Finding Flights to London for a 50th Anniversary Using Points

by Zac Hood | Aug 12, 2025 | Member Success Stories, Redeeming Miles and Points
Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament in London near Westminster Bridge on a sunny day, with travel freely text in the sky and green leaves framing the top of the image.

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We love showing what’s possible with points — and this story is extra special. My good friend Reid wanted to do something unforgettable to celebrate his parents’ 50th wedding anniversary.

His dream? Take them to London — using points.

Here’s how we teamed up to make that booking happen, and along the way, uncovered some top strategies you can use for booking your own travel goals.

The Goal: 3 Tickets to London, Ideally on Points

Reid had about 140,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards® Points and 30,000 Citi ThankYou® Points, and he was ready to put them to use. The travel dates he wanted were flexible within a few days, but the goal was to fly out in early to mid-October.

We also wanted to maximize comfort and simplicity — ideally finding direct flights and flying them together from Nashville, if possible. But we also explored positioning flights from cities like Atlanta or Boston, which often have more availability and better deals for international award travel.

Step-by-Step Search Strategy

Using the strategies we lay out in our Beginners Guide: Booking Award Travel 101 , we started our search using Google Flights and FlightConnections.com to get a feel for options to/from various cities. We then moved over to PointsYeah to look at points booking options. Here’s a look at what we did and what we found:

1. Start Broad, Narrow Down

We searched one-way flights rather than round-trip. Why? Because the best deals are often one-way awards, and this gives you flexibility to mix and match airlines and partners. It’s also helpful if you don’t have enough points in one points program to book roundtrip.

2. Use PointsYeah.com to Compare Award Availability

PointsYeah lets you plug in flexible dates and departure cities to search across multiple transfer partners. We focused on using Chase and Citi points with programs like Virgin Atlantic, British Airways, and others.

3. Look at Transfer Partners

Virgin Atlantic turned out to be a golden ticket. We found direct flights from Atlanta to London on Virgin Atlantic for only 7,500 points + about $80 in taxes per person (yes, really!). This was a unicorn deal for outbound flights in October.

Pro Tip: You can transfer both Chase and Citi points to Virgin Atlantic, which helped us combine balances to cover all 3 tickets.

Screenshot of a flight booking summary from Atlanta to London, showing an 8-hour direct flight with Virgin Atlantic. Total price: 22,500 points plus $226.80. Includes 1 carry-on; checked bags not included.

Coming Back Was Tricky — But Not Impossible

Coming home from London is where the fees spike — especially due to UK departure taxes. Most return flights had $225+ in taxes per person, even when using points.

We found return options like:

Virgin Atlantic to Atlanta for 14,000 points + approximately $225 each.

Flight booking summary: London (LHR) to Atlanta (ATL), 9h 15m direct with Virgin Atlantic. Includes 1 hand baggage and 1 checked bag. Total: 42,000 points + £675.36. Flight departs 11:20, arrives 15:35.

Other airlines like Air France or British Airways had worse redemption rates or higher taxes.

Even with those fees, the return flight in points was way better than paying cash (~$2,000 per ticket).

Big Picture: Total Cost & Value

Here’s what Reid could book:

  • Outbound: 7,500 Virgin miles + $80 per person
  • Return: 14,000 Virgin miles + $225 per person
  • Total (per person): 21,500 points + $305
  • Total (for 3 people): 64,500 points + $915

Cash equivalent: Over $6,000 in flights for under 65,000 points + $915. That’s serious value.

Covering the Taxes and Fees

We discussed using Chase Pay Yourself Back to cash out some Chase points to cover the $915 in taxes/fees. Another idea was using Chase points for Hyatt hotel redemptions in London instead of cashing them out.

Example: 75k Chase points = $750 cash back, OR 5 free nights at a Category 3 Hyatt in London (worth ~$1,200+). That’s what we call points power.

Final Thoughts + Tips for You

This was a real-life example of what it’s possible to book with a bit of flexibility, the right tools, and a little help from your Travel Freely crew.

Key Takeaways:

  • Start with one-way searches for maximum flexibility.
  • Consider positioning flights to hub cities like Atlanta where there’s more award availability.
  • Know your transfer partners. Citi and Chase both transfer to Virgin Atlantic.
  • Don’t forget the taxes. London is pricey on the return leg, but still often worth it, especially for direct flights.
  • Use your points strategically. Sometimes you’ll get more value from hotels than flights — or vice versa.

And lastly — don’t try to do it alone! Use the Travel Freely app, check out our guides, reach out to friends, or hop into the Facebook group for help.

Thanks to Reid for letting us share his points-booking journey. His parents are going to have a 50th anniversary to remember — and all of it powered by points!

Got your own dream trip? Check out the Travel Freely Best Offers page for our top card recommendations that will help get you there.

Additional Resources to Help You Book Your Dream Trip: