Best Deal Of The Year: 90% Off Garuda Indonesia First Class Award Tickets!!!

Best Deal Of The Year: 90% Off Garuda Indonesia First Class Award Tickets!!!

67

Update: I’m working on verifying firsthand, but for now I may hold off before transferring points. I’m verifying to make sure this is actually a 90% off promotion rather than them just saying you pay 90% of the price. If it’s the latter, it’s very poorly worded on their part.

Okay, this is possibly the best legitimate mileage deal I’ve seen in my entire life. Like, I actually can’t come to terms with good of a deal this is, and feel like I must be missing something.

Garuda Indonesia first class is one of the best in the world. I recently flew them between London and Jakarta thanks to an excellent Black Friday sale, and was blown away by every aspect of the experience, including the incredible ground experience in London, the spectacular onboard experience on the 14 hour flight to Jakarta, and the arrival experience in Jakarta.

garuda-indonesia-first-class-1

I thought the Black Friday sale was a good deal, though this is even better. As a matter of fact, it’s shocking how generous this promotion is.

Get 90% off Garuda Indonesia award redemptions!

Garuda Indonesia’s GarudaMiles program is offering a 90% discount on award tickets that are issued between December 22 and December 31, 2016, for travel between February 1 and May 31, 2017. They’re calling it the best deal of the year, and I’d tend to agree. I’ll take it a step further, and say it’s the best mileage deal of the decade.

I hope that this is actually what they’re intending, because it seems too good to be true. The only other thing I could think of is that they’re referring to a 10% discount, but if so they badly botched how they phrased this, and I also wouldn’t call it the “best deal of the year.” I’m on the phone with Garuda Indonesia right now trying to figure that out, and will report back.

garuda-award

The basic terms of this promotion are as follows:

  • Promo is valid for low grade R (First Class), O (Business Class) and X (Economy Class)
  • Promo is valid depends on the availability of seats
  • Promo applies channel mileage redemption in the contact center or sales office Garuda Indonesia
  • Promo applies to all members of GarudaMiles
  • No registration is required for this promo

The other catch is that in order to take advantage of this promotion you have to book through Garuda Indonesia’s call center, which can be reached at 0804 1 807 807 or +62 21 2351 9999. While you can nowadays book Garuda awards through their website, the discounted prices aren’t showing there.

You can find Garuda Indonesia’s award chart here.

To give a few examples, a one-way first class ticket from Jakarta to Tokyo ordinarily costs 90,000 miles, while a business class ticket would cost 63,000 miles.

garuda-award-1

A one-way first class ticket from Jakarta to London ordinarily costs 190,000 miles, while a business class ticket would cost 63,000 miles.

garuda-award-2

How to earn Garuda Indonesia miles

Garuda Indonesia is transfer partners with Citi ThankYou, so you can transfer those points to GarudaMiles, though transfers can take up to a couple of days.

Alternatively, GarudaMiles can be purchased directly from the airline at the rate of $30 per 1,000 miles, with a limit of 50,000 purchased miles per calendar year. This would be like paying $270 for enough miles for a one-way first class ticket from Jakarta to Tokyo, or $570 for enough miles for a one-way first class ticket from Jakarta to London.

garuda-indonesia-first-class-3

Bottom line

This is an amazing deal, one of the best I’ve ever seen. There don’t seem to be any catches, though I’m in the process of calling and trying to verify firsthand. For now I’d recommend holding off before transferring miles and letting us verify everything is as it seems, and we’ll be sure to report back.

This is potentially an amazing opportunity to try one of the world’s best first class products!

garuda-first-class

(Tip of the hat to Edy Sulistyo)

Conversations (67)
The comments on this page have not been provided, reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any advertiser, and it is not an advertiser's responsibility to ensure posts and/or questions are answered.
Type your response here.

If you'd like to participate in the discussion, please adhere to our commenting guidelines. Anyone can comment, and your email address will not be published. Register to save your unique username and earn special OMAAT reputation perks!

