Scarface and the Notorious B.I.G. famously warned to “never get high on your own supply,” but we’re in a very different business than Tony Montana or Biggie. We’re in the flight deal business.
Here at Thrifty Traveler, we practice what we preach. So while we send unbelievable cheap flight alerts and points and miles deals to our Thrifty Traveler Premium members, we might be our own biggest fans: We book them, too!
And this year, we launched something new: Hotel alerts, allowing members can opt in to get hotel deals bookable with points in their inbox, too. We’ve sent dozens of spectacular deals for some of the best properties all over the world – and booked some pretty neat stays for ourselves along the way.
We asked our thrifty teammates for their favorite Thrifty Traveler Premium flight and hotel deal alerts of 2024. They run the gamut from deals we booked and already flew to alerts we fell in love with but couldn’t take advantage of and plenty of trips still to come!
Yes, we’re all diehard travelers, just like you. So here are the best deals we found and booked in 2024.
Jackson: First Class Suites to Hawaii from 31K Points Each Way
Lie-flat seats to Hawaii are always amazing, but when you can secure them for just 31,000 points each way, that’s almost stealing. Then call our Credit Cards Editor, Jackson Newman, a kleptomaniac, because he was able to secure a few of these Hawaiian First Class Suites to help his family celebrate a major event this year.
“As soon as this deal hit my inbox, I knew I had to book it — just not for myself (at least not initially),” Jackson said. “My parents celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary earlier this year, and using points to send them to Hawaii seemed like the perfect way to say congratulations. But they weren’t content going alone, so now our family of eight (!!!) is heading to Hawaii, in style, for the price most people pay for economy!”
Nick: Mistake Fare to Dublin for $148 RT
Thrifty Traveler Co-Founder Nick Serati wasted no time booking this mind-blowing mistake fare to Dublin (DUB) flying from his home airport of Minneapolis (MSP) … for just $148 roundtrip…
It was one of the craziest flight deals we’ve ever seen here at Thrifty Traveler, and while Nick didn’t end up taking the trip, the thrill of booking it made it his favorite booking of the year!
“I was planning to bring my family of four to Ireland for a week for less than $1,000 total. It’s not very often that’s a possibility,” Nick said. “Sadly, we had to cancel our flights as we couldn’t make it work, but sometimes the thrill of booking something this cheap scratches the travel itch. It was easily one of the best deals of the year.”
Jon: Emirates First Class for 90K Points Each Way
Thrifty Traveler’s Chief Flight Analyst Jon Shallbetter needed to find a way home from Europe next year…and then we found maybe the single best way…
Emirates First Class is the envy of most travelers. The ultra-luxurious airplane seat might be the fanciest way to fly in the world. The ticket gets him caviar, Dom Pérignon, an onboard bar, and a shower. You know, just the typical air travel experience…
“I’ve always wanted to experience Emirates First Class and booking this fifth-freedom route from Milan (MXP) to New York City (JFK) is one of the cheapest ways to make it happen! When I first saw this award space open up, I immediately wanted to use a ton of Capital One points I had been sitting on. The cherry on top was the transfer bonus from Capital One to Qantas at the time, making this possible for me to book this deal for me and my wife for 180k miles total! Award space for two passengers in Emirates First Class is extremely rare to find so this deal was incredible,” Jon said.
“We are looking forward to spending some time in Italy – a country neither of us has visited yet. Flying home on an aircraft that has a shower should be a great end to a trip to Europe.”
Lauren: Virgin Atlantic Biz Class to London for 21K Points Each Way
Honestly, almost everyone on our team booked this flight deal a few months back.
This wild deal came about when Virgin Atlantic officially made the switch to dynamic pricing, which means award rates fluctuate based on demand. We braced for higher rates and bad news … but boy were we wrong!
The rates dropped considerably, giving travelers – including our Social Media Manager Lauren Sohn-Ahn – some of the cheapest business class seats in the sky!
“Everyone on our team booked this, but here’s why I am the most special: I loved this deal because this was my first time ever using points to book anything! On top of that, this was my first time booking my own business class seat AND I used my very first credit card bonus to book it!” Lauren said. “I am very new to the world of award travel, but it was very easy to book when I followed the step-by-step directions from the email. Now, I get to go to Europe with one of my best friends, and she gets to experience her first-ever business class flight!”
Katie: Japan Airlines Premium Economy for 50K Points
Japan Airlines has a new A350-1000 aircraft that looks simply stunning. The first and business classes look unbelievable, but these premium economy seats with hard-shelled back (i.e. no reclining into the person behind you!) look like they might be the best value on the plane.
From New York City (JFK) to Tokyo (HND), our Award Deal Analyst Katie Rollins booked these awesome seats to kick off an Asia trip and it’s the perfect placeholder to ensure her trip takes off … even if she’s still looking to see if business class opens up!
“It’s my favorite because I have this flight to Japan in April on the newer A350 from New York City (JFK) to Tokyo (HND). I booked it using 50,000 American Airlines miles and $6. I had originally hoped to score business class, but the new premium economy on the A350 looks really nice,” Katie said. “I’m still holding out hope that business class will open up at the last minute, but if not, I’m still super excited for this flight. This is part of a two-week trip to Asia that I’ve been planning for so long! We are starting the trip off in Tokyo and plan to explore multiple cities in Japan before flying to South Korea to visit family to close out the trip.”
