Want Cheap Business Class Flights? The Best Ways You Can Book

Lounge access before you fly and a glass of champagne after boarding. Top-notch meals and service. And most importantly: a lie-flat seat that reclines into a comfortable bed as you cross the ocean.

Yes, flying business class is pretty awesome. But if you’ve ever looked for business class fares through Google Flights or your favorite airline, you know these seats often cost thousands – if not tens of thousands – of dollars. And how do those travelers you’ve seen on social media use points to book these expensive seats, anyway?

Take it from us: It can be done. Whether you’re holding out hope for a cheaper business class fare or need to learn which points and miles can get you a comfortable seat at the front of the plane, consider this your roadmap for how to fly business class for less.

Why is Flying Business Class So Dang Expensive?

At Thrifty Traveler, we spend all day, every day scouring the internet for flight deals. And we find them all day, every day – like $300-some roundtrip flights to Europe, cheap flights to Hawaii and back for under $200, and even $63 roundtrip fares to Chile.

But when you’re looking for business class airfare, here’s the unfortunate reality: Cheap business class flights are incredibly rare. And for many travelers, “cheap” by business class standards is still far more than you’d be willing to pay.

Corporate and high-paying travel is critical for airlines that want to protect their pricing power. And long-term contracts with big corporations who want to send employees overseas in those lie-flat seats mean that they can generally fetch that high price tag.

But even when business class seats are set to go out empty, airlines won’t do what we often see back in economy: offload a bunch of seats by selling them at a fraction of the normal price. Instead, they’d much rather those lie-flat seats go out empty than be filled at a lower price point.

That’s why you’re most likely to see business class flights selling for $3,000, $5,000, or far more roundtrip. Prices like this are all too common.

But business class flight deals do (occasionally) happen! The prices almost never drop as far as what we see in economy – unless you get incredibly lucky with a mistake fare.

Still, compared to the $4,000-plus normal prices for roundtrip tickets, the savings can be substantial. But given the rarity of incredible sales, it makes redeeming credit card points and airline miles easily the best way to score a business class seat.

1. Wait for a Cheaper Fare: They’re Rare, But They Exist

Remember how I said that business class fares rarely drop as low as economy … but that better deals do, in fact, exist? Here’s what I meant. 

Let’s say the standard price of a business class ticket to Europe or far South America is $4,000 or more roundtrip. We search for cheaper deals for our Thrifty Traveler Premium subscribers all the time … and find them somewhat regularly. 

Here’s one recent example: Roundtrip fares flying Condor business class to destinations all over Europe next summer for just over $2,500 roundtrip. 

Is $2,500 per person “cheap”? Hardly. But compared to the normal price of $5,000 or more, it’s 50% off. That’s not bad! 

Business class cash fares at those rates crop up a few times a year. Finding sub-$2,000 roundtrip tickets, like this one flying Air France business class, is even more rare. But again: Deals like this do exist! 

If there’s one airline you can count on for cheaper lie-flat fares flying overseas, it’s JetBlue. JetBlue Mint Suites are one of our favorite ways to fly, and the airline regularly slashes fares down to $2,000 or so roundtrip – especially whenever the airline adds new routes to Europe.

Prices down to the far southern reaches of South American are typically north of $3,000 roundtrip … but fares occasionally tumble to half that price like this one 

The deals can get even better if you’re looking to fly somewhere even closer like Colombia, where we’ve seen nonstop business class fares tumble as low as $420 roundtrip – a third of the normal cost!

Thrifty Tip: When business class fares get this cheap, they never last long. Book fast and ask questions later – you can cancel and get a full refund if you change your mind thanks to the 24-hour rule!

One great place to look for even cheaper premium cabin fares to Europe is flying Icelandair. While they might not offer the full business class experience with lie-flat seats, you’ll still get a much roomier seat, better service, and even lounge access in Reykjavik (KEF) flying Icelandair Saga Class.

Bonus: Fares are regularly cheaper than what you’d pay for a premium economy or even an extra legroom seat!

2. Or Hope for a Mistake Fare (& Book it Fast!)

This is where things start to get really good – and really cheap.

While even a deeply discounted business class fare won’t scratch the surface of economy prices, mistake fares can get you somewhere in a lie-flat seat for (literally) pennies on the dollar. Mistake fares are just what they sound like: Whether through a currency conversion error or missing a 0 when entering prices, an airline might erroneously sell flights for cheaper than they meant to.

It’s the holy grail of flight deals and often the best way to snag an amazing deal on a premium cabin ticket. These mistake fares are even rarer: These days, we see one or two a year, tops. But when they happen for business class, they’re incredible.

