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How to Fly to the Caribbean for 7,500 Points

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From white sand seashores to unbelievable resorts, the Caribbean gives loads of compelling causes to go to. Nonetheless, flying to the Caribbean could be costly when utilizing factors or miles, as many airline applications deal with the Caribbean as a separate area from the U.S. Which means award costs are sometimes set larger than home award flights.

However, there is a trick to attending to the Caribbean for cheaper — even for as little as 7,500 factors. All it’s essential do is e-book by means of a mileage-based award program, like that of British Airways (Govt Membership) or Iberia Airways (Iberia Plus).

Here is what it’s essential know to fly to the Caribbean for 7,500 factors.

British Airways’ Caribbean candy spot

British Airways Govt Membership makes use of a distance-based award chart. Reasonably than pricing awards primarily based on geographic areas, the worth of an award flight is determined by the bodily distance of the flight. The draw back? Every flight costs individually, so this candy spot is restricted to nonstop flights.

British Airways doesn’t at present publish an award chart. Nonetheless, we’ve discovered that award flights on American Airways and Alaska Airways, two companions of British Airways, value the next in financial system class:

  • 7,500 Avios for flights as much as 650 miles in distance.

  • 9,000 Avios for flights of 651 to 1,150 miles in distance.

  • 11,000 Avios for flights of 1,151 to 2,000 miles in distance.

  • 13,000 Avios for flights of two,001 to three,000 miles in distance.

After a current devaluation, Iberia Plus costs American and Alaska awards on the similar award charges. Nonetheless, Iberia award searches at present error out whenever you attempt to e-book one-way awards on companions. And even whenever you search a round-trip, Iberia’s award search course of is riddled with technical points.

To that finish, we will focus this text on reserving award flights by means of British Airways.

Low-cost U.S.-Caribbean routes on British Airways

Due to American’s and Alaska’s in depth routes to the Caribbean, we discovered 139 nonstop routes that qualify for this candy spot. Let’s assessment which routes worth out at every tier.

7,500 Avios every manner

In an effort to fly to the Caribbean with 7,500 Chase or AmEx factors, you may must fly on a nonstop route underneath 650 miles. That limits the choices to 12 American Airways routes — nearly completely from Miami.

Eligible routes from Miami embody:

  • Bahamas: Freeport, George City, Marsh Harbour, Nassau and North Eleuthera.

  • Cayman Islands: Grand Cayman.

  • Jamaica: Kingston and Montego Bay.

  • Mexico: Cancun and Cozumel.

  • Turks and Caicos: Providenciales.

The one different route that simply slips in at just below 650 miles is between Charlotte, North Carolina, and Marsh Harbour, Bahamas.

9,000 Avios every manner

American Airways flights of 651 to 1,150 miles in distance value simply 9,000 Avios every manner. That is far sufficient to cowl 29 extra American Airways routes to the Caribbean.

Of these 29 routes, over half are from Miami:

  • Colombia: Barranquilla, Cartagena de Indias and San Andrés Island.

  • Dominican Republic: Puerto Plata, Santiago, Santo Domingo and Punta Cana.

  • Mexico: Chetumal and Mérida.

  • U.S. Virgin Islands: Charlotte Amalie (St. Thomas) and Christiansted (St. Croix).

You possibly can fly from Charlotte to seven routes within the Caribbean for 9,000 Avios every manner:

  • Bahamas: North Eleuthera, Nassau and George City.

  • Cayman Islands: Grand Cayman.

  • Mexico: Cancun and Cozumel.

  • Turks and Caicos: Providenciales.

Or, you possibly can fly from 5 different cities to the Caribbean for simply 9,000 Avios every manner:

  • Austin, Texas, to Cancun, Mexico.

  • Dallas-Fort Price to Cancun and Cozumel, Mexico.

  • Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

  • Philadelphia to Nassau, Bahamas.

  • Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina to Cancun, Mexico.

11,000 Avios every manner

The subsequent distance band covers award flights of 1,151 to 2,000 miles in distance that value 11,000 Avios every manner. That covers 77 American Airways nonstop routes to the Caribbean.

This contains 16 routes from Charlotte to Antigua, Aruba, Belize, Curaçao, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, St. Lucia, St. Kitts, St. Maarten and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

There are 14 routes from Philadelphia priced at simply 11,000 Avios every manner, together with flights to Aruba, Cancun, Cozumel, Dominican Republic, Grand Cayman, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, St. Lucia, St. Maarten, Turks and Caicos, and the U.S. Virgin Islands:

American Airways has added a number of seasonal flights between New York-JFK and the Caribbean. Routes that worth at 11,000 Avios every manner embody Antigua, Cancun, Jamaica, Turks and Caicos, Punta Cana, St. Kitts, St. Maarten, and St. Thomas.

