New Trip Report: My $10,000 One Way Flight On Board Cathay Pacific’s First Class Seat For $130

Hey everyone!

First off, I would like to thank everyone who has emailed me over the past weeks. Your words of encouragement are greatly appreciated!

I recently redeemed 67,500 AAdvantage miles and flew first class from Chicago to Manila on Cathay Pacific. You can read more about my trip here.

I also made a quick video so you can see what its like fly on one of Asia’s most luxurious airlines.

We are busy working on a quite a few more features and articles, so keep an eye out in the next couple of weeks. In the meantime, if you do see any bugs on the site, feel free at anytime to email us at webmaster@topmiles.com

Review: The Pier & The Wing Cathay First Class Lounge

This is a part of my trip of my $10,000 Chicago to Manila flights on Cathay Pacific First Class. Total cash paid was $150. To learn how you can easily earn enough miles to fly the same trip as I did in as little as a month, click here.

I woke up late in the morning, as I stayed up all night prior exploring the amazing night life in Hong Kong. Eager to finally experience the renovated first class lounges, I quickly had breakfast and checked out of my hotel and headed to the airport.

Cathay Pacific is one of the few airlines that have not one, but two first class lounges within the same terminal. After clearing immigration, I decided to head to The Wing first, eager to try out the world famous Cathay Pacific private room cabanas. Upon arriving, I was whisked into a marble lined elevator and up to the upper floor, where the first class lounge was located.

After checking with a lounge attendant, I was informed there was a small wait time for the Cabanas, and I decided to explore the lounge.

The floor was lined with marble that shimmered in the glow of sunlight, giving the place a very airy and bright look. Seating was plentiful and well furnished with red leather trimmed sofas and chairs.

Not only that, Cathay Pacific has a self-serve champagne bar, complete with all you can drink Moet. It was a beautiful display, once again showing how much Cathay pays attention to the little things.

If champagne isn’t your thing, there is a full service marbled bar in the main lounging area.

Soon I was notified my cabana was ready and I headed into my private room.

My eyes opened wide as I walked in. The centerpiece of the room was a bathtub and shower. The room is laid out in a studio format, in which there is a couch and work desk within the same room, complete with a sink and a bathroom on the side.

With the sharp angles and minimalist design, this room was by far the best private room in an airport I’ve ever been in. Instead of a standard shower head, water comes down like a waterfall from the heavens. Even the sink looked like it belonged on a spread in a home design magazine.

I decided to take a bath and soak it all in. In true Cathay Pacific fashion, an actual bath robe along with some slippers was provided!

Feeling like Hugh Heffner

After taking my bath, I decided to head to the Pier, the other Cathay Pacific first class lounge which was recently renovated a few months ago. As I left the lounge, I walked through the world famous Cathay Pacific noodle bar. Knowing that I had a feast waiting for me in the Pier, I quickly moved on.

The Pier is located on the opposite wing of the terminal and the going out the night before seemed to have made the pain on my sprained foot even worse. I decided to be like a senior and took a service cart to the Pier.

I arrived at the pier, saw the beautifully designed entrance and knew immediately I was in for a treat.

The first thing you notice about The Pier is that instead of having an open air format where you are above the terminal like The Wing, you are taken underground into an enclosed haven. The end result is a lounge that feels like home.

The living rooms were spacious, with plenty of seating for passengers. The artwork found throughout the lounge was absolutely stunning. Instead of marbled floors, the pier featured mostly wooden and carpet floors, recreating that homely experience.

Most of the tables are made with cherry wood, with the walls lined with green onyx.

Everywhere you looked around the lounge, you can easily see attention was paid to the little details.

Even the napkins on a little prop cart in the middle of lounge were arranged perfectly.

If you need to get work down, Cathay Pacific offers the classiest work desk I’ve ever seen at a lounge. You could almost pretend you were in Mad Men.

If you prefer to read instead, there’s a huge selection of reading materials

At the far end of the living room, there’s a full service bar in an horshoe like shape. Naturally, I had to get another glass of Champagne.

