March 10, 2026
Big-Family Travel with Points and Miles
Pam
We have a lot of requests for more content about how to make points and miles work for big families. For some great examples of points-fueled big-family trips, check out our reader success stories! We’ve had lots of readers with big families share the trips they’ve booked, and these can be a great planning template. But if you’re looking for some general strategies that can apply across almost any type of trip with a big family, here are some other suggestions.
Plan to Save on Travel Costs, Not Cover All of Them
If my husband and I travel somewhere, we can likely cover all our flights and hotels with points and miles. If I still had kids that I had to provide points and miles for, too, I’d probably be taking fewer flights or using points and miles to cover flights OR hotels, not always both.
Even with traveling as a couple or solo, I don’t cover all of my travel with points and miles, preferring to pay cash for rental cars, excursions, etc.
If there are not enough award seats or you don’t have enough points for a family of five or six, try:
-
Using miles for four tickets
-
Paying cash for one or two tickets
Forego Luxury Hotels
Most luxury hotels take more points to book. For a large family, I’d concentrate on more family-friendly options like Hyatt Place, Residence Inn, Staybridge Suites, and others, where I could fit more people in a room for fewer points. Add a complimentary breakfast, and a family can save significantly.
Also consider booking Airbnbs vs. multiple hotel rooms.
Hyatt Places can sleep six and often offer complimentary breakfasts.
Get the Southwest® Companion Pass
Alex has a family of six, but she and Mitch both have a Southwest ® Companion Pass, so that means she usually pays for four tickets instead of six. Now that is a savings!
The companion pass is a must for larger families!
Open More Credit Cards
A large family usually means you will need to open more credit cards, utilize a Player 2, and take advantage of referral offers fom friends and family.
Focus on Flexible Points (Not Just One Airline)
Flexible points give you many booking options when you need four to six seats (or more).
Best programs:
-
Chase Ultimate Rewards®
-
American Express Membership Rewards®
-
Capital One Miles
-
Citi ThankYou® Points
Why this matters:
-
You can transfer to different airlines depending on availability
-
You are not stuck with one loyalty program. For example, take Air France. Each of the programs above transfer to that airline (and several others), meaning you can transfer points from different banks’ programs to Air France’s Flying Blue program and find a flight that will accomodate the whole family.
Book As Soon As Flights Are Released, Even Consider Flying Separately
Most airlines release award seats 330 to 355 days before departure. For big families, booking the day seats open dramatically increases your chances.
Airlines known for opening multiple award seats early in the availability calendar:
-
Air France
-
KLM
-
Air Canada
-
United Airlines
Consider Positioning Flights
Instead of flying from your local airport, fly from a major hub. This often increases the number of available award seats
Example strategy:
-
Book a cheap flight to a hub like Los Angeles International Airport or John F. Kennedy International Airport
-
Use miles for the long international flight from the hub airport
A cheap positioning flight to JFK may make your family trip to Paris easier to do.
A Realistic Example for a Family of 5
Flights from the U.S. to Europe:
-
Transfer points to Air France Flying Blue
-
Book 5 seats at ~20–35k miles each during a promo
-
Total: ~120k–175k miles instead of $4,000–$6,000 cash.
Families often get the best value in economy or premium economy, because most airlines rarely release four to six business class seats.
Bottom Line
Big-family travel with points and miles is totally doable with a few tweaks. Alex and Jess travel several times a year with their families of six. Check back on all their trip reports or listen to our podcast to learn more about how you can do it too! What hints are working for YOUR family?
Related Posts
Holiday Family Travel With Points
Podcast 137. Iceland & Ireland With Points: Jess’s 10-Day Family Adventure
Podcast 120. How Megan Used Points & Miles for the Ultimate Harry Potter Family Trip
Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities. American Express is a Travel Mom Squad advertiser, but we always show the best public offer even when we don’t earn a commission. Terms Apply.
Leave a Reply
Advertiser Disclosure: Points Talk Squad has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Points Talk Squad and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened. This compensation may impact how or where products appear on this site. Points Talk Squad has not reviewed all available credit card offers on this site.
Editorial Note: Opinions expressed here are author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
be the first to comment
Responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.