Buy Finnair Plus Points with up to 100% Bonus, e.g. Business Class from Japan to Europe for €790 o/w

Buying miles or – in this case – points can be a lucrative endeavour. Until September 18, 2023, you can buy Finnair Plus points and the airline will give you a bonus of up to 100% on the points you’ve purchased. This results in a price of 0,644 cents per point, which is the best price since 2022.

The discount and the amount of bonus points depends on the number of points you buy:

• 5,000 – 19,000 points = 40% bonus (0.92 cents/point)
• 20,000 – 49,000 points = 60% bonus (0.80 cents/point)
• 50,000 – 99,000 points = 80% bonus (0.72 cents/point)
• 100,000 – 200,000 points = 100% bonus (0.64 cents/point)

With that bonus and discount, you could be paying as little as 0.64 cents per award point – a very good rate!

Sweet Spots

You can theoretically buy a one-way ticket from Europe via Helsinki to Tokyo in Finnair’s A350-900 Business Class for 95,000 points = €608 + €223 in taxes & surcharges = €831. Here are some other examples of one-way tickets:

• Business Class Billund → Reykjavík for 15,000 points + €72 (= €169)
• Business Class Los Angeles → Europe für 95,000 points + €132 (= €744)
• Business Class Bangkok → Europe for 95,000 points + €171 (= €783)
• Business Class Tokyo -> Europe for 95,000 points + €178 (= €790)
• Business Class Singapore → Europe for 95,000 points + €197 (= €810)

Economy roundtrips from Copenhagen/Warsaw/Krakow/Gdansk via Helsinki to Iceland at 15,000 points = €96 + roughly €67 taxes & surcharges = roughly €165. In contrast to regular economy tickets, these include a checked bag of up to 23 kg and can be changed for free up to seven days before departure.

Upgrades

Finnair allows upgrades from any booking class. This enables you to upgrade to business class, even when purchasing an economy light fare. This is Finnair’s upgrade table for oneway flights:

Region	Points
Within Northern Europe	10,000 €64.38
Within Europe incl. Tel Aviv, Dubai	15,000 €96.56
Long-haul Economy → Business	60,000 €386.25
Long-haul Economy → Premium Economy	25,000 €160.94
Long-haul Premium Economy → Business	35,000 €225.31

If you purchase a €500 roundtrip to Asia, you can upgrade each long-haul flight at a price of 60,000 or €387. This would add up to a €1,273 business class roundtrip – a marvellous price for two long-haul flights in lie-flat seats. The catch is that an upgrade must be available for your specific flight. You can check this out easily here.

Conversion to Avios

The exact date is still unknown, but apparently all points will be converted to Avios in early 2024. You’ll get 2 Avios per 3 Finnair Plus points, and it may be possible to transfer them to other Avios-based programs, such as the British Airways Executive Club.

If you buy these points now, you’d get the Avios at a price of 0.966 cents per Avios, which is a pretty good price.

Bottom Line

Buying points with such an incredible bonus can pay off. That you cannot check availabilities before your purchase is a huge downside, nonetheless. Please remember that hoarding points is never a good idea, since airlines may devalue them at free will. That being said, you’ll rarely get a better price for Finnair Points – and indirectly also for Avios.

Cover Picture: © Finnair