TRIP TO FRANCE BRAG!!! $1000 savings!! *trick using aeroplan points*

[mrsJOEwackIM]

if you like to cook be sure to go to a cooking class at le cordon bleu. it is called the market tour. you go to the market in the morning and the chef expains how to pick produce and cheese and such you go back to the school and you cook. highlight of my trip.

My DH loves to cook so I will definitely look into that! Thanks!

[mrsJOEwackIM]

Thanks for the tip, I will keep that in mind.
Did you also find a deal for parking at the Buffalo Airport?

Here's a tip for you: to avoid the high cost of eating all meals
in restaurants, etc., check the Monoprix stores which we found
all over Paris. Very reasonably priced for drinks, snacks, fresh
packaged sandwiches, and all your other needs.
Also, make sure you get a fresh baguette sandwich for lunch
from a little eatery. Mine was fresh cheese, ham, tomatoes, egg slices,
lettuce and mayo. We had a picnic lunch sitting on the banks
of the Seine, just below Notre Dame Cathedral...a very memorable
experience!!

We are being dropped off in buffalo so we dont need to pay for parking..... Yeah we can't wait to buy baguettes and eat French pastries while walking though the streets of various French cities......

[mrsJOEwackIM]

Just be careful. United Airlines charges for everything! We won't fly with them. My husband had the same bag and same items going from Van to Tex on American - weight was fine, no luggage charge. On the way back, United Charged $25.00 to check bag AND $120.00 for overage. I weighed it when he got home, same as he left 51lbs.
I emailed and they finally stopped replying. Didn't care. Be careful with the baggage weights.

I am going to be very careful with that. Thanks for the heads up. Paying for stuff like that is the last thing I wanna do!!!

[vesper]

Yahoo!!

[kidsteph]

Can you please clarify...you still used aeroplan points for the 2 tickets, but by flying out of Buffalo, you only paid a minor tax and surcharge? I did not know there were aero plan redemption flights out of Buffalo....and I researched the problem too....you are brilliant!

[mrsJOEwackIM]

Can you please clarify...you still used aeroplan points for the 2 tickets, but by flying out of Buffalo, you only paid a minor tax and surcharge? I did not know there were aero plan redemption flights out of Buffalo....and I researched the problem too....you are brilliant!

Yes, it cost me 120, 000 aeroplan points and $220 altogether. The $220 was all taxes and fees. It wasn't JUST flying out of Buffalo but making sure the flight did not stop at Pearson in Toronto. Some flights back to Buffalo from Amsterdam stopped in Toronto first before landing in Buffalo and that brought the cost back up to almost $900.

[kidsteph]

yes, it works, I spent some time on the aero plan website and can get to Zurich or Geneva for about $320 in total surcharge ..no costly fuel surcharges just the regular fees and such, but hard to avoid the Luftansia flights going to Amsterdam as another destination. This was very helpful and now has changed my approach to aero plan redemption flights to Europe.

BTW, my family of 4 went to Australia and Maui the Christmas of 2011 using aero plan, the surcharges were less than $400 per person...they are now almost $1k each with fuel surcharges going way up! We are going to Costa Rica this Christmas (family of 4) and dh and I are going to San Francisco at the end of Sept - all using the aero plan points I gained after the Oz trip.

I just may cancel that San Fran trip and go to Europe instead now that you brilliantly figured it all out. Tytytyty for sharing.

[mrsJOEwackIM]

yes, it works, I spent some time on the aero plan website and can get to Zurich or Geneva for about $320 in total surcharge ..no costly fuel surcharges just the regular fees and such, but hard to avoid the Luftansia flights going to Amsterdam as another destination. This was very helpful and now has changed my approach to aero plan redemption flights to Europe.

BTW, my family of 4 went to Australia and Maui the Christmas of 2011 using aero plan, the surcharges were less than $400 per person...they are now almost $1k each with fuel surcharges going way up! We are going to Costa Rica this Christmas (family of 4) and dh and I are going to San Francisco at the end of Sept - all using the aero plan points I gained after the Oz trip.

I just may cancel that San Fran trip and go to Europe instead now that you brilliantly figured it all out. Tytytyty for sharing.

You are very welcome!

[kidsteph]

Flights for 2 people to London ($484 due to high Heathrow fees, but no fuel surcharges); Dublin ($252, but flights back are few and far between for October); Berlin $478; Paris $285 (I am sure I can bring it down more by avoiding some countries on stop overs); Brussels $216; Bolongna $436; Stockholm $352, Hamburg $440.

Even the flight I already booked to San Francisco is reduced flying out of Buffalo - we paid $218 for flying out of Toronto, it would be $60 for flying out of Buffalo. Not worth our while to save the few bucks, but worth noting.

One flight from Brussels had a stop over in London, which really added to the fees, so I chose another itinerary which brought it down to $216.

I think I will cancel our San Fran trip departing on September 28, get the 50K points back and then re-book for Brussels. I am a little short on points, currently have 107,300 when I add back the 50K. The top up miles required are 3 cents each or $30 for 1k miles, so will wait until my VISA statement due Aug 8th is in (that is where I get my points from) and I should be at about 114,000. I just may pre-purchase SDM gift cards for my next diabetic supply purchase (I am due for the next 20x event) and that would get me 2000 points closer...which saves me $60 in avoiding the purchasing of top up miles.

Oh, I wanted to go to Germany - Cologne and the high speed trains are $84 euros return, for a 2 hour train ride which is about $115 CND, so I will do 2 countries. Now I am very excited and thankful I have read this site for this excellent insight. And several of my friends and co-workers will appreciate this new approach, because I know they are fed up with aeroplans fuel surcharges on many Europe flights.

[mrsJOEwackIM]

Flights for 2 people to London ($484 due to high Heathrow fees, but no fuel surcharges); Dublin ($252, but flights back are few and far between for October); Berlin $478; Paris $285 (I am sure I can bring it down more by avoiding some countries on stop overs); Brussels $216; Bolongna $436; Stockholm $352, Hamburg $440.

Even the flight I already booked to San Francisco is reduced flying out of Buffalo - we paid $218 for flying out of Toronto, it would be $60 for flying out of Buffalo. Not worth our while to save the few bucks, but worth noting.

One flight from Brussels had a stop over in London, which really added to the fees, so I chose another itinerary which brought it down to $216.

I think I will cancel our San Fran trip departing on September 28, get the 50K points back and then re-book for Brussels. I am a little short on points, currently have 107,300 when I add back the 50K. The top up miles required are 3 cents each or $30 for 1k miles, so will wait until my VISA statement due Aug 8th is in (that is where I get my points from) and I should be at about 114,000. I just may pre-purchase SDM gift cards for my next diabetic supply purchase (I am due for the next 20x event) and that would get me 2000 points closer...which saves me $60 in avoiding the purchasing of top up miles.

Oh, I wanted to go to Germany - Cologne and the high speed trains are $84 euros return, for a 2 hour train ride which is about $115 CND, so I will do 2 countries. Now I am very excited and thankful I have read this site for this excellent insight. And several of my friends and co-workers will appreciate this new approach, because I know they are fed up with aeroplans fuel surcharges on many Europe flights.

I am glad you have found it so useful! I didn't even think to use my points for flying WITHIN europe, because I booked two flights within europe with RyanAir! I am going to check now and see if I would have saved even more money...

[roxybabe39]

Whoa, thanks for this post! Will have to keep it in mind for later!

[FrugalKris]

Great Deal!!! Last year hubby and I traveled to Denver, CO and left from Toronto - Taxes on the flight (with redeeming Aeroplan Points) $160ish with Air Canada and $99 with United!!!! So that's crazy... pretty much saved $60ish bucks per ticket..... but I was still able to leave from Toronto.... Probably different with International flights

ALSO - If you are looking for buffalo parking deals - one of the lots directly at the airport you can save $5.00 per week - here's a link to the coupon! It's the long-term lot for $50.00 a week - so saving $5.00 works :D It says put in your email and zipcode - use one close to the airport or i used my MILs

http://www.buffaloairport.com/Parking/Coupons.aspx

[kidsteph]

Update: I cancelled our flights to San Fran, got my points back, bought a lot of SDM gift cards to up my next Visa bill to up my aero plan points and booked our Tickets to Brussels. The surcharge difference between flying from Toronto vs Buffalo was about $60, and since we are leaving Fri Sept 20, decided to fly out of Toronto to avoid the border crossing on a workday. Had we chose another destination, We may have had to fly out of Buffalo. It is really good to know Buffalo is an option.

We will also visit Amsterdam and Cologne via high speed trains. This is my first trip to Europe, and without the kids, and on my 50th birthday.

Aero plan has worked well for me so far....now I just need to start accumulating points because I have zero right now.

[I <3 coupons]

Thank you so much for the info hopefully one day it will save me money if I can remember it.lol.. Hope you have a safe flight and enjoy your trip. Thanks for the post

[natynat]

Very nice! Enjoy your trip!