Everything is getting more expensive these days, and travel is no exception. Using credit card points and miles is the best way to hedge your bets against rising travel costs, since the wholesale devaluation of points and miles usually can’t keep pace with inflation.
Sweet spots still exist where you can travel for next to nothing. Recently, I planned three months of travel throughout Asia for around $600, redeeming just under 1 million points across six different loyalty currencies. Had I paid cash for all of the flights (roughly half of which were in business class) and hotel stays, I would have been looking at a price tag north of $20,000.
Here’s my detailed itinerary, including actual examples of how I redeemed points to dramatically reduce my out-of-pocket costs.
What I Was Trying to Accomplish
Not every trip has the same goals. For this trip, I wanted to spend 90+ days in Asia, staying in hotels rather than hostels or Airbnbs, experience new airlines, and visit as many new countries as made sense with a reasonable itinerary. A few more thoughts I had in mind when I booked out my travels:
General:
- Let point redemptions drive my destinations rather than the other way around to free up cash for food, experiences, and in-country transportation
Hotels:
- Maximize time at Hyatt and Marriott properties to take advantage of early-calendar-year promotions for earning elite status faster, while minimizing points costs
Flights:
- Prioritizing routes served by oneworld or Star Alliance airlines to help maintain status and business class redemptions preferred over economy, when available
A Few Things to Know Before You Look at the Itinerary
Flights: Award space isn’t always available. Airlines limit how many seats they make available for points redemptions because they’d generally prefer to sell tickets for cash. Additionally, not every airline has transfer partners from major points currencies. For example, I was able to book Thai Airways using Lifemiles (Avianca’s loyalty program), funded by transferring my AmEx Membership Rewards points — but Air Busan has no transfer partners, so that leg had to be purchased with cash.
Hotels: The same logic applies to hotels. Marriott, Hyatt, and Hilton properties can often be booked with points, but award availability and points rates vary. Hotels frequently limit the number of award rooms available, since they’d rather sell rooms for cash.
The Full Itinerary
DEN → SFO → TPE | United Business | 100,000 United miles + $6 in taxes (Estimated cash value: ~$3,000)
5 nights @ Hyatt Place New Taipei City | 25,000 Hyatt points
TPE → DAD | Starlux Business | 15,000 Alaska miles + $29 in taxes (Estimated cash value: ~$900)
10 nights @ Wink Da Nang Centre | 50,000 Hyatt points
DAD → KUL | Malaysia Airlines Business | 15,000 Alaska miles + $35 in taxes (Estimated cash value: ~$800)
2 nights @ Hyatt Centric KL | 10,000 Hyatt points
5 nights @ AC Hotel KL | 26,000 Marriott points
KUL → BKK | Malaysia Airlines Economy | 7,500 Alaska miles + $35 in taxes
10 nights @ Aloft Hotel Sukhumvit Bangkok | 117,500 Marriott points
BKK → DPS | Thai Airways Economy | 12,000 LifeMiles + $50 in taxes
5 nights @ Aloft Bali Kuta Beachwalk | 49,000 Marriott points
DPS → SIN → PEN | Singapore Airlines Business | 23,000 KrisFlyer miles + $26 in taxes (Estimated cash value: ~$1,500)
5 nights @ Courtyard Marriott Penang | 53,000 Marriott points
PEN → HKG | Cathay Pacific Economy | 7,500 Alaska miles + $30
4 nights @ Hyatt Centric Victoria Harbour Hong Kong | 48,000 Hyatt points
HKG → PVG | Cathay Pacific Economy | 7,500 Alaska miles + $58
6 nights @ Ur Cove Shanghai Jing’an | 33,000 Hyatt points
PVG → KIX | Japan Airlines Business | 15,000 Alaska miles + $13 in taxes (Estimated cash value: ~$1,400)
6 nights @ Caption Osaka | 57,000 Hyatt points
KIX → PUS | Air Busan Economy | $110 (No transfer partners — cash only)
6 nights @ Hyatt Place Busan Yeonsan | 30,000 Hyatt points
PUS → SIN → KTM | Singapore Airlines Economy | 35,000 United miles + $25 in taxes
6 nights @ Hyatt Centric Soaltee Kathmandu | 30,000 Hyatt points
KTM → CMB | SriLankan Airlines Business | 15,000 Alaska miles + $41 in taxes (Estimated cash value: ~$900)
5 nights @ Courtyard Marriott Colombo | 57,000 Marriott points
CMB → MAA | SriLankan Airlines Economy | $92
3 nights @ Hyatt Regency Chennai | 15,000 Hyatt points
MAA → MCT | Oman Air Economy | $110
3 nights @ Aloft Muscat | 42,000 Marriott points
MCT → AMM | Oman Air Business | 15,000 Alaska miles + $51 in taxes (Estimated cash value: ~$900)
7 nights @ Grand Hyatt Amman | 35,000 Hyatt points
AMM → DFW | Royal Jordanian Economy | 35,000 Alaska miles + $113 in taxes (Estimated cash value: $850)
The Numbers
Here’s the breakdown of what this trip cost in points versus what it would have cost had I paid cash entirely:
| Points/Miles Redeemed | Est. Cash Value | |
|---|---|---|
| Flights (award) | 135k United 132.5k Alaska 12k Lifemiles 23k KrisFlyer | ~$11,000 |
| Hotels | 333k Hyatt 350k Marriott | ~$9,000 |
| Actual cash paid out of pocket | — | $312 in ticket purchases $276 in taxes/fees |
Note: These cash value estimates provided were based on real-world fares for the same routes and the actual nightly rates at the hotels at which I stayed. Your mileage may vary.
The Takeaway
The biggest mindset shift in points travel is letting your redemptions drive your destinations rather than the other way around. Every destination on this list has something in common: award space was available when I needed it. The flexibility of being open to going where the points are can be the difference in making a trip like this possible.
If booking a 3-month itinerary on points sounds daunting, it certainly can be. A bit of flexibility (and a lot of devotion to the points game) goes a long way. If you’re looking to do something similar, let’s map it out together.