Let’s start with one of the best mistake fares of all time. Back in 2018, Hong Kong Airlines accidentally sold roundtrip business class to a handful of Asian cities including Bangkok (BKK), Ho Chi Minh City (SGN), and Shanghai (PVG) for $600 or less. Clearly, someone at the airline missed a 0 on these fares that should have cost closer to $6,000 apiece.

Business class or first class: What’s the difference? Read our guide to business class vs first class!

But here’s the thing about mistake fares: Airlines don’t have to honor them. Unfortunately, the U.S. government has given airlines a lot of leeway to cancel fares they sold by mistake, which leaves it up to airlines to decide whether they want to save the money or do right by customers and honor the tickets. It’s a 50-50 shot.

Amazingly, Hong Kong Airlines decided to honor these tickets. That gave thousands of travelers (including yours truly) a chance to fly in these seats to Asia for less than a typical economy ticket.

One of our favorite mistake fares of 2019 was a business class mistake fare to both Australia and New Zealand. For just $1,491 (a standard price of an economy flight to Australia), you could have gotten lounge access, and a business class seat including priority boarding, champagne, and lie-flat seats.

Mistake fares have gotten rarer over the last few years, especially for top-dollar business class seats. But they still crop up randomly, like this $900 roundtrip fare to London in Virgin Atlantic Upper Class from a few years back.

And over the summer of 2023, we saw another fantastic mistake fare flying up front – this time, United Polaris business class from the U.S. to London for as low as $899. Luckily, this one was honored by the airlines, too.

Like we said, mistake fares are rare – and mistake fares on business class fares are like shooting stars. If you’re waiting for one, you could be waiting for a long time. But for these savings, that wait can be worth it.

Read our full guide to finding and taking advantage of mistake fares!

3. Book Using Your Points and Miles Instead

Cheaper business class airfare is unpredictable and rare. That makes having a stash of points and miles crucial.

But redeeming for business and first class seats are where using points and miles really shines. It’s the best way to get outsized value, as these tickets typically are triple or quadruple the costs of flying economy – but not triple or quadruple the miles. And using points is the easiest and most cost-effective way, by far, to secure yourself a lie-flat seat … no matter where you want to go. 

Between the hundreds of airlines with business class seats, their individual mileage programs, and airline alliances and partnerships that allow you to use one airlines’ miles to book flights on another carrier, there are not hundreds but thousands of ways to book business class tickets using miles. But some are better than others.

We’ve narrowed it down by focusing on some of these lowest-priced sweet spots when using miles. Do it right, and it won’t cost much (or anything) more than a normal economy ticket.

Thrifty Traveler Premium members also get availability alerts to book award tickets like these …

 

1. Iberia Biz Class to Spain for 34K Miles (Or Less)

This isn’t just one of the best ways to score a business class seat. It’s one of the best deals in the world of points and miles, period.

For the miles it typically takes to fly economy, you can use Iberia Avios to fly business class between the U.S. and Spain. That’s right: It’s just 34,000 miles each way to snag a lie-flat seat to Europe – or 68,000 miles roundtrip. 

Why so cheap? Iberia uses a distance-based award chart – the shorter the flight, the fewer miles you need – and that carves out a serious sweet spot flying from the East Coast or Chicago. That means nonstop flights to Madrid (MAD) from New York City (JFK), Boston (BOS), Washington, D.C.-Dulles (IAD), and Chicago-O’Hare (ORD) will run you just 34,000 miles each way, plus about $150 or so in fees.

Read our step-by-step guide to booking Iberia business class!

You’ll see some higher rates of 50,000 miles each way during peak travel periods like the summer and over holidays. But no matter what, flying business class doesn’t get much cheaper than this.

How to Do It: If you’re wondering how you’re going to get the Iberia miles you need to book one of these deals, don’t sweat it – they couldn’t be easier to earn.

You can get Iberia Avios by transferring them from Chase, American Express, or Bilt Rewards. That means you can easily earn all the miles you need with cards like the *chase sapphire preferred* the *amex gold*, or *amex platinum*. And that’s true whether you want to fly economy or up in business.

But you can also now book these flights for the same rates using British Airways Avios. Like Iberia itself, British Airways is a transfer partner with American Express and Chase, but you’ll also be able to transfer *venture x* instantly to British Airways to book these flights on Iberia.

Throw in one of the frequent 30% transfer bonuses we see from banks like Chase, Amex, or Capital One to either airline, and this deal gets even better: You could book with just 27,000 credit card points!

2. London Lie-Flat for 29K Each Way

There’s a brand-new way to get to London flying business class, and it came out of nowhere. 

Booking business class to and from London-Heathrow (LHR) using Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, award rates recently dropped as low as just 29,000 points each way. Better yet, the taxes and fees fell from an eye-watering $1,000-plus to just $254 apiece. 

You might have a hard time finding rates this low now, after the British airline caused a virtual stampede from travelers with Chase points to book up nearly everything. But if you’re flexible, you should be able to score a lie-flat seat for just 29,000 to 35,000 points each way … and maybe less!

