Member Success Story: How One Family Saved $9,000 on a Dream Trip to Kyoto, Osaka, & Tokyo
When Travel Freely member My My first heard about points and miles, it sounded way too complicated (especially with 2 young kids and a busy life). But after reading one of Travel Freely’s helpful emails and following a few simple steps, she and her husband jumped in with Chase cards and started building toward a dream family trip to Japan.
Fast forward: their family of 4 spent nearly 2 weeks exploring Kyoto, Osaka, and Tokyo. This included Hyatt stays on points, Singapore Airlines flights booked with miles, Tokyo Disney, TeamLabs, the Harry Potter Museum, and even a pig café.
All while saving about $9,000 on flights and hotels.
With the help of Travel Freely to choose cards, track bonuses, and stay organized, that one “lightbulb” email turned into multiple luxury trips, including Grand Hyatt Kauai and another Japan adventure already planned.
👉 New to points and miles? Read our beginner-friendly guide: How to Get Started with Free Travel
Tell Us About Yourself
My husband (of 17 years) and 2 daughters (7 and 11) live in San Francisco. I’m an architect and my husband is an IT Specialist. I had heard of points and miles for years but thought it was too complicated and daunting to learn…until Travel Freely’s email explaining the simple process which convinced me to join the “free travel with points and miles” bandwagon. We started signing up for credit cards and began racking up points towards our Japan trip.
Our friends and family have long told us about how wonderful Japan is, but we were afraid to visit a foreign country with 2 youngish kids on our own. Fortunately though, we decided to follow my niece and her husband and had the best time of our lives, so much so that we are planning another trip there in the near future.
Tell Us About Your Trip
We went to Japan during the last 2 weeks of November. We stayed in Kyoto for 3 nights and took day trips to Osaka. We then stayed in Tokyo Bay for 3 days to go to Tokyo Disneyland and Disney Sea. We spent the last 7 days in Tokyo. We covered most of the tourist spots, went to all the TeamLabs, the Harry Potter Museum, and enjoyed many other small adventures.
What Kind of Points Did You Use For This Trip?
For the entire trip, we used Chase Ultimate Rewards® points. My husband and I each applied for the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. Then we each got three Chase Ink Business Credit Cards.
- Flights
- We transferred Chase Ultimate Reward points to Singapore KrisFlyer miles to book our flight for four to Japan.
- Resort Stays:
- We also transferred our Chase points to our World of Hyatt account to book all of our hotels, which included the Hyatt Regency Kyoto, Hyatt Regency Tokyo Bay, and Grand Hyatt Tokyo. As an added bonus, a friend gifted us 2 Guest of Honor awards, which gave us complimentary breakfast and club lounge access at two of the Hyatt properties.
Cards used:
How Much Money Did You Save Using Points and Miles for Your Trips?
We saved about $9,000!
What Were Some of the Highlights of Your Travel Experiences?
There were so many other highlights at each turn of our adventure. Our first gourmet breakfast at an Italian restaurant in the Hyatt Regency Kyoto was wonderful. Our family’s first time wearing kimono was so special. The delicious food, the Japanese hospitality, cleanliness, transportation system, and level of efficiency there blew my mind. A pretty funny experience was the pig café where little piglets pile on your lap to sleep. My kids had the best time at vending machines and 7-11s. They often say they miss Japan and want to go back.
What Advice Do You Have for Someone Just Starting with Points and Miles?
The best advice is to just START getting new credit cards and take advantage of the signup bonuses (but be sure to pay off the balance every month). If you’re already paying for things with your credit cards, why not use your spending to earn some bonus offers on new cards?
And don’t make our mistake of not signing up when we didn’t have travel plans. We could’ve gone to Japan 6-months earlier, but at that time we didn’t have the points to book hotels and instead had to wait.
Our bonuses have earned us enough points to cover that Japan trip and many upcoming trips. We’re going to Grand Hyatt Kauai for spring break and another Japan trip at the end of the year. We booked luxurious hotels for both of these trips and paid only with points.
How Has Travel Freely Helped You Achieve Your Free Travel Goals, and What Do You Like Best About the App?
Travel Freely is amazing because Zac and his team are simply great human beings who try to help you. It was one email that explained everything clearly in detail that sparked a lightbulb in my head. I didn’t think it was possible for me to have the time to figure out how to earn free travel with points and miles, especially as a self-employed mom with two young kids.
Final Thoughts
The Travel Freely app helps simplify and keep my stack of credit cards organized with deadlines and the CardGenie®. We all have lots of apps, some are useful while some are tedious to keep up with. But Travel Freely is simple. It’s there when I need it and stays in the background when I don’t.
👉 Inspired by My My’s story? Start tracking your cards with Travel Freely today – it’s free, beginner-friendly, and built to make stories like this possible.
Cards that helped My My and her family experience their dream travel experiences:
