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Affordable Aviation Journeys Across Europe with Reward Bookings Available

Booking low-cost inter-European award flights is a breeze, given the right points. Yet, Europe's fierce competition necessitates a comparison with cash prices.

Affordable European Flights You Can Secure Utilizing Reward Points
Affordable European Flights You Can Secure Utilizing Reward Points

Affordable Aviation Journeys Across Europe with Reward Bookings Available

In the world of travel, exploring Europe can be an exciting adventure, and now, it's more affordable than ever thanks to various airline loyalty programs. Here's a roundup of the most cost-effective options for flying within Europe using points and miles.

Iberia Plus, the Spanish airline's loyalty programme, offers award flights for as few as 4,500 Avios for flights under 650 miles during off-peak dates. This means you can travel across Europe without breaking the bank. And the best part? You don't even need to earn Iberia Plus Avios directly. You can transfer points from American Express Membership Rewards (1:1 transfer), Chase Ultimate Rewards® (1:1), Marriott Bonvoy (3:1), or another Avios airline loyalty program.

Virgin Atlantic's points are another great way to book cheap intra-Europe award flights. Routes up to 600 miles in distance cost 4,000 points during off-peak dates. Plus, points are easy to accumulate. They can be transferred from American Express Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards®, and Citi ThankYou Points.

United Airlines also offers a mileage deal for European flights, where an intra-Europe flight can be booked for zero additional miles using the Excursionist Perk. For example, you could book a flight from Chicago to Dublin, Dublin to Zurich, and Zurich back to Chicago as one itinerary, with the flight from Dublin to Zurich priced at zero additional miles.

Aeroplan, Air Canada's loyalty program, recently overhauled its award chart by moving to a semi-dynamically priced model. Award pricing is now based on the regions you're flying between and the distance of the route. Aeroplan points can be used to book award flights up to 1,000 miles in distance on Star Alliance airlines for as few as 7,500 points, including Aegean Airlines, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Croatia Airlines, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines (SAS), Swiss Airlines, TAP Portugal, and more.

In 2025, LOT Polish Airlines will offer the cheapest mileage-based flights within Europe, with favorable miles redemption rates and low surcharges, especially from Polish departure points. Flights departing from cities like Oslo, Budapest, and Stockholm tend to offer lower mileage costs on Lufthansa Group flights compared to expensive departure points like Zurich or Frankfurt.

Lastly, British Airways offers award flights for as few as 4,750 Avios for flights under 650 miles on off-peak dates, or 5,250 Avios on peak dates.

To maximize your rewards, consider using major transferable points programs like Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, Wells Fargo Autograph® Card, Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve®, The Platinum Card® from American Express, Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card, and more. Happy travels!

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