How to Book Business Class With Points: Award Availability Tips for Flights and Hotels

Learn how to find award availability for hard-to-book business class flights and hotels using your points and miles to travel.

Hosts Sally French and Meghan Coyle discuss how to find availability for hard-to-book award flights and hotels to help you get more value from your points and miles when you travel. But first, they break down the latest travel headlines, including American Express’ plans to open and expand Centurion Lounges in Newark, London, Houston and Philadelphia, American Airlines’ largest-ever Admirals Club lounge coming to Charlotte, expiring credit card transfer bonuses to Marriott Bonvoy, Flying Blue and Japan Airlines, the first-ever Encanto stage show aboard the upcoming Disney Believe cruise ship, Expedia’s 2027 travel trends report, and a reminder to join the waitlist for Smart Travel IRL, the show’s first in-person meetup in New York. 

Then, joined by NerdWallet lead travel writer Craig Joseph, they discuss how to land hard-to-get award seats and hotel rooms, with tips and tricks on using award search tools and alerts to catch availability when it opens up, when booking far in advance or close to departure could pay off, and how flexible dates, positioning flights and speculative bookings could help you score aspirational redemptions.

Join Sally and Meghan for a night of live Q&A, games (hint: brush up on those obscure travel credit card benefits), and mingling with fellow travelers! The drinks are on us. And yes, there are prizes, courtesy of some of the travel brands you already use. Meet other locals who love traveling with points and miles. RSVP required. Let us know if you’re coming and we’ll save you a spot. https://partiful.com/e/OOSMfQpFw9PPNn4Cat0H

Card benefits, terms and fees can change. For the most up-to-date information about cards mentioned in this episode, read our reviews:

Chase Sapphire Preferred Review: Strong Option for Travel Rewards

World of Hyatt Card Review: Lavish Benefits, Reasonable Cost

Atmos Rewards Summit Card: Perks as Rare as They Are Valuable

American Express Platinum Review: Top-Notch Lounge Access, Big Credits

Resources discussed in this episode:

Smart Travel IRL: A meetup for travel and credit card nerds

American Express Continues to Expand the Centurion Lounge Network with Its Largest Lounge Yet, Further Strengthening its Presence in New York and London