Singapore Airlines – First Class. Thank You Very Much.

Posted by Noob Master on Jul 10, 2012 in Award Booking, Deals | 3 comments

If you follow me or any other rewards travel nuts on Twitter, you know very well that there was a technical glitch over the weekend. And this wasn’t just any glitch.

Singapore Airlines’ system went capote for about 24 hrs, and during this madness, the heavens opened and rained down a s@#$ load of business and first class rewards tickets. Why was this such a big deal? Because they just about never release award space to their Star Alliance partners (United and US Airways), and if they do, it’s 2 weeks before the flights.

Still. Why such a big deal? Let me explain to you, as I explained to my wife. Singapore Airlines is known for their incredible service and amenities. The food, lay flat seats, and service are A-m-a-z-i-n-g. The first class lounge out of Singapore even offers a massage service. WTF? Pampered to the max.

This being the case, there was a mad dash of people booking award tickets of a lifetime. And yes, I was one of them. For me, it was a bucket list trip – a trip I wasn’t even thinking about taking in the near future. Definitely on the back burner, especially since I’m already going to Paris- Frankfurt- Dubrovnik in Sept. in first class (hopefully on Lufthansa).

Would this be me?

But, things happen. Plans change. The heavens open up. I still had to work on the wife a little bit, but after explaining to her the value of these tickets ($10,000- $15,000) and the opportunity, she was all in. We booked an Austin (connecting in Houston) to London stop-over for a couple days in business class on Lufthansa (yes sir, not United), and then the real fun starts- London to Singapore to Bangkok, and we are flying business on the A380-800. Now, business class is the best class you can book with miles on this double decker plane. The first class on the A380 are suites and they can’t be booked with miles EVER. Still, I just can’t wait to walk up the stairs to the upper deck business class seats.

On the way back, it’s all first class BBBBBaby!! We get to experience the first class lounge in Singapore. Yes, they even separate the first class passengers from the common folk business class passengers. Kinda snooty, but I’m not complaining on this ticket.

This is definitely a trip of a lifetime for Jordan and me. We are so grateful to have the opportunity to enjoy these flights (and destinations). Jordan has been giving me a hard time for caring more about the flight than the destination. Is it weird that I look forward to the flight so much?

Points to the Rescue

Lets get real here. There is NO way we could go on this trip without miles and points AND rewards credit cards. We have been stashing our Ultimate Rewards and United points for a rainy day and we just cashed in. This ticket cost us 260,000 Miles and $200 total. For me, that’s a steal. We are getting a $25,000-$30,000 experience here. And there is nothing special about us. Anybody with good credit can leverage it for FREE incredible first class travel.

The cards we signed up for EACH that made this trip possible were the Chase Sapphire Preferred, Ink Bold, and the United Explorer. The sign-up bonuses alone were enough for these incredible tickets. But we also use them daily for their particular category bonuses. Plus, the Ultimate Rewards shopping mall has some incredible deals to earn even more UR points.

I’m happy for all of the readers who were able to take advantage of the Singapore glitch. I had some very excited readers emailing me with glee. There is a chance that Singapore Airlines won’t honor these tickets, but I’m not even going there right now. Imagine the back lash.

— Noob Master