With its overwater bungalows, beautiful water, and pristine beaches Tahiti has an air of exclusivity that is not entirely unjustified.

Things to do in Moorea

The stunning view from Toatea Lookout in Moorea, French Polynesia

Looking at only the costs to travel to the French Polynesian Islands, it seems like the chance to visit is reserved for the wealthy… or will involve saving for a very special occasion. But, Lauren and I were able to travel here for only $63 per person, this included the flight from Houston to LA as well! Continue reading to learn about the steps we took to get our tickets booked at a low rate and some ways that you can redeem airline miles to get cheap flights to Tahiti.

Flight costs from Houston to Tahiti in July 2018

Flight costs from Houston to Tahiti in July 2018 (from Kayak’s flight search portal)

We have always been big proponents of credit card points since we discovered how they let us travel to amazing destinations for a relatively small amount of money. To get to Tahiti from the United States, you need to get 80,000 points with American Airlines, or 70,000 points with United Airlines (although the UA flights seemed pretty undesirable, there was a 48h travel day on the flights I was able to find). Fortunately, we already have a post explaining how to get 80,000 AA points in 4 months.

Where the United Airlines flights set themselves apart is the ability to book the flight online, American Airlines codeshares with Air Tahiti Nui, but you cannot use your points to book online. To use your American Airlines points you have to call the AAdvantage Reservations number: 1-800-882-8880.

When I called, I was told that Air Tahiti Nui and AA had opened more reward flight availability, and would highly encourage calling to see what sort of deals you can find.  We had to be flexible with when we wanted to go and how long we wanted to stay. There seemed to be a lot of availability between Los Angeles and Tahiti, but including the flight from Houston to Los Angeles reduced award availability significantly. We told the American Airlines reservation clerk that we had 6 weeks we wanted to travel and gave a variable amount of days that we wanted to stay as well (between 4 and 6 nights).  Eventually (this was a back and forth process that took ~20 minutes) we settled on traveling from April 4th to April 11th for a total cost of $126 for both Lauren and me!

Lessons Learned from Booking Tahiti Flights with AA Miles

  • Had to book over the phone
  • Multiple dates available from LAX, (if you are okay with paying full price to travel to LAX)
  • Very limited availability if trying to use the miles towards a pre-LAX flight
  • Flexibility and patience are required to find the best deal while on the phone
  • More availability to travel during Tahiti’s off-peak season (November through April)
  • Once miles are applied, only taxes and fees require payment

If you are able to travel to Tahiti using American Airlines points on Air Tahiti Nui, be sure to read our post on flying Tahiti Economy Class! We hope you are able to travel to Tahiti and enjoy these beautiful islands just as we did!

– Reed –

What to expect flying Air Tahiti Nui economy class

Air Tahiti Nui Moana Economy Class Seating

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