Peter: LATAM Biz Class to Brazil for Carnival for 58K Points Each Way
Our Senior Award Deal Analyst Peter Thornton loves himself a South America trip, and he’s had plans to visit Brazil during Carnival in 2025 for months now. So when we found this award space to book LATAM business class, he didn’t hesitate. He had to pick up the phone to make the booking, but it’s safe to say this was his favorite phone call of the year!
“I booked this deal by checking availability on Virgin Atlantic’s website and then contacting a Finnair agent using their online chat to book. LATAM flights aren’t bookable online on Finnair’s website but the friendly agents are able to book these flights manually either by phone or online chat. Thanks to a transfer bonus from Amex at the time, I only needed to transfer 58,000 Amex Membership Rewards to get the 74,500 Avios required to book this deal flying lie-flat business class from Los Angeles (LAX) to Rio de Janeiro (GIG) with one quick stop in São Paulo (GRU),” Peter said.
“Best of all, it was available over Carnival. I plan to use this to spend a few days in Rio and then fly up to Recife to celebrate Carnival (and my birthday) next year! To get home, I booked an economy flight with American Airlines miles for now but will keep checking to see if I can book business class instead. Thankfully, I can cancel that AA flight and get my miles back if I find something better.”
Long: Japan Airlines Biz Class to Tokyo for 60K Points Each Way
Our Hotel Deal Analyst and Award Travel Reporter Long Tran took advantage of one of our Nerd Alerts to fly him and his dad to Tokyo this August … and only went for a weekend! When you live on the West Coast and you can fly in comfort like this, a weekend trip to Tokyo is a possibility.
“This is my favorite deal I booked from Thrifty Traveler Premium, period. This was a trip that almost didn’t happen because of Typhoon Ampil,” Long said. “I originally booked this flight through British Airways but had to cancel and find a new flight. I was only able to fly during August with my dad but almost had to cancel the entire trip.
“It was my dad’s first time flying long-haul, international business class and we were able to fly roundtrip! Luckily, I was able to make a weekend trip work with my dad with a stay in Tokyo.”
Kyle: Japan Airlines’ New Biz Class & A Hotel Deal, Too
Our executive editor Kyle Potter couldn’t pick just one deal from 2024. While he booked plenty of our deals this past year, two of them – one for a flight to Tokyo and another for an incredible hotel in the Caribbean – stood out most.
Let’s start with Japan Airlines’ new business class suites, shall we?
After heading there last month, Kyle called it “the best all-inclusive resort in the world” and his best-ever redemption of Hilton Honors points by far. So of course our hotel alert to book Hermitage Bay in Antigua made the cut.
Jared & Erica: Park Hyatt Los Cabos From 35K Points Per Night
There are few better uses of your hotel (or credit card) points than booking luxury hotels that would typically cost thousands of dollars per night, and few know that better than our CEO and Founder, Jared Kamrowski.
The Park Hyatt Los Cabos is the newest five-star resort in Mexico. It doesn’t open until next August, but as soon as award space opened up, we sent our members an alert to book.
Jared and his wife, Erica, booked four nights at this brand-new property for their Cabo trip next year for a total of 150,000 Hyatt points. It’s one of the best Hyatt redemptions out there, considering peak season nights at typically cost $1,000 – or more!
Allie: Turks & Caicos for 32K SkyMiles RT
I never need an excuse for a beach vacation, but this Delta SkyMiles flash sale was a good one. Delta launched this nonstop route from my home airport in Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) to Providenciales (PLS) in Turks & Caicos last winter, and these were some of the lowest rates we’ve ever seen to this popular Caribbean destination.
These flights could be booked for as few as 26,000 SkyMiles roundtrip with the 15% discount for Delta cardholders, but I forked over a few extra miles for a main cabin fare (and the option to cancel and get all my miles back, if need be).
I can’t wait to trade in the cold, dark Minnesota winter for some sand and sun – and hopefully some scuba diving, too.
Gunnar: Austrian Business Class to the Alps for 70K Points Each Way
To me, there are few things more perfect than skiing in the Alps. For this year, I was dead-set on getting to Austria for a quick ski trip.
Lo and behold, the geniuses at Thrifty Traveler Premium found a ton of Austrian Airlines business class availability flying to Vienna (VIE).
The best part about this deal is when you book with Air Canada Aeroplan miles, you can often add connections from your home airport for the same price. So from Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) to Vienna (VIE) with a stop in Chicago-O’Hare (ORD), I only had to pay the price of the nonstop flight. What a steal!
Thanks to this easy-to-book deal, I’ll be shwooshing through the alpine in Kitzbuhel in February – my happy place. Expect a review of Austrian business class coming to this website soon after!
Bottom Line
Here at Thrifty Traveler, we love passing along our knowledge (and flight deal alerts) to help other travelers get the best deals in travel. But we’re also doing this selfishly, too!
When it comes to booking Thrifty Traveler Premium flight deals, we might be our own biggest fans.
