Europe in business class for $299 – sounds impossible!  Not only is it possible, but it’s easy and many people have done it, myself included – here’s how.  Almost everybody knows someone who has flown somewhere using various “points” systems – but few people know how easily you can do this and for how little cost!  For this deal, we are going to take advantage of two signup bonuses that credit to Aeroplan for a reward ticket to Europe.  Just so everyone is clear, this is neither illegal nor against any rules of Aeroplan or American Express, it’s simply common sense!

Partial Aeroplan Redemption Chart for the complete chart, click here

A round-trip business class reward from anywhere in North America to anywhere in the Europe 1 zone (including Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom) costs 90,000 Aeroplan points. It’s worth noting you could also use this for an economy ticket to South-east Asia (“Asia 2 zone”) if you prefer!

Great – how do we get those points?  The answer is with two signup bonuses for American Express charge cards.  The two cards are independent, but together can combine their signup bonuses for the 90,000 points you need for your trip!

American Express Platinum & American Express Aeroplan Gold

There are two cards that you need to signup for, the American Express Platinum and the American Express Aeroplan Gold.  Here’s what each gets you and how it works:

American Express Aeroplan Gold
Signup bonus: 30,000 points
Cost: FREE ($120 after first year – just cancel your card, no charge!)

American Express Platinum
Signup bonus: 60,000 points
Cost: $699 – $400 travel credit = $299

The Platinum card has an annual fee of $699.  However, the fee is for a full 12 months of service with the Platinum card (which is fantastic – you get the great Platinum concierge service, first access to concert tickets, upgrades with several brands of hotel chains, access to business lounges around the world when flying, and so much more!).

One of the other benefits of the Platinum card is a $200 travel voucher each calendar year.  What this means is if you signed up for a new Platinum card in June 2014,  you would pay $699 on your first bill – however, you would have a $200 travel voucher for use up until December 31, 2014 and another voucher for use from January 1, 2015 to May 31, 2015!  This voucher can be used for anything travel – hotels or airfare – simply charge it to your Platinum card, call customer service, and they will immediately apply a $200 discount to your bill – it’s that easy!  You pay $699 for the card but receive 2x $200 discounts, so at the end of the day, it only costs you $299 to have this card for a full year!

Too long, didn’t read – can you summarize?

Signing up for the Aeroplan Gold is free and will earn you 30,000 points.

The Platinum will cost you $699 up front, but you will get $200 back immediately and $200 next year, and will earn you 60,000 points.

Together, these are combined in your Aeroplan account for 90,000 points which is what you need for your ticket!

Okay sounds great – now how do I make this happen?

1) Signup for your free Aeroplan Account (write down your Aeroplan number, you’ll need it!)

2) Signup for your discounted American Express Platinum

3) Signup for your discounted American Express Aeroplan Gold

4) Spend a minimum of $500 on your Aeroplan Gold and $1000 on your Platinum (total) in the first 3 months and receive your points.

5) Book your business class ticket to Europe!

Extra notes & details

1) Make sure to do the steps in order.  You need your Aeroplan number to put into your application for both your Platinum and Aeroplan Gold and being approved for the Platinum card will make your approval of the Aeroplan Gold card that much easier!

2) Will this hurt my credit?  No, actually being approved for credit and then using it responsibly will increase your credit score.  While cancelling credit cards is not ideal, American Express cards are classified as charge cards, not credit cards, and as such, they affect your credit less when you cancel them.

3) Will I qualify?  The American Express Platinum has a minimum annual income requirement of only $40,000, and the Aeroplan Gold $25,000.  Beyond those numbers with reasonable credit, you should have no problem being accepted.

4) What is a referral?  The links in the above post are referrals from my own American Express cards.  By referring you, I will receive a bonus of 10,000 points and you will receive an extra bonus for signing up from me (The Platinum normally only gives 50,000 points and the Aeroplan Gold only 25,000 and doesn’t receive a free year).