The whole information to flying to London on factors and miles

London is without doubt one of the world’s hottest vacationer locations, and it is easy to see why.

From a few of the finest eating places on the earth to the middle of the UK’s fascinating historical past, there’s a bit of little bit of every thing in London. Higher but, it is easy for Individuals to get to London with nonstop flights from most main and midsize U.S. cities. Some airports — particularly New York’s John F. Kennedy Worldwide Airport (JFK) — have almost hourly flights to London’s numerous airports.

Flights to London may be costly, although, particularly for those who’re coming from the West Coast or a smaller U.S. metropolis. So, let’s check out a few of your finest choices for reserving flights to London City utilizing factors and miles.

Fast suggestions for planning a visit to London

With what number of airports, airways and routes serve Western Europe’s largest metropolis, it is a totally different beast than reserving different worldwide journeys. So earlier than we talk about your reserving choices, listed here are just a few recommendations on reserving award flights to London.

Search a number of worldwide gateways

Every airline has its personal distinctive hubs the place you’ll discover probably the most award availability. When you’re not discovering any award area from your house airport, enter simply your transatlantic route between London and the hub airports of the airline you propose to fly with.

For instance, let’s say you’re accumulating United MileagePlus miles. When you can’t discover any award seats from your house airport in Philadelphia, search as a substitute for flights from:

You might have to fly your self to one in all these airports first — nevertheless it’s nonetheless prone to be considerably cheaper than paying for a ticket to London.

Search all London airports (not simply Heathrow)

London is served by a number of airports — and different non-London airports are a reasonable drive or practice trip to town. Relying on the airline miles you’re utilizing, you possibly can verify the entire following airports for those who can’t discover out there flights.

These are so as of distance from London:

You’ll be able to concurrently seek for many of those airports by coming into “LON” as your vacation spot airport on the airline web site. Nevertheless, this search will seemingly exclude Birmingham, Briston and others.

Versatile factors are key

When you’re reserving a last-minute journey to London or touring throughout peak season, you possibly can typically anticipate to have a a lot harder time discovering out there award seats than had you booked many months upfront.

Due to this fact, you may not be capable to discover any out there award seats on American or United, however there could also be some availability on a connecting flight with Air France or KLM.

Due to this fact, it’s useful to have transferable rewards equivalent to American Specific Membership Rewards or Chase Final Rewards factors available. You’ll be able to convert these factors into a number of totally different airline miles, supplying you with much more flexibility than had you been accumulating one single airline forex.

Associated: How (and why) it’s best to earn transferable factors

Reserving flights to London with factors and miles

Now, let’s check out a few of the finest methods to fly from the U.S. to London’s numerous airports.

American Airways AAdvantage

Attending to London with American Airways miles is a bit of cake — however there are some pitfalls you ought to be conscious of.

American Airways flies nonstop to London from greater than 10 U.S. cities. Award seats are as low-cost as:

• 22,500 miles in economic system (Jan. 10 to March 14 and Nov. 1 to Dec. 14 — in any other case, 30,000 miles).
• 57,500 miles in enterprise class.

When trying to find awards, American Airways could attempt to promote you seats on its accomplice British Airways. Nevertheless, we do not advocate reserving British Airways flights. You’ll be charged tons of of {dollars} in gas surcharges.

Under are search outcomes on aa.com for a one-way flight between Philadelphia and London. As you possibly can see, you’ll pay 30,000 miles in economic system. You’ll pay $5.60 in taxes when flying American Airways or a whopping $229.80 in taxes when flying British Airways.

You’ll be able to see which airline operates the flight under the departure and arrival instances.

Switch companions: American Airways is a switch accomplice of:

When you switch Marriott factors in increments of 60,000, Marriott will deposit an additional 5,000 miles into your AAdvantage account. Briefly, transferring 60,000 Marriott factors will earn you 25,000 American Airways miles.

Alternatively, you possibly can earn AAdvantage miles with a cobranded bank card. Considered one of our favorites is the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Choose® World Elite Mastercard®, which at the moment affords 50,000 miles after you spend $2,500 within the first three months of account opening. Plus, you may get pleasure from perks like a free checked bag on American flights and a $125 flight low cost after you spend $20,000 on the cardboard throughout your cardmember 12 months.

Award searches and availability: You’ll be able to guide flights straight on aa.com.

ANA Mileage Membership

ANA — brief for All Nippon Airways — is a Star Alliance member based mostly in Tokyo. Its complete checklist of airline companions offers you loads of methods to succeed in London with ANA Mileage Membership miles. You’ll be able to fly between the U.S. and London for:

• 55,000 miles round-trip in economic system.
• 88,000 miles round-trip in enterprise class.

One factor to recollect is which you can solely guide round-trip flights with ANA miles (no one-way flights are allowed). Stopovers are allowed on the identical award worth, so you would go to two European cities for the worth of 1.

Additionally, pay attention to exorbitant gas surcharges that can seem when flying with some carriers like Austrian, Swiss and Lufthansa. Set your sights on flights operated by Air Canada, TAP Air Portugal, SAS, LOT Polish Airways and United, as these carriers do not add excessive gas surcharges.

Under is an itinerary between Newark and London in enterprise class for 88,000 miles and $300 on accomplice United Airways. That’s not unhealthy, contemplating round-trip business-class tickets between these two airports promote for greater than $3,600.

