The Best Time to Book International Flights on Points
Meta Title: The Best Time to Book International Flights on Points | WanderWise Meta Description: When should you book award flights for the best availability? Learn the timing sweet spots, seasonal patterns, and strategies that stretch your points further. Target Keywords: best time to book international flights on points, when to book award flights, best time to use points for flights Word Count: ~2,100 Category: Points Strategy Cluster: Business Class / Award Booking
There's a question I hear more than almost any other: "When should I book?"
Not "where" or "how" — when. Because most people have figured out they have points, they've picked a destination, and they're ready to act. But they're staring at a calendar wondering if they should book now, wait for a better deal, or hold out for some mythical "sweet spot" that the internet keeps mentioning but never quite explains.
Let me explain it. Clearly, with real timelines, and without the jargon.
The short answer
For international flights booked with points, the ideal booking window is 8 to 11 months before departure for the best selection, with a secondary window at 2 to 6 weeks before departure for last-minute award seats. But those are just the headlines. The full picture involves seasonality, airline behavior, and a few patterns worth understanding.
Why timing matters differently for award flights
When you buy a ticket with cash, airlines use dynamic pricing — fares go up and down based on demand, and the algorithms adjust constantly. Book too early and you might overpay. Book too late and the price might be astronomical.
Award flights work differently. Most airlines release a fixed number of award seats on each flight — the seats available at the lowest points price. Once those seats are claimed, the remaining award seats (if any) cost significantly more points. So the question isn't really about price fluctuating — it's about availability.
Think of it this way: the best-value award seats are like the front row at a popular restaurant. They fill up first, and once they're gone, you're either paying a premium for whatever's left or waiting to see if someone cancels.
Your timing strategy, then, is about catching those front-row seats before they fill up — or being ready to grab one if it opens back up.
The early window: 8 to 11 months out
Most airlines open their award booking calendars about 330 to 355 days before departure. That's roughly 11 months out. And here's the key insight: the day those seats become available is when you have the widest selection.
This is especially true for:
- Business-class award seats to Europe. Airlines typically release only 1–2 business-class award seats per flight, per day. If you want two seats together in business class on a specific date, early is essential.
- Peak travel periods. Summer flights to Europe (June through August), holiday travel, spring break — these award seats go first.
- Popular routes. New York to London, Los Angeles to Paris, Chicago to Rome — high-demand routes sell out their award seats fast.
If you know your dates are fixed and you're eyeing business class or a peak-season trip, start searching the moment the calendar opens. Set a reminder for 330 days before your planned departure and check that day.
How to check: Go to your preferred airline's website, search for award flights on your desired dates, and look for availability at the lowest points price. If you see "Saver" or the baseline award level — that's what you want.
The sweet spot: 3 to 6 months out
If you missed the early window, or if your plans are still taking shape, the 3-to-6-month range is often surprisingly productive for award bookings.
Here's what happens in this window:
- Airlines re-evaluate their award seat inventory and sometimes release additional seats that weren't initially available.
- Travelers who booked early start making changes — canceling trips, shifting dates — which frees up award seats that were previously claimed.
- For economy-class travel, airlines tend to be more generous with award availability during this period, especially on routes with lower demand.
This window works particularly well for:
- Shoulder-season travel (April–May, September–October to Europe; March and November to the Caribbean or Asia)
- Economy-class bookings where you're flexible on dates
- Less popular routes (secondary cities in Europe, Southeast Asia, South America)
The last-minute window: 2 to 6 weeks out
This one surprises people. Conventional wisdom says "book early," but airlines regularly release unsold award seats close to departure. Why? Because an empty seat earns the airline nothing. They'd rather fill it with a points redemption than let it fly empty.
Airlines known for last-minute award releases include:
- United Airlines — often releases economy and even business-class Saver award seats within 2–3 weeks of departure
- Delta Air Lines — uses dynamic pricing, so you'll sometimes see award prices drop significantly close to departure when demand is soft
- Air Canada (Aeroplan) — frequently opens up partner airline availability 1–2 weeks before departure
The caveat: This strategy requires genuine flexibility. You can't count on a specific route or date being available. But if you can travel within a range of dates, or if you're open to connecting through different cities, the last-minute window can yield remarkable finds.
I know people who've booked business-class seats to Europe for 50,000–60,000 points two weeks before departure because the airline released unsold inventory. It happens. Not always, but often enough to be worth checking.
