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The vast majority of flights from North America to Europe are overnight red-eyes. These flights typically depart in the evening and land in Europe the following morning. Getting a whole night's sleep (or any sleep) can be challenging for economy-class passengers. But flying business class makes the journey much more comfortable.
Flying up front makes a huge difference, and contrary to popular belief, it doesn’t have to drain your points and miles balance. Below, we explore some of the most affordable ways to fly business class to Europe using points and miles.
Page Contents
- 29,000 Virgin Points One-Way From the East Coast to the U.K.
- 40,500 Iberia Avios One-Way From the East Coast and Chicago to Madrid
- 45,000 Alaska Mileage Plan Miles From North America to Europe
- 48,500 Virgin Points From North America to Amsterdam or Paris
- 50,000 ANA Mileage Club Miles from the U.S. to Europe
- 55,000 Avianca LifeMiles From North America to Europe
- 60,000 (Or Fewer) Flying Blue Miles From North America to Europe
- 60,000 Air Canada Aeroplan Points From North America to Europe
- Earn Transferrable Points to Take Advantage of These Sweet Spots
- Final Thoughts
29,000 Virgin Points One-Way From the East Coast to the U.K.
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club uses dynamic pricing, but that shouldn't deter you from earning and burning Virgin Points. The key is finding Saver rates through Virgin. When you do, you can book Upper Class from several U.S. cities to London (LHR) or Manchester (MAN) for as little as 29,000 Virgin Points.
Unfortunately, Virgin has raised the taxes and fees again ($581 in the example below). While that’s still less than the $1,000 plus these flights used to cost in surcharges, it's still a hefty out-of-pocket expense.
This 29,000-point pricing is most commonly found on routes from the East Coast, including New York (JFK), Boston (BOS), and Atlanta (ATL). The airline also flies to the West Coast, where Upper Class awards start at around 40,000 points.
Virgin Points are among the easiest to accumulate, as Flying Club is a transfer partner of nearly every major transferable points program. And frequent transfer bonuses can make these redemptions even more affordable.
40,500 Iberia Avios One-Way From the East Coast and Chicago to Madrid
Iberia offers one of the most cost-effective ways to fly to Europe on points. The Spanish airline flies from several North American destinations to Madrid. However, a recent devaluation bumped the rates up and now prices these flights at 40,500 miles one-way, but that is still a great deal for business class.
This low rate applies to flights that cover less than 4,000 miles and depart on off-peak dates. Routes from Boston, New York, and Washington, D.C., to Madrid meet these criteria. Despite exceeding the 4,000-mile threshold, flights from Chicago to Madrid come in at 40,500 Avios each way, too.
Iberia Avios are easy to earn and transfer freely between British Airways, Finnair, Qatar Airways, Loganair, and Aer Lingus. This flexibility allows you to optimize transfers and use periodic transfer bonuses.
45,000 Alaska Mileage Plan Miles From North America to Europe
At AwardWallet, we love to harp on the value of Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles. Thanks to the program's distance-based award charts, you can fly multiple carriers to Europe, in business class, for outstanding value.
One such example is on Aer Lingus, Condor, or American Airlines-operated flights. Flights between 1,501 and 3,500 miles cost just 45,000 Alaska miles in business class. If you'd like, you can also add a connection (or a stopover), for no extra cost if your itinerary remains in that distance band. Otherwise, you'll redeem more miles to jump to the next-highest distance band.
How far 45,000 Mileage Plan miles can take you in business class might surprise you. Here's a small snapshot of the routes where we've found 45,000-mile pricing:
With the right strategy, earning a lot of Alaska Airlines miles is easy. Some of the best ways include transferring points 1:1 from Bilt Rewards or earning a sign-up bonus on the Atmos™ Rewards Ascent Visa Signature® card.
- Earn unlimited 3 miles for every $1 spent on eligible Alaska Airlines purchases
- Earn unlimited 2 miles for every $1 spent on eligible gas, EV charging stations, cable, streaming services and local transit (including ride share) purchases
- Earn unlimited 1 mile for every $1 spent on all other eligible purchases
48,500 Virgin Points From North America to Amsterdam or Paris
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club isn’t just useful for booking Virgin Atlantic flights. It also offers solid redemptions on partner airlines like Air France and KLM.
Direct transatlantic flights on Air France or KLM between North America and Paris or Amsterdam cost as few as 48,500 points and $297 through Virgin Atlantic Flying Club.
This pricing applies to some of Air France's more interesting routes as well, like Havana (HAV) and Paris (CDG):
Taxes and fees are reasonable for this redemption, given the low award cost. However, you will not find as much award availability as you would with Air France-KLM's Flying Blue loyalty program.