Moreover, ANA received’t can help you guide a world flight award inside 96 hours of boarding. When you’re leaving earlier than then, you could possibly get round this by reserving into the longer term after which calling ANA to vary the dates inside 96 hours. Your outcomes could differ. So long as your flights, routes, carriers, and many others., stay the identical, you shouldn’t be charged any change charges.

Switch companions: ANA is switch accomplice of:

Award searches and availability: To guide, go to ana.co.jp. You might have to modify the language from Japanese to English.

ANA typically received’t present you all of the out there choices. When you’re struggling to seek out availability, you possibly can try both aircanada.com or united.com for seats after which name ANA to guide when you’ve discovered what you’re after.

Associated: The very best methods to redeem factors and miles for flights to Europe

Flying Blue (Air France/KLM)

Flying Blue is a shared loyalty program between Air France and KLM.

Neither of those airways flies straight between the U.S. and London, however you possibly can both route by airports like Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) and Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS) to succeed in London. Or, you possibly can fly on companions like Delta and Virgin Atlantic nonstop to get there. There are additionally loads of different SkyTeam companions that you need to use to succeed in London.

Whereas Flying Blue doesn’t technically have an award chart, you possibly can normally attain London for round:

• 25,000 miles one-way in economic system.
• 55,000 miles one-way in enterprise class.

Nevertheless, you possibly can typically discover even cheaper flights due to Flying Blue Promo Rewards. These award gross sales low cost common fares by as much as 50%.

That is one other airline that passes alongside annoyingly excessive (although not prohibitive) taxes and costs. Under is a one-way flight from New York to London in economic system for 23,000 miles and $59.70 in charges.

Switch companions: Flying Blue is a switch accomplice of all main versatile factors currencies:

Award searches and availability: You’ll be able to guide award flights through airfrance.us. You’ll be able to view month-to-month calendar availability by merely not coming into your journey dates on the search web page. Sadly, the calendar can typically be a bit deceptive — so for those who’re simply not seeing any availability, search daily.

Associated: The last word information to incomes and redeeming with Air France/KLM Flying Blue

United Airways MileagePlus

United Airways affords loads of nonstop service from its eight main hubs. You too can use United Airways miles to fly to London on United’s accomplice airways, equivalent to Air Canada, Aer Lingus and TAP Air Portugal.

United expenses affordable fares to London — with no extreme gas surcharges. Right here’s what you possibly can anticipate to pay:

• 30,000 miles in economic system (typically barely decrease).
• 45,000 in premium economic system.
• 60,000 miles in enterprise class.

Right here’s a flight from Chicago to London on United Airways. As you possibly can see, you’ll pay 27,300 miles in economic system.

The most effective options of United Airways miles is the variety of out there seats. United beats a lot of its competitors on this division. Plus, when you have a United Airways bank card or United elite standing, you’ll have entry to extra United Airways award area than these with out. This may make a giant distinction.

Switch companions: United Airways is a switch accomplice of:

Observe that you just’ll get 10% extra miles when transferring Marriott factors to United versus different airways.

Award searches and availability: You can also make your searches straight on united.com. It’s one of the vital efficient websites to seek for Star Alliance awards.

Associated: unlock extra award availability with United Airways

Virgin Atlantic Flying Membership

Virgin Atlantic is predicated within the U.Ok. It serves 12 U.S. hubs, so that you’ll seemingly discover many award choices when reserving.

Sadly, this airline incurs higher-than-average taxes by itself flights and on it companions like Air France and KLM. Virgin Atlantic makes up for this a bit by providing extraordinarily low award costs.

Under is a nonstop flight between Atlanta and London on Virgin Atlantic. You’ll pay simply 12,500 miles (15,000 miles from the West Coast) and $150.30 in taxes and costs. That’s a superb deal.

Nevertheless, reserving Virgin Atlantic business-class flights is unreasonable — you possibly can simply drop 67,500 miles and $875 in charges one-way.

It’s value mentioning which you can guide Delta flights to London for as little as 15,000 factors in economic system and 47,500 factors in Delta One (enterprise class). You’ll pay equally exorbitant taxes and costs for these flights (in contrast to flights to the remainder of Europe, which incur extraordinarily small charges).

Additionally, observe that Delta could not launch any availability to Virgin Atlantic inside 21 days of departure — so for those who’re attempting to go to London quickly, this isn’t a superb technique to financial institution on

Switch companions: You’ll be able to shortly accrue Virgin Factors by transferring from the next versatile factors currencies:

Award searches and availability: You’ll be able to guide straight on virginatlantic.com. Some companions it’s essential to name to guide (like ANA and Hawaiian Airways), however that shouldn’t be an issue when flying to London.

Associated: save hundreds of miles on Delta One awards to Europe

Bonus technique

Hopping between the U.Ok. and the remainder of Europe is normally extraordinarily low-cost. Flights from cities like Madrid, Paris, Dublin, Amsterdam, and many others., to London can price round $40 every manner.

Trying to find award flights to different European cities offers you tons extra alternatives to seek out low-cost journey throughout the Atlantic. It can save you a bundle on the costly seats, after which jaunt over to London with money for $100 round-trip.

Learn our publish on the finest methods to journey to Europe utilizing factors and miles.

These with a wholesome stash of transferable factors (equivalent to Amex Membership Rewards, Capital One miles, Chase Final Rewards, and many others.) shouldn’t have any bother attending to London for terribly low-cost. By changing these rewards into ANA miles, Flying Blue miles, United Airways miles and extra, yow will discover the right seats on your journey objectives.