August isn't over just yet, but we're calling it now: It's been one of the best months for cheap flights and points and miles deals. Just ask our Thrifty Traveler Premium members.
Our team scours the globe every day for the best of the best: think cheap domestic and international tickets, discounted business and first class fares, and even award space alerts like Delta SkyMiles flash sales and chances to book lie-flat seats abroad at great rates. And in August, we found and sent Thrifty Traveler Premium members a ton of alerts – more than 100 of them, in fact.
Those deals run the gamut from SkyMiles flash sales to get you to Europe for 25,000 SkyMiles roundtrip or Tokyo for 34,000 SkyMiles roundtrip to flying business class on Fiji Airways and Japan Airlines to one of the best deals flying Delta One using SkyMiles we've seen in years. This past month has really had something for every traveler looking to book a trip this year or next.
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Narrowing it down was the hardest part, but these are the 10 best deals we found last month.
1. Tokyo from 34K SkyMiles RT!
This flight deal has everything that many of our Thrifty Traveler Premium subscribers love: Japan, Delta and … 70% off the normal SkyMiles rates.
This Delta SkyMiles deal was part of Delta's long-awaited summer promo. And it was a stunner.
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Flights to Tokyo-Haneda (HND) will typically run you close to 100,000 SkyMiles roundtrip or more. But not for our members: We found rates nationwide for half that – and sometimes even less!
From Allentown (ABE) in Pennsylvania to San Francisco (SFO) and countless cities in between, this was one of the cheapest Delta deals to Tokyo we've seen in years.
We find flight deals from more than 200 U.S. and Canadian airports – more than any other service!
Just 50,000 SkyMiles or so could have gotten you to Tokyo this fall, during peak ski season in Japan, and into the early cherry blossom season next spring. Plus, with a Delta SkyMiles credit card, you get 15% off those listed rates.
Travelers based in cities like Los Angeles (LAX), Miami (MIA), Philadelphia (PHL), and Seattle (SEA) lucked out with the lowest rates.
2. Emirates First Class to Italy for 90K Points
Emirates First Class is about the fanciest way to fly in the world, and everybody knows it. That's why it typically costs $10,000 a ticket and is usually so hard to book using credit card points.
Until earlier this month, that is. Check this out.
During our daily searches, we found the unthinkable: Availability next year for two passengers to use points and miles to book these snazzy suites flying Emirates' route between New York City (JFK) and Milan (MXP) on the airline's signature double-decker A380.
By transferring 102,000 credit card points to Emirates – or sending even fewer Capital One miles to Qantas, thanks to a transfer bonus – you could take one of the coolest flights in the world of travel. Bottomless caviar and an onboard shower, anyone?
It was a stunning deal that allowed travelers to use 102,000 Emirates miles each way, or just 108,000 Qantas miles.
3. Italy, Greece, & Spain Under $489 Roundtrip!
When it rains, it pours with cheap flights to Europe … and I mean that in a good way.
So many airlines fly to and from Europe so frequently, there's cutthroat competition for your business. So when one airline starts slashing rates, they all do. Here's the result: Flights in the $400s roundtrip to Spain, Italy, and Greece!
To close out July, American Airlines and British Airways led the charge on cutting roundtrip flights to places like Greece, Italy, and Spain. How low can it go? How about under $488 roundtrip?! Those are some of the cheapest fares to prized destinations we've seen in years.
And they weren't just from the big airports on the East Coast, either. We find flight deals from more than 200 airports in the U.S. and Canada. And more than 100 of them, big and small, got in the action with sub-$500 fares to Europe this coming fall, winter, and early spring.
Besides these unbelievable Athens fares, you could fly to almost any airport in Spain or Italy for the same rates, too!
4. Delta One Suites to Taipei from 83K SkyMiles
We're all-too-used to seeing eye-popping rates of 400,000 SkyMiles or more to fly Delta business class. Delta changed things this past week … with one of the best Delta One deals we've seen in four-plus years.
Delta didn't just put their Delta One suites to Taipei (TPE) on sale – they slashed award rates down as low as just 83,000 SkyMiles one way.
