14 hotel nights. 8 flights. 17 days. $155 out of pocket.
That is what my wife Tonya and I paid for hotels and flights on our road trip this summer. If you have ever wondered how to use credit card points for travel, this is a real world breakdown of exactly how we did it. No theory, no estimates, just the actual cards we used, the points we earned, and the hotels and flights we booked.
If we had paid cash for everything, it would have cost us over $7,700. This post is not about bragging. It is about showing you exactly what is possible so you can do the same thing on your own trips.
I am going to walk you through every card we used, every point we earned, every hotel we stayed at, and every flight we took. I will also share the one mistake I made along the way that cost me $110 so you can avoid it.
Total Trip Summary
| Category | Amount |
|---|---|
| Hotel Nights | 14 |
| Flights | 8 |
| Days | 17 |
| Out-of-Pocket Cost | $155 |
| Points Used | ~479,000 |
| Total Cash Value | $7,737 |
| Annual Fees Paid | $461 |
| Net Value | $7,276 |
Trip Overview: Where We Went
Our 17-day trip included stops in Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico. Along the way, we visited incredible destinations including:
- Glacier National Park
- Yellowstone National Park
- Bozeman
- Colorado Springs
- Albuquerque
- Denver
- Great Sand Dunes National Park
- Alamosa
- Chimney Rock National Monument
- Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre
- Garden of the Gods
- Pikes Peak
Credit Card Points We Used
Hilton Honors Points
My wife and I got a Hilton Honors Card about 10 years ago. We had some points on the card that we hadn’t used. We used them on this trip for one of our stays.
Why We Got Hilton Points
I originally got this card when I first dabbled into credit card points. There were points leftover from when we first got the card.
IHG Points
There were two different credit cards that we got to earn the IHG points. Tonya got the IHG Premier credit card. There was a 140,000 point sign up bonus on the card when she got it. We had to spend $3,000 in the first 3 months to earn the sign up bonus.
I got the IHG Premier Business card and it also had a 140,000 point sign up bonus. We had to spend $4,000 in the first 3 months to earn the bonus. We ended up with just over 302,000 points between the two of us after earning the sign up bonuses and spending on the cards.
Part of our trip was spent in Glacier National Park. It was a beautiful park and I highly recommend visiting it.
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➡️ 3-Day Glacier National Park Itinerary
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➡️ 10 Best Hikes in Glacier National Park
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Why We Got IHG Credit Card Points
We got IHG cards because there was a Holiday Inn Express 45 minutes from the west entrance of Glacier National Park. We also stayed two nights in Bozeman and one night in West Yellowstone using IHG points.
Southwest Rapid Reward Points
I took out two Southwest Airlines credit cards which earn Southwest Rapid Reward points. The first card was the SW Premier Business card. The sign up bonus on the card was 60,000 points. We had to spend $3,000 in the first 3 months to earn the bonus.
I also got the Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card. It had an elevated 75,000 point sign up bonus. To earn the bonus, we needed to spend $3,000 in the first 3 months. Between the two cards, we ended up with 142,000 Rapid Reward points after earning the sign up bonuses and spending on the cards.
Why We Got Southwest Rapid Rewards Points
We got SW Airline points since we wanted to earn the SW Companion Pass. The pass allows you to bring a companion with you on a flight, as long as there is availability, only paying taxes and fees. Taxes and fees on domestic flights are $5.60 one way.
We used the points we earned from the cards to pay for my flights. I just had to pay the $5.60 in fees for each one way flight. We ended up paying $44.80 for 8 one way flights.
⭐ southwest companion pass Guide ⭐
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➡️ How to Earn the Southwest Companion Pass
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Chase Ultimate Reward Points
Over the last few years, Tonya and I have taken out numerous cards and have earned quite a few Chase Ultimate Reward points.
A few of the cards that we have gotten over the years include: Sapphire Preferred, Freedom Unlimited, Ink Business Preferred, Business Unlimited, and Business Cash cards just to name a few of them. Each one of the cards have different sized bonuses and amounts that you need to spend to earn the sign up bonus.
Why We Got Chase Ultimate Rewards Points
Chase Ultimate Rewards are some of the best points to have in the credit card points hobby. You can transfer the points to 11 airlines and 3 hotel programs. Hyatt hotels are one of the best transfer partners. We transferred points to Hyatt to book a number of stays.
Total Points vs. Cash Breakdown
Hilton Honors Points
Embassy Suites Columbus Airport
We had a one night stay at the Embassy Suites Columbus Airport. This was our only stay in a Hilton Hotel. It was the lowest redemption that we had on the trip.
