Hey all,

I'm looking to head from NYC to MUC in late September (Oktoberfest!), and am completely new to the idea of maximizing miles for rewards. I usually just head to Kayak and pick the lowest fare that pops up, but it's dawned on me that I actually have a few miles accruing in various accounts that could help me out here. Long story short, I'd love to be able to fly at least the return trip back to NYC in business class (hungover and working the day after return won't be a very good mix in economy!).

I currently have ~40K miles in my Continental account and ~55K miles on my Amex rewards account. Do any of you have any advice on how to make the most of this, or maybe a place where a newbie can start learning on their own? And which account should I be focusing earning miles to (both are attached to credit cards that I can switch between)?

Thanks!