After a few drinks, it was time for a late lunch. I first checked the self-service area, where if you are in a hurry you can grab something quickly to eat. Once again everything was laid out perfectly, and it seemed like I was on set of a TV cooking show.

Since I had plenty of time before my short flight to Manila, I headed instead to the dining room. As to further state your entering a first class restaurant, even the welcome booth was stunning.

The dining room is designed as a typical English restaurant with green sofas that has a gorgeous view of the runway outside.

On the other side is a more traditional full service long bar.

At this point, I was quite ravenous and was looking to forward to try out The Pier’s famed meals. Unlike The Wing, where business and first class passengers share the same dining area, The Pier’s restaurant is for first class passengers only, which means the food is significantly better.

The menu is extensive, even larger than the one I had in the Qantas lounge. I started off with a seared tuna. As a big fan of raw fish, this really hit the spot, the fish fresh and the pepper was not overwhelming.

I decided to try something different from the typical dishes found in a lounge and ordered my first main: the fried glutinous rice cake. It was actually surprisingly good, with the dressing adding a unique flavor.

For my second main, I ordered the pan friend salmon, which was perfect. The salmon was crispy the outside but very moist. I especially liked the grilled pumpkin on the side.

To finish my meal I ordered a Hong Kong styled dessert, mango sticky rice.

As usual, I over stuffed myself at the lounge and was in food heaven. The restaurant is catered by the Peninsula, and the dishes were all spectacular, rivaling restaurants you would find in the city.

Unique among lounges, Cathay pacific offers a complimentary 20 minute foot or back massage to all lounge guests. I was led to a beautiful decorated massage room.

My masseuse was extremely friendly and asked me what kind of massage I wanted. Since my foot was aching from my sprain two days ago, I chose the foot option. The friendly masseuse quickly got to work and found my sore spot.

After he massage my foot felt much better, and I could walk with a much smaller limp then before. For good measure, he gave me a quick back massage which was great as well.

After my massage I decided to spend my remaining time at the lounge in one of the eight day suites. Unlike the Cabanas found at the wing, the suites don’t have a bath tub or an enclosed room. Instead each day suite features a day sofa that is long enough to turn into a day bed.

The highlight is the automated shutter blind. With a push of a button you can go from reading your book to staring outside at the airport runway.

The day suites are separated from the outside with a curtain, so you do hear people when they walk by.

Overall, the Cabanas are better than the day suites at the pier, but with a smaller number of cabanas and more passengers in the Wing, there might be a long wait time to use the Cabanas.

If you decide to take a shower, Cathay does have shower rooms available, which again look straight out of a home design magazine.

Soon enough it was time board, and I headed out of the lounge and headed to the gate, where my short but fun 90 minute journey to Manila was about to begin.

Overall, I would rate the lounges at Hong Kong as among the best in the world, and certainly the best first class lounges in all of Asia. I especially loved The Pier, which was recently renovated, and the attention to every detail in both design and service wise made my experience truly exceptional.

Up Next: Cathay Pacific First Class – Hong Kong to Manila

My $10,000 one way flight on board Cathay Pacific’s First Class Seat for $130

Cathay Pacific has long been recognized for setting the standard for its excellent service and seats. Its long haul routes feature a first class cabin of only six seats, one of the smallest first class cabins currently operating.

The retail cost of a flight is usually over $10,000 one way.

Fortunately, if you’re not part of the jet set club, you can instead redeem your American Advantage miles for travel on Cathay Pacific first class. AA currently has the best award chart for first class travel, and I redeemed only 67,500 miles for a one way ticket from the US back to the Asia. Not only that, I received a 10% points rebate through my AA credit card, making the award even cheaper.

My total cost was around $130, including a $75 late ticketing fee since I booked my flight last minute.

To learn how you can book a flight on Cathay Pacific first class in as little as one month, click here to read my step by step tutorial.