- Overall Hilton Points Redeemed– 40,000
- Overall Cash Value– $134.54
IHG Points Used
Kalispell Holiday Inn Express & Suites
We had a 4 night stay at the Kalispell Holiday Inn Express & Suites. You get the 4th night free when using points with IHG.
- Points Redeemed– 167,000
- Cash Value– $1,692.69
Belgrade Holiday Inn Express & Suites
We spent 2 nights at the Belgrade Holiday Inn Express & Suites. One of the nights we used a free night certificate.
- Points Redeemed– 54,000
- Cash Value– $683.25
Holiday Inn in West Yellowstone
We spent one night at the Holiday Inn in West Yellowstone.
- Points Redeemed– 62,000
- Cash Value– $455.54
Total IHG Points Used and Cash Value
- Overall IHG Points Redeemed– 283,000
- Overall Cash Value– $2,831.48 – $110 Points Transfer Fee (I address this fee in “Lessons Learned and Tips”) = $2,721.48
Chase Ultimate Reward Points
We had 3 different stays in Hyatt Hotels on the trip. We transferred our Ultimate Reward points to Hyatt to cover these stays.
Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort & Spa
We spent 4 nights at the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort & Spa. I booked the VIP Suite to surprise Tonya. It was a beautiful room and resort.
Tip: A nice perk when using Hyatt points at resorts is the fact that you don’t have to pay resort fees. It saved us $160 on our stay by using points.
- Points Redeemed– 96,000
- Cash Value– $3,141.26 + $160 Resort Fee Savings = $3,301.26
Hyatt Place Colorado Springs/Garden of the Gods
We had a one night stay at the Hyatt Place Colorado Springs/Garden of the Gods.
- Points Redeemed– 9,500
- Cash Value– $188.53
Hyatt Place Denver Airport
Our last stay was at the Hyatt Place Denver Airport for one night.
- Points Redeemed– 8,000
- Cash Value– $178.91
Total Chase Points Redeemed and Cash Value
- Overall Chase Points Redeemed– 113,500
- Overall Cash Value– $3,668.70
Southwest Rapid Rewards Points
We had 4 one way flights on our trip. I used points for my flights and Tonya didn’t have to because of the Companion Pass.
Columbus to Bozeman
- Points Redeemed– 14,031
- Cash Value– $420
Bozeman to Albuquerque
- Points Redeemed– 13,631
- Cash Value– $400
Albuquerque to Denver
- Points Redeemed– 4,160
- Cash Value– $138
Denver to Columbus
- Points Redeemed– 10,415
- Cash Value– $300
Total Southwest Rapid Rewards Used and Cash Value
- Overall Southwest Airlines Points Redeemed– 42,237
- Overall Cash Value– $1,258.00 – $44.80 Taxes and Fees = $1,213.20
Overall Total Cost Savings on Flights and Hotel Stays
Overall Cash Value– $7,737.92
Annual Fees: What we paid and was it worth it?
It would be awesome to get all kinds of points without paying annual fees. There are cards that have no annual fees but most of the time that isn’t the case.
Even though we paid annual fees on these cards, they come with perks that make it very worth while. For example, the IHG Premier credit card comes with a free night certificate. Even though we paid an annual fee of $99 on the card, we got way more than $99 worth of value from the free night certificate.
- IHG Premier Card– $99
- IHG Business Premier Card– $99
- Southwest Premier Business Card– $99
- Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Card– $69
- Chase Sapphire Preferred– $95
- Chase Business Unlimited– $0
Total Annual Fees- $461
If you subtract the annual fees from the value we got from using the points, we would still have $7,276 in value. If someone came to you and said that if you gave them $461, they would give you over $7,700 back, would you do it? I truly hope that you said yes.
As you can see, we were able to save a lot of money even when paying annual fees on the cards. Those savings allowed us to do things on the trip that we wouldn’t be able to do, otherwise.
For example, we took a balloon ride in Albuquerque, went to a Red Rocks concert, took a Red Bus Tour in Glacier National Park and stayed in a VIP Suite at the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort and Spa to name just a few of the things.
⭐ 17 DAY OUT WEST TRIP ITINERARY ⭐
This 17 travel itinerary can help you plan out your trip while you travel out west.
➡️ Ultimate 17 Day American West Itinerary: Glacier, Yellowstone, New Mexico & Colorado Road Trip
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Lessons Learned and Tips
Every trip teaches you something new. Here are the five biggest lessons I took away from planning and booking this trip that will help you avoid mistakes and get more value from your points.
