Book fast: You could fly to Ireland in business class for as low as 45,000 miles one-way

I’ve written deals over the past four or so years, and I believe this is the first business-class deal to Ireland I’ve written.

Shoutout to our friends at Upgraded Points for first reporting this deal so we could flag it for you here.

With this deal, you’ll find business-class availability to Ireland starting at 45,000 miles one-way.

Here are some examples and how to find award availability.

Deal basics

Airlines: Aer Lingus and British Airways
Routes: New York, Chicago, Boston, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and other U.S. cities to Dublin and Shannon, Ireland
How to book: Directly through the airlines
Travel dates: February to May, though exact availability depends on the route
Book by: ASAP

Sample flights

Your best bet is to search for your desired route through Alaska Airlines to see if it’s included in this deal.

You can find Oneworld partner Aer Lingus-operated flights booked through Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan for as little as 45,000 miles each way, plus low taxes and fees.

For example, in April, there’s a flight from Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) to Dublin Airport (DUB) for 90,000 Alaska miles round-trip, plus $73 in taxes and fees.

Here’s another example: You can fly from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to DUB in early May for just 90,000 Alaska miles and $73 in taxes and fees.

Remember that if you find a cheap mileage redemption to Dublin, you can always book a cheap flight elsewhere in Europe.

Based on a test search conducted for this story, this deal is also available to book using Aer Lingus Avios, but you might not find the 45,000 Avios rate. For example, here’s a one-way flight from Dulles International Airport (IAD) near Washington, D.C., to DUB in April for 50,000 Avios plus $134.80 in taxes and fees.

There’s also availability on British Airways-operated flights, but the high taxes and fees make this a weak deal. In early March, we found round-trip business-class tickets from JFK to DUB for 90,000 Mileage Plan miles, plus $2,107.71 in taxes and fees.

Maximize your purchase

If you book this deal, use a credit card that earns bonus points on airfare purchases for the taxes and fees, such as:

• American Express® Gold Card: Earn 3 points per dollar spent on airfare when booked directly with the airline or through amextravel.com.
• The Platinum Card® from American Express: Earn 5 points per dollar spent on airfare when booked directly with the airline or through American Express Travel (on up to $500,000 of these purchases per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar).
• Chase Sapphire Reserve®: Earn 3 points per dollar spent on airfare (after using the $300 annual travel credit).
• Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card: Earn 2 points per dollar spent on travel.

Bottom line

As you can see, you might need to hunt and peck to find this deal based on the availability of dates and routes. Several sites make it easier to search for award availability. 

Point.me, for example, checks for award flights within 34 loyalty programs across more than 100 airlines. By entering your itinerary details, Point.me will display real-time award availability, including which transfer partner will get you the most bang for your buck.

Consider one of these tools to find reward flights more efficiently.

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