  1. Nick Guest

    Now, all sale seats are sold out!

  2. Ryan Member

    Is there any possibility to transfer European AMEX Reward points to Garuda?! Maybe through transferring them to SPG and then to Garuda for instance... I'm getting crazyyy, I want that First Class ticket!!

    1. MattJ Member

      @Ryan

      Gooooooooood luck!

  3. Joe Guest

    Anyone actually getting through to Garuda's Indonesian callcentre? I've literally called 23 times, but never gotten through to an agent (all busy).

    Any hints or pointers what to do?

  4. Maarten Guest

    Awesome, thanks for sharing this deal!
    I booked RT 2 business class tickets AMS-CGK voor 800 EURO each.
    Best deal ever :-)

  5. Joe Guest

    For those who called the Dutch number, how long did it take you to get through? I've been on the line for 40 min and after choosing language it's only static...

  6. Matt Guest

    Re: having to produce a membership card, Garuda have e-cards.
    https://garudamiles.com/TopHome/news-and-offers/garudamiles-info/GarudaMiles-e-Card-is-Officially-Launched-Ready-for-Action

  7. Andrew Guest

    Hi Lucky, I am based in Jakarta and I just issued my flight from CGK to AMS with 38,000miles return for R class (First). And I also booked a Business Class (O Class) to LHR for 18,000miles return. I also thought there is a catch for this but apparently it does not. The only thing is they only releases 1 R class (First) in every flight and 2 in O class (Business). I have my...

    Hi Lucky, I am based in Jakarta and I just issued my flight from CGK to AMS with 38,000miles return for R class (First). And I also booked a Business Class (O Class) to LHR for 18,000miles return. I also thought there is a catch for this but apparently it does not. The only thing is they only releases 1 R class (First) in every flight and 2 in O class (Business). I have my Indonesian credit cards so I have the miles transfered. Also I booked it for someone else and found out that you can actually buy a max of 50,000 miles. But for this you have to go to a Garuda office. People are lining up here in the Garuda office to issue their seats.

  8. Oz Guest

    One more thing. Buying miles in rupiah (if you have access to the currency/local credit/debit card) is cheaper. USD 30 is like Rp 420k while paying in rupiah is only Rp 270k

  9. Oz Guest

    I already asked through twitter in Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian language). They confirmed we only need to pay 10% miles or required miles.

  10. teguhxh Guest

    Best Deal of the year

    booked Denpasar (Bali) - Tokyo in First Class only 9.000 miles!
    in the normal situation, the miles not enough to be converted for Jakarta-Denpasar (14.000 miles in normal)

  11. Bill Member

    The wording on Garuda website in English says it is "Best Deal of The Year!
    Get 90% Redemption Discount for GarudaMiles Member"

    So take that as it may

  12. Lisa Guest

    Two questions: (1) is there a way to book this without calling an international number? (2) Can anyone confirm whether you need to go in person to one of their U.S. offices to purchase the ticket, as explained here: http://pointmetotheplane.boardingarea.com/2016/12/22/information-bad-news-garuda-indonesia-deal/ ?

  13. ronaldo Guest

    who do you email the mileage buy to?

  14. danny Guest

    @sag did you buy the miles after the reservation was put on hold?

  15. Dave Guest

    Thanks @gary. I have the ticket on hold. Any tips for Citi transfer times? Looks like it might take up to 2-3 days for a transfer to go through....

  16. Rick Guest

    @Dave, Garuda doesn't have a 777-200. That's some carry over from whatever template they're using. The seatmap for the 777-300 is what you'll get

  17. Dave Guest

    Was able to book on 777-200/300 out of AMS. is this the 777-300ER? Itin shows 772 but I can't find a seat map for that

  18. pag New Member

    https://garudamiles.com/TopHome/news-and-offers/special-offers/Best-Deal-of-The-Year-en-US

    Not only first class, but other classes too: This promo eligible for flight classes R (First Class), O (Business Class) and X (Economy Class)

  19. David Guest

    For those of you without Guarda points, you can probably just buy it during booking directly. I think they are categorized as travel since you are buying directly from them.

  20. Sag Guest

    Quick heads up for people trying to use the promotion - After calling couple of times to their Indonesian call centre and getting automatically disconnected after a brief hold, called their dutch number ( thanks to David for the tip ), got through to a English speaking agent and she confirmed the 90% offer and went ahead and created a reservation fro MEL-LHR (via CGK ), and was informed that I can get it ticketed...

    Quick heads up for people trying to use the promotion - After calling couple of times to their Indonesian call centre and getting automatically disconnected after a brief hold, called their dutch number ( thanks to David for the tip ), got through to a English speaking agent and she confirmed the 90% offer and went ahead and created a reservation fro MEL-LHR (via CGK ), and was informed that I can get it ticketed by the Garuda Miles desk earliest by tomorrow, apparently they are extremely busy with a lot of requests !!

    Now the big question is should I transfer Thank you points or just go ahead and buy the points outright, decisions, decisions !!

  21. Flo Guest

    is there a way to search GA award space online?
    The KL website only has a "(AF) La Premiere" option - and it doesn't seem to work for GA.

  22. Dave Guest

    @arpan what number did you call and could you put it on hold while transferring?

  23. Todd Diamond

    @Arpan

    Why not share with all of us how you got through?

  24. Jake Guest

    Does Garuda fly to/from New York?

    How can I use Delta miles to take advantage of the Garuda promotion?

  25. Arpan Guest

    Hi Lucky,

    Big fan, glad you're coming to Mumbai (I'm here for the holidays). I got through somehow and it is completely legit, space is available for CGK-AMS for 19k miles and approx 200$ tax and surcharge. Let me know if you have any questions!

    Best,

    Arpan

    1. lucky OMAAT

      @ Arpan -- AWESOME! Did you go ahead and ticket the reservation, or you just inquired about availability? Thanks for sharing your experience!

  26. Todd Diamond

    There are several forms on their website including, "Award Order Form" and a "Buy Mileage Form", etc.

    You could download, complete and submit them. However, it does not state how quickly the request will be processed.

    https://garudamiles.com/footer/download/

  27. ncsam New Member

    I see that to book you need your original membership card. Does this mean physical card, or will a PDF of it off of the GA website work?

  28. doug Singer New Member

    I don't see the box to the right of the state - tried US, UK, and Australia - any further info on how to get past that to registration?

  29. David Guest

    Only Garuda metal. So your destination options are limited...

  30. Sam Guest

    would this only apply to Garuda metal or can this be applied to partner airlines?

  31. David Guest

    Try their UK number? (44-20) 74678661
    or Dutch? (31-20) 550 2600

  32. Donitrich Guest

    An Indonesian here, as far as i could see from the promo written in indonesian, it is 90% off not 10% off

  33. Flo Guest

    Bahasa Indonesia speaking friend of mine said the original wording in Bahasa does actually say 90% off in the sense that you get 90% off the listed price.

    But would you actually have to visit a GA sales office to get it ticketed?

  34. 54austin Member

    Do they grant access to their F lounge when connecting to a regional flight in business class?

  35. Stvr Guest

    I vote Doog1000 and David for biggest trolls. And I love to troll. Touché

    1. AJK Member

      @Sky

      If legit (and very likely it's not), it's 90% off and you're worried about YQ?

      facepalm

  36. Tony Guest

    Calling their contact center and they only put you on hold for 3 minutes then kick you off and tell you to call back.

  37. David Guest

    You have to call to get the discounted booking rate. The online rate doesn't have discounts. You should become a member first.

  38. Sky Guest

    Any YQ for this redemption?

