Frequent flyer points have become the golden tickets to incredible discounted adventures, luxurious upgrades, and unparalleled travel experiences. Yet, it is almost never straightforward to understand if you are getting good value from your points. Travelers end up swimming in a sea of miles and points without fully understanding how to redeem them.
As we’ve covered many times in the blog, SAS EuroBonus can be one of the most rewarding programs in Europe. While it is still zone-based (fingers crossed they don’t go revenue-based), and they have heavily simplified their website and user interface, there are still a bunch of tips and tricks you can get hold off to optimize your points value.
In this post, we cover some of our favorites.
Tips To Maximize Your SAS EuroBonus Points In 2023
1. Plan ahead
Since redeeming award flights can be a challenging game, the sooner you know about your trip, the better. If you have the flexibility to accomodate dates and destinations when it’s most convenient, you’ll have a higher chance of scoring an award trip at a good rate.
Most of the poor redemptions happen either at last minute, or during incredibly busy seasons where everyone else wants to travel too. The more you can anticipate to your travel, the more value you’ll get from your points.
In addition, you can use our free Forecasting and Analysis tool to understand your point’s history and predict when you’ll reach your next reward
2. Use AwardFares
AwardFares is the world’s fastest search engine for award flights. Instead of using EuroBonus website and spend hours trying to find good dates for your redemption, AwardFares can show you all available seats at once across multiple dates and destinations!
AwardFares is the best swiss-army knife for EuroBonus members. It includes:
- Comprehensive award search: Search for award availability across multiple airlines and alliances. This gives you a much better chance of finding the awards you want, especially on popular routes and dates.
- Advanced search filters: It’s very straightforward to apply advanced search filters that allow you to narrow down your search results. This can be helpful for finding awards that meet your specific needs, such as awards on a particular airline, in a particular cabin class, or with a particular number of stopovers.
- Real-time award availability: AwardFares provides real-time award availability, so you can be sure that the awards you see are still available when you book them.
- Alerts: Set up alerts for specific awards. This way, you will be notified if/when seat availability changes, so you can book it right away.
3. Keep an Eye Out for Special Promotions
Often, SAS EuroBonus announces special rates and discounts, like their recently announced 30% discount to the U.S. and Asia.
On average, the airline has two or three promotions per quarter for travel during off-peak dates. If you are not in a rush, it can be totally worth waiting until their next promotion.
You can also subscribe to our newsletter to stay updated on future campaigns.
4. Use Family Pooling
SAS EuroBonus family pooling is a feature that allows you to share your EuroBonus points with up to 7 other people. This can be a great way to reach your travel goals faster, especially if you travel frequently with your family and friends.
To set up family pooling, you need to create a new Point Sharing group and invite the people you want to share your points with. Once they have accepted your invitation, all of your points will be pooled into a single account. You can then use these points to book flights, upgrades, and other rewards for any of the group members.
5. Use the SAS AMEX Fly 2-for-1 Voucher
If you are based in Sweden or Norway, American Express offers a benefit called “Fly 2-for-1 voucher” on their Amex Premium and Amex Elite cards.
This voucher can be a goldmine, as it allows a cardholder to book two tickets for the price of one using EuroBonus points. Essentially, if you redeem points for a flight, you can get a second ticket for the same flight without using additional points. The second ticket is essentially “free” from a points perspective, though taxes and fees will still apply.
Not all SAS Amex cards come with this benefit and there is a minimum spend criteria to meet within a year in order to score a voucher. It’s valid for a year and can also be applied on Star Alliance redemptions.
The real value of the voucher depends on how you use it. Maximizing the benefit often means using it on long-haul flights or in premium classes where the point cost for a single ticket would be high. It’s commonly used to book Business Class or First Class flights at half the price.
6. Use the SAS Mastercard Fly Premium Benefit
Fly Premium is a benefit offered to holders of the SAS EuroBonus World Mastercard Premium credit card. It allows you to book bonus flights in SAS Plus or SAS Business class, but only pay for the SAS Go Bonus fare. This means that you can enjoy the benefits of a higher travel class, such as more legroom, better food and drinks, and access to Fast Track and SAS lounges, without paying the full price.
Your Fly Premium level is determined by the total number of EuroBonus points you have earned in the previous 12 months, excluding any points transferred from family members or friends, or any Status Points you have earned through the card.
Once you have reached a Fly Premium level, you can book bonus flights at that level for the next 12 months. For each month that you maintain your Fly Premium level, your ability to book bonus flights at that level is extended by an additional month.
To book a Fly Premium bonus flight, simply log in to your EuroBonus account and select the “Fly Premium” option when booking your flight. You will need to pay the SAS Go Bonus fare in full, but you will be able to select a seat in SAS Plus or SAS Business class.
7. Stay at Partner Hotels
Before you book a hotel, check if they’re a EuroBonus partner. Brands such as Radisson Blu and Best Western are often affiliated with airline loyalty programs, and staying with them can earn you points. This will accelerate how many points you get, letting you reach your award flight sooner.
8. Shop through the EuroBonus Online Portal
The SAS Online Shopping Portal is another great way to accelerate your point earning. It’s a special website where you can earn EuroBonus points when you shop at a variety of online retailers. There are over 1,000 different shops to choose from, including popular brands like H&M, Zalando, and AliExpress.
To earn points, simply visit the SAS Online Shopping Portal and click on the link to the shop where you want to shop. You will then be taken to the retailer’s website, where you can shop as usual. Once you have made a purchase, you will receive EuroBonus points based on the amount you spent.
9. Consider Point Multipliers And Special Deals
Certain periods or promotions might offer point multipliers for specific activities. For instance, double points on hotel stays or car rentals, or the recent 10.000 EuroBonus Point bonus for signing up for home insurance. Always stay on the lookout for these opportunities.
10. Travel Off-Peak
Avoiding busy seasons can help you get award flights in the cheapest fares such as SAS Go. During holidays and high season, those seats ran out fast, and it’s particularly hard to book award travel for groups and families. It’s also hard to find upgrades using the Fly Premium benefit.
During the peak season you might also see that SAS website suggests using the Points+Cash option, which lets you pay for part of the trip using your EuroBonus points as money. Most often, you will see that the prices are incredibly expensive.
If you have the flexibility to accommodate your travels for the slow seasons, you’ll find a ton of seats available at great prices.
Check EuroBonus point chart when redeeming flights on SAS here, and when redeeming on Star Alliance here.
Become a EuroBonus Pro
You can try AwardFares for free to search for your next SAS EuroBonus award.
We are rolling out new features and improvements regularly, so sign up for our newsletter to stay on top of the latest news, announcements, and pro tips!
Learn More
Make sure to also check these posts out