Recently, American Airlines announced changes to their award chart, so if you want to book a similar trip, I highly advise you get started now!

Chasing the Sun with Cathay Pacific – Chicago – Hong Kong

I arrived at the check in counter with only a little bit of an hour to spare, having vastly underestimated the time it would take me from my hotel to the airport. The previous day I sprained my foot and I was walking at a snail’s pace trying to get to the check in on time.

Thankfully, the check in counter was waiting for me and I was quickly issued a ticket and headed to security. Upon clearing security, I was surprised when the agent who checked me in earlier was there waiting for me.

She noticed I was walking gingerly and immediately helped me with my carry on and escorted me to the first class lounge, which was greatly appreciated!

I quickly settled into the rather plain British Airways first class lounge, which consisted of a bunch of sofas and a few potted plants.

The agent who escorted me in asked me what I wanted to drink. Knowing the amazing food and Dom waiting for me on board, I decided to just get a bottle of water. Shortly, it was time to board for my 15 hour flight to Hong Kong.

Still noticing my limp, the check in agent personally took my carryon and escorted me from the lounge to the plane. There was only one bridge way from the gate to the plane, which meant the agent and I waited with everyone else as the boarded the plane. I felt like George Clooney from Up in the air, as everyone around us sneak a peek to see who the heck I was.

We boarded and turned left to my seat of 1A. My first impression of the seat was just how ridiculously big it is. Cathay pacific only has three seats per row, making them one of the widest airline seats in the air today. The first class suite doesn’t have sliding doors, with Cathay preferring to have an open layout.

However, it is more than made up by the fact there are only six seats in the entire cabin, making it one of the smallest and most exclusive first cabins in the sky. All together, there were two flight attendants serving three paying passengers and a Cathay Pacific pilot. I knew then this would be a fun ride!

I got settled into my seat and my two first class flight attendants and the purser introduced themselves. Unlike Emirates, the vast majority of crew members come from Hong Kong. In fact, the head flight attendant has been working there for over 20 years!

A young gentleman then asked me what I would like to drink. I asked for a glass of champagne and he quickly brought over a glass of Krug along with a small bite sized snack that consisted of primarily of salmon caviar. It was a by far the best pre-departure flight snack I had yet, with the balls of salmon caviar popping in my mouth, finished with a refreshing glass of Krug.

Soon after, the aircraft doors were closed and we began our taxi to the runway. Chicago was hit by a blizzard just a couple days earlier, but you wouldn’t have even known as the horizon was sky blue as we began our take off.

The engines roared to life as we took off for our 15 hour flight to Hong Kong. Unlike the A380, certain versions of the 777 have a wing cam that shows you the view beneath the plane. Although the resolution is a bit low, I think its still gives a you a really unique vantage point not usually seen.

Chicago Skyline

As we flew above the clouds, a very unique rainbow appeared. I was half temped to shout “It’s a double rainbow!” but reminded myself that I was in first class.

After we took off, the flight attendant came to refill my empty glass with even more Krug and served some warm nuts. He then took my lunch order.

I first ordered the caviar, which came with a bread basket and way too many glasses. I was very impressed by the detailed plating. Instead of just scooping the caviar from the can, Cathay decided to bring out the can itself.

Not only that they even provided a mother of pearl spoon, which apparently is used by the 1% so the caviar taste is not spoiled by the touch of metal. I’m not going to lie, the fancy spoon made a huge difference in taste and my mouth was in heaven as the caviars balls burst into flavor.

This was followed by a delicious tomato basil soup. The flight attendant even came by with a pepper grinder and asked me how much pepper I would like on top!

Next up was the main appetizer, Jumbo Prawns on a grapefruit salad. These were prawns were enormous and probably one of the biggest shrimp I’ve ever eaten in my life.

The shrimp was extremely juicy and you could taste the freshness. The grapefruit salad was also perfect, with just the right amount of vinaigrette.

Cause a pepper shaker won’t do.

