Air France and KLM has put Johannesburg on sale for about $800. Star Alliance carriers (United, Lufhansa, Brussels Airlines, Air Canada and Swiss Air) also have a similar fare. But those fares do not earn any miles. Instead, we recommend that you spend slightly more money to buy the $900 fare with Air France/KLM that does earn 100% mileage with Delta. The distance between Washington D.C. and Johannesburg via Air France / KLM is over 18,000 miles. At a super conservative valuation of a penny a mile, that’s worth $180. In essence, by spending about a hundred dollars more, you will at minimum earn a profit of about $80.
Skyline, Johannesburg, South Africa. Photo: ThisParticularGreg, used under Creative Commons License (By 2.0)
Sample Travel Date:
- November 4th – 11th
Fare Availability:
- Valid for travel from November 1st – 30th or January 10th, 2014 – March 10th, 2014. Use ITA Software Matrix Airfare Search and flexible month search to see availability — enable advanced routing codes and enter “/ f .. RLPR5US” on the outbound field and “/ f .. RLPR5US” on the return field to search only this fare. This code will search for the $900 mileage earning fare. Must purchase by March 31st, 2014 (THIS WILL NOT LAST until then)
- Beginner’s Guide on How to Use Matrix by ITA Software
- How to Read Airfare Rules and Use It to Your Advantage
Partner Fare Class:
- R
Routing:
- IAD – AMS (Amsterdam) – JNB (Johannesburg) – CDG – IAD. For AvGeeks, the segments between Jo’Burg – Paris – Washington D.C. are on the Airbus A380. Parts of the itinerary are operated by KLM. You can book the entire trip on AirFrance.US
Mileage:
- 18,730 miles or 4.8 cents per mile. Air France partners with Delta. This $900 fare in R class will earn 100% mileage with Delta SkyMiles. Remember to provide your SkyMiles number at check-in to receive your miles. DO NOT CREDIT THIS TO Air France/KLM’s program, as it will only earn 25%. Credit to Delta!
How to Book:
- Use dates found on ITA Software Matrix Search and book on AirFrance.US
- Receive 2% back with TopCashBack.com(*), use TopCashBack.com‘s AirFrance.US link book to receive the 2% saving
- Chose the fare that add up to $900. At the confirmation screen, make sure it says Class R. If it is V, it will not earn any miles!
Background Information:
- Visa: US Citizens – not required. Other nationals, check the TIMATIC Visa Database
- Currency: Rand – $1USD = 9.9 South African Rand (ZAR)
Tips for saving when using credit cards at international destinations:
- No Foreign Transaction Fee Credit Cards to save on international purchases
- Don’t get hit with Dynamic Currency Conversion
- Get your taxes refunded when shopping
- How to Avoid International Data Roaming Charges
For more of the latest cheap Washington D.C. / Baltimore Flight Deals:
* The Flight Deal will receive a cash bonus if you use the TopCashBack affiliate link above to create a TopCashBack account and make a subsequent booking.
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