Seasonal patterns: when your points go furthest
Award availability isn't random — it follows predictable seasonal patterns. Understanding these patterns helps you time both your booking and your travel for the best value.
Best months to travel for award availability
| Destination | Best Value Travel Months | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Europe | January–March, late October–November | Off-season means lower demand and more award seats |
| Caribbean | May–early June, late November (excluding Thanksgiving) | After spring break, before holiday rush |
| Asia | April–May, September–October | Shoulder seasons between monsoon and peak |
| Hawaii | January (post-holiday), April–May, September–October | Between holiday rushes |
| Australia/New Zealand | US spring (their autumn) — March–May | Lower demand from US travelers |
| South America | US autumn (their spring) — September–November | Shoulder season, excellent weather |
Best months to book for specific travel periods
| Your Travel Period | When to Book |
|---|---|
| Summer in Europe (June–August) | 10–11 months ahead (September–October of the prior year) |
| Holiday travel (December) | As early as possible — 10+ months ahead |
| Fall shoulder season (September–October) | 6–8 months ahead or 3–4 weeks before |
| Spring shoulder season (April–May) | 4–8 months ahead |
| Winter getaway (January–February) | 6–9 months ahead, or watch for last-minute releases |
Day of the week matters, too
This is a small detail that makes a surprising difference. Award flights are most available — and most likely to be released — on Tuesdays through Thursdays. Why?
- Most leisure travelers book flights on weekends and Mondays. By midweek, booking activity slows down.
- Some airlines batch-release award inventory on Tuesday nights (following the old airline fare-adjustment cycle).
- Flights departing on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays tend to have the best award availability because those are the lowest-demand travel days.
If you can depart on a Tuesday and return on a Thursday (or shift your dates by even one day in either direction), you'll often see award seats that aren't available on the surrounding days.
The "when to transfer" question
If you're planning to transfer credit card points to an airline frequent flyer program (which often gets you better value than booking through your card's travel portal), timing the transfer matters.
The rule: Find the award flight first. Confirm it's available at the points price you expect. Then transfer your points.
Transfers from Chase are often instant. Transfers from American Express can take 1–2 business days. Capital One transfers typically take 1–2 business days as well.
Do not transfer your points speculatively and then search for flights. Once points move to an airline program, they can't come back to your credit card. Transfer only when you've confirmed the flight you want is available and ready to book.
The devaluation factor: why waiting too long costs you
Here's something the timing conversation often misses: your points lose value over time.
Airlines periodically increase the number of points required for award flights. This is called devaluation, and it happens regularly. Delta adjusted its pricing upward in 2023 and again in 2024. United has made incremental changes. International partners adjust their award charts too.
What this means practically: the business-class seat that costs 60,000 points today might cost 75,000 points next year. Your points balance didn't change, but what it can buy did.
This isn't a reason to panic or rush into a trip you're not ready for. But it is a reason not to sit on a large points balance indefinitely. Points are like a garden — they're meant to be harvested, not just admired.
Practical timing strategies
Let me distill all of this into a simple set of guidelines you can actually use:
If you have a specific trip in mind with fixed dates: Book as early as possible — ideally 10–11 months out, the day seats become available. This is especially true for business class and peak-season travel.
If you're flexible on dates but have a destination in mind: Start checking 6–8 months out. Watch for the shoulder seasons. Check again at 3–4 weeks before your preferred dates.
If you're flexible on both dates and destination: You're in the best position. Search multiple destinations and date ranges. The last-minute window (2–6 weeks out) can produce incredible finds for the flexible traveler.
For any booking:
- Search on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays
- Compare the travel portal price to the airline transfer price
- Don't transfer points until you've confirmed availability
- Set calendar reminders for key booking windows
One more thought on timing
The best time to book isn't always the "optimal" time. Sometimes it's the time when you're ready — when the dates align with your schedule, when your travel companion says yes, when you've done enough research to feel confident.
Analysis paralysis costs more than a slightly suboptimal booking. A flight booked for 55,000 points when you could have gotten it for 50,000 is still a flight that would have cost $1,200 in cash. That's not a failure. That's a very smart use of your points.
Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the excellent. Search, find something good, and book it. Then start planning the next one.
Not sure how many points you have or what they're worth? Take the WanderWise Travel Score Quiz — it takes 60 seconds and shows you exactly where you stand.