I wanted to recount a tale regarding a journey I arranged using various platforms and services.
As a devoted New Orleans Saints supporter, I always promised myself that if they ever played in Paris, I would attend their game live. That dream became a reality earlier this year when the NFL revealed they would compete on October 25 in Paris against the Steelers.
Residing in OKC, I immediately began organizing my trip. Being an AA Executive Platinum with over 1.2 million miles, that’s where I initiated my planning — and concluded it pretty quickly. I usually aim to reserve miles for international business, but with minimal starting thresholds of 350K+ for a one-way fare, that pathway was not viable. Time to switch to Plan B.
I then turned to seats.aero and searched for flights from OKC to CDG again, finding similar pricing across all platforms. Not just from OKC, but from nearly anywhere. So, I decided to search from the USA to Europe, and to my surprise, a Lufthansa nonstop flight from IAD to MUC appeared available on United for 88,000 points + $5.60. I had already accumulated 13,000 miles in my United account and also possessed over 200,000 points in my Chase Sapphire Preferred account. I promptly transferred 75K and secured my booking. An even more delightful surprise was that the flight is on the A380 in the new business class. I’m genuinely excited to tick that off my bucket list! Now, how do I get to DC? I discovered a flight the day before my departure for 4,500 Southwest points + $5.60. Holding the premium card means I will wait 48 hours to select my seats.
I utilized seats.aero once more and located a business class seat on Air France to Paris via Virgin Atlantic for 8,000 points + $64. Thanks to a 20% transfer bonus, I only required 7,000 points.
Now, how do I return home…
I found an excellent points redemption on Virgin for a 57,500-point business class seat from London to JFK. Using the same 20% bonus, I only transferred 48,000 Chase points. The only drawback was the hefty $986 in fees. I subsequently found a BA flight to London for 5,250 points and $37, which would get me to London 2.5 hours prior to the baggage cutoff. I planned to spend the night in NYC for 15,000 Hyatt points, followed by flying home on AA from LGA the next day. I booked that flight through Alaska for 7,500 points and $18.
Until a few days ago, I was entirely satisfied with this itinerary. I have been employing Google AI more often and input my trip, inquiring if there were segments I should be cautious about. It immediately flagged the connection at Heathrow as a potential issue. With inconsistent delays, retrieving checked baggage, passport control, and transferring to Terminal 3, it indicated that if any problems arose in that bottleneck, the chances of missing my connection were high, and I urgently needed to be home the following day.
I won’t elaborate on all scenarios, but I decided to reserve a fully refundable ticket on Eurostar for the morning of my flight as a backup, which cost $485. Even if everything went flawlessly and I missed my train, I could still cancel and receive a full refund up to 48 hours afterward — a useful insurance option. However, there were still numerous components involved in reaching LHR, which made me a bit anxious. Additionally, I was considering that substantial tax amount, which ultimately driven me to completely revamp my return home.
I set up notifications on pointsyeah and seats.aero for Europe to the USA, and Europe to OKC, hoping something reasonable would arise. Sure enough, a few days later, a business class flight from Frankfurt to OKC became available for 114,500 miles + $158, and I jumped on it.
I canceled the Virgin flight, incurring a $100 cancellation fee (unfortunate) to retrieve my points and $886 back. I also canceled the BA flight ($37 fee) and the train ticket. Shifting to my Chase points, I transferred 10,000 points (+ $50) to Air France to book a nonstop flight to Frankfurt on Monday afternoon. To complete my plans, I canceled the 15,000-point New York stay and snatched a Hyatt Place right by the Frankfurt airport for a fantastic 7,500 points. This adjustment has granted me a bit more time in Paris and allowed for a pleasant evening in Frankfurt before heading home.
In total, I saved approximately $650, 5,250 Avios, 7,500 Hyatt points, and 57,500 Virgin points (which