- DIY points plus pay offers can unlock significant savings on business class flights to Europe and North America, with fares as low as AUD3,402 from Asia.
- Some of the standout deals include Jakarta to New York for AUD4,857 with Qatar Airways and Bangkok to Amsterdam for AUD3,761 with Finnair.
- Flexible planning and positioning flights are required, but the savings are substantial compared to traditional long-haul fares from Australia.
Lots of airlines have points plus pay offers, but they are rarely a good deal. However, there are currently some compelling do-it-yourself points plus pay offers that are a steal. All you need is a moderate stash of frequent flyer points and a reasonable amount of cash to fly to Europe and North America at price points far below what you see in your nearest Flight Centre window.
A couple of caveats – these are not through tickets to your end destination, so connections are not guaranteed. You need to build in a transit time you are comfortable with, which may be overnight. Secondly, you need to take a positioning flight to Asia. Thirdly, for consistency, DMARGE’s illustrative bookings are for June 2025, the start of the Northern Hemisphere summer and a prime time to travel there.
Business class to JFK for around $5,000
One of DMARGE’s favourite deals is the Jakarta – New York – Jakarta roundtrip fare of AUD4,857 (including fees and taxes) in Qatar’s Qsuites. It’s bookable for travel from November 2024 on the American Airlines booking portal and is more than AUD2,000 cheaper than booking through Qatar Airways. Travel time is 24 – 25 hours, including a stopover in Doha, but it’s Qsuites on all sectors, so bring it on.
Of course, you have to get to and from Jakarta. Qantas has solid classic reward availability in all cabin classes next year, starting at 20,300 (plus AID147) in economy class and 57,000 points (plus AUD217) in business class. For business class through to JFK and back, we’re talking about 114,000 points plus less than AUD5,300. Plus, you can line up the Qantas arrivals and departures nicely with Qatar’s arrival and departures.
Finnair’s sub $4,000 business fare to AmsterdamÂ
Another Oneworld example is a tasty Finnair roundtrip fare of AUD3,761 from Bangkok to Amsterdam. It’s the same deal; you’ve got to get yourself to and from Bangkok, which is doable with points, including flying Singapore Airlines booked through Virgin Australia using Velocity points. However, it’s a bit tougher to find an entry level classic reward seat between Australia and Bangkok, basically because it’s a more popular destination than Jakarta. But unlike some routes, they can be found.
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Once in Bangkok, you can cruise the excellent Oneworld lounges (Qatar’s is the best) on your business class ticket before sliding into Finnair’s controversial but nice business class seats for the cruisy schlepp through to Europe. Note these all-inclusive fares require overnight layovers in Helsinki in both directions. Once in Amsterdam, half a dozen countries are just a short train trip away. While largely unloved, Amsterdam is a great airport to use if you want to explore Europe.
Europe out of Manila on Etihad
Like Jakarta, Manila is one of the easier airports in the Qantas international network to find classic reward seats to and from. Unlike Jakarta, the Manila Airport is a bit grim, but if you are flying business, there are lounges (of a sort) to shelter in. What’s in Manila? Besides traffic bedlam, there’s a roundtrip business class fare to Lisbon on Etihad for just AUD3,402.
Etihad faltered during the pandemic but is back in full swing, and their long-haul business class product is among the best in the sky, so it’s going to be a sweet ride to one of the most underrated and value-for-money countries in Europe. One downside is that there’s a seven-hour layover in Abu Dhabi on the way back, but there’s a lounge or two to visit or, alternatively, the airside AUhotel if you need a proper lie-down.
Big savings for DIY points plus pay fares
While North America is trickier, there are a lot of sub AUD4,000 business class roundtrip fares from Manila and Jakarta to multiple European cities, including Manila – Frankfurt roundtrips on Ethad for under AUD3,300, Jakarta – London for under AUD3,800 on SriLankan. Throw a Star Alliance option into the mix, and Jakarta – Boston business class roundtrips are a shade over AUD4,600, flying ANA’s Dreamliners through to LAX and connecting there for a United flight to Boston.
While there may be easier options to get to Europe and North America, you pay a big premium. Travel on the same June dates between Sydney and JFK on QF3/4, and it’s the same aircraft all the way through with a shortish stop in Auckland. However, the lead in business class fare is a fraction over AUD14,000, so we’re talking about a near five-figure difference here if you are prepared to work the Jakarta option. Equally, if you want to skip Manila and fly to Lisbon directly from Australia, BA will take you there, via Singapore and London for AUD9,700 return. It’s a big premium to the Etihad out of Manila hack.
DIY points plus pay options require some homework and flexibility, but it’s no big stretch if you can plan ahead. The savings are huge, which you can bank, spend on lunches in Paris, or use to book another trip somewhere.
