The Value Offered By Last-Minute Award Flights

I’ve always believed that earning miles and points is the easy part of the hobby, while finding good redemptions can be much more challenging. You are competing with thousands of other travelers who want to visit the same destinations, fly the same airlines, and redeem the same miles and points as you. Paired with the fact that airlines may only release one or two business class seats on a route, it can be very hard to make that perfect redemption.

The logical step for many travelers, and one that we mention in our best practices for booking award flights, is to plan and book your flights roughly a year out. Planning far in advance can make it easier to find the seats you want and lock your trip down far in advance, which has its benefits.

But what about if we did it the opposite way, and booked our flights only a few days before traveling? You might be surprised to find out that this is one of the best ways to book travel (if your lifestyle allows this level of flexibility), as there is significant value to be had when booking last-minute award flights.

The Flexibility & Mindset Required to Book Last-Minute Award Flights

The flexibility required for last-minute award flights is the hangup for many travelers in this hobby, as for most Canadians, it can be hard to get approved for last-minute time off work or to move responsibilities around with a short window. This is exactly how my life operates when it comes to travel, as when we travel as a couple, we need to plan far in advance per employer requirements. However, if I am traveling solo, I have a lot more flexibility and can actually consider booking last-minute seats.

Thus, as a result of the flexibility required to make bookings like this work, last-minute bookings aren’t for everyone. But for those who are ok with some uncertainty heading up to when they want to travel, or for those who can book a flight today and leave tomorrow, there is a ton of value to be had. That is where the shift in mindset occurs, and for those who are heavy planners and like certainty, it can be tough. I struggle with this and am always envious of one of our writers, Jeff, who has been lucky to make several amazing last-minute redemptions.

There are a few things you can always do to make last-minute award flight bookings easier on yourself. Having points already available in a program is a major plus so you don’t have to worry about transfer times when using a transferable bank loyalty point currency, unless the transfer is instant.

It is also worth having back-up flights where possible. For example, if you want to fly on a first class product that releases seats only a few days before, but the rest of the trip is already booked, you would want to have a back-up award flight booked just in case the availability does not show up. While we often recognize and understand award release patterns and dates, things can and will change randomly.

In these situations, it is definitely worth having your back-up flight booked with a frequent flyer program where it is easy and cheap (or even free) to cancel the booking. Or, just be prepared to not fly and shift your trip slightly if the desired last-minute availability does not show up.

Booking last-minute might also not be the best idea if there is a specific route or product that you want to fly, and if you are picky, you might be better off booking far in advance to lock that booking down. But for specific airlines, products, and frequent flyer programs, you’ll need to book last-minute if you want to fly them. I’ll touch more on that later.

Last-Minute Award Flight Seat Drops Offer Excellent Value

Last-minute award flight seat drops are some of the most opportunistic sweet spots when it comes to traveling on miles and points. I’ve captured some of the best opportunities we are seeing at the time of writing this article below, with more of a focus from the West Coast. But for many of these airlines, we are seeing similar last-minute redemption opportunities across North America.

What just might be the absolute best redemption with Air Canada Aeroplan points is back, as those who are willing to book last-minute can find up to two seats on ANA Business Class, flying from Vancouver (YVR) to Tokyo Narita (NRT) for 55,000 Aeroplan points. I was able to find availability up to two weeks out from the day I searched, with many dates still having two seats available.

Another excellent last-minute Aeroplan redemption is EVA Air Business Class, flying from Vancouver (YVR) to Taipei (TPE) for 85,000 Aeroplan points. Availability is very close-in for this redemption, as I was only able to see seats available a couple of days prior to the flight.

EVA Air typically only releases one business class award seat per plane at calendar open, so this is a good opportunity to experience EVA with a friend or family member.

If you are one of the lucky few with Alaska Atmos Points, Starlux Business Class is one of the redemptions you need to experience. Not only is it probably the most modern business class product I’ve flown on, but you can find up to nine seats available last-minute for only 75,000 Atmos points when flying from Seattle (SEA) to Taipei (TPE).

Starlux also flies out of San Francisco (SFO), Los Angeles (LAX), Ontario, California (ONT), and Phoenix (PHX), so there is a ton of opportunity to be had.

While these three redemptions are my current favorite last-minute options, this is by no means an exhaustive list of the last-minute availability that you can book. Do some digging and research to see what other opportunities exist if you have the flexibility that last-minute travel allows.

Some Programs Require You To Book Last-Minute for Certain Award Flight Seats

There are specific frequent flyer programs that get access to certain business and first class availability only close to the date of travel, meaning that if you are interested in booking these flights with that specific program, you need to be ok with booking last minute.

The most prominent and popular example of this is Etihad Airways First Class when booking via American Airlines AAdvantage. First Class availability drops 14 days before departure, and at a points and tax price that is far less than what you would pay with the Etihad Guest frequent flyer program.

While it is no longer bookable via Aeroplan, Lufthansa First Class also functioned like this when it used to be available.

Booking last-minute can also be a requirement for securing multiple first class award seats. It is typically rare for an airline to release two first class award seats far in advance, so if you are traveling as a couple, you might need to book two separate itineraries, where one passenger is booked in first class, and one is booked in business class.

Then, you can keep an eye out for another first class seat to drop closer to the flight date, should one be available, and replace the business class booking with a first class booking. Worst case, if availability doesn’t show up, you can still take the flights as originally booked.

Finding Last-Minute Award Flight Seats

Finding last-minute award flight seats is no different than searching for seats at calendar open, and you can use either the frequent flyer program’s search engine or utilize any of the excellent award search tools we have available to us.

If you are newer to searching for award flights, we recommend checking out the following articles to get up to speed on the tools we recommend the most:

No matter which tool you are using, we recommend searching often and setting alerts where possible. Plus, being aware of and noticing any award seat release trends, like the ones shared previously, will put you on the path to making some stellar last-minute award flight redemptions.

Conclusion

If you have the flexibility and right travel mindset, booking last-minute award flights opens up a treasure trove of availability and excellent pricing. It can be incredibly refreshing to not have to fight tooth-and-nail for availability, instead being able to just book your award flights a few days before traveling at the best points price possible.