I then proceeded to order the US prime beef fillet. I’ve had a couple steaks on other airlines and each time it has been extremely dry. This time around I ordered my steak completely rare.

All my doubts were wiped away with one bite I let out a big grin and was in food heaven. The steak was moist, tender, and the sauce was just right.

After polishing off steak I ordered the warm baked apple and raspberry filo pastry with dolce de leche.

To finish things off I had a bowl of red bean soup, a typical sweet soup that the Chinese drink to finish a meal off.

Overall, this was probably the best meal I’ve ever had on a plane. The service was impeccable, the food delicious, especially the prime fillet.

I was stuffed and I had a glass of Johnny Blue to help me digest, along with some pralines.

Soon I was starting to fall into a food coma, and I went to the bathroom to change into my pajamas. Compared to the ones given by Emirates, these were designed clearly with the business traveler in mind, sporting a collar and shaped more like a dress shirt than pajamas.

The bathroom was spotless, and featured a porcelain sink. Pretty neat feature, clearly no detail was left unturned.

After I changed, I asked for my bed to be made. Luckily, there the seat next to me was empty, and the flight attendant suggested that I have my own separate bed there. Who can say no to that?

Emirates may have the enclosed suite, but the extra width and open design made my seat feel like a real bed that I could stretch out in. The bed lining was perfect and I had probably the biggest pillow I’ve slept on so far on a plane.

A photo posted by Sam Huang (@intotheplane) on Nov 25, 2015 at 7:09am PST

I then fell asleep like a baby for the next few hours.

I woke up while we were flying over Russia. The view was absolutely stunning as we flew over rivers of ice.

I decided to order a few in flight snacks. No, these are not pretzels and salty crackers you find on US airlines. Cathay pacific offers a variety of hot dishes. I ordered the famous noodle soup with dumplings.

While the dumplings were delicious, the soup was a little bit bland even with a healthy dose of Chile paste.

I asked the flight attendant to take my dish away, and seeing my dish half empty, he immediately asked if I wanted another item on the menu. I ordered the prime beef burger. It was absolutely delicious and juicy. Once again, Cathay delivered a perfect beef entree.

Afterwards, I ordered some more Krug and settled in and enjoyed the view. The sun was still low on the horizon as we continued to race the sun to Hong Kong.

I proceeded to go on a House of Cards marathon. I usually don’t watch much TV, but I was hooked and spent the next couple of hours watching a few episodes.

Before I knew it, it was time for dinner prior to our arrival. I started with a plate of fruit.

Then I had the shrimp with stir-fried pak choy. The shrimp was again, delicious, although a bit oily. That’s Chinese food for you though!

Finally, I finished the meal with a raspberry tart

We then began our descent into Hong Kong as nightfall and landed shortly. The flight crew, having seen me walking with a limp asked if I wanted to be escorted by wheelchair. I kindly declined, and thanked the crew for their amazing service.

I passed through immigration and headed to the Arrivals lounge. That’s right, Cathay Pacific has a lounge for just for first class arrival passengers! As expected, the layout was refined and well designed, with a huge omega clock on the wall.

I quickly took a shower which was extremely refreshing after my long 15 hour flight.

Marbled bench, because they could

After taking a shower, a lounge attendant asked if wanted to have something to eat. Even though I wasn’t really hungry, I decided to take one for the team and order a bento box. To be honest, I probably would have ordered another dish as the noodles were quite dry.

I then finally left paradise and took public transport into Hong Kong.

Less legroom than a Spirit flight

Determined to continue my slight buzz, I explored the Hong Kong nightlife with a friend.

Finally, I got back to hotel right as the sun began to rise, and promptly fell asleep, capping off another crazy 24 hours flying high in the sky.

Overall, Cathay Pacific’s first class lives up the hype. Although their seats are not the most groundbreaking, what stands out is the level of sophistication and elegance at every turn. The service was top notch and you can easily tell they paid attention to the minor details.