How to Do it: Since you can transfer points to Virgin from all the major credit card programs like American Express, Bilt, Chase, Capital One, Citi, and even Wells Fargo, you may have the points to book whether you know it or not. They’re incredibly easy to earn.

It gets better. Through the end of the November 2024, Chase is offering a massive, record-setting 40% transfer bonus to Virgin. Are you trying to do the math in your head? Let me help: Just 21,000 Chase points is all you need to book a lie-flat ride to London. 

 
 

3. Biz Class to Japan for 60K … or 75K Roundtrip!

There are two universal truths:

1. Everyone wants to go to Japan
2. Everyone would love to make that flight in a lie-flat business class seat – not cramped back in economy.

You won’t beat these redemptions to get there in lie-flat business class.

For starters, there’s Japan Airlines business class, one of the best ways to get to Tokyo. Lucky for you, it’s also one of the easiest redemptions to pull off thanks to typically generous JAL business class award availability and easy-to-earn American AAdvantage miles. Put the two together, and you’ve got a lie-flat seat to Japan for just 60,000 AA miles!

But it can get even cheaper. While most airlines charge at least 160,000 miles for a round-trip in business class to Japan, when booking flights on All Nippon Airways with ANA Mileage Club, it starts at just 100,000 miles. For the roundtrip. In business class. That’s not a typo.

Even after ANA raised award rates this year, it’s still one of the cheapest ways to fly business class to get to Japan using miles. The trick is timing it right, as ANA carves out different pricing during low (L), regular (R), and high (H) travel seasons. Even if you can’t make something work in the low season, a regular redemption jumps to just 105,000 miles roundtrip – or 110,000 in the high season.

ANA passes on some cash surcharges, but those have been decreasing lately: These days, you’ll pay roughly $300 or so total in taxes and fees for a roundtrip. That’s an amazing deal overall when you’re flying in lie-flat seats all the way to Japan and back for 100,000 miles total – or 105,000 miles during the “regular” season. Especially in these ANA business class suites dubbed “The Room”!

Read our full review of ANA’s “The Room” business class!

How to do it: There’s one surefire way to earn ANA Mileage Club miles: You want some American Express Membership Rewards points.

ANA is one of the absolute best Amex transfer partners thanks to sweet spots like this one. That means you could pick up either the *amex gold* or *amex platinum* to get the miles you need.

But before you transfer anything, search through United.com to find award availability on these ANA flights. Oh, and a tip? Try to find flights from either San Francisco (SFO), Chicago-O’Hare (ORD) or New York City (JFK) – that’s where ANA currently flies its incredible new business class suites these days.

4. Fly Emirates Biz Class for 108K Miles RT … to Europe?!

We’re heading back to Europe … and taking some of the funkiest flights to get there in business class on a bargain.

Emirates might be based in Dubai (DXB), but they also run two fifth-freedom flights between the U.S. and Europe – one from Newark (EWR) to Athens (ATH) and another from New York City (JFK) to Milan (MXP).

Here’s the best part: You can book business class on both of these routes for just 108,000 miles roundtrip! 

Despite a recent price increase using Emirates miles, rates to fly to Europe remain excellent … at least so long as you book a roundtrip. It’s a stellar way to book Emirates business class flights whether you’re heading to Greece or Italy.

How to do it: We probably sound like a broken record by now, but it’s no accident that we’re focusing on business class products that you can book using miles that are easy to earn. And this one is no exception.

In fact, few miles are easier to earn than Emirates Skywards: You can transfer them from Chase, Citi, Capital One, American Express, and Bilt. If you get a huge 100,000 point bonus on the Amex Gold Card, you’re set.

Just look for your flights through Emirates.com – be sure to click Classic Rewards and flexible dates when you search. It may take some trial and error to find dates at this 108,000-mile rate.

Read our complete guide on how to fly Emirates to Europe for 108,000 points roundtrip in business class!

5. Wait for a Delta SkyMiles Flash Sale

Delta is notorious for charging an arm and a leg when trying to fly business class using SkyMiles. But three words can flip that on its head: Delta SkyMiles flash sales.

These deeply discounted business class tickets are where SkyMiles truly shine, as you can often book flights using a fraction of the miles other airlines charge. We find and send these deals to Thrifty Traveler Premium most often in economy: Think 37,000 SkyMiles roundtrip to New Zealand, 9,000 SkyMiles to Cancún (CUN), and 9,000 SkyMiles or less for domestic roundtrips.

SkyMiles flash sales on Delta business class seats are far more rare … but they do happen. In fact, we’ve seen a resurgence of deeply discounted SkyMiles deals in business class lately.

