On most airlines, flying in business class offers more comfortable seats, the option to check luggage for free, early or priority boarding, and other benefits. There are definite advantages to doing this, although of course it comes at a cost. Business class seats typically cost about three to four times more than an economy class seat.
While there are many advantages, there are also some disadvantages to consider. Here’s a surprising downside you might not have thought of.
Here’s one of the biggest unexpected downsides to flying business class
Business class travelers, by definition, spend more money on their tickets than their peers in cheap seats. Since people who fly business class pay a high price, it often makes sense for them to sign up for co-branded credit cards with airlines.
And that’s where a big surprise disadvantage of business class comes in. These credit cards typically offer great perks — but many of them are effectively useless if you’re already flying business class anyway.
See, airline co-branded cards often charge high annual fees but offer generous perks that make traveling more enjoyable. However, you would get many of the perks included with a business class ticket anyway. For example, co-branded airline cards often offer:
- Access to airline lounges
- Priority check-in and screening
- A free first checked bag
- Economy seat upgrades to business or first class
However, business class and first class tickets typically come with priority boarding and free checked baggage. Also, you are obviously already seated in business class, so your seat cannot be upgraded. And if you’re traveling internationally in first class, you can usually also visit the airline’s lounge for free with your ticket.
Why is this a disadvantage?
The redundancy in benefits offered by elite travel cards and business class or first class seats is a major drawback because it can make elite travel cards less valuable to those who frequently fly business class – although these cards often offer those same travelers generous rewards for purchasing their expensive seats.
If a card has a $695 annual fee (or something close to it, as many elite travel cards do) and you can’t use half the perks, it’s harder to argue that the card is worth signing up for. At the same time, when you spend money on business or first class flights, it’s hard to argue against by signing up for the card that will offer more bonus miles to reward you for the ticket purchased.
Essentially, it’s up to you whether you want to forgo the best credit card rewards programs or whether you want to pay a large annual fee just to get access to these programs – even if you can’t take full advantage of most of the benefits that help make these cards so valuable.
In the end, you’ll have to do the math and see if the card rewards you actually earn go usage will justify the card’s annual fee.
Unfortunately, even if you decide a card is still worth it, you won’t enjoy all the perks you’re paying for and that others will enjoy. This is one downside to always flying business class that you shouldn’t ignore.
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