However, one of the highlights of my trip was soon to come as I headed back to Hong Kong and got the experience one of the most jaw dropping lounges in the world.

Up Next: Free Massages & Champagne – Cathay Pacific First Class Lounge 

How To Fly Cathay Pacific’s $10,000 First Class Suite using Points

One of the best redemptions of miles currently available is flying Cathay Pacific First class from North America to Asia.

The retail cost of a flight is usually over $10,000. Don’t have $10,000 to spend? The good news is that you can redeem a flight from North America to Asia in first class for only 70,000 miles through Alaska Airlines’ Mileage Plan program.

Starwood Rewards currently has two credit cards, the Starwood Preferred American Express Card and the Starwood Preferred Guest Business Card, both of which offer 35,000 miles each upon meeting minimum spend. These miles can then be converted to Alaskan Airlines miles.

Since Starwood offers a bonus 5,000 miles whenever you transfer 20,000 miles, you’re effectively earning around 100,000 Alaskan Mileage Plan miles after completing minimum spend.

How to fly Cathay Pacific’s $10,000 First Class Suite for less than $100 with only two credit cards

One of the best redemptions of miles currently available is flying Cathay Pacific First class from North America to Asia.

The retail cost of a flight is usually over $10,000.

Don’t have $10,000 to spend? The good news is that you can redeem a flight from North America to Asia in first class for only 70,000 miles through Alaska Airlines’ Mileage Plan program.

Credit Cards that earn Alaskan miles

There are two Alaskan Airline cobranded cards, both which have a sign-up bonus of 30,000 Alaskan Miles upon meeting minimum spend.

View Airlines Card Offers

Additionally, the Marriott Rewards Premier Plus Credit card has a current sign up bonus of 100,000 Marriott points. These points can then be converted to Alaskan Airlines miles at a 3:1 ratio.

However, since Marriott offers a bonus 5,000 Alaska Airline miles whenever you transfer 60,000 miles, you’re effectively earning around 50,000 Alaskan Mileage Plan miles after completing minimum spend.

By applying for both the Alaska Mileage Plan Card & the Marriott Rewards Premier Plus Credit Card, you’ll have more then enough miles to fly in Cathay’s first class cabin.

View Reward Card Offers Here

Finding award space is a bit tricky as Alaska Airlines does not show award availability for Cathay Pacific online. Instead, you’ll need to search for award space on British Airways and then call Alaska Airlines to book your award ticket.

How to book Award Space on Cathay Pacific

Step 1

Login to your Executive account on British Airways. If you don’t have an account yet, click here to sign up.

Step 2

Click Executive Club then click Spending Avios.

Step 3

On the Spending Avios page, under Choose your Reward, click Book a reward flight.

Step 4

On the Book Flights with Avios page, click One Way Only and enter all the necessary information for your trip: departure and arrival airports, desired departure date, preferred cabin class, and the number of adults flying.

Step 6

Write down any available award space. Keep searching for award space on different dates. If you would like to change the date, you can click on the dates within the week or select the change button.

To maximize your chances of finding award space, search for multiple dates and destinations.

Emirates First Class (777) – Milan to JFK

The lounge at Milan is set up like the one in Dubai where you can directly board from the lounge, bypassing the typical lines that await coach passengers. I walked in and was warmly greeted by a flight attendant from Kenya and shown to my seat.

The first I noticed when I walked in was just how intimate the cabin was compared to the A380. Instead of 14 seats, there were now just eight. And since the 777 doesn’t have an upper floor, the cabin ceilings are much higher, making the whole cabin much roomier. The cockpit is located in the front, along with both lavatories.

Major American Airlines Award Chart Devaluation for 2016

Major AA Devaluation

Well there’s no way around it, American Airlines just announced their new award chart for award redemptions starting in March 2016 and it’s nothing short of a disaster for those who like to fly first class.

A few notable examples:

First class flights from the US to South Asia go from 67,500 miles to a whopping 110,000 miles – a 62% increase.