- The one mistake I made was transferring points from my IHG account to my wife’s IHG account. I had to transfer 22,000 points so that we could book one of our stays. You have to pay $5 for every 1,000 points that you transfer. You don’t have to pay if you have top level Diamond status or if you are an IHG Business Rewards member.
The easy way to get around the fee is by becoming an IHG Business Rewards member. It is free to sign up for the program. I knew there was a way to transfer for free but I thought it was by having the IHG Business card. So, it was a $110 mistake that I made.
- When deciding what cards that you want to get to help you travel, you need to decide what your goals are and what credit cards will help you reach your goals. Flexible points like Chase Ultimate Rewards are usually the best way to begin. Flexible points allow you to transfer points to various programs.
Co-Branded cards should then be your next level of cards. We got the Southwest and IHG cards for specific reasons for this trip.
- The best way to get outsized value from your points is by transferring them. It’s been my experience that people feel uncomfortable when it comes to transferable credit card points since they don’t know how to transfer points. It is quite easy to transfer points.
⭐ Transferring credit card points ⭐
Transferring points and miles can help you get out sized value with your points.
➡️ How to Transfer Points to Travel Partners
See the step by step process on how to transfer points and miles to travel partners.
- The Southwest Companion Pass can be a great option for couples who travel together. It saved my wife and I over $1,200 on the trip we took. The Companion Pass allows one person to fly only paying taxes and fees. This can be as little as $5.60 one way.
- Annual fees are something that no one likes to pay but many times they can be well worth it. Many travel credit cards have perks that can help you while you travel like, TSA Precheck, primary rental car insurance, lounge access, free hotel nights, or free checked bags. You have to look at the perks of the card and decide if you are getting more value from the card than the annual fee.
For example, the World of Hyatt credit card has an annual fee of $95. The card comes with a category 1-4 free night certificate. You can easily book a Hyatt Hotel that cost $250 and up with the certificate. So, the annual fee in this case is well worth it.
Frequently Asked Questions About Using Credit Card Points for Travel
The number of points you need depends on where you are going, how long you are staying, and which programs you are using. On our 17 day road trip, my wife and I used around 479,000 total points across four different programs to cover 14 hotel nights and 8 flights.
That may sound like a lot but the majority of those points came from sign up bonuses rather than everyday spending. A beginner could realistically earn enough points from one or two sign up bonuses to cover a long weekend trip with flights and a hotel included.
In most cases yes, as long as you are using the perks the card offers. On this trip we paid $461 in total annual fees across all of our cards and got over $7,700 in value in return. The key is to look at each card individually and make sure the perks you actually use outweigh the fee.
A card with a $95 annual fee that comes with a free hotel night certificate worth $250 is paying for itself before you even earn a single point.
Absolutely, and doing so is often the smartest approach. On our trip we used four different programs including Hilton, IHG, Chase Ultimate Rewards transferred to Hyatt, and Southwest Rapid Rewards.
Each program was chosen for a specific reason based on where we were staying and flying. Using multiple programs allows you to put the right points to work in the right situation rather than forcing every redemption through one program.
The Southwest Companion Pass allows one designated person to fly with you on every Southwest flight only paying taxes and fees, which are as low as $5.60 one way. On our trip the Companion Pass saved us over $1,200 because my wife Tonya flew on all of our Southwest flights without using any points at all.
To earn the pass you need to accumulate 135,000 Rapid Reward points within a calendar year. Getting two Southwest credit cards with large sign up bonuses is the fastest way to earn it.
Start with one flexible points card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred or the Capital One Venture. Flexible points can be transferred to multiple airline and hotel programs which gives you options when it comes time to book.
Focus on earning the sign up bonus first since that single bonus will likely give you more points than months of everyday spending. Once you are comfortable with how one program works you can add a co-branded card targeted at a specific airline or hotel chain that makes sense for where you want to travel.
Final Thoughts
When it comes to credit card points, I wish I would’ve gotten into this hobby much sooner. The trip that Tonya and I took was truly enhanced because of using points. We were able save a lot of money which allowed us to do many more paid activities on the trip, as well as stay at a very nice hotel.
I hope that this post has given you some idea of what you can do when you use credit card points to travel. I also hope that it has shown you that you can travel more when using credit card points.
If you have any questions, I would love to hear from you so please leave a comment.
If this post got you thinking about using credit card points on your next trip, start with my beginner’s guide to credit card points and miles to learn exactly how to get started.
