Best Strategies to Get to Europe with Airline Miles

Air France / Flying Blue is one of the best frequent flyer programs to get to Europe thanks to its generous award availability, low cost for economy fares (as low as 50,000 miles one-way) and flight options on both Air France and partner Delta Air Lines.

One of the biggest benefits of committing to the Flying Blue program is the fact that several flexible travel programs let you transfer points there. This includes Chase Ultimate Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards, and American Express Membership Rewards.

Citi ThankYou Rewards is offering an easy way to rack up points in this program right now. With the Citi ThankYou Premier, you can earn 60,000 points after you spend $4,000 on your card within three months of account opening. These points transfer directly to Air France /Flying Blue and other airlines.

Another card perfect for transfers to Air France /Flying Blue is the Chase Sapphire Reserve. This card doles out 50,000 points after you spend $4,000 within three months, a $300 annual travel credit, a Priority Pass Select airport lounge membership, and other perks. You can transfer Chase points 1:1 to Air France and other airline partners that fly to Europe.

Another popular rewards card that lets you transfer points to Air France and other partners is the Chase Sapphire Preferred. This card offers a lower annual fee than the Chase Sapphire Reserve ($95 instead of $450), and it is waived the first year. However, you still get a big signup bonus and the ability to transfer points to airlines 1:1.

Speaking of signup bonuses, you should absolutely try to earn them if you plan to fly to Europe with airline miles. Many travel credit cards offer signup bonuses of 50,000 miles or more after you meet a minimum spending requirement, and this could be enough miles for a round-trip flight.

When it comes to earning signup bonuses, don't forget that your spouse or partner can earn the same bonuses you do. This means you can earn double the miles in a hurry, which can help you get to Europe faster.

As you plan your journey to Europe, remember that your miles will go a lot further if you fly economy both ways. While you can fly to Europe round-trip for 60,000 miles or less with some airlines, flying business class could cost you twice as many miles or more.

Another popular airline loyalty program for flights to Europe is the American AAdvantage program. This airline loyalty program lets you fly off-peak to Europe from November through some dates in April for just 45,000 miles round-trip plus taxes and fees outside of the holidays.

The Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select Card is an airline credit card that makes it rather easy to get to Europe with a single signup bonus. Currently, this card is offering 50,000 miles after you sign up and use it for $3,000 in purchases within three months of account opening.

Also note that Citi and American Airlines offer a co-branded business credit card called the CitiBusiness AAdvantage Platinum Select Card. Business owners who sign up can earn 70,000 miles after they use their card for $4,000 in purchases within four months of account opening.

Another popular airline to consider for flights to Europe is United Airlines thanks to its United MileagePlus program. With 60,000 miles in this program plus airline taxes, you can book a round-trip flight to dozens of spectacular European cities like Paris, Barcelona, and Rome.

Chase offers co-branded credit cards with United that make racking up points in this program for international flights easy. This includes the United Explorer Credit Card, which offers 40,000 miles after you spend $2,000 on your card within three months of account opening.

If you're worried about putting all your eggs in one basket, don't be. You can rack up signup bonuses and miles with more than one airline program then figure out which is best. You can also use miles to book one-way flights with different airlines if your loyalty programs allow. Fortunately, most do.

While many airlines let you use miles for flights all over the globe, you'll find the best award availability and flight options if you travel off-peak. Travel to Europe using airline miles when most schools are in session for superior flight options and smaller crowds.

No matter when you plan to travel to Europe, it can also help to book flights with miles as early as you can. You'll usually find generous award availability to more cities in Europe if you book your flights at least six months out.

Considering Iberia has its own co-branded credit card and allows 1:1 transfers from Chase Ultimate Rewards, this is another program that works well for Europe. While the number of miles you'll pay for flights to Europe will vary, you can book Premium Economy flights on Iberia for less than 60,000 miles round-trip.

If you don't want to deal with airline miles or complex airline loyalty programs, you can also sign up for travel credit cards that offer flexible travel credit. Cards like the Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite MasterCard let you redeem your points for any travel purchase (including flights to Europe) for over $100 at a rate of one cent per point.

If you do focus on earning flexible travel credit, you can maximize your points by keeping your eye out for sale fares to Europe. If you watch closely, you can frequently find flights to some European cities for $500 or less. TheFlightDeal.com is a great website to watch if you want to find out about these deals before they're over.

Another way to avoid dealing with airline miles is to use points to book flights to Europe directly. The Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal lets you do just that, and with a discount on travel depending on the Chase travel credit card you carry.

Don't forget that you can also book flights through the Citi travel portal without worrying about airline loyalty rules or blackout dates. The Citi ThankYou Premier card even offers more value when you book flights with your points since 60,000 points are worth $750 in airfare.

If you have an American Express travel card like the Platinum Card from American Express, you can use points to book flights through AmexTravel.com. On the earning side of the equation, the Platinum Card from American Express lets you rack up 5x points on travel booked with airlines or through AmexTravel.com.

While travel credit cards can help you earn miles you can redeem for free airfare, don't forget that you'll be charged taxes and potentially fuel surcharges when you use them. These fees can add up to hundreds of dollars and they are highly variable, so make sure to compare options before you book flights.

Finally, don't forget to be flexible on your dates and destinations when you use miles to fly to Europe. You'll find the best deals and availability if you're willing to fly to a few different cities and don't mind traveling on weekdays instead of just Saturdays.