European countries top the list when it comes to favorite travel itineraries for points and miles enthusiasts. For Travel Freely members Andrew and Kathleen, their shared love of food and history helped them land on an epic 10-day itinerary to London, Paris, and Brussels alongside their 19-month old son. Even better, their accumulation of points and miles saved them over $9,000 in travel costs.
Below, Andrew shares his first-hand experience of how he and Kathleen got into the hobby of earning points and miles and how they used those points and miles on an unforgettable family adventure.
Tell us about yourself. Where do you live, and how long have you been using points and miles for free travel?
My wife and I live and work remotely in Vero Beach, FL, with our 19-month-old Henry and our newborn son. We started our journey with points and miles in thanks to my wife’s colleague, who introduced us to Travel Mom Squad. TMS recommended Travel Freely, and before long, we were hooked!
Tell us about your trip. Where did you go, when did you travel there, and what did you do?
We embarked on an unforgettable adventure in the summer, starting with a flight from Miami to London-Heathrow via Virgin Atlantic Airways, where we secured economy bulkhead seats and a sky cot for our son.
Our itinerary included:
- 4 nights in London at the Great Scotland Yard
- 2 nights in Brussels at the Warwick Brussels Hotel
- 3 nights in Paris at the Hotel du Louvre
- 1 night near Charles de Gaulle airport at the Hyatt Place CDG Airport
Highlights of our trip included:
- Visiting the Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, and the Harry Potter Studio Tour in London
- Enjoying Delirium Cafe and various chocolatiers in Brussels
- Exploring the Arc de Triomphe, Eiffel Tower, Louvre, and Palace of Versailles in Paris
- Concluding our trip with 1 magical day at Disneyland Paris where we had our photo taken in front of the iconic castle ā¤ļø
We returned home from Paris-Charles de Gaulle to Miami in economy bulkhead seats via Air France.
How much money did you save using points and miles for your trip?
Unfortunately, we weren’t tracking costs as closely at this point. For reference, based on similar dates, hotel and room types, and flights, the cost savings would be $9,341.
What kind of points did you use for this trip?
First, Kathleen signed up for a Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card. Using the card to pay our taxes helped us hit the signup bonus. Then, a month later, I signed up for the Chase Sapphire PreferredĀ® Card. Finally, a month later, Kathleen signed up for the Chase Sapphire Preferred. Before long, we had accumulated over 185,000 Ultimate Rewards points and over 200,000 Capital One Miles from signup bonuses, referrals, and spending!
Flights
Our non-stop flights from Miami International Airport (MIA) to London Heathrow Airport (LHR) were on Virgin Airlines, which we covered by transferring 46k Capital One Miles and paying $409 in fees. Before the flight, we enjoyed access to the Turkish Airlines Lounge since Kathleen’s Capital One Venture X card has Priority Pass access for her and up to 2 guests. (Side note for families traveling with little ones: the “Sky Cot” ended up working phenomenally for our son, who was able to sleep soundly on the overnight flight. Its four-point harness definitely gave us peace of mind.)
Our return flight to MIA was from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) via Air France by transferring 25.5k Capital One Miles and paying $518.75 in fees. Unfortunately, their “Sky Cot” was more of a bassinet seat with no harness, and because our son was already capable of sitting up and crawling, we ended up only using the “Sky Cot” as a place to put baby items. We used a baby carrier so our son could sleep on the way home.
Ground Transportation
While in Europe, we relied on trains to get around cities and from location to location. We took the Eurostar from London to Brussels and a Thalys from Brussels to Paris.
Hotels
For the trip, we focused mainly on staying in Hyatt hotels. We emailed each hotel to confirm they could accommodate 2 adults and 1 infant in their rooms and have a crib/Pack ‘N Play available for our son. Every hotel we stayed in honored those requests.
We ultimately settled on 4 nights at the brand-new Hyatt Regency London Blackfriars by transferring 74k Chase Ultimate Rewards points (though we ended up being moved to the Great Scotland Yard Hotel on arrival due to a pipe leak), 3 nights at the Hotel du Louvre by transferring 55k Chase Ultimate Rewards points, and 2 nights at the Hyatt Place CDG Airport by transferring 11.5k Chase Ultimate Rewards points, all to Hyatt.
Additionally, we used our $300 Capital One Venture X annual travel credit and $86.45 to book 2 nights at the Warwick Brussels Hotel.
Without a doubt, these hotels were some of the nicest we have ever stayed at, and it’s amazing to think we got to experience them almost entirely on points and with a travel credit.
What advice would you give someone interested in booking a trip like yours, and what advice do you have for someone just starting with points and miles?
Use Travel Freely to sign up for the best credit card offers, research, and don’t hesitate to “pull the trigger.” Points and miles are easily refunded, and you’ll 1000% love the feeling you’ll have when you’re on your nearly free or significantly reduced trip of a lifetime.
How has Travel Freely helped you achieve your free travel goals, and what do you like best about the app?
Travel Freely helped us get and keep organized as we started and continued our points and miles journey. We use the CardGenie to get the best offers on new cards and track our 5/24 status.
Bottom Line
As Andrew proves above, a trip to some of the most fascinating cities in Europe is possible on points and miles! Andrew and his wife Kathleen were able to knock out a bunch of their bucket list experiences, stay at some of the nicest Hyatt properties, and see 3 incredible cities, all thanks to flexible points and miles rewards programs.
So, what are you waiting for? Sign up for Travel Freely today and turn your bucket list into a reality!
Cards mentioned in this post:
Our #1 personal card we recommend most often. Hands down the single best "starter card" for beginners and the MVP card for free travel.
Great "ultra-premium" card. Despite the big annual fee, the overall first year value is worth it for most people. This is due to the large signup bonus, extra benefits like Priority Pass, up to $300 annual travel credit and Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit.
