Is Business Class Always Expensive? The Answer Will Surprise You

The business class experience sounds amazing, but the price tag is a splash of cold water. Seats can cost upwards of $4,000 or $5,000 -- more than what many people make in a month. If you've seen prices like that before, you might have resigned yourself to flying economy, unless you win the Powerball or get a massive raise.

While business class costs much more than economy on average, it's not all bad news. Business class isn't always expensive. There are ways to get these tickets at a much more affordable cost. Below, I'll go over the best methods to fly business class for less, including for under $100.

Book with miles and only pay taxes and fees

Cash isn't the only way to pay for a business class ticket. Many frequent flyer programs let you book business class with miles. Since you're using miles, you don't pay a thing for airfare -- just the taxes and fees.

The cost in miles and the taxes and fees vary, as these depend on the frequent flyer program and the flight. Taxes and fees can be as low as $5.60 (and I've seen business class tickets available for that amount, plus miles). If you have the miles, it's entirely possible to fly business class for under $100 every time.

The challenge is having enough miles. Business class airfare can cost anywhere from about 30,000 miles to over 100,000 miles each way. That's where travel credit cards can make all the difference. By paying for all your regular expenses on a travel card, you can earn rewards that you use to book business class flights.

Buy an economy ticket and upgrade it

Airlines don't always sell out their business class cabins. When they have seats available, they may give economy passengers the option to upgrade.

Some simply let you pay a fixed cash price to upgrade to business class. Others have bidding systems. You submit a bid with how much you're willing to pay, and the airline notifies you if your offer is accepted.

It's usually much cheaper to pay for an economy ticket and an upgrade than to pay for business class outright. One frequent flyer at The Ascent, who has bid on business class upgrades several times, reported that on her accepted bids, she paid $90, $115, and $325, with the most expensive being for a 12-hour flight.

Be on the lookout for business class deals

It's possible to find reasonable cash prices for business class airfare. If you're traveling to a destination with a lower cost of living, airfare could be much more affordable. For example, I've traveled between the United States and South America several times, and I often find business class tickets in the $500-$700 range.

There are also plenty of deals available, where you can book business class for lower prices than usual. Here are a few tips on how to find these offers:

• Sign up for email updates with your favorite airlines and travel booking sites. Airlines and travel booking sites often send out deals. If you keep an eye on your email, you could grab cheap airfare before it sells out.
• Consider subscribing to a flight deals service. Thrifty Traveler Premium and Dollar Flight Club are two of the popular ones. These have annual fees, so they're mainly for frequent travelers, but they can help you save a lot of money -- like $1,800 on a roundtrip business-class flight.
• Be flexible about when and where you travel. If you're locked in to a date and destination, there might just not be a deal available. It's much easier when you're flexible. One of the best ways to find low business class prices is to search for flights to anywhere from your home airport and see what costs the least.

Those business-class seats aren't just for people with thousands to spend on airfare. If you'd love to fly this way, I'd recommend starting with credit cards that earn travel rewards. That's how I book most of my business class flights. You could also find good cash deals from time to time if you shop around. And if all else fails, book an economy seat and see if you can upgrade it later.