Everyone has a different version of relaxation and how they unwind at the end of the day. This is likely not a surprise to anyone who has spent a lot of time with me or traveled with me, but I am a big time planner who likes to get value from my points. It doesn’t matter if this is a simple flight to Florida in the winter to escape the cold, or to Europe for Oktoberfest to check something off the bucket list. The good news for everyone reading this newsletter is that I have done so much research on these topics that I can help you maximize your travel (aka TravelMaxing).
First, it starts with spending habits and credit card selection with a focus on desired outcomes. Are you looking to travel more domestically? Internationally? Are you building miles for a specific trip? Or do you need flexibility just in case a “deal” arises that you want to jump on? I will say that utilizing credit cards for flights (via transferring to miles) seems to have the most bang for the buck. Hotel credits are only fair, but every blue moon you will find a deal.
Second, it comes to picking the credit card that makes the most sense to you. The premium travel cards (American Express Platinum vs Chase Sapphire Reserve) are both great cards, but the benefits are slightly different. You need to go through the list to see which one is best for you. Note, before signing up for a new card, ask a friend who has that credit card so you both can get the sign up bonus! A win win! Additionally, pairing a premium card with another can work well too.
Third, time to start shopping with points. For my fellow American Express friends, you now have an included service called Amex Point.Me, which helps you search flights with various airlines to book the most cost efficient flight. Even better, they explain how to transfer the points and book the flight! Another version of this is seat.aero.
The real win with points (in my opinion) is that if life changes, you can cancel and just get the points back to rebook something else. The downside is that it’s “stuck” on whatever airline you transferred it to.
On a recent flight back from London to Boston, we ended up utilizing 50,000 Chase points, transferred to Virgin Atlantic, to fly all four of us (yes, that is total cost, not per ticket cost) in Premium Economy, which I might add is very comfortable for a flight over the Atlantic. And I didn’t want my 4 and 7 year old to have a lie flat business class seat!
We have been talking more about this topic with our clients over the past few months, and this past year in general. If you want to dive deeper into your credit card choice and which one makes the most sense, let’s dive in! So much more detail to work through, as each situation is different.
Until next time.
