October 23, 2026
Reader Success Story: Puerto Rico
Pam
Jona sent us this reader success story about her trip with her mom and two children to Puerto Rico. Here’s her story:
Trip to Puerto Rico
We are a single-income (gross $80,000) family of four—kids ages two and four—living in upstate New York. Accumulating points is slow for us, but with strategic planning, I booked us a nearly free trip to Puerto Rico for January 2025 to celebrate my birthday and get a break from the snow and cold weather.
I had stumbled upon the PTS Instagram account in February 2024. After years of thinking that credit cards were bad, I applied for the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, and the rest is history!
In late summer 2024, I decided to go on a trip to Puerto Rico, and because my husband opted to stay home (he’s not a beach person), I asked my mom if she wanted to join us. She said yes! I convinced her to apply for the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card, and she earned the welcome offer from that card (60,000 points with $0 introductory annual fee for the first year) fairly quickly, which helped us get three free tickets.
Breakdown
Here’s the breakdown of our points usage:
- One night at the Hyatt Regency Boston Harbor for 12,000 Ultimate Rewards® points from opening the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. (We live 3 hours away, and for an 8:00 am flight, this was the easiest option for us.) Total saved: $233.45
- Flights from BOS to SJU: 16,000 Delta SkyMiles round-trip, per person for 3 (48,000 points total), and I used a $62.50 Delta credit toward the out-of-pocket cost of the fourth ticket, paying $175.10 out of pocket. Total saved: $775.30
- Car rental: I used a $250 credit I had received from opening a Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card to cover this expense in full. Total saved: $246.84
- Lodging: Airbnb for 4 nights in Cabo Rojo. I used 41,357 Capital One miles to “travel erase” this expense in full. We earned these points by opening the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card mentioned above. I know it’s not the “best” use of these points, but for our current financial situation, free travel is best. Total saved: $413.57
- Parking at the airport: $29
There is a Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve in Puerto Rico, but since I’ve stayed on that side of the island before and knew what it was like, I wanted to explore the west coast, where the beaches are safer in the winter months. I chose an Airbnb so we could save more by cooking most of our meals at the apartment, and it worked out perfectly. We always enjoy shopping in new places and trying new snacks. Best part: a short drive to several gorgeous beaches. The water was blue and practically waveless, ideal for my two young children. We can’t wait to go back!
Total saved: $1,669.16
Total paid: $204.10 plus the cost of food and gas split with my mom
Without points, it would have been a fairly inexpensive trip, not luxurious by any means. But it was a trip we wouldn’t have been able to take otherwise, and my kids are looking forward to visiting the ocean again this upcoming winter in a new location thanks to this hobby!
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