios, Uncategorized | Tags: AeroMexico, Air Canada, alaska airline, American Airlines, Delta Skymiles, emirates, Frontier, Iberia, Korean, Lufthansa, Sky Team, Star Alliance, United | Leave a comment

DEAL ALERT – $44 American Airlines Flights from Chicago

Posted on December 16, 2014 by Amit

Per the Flight Deal, American Airlines is running a fare sale with flights from Chicago to Orlando or Tampa starting at just $44 each way for travel in January and February.If you are interested in scoring any of these fares for $44, be sure to book sooner than later because typically, these fare sales usually sell out rather quickly. If you’re looking for an easy way to earn 2,000 elite qualifying miles for $80, then it could also be a quick easy mileage run for some.

These are valid for domestic, nonstop travel on: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays, Jan. 6, 2014 through Feb. 11, 2015. If you are looking for a quick getaway down to Orlando or Tampa, then you may want to take a look at some of these deals.

Categories: American Airlines | Tags: aadvantage, American Airlines, Cheap Travel, Chicago | 1 Comment