Related: How to Find Partner Award Availability
50,000 ANA Mileage Club Miles from the U.S. to Europe
Now that ANA Airlines has begun allowing one-way bookings, this once-overlooked program should now be top of mind for booking Star Alliance awards to Europe. At 50,000 miles each way, ANA is now among Europe's cheapest business-class award options.
Remember our United flight above from Newark (EWR) to Frankfurt (FRA), costing 80,000 Air Canada miles? That same flight is only 50,000 miles and $5.60 when booked through ANA.
Be advised that awards on certain airlines — such as Lufthansa Group airlines — incur a sizable cash surcharge. Luckily, other airlines (such as United, as shown above) do not charge fuel surcharges.
Amex Membership Rewards transfer 1:1 to ANA Mileage Club. Transfers typically take about one day, according to available AwardWallet data points. You can also transfer Marriott Bonvoy points to ANA at a 3:1 ratio and earn 5,000 bonus miles for every 60,000 points you transfer over. However, these transfers take significantly longer.
Whenever possible, put awards on hold before transferring your points.
55,000 Avianca LifeMiles From North America to Europe
Avianca LifeMiles is a quirky program, but it offers excellent value if you're willing to put up with it and know where to look. In February 2025, LifeMiles devalued many awards and took the axe to some of its best European sweet spots, but there's still plenty of value to be found.
One of the best and most accessible LifeMiles sweet spots to Europe is SWISS business class between New York (JFK) and Zurich (ZRH), which costs just 55,000 LifeMiles each way. This award requires less than $60 in taxes and fees when departing the U.S.
You can also unlock outsized value by departing from Mexico City (MEX) and flying to the eastern half of Europe. However, we'll caveat that the LifeMiles award chart (or lack thereof) is illogical. For example, you can fly from Mexico City (MEX) to Athens (ATH) via Munich (MUC) for 70,000 miles — 10,000 miles less than ending your journey in Munich.
If you're willing to put up with the program's quirks, earning LifeMiles is easy, thanks to multiple transfer partners.
60,000 (Or Fewer) Flying Blue Miles From North America to Europe
Flying Blue — the loyalty program of Air France and KLM — often offers excellent award rates. Business-class redemptions start at 60,000 miles, but Flying Blue runs monthly Promo Rewards that discount select routes by 25% or more, which can potentially drop the price to 45,000 miles one-way in business class.
Unlike some programs, Flying Blue allows connections within Europe without increasing the award price. This makes it an appealing option for reaching destinations beyond Amsterdam or Paris.
While you can occasionally find the “starting at” pricing from other airports, here's a snapshot of the gateways we most consistently see this pricing from:
For those short on Flying Blue miles, Flying Blue partners with all major transferable points programs:
60,000 Air Canada Aeroplan Points From North America to Europe
Like Alaska Mileage Plan, Air Canada Aeroplan also utilizes distance-based award charts. If you fly Air Canada's partner airlines to Europe (the ones not subject to dynamic pricing), you'll pay a fixed 60,000 points for business class itineraries up to 4,000 miles in total distance.
This covers routes such as Washington, D.C. (IAD) to Lisbon (LIS) or Philadelphia (PHL) to Frankfurt (FRA) — plus dozens of others. Additionally, you can add a stopover for just 5,000 extra points, which makes it possible to add an extended layover en route to your final destination.
Note that since United was added as a “select partner” subject to dynamic pricing, their flights are no longer locked in at the fixed 60,000 mile price. However, if you combine United flights with other Star Alliance partners within Europe, you can get the price pretty close.
For example, this transatlantic United business-class flight, when adding a leg on Lufthansa, comes in at 70,000 Aeroplan points. By comparison, the Newark to Frankfurt leg alone costs 80,000 miles, so you can see the discount by adding another partner. Just beware of mixed-cabin awards as Air Canada likes to indicate a flight is business-class in their search results when the long-haul segment may in fact be in economy.
Air Canada has several transfer partners, which makes stockpiling points a breeze.
Another quick way to amass Aeroplan points is by earning the sign-up bonus on the Aeroplan® Credit Card.
- Earn 75,000 bonus points
- Earn 75K bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
- $95 Annual Fee
- Redeem points for both international and domestic flights with the Aeroplan® Credit Card.
- Fly to another continent and travel the world with the Aeroplan® Credit Card.
- Earn 3X points for each dollar spent at grocery stores, on dining at restaurants, and Air Canada directly. Earn 1X point for each dollar spent on all other purchases.
- 500 bonus points for every $2,000 you spend in a calendar month - up to 1,500 points per month.
