Free · 16 chapters · no card
How people actually fly business class for a fraction of the fare.
Two free playbooks: one for turning credit-card points into business-class seats, one for buying airline miles outright when they go on sale. Written from the bookings below — including São Paulo to Singapore for 87,500 points and $180, against a $7,300 fare.
Proof
These are our own bookings.
Not stock photos, not someone else's screenshots. The methods in these guides are what produced them.
GRU → SIN
São Paulo → Singapore · Business
87,500 Aeroplan + $180
vs $7,300 cash
BKK → YYZ
Bangkok → Toronto · Business
87,500 Aeroplan + $150
vs $4,200 cash
HKG → DXB
Hong Kong → Dubai · Business
Qatar Avios + $250
vs $2,900 cash
VIE → YYZ
Vienna → Toronto · Business
$822 of miles + $78
vs $4,700 cash
These are our own bookings, and the cash comparison is the fare quoted for the same cabin and dates at the time of booking. Award space and pricing change constantly — your results will differ, and every AwardBrain answer tells you how fresh its data is so you can verify before you book.
What's inside
Two routes to the same seat.
The Amex Business Class System
6 chapters · 11 min read
How to turn Membership Rewards into business-class seats — which cards to hold and in what order, which transfer partners actually pay off, how to find the award space, and how to check the math before you move a single point.
- 01Overview & Philosophy
- 02Card Selection Strategy
- 03Earning Strategies
- 04Transfer Partners
- 05Finding Award Space
- 06Calculating Value
Buy Miles, Fly Business
10 chapters · 13 min read
A few times a year, airlines sell miles for less than the seats cost. This is how to tell when the math actually works, how to confirm award space before you spend a dollar, and exactly how to book it.
- 01Overview & Philosophy
- 02The 5 Safety Rules
- 03Best Programs to Buy
- 04When to Buy Miles
- 05Finding Award Space
- 06Calculating Value
- 07The Step-by-Step Process
- 08Advanced Strategies
- 09Common Mistakes to Avoid
- 10Templates & Checklists
Read these if
- You have points sitting in an Amex, Chase or Capital One account and no real idea what they're worth
- You've looked at a business-class fare, winced, and assumed it wasn't for you
- You've heard “transfer partners” and “sweet spots” and nodded along without knowing what they mean
- You have no points at all and want the route that doesn't need any
Skip them if
- You want a shortcut that skips understanding how award pricing works — there isn't one
- You're after churning schemes or manufactured spend. Neither guide covers that
The obvious questions.
Are they actually free?
Yes — both, in full, all 16 chapters. Give us an email and everything unlocks immediately. No card, no trial, no upsell wall halfway through.
So what's the catch?
There isn't one, but here's the honest version: we make AwardBrain, an award-travel search agent. The guides teach the method; the product automates the tedious part of it. Plenty of people will read the guides and never pay us a cent, and that's fine.
Do I need a particular credit card?
For the Amex guide it helps, and Chapter 2 covers which card to start with and whether the annual fee pays for itself. The Buy Miles guide needs no card and no points balance at all — that's the entire point of it.
How long do they take?
About 11 minutes for the Amex system and 13 for Buy Miles. Each chapter is its own page, so you can do one at a time, and your progress is saved as you go.
Will you spam me?
One short briefing a week on which points are genuinely worth buying — including the weeks when nothing is. One-click unsubscribe on every email, and it takes effect immediately.
Both guides, one email.
16 chapters about 24 minutes unlocks instantly