It took me 2 years to plan the perfect honeymoon with my wife that took us to 11 cities in 16 days. It took us 2 years to earn over 250K points in credit card rewards but in the end it was a once in a lifetime experience. To be fair I am no travel points genius, and there are several experts who can guide you how to maximize you travel points experience like The Points Guy & Million Mile Secrets
I can show you how a regular guy like me got to stay in some of the world’s finest hotels, for free while visiting 3 different continents, and 6 different time zones. Our trip took us to overnight stays in Dubai, Maldives, Zurich, Milan, Venice, Orvieto and Rome. We rode camels in Dubai, swam with sharks in Maldives and relaxed along the canals of Venice at a very deep discounted rate.
Why I spent 2 months planning a wedding & 2 years planning a honeymoon
To be fair my wife and I postponed our honeymoon for two years after getting married in order to plan this trip. From the minute we said I do, the race to save (points) was on. After studying all the best travel cards to earn points we settled on three cards that served as our utility belt for point purchases:
Hilton Honors Visa Signature
Hilton has one of the largest hotel collections internationally, with several affordable options. Great for stays at Hilton Hotels. A generous 80,000-point sign-up got our attention for this card. When we researched our destinations we realized there was a Hilton Hotel located at almost all of our destinations. No annual fee. 6X points per $1 spent at Hilton Hotels.
Chase Sapphire Preferred
The Chase Sapphire Preferred is one of the most versatile travel points cards that offers a wide variety of miles redemption options. Points can be used directly to book flights, hotels or can be transferred to several Airline (e.g. Southwest) and hotel (e.g. Hyatt, Marriott) partner programs directly for use in other loyalty programs. This option allowed us to stay at some of the luxury 5-star hotel chains like Park Hyatt while in Europe. You earn double points on travel and dining purchases with no foreign transaction fees, however 1X points on everyday purchases like groceries and gas. It is a great card to use while traveling however as an everyday card it does leave some points on the table. So after we earned our 50K sign up bonus spending $4000 within the first 3 months we used this card mostly for dining out. Which to be fair is not that often in our household except when Chipotle counts as dining out. Chase Sapphire is also a great card for Uber travel (2X points). It does have a $95 annual fee waived in the first year.
The Barclay Arrival PLUS
The Barclay Arrival Plus Card was the utility travel card in our wallet used for most everyday purchases not covered by other travel cards. We earned 2X points on all purchases, No foreign transaction fees. Can redeem points for travel statement credit on airfare, hotels, car rentals, trains and taxis with a 5% refund on miles used. This card was a lot more flexible when we used it for our trip with 2,500 miles required for redemption now 10,000 miles. Also the miles back refund was 10% back then. One bonus about this card is that you can use miles earned towards the $89 annual fee (waived in first year), making it free after $4450 in purchases each year. We used this card for most everyday purchases that were not covered by 2X Chase Sapphire points (travel and dining) and the sign-up bonus was 50K points after spending $4000 dollars in 3 months. A great card for redeeming Airbnb bookings.
Caveat: Now before I continue I would like to put a general warning out there for anyone attempting to pursue a points-based travel strategy using credit cards.
Warning #1:
The most important rule is to pay off your credit cards each month, and DO NOT let balances carry over. This is how the credit card companies make money off of you, and it is also how you can get into hefty debt very easily. Interest charges can add up rather quickly so be careful.
Warning #2:
Everyone knows sign-up bonuses are key to maximizing points, however if you are going to utilize a multiple credit card strategy apply for various credit cards spaced out over several months. General rule; earn each sign-up bonus using one card at a time then sign-up for the next card after obtaining the sign-up bonus. Otherwise, If you get two cards at once you may need to spend +$6,000 in 3 months over two cards to get a bonus. Not necessarily as easy as it sounds and beware of rule #1!
Warning #3:
Good/great credit is needed to be a credit meister. Yes, it seems like only people with good credit get to have all the fun. Also, applying for multiple cards will lower your credit score so decide ahead of time whether you will need your credit for something important like applying for a mortgage or car loan before undertaking this strategy. And remember not everyone has good credit, but a lot of these principles apply to cash back/reward cards available at the lower credit ranges.
Booking the Airline Ticket
After spending 2+ years earning points, we booked our ticket the January before our summer excursion. After constantly checking for cheap airfare over a couple months on google flights we found our best option for a multi-city ticket for travel from Houston-Toronto (layover)-Dubai-Male(Maldives)-Dubai-Zurich-[train hop Zurich-Milan-Venice-Rome-[one-way flight back to]]-Zurich-Newark, NJ (layover)-Houston on United via Star Alliance. The train tickets for Italy and one0way from Rome to Zurich were booked separately.
The cost of our ticket was $1460 x 2. We booked our ticket directly on United's website using the Barclay Arrival Plus Card. We were able to get one ticket ($1460 = 146,000pts) completely free. After the 10% redemption (14,600pts) we had another 46,000pts to use to reduce the value of the other ticket ($460 off). This meant we got a total of $1920 off of our $2920 plane ticket using points.
We were contacted about 2 months after booking our ticket by the airline regarding our Toronto layover which (estimated 16 hour overnight layover) got cancelled. We ended up having to reschedule to a 4 hr layover.
Originally, we had planned to spend a day exploring Toronto, however we decided to roll with the punches while keeping the original itinerary.
*Travel note* anything can happen during travel, so prepare for the worst and be flexible.
Hotel Strategy
The next step was planning hotel stays. This aspect proved a little more challenging because we ended staying in several different brands of hotels which complicated the process but allowed us to maximize points usage.
Our first overnight stay was in Dubai, where we booked 3-nights at the Waldorf Astoria Dubai Palm Jumeriah (Free 60,000pts/night, Hilton Honors Visa Signature). This Hotel was every bit the luxury experience that you would expect from a Waldorf Astoria Property. Located on the man made Palm island with a private beach, you get all of the luxury experience and none of the financial guilt by booking with points.
While in Dubai we took full advantage of the many excursion and tourist attractions Dubai has to offer. We visited the world’s largest [Dubai] Mall with over 1200 stores. We went to the top of the Burj Khalifa sky scraper, had a guided tour of local spice and jewelry markets, had a land-rover excursion in the desert and we checked off a bucket list item with a helicopter flight over the Dubai skyline (Free, thanks to our Barclay Arrival Plus Card).
After a few days in Dubai we were off to the Maldives.
The Maldives ended up being the most expensive hotel stay during our trip, by design.
The Maldives are +1,000 isolated islands, and typically each resort resides on its own private island. In theory this sounds like an oasis and the perfect getaway. After a bit of research, we realized that the cost of dining on most resorts can rack up a $100-200 per couple per meal tab not including lodging and other activaties.
This means that over a 3-night 4-day trip you can rack up quite a bill. Therefore, we decided to opt for a highly rated all-inclusive adults-only resort Meru Island Resort & Spa.
Even though it wound up costing us a hefty $450 nightly rate for an over-the-water bungalow. The Maldives were the pinnacle of our honeymoon experience and we decided an over-the-water bungalow with on site Jacuzzi splurge was totally worth it! With taxes and fees it worked out to be a $1,600 price tag, with all meals included with several amenities for a 3-night stay. Our research for meals at non-inclusive resorts suggested that we might end up paying +$800 in meals otherwise for two people over 4 days. And even though we had hotel points options to use, we decided this strategy was more economical
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| Meru Island Resort and Spa |
During our stay at Meru we got to take a boat ride to a local fishing village, had a sunset cruise, and went snorkeling with sharks all included. Overall, we got exactly what we went to The Maldives for, rest and relaxation on a private island with great views from our balcony over the water.
Our savings in the Maldives came from understanding that paying all-inclusive saved us more in the long run.
*Sidenote* A hidden cost of most Maldivian Resorts are a required seaplane/boat transfer from the airport that can cost several hundred dollars per person. There does not seem to be ways around this cost, however you can factor it into your overall budget in advance to paint a more realistic cost for your trip. For our resort a seaplane transfer was $150 per person.