First class flights from the US to Australia go from 72,500 miles to 110,000 miles – a 60% increase

First class flights from the US to the Middle East go from 90,000 miles to 115,000 miles – an almost 30% increase

You can view the new award chart here:

http://www.aa.com/i18n/AAdvantage/redeemMiles/all-partner-chart2016.jsp

I’ll be writing a more thorough post soon to break down all the details.

Why did American Airlines increase their rates?

American Airlines has long been home to the most lucrative mileage program for first class travel. Too good in fact, with some of its award prices over 50% lower than the other mileage programs.

It was bit forthcoming when AA was giving away 50,000 miles for opening a Citibank account and increased sign up bonuses for AA credit cards started coming out.

Overall, this increase puts AA award costs to around the same as its main competitors: United and Delta

What does this mean?

The only slightly good news is that award redemptions through Aadvantage will still “price” at the old level for all award bookings until March 22, 2016. Since you can book your award flights around 11 months ahead, this means if you book on March 21, 2016 you can book for flights until February 2017.

For the next few months it will be a race against the clock as everyone tries to earn all the miles they can and then “burn them” (deplete their miles) before the massive award devaluation.

I highly suggest you start focusing your credit card applications on cards that earn AA miles, including the AA platinum personal and business card, so you can use those miles at the old award rate

What about Economy & Business Class prices?

If you prefer flying in coach, the good news is that almost all award redemptions will cost the same number of miles.

Business class award internationally do slightly go up depending on where you want to fly.

What happens after 2016?

If you’re not earning miles through flying, but instead through credit card spending and sign up bonuses, the net effect will be a slight negative. Sure the award prices for first class flights have increased dramatically, but business and economy awards remain the same or just slightly higher.

Ultimately, if you want to fly first class, you will have to apply for more credit cards then before, but it will still be attainable.

Still this is a huge blow for those of us who like to redeem miles for first class.

Review: Emirates First Class – Milan to New York (Boeing 777)

I woke early to explore Milan during my layover. It was a beautiful spring day, the type that lets you know the winter woes are drifting away. The Duomo was packed with tourists, and I enjoyed strolling down the promenade inside one of the world’s oldest malls, the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele.

The time passed away quickly, and soon I headed back to the Milan airport. A couple days before, while I was in Dubai, Emirates opened up first award space for this flight. Since I was originally booked in business, I quickly called Alaska and they upgraded my ticket to first, free of charge.

Milan airport was finishing up its last touches before it played host to the Milan Expo, which was due to launch in a couple months. The check-in counters was located on the opposite of where the departure gates were, and it took around 30 minutes to arrive at the Emirates lounge.

Minus its hub in Dubai, Emirates has one lounge for both business and first class passengers. The Milan lounge was well decorated with blue carpet flooring similar to the business class lounge in Dubai. There was a buffet spread with your standard sort of hot entrees. Since the flight was due to board at any moment, I helped myself to a bottle of water and soon enough it was time to head to New York.

The lounge at Milan is set up like the one in Dubai where you can directly board from the lounge, bypassing the typical lines that await coach passengers. I walked in and was warmly greeted by a flight attendant from Kenya and shown to my seat.

The first I noticed when I walked in was just how intimate the cabin was compared to the A380. Instead of 14 seats, there were now just eight. And since the 777 doesn’t have an upper floor, the cabin ceilings are much higher, making the whole cabin much roomier. The cockpit is located in the front, along with both lavatories.

Interestingly enough, lining the front of the cabin is a mirror.

Lining the back of the cabin was a beautiful piece of artwork that resembled a bunch of sand dunes and a few more mirrors.

The flight attendant came by and offered a glass of Dom Perrignon, which I gladly accepted. The suite on the 777 felt a tad more spacious, but otherwise is pretty much the same as the one found on the A380. I was offered the customary dates + Arabic coffee, along with a hot towel.

