I went to Miami in business class for free, just because I paid taxes
One of the main advantages offered by some credit cards is the ability to earn companion tickets, which allow [...]
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One of the main advantages offered by some credit cards is that you can earn companion tickets, which allow you to get two airline tickets by paying for only one. By taking advantage of this peculiarity at the sad time of paying taxes, I was at least able to give myself more than one smile. Here's how.
What is the companion ticket?
The companion ticket (or companion ticket) is a benefit offered by airlines by which, when purchasing a particular ticket, it is possible to buy a second one of the same category, on the same route and on the same date as the ticket purchased
Around the world, several airlines offer their frequent flyers this opportunity as a benefit, and there are numerous flights linked to it. In Italy, the easiest way to get this benefit is to use an American Express credit card branded Alitalia.
Regardless of color (green/gold/platinum) or type (personal or corporate), all holders who reach a card transaction of 15 thousand euros receive a voucher valid for the purchase of a second ticket.
What are the american express Alitalia?
As a reminder, you must be enrolled in the millemiglia program (if you are not enrolled you can do it from here for free and immediately receive a 4000 MM welcome bonus)
Alitalia Green Amex
It is the basic card (cost 95 €/year). Offers the lower welcome bonus (4000 MM) and at first glance the least benefits, but in reality Is a must-have card in an Alitalia frequent flyer's portfolio. Green Amex, in fact, is the only card to offer the miles back, or the mileage cashback: holders of this particular credit card can get 20% of the miles used to book award tickets.
For example, if I book a magnificent class ticket to New York, I will pay 80k MM and immediately 16k MM will be credited back to my account.
Amex gold Alitalia
Currently, the offer does not include any welcome bonus, but with an annual expenditure of 15 thousand euros, it offers the opportunity to keep free for life the card, which would otherwise cost €190 per year. The €15,000 figure is not chosen at random, as it corresponds to the threshold that allows you to detach the free companion ticket. The most important benefit of this card is to guarantee access to the ulisse club the first year and to maintain it by halving the qualifying miles each year.
This card is suitable for those who want to take advantage of the status benefits: priority boarding and extra baggage, not only on Alitalia but also on all Sky Team airlines.
Alitalia Platinum Amex
This paper Is a must for those who often fly AZ and in general with Sky Team companies. Thanks to the "winged arrow facilitated" status, it allows for priority gateways: lounge access, mileage bonuses and many other benefits that for a "commuter of the skies" pay back the €58.50 monthly fee in no time.
How the Amex/Alitalia companion ticket works
The first thing to know is that each card can generate a maximum of one companion ticket per year, however, if I am a holder of more than one Amex/Alitalia card I will be able to get a voucher for each card, as long as the fateful figure of 15 thousand euros in transacted business is reached.
Once the 15k threshold is reached, the cardholder will receive a letter with a code inside to use within 6 months to purchase a second reward ticket.
In order to use this benefit, simply contact the Alitalia CC, tell the advisor that you intend to use a companion code, and reserve seats.
Pros and cons of the Alitalia/Amex companion
The first and main advantage is that you can get all the miles you need to apply for a companion ticket of the same class/type as the ticket you buy. According to the current award chart, the most expensive ticket is the one to South America and Japan, which is worth 120 miles. Not cheap.
It is important to know that companion can only and only be used on flights operated by Alitalia and not by partners. In the history of this benefit, only once has it been opened to partner airlines of our state airline as well.
On the other hand, as far as the disadvantages are concerned, surely the biggest cons of companion is that to use it is it is not possible to simply make the reservation on the web platform, as is the case with traditional award tickets, but one has to go through a call center operator. Thus, one is forced to wait until 9 a.m. to book seats, running the risk that others were faster using the web especially when it comes to the most popular routes and peak season periods.
Returning to the title of this article, here's how by simply paying taxes at the post office with one of my Alitalia branded cards, I was easily able to reach the transacted amount needed for the companion ticket issue. Combined with the milesback of the green card I peeled off 3 tickets to Miami for only 128k MM.
- 6,000 Mile Registration Bonus
- Collect miles WITH EACH PURCHASE
- Your miles with no expiration*
- No fees for ATM withdrawals and foreign purchases
- Without having to change banks
- Autonomous card activation
- Multi-function mobile application
- Free travel insurance
- Free credit for up to 7 weeks
- Contactless Payment
- Mastercard® SecureCode
- 20€ discount directly in your statement by spending €60 in one or more transactions with Carta on Italotreno.it
- Free fee the 1st year. From the 2nd €5.50 per month
- You can choose to pay in full or in installments
- Premium level of the Italo Più program
- 4 Vouchers per year for access to Italo Club Lounges
- Preferential Access to Italo's Fast Track at the station
- For every 5 purchases of Italo ticketing and/or onboard services made with Italo American Express Credit Card you will receive 1 voucher for room upgrade
- Welcome bonus of 100,000 Volare points upon reaching 6 thousand in spending in the first 3 months after card issuance
- Accumulate 1.5 qualifying Volare points for every euro spent, accumulate an additional 3 non-qualifying Volare points ( for a total of 4.5 Volare points) for every euro spent on ticketing purchases and other services offered by ITA Airways
- Access to the Premium Club of ITA Airways' Volare program.
- ITA Airways Lounge Access
- Free excess baggage
- Points Back