After a few days in the Maldives we were off to Europe via a short layover in Dubai again. Our first stop was Zurich, Switzerland where we were able to book a one-night stay in the luxurious Park Hyatt Zurich (A $600/night hotel free with Chase Sapphire Preferred, 30,000pts). Although it was a short stay, Zurich was a beautiful city with a vibrant cultural scene. I recommend a ferry ride along the lake and a trip to Üetliberg, which offers a panoramic view of the city.
After a day in Zurich we took a 3-hr train to Milan where we spent another luxurious night in the Park HyattMilan property (A $649/night hotel free with Chase Sapphire Preferred, 30,000pts). This hotel offers an exquisite location in the heart of the city amidst several attractions, and shopping districts, located adjacent to the Duomo di Milan. Here you get the opportunity to feel like royalty for free.After another short 2-hr train ride we were off to Venice, the city on the water. Traveling by rail in Europe was a fulfilling experience that provided an opportunity to marvel at the Italian countryside. Venice is a beautiful city to visit, however with real estate at a premium, hotel prices are often very expensive. We were able to snag 2-nights in the Hilton Molino Stuckey Venice (A $325/night hotel free with Hilton Honors Visa Signature 57,000pts/night). Venice is a beautiful city that offers a tapestry of culture, cuisine and scenic views. Our hotel provided the perfect balance of close proximity while located offset from the main center of town thus offering a slight seclusion. After 2 days of Gondola rides, sight seeing and caricature paintings, we were off.
Originally we were scheduled to take the train from Venice to Rome for a 3-night stay. However while traveling in Dubai we befriended some fellow travelers that invited us to their private olive orchard in Orvieto Italy. After a day in the small town of Orvieto seeing the sights, we headed to Rome by train for the last leg of our trip.
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| Venice, Itlay |
We stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn Rome ($152/night hotel free with Hilton Honors Visa Signature 32,000/night). This was not a luxury hotel but the close proximity to the center of town made the accommodations worthwhile. While in Rome, we took in all the major sights including the Coliseum, Sistine Chapel, Forum and Trevi Fountain. The city of Rome is a magical place with a rich history, definitely a worthwhile experience.
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| St. Peter's Basilica |
After our time in Rome we had to buy a one-way ticket from Rome to Zurich to complete our tickets back home. We were able to buy those for less than $100 one-way. As a result, we had another over night layover in Zurich. We were able to redeem a Hotels.com free night stay reward for the Kameha Grand Zurich Hotel. This luxury hotel was close to the airport and provided the perfect location for two weary travelers.
Before rounding out the end of our trip and heading back home, our original ticket afforded us a 9-hour layover in Newark, New Jersey to visit family for the day before heading back home to Houston, Texas.
Nobody ever said it was going to be easy to plan the trip of your dreams. But the question is was it worth it?
And the answer to that question as my wife says is "YAAAAASSSSSS!!!!!"
In the end we were ale to book a $12,000 trip for less than $3500. I was able to stay at some of the world’s greatest hotels for free and made a memories to last a lifetime.
Besides, there is no better experience than sharing the world with someone you love.
I try to plan one exciting cost saving trip each year. This requires you to always be knowledgeable about earning points and how best to use them. You can do this too!
When planning a trip with points, here are the rules:
Rule #1: Do your research
If you are going to use miles make sure you have a strategy regarding what miles you are going to use, and which card. That way you can maximize your points usage.
Rule #2: Expect the unexpected
It is not uncommon for flights to get delayed, or changed last minute. Cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred have trip cancellation and trip insurance built in that can help mediate this disaster.
Rule #3: Maximize your points
Using points does not always equate to the best deal. Sometimes paying cash for something can be a better value than using points.
Rule #4: Locals know best!
Whenever possible get local recommendations. Sometimes this can come from a waiter or hotel concierge. Often the hidden gems are the most fun part of a trip.
In the end the most important detail of any trip is to enjoy yourself!
Jason-X
