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2025 Travel Plans on Points: What’s Next?
2025 is shaping up to be another exciting year of travel, and once again, we’re leveraging points and miles to maximize savings. Here’s a look at what’s booked so far and how we’re making the most of travel rewards! Orlando, Florida – Guys Weekend Getaway In early February, I took a guys’ trip to Orlando, scoring a great deal on flights by using Amex Platinum Airline Incidental Credits: Flight Savings Breakdown: Hotel Savings: Naples, Italy – Spring 2025 Adventure For a detailed breakdown, check out our dedicated post:Exploring Italy in Spring 2025 We booked Premium Economy tickets on Air France for 35K points each (Seattle to Naples). Due to flight…
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2024 Travel on Points: A Year in Review
2024 was an incredible year of travel, and we maximized our points and miles to visit amazing destinations! From last-minute championship trips to family adventures across Europe, here’s a recap of where we went and how we leveraged our travel hacking strategies. Houston: A Last-Minute Championship Trip We couldn’t miss watching the Huskies in the National Championship, so we booked a spontaneous trip to Houston: Madrid & Lisbon: First European Adventure with the Victoria 6 Our first Europe trip with all six of us was a logistical challenge but well worth it! Madrid Lisbon New York in April: The Gateway to Europe Andrea and I repositioned our flights to JFK…
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Considering the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card for Your Next Adventure?
Unbeatable Sign-Up Bonus The IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card is offering an incredible deal: 5 free nights (up to 60,000 points per night) after spending $4,000 in the first three months. With a $99 annual fee, this offer easily justifies having the card for at least one year. If you’re unsure about keeping it long-term, you can always consider downgrading or product-changing to a no-fee card within the IHG brand. Ideal for Upcoming Trips If you’re planning a trip next summer, this card is worth considering. The sign-up bonus alone provides substantial value, allowing you to save on accommodations and enhance your travel experience. Benefits and Earning Rates While…
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How We Scored $8K Flights to Naples Italy for Just 110K travel points and $800: Our Spring Break 2025 Adventure Booked!
Last April of 2024, my wife Andrea and I took a memorable trip to Italy over Spring Break. Our adventure began with a luxurious business class flight from JFK to Florence, where we stayed for a couple of nights. From Florence, we took a scenic train ride down to Naples for a night and then moved on to Vico Equense, near Sorrento, for a two-night stay. Unexpected Changes and Highlights We had planned to spend another night in Naples before heading home, but our flight was canceled, forcing us to leave a night early. Despite this hiccup, we thoroughly enjoyed our time in this beautiful region of Italy and felt…
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Our Business Class Experience on Air France: JFK to Florence
In April 2024, my wife and I embarked on an unforgettable journey, flying business class on Air France from JFK to Florence. Here’s a detailed look at our experience and the fantastic deal we scored for this trip. The Air France Lounge at JFK Flying out of JFK, we had the privilege of accessing the Air France lounge. If you have a Priority Pass, you can enjoy this lounge too. The lounge offered free alcoholic drinks and a solid selection of food. We tried not to overindulge, saving room for the in-flight dining experience. Boarding and Seating Upon boarding, we turned left to find our seats right there. We chose…
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Summer 2024 Family California Road Trip: 10 Free Nights with Points
A Little Background As an AAU basketball coach, I have a tournament scheduled for the last weekend of July. Perfect timing for a California road trip! We’ll be making stops in Sacramento, Burbank, and Anaheim, visiting family along the way. Planning the Trip with Marriott Points Back in March 2024, Marriott ran a promotion for their Bonvoy Boundless credit card. After spending $4,000, you receive five free night certificates (each worth up to 50,000 points per night). With property taxes due, it was an opportune time to sign up for the card. Plus, the card comes with a free night certificate (up to 35,000 points) after your one-year anniversary. Not…
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Road to 2 Million Travel Points
Reaching our first million travel points was an exciting milestone, which I detailed in a previous blog post. Now, let’s dive into how we achieved our second million points and how we utilized them to create unforgettable travel experiences. How We Earned 2 Million Travel Points To reach 2 million travel points, we continued leveraging our strategic use of credit cards: Venture X: Our primary catch-all card, earning 2x points per dollar spent, netted us around 150K points through regular spending. AMEX Cards: We accumulated about 127K points, with the AMEX Gold card being our main card for groceries and dining, earning 4x points per dollar. The AMEX Platinum card…
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First 1 Million Travel Points: My Journey
My journey into the world of travel points truly began in March 2022, thanks to an invitation from my brother Nate to sign up for the Venture X credit card. Although I had previously dabbled with an Alaska Airlines credit card and an Expedia credit card, it wasn’t until this point that I really dove into the travel points game. The Start with Venture X What sold me on the Venture X was a YouTube video highlighting its benefits: lounge access, a $300 travel credit, 10K bonus miles each year, and 2x points on every dollar spent. At the time, the sign-up bonus was 100K points after spending $4K. Within…
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Our Family Christmas Adventure: London, Paris, and NYC on Points
Traveling with a family of six is always a challenge, both financially and logistically. However, with a bit of creativity and a lot of travel points, we managed to book an incredible trip to London, Paris, and New York City during the Christmas to New Year’s season without breaking the bank. Quick Summary: Using 330,000 travel points, we booked flights for our family of six from Seattle to San Francisco, London, Paris, New York City, and back to Seattle, saving us around $17,000 in airfare. Additionally, we used 316,000 points for 12 nights of accommodation, which would have cost over $5,000, leaving us with a total out-of-pocket expense of under…
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Maximizing our AMEX FHR benefits at Bellagio and Cosmopolitan
Check out the conversation about the deals on this trip in our video on youtube Embarking on a whirlwind journey through the glittering city of Las Vegas, my wife and I, set out to unveil a unique chapter in our travel saga. Our quest led us to an intriguing itinerary: a night at Bellagio, a night at the Cosmopolitan, and a final encore at Bellagio. Join us as we delve into the tapestry of experiences that unfolded during this exciting escapade. Day 1: Bellagio – The Grand Arrival Equipped with Clear and TSA Pre Check privileges, we soared through security, setting the tone for a seamless journey. With early arrival,…