- Member FDIC
- Rates & Fees
- 3x points directly with Air Canada
- 3x points on dining, including takeout and eligible delivery services
- 3x points at grocery stores
- 1x point on all other purchases
Earn Transferrable Points to Take Advantage of These Sweet Spots
Most U.S. travelers aren't organically earning Flying Club points, Flying Blue miles, or ANA Mileage Club miles. And the good news is that you don't have to in order to take advantage of these sweet spots. Instead, focus on earning a flexible points currency that transfers to the program you want to utilize.
Earn Amex Membership Rewards points
Arguably, earning Membership Rewards points is the best way to earn points to take advantage of these business class sweet spots to Europe, as highlighted by the ANA option. Membership Rewards points transfer to most of the programs highlighted above:
Here are some top options for earning Membership Rewards points through credit cards:
(Terms apply)
- 4X Membership Rewards® Points at restaurants worldwide, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S. (on up to $50,000 per year in purchases, then 1X)
- 4X Membership Rewards® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per year in purchases, then 1X)
- 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com
- 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotels and other eligible travel booked on amextravel.com
- 1X on other eligible purchases
(Terms apply)
- Earn 5X points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel® (up to $500,000 in purchases per calendar year).
- Earn 5X points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel®.
(Terms apply)
- Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on flights and prepaid hotels on amextravel.com.
- Earn 1.5X Membership Rewards® points on each eligible purchase of $5,000 or more.
- Earn 1.5X Membership Rewards® points on each eligible purchase with U.S. construction material and hardware suppliers.
- Earn 1.5X Membership Rewards® points on each eligible purchase with U.S. electronic goods retailers and software & cloud system providers.
- Earn 1.5X Membership Rewards® points on each eligible purchase with U.S. shipping providers.
- 1.5X earning rates are subject to a cap of $2 million in purchases per calendar year.
Earn Chase Ultimate Rewards
Chase Ultimate Rewards is another excellent flexible point currency for taking advantage of these sweet spots. You can transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to the following programs highlighted above:
And here are the best ways to earn Chase Ultimate Rewards through credit cards:
- 5X points on Lyft rides through September 2027
- 5X points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3X points on dining at restaurants worldwide
- 3X points on eligible streaming services
- 3X points on online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs)
- 2X points on all other travel
- 1X point per dollar spent on all other purchases
- 8x points on all purchases through Chase Travel℠
- 4x points on flights and hotels booked directly
- 3x points on dining worldwide
- 1x points on all other purchases
- 3X points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases on travel, shipping purchases, Internet, cable and phone services, advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines each account anniversary year
- 1X point per $1 on all other purchases
Earn Bilt Points
Bilt Rewards' addition of several airlines partners in recent months makes it a formidable currency as well. As the only program to transfer to Alaska Airlines as well as the home of lucrative Rent Day transfer bonuses, Bilt Points are perfect for these routes to Europe. Here are its airline transfer partners:
For now, you can earn Points with The Bilt Mastercard® (Rates & Fees), with more card offerings coming in the near future.
Earn Capital One Miles
Last but not least, earning Capital One miles can help you unlock great business class flights to Europe. Here's a shortlist of Capital One transfer partners useful for these sweet spots:
You can earn Capital One miles through the following credit cards:
- 5X miles per dollar on purchases through Capital One Entertainment (through 12/31/2025)
- 5X miles per dollar on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- 2X miles per dollar on all other purchases
- 10X miles per $1 on hotels and rental cars booked via Capital One Travel
- 5X miles per $1 on purchases through Capital One Entertainment (through 12/31/2025)
- 5X miles per $1 on flights when booking via Capital One Travel
- 5X miles per $1 on vacation rentals booked via Capital One Travel
- 2X miles per $1 on all other eligible purchases
- 10X miles per $1 on hotels and rental cars booked via Capital One Travel
- 5X miles per $1 on purchases through Capital One Entertainment (through 12/31/2025)
- 5X miles per $1 on flights booked via Capital One Travel
- 5X miles per $1 on vacation rentals booked via Capital One Travel
- 2X miles per $1 on other eligible purchases
Final Thoughts
Flying business class to Europe doesn’t have to be out of reach. With points and miles, travelers can enjoy lie-flat seats and premium service at a fraction of the cash cost. Whether it’s a 40,500-mile Iberia redemption, a 60,000-mile Air Canada booking, the new, one-way ANA flights at 50,000 miles or an ultra-cheap 29,000-point Virgin Atlantic Upper Class award, options abound.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Aeroplan® Credit Card (Rates & Fees), American Express® Gold Card (Rates & Fees), The Platinum Card® from American Express (Rates & Fees), The Business Platinum Card® from American Express (Rates & Fees), Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (Rates & Fees), and Chase Sapphire Reserve® (Rates & Fees)
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