The plane left on time and we took off. Unlike the A380, the takeoff on the 777 had a little bit more oomph. Since the windows on the 777 are “single paned” instead of “double paned” like the ones found on the A380, you’re able to have a wider range of view.

The takeoff from Milan was drop dead gorgeous, as we headed straight above the Alps. Champagne in tow, I glued my head onto the window for at least 20 minutes, until the mountains disappeared into the clouds.

Shortly afterwards, the flight attendant came over and served hot & cold canapés. To mix things up, I decided to have a glass of Hennessey Paradis.

It was then time to take my lunch order. I was starving and decided to order two appetizers: caviar and seared herbed salmon.

Both were excellent, the salmon was almost perfect, with very crispy crust but still retaining its moisture inside.

The main course was a lamb biryani. The dish came out piping hot, and killed my hunger pains pretty quick. You can actually order this course in business class, and I think it would be one of the better dishes out there.

Finally, I finished my meal with a slice of Tiramisu cake. Besides the caviar, this was the best dish of the flight, with each bite oozing with flavor, with the flavor just right blend of bitter and sweet.

Afterwards, I had a glass of Hennessey Paradis and then settled into a food coma. I promptly fell asleep and woke up a few hours later.

We were flying over the arctic and the view was absolutely stunning. There were Ice Rivers carving up the landscape, and I spent the next hour sipping on champagne and with my face glued to the window.

Feeling even more gluttonous, I asked if could have a second serving of caviar. The flight attendant quickly checked and came out with another plate of caviar.

Fun fact: Since this plane is flying to the US, Emirates cannot serve Iranian caviar, instead they serve caviar sourced in Europe.  Not that I could tell the difference!

I finished off my feast with a lamb machbous, which I wasn’t sure how would turn out since almost all the beef I’ve had so far up in the air has been relatively dry and hard to chew on. However, the lamb was very tender and far exceeded expectations.

Afterwards I decided to watch Get on Up, a biopic film featuring James brown. The entertainment system can be controlled by both the iPad like controller, and your fashioned remote.

The sun began to set and the mood lighting was turned on, the brightness and hue of the ceiling lights matching the sunset rays.

I noticed the mirror was also lit with reflections from the starlight. The Emirates design team really thought of everything!

We landed in New York and I left paradise and headed back into reality. Since I only had a carryon, I decided to take the subway. The contrast could not be any greater.

But I’ll gladly take this view any day.

Overall, while the Emirates 777 doesn’t have an on board shower & bar, the first class product is pretty much identical to the A380. With only around half the first class seats of the A380, a beautiful starry ceiling, and stunning arctic scenery, this flight is one of my all time favorites.

Updated Emirates Guide plus additional Q&A regarding Emirates Trip

Hey, everyone!

It has come to my attention that there are a few rumors spreading on the internet regarding my Emirates trip, and I want to address them in this post.

He’s being paid by Emirates to blog and advertise this trip.

Absolutely not true! While I am flattered that people think I am good enough to actually be a paid spokesman for Emirates, the reality is that I used my own Alaska miles and paid for the trip out of my own pocket.

It’s impossible to have booked a trip like this. I want additional proof.

I have already posted screenshots of the total amount of miles and cash that I paid here. But for those who need more proof, I am posting an additional set of images.

I’ve published a picture with almost all of the physical tickets that I used to board the planes during my trip.

As you can see, it shows the exact flights that I flew on, the dates I flew them, and the seat numbers that I occupied.

Also shown below is the total price paid on my actual ticket confirmation. 

You can match it with the price being shown on the previous screenshots that I posted.

In addition, Business Insider examined my story thoroughly. They even went so far as to call Alaska Airlines to verify for themselves, and waited until for confirmation from the airline before they published my story.

I hope this settles this issue once and for all; that I actually did book this flight, and that I paid only $300.

His credit score is probably below 500 as a result of having so many credit cards.

Unfortunately, some of the online media have been misquoting me and are suggesting that I applied for 15 credit cards to use for this trip. I currently have 15 credit cards opened under my name, most of which are credit cards that do not have a fee, which helps boost my credit score.

