Deal alert: Business-class seats to Paris from 48.5K points

If your heart is set on visiting Paris this fall or winter after the 2024 Paris Olympics crowds have cleared out, you’re in luck: Air France currently has heavily discounted business-class award space between several major U.S. cities and the City of Light.

Related: Paris Pocket Guide: What to see, do and eat in the City of Light

Award pricing for Air France business-class flights — which include priority boarding, lounge access, lie-flat seats, meals and amenity kits, among other perks — can cost more than 200,000 Air France-KLM Flying Blue miles. If you take advantage of this deal immediately, you can snag a seat for as little as 50,000 Flying Blue miles or 48,500 Virgin Atlantic Flying Club points per person for a one-way, nonstop flight.

Deal basics

Airlines: Air France

Routes: From Boston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City, Houston, Chicago and Washington, D.C., among other U.S. cities, to Paris

How to book: Browse Air France-KLM Flying Blue or Virgin Atlantic Flying Club for available dates and pricing

Travel dates: Generally from late October 2024 through January 2025; availability varies based on route

Book by: As soon as possible

Thanks to Upgraded Points for spotting this fantastic deal.

Sample flights

A nonstop business-class flight from New York to Paris usually costs at least 100,000 Flying Blue miles, though it can sometimes require as many as 260,000 miles (or even more). However, award pricing is as low as 50,000 Flying Blue miles thanks to this deal.

This mid-January flight between New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) only costs 50,000 Flying Blue miles plus $271.30 in taxes and fees each way.

According to the airline’s website, business-class passengers can access priority check-in desks, security lanes and boarding gates, and you can prepare for your long flight in the Air France lounge. You can also check two bags for free.

If you’d rather book through Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, you can find availability for just 48,500 points and $280.40 in taxes and fees for this nonstop flight from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) in early January.

If you want to fly to CDG from Washington, D.C.’s Dulles International Airport (IAD) this fall, you can also find award seats for 50,000 Flying Blue miles and $280.50 in taxes and fees via Air France.

Should you need to top off your Flying Blue miles, you can transfer points and miles from several other programs:

So, if you have a card like The Platinum Card® from American Express, the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card or the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, you can transfer your points or miles to Flying Blue.

Maximize your purchase

Don’t forget to use a credit card that earns bonus points on airfare purchases to cover your taxes and fees, such as:

Bottom line

There is wide-open business-class availability at a discount from various U.S. cities to Paris this fall and winter. Many flights are going for about half of what they would normally cost, so if you have flexible travel dates and wish to use points or miles for your booking, now is the time to lock in your flights.

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