Weekend Edition / Dear Ohad...

Dear Panicking,
You’re not doomed, but you’re definitely in the “may require miracles” zone. Summer to Europe is peak insanity. That said, here’s your battle plan:

• Air France/KLM Flying Blue: Your best friend. Search JFK/BOS/ORD to Rome/Venice/Naples. Even 4x economy seats at 25K–35K each is a win.
• Iberia: If you can split up slightly or fly from JFK to Madrid, it’s ~34K each way in business during off-peak. Then connect.
• Consider a hybrid: Biz for the adults, economy for the kids. They’ll bounce back. You won’t.
• Last resort: Book one-way with points, one-way with cash.

TL;DR: You’ll sweat, but you won’t cry. Yet.

Dear Blues,
Only slightly. You probably still got 1.1–1.2 cents per point, which is fine—not amazing. But next time, run the math before booking:

• If you're getting under 1.5 CPP for Hyatt, consider paying cash.
• Pro move: Book with points, monitor cash rates, then rebook and cancel if needed.

Don't beat yourself up. It’s still better than spending those points at a Hyatt Place in Toledo.

Dear Romantic,
You're in luck. 80K Amex can be turned into “damn, he’s got taste” if you do it right:

• Virgin Atlantic used for for Delta One (lol, good luck).
• Or go for hotels: Transfer to Choice and book The Draper NYC (Ascend Collection) at 16K–20K/night = 5-star vibes on a 3-star budget.
• Or hit the Thompson Central Park via Hyatt transfer.

Dinner is on you, though. I don’t do OpenTable hacks.

Dear Hold,
You got points-play punk’d—but not irreparably. Here’s the breakdown:

• Turkish has phenomenal sweet spots (e.g., 15K one-way US domestic biz), but their back-end is run by carrier pigeons.
• Call early in the morning (like 5–7am ET), or email their US ticketing office directly.

No scam, just pain. Next time, bring a travel hacker emotional support buddy.

Dear Regret,
You didn’t back the wrong horse—you just need to feed it the right transfer partner:

• Transfer to Avianca LifeMiles → Book ANA biz class for 75K one-way.
• Or to Turkish → Same redemption for 90K roundtrip… if you like suffering (see above).
• Also works via Emirates, Cathay, or Etihad depending on routes and quirks.

Capital One isn’t the problem. Lack of patience (or redemption literacy)? That’s another convo.

Dear Hopeful,
It’s real—and usually borderline deranged. But magical.

Actual examples that work:

• ANA RTW ticket: 125K–145K miles in biz. Up to 8 stopovers. Only roundtrip. Requires calling Japan. Worth it.
• Custom DIY with stopovers: Use Aeroplan or Asia Miles. Piece together Oneworld/Star Alliance.

You’ll need:

• Patience
• A spreadsheet
• Low blood pressure
• A one-way ticket to chaos

Would I do it? Yes. Would I recommend it to my sister? Absolutely not.

Dear Loyal,
Oh honey. 370K? Did the SkyMiles team steal your lunch money too?

• Real talk: You paid the equivalent of $3,700 in value for a seat that retails around the same. So… meh.
• For comparison: Air France biz = 50–70K. Virgin Atlantic = 47.5K off-peak.
• It’s not a total disaster if your dates were peak, last-minute, or if you just really like those Delta salt shakers.

Roast level: medium rare. Next time, transfer those Amex points somewhere where they’ll stretch—not scream.

Until next time…
Don’t book like a basic traveler. Think like a spreadsheet nerd with a passport. You deserve better than inflated Marriott redemptions and 370K SkyMiles regrets.

Got questions? Redemption regrets? Booking wins you want to brag about? Send them to newsletter@upnonstop.com and we’ll turn your points panic into premium cabin therapy.