Flying is usually much more enjoyable when you have a business-class ticket. You get to visit an airport lounge, sit at the front of the plane in a spacious seat, and have a fancy meal on your flight. It can also be much more expensive. Business class often costs three or four times what you’d pay for economy.
Sometimes it’s worth spending extra, like if you find a great deal or can pay with points on your credit cards. Other times, it makes sense to get a cheaper ticket. Here are a few signs that you could be better off skipping business class.
1. You don’t have enough travel rewards
The most affordable way to book business class is with travel rewards. Lots of popular travel credit cards either earn miles with a specific airline or points you can transfer to multiple airlines. When you transfer points to an airline, they turn into miles that you can use to book flights.
If you have enough miles, you can book an award ticket instead of paying in cash. All you’re responsible for are taxes and fees, which can be as low as $5.60. You get the business-class experience without the hefty price tag.
Because of how expensive business class is, lots of travelers only book it if they can do so using their travel rewards. If you’re short on miles, you may want to book an economy seat instead of paying cash.
2. It doesn’t work with your budget
Business-class airfare is a luxury expense. It’s nice if you can afford it, but it’s not worth paying for if it’s going to cause financial issues.
Only book business class if you can afford to pay for it with money in your travel savings. If you’ll need to go into credit card debt or get a loan to afford it, it’s not worth it. That’s a sign it’s too expensive — and it will end up costing you even more in total because of the interest charges.
Also, consider how splurging on a business-class ticket would affect the rest of your trip. If you have a $5,000 travel budget, you could spend $2,500 to fly business class. But that means you’ll have just $2,500 left to cover your hotel, activities, meals, and all your other travel expenses.
Some travelers are fine with that. Others would rather splurge on a great hotel or on activities at their destination.
3. You’d be comfortable in economy or premium economy
The main reason airlines can charge a premium for business class is because of how much more comfortable it is. But not everybody needs a business-class seat to get comfortable on a plane.
Some people are good at finding ways to make the most of an economy seat. If you’re one of them, you probably don’t need to spend your money on business class. And if you want a middle ground between economy and business class, many flights have a premium economy option.
The length of the flight is important, too. On a 10-hour flight, having a lie-flat seat makes a huge difference. On a two-hour flight, business class probably won’t have lie-flat seats (not that you’d really need it), and an economy seat could be perfectly fine. After all, you won’t be sitting there for too long.
Flying business class is fun, but because of the cost, it doesn’t always make financial sense. If you can’t pay for your ticket with travel rewards, it doesn’t fit your budget, or you’d be just fine in economy, a business-class ticket isn’t the best use of your money.
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