Lie-Flat for Less: 9 Biz Class Seats You Can Easily Book with Points

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Aug 7, 2025

Discover how to book lie-flat business class seats with points and miles effortlessly. The hosts reveal the easiest airlines and routes for premium travel, highlighting Finnair as a standout choice. They discuss rising surcharges on award tickets, making it essential to navigate costs effectively. Plus, learn about exciting deals from American Airlines and strategies for using credit cards to optimize your travel experience. Tune in for practical tips on pairing award and cash bookings for group trips!

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INSIGHT

Award Ticket Surcharges Rising

Points and miles surcharges for award tickets are rising stealthily, especially in business class.
Increasing fees can erode award redemption value, sometimes doubling cash surcharges unexpectedly.

INSIGHT

Two-Seat Award Availability Insight

Award availability is much more user-friendly when searching for two or more passengers.
Many easier-to-book business class seats release inventory for at least two travelers, not just one.

ANECDOTE

Finnair's Easy Business Class Trick

Finnair offers one of the easiest business class bookings with Avios points around 62,500 one way.
Changing your web browser location to Europe can reveal more award space for two seats on Finnair flights.

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Points and miles aren’t worth anything if you can’t use them. If you want to fly lie-flat business class (most of us, right?), it can be excruciating to find flights you can actually book with points. But some stand out as being much easier to book - if not downright easy. Gunnar and Kyle shine the spotlight on the airlines and routes where it’s easiest to score that business class seat using miles. Plus, they chat about rising surcharges on award tickets and look at why Gunnar is adding a new credit card to his wallet ASAP … from an airline he rarely flies.

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00:00 - Finding something out: The best bits from our interview with Jason

02:15 - Kyle issues a correction to his bougiest travel take: SkyMiles + Champagne

04:00 - Something Hot: This American Airlines 80K-mile card sign-up bonus

09:00 - Something Cold: The Taxes & Fees are Too Damn High – which airlines are worst? (Ahem: Emirates…)

15:12 - A word from our sponsor: Us … and how you can find business class availability with Thrifty Traveler Premium

16:40 - The Extra Mile: All of the easiest business class seats to book with points and miles

20:30 - Why Finnair might be the best of them all (and one of the fanciest) and with easy-to-earn Avios

23:20 - The other easiest-to-book options when flying lie-flat to Europe

34:40 - The key to book Qatar Airways QSuites

40:30 - Listener Question: How to pair award tickets with cash bookings on a group trip

44:45 - On the Spot: Gunnar’s dream additions to the “easiest-to-book biz class” list

Produced by Gunnar Olson & Erica Kamrowski

Edited by David Strutt

Show music: “All That” by Benjamin Tissot

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