How to Book Swiss Business Class for $60 (The Aeroplan/Avianca Sweet Spot)

How was I going to get home from rural Türkiye? It’s a long way to Miami, and I definitely want to do it in comfort. Even better if I can get all my connections on one itinerary. Thanks to the Star Alliance carriers I was able to make it happen, almost all in business class, for the price of economy.

Two Turkish airlines flights got me to Switzerland, where I could relax and enjoy the Swiss Business Lounge before boarding my long flight home. I flew Swiss Business Class from Zurich to Miami, spending 10 hours in a lie-flat pod, eating multi-course Swiss meals, drinking wine, and catching up on some much needed sleep after pulling an all-nighter in the Turkish Airlines Lounge in Istanbul’s airport.

Check out my full SWISS Business Class 777-300ER Review for the seat tour and food photos.

The best part? I didn’t pay $7,000. Here is the exact strategy I used to “buy” my way into Business Class for the price of a coach ticket.

1. The Strategy: Buying Points vs. Transferring

Most people wait years to save up enough points for a big trip. But if you are a “Points Expert,” you know that sometimes the best move is to simply buy the points during a massive sale.

The Logic:

Programs like Avianca LifeMiles frequently run “160% Bonus” sales. During these sales, you can buy miles for roughly 1.27 cents each.

• The Math: 63,000 miles (cost of the flight) x $0.0127 = $800.
• The Comparison: A standard Economy flight on the same route could cost $900–$1,100.

Expert Warning: Never buy points speculatively! Only buy them when you see the “Saver” award space available.

I bought some points to save my more of my credit card miles for other uses. I spent around $800 on points and transferred just a few thousand to top it off. This was the same cost of the economy itinerary on cash, but I would be flying in business instead!

🚨 Deal Alert: Don’t Pay Full Price for Points

Programs like Avianca and Air Canada often run “Mystery Sales” where they offer a 100% to 160% bonus on purchased miles. This is exactly how I booked my seat.

Subscribe to my Newsletter to get an alert the second the next sale goes live so you can “buy” your business class seat for the price of an economy ticket.

2. Which Points Should You Use?

If you’ve ever tried to book a “free” business class flight to Europe, you’ve likely been hit with a rude awakening: The $800 tax bill. Airlines like British Airways and Lufthansa are notorious for passing on “fuel surcharges” that make your points feel a lot less like a win.

But there is a massive loophole. By booking Swiss International Air Lines through Avianca LifeMiles or Air Canada Aeroplan, you can fly in a lie-flat pod across the Atlantic for about the same out-of-pocket cost as a nice dinner.

If you aren’t buying points, you should be transferring them from your credit cards. This is where your choice of “currency” matters. All transfer partners normally have a 1:1 ratio, but keep in mind any transfer bonuses that may change the math.

• Best Cards to Use: 
  • Capital One Venture X – This is my daily driver. It earns 2x on everything, and the points transfer instantly to Avianca.
    • See my Venture vs Venture X card comparison
  • Amex Gold Card – Great for earning 4x on groceries/dining to fuel your next flight.
  • Chase Sapphire Preferred – The “Gold Standard” for beginners. Points transfer 1:1 to Aeroplan.
    • See my guide on How to Book a Hawaii Trip using these same Chase points.

Use Avianca LifeMiles if…

You want to fly a mixed cabin award. Avianca lowers the overall cost of a business class award when you add economy segments. This means you can travel even further for less miles than just the leg in business. If both economy and business are available, then you are free to choose your cabin by leg.

Use Air Canada Aeroplan if…

You want to turn one trip into two. Aeroplan allows you to add a stopover for just 5,000 extra miles. See my Aeroplan stopover guide for more details. Many itineraries are bookable online via their multi-city tool, but more complicated itineraries must be booked over the phone.

Skip the hassle of looking for flights! Use my Award Booking Concierge Service. I’ll find the flights on points and let you know exactly how to book.

3. Watch out for these confusing issues

Don’t be a “Phantom Space”Victim

Sometimes, a flight shows up on a search engine like Seats.aero or on United, but when you go to book it on Avianca or Aeroplan, it disappears. This is called “Phantom Space.”

• Expert Fix: Always click all the way through to the final payment screen before you transfer your credit card points. Once points are transferred, you can’t move them back!

The LifeMiles Website is… Glitchy

Avianca’s website is notoriously frustrating. If it doesn’t show the flight you found on United, try searching for the trip “Segment by Segment” (e.g., search JFK to ZRH, then ZRH to FCO separately) or picking the airline specifically instead of using Smart Search.

They also don’t show the taxes accurately all the time and don’t add the $25 per passenger partner booking fee until the end. You’ll need at least 40% of the necessary award miles in order to get to the final booking page.

Double check what the taxes are through other loyalty programs like United to have a better idea of the actual taxes. FrequentMiler does an excellent job of walking through the process of estimating taxes in this article.

For me, the taxes error caused the entire booking to error out. While it showed about $60 in taxes online, it wasn’t adding the fees from the additional segments, so it was about $112 in the end the correct taxes and fees.

I was able to chat with an agent who used my booking code number to locate the itinerary and complete the transaction via email links. It was fairly straightforward, but obviously more challenging than an online booking should be.

4. Step-By-Step Booking Guide

1. Find the Space: Go to PointsYeah.com (it’s free!) and search for your route. Filter for “Business Class.”
2. Verify on the Airline Site: Once you see a Swiss flight for 63k (Avianca) or 70k (Aeroplan), log into that specific airline’s site to confirm it’s still there.
3. The Stopover Hack (Aeroplan Only): If booking via Air Canada, use the “Multi-City” tool. Input:
   • Leg 1: JFK to ZRH (Stay 3 days)
   • Leg 2: ZRH to FCO (Final destination)
   • This should price at 75,000 miles total.
4. The Mixed Cabin Hack (Avianca Only): Adding more segments in economy will decrease the overall price.
5. Book and Select Your Seat: Swiss charges for “Throne” seat assignments unless you have elite status, but pro tip: If you wait until check-in (24 hours before), many of these seats open up for free!