A few recent examples include: 

• Nationwide flights from the U.S. to Seoul (ICN) in Delta One Suites as low as 85,000 SkyMiles each way
• Delta One Suites on the new route to Taipei (TPE) for as low as 83,000 SkyMiles – the lowest business class rate we’ve seen from Delta since 2020! 
• Lie-flat Delta One fares all the way to Brisbane (BNE) in Australia for 123,000 SkyMiles each way
• Roundtrips to Auckland (AKL) for under 300,000 SkyMiles total
• And going back a few months more, we’ve seen fares to Tokyo-Haneda (HND) as low as 85,000 SkyMiles each way, too

But the record was this unbelievable fare to Tokyo-Haneda (HND) we found for just 90,000 SkyMiles … roundtrip in Delta One Suites. It doesn’t get any cheaper than that.

Get award alerts like this one in your inbox with Thrifty Traveler Premium!

How to do it: From flying with Delta to renting cars or even buying concert tickets, there is no shortage of ways to earn Delta SkyMiles.

Like almost every other opportunity on this list, the easiest way to rack up Delta miles comes through credit cards. Delta has a suite of different co-branded American Express SkyMiles cards, and they regularly roll out elevated welcome bonuses of up to 100,000 SkyMiles.

But Delta is another Amex transfer partner, which gives you another easy way to earn Delta SkyMiles. That means you can earn a bonus of up to 175,000 points on the Amex Platinum Card via CardMatch, then transfer the points you need when a great flash sale hits your inbox.

6. Air France/KLM for 50K Each Way

Some of the best cheap business class redemptions are notoriously hard to find. This isn’t one of them. 

That’s the beauty of booking KLM or Air France business class to Europe: These airlines make it easier than most carriers to book their lie-flat seats using points. And unbelievably, this redemption has gotten even better recently after Air France/KLM lowered award rates.

Whether you want to get to Paris-Charles de Gaulle (CDG), Amsterdam (AMS), or connect almost anywhere flying business class to Europe, it’ll run you as few as 50,000 miles each way. Better yet, Flying Blue unleashes a monthly set of discounted routes it calls Promo Rewards, with occasionally discounted business class rates to Europe from a handful of U.S. cities. To top it all off, regular transfer bonuses (including occasional 25% bonuses if you’ve got Chase or Amex points), can make these already-cheap redemptions even cheaper.

But that doesn’t mean it’s always easy to find these flights. You still might see business class award rates north of 100,000 miles each way. When you find a deal like this to fly lie-flat to Amsterdam or Paris, book it ASAP.

How to Do It: Air France/KLM Flying Blue miles are among the easiest to earn in the world. 

The program is transfer partner with all the major banks: Amex, Bilt, Capital One, Chase, Citi, and even Wells Fargo! That means you can hunt down availability – using one of these tricks to pull up a price calendar to find the best deal – and then instantly transfer your points to make it a reality.

Read our guide to booking award tickets with Air France/KLM Flying Blue miles! 

 

7. Qatar Airways Qsuites from 70K Each Way

We saved the best for last. It’s our favorite business class seat in the world and our favorite way to use

Qatar Qsuites are the best business class seats in the world, period. And for years, the best way to book them was redeeming American AAdvantage miles. But things have changed. 

These days, the #1 way to book Qsuites is by using Qatar’s own Avios. Unlike American (which only allows you to book flights 330 days in advance), you can book nearly a full year in advance when using Qatar Avios or British Airways Avios. That gives you critical window to snag your Qsuite before other travelers have the chance. 

Read our full review of flying Qatar Qsuites!

How many points will it cost you? It depends on where you’re going:

• Nonstops between the U.S. and Doha (DOH) will cost you 70,000 Avios each way – though you might see more flights at twice that rate
• Flying to Middle Eastern destinations like Dubai (DXB), Abu Dhabi (AUH) or Muscat (MCT) costs 75,000 miles.
• Other destinations like Amman (AMM) and Cairo (CAI) as well as major Indian cities go up to 80,000 miles each way.
• Getting to the Seychelles (SEZ) or Maldives (MLE) will run you 85,000 miles each way.
• Both Southeast Asia and South Africa typically cost 95,000 miles each way.

How to Do it: Whichever airline program you use, these miles couldn’t be easier to earn. 

For starters, you can transfer points from Amex, Bilt, Chase, Capital One straight to British Airways. Meanwhile, you can transfer points to Qatar from Amex and Citi.

But because you can combine Avios between airlines, you can easily transfer whichever points you have to one of these airlines, then kick them over to the other to get enough miles to book.

Bottom Line

Whether you’re paying cash or using miles, flying business class can feel like a pipe dream. How do those high-flying, luxurious travelers do it? Are they all rich?

Well … some are – but we’re not. If you wait for the right deal or make the right game plan to use points and miles, there are some great and easy-to-achieve ways to book business class.