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It's extremely rare for Delta to sell its business class seats one-way for cheap – typically, you have to book roundtrip to get even a halfway decent rate. But Delta is clearly trying to fill some seats on this new route, so they gave travelers a shot at 120,000 SkyMile rates or even less. Having a Delta co-branded credit card in your wallet made it even cheaper with an automatic 15% discount.
Even if Taiwan isn't on your travel to-do list, this was a phenomenal way to get to Southeast Asia and connect onward to Hong Kong (HKG), Bangkok (BKK), Hanoi (HAN), or elsewhere. And it's one of the best SkyMiles deals we've found in years.
5. SAS Premium Economy from $645 RT
I think SAS Premium Economy is the perfect combination of incredible value and extra comfort. I think it's the single best way to get to Europe when you're paying with cash, in fact.
And you won't need much of it.
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These prices are comparable for what you'll pay for a standard economy seat on many other airlines. So yeah, you might want to consider SAS Premium Economy for your next trip overseas.
6. Cathay Pacific First Class to Southeast Asia
On a select few routes, Cathay Pacific operates a world-class first class seat flying to its Hong Kong (HKG) hub. Award space to actually book this seat with points and miles doesn't come up often.
It happened. And we let our Thrifty Traveler Premium members know ASAP.
This deal not only allowed travelers to book first class to Hong Kong, but also included some connections all over Southeast Asia in business class from 149,000 points each way. Those first class seats are some of the widest and most comfortable you'll find in the sky.
You could only book those seats with Cathay Pacific Asia Miles directly through the airline. Lucky for you, you can transfer points to Cathay from a ton of different banks including American Express, Bilt, Capital One, or Citi. Transfers can take up to 24 hours, but you can call Cathay to hold the space for you for 48 hours.
7. Delta to Santiago, Chile for $461 RT (Or 42K SkyMiles!)
Delta Air Lines, hoping to lure in loyal American Airlines customers, targeted several of American Airlines' hub cities with some unbelievably cheap fares flying to Santiago, Chile (SCL) this fall.
We've never seen fares this low to Santiago from these cities. We were even more shocked to see you could also book these Delta fares with Delta SkyMiles!
Delta is waging an all-out fare war on American, and we're all better of for it!
8. Biz Class to Fiji for 80K Points Each Way
Business class fares to dreamy destinations like Fiji are hard to find. And believe me, I know it: We're searching every single day on every possible route.
But when airlines like Fiji Airways announce new routes, we watch them closely. Brand-new routes are often the key to finding great deals and business class award space.
That's just what happened a few weeks ago, resulting in this:
When Fiji Airways announced its new route from Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) to Nadi, Fiji (NAN), we were all over it. These flights, bookable for 80,000 American Airlines miles, are exceedingly rare to find.
The best part: It wasn't just Dallas that got in on the fun. Booking with AA miles, you could start your trip from nearly every city with a quick connection in Dallas – still for the same stellar rate of 80,000 miles each way!
9. Minneapolis to Hawaii for $284 RT!
Here's our promise to you: Any time we find a cheap fare to the Hawaiian islands, we'll put it straight in Thrifty Traveler Premium members' inboxes. We sent a handful of cheap fares to Hawaii throughout August, in fact.
But this one took the cake: $284 roundtrip fares from Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) to both Maui (OGG) and Kauai (LIH).
At under $300, it's a quarter of the cost of what Minnesotans typically pay for a trip to paradise. Super-low fares and quick connections to one of the best destinations in the U.S. – what's not to love?
Our Thrifty Traveler Premium members get cheap flight deals and award alerts to use their points and miles!
10. JAL Business Class for 60K Points Each Way
When it comes to American Airlines miles, perhaps the best way to use them is to book Japan Airlines business class … and wouldn't you know it!
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This award space from San Francisco (SFO) to Tokyo-Haneda (HND) and Tokyo-Narita (NRT) could get travelers to Japan in peak season, too. Hello cherry blossoms!
Bottom Line
Think flights are too expensive? Here's your proof: They don't have to be with Thrifty Traveler Premium.
Our track record in August speaks for itself. Whether you want to find a 25,000 SkyMiles roundtrip flight to Europe, a 34,000 SkyMiles roundtrip to Tokyo, or fly business class on Fiji Airways, Japan Airlines, or even Delta, we do the legwork for you.