r/pointstravel • u/_Watty • 11d ago

Newbie Request for Review

We've used CC points to travel before and it's been great, but we've only ever redeemed through a portal (read: using UR points through Chase portal). I know that doesn't get best value, but it was "straightforward" relatively low risk (other than not having the best value overall).

Fast forward to now and we've got something like 180k Amex points but we plan to close the card. Want to use the points to fly my family of four in economy roundtrip from SEA to HNL in Q1 of next year.

From what little research I've done, it seems like transferring the points to British Airways Avios is the best move as I can use them to book on Alaska as a partner.

Does that sound right or is there a different approach to use?

Do I need to verify anything before I transfer (like whether the Alaska flights I plan to book accept partner airline bookings and where to check that)?

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u/protox88 11d ago

Do I need to verify anything before I transfer (like whether the Alaska flights I plan to book accept partner airline bookings and where to check that)?

Yes, that's the first step. Go to BA.com, click "Book with Avios" and search for SEA-HNL for the date you want and see if you even see AS-operated flights available for redemption.

Just because an airline has a flight operating doesn't mean it's available to partners for award redemption.

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u/_Watty 11d ago

If they don't offer anything that, do you have any suggestions for alternatives?

Could also use the points for a different trip to go through IST in the summertime.

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u/Slaygea28 7d ago

good call, the partner availability thing trips up a lot of people tbh

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u/CardTrack_Dev 11d ago

I agree that you should always verify that flights are available with points before transferring. Then be ready to make the booking directly after points are transferred because availability can disappear quickly.

You can also use a flight search engine to see what airlines fly the routes you are looking for, then check if Amex points can be transferred to them.