Alright, so the goal was to have business class flights all the way, and it’s been mostly successful, but – as mentioned earlier – there were some hiccups. Here’s what unfolded.

Hiccup #1: Long delay in application processing and sign up bonus receiving

TD’s sign up bonus was just too tempting – tons of people were applying (for good reason!) and there was a backup in processing of applications. As you can see, there was a two month (almost three month) delay between application and receiving sign up bonus. It was getting a little bit hairy in terms of award availability on the flights for our trip, so we booked Mr. Sparks’ return leg on premium economy. (There were more flights available for my outbound leg).

Hiccup #2: No more availability on my preferred outbound flight

The first two legs that we booked in April were with United Airlines. Waaayyyy lower fuel surcharges and taxes compared to Air Canada options for those flights. For Mr. Sparks’ return leg, we actually did go with Air Canada, and the surcharges were $189, which seemed reasonable given the length to his destination in Canada.

For my outbound flight, the United flights that I had been eyeing were all booked up ☹ And then the Air Canada flights would have had a $650 fuel surcharge! Ouch. After a bit of digging around, I wound up booking a business class flight from a nearby American city to my destination, and then paid for a flight from my home city to that American city with cash. It came to just shy of $300 out of pocket for my outbound leg.

Hiccup #3: Date restrictions

Yeah, this one was a bit of a bummer. Because we booked our flights quite late when it comes to reward travel, we had to make do with less-than-ideal dates. When I say less-than-ideal, however, it was only one day off from what our preference would have been. So, I stayed a day longer than I intended, and Mr. Sparks left a day earlier than would have been preferable. But it also meant more time for him with his family before heading off to an elective, and for me, well, I got one more day in beautiful Portugal! So, not really a hardship.

The Wins

Alright, so those were the main hiccups along the way.

Here are the wins!

Win #1: Total Out of Pocket Cost

• American Express Gold Business card: $250 annual fee (<- I regret this. There are smarter ways to go about getting points – this was a beginner’s mistake)
• Dr. FIREfly’s outbound leg: $290 flight to U.S. + $7.50 taxes, fees, surcharges on U.S.-Portugal flight
• Dr. FIREfly’s inbound leg: $88 taxes, fees, surcharges + $34.50 telephone booking fee
• Mr. Sparks’ outbound leg: $88 taxes, fees, surcharges + $34.50 telephone booking fee
• Mr. Spark’s inbound leg: $189 taxes, fees, surcharges

Grand total: just under $450 per person for 3 business class flights and one premium economy flight.

For comparison, if we had paid out of pocket for the four economy class flights, it would have been a minimum of $1200. Per person.

Dayum.

Win #2: The Lounge Experience

This varied in terms of space, service, and amenities, but I’m not above enjoying free food and drinks (non-alcoholic and/or alcoholic) in any shape or form! A definite perk for early morning flights where it’s a bit rushed to get breakfast but after security, you get a bit peckish. However, my main priority in airports is a seat, charging ports and Wifi, and these are accessible anywhere. Some airports have lovely public areas too, so I’m not sure lounge access adds a whole lot more.

So, would Dr. FIREfly pay for lounge access? Nope. But I’m sure open to enjoying it on a points-purchased business class ticket!

Win #3: The Business Class Flight Experience

This. This is the real beauty of the business class flight.

Oh. My. Goodnessgraciousme!

The welcome sparkling wine or juice or water – or all three. (I might have gone overboard the first time.)

Privacy. Space – no jostling of elbows, awkward touching of knees with strangers, asking to hop over someone to use the washroom or be hopped over.

The utter joy of being able lounge, semi-recumbent, and then hit another button to go all the way flat. Even my super-tall husband was able to lie flat fully. Sheer luxury!

And the food! Half the time I opt to skip meals because I’m feeling slightly nauseous from the flight. Not in business class! Foie gras in soup, delicate amuse-bouches, freedom to pair wines with courses (or do it completely wrong in my case, but still enjoy myself regardless 😊)

This was the first time ever that I heard the announcement of impending landing and felt a pang of disappointment. Couldn’t we circle around a few more times, I thought to myself, stretching out from my semi-recumbent position, belly full after a morning snack.

What Happened with the Credit Score?

Well, you might recall that I started out with a credit score of 850 (Equifax) for the Jan/Feb period. This dropped to a low of 830 after the four credit card applications for Mar/Apr. It started climbing back up to 835 for May/Jun. For Jul/Aug, it was stable at 835. (And then I applied for another card because of a good sign up bonus, lol, and it dipped slightly to 833 for September).

My credit score may hover around the lower range of the green zone for a while to come, since there is no mortgage application on the horizon and a seemingly never-ending regular parade of sign up bonus opportunities.

What’s Next?

I think my plan moving forward is to massively stockpile reward points so that I can just dip into them as soon as I know a trip is going to come up. There are some concerns with potential changes to Aeroplan points valuations come June 2020, so we shall see. Next steps:

1. Large expenses upcoming for fall 2019 – will apply for American Express Business Platinum card at that time.
2. Cancel some cards – I will cancel the TD Business card and keep the personal one. There are still perks like being able to use the Maple Leaf Lounge if you booked an economy class flight with Aeroplan points. Will cancel the AMEX Business Gold card after getting the Business Platinum.
3. Keep an eye out for sign up bonuses as the year goes along!

What are your thoughts? Have you booked flights with points and what was it like?

-Dr. FIREfly