Sara sends in her reader success story about multiple family trips on points and miles in year one. Here’s some inspiration for everyone, especially beginners!

 

Getting Started

I was turned onto your podcast by a friend of mine in February of 2024.  I have been a slow-burner about earning points my entire adult life, putting all spending on my Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card since 1997, and getting a few free domestic flights for my family of four. 

After bingeing the podcast for a couple of weeks, I was ALL IN. Unfortunately, I was also at 4/24 for the next six months because I just had to get store credit cards for that Ulta discount and zero APR for my LoveSac Couch! Luckily, I was able to qualify for business cards from my Poshmark side hustle.  I started with the Ink Business Cash® Credit Card, then followed up with the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card. 

I also needed some cards that didn’t have a high spend and would help me with some strategies.  In May of 2024, I blew my 5/24 by getting the Chase Sapphire Reserve® with an elevated offer.  I got my reluctant P2 on board by June, and we were off and running.

 

The Bahamas

In August of 2024, I had enough Delta SkyMiles to get us to the Bahamas.  My husband had an Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card for over 20 years and had no idea how to use his points beyond redeeming them for cash back.  When we went to check his Ultimate Rewards®, he had well over 100K, so I told him we were opening a Hyatt account and transferring those points to book the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar for four days.  This trip was paid for entirely with the “slow burn” points I earned before I started listening to the podcast. 

My 16- and 12-year-olds loved it.  It was a quick flight from NY, and four days were plenty for a quick family getaway. I also got a Guest of Honor award from a friend, and we had breakfast for all of us every day, which saved a ton of money. Cash-wise, I think we paid about $750 out of pocket for cabs and dinners.

On that trip we all discussed where we should use points and miles to go next.  My daughter chose Paris, and my son chose London.  I looked at the school calendar and set a goal to get us there in February 2025.  We could leave on Friday after school, have eight full days, and return home on Sunday.  

 

London

First, we signed up for a few more business cards between us. We had enough points for two rooms at Hyatts in both cities, so we got to looking into flights.  2025 was also our 25th anniversary year so I emailed both Hyatts with a modified Pam template to see if the hotels would do anything special for our anniversary, and spoiler . . . both set up beautiful cakes and chocolates on the bed!

We still had plenty of Delta SkyMiles between my husband (I had referred him to a Delta card) and me, so I was able to book us Delta Comfort+ seats to London.

I was able to get two Guest of Honor awards from my Hyatt Globalist friend again, and added them to two rooms for a four-night stay at the Hyatt Regency London Blackfriars.  This got us breakfast every morning and some light snacks in the evening.  The tube right across the street was a great convenience for us.

 

 

Paris

After four full days of sightseeing in London, I had us booked on the Eurostar to Paris. We took the Metro to the Hyatt Regency Paris Étoile. For this hotel, I booked us Club Level rooms, so breakfast and snacks throughout the day were all included.  I did use a suite-upgrade award for each room, but they only had one suite available.  In hindsight, I could have just gotten the one room and used the upgrade to the suite, but my husband got sick one night, so having two rooms actually worked out.

We took JetBlue home from Paris to New York. We already had some miles and we each opened a card to get more. This is a trip we never in a million years would have gone on without points and miles.  Paying for tours, meals, and souvenirs felt like not such a big deal knowing that’s all we paid for.

 

Bottom Line

The cards we opened before the trip (and used for the trip) were:
* Ink Business Cash® Credit Card (P1)
* Chase Sapphire Reserve® (P1)
* JetBlue Business Card (P1)
* Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (P2)
* Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card (P2)
* Ink Business Cash® Credit Card (P2)
* JetBlue Business Card(P2)
* Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card (P2)

Used Sapphire Lounge at JFK before flight ($28 for fourth person)
4 – Delta Comfort+ (JFK-LHR) – 170,000 miles + $23 (free luggage and saved 15% on points price)
2 rooms for 4 nights Hyatt Regency London Blackfriars – 148,000 points (with 2 GOH awards)
2 rooms for 4 nights Hyatt Regency Paris Étoile Club Level – 144,000 points (with 1 SUA)
4 – JetBlue (CDG-JFK) – 141,800 miles + $339.60 (free luggage)

I priced out what the cash price would be for our dates: $16,653.44!

 

Sara, you are an inspiration! Thanks for sharing your successes!

 

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