My spouse and I have recently been capable of using credit score card rewards to take a week-lengthy vacation to Texas and back (from Florida) for much less than $500 out of pocket. We did this by planning and commencing three rewards credit playing cards. Here’s how their signal-up bonuses enabled us to cover the maximum of our costs with factors.
We flew at no cost the usage of Southwest Rapid Rewards factors
We began our credit score playing cards rewards planning for our ride approximately nine months earlier than we planned to travel. The first card that we signed up for became the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Card.
At the time, we have been capable of land a 50,000-factor signal-up bonus (the sign-up bonus has because it decreased to forty,000 factors when you spend $1,000 in the first three months). We booked spherical-ride tickets from Orlando to Austin for 28,000 points. Thankfully, our son turned into nonetheless under two years of age at the time so that he could fly loose.
We scored 7 loose resort nights using credit card sign-up bonuses
After earning the Southwest sign-up bonus, we signed up for the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card. Again, we have been able to earn a 50,000-factor sign-up bonus on that card. Now, the cardboard is imparting a better sign-up bonus of 60,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards factors after you spend $four 000 inside the first 3 months, so you may want to earn 10,000 extra factors than we did.
Finally, we grabbed the World of Hyatt Credit card. At the time, it was presenting 2 unfastened nights at any class degree as a sign-up bonus (the contemporary sign-up bonus is 50,000 points after you spend $6,000 total within the first six months, which is still a first-rate deal). We were capable of using those unfastened nights on the Hyatt Regency in Austin, Texas.
But about what the opposite 5 nights? Well, this is in which the Chase Sapphire Preferred comes into play. Hyatt occurs to be a Chase Ultimate Rewards journey associate. And one of the great things about the Hyatt loyalty program is the most effective charges five 000 points for its lowest-level (Category 1) motel redemptions. So for 25,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards factors, we have been capable of rating 5 free nights on the Hyatt Place San Antonio Airport/Quarry Market.
We booked our condominium vehicle using Southwest Rapid Rewards points
After reserving our flights, we had about 22,000 points leftover in our Southwest Rapid Rewards account, and we didn’t need to permit the ones to go to waste.
After doing some studies, we could use Rapid Rewards points to e-book a apartment car. Southwest nearly appears to hide this feature on its website – if you click at the “Car” link on the pinnacle of the Southwest website, it’s going to handiest permit you to e-book with bucks.
If you want to ebook a rental vehicle with points, you may want to navigate to the Rapid Rewards homepage, then click on “More Rewards” and then at the yellow “Explore Rewards” button. When you click on that hyperlink, you will be transferred to a separate accomplice internet site in which you could redeem your factors in the direction of tour, present cards, or merchandise.
At the time, we were able to find a killer deal on an economy vehicle for 18,000 points. But it truly all depends on when you seek. If Rapid Rewards is asking for manner too many factors to book a car, you’ll be better off using a different journey portal, like Chase Ultimate Rewards or Citi ThankYou Rewards.
We transformed Chase Ultimate Rewards factors into eating place present playing cards
After moving 25,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Hyatt, we still had over 25,000 leftovers. We transformed the one’s points into present playing cards to our favorite eating places.
Chase Ultimate Rewards points may be redeemed in the direction of 0.33-birthday celebration present cards at a charge of 1 cent consistent with the point. So, for 25,000 points, we could get $250 really worth of gift cards to eating places like Olive Garden, Chili’s, Outback, Carrabba’s, Chipotle, and extra. You can technically get more value to your Chase factors (possibly more than five cents according to factor whilst you ebook a great award flight through a switch companion). However, this was any other manner for us to cut down on out-of-pocket expenses.
How we spent our “fun” cash
Using credit score card rewards, we were able to get all the basics (tour, lodging, food) covered totally free. That allowed us to spend about $450 towards laugh attractions and a few exciting local restaurants.
We were capable of eating at a cool, true Mexican restaurant proper on the San Antonio Riverwalk as well as the Hard Rock Cafe. We took the Riverwalk boat tour too.
We love nature, so we loved traveling the San Antonio Botanical Gardens and were blown away using the Japanese Tea Garden (which became loose to go to).
