Upgrade Turkish Economy Class to Business Class

Bonusprogramme
1

Hi Everyone, I hope you are well. I am new in Germany and trying to learn all the hacks with payback and points. I have read quite a lot but I still find it confusing. I already have a CitiGold Debit Card (USA) and It has no transaction fees anywhere in the world and currency conversion rates are superb.

Here is what I want to achieve
I and my wife fly 2 times a year from Leipzig to Islamabad (via Istanbul) on Turkish Airlines. My only goal here is to somehow upgrade economy to business class without paying insane amount. I already pay for economy tickets. Just hoping to travel business class

2nd option is Flying from Prague to Islamabad via Emirates. Economy flight prices are almost similar.

What is my best strategy here?

Which credit card should I get? Is Amex Gold the best option here? Is there a way I can simply buy points to be used for upgrading from economy to business class? I have no issue spending money for this as long as value for miles is nice.

I can spend around 20,000 euros on my credit card annually.

I’m very thankful to all of you for help. This forum is a blessing.

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Hi newguyde,
Welcome to the forum and yes it is a little confusing :grinning:
So your question or better your aim is infact a tricky one.
Some questions from my side : 1. Do you collect with your credit card City Thank You Points? did you receive a sign up bonus when applying for that card? Do you know that you are able to transfer the TYP ( thank you points) to a couple of Airline programs as well as Hotel loyalty programs?
So if your aim is to fly inside Star Alliance and living in Germany , the best strategy is Amex Payback as a CC, its free no annual fees to pay for it, and the payback program for collecting miles in general. Be a member of Miles & More from Lufthansa and keep in mind that Award miles are expiring after 36 months. to transfer your Payback points into Award Flights, Miles & More is the only way to do so.
Upgrading a flight with miles is IMHO not a good deal. Especially if upgraging from Eco to Business. It might be an alternative if trying to upgrade from Business to First but not from Eco to Business. But as said it depends on the situation and personal choices. If you are flying with British ( BA) thats a different story. Here it does make sense and you get value.
Emirates can be a good deal when trying to upgrade at Check - in or on the plane.
Turkish i have no experience so far in terms of upgrade. Flew there Business Class and it was excellent before Covid.
In terms of CC , i think you have a good one already. For Germany take the AMEX Payback Card. If you can get your hands on an US issued AMEX Card go for it. they do have the better sign up bonus and you get good value in terms of Membership Rewards Points.
Buying Points is a useful thing if you have a redemption on your mind.
For Star Alliance you can buy miles via Life Miles ( AVIANCA) or Aegean.
Oneworld is BA or Iberia or others. Buying Miles is a tricky and complex thing too :joy: :joy:
So the answer to your Question about the right strategy is very complex and depends on your personal preferences and what you are willing to spend.
If you want more input send me a PM via mail and we will discuss your strategy in depth.
Hope that this gave you a glimpse of this fascinating topic.

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Thank you for such a long helpful comment. I have sent you a personal message. I’m replying here in case anyone else sees the post too.

1- Citigold is a debit card. So I’m still in market for Credit Card.
2- As I understand main point for this credit card is to acquire miles on all my spending. AMEX seems to be the best thing here? I can transfer all my spending to it except rent? Do you guys pay utility bills with AMEX? I’m assuming AMEX works in plenty of places especially considering it supports APPLE PAY.

If upgrading is not the best option, do you think it’s better to simply collect points to buy business class? I mostly plan to travel in Europe (budget airlines) and longhaul to pakistan.

Being a software engineer, I can’t believe there is not a software where you just enter your data and it gives you the best/cost effective way of achieving your goal