2024 Paris Olympics: How I used points and miles to save money on business-class flights and hotel nights

14.12.2023 - 15:57 / thepointsguy.com / Taylor Swift / Summer Olympics / Paris Olympics

2023 is coming to a close, which means the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris are fast approaching. The opening ceremony is scheduled for July 26, with the Games finishing Aug. 11; the Paralympics will run from Aug. 28 through Sept. 8.

Those on top of their game have probably already booked their flights and accommodations, potentially back in July and August, when award availability calendars opened.

People like me, however, have been a bit late to the game. I wasn't planning on attending the Olympics until late November, but I was lucky enough to snag tickets to three Olympic events — beach volleyball, volleyball and water polo — for 376 euros (about $404). That includes an (admittedly expensive) 200-euro ticket to see beach volleyball played under the Eiffel Tower at night — iconic.

So, how would I get to and from Paris? And where would I stay, given that award availability is nearly nonexistent and cash prices are sky-high? Well, I've been pleasantly surprised. Here's how I've locked in my Paris Olympics plans and even saved money by maximizing my points and miles.

Related: France: 2024 will be a year of commemorations and competitions

For the past few years, I've attended Chicago Pride in late June and then Madrid Pride the weekend after. (I taught English in Madrid for a year and five summers, so I like to return for an annual visit.)

In July 2023, when the award schedule opened up, I took advantage of a 30% American Express Membership Rewards transfer bonus to Iberia Plus to book a one-way Iberia business-class flight from Chicago to Madrid. I transferred 39,000 Amex points to Iberia to book this award for 50,000 Avios plus $129 in taxes.

You can get nonstop Iberia business-class flights from the U.S. to Madrid for as low as 34,000 points, which would have required only 27,000 Amex points with the transfer bonus. However, I'm flying on a peak date, so the regular price was 50,000 Avios instead of 34,000.

After spending two weeks in Madrid, I'm planning a 10-day road trip through the Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Then, I'm considering attending the Tomorrowland electronic dance music festival in Belgium before heading to Munich to see Taylor Swift, where I got floor tickets for 239 euros each — much cheaper than in the U.S.

After Munich, I'll stay in Stuttgart, Germany, for three nights. From there, I was able to snag an incredibly valuable redemption with Air France-KLM Flying Blue.

First, I was surprised to find Air France business-class award availability from Paris to Los Angeles for 50,000 Flying Blue miles plus $383 in taxes for the exact date I wanted (the middle weekend of the Olympics). Though I am based in Austin, I can easily add a cheap domestic economy-class flight