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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.
- 34,000 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
- 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
- 100,000 ANA Mileage Club Miles Round-Trip from the U.S. 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. You can book Upper Class from several U.S. cities to London (LHR) or Manchester (MAN) for as little as 29,000 Virgin Points.
This is an incredible deal, made even better because taxes and fees start lower than they used to be. These days, fees start at around $250 for departures from the U.S. but are higher when flying out of the U.K. due to the Air Passenger Duty.
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.
34,000 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, with business-class awards starting at just 34,000 Avios per way.
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 start at 34,000 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 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, converting Hawaiian Airlines miles to Mileage Plan miles, or earning a sign-up bonus on the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card.
- LIMITED TIME ONLINE OFFER-60,000 Bonus Miles + a 30% Flight Discount Code!
- Receive a 30% flight discount code for a qualifying future flight after opening your new account. Additionally, earn 60,000 bonus miles plus Alaska's Famous Companion Fare™ ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) after making $3,000 or more in purchases within the first 90 days of opening your account.
- Get Alaska's Famous Companion Fare™ ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) each account anniversary after you spend $6,000 or more on purchases within the prior anniversary year. Valid on all Alaska Airlines flights booked on alaskaair.com.
- 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 station, cable, streaming services and local transit (including ride share) purchases. And earn unlimited 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases. And, your miles don't expire on active accounts.
- Earn a 10% rewards bonus on all miles earned from card purchases if you have an eligible Bank of America® account.
- Free checked bag and enjoy priority boarding for you and up to 6 guests on the same reservation, when you pay for your flight with your card - Also available for authorized users when they book a reservation too!
- With oneworld® Alliance member airlines and Alaska's Global Partners, Alaska has expanded their global reach to over 1,000 destinations worldwide bringing more airline partners and more ways to earn and redeem miles.
- Plus, no foreign transaction fees and a low $95 annual fee.
- This online only offer may not be available elsewhere if you leave this page. You can take advantage of this offer when you apply now.
- 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 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
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.
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
100,000 ANA Mileage Club Miles Round-Trip from the U.S. to Europe
Usually, booking separate one-way awards gives you more flexibility. It also allows award travelers to leverage different airline programs flying in each direction. Despite these benefits, ANA Mileage Club‘s award rates should make travelers think twice about sticking to one-way awards.
While ANA’s award program requires round-trip redemptions between the U.S. and Europe, the price is hard to beat. Just 100,000 miles gets you across the pond and back, making it among Europe's cheapest round-trip business-class award options. Some programs charge the same number of miles for just one way!
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. This example round-trip itinerary has around $120 in taxes and fees.
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.
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. 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
- 10X points on hotels and car rentals purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 10X points on Chase Dining (including prepaid reservations and prepaid takeout purchased through Chase)
- 5X points on airfare purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3X points on all other travel
- 3X points on dining at restaurants
- 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 Capital One Miles
Last but not least, earning Capital One miles can help you unlock business class sweet spots 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 34,000-mile Iberia redemption, a 60,000-mile Air Canada booking, 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), Chase Sapphire Reserve® (Rates & Fees), and Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (Rates & Fees)
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