  39. AJK Member

    No way this can be legit. #lostintranslation

  40. dmodemd Guest

    Waaayy too risky. If you lose availability while waiting the couple days for those points to transfer, you are hosed and they win. Also agree that you need to find out the details and verify yourself before posting and putting other people's points at risk.

  41. David Guest

    Good deal! Booked flight from AMS to CGK in first for 38K

    1. lucky OMAAT

      @ David -- I've been trying to get through and have been having trouble. You were actually able to book? Can you share more about the experience?

  42. Doog1000 Guest

    Damn - I've just transferred Citi Thank You points over - if this turns out to be an error due you think Citi will refund the thank you points given the circumstances?

  43. Larry Guest

    Managed to sign up on this site. https://garudamiles.com/TopHome/enroll-now-lite/

    Probably won't matter lol.

  44. Colin New Member

    @Lucky, what do the tickets price at now? you say 90% off but can you post confirmed discounted prices?

  45. CHamnan Sieng Guest

    @Larry There is a blank space to the right of the box for city. I just entered my city in that box and I was able to sign up. Hopefully, this helps.

  46. Flo Guest

    Here's the original wording in Bahasa Indonesia: https://garudamiles.com/TopHome-id-ID/berita-dan-penawaran/penawaran-spesial/Best-Deal-of-The-Year/

  47. Jon Guest

    @Jackie - No, SPG does not offer transfers to GarudaMiles

  48. Ram New Member

    @Larry, I too encountered the same issue

  49. Larry Guest

    Even if this deal were legitimate, and I wanted to take advantage, I can't sign up for GarudaMiles because their signup form only lets you Select (not enter) a city in the US after selecting the State, but the City lookup is not retrieving any results. And it's a required field.

  50. Santastico Diamond

    Wow!!! This is one of the worst written advertisement I ever seen. The English is so poor that it would raise red flags in my mind.

  51. Jackie Guest

    Are they a transfer partner of SPG?

  52. Ryan Guest

    @lucky you can't seriously believe they mean 90% off. I enjoy reading your blog but you have some very questionable posts. It's clearly a language barrier. You should have found this out BEFORE posting.

  53. L New Member

    In China (and possibly other Asian countries), it is more common to say "pay 90% of original value", instead of saying "10% off". Might be the case here. Thank you for the head-up anyway.

  54. lsbuffs Guest

    My guess is their wording is off and it's a 10% discount, so paying 90% of usual cost.

  55. Andrew Guest

    Do they fly anywhere in the US? Is London the closest?

  56. Melissa Guest

    There aren't any catches? You have to call "Garuda['s] Indonesia’s call center." only. That's the first catch.

  57. danny Guest

    Please keep us posted. Does it apply only to flights to originating from Jakarta?

  58. Credit Guest

    Buying miles is through points.Com or through the airline directly?

  59. MattJ Member

    Hold up, @ Lucky. Should I better direct the miles earned on my F ticket from London to SIN with Garuda to Garuda Miles or Air France Flying Blue? I am based in Australia and Garuda would be a better aligned airline for my region. Thoughts?

  60. Laurel Member

    Are you sure it doesn't mean paying 90% of the mileage cost?

  61. MattJ Member

    How does one get this email newsletter?!

Featured Comments Most helpful comments ( as chosen by the OMAAT community ).

The comments on this page have not been provided, reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any advertiser, and it is not an advertiser's responsibility to ensure posts and/or questions are answered.

Nick Guest

Now, all sale seats are sold out!

0
MattJ Member

@Ryan Gooooooooood luck!

0
Ryan Member

Is there any possibility to transfer European AMEX Reward points to Garuda?! Maybe through transferring them to SPG and then to Garuda for instance... I'm getting crazyyy, I want that First Class ticket!!

0
Meet Ben Schlappig, OMAAT Founder
5,163,247 Miles Traveled

32,614,600 Words Written

35,045 Posts Published