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Finally some Finnair options!
Boy this has been long overdue. Finnair became a partner of Alaska May 2017, and while we’ve been able to earn miles flying on FinnAir, there hasn’t been a way to redeem Alaska Miles to fly Finnair. That has finally changed and this is what we’re looking at:
- FinnAir US to Europe
- Biz – 70k
- Econ – 30k
- FinnAir Europe to Asia
- Biz – 60k
- Econ – 32.5k
- FinnAir Intra Europe
- Biz – 20k
- Econ – 12.5k
Note: these were discovered by OMAAT and only show up when you search, not on a broader award calendar. Tho, I’m sure that will change quickly.
How does these compare to some of the best redemptions you can make with Alaska Miles?
- To Asia
- Cathay Biz is 50k One way
- Cathy First is 70k One way
- Japan Biz to Asia is 60k
- Japan First to Asia is 70k
- Japan Biz to S.E. Asia is 65k
- Japan First to S.E. Asia is 75k
- Europe
- BA Biz is 60k
- BA First is 70k
- Middle East
- BA Biz is 70k
- BA First is 80k
- Cathay Business is 62.5k
- Cathay First is 70k
- Australia – 70k miles to fly First Class from the States to Australia!
- Qantas Biz is 55k
- Qantas First is 70k
- Cathay Biz is 60k
- Cathay First is 80k
- Fiji Biz is 55k
- Africa
- British Airways Biz is 70k
- British Airways First is 80k
- Cathay Biz is 62.5k
- Cathay First is 70k
Relative to the rates above…70k for one way business class between the US and Europe is on the high end of Alaska redemptions. Something I hope isn’t a sign for broader devaluation in the program, but comparing it to the wider field of transatlantic business class redemption – it’s decent.
There is a big difference in business class on FinnAir depending on the aircraft.
I flew on their A330 last year and was underwhelmed. Small cubbies for your feet, old product with an alternating 1-2-2 layout. It’s lieflat, which is great, but there are much nicer products out there to snag at the 70k mile mark.
However…the reviews of FinnAir’s A350 featuring a reverse herringbone, all aisle access business class have been great. So keep an eye out for that if you book.
Thoughts
Alaska has been hit hard in the past couple of years losing Delta and Air France/KLM as redemption options across the pond. While they’ve picked up FinnAir and Aer Lingus to help service the TATL routes, it’s been incredibly frustrating to see them listed as partners, but unable to book with miles. That’s at least changed for Finnair. 70k is a decent rate for business class from the States to Europe, but would be far more attractive if they started operating A350s on the longhaul west coast to Helsinki routes.
Now…let’s see something happen with both Aer Lingus and Singapore Airlines!
Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Welcome Offer
60k Points after $4k spend in 3 months
Annual Fee
$95
Points Earned
Transferrable Chase Ultimate Rewards
- 60k points after $4k spend in 3 months
- Worth $750 in Chase Travel℠ and way more if you maximize transfer partners
- 5x on all travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3x on dining, including eligible delivery services for takeout & dining out
- 3x on select streaming services
- 3x on online grocery purchases
- (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs)
- $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit via Chase Travel℠
- The begins immediately for new cardmembers and after your account anniversary for existing cardmembers
- 2x on all other travel
- 10% Anniversary Bonus
- Every year you keep the card, your total spend will yield a 10% points bonus. If you spend $10k in a year, you’ll get 1k bonus points
- Chase Sapphire Preferred continues to redeem at 1.25c in the Chase Travel℠ and the slew of other benefits remain in tact including Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver ( primary ), purchase protections, etc.
- Points are transferrable to 14 Ultimate Rewards partners
- Redeem in Chase Travel℠ for 1.25 cents per point
- No foreign transaction fees
- Suite of Travel and Purchase Coverage
- Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver is my favorite
- Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2024
- $95 Annual Fee
We keep an up to date spreadsheet that lists the best ever offers: You can find that spreadsheet here.
Historically 80k is a very, very good offer and hit in both 2022 and 2023. In 2021, we saw the offer hit an all time high of 100k. Who knows if that will ever come back.
Main Cast:
Cards that earn flexible points and should be used on the bulk of your purchases.
Supporting Cast:
Cards that earn fixed points in the currency of the airline/hotel and can not be transferred at attractive rates. These cards yield benefits that make it worth keeping, but not necessarily worth putting a lot of your everyday spend on.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® is exceptional starter card and offers transferrable Ultimate Rewards, and pairs well with other Chase cards.
If you carry this card alongside Chase’s cashback cards like the Chase Freedom Flex℠and Chase Freedom Unlimited® or the business versions: Ink Business Cash® , Ink Business Unlimited® you can combine the points into Preferred account and transfer into hotel and airline partners
Annual fee is quite low at $95 a year + you get a 10% anniversary bonus on points + $50 hotel credit in Chase travel.
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