To book a one-way flight on Emirates, you only need to apply for 4 credit cards. As I said before, your credit score even increases in the long term, because you take on additional credit and show credit companies that you are a reliable customer.

My current credit score is in the high 700s.

He must have spent millions of miles to book this trip.

I only used a total of 200,000 Alaskan miles + $300, which can be easily earned without flying a single flight on Alaskan Airlines.

He just flies from one airport to another.

To clarify, I am not flying from airport to airport and staying inside. 23-hour layovers give you a chance to explore a city briefly.  It is a great strategy to use; you can get a feel of the city and see if you want to come back and explore it more in your next trips.

How do I book my own Emirates trip using miles?

Many users still have questions after reading my previous explanation. As a result, I updated my guide for booking Emirates First Class to cover the entire process from start to finish, which you can read here.

How to earn and redeem miles for travel in Ireland

Hey RTE Radio listeners! Welcome to TopMiles, the world’s first interactive site that teaches users on how to travel for almost nothing using miles. Before we dive into Irish specific credit cards, I would advise that you first look at my beginner guides that will teach you the very basics of what miles are and what they can be used for.

Miles Essentials

New to Miles? Read these guides.

Introduction to miles
All about loyalty program
Credit cards & Big Signup Bonuses
All about your credit score
How to earn your miles

Which frequent flyer program to credit to:

If you are flying with British Airways, you will want to credit your flights with British Airways. Unless you are flying over 50,000 miles annually, in which you should look into crediting your flies to American Airlines, a British Airways partner, which currently has the best award program for premium travel.

If you are flying with Aer Lingus, don’t credit your miles to them directly. Instead, credit all your flights to United, a partner with Aer Lingus. This is because United has a substantially much better frequent flyer program when compared to Aer Lingus.

Best Credit Cards for Irish Citizens & Residents:

As mentioned before, the US credit card market is much more lucrative compared to other countries in the world. This includes Ireland. Since the EU approved legislation to cut down on the amount of transaction fees cards can charge retailers, awards have been drastically slashed and cut down. There are currently only three credit cards that earn any kind of useful miles that can be used for foreign travel, all issued by American Express. Unfortunately, the annual fees are quite steep.

American Express Platinum Card

Annual Fee: 550 EUR
Benefits: Priority Pass Membership, Complimentary Elite Status for Club Carlson (Gold), Accor (Platinum), and Starwood (Gold)

American Express Gold Card

Annual Fee: 300 EUR
Benefits: Travel Insurance

American Express Green Card

Annual Fee: 100 EUR + 35 EUR membership reward fee

Overall the pickings are slim, and the gold card really makes no sense to me, as you’re not gaining any real benefits for the extra 150 EUR spent per year.

If you travel quite frequently for work, or can expense the fee as a business expense, then the Platinum card could be a good fit, otherwise, I would suggest you sign up for the American Express Green Card.

Unlike the US, there are NO sign up bonuses.

Best Transfer Partners:

For Irish card holders, AMEX membership award program has quite a few airline transfer partners. However, almost all of them are poor value except for the British Airways Avios and Singapore Airlines Krisflyer miles.

Singapore Airlines & British Avios both have some great redemption values. You can experience the legendary Singapore suites for less than 58,000 KrisFlyer miles one way from Frankfurt to New York.

While British Avios lets you redeem your miles for intra-european routes for as low as 4500 miles. (Although that benefit is going away soon and will be raised to 7500 miles). Irish AMEX points transfer at a rate of 3 MR points to 2 British Avios and a 1:1 ratio with Krisflyer.

Overall Recommendation:

Overall, you need to make sure you’re spending at least $7000 annually on your daily purchases to consider getting the AMEX green card. Anything less and the card is not worth paying for the annual fee.

Flights to Europe still can cost as low as 4500 miles, which can be a great value for Irish credit card holders.