First Class Loopholes in Oneworld and Star Alliance Loyalty Programs for Travel Between the U.S. and Europe

These anomalies net First Class for less than the price of Business and up to 56% off.

Most airlines charge 125,000 to 170,000 miles for a First Class ticket between the U.S. and Europe. (The big exception is SkyTeam because Delta has no First Class cabin.) But here’s the deal: Combine one little-utilized loyalty program with our favorite credit card, Starwood Preferred Amex, and you can get First Class for just 70,000 miles round-trip.

The Japan Airlines + Starwood Opportunity

Japan Airlines uses a Flight Distance Chart. The miles required are based on the distance between departure and arrival cities, whereas U.S. carriers charge based on “regions” (zone charts).