Strategy for flying business class

[Danushkan]

We are a family of 4 with two young kids who love to travel, and have always flown coach. It's fine and I anticipate we will continue to do so until we are empty nesters.

But as my wife and I age, I think it would be lovely to fly business on long haul flights. I don't fly for work so have limited FF miles. Our local medium-sized airport only has a few international flights and we are not a hub for any airline, so there is no obvious choice to build up points in any one airline.

If you have transitioned from coach to business, how did you do it?

-Pay full fare for business, looking for the best deals during the week or off peak times?
-Try to stick with one airline and build up points to upgrade?
-Credit card rewards, transferring points to airlines?
-Any other tips?

 

[Hunterman]

I started with credit card rewards, but for actual bookings, I've used Travel Business Class to get discounted business class seats on major carriers. Their hidden fares saved me money without needing miles, and the pay-later option helped with cash flow.