How 3 credit card rewards got me a week in London

For me, the best part of traveling with points and miles is planning. I like to pick a place I want to go and then carefully select rewards cards that can get me there.

Recently, I have set my sights on London. Even with the best spots and miles strategy, I know it will be a challenge to cover the full cost of my trip. But after some research and analyzing multiple approaches, I’ve decided on the one that’s right for me.

I feel overwhelmed with joy when I was finally able to book my London trip and fully cover it flight, many hotels and even my baggage fees and train fees with points and mileage. Even better, I paid for my trip entirely in sign up bonus from three cards, only one of which carries annual fee.

I learned to travel with points and miles in my previous life as a high school teacher with a very limited budget and schedule. Even though I’m more flexible now, I’m still looking for ways to stretch my points and mileage as far as possible instead of using them to expend airplane seats are more beautiful or hotel accommodation.

My London trip was no different. Far from seduction, I’m flying economy round trip and stay mid-range hotel just outside the city. However, I’m going to London without any out-of-pocket costs, so I consider this a huge redeeming success.

After tracking flight prices, I knew I might be able to pay for my flight with a sign-up bonus from Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®. I got the card earlier this year when it offered an impressive bonus of 75,000 miles (no longer available), I feel confident I can find a flight that works for me within my budget. that mileage book.

I’m right. I booked a round trip economy class flight from Nashville to London for 50,000 Advantages miles plus taxes and fees are just under $200.

Currently, the card is offering a 50,000 AAdvantage mile sign-up bonus after you spend $2,500 on purchases within the first three months of account opening. Even if I waited to get the card, the bonus would be enough to cover my flight.

This card also has a $0 introductory annual fee for the first year and a $99 annual fee thereafter. Its perks include priority boarding and one free checked baggage on domestic flights, and it also earns 2 points for every dollar spent on American Airlines purchases, restaurants and gas stations. Given these benefits, I plan to keep this card in my wallet for a while longer.

Related: Citi® Card Review / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®

Hotel credit card superstar is mine Hilton Honors American Express Card (understand rates and fees). With this card I got 100,000 welcome bonus Honorable Hilton points as well as free Silver elite status. This status allows me to use Hilton’s free thursday night skills, which helped me expand my score even further. This card offers a lot of value, especially because it no annual fee.

The current welcome bonus is 100,000 Hilton Honors points after you spend $1,000 on purchases on the card during the first three months of your card membership. Plus, you can earn up to $100 in statement credits on qualifying purchases made at any Hilton family hotel during the first 12 months of your card membership.

My hotel selection process was more complicated than booking a plane ticket. While 100,000 Hilton points is a great bonus, it’s a tight budget for many nights anywhere, based on Hilton’s dynamic award pricing structure.

However, after a while of searching, I landed in a Hampton in Croydon. The hotel is technically located just outside of London, but it’s close to the train station so it’s easy for me to get anywhere I want. And for just 20,000 Hilton points per night, I knew I could fully cover a five-night stay there with a bonus from my Hilton Honors card.

Even better, with the Hilton Thursday night free benefit, I was able to book my stay for just 80,000 points and save the rest of my bonus for another trip.

Related: Hilton Honors American Express Card Review

One of my favorite strategies to pay as little out of pocket as possible for my travel is to use refunds rewards to include what my points and mileage usually don’t. In this case, I’m using the $300 cashback bonus I received from my Wells Fargo Propel American Express® card (no longer available to new subscribers) to cover taxes and fees on my flight ($192.87) as well as a seven-day transit pass (about $90).

Information about Wells Fargo Propel has been independently obtained by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

While this particular tag is no longer available to new subscribers, the same idea should work for any Cashback card offers welcome bonus. If I were to implement this strategy today, I would probably choose US Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card, is currently offering a bonus of 50,000 bonus points (worth $500 cashback) after you spend $2,000 on qualifying purchases within the first 120 days of account opening. Even with a $0 introductory annual fee for the first 12 months and a $95 annual fee thereafter, the net profit from this bonus will cover the cost of taxes and flight fees as well as your transit pass. me, with some money left over for snacks at the airport.

Related: Review of US Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® card

I firmly believe that there are no wrong way to travel with points and miles. We all have different approaches and different goals, and for me, that’s part of the fun.

If you’re new to traveling by points and miles and feel overwhelmed, be sure to check it out our beginner’s guide. If you’re less new but still not sure which card to get next, We can also help with that. No matter where you want to go or how you want to get there, with the right credit card, you can integrate your points and miles plan to make your next travel dream come true.

For Hilton Honors American Express Card prices and fees, please click here.