Average cash price: $3,000

Luckily, not all premium class tickets involve jumping through so many hoops. Virgin Atlantic Flying Club offers low point rates and affordable reward availability On flights between London Heathrow and various US cities.

Like most Swifties, my best friend and I crossed the Atlantic for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour. We gained standing room only seating and were only 10 feet away from the stage. To top off our trip, we spent our points on business class tickets, which Virgin aptly calls “”.Upper ClassFor our flight home. Our experience started with the private security entrance at Heathrow, which quickly took us to the Virgin Clubhouse. Although we were well fed on board, we couldn’t resist a hearty meal of fish and chips followed by freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. We flew in back-to-back window seats on the Airbus A350, enjoyed afternoon tea in the onboard lounge, and were even gifted a set of Virgin Atlantic playing cards by friendly flight attendants.

Searching for “award flights” Virgin Atlantic’s website It makes it easy to find awards in economy (from 10,000 points), premium economy (from 17,500 points) or Upper Class (from 47,500 points) on many flights between New York and London. We booked our tickets about three months in advance and found plenty of available seats. While taxes and fees added an extra $850, securing business class seats during the peak summer months felt worth the cost.

The world’s longest flight is much more comfortable when flying in business class, and even better when booking with points and miles.

Courtesy of Singapore Airlines

Singapore Airlines business class from New York to Sydney via Singapore

Points used: 129,000 Amex Membership Rewards (transferred to Singapore Airlines)

Average cash price: $10,000

Points and miles gave me the opportunity to experience the world’s longest flight Singapore Airlines. Surprisingly, I didn’t want the first leg of the trip (the 19-hour flight from New York to Singapore) to end. My extended time in the air allowed me to fully enjoy the benefits of business class: getting 10 hours of sleep, enjoying the airline’s signature lobster thermidor, and switching between a movie and a flight map while navigating the world. Singapore Airlines offers complimentary stopovers on award flights, giving me enough time to explore hawker centers and admire the Jewel at Changi Airport during a 24-hour layover.

I booked this itinerary using Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer miles transferred from American Express. You’ll want to look for “Advantageous” award prices when searching Singapore’s website. In 2022, I used 129,000 miles and only $45 tax for the entire trip in 2022, but the same ticket now costs 190,000 miles (or 143,500 miles for the first leg from New York to Singapore). To have your best shot at booking flights, you’ll want to call almost a year in advance.