Extra 11,000-Avios routes embody flights from Boston, Chicago and Dallas-Fort Price to numerous components of the Caribbean. Or, you possibly can fly from Miami to 14 locations within the Lesser Antilles. You possibly can additionally benefit from this candy spot on flights to Cancun from 4 different airports within the Midwest, or the Austin to Nassau route.

13,000 Avios every manner

The subsequent distance band covers flights of two,001 to three,000 miles in distance. That is sufficient to cowl flights between the West Coast and Cancun or Belize on American Airways or Alaska Airways. Plus, this unlocks dozens of longer routes from Austin, Charlotte, Chicago and Dallas-Fort Price to the Lesser Antilles.

e-book it

Step 1: Assess award availability

You can begin your award search proper on British Airways’ web site; nonetheless, you would possibly need to test the American Airways web site first — particularly for routes that do not function day by day. That is as a result of British Airways award search outcomes are restricted to a single day at a time. In the meantime, American’s web site will present you award availability for as much as a month at a time.

For instance, let’s take American’s route from Raleigh-Durham to Cancun. For those who’re in Raleigh and need to benefit from the 9,000-Avios award pricing, you are first going to want to search out nonstop award availability.

By looking this route and limiting the outcomes to “Nonstop solely,” you may discover that this route at present operates on Saturdays solely till the vacations — when American switches to day by day flights.

Nerdy tip: Simply because there is a worth listed does not essentially imply that there is award availability through companion mileage applications. You may need to search for awards priced at 15,000 miles or much less, which is the MileSAAver award charge for AAdvantage awards between the U.S. and the Caribbean. If an award is listed with a better worth, it is not prone to have saver award availability for companions.

Certain sufficient, when looking for award availability on the British Airways web site, you may discover that solely Dec. 31, 2021 — which American priced at 12,500 miles — reveals companion award availability.

This similar course of, of figuring out the frequency of a specific flight and certain companion award availability, could be replicated on the Alaska Airways web site, too.

Step 2: Switch factors to British Airways Avios

Observe that if you happen to do not have already got an account with the British Airways loyalty program, you may need to join first. You are able to do so right here.

From AmEx

To switch AmEx factors to British Airways, log in to your American Categorical account and head to AmEx’s rewards web page. Subsequent, click on the “Switch Factors” tab and click on “View All” to see all switch companions.

Scroll down till you see British Airways Govt Membership and click on “Switch Factors.” If you have not accomplished so already, hyperlink your Govt Membership account. Then, enter the variety of Membership Rewards factors you want to switch.

You may doubtless must enter a safety code from one among your AmEx playing cards to provoke the factors switch. So, you would possibly need to have one among your playing cards useful.

From Chase

First, select your self (or a licensed consumer) from the drop-down field. Then, enter your British Airways Govt Membership quantity twice. Click on “Proceed” to maneuver to the subsequent step.

Subsequent, enter what number of Final Rewards factors you need to switch to British Airways and click on “Proceed” once more.

On the ultimate web page, you possibly can assessment the small print of the switch earlier than clicking “Verify & Submit” to start out the switch.

Step 3: Ebook your flight on the British Airways web site

Now that you’ve sufficient Avios in your account and know {that a} companion award is obtainable in your dates, you possibly can transfer ahead with reserving your award flights.

Subsequent, choose the category of service on the flight you need to e-book, financial system or enterprise.

On the subsequent web page, you may get worth quotes that includes completely different Avios and money quantities.

Nerdy tip: To get the most effective redemption charge, choose the reserving choice that requires probably the most Avios and the least amount of money.

On the next pages, you may must enter your passenger info, cost knowledge and phone info. Utilizing a bank card that gives journey insurance coverage to pay the taxes and costs is an efficient choice in case it’s essential change or cancel your journey.

Lastly, click on “Make reserving” to e-book your award flight.

If you wish to e-book low-cost flights to the Caribbean with factors …

British Airways Govt Membership and Iberia Plus supply wonderful award charges on American Airways and Alaska Airways on nonstop flights inside North America. For those who’re in Miami or Charlotte, you possibly can e-book award flights to the Caribbean for as few as 7,500 Avios every manner.

The offers aren’t simply restricted to Miami and Charlotte. Vacationers from 19 cities throughout the U.S. can e-book flights to the Caribbean for 13,000 Avios or much less. Plus, you possibly can switch Chase or AmEx factors to Avios at a 1:1 ratio to e-book these low-cost Caribbean award flights.

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