Recently, my spouse and I could use credit score card rewards to take a week-long excursion to Texas and back (from Florida) for much less than $500 out of pocket. We did this by making plans ahead and commencing three rewards credit cards. Their signal-up bonuses enabled us to cover most of our expenses with factors.
We flew at no cost for the usage of Southwest Rapid Rewards factors.
We started planning our credit score playing card rewards for our ride about nine months before we planned to travel. The first card that we signed up for turned into the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Card. At the time, we had landed a 50,000-point signal-up bonus (the signal-up prize has decreased to 40,000 points when you spend $1,000 in the first three months). We booked round-ride tickets from Orlando to Austin for 28,000 points. Thankfully, our son became under two years of age on time, so he could fly free.
We scored seven free lodge nights for the use of credit card signal-up bonuses.
After earning the Southwest signup bonus, we moved directly to sign up for the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card. Again, we could make a 50,000-factor signup bonus on that card. Now, the cardboard imparts a higher signal-up bonus of 60,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points once you spend $ 4,000 within the first three months, so you should earn 10,000 more points than we did. Finally, we grabbed the World of Hyatt Credit card. At the time, it became presenting two unfastened nights at any class stage as a signal-up bonus (the cutting-edge signup bonus is 50,000 points when you spend $6,000 overall in the first six months, which remains a super deal).
We have used those two free nights at the Hyatt Regency in Austin, Texas. But about what is the alternative five nights? Well, that’s in which the Chase Sapphire Preferred comes into play. Hyatt occurs to be a Chase Ultimate Rewards travel companion. One of the tremendous matters of the Hyatt loyalty software is that the most effective rate is 5,000 points for its lowest-level (Category 1) hotel redemptions. For 25,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards factors, we have been able to rate five loose nights at the Hyatt Place San Antonio Airport/Quarry Market. We booked our condo car using Southwest Rapid Rewards points.
After booking our flights, we had approximately 22,000 points left in our Southwest Rapid Rewards account, and we did not want to permit the ones to go to waste. After researching, we can use Rapid Rewards points to ebook a condominium car. Southwest nearly appears to cover this feature on its website – if you click on the “Car” link at the pinnacle of the Southwest website, it will simplest permit you to ebook with bucks. If you want to book a condominium vehicle with factors, you must navigate to the Rapid Rewards homepage and and click “More.
Rewards,” and then at the yellow “Explore Rewards” button. When you click on that link, you’ll be transferred to a separate companion internet site where you can redeem your factors in the direction of the journey and present playing cards or products. At the time, we had been able to discover a killer deal on an economic system automobile for 18,000 factors. But it all relies upon you while you search. Suppose Rapid Rewards solicits way too many points to ebook a car. In that case, you may be better off using a unique journey portal, like Chase Ultimate Rewards or Citi ThankYou Rewards. We transformed Chase Ultimate Rewards points into restaurant gift-playing cards. After transferring 25,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Hyatt, we had over 25,000 leftovers. We changed the one’s points into present playing cards to our favorite eating places.
Chase Ultimate Rewards points can be redeemed toward third-birthday celebration gift cards at a rate of 1 cent in keeping with the factor. So, for 25,000 points, we could get $250 worth of present playing cards to restaurants like Olive Garden, Chili’s, Outback, Carrabba’s, Chipotle, and more. You can technically get a greater cost for your Chase points (probably more than five cents in step with factor while you ebook the best award flight through a switch partner). However, this turned into another way for us to reduce out-of-pocket prices.
How we spent our “amusing” cash By using credit score card rewards, we could get all the fundamentals (travel, lodging, meals) included without cost. That allowed us to spend about $450 closer to fun points of interest and some thrilling local restaurants. We could consume at a cool, proper Mexican eating place at the San Antonio Riverwalk and the Hard Rock Cafe.
We took the Riverwalk boat tour too. We love nature, so we loved traveling to the San Antonio Botanical Gardens and were blown away by the aid of the Japanese Tea Garden (which was loose to go to). We brought our son to the San Antonio Zoo, and on the path, we needed to see the Alamo (which also became loose). It became an exceptional ride … And it felt even more notable because we knew it failed to break the bank.
