Worried about burning through all your points during your family trip? I hear you! Redeeming for a family means depleting miles not once but multiple times. When I mapped out our family travel, I zoomed out to think about what I’d need for the next 6-12 months. This shift in perspective was for strategizing and picking the right cards to keep in my wallet.
Here’s how I set my game plan:
- Earn American Airlines (AA) award miles and snag elite status by 2025: This is my top priority!
- Stockpile flexible points for our next family adventure: Because, let’s be real, plans always change.
- Expand my hotel options beyond just Hyatt and Marriott: Variety is the spice of travel!
So these 4 credit cards are my choices to prep for our 7-week travel that earned me 550,000 points.
#1: Chase Ink Business Preferred
Chase Ink Business Preferred now offers 120,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points. When I applied before our trip, the offer was 100,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards (UR) points, it was considered a good deal. It was because the bonus had been stuck at 80,000 for a long time. Chase also increased the referral bonus to 40,000 for the business card, and a family member referred me. As a result, I ended up earning a total of valuable 140,000 Chase UR points, even without factoring in any spending we did during the trip.
This card is my keeper card because it lets me transfer Chase UR points to airlines and hotel partners for exceptional value. For instance, we used it to book a flight from Sydney to Seoul on Singapore Airlines through Air Canada Aeroplan program, one of Chase’s transfer partners. We redeemed 120,000 points per person for business class, and with a 20% bonus, it only cost us 100,000 points. This flight, worth more than $8,000 one way per person, wasn’t just a fantastic deal – it also made for a standout experience in our 7-week family adventure.
Even if you don’t think you have a business, you might still qualify as a sole proprietor. It is a awesome opportunity to get the card especially with the current historically high offer.
👉 Further reading: Three Secrets That Make You A Pro In Award Ticket Redemption
👉 Further reading: Introduction to Stopover – How To Best Maximize Aeroplan For Your Dream Trips
#2: Chase IHG One Premier Business
The higher offer was a key factor in my card strategy. Chase IHG One Premier Business had 175,000 points sign-up bonus when I applied, compared to the usual 140,000 points. There are questions how to earn more points on every dollar you spend – wisely leverage “Spending Bonus”. Beyond the 175,000 sign-up bonus, using the spending bonus wisely can earn you more than just the basic rewards.
Since we’ll have transportation, tours, pickups, and hotel activities – all classified as travel expenses. You’ll earn 5 times the points for every dollar spent in these categories. Planning ahead for your travel can help you maximize your earnings. Here are a few examples:
That said, this Chase IHG One Premier Business credit card will become my keeper card because of:
- IHG Fourth Night Free
The “4th night free” offer was another major factor I was attracted to this card. IHG program offers a fourth night free to eligible IHG co-branded cardholders when using points to book award stays of at least four consecutive nights. This means when you book a room for four or more nights, one of the nights will automatically price at zero points. Using the example of Seoul Holiday Inn under IHG group. It needs 22,000 to 24,000 points per night in middle of March. As a card holder, I’m eligible to book the 4th night free on my reward stay. It will reduce future travel costs by almost 30% when I book 4 nights, lowering the total from 92,000 to 68,000 points – an average of 17,000 points per night.
- Anniversary Free Night
The “Anniversary Free Night” certificate was the third reason I couldn’t resist. With the annual $99 fee, the value of the Anniversary Free Night redemption often outweighs the cost. For example, budget-friendly hotels in the IHG portfolio, like Holiday Inn Express and VOCO in Seoul, have prices ranging from $104 to $197.
#3: Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard
I applied for Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard 3 months before our departure for the Down Under. The sign up bonus was just 70,000 American Airlines (AA) miles. What caught my attention was 10x hotel booking on AA hotels booking portal. Not only would I earn miles and loyalty points but also the amount I paid became 10x miles. This made my AA miles earning at a super-fast speed and impressive rate – more than enough for two business class tickets between the US and Japan.
So, why using Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard for booking accommodation?
- Local Rules – Even though many of these places were packed with points-redemption hotel chains like Hyatt, Marriott, and Hilton, most hotels only allowed up to 3 people per room, whether it was a standard room or a suite. So, we needed an extra room. When points were available, I went the extra mile – literally. I booked additional rooms through AA hotels portal to fully capitalize on the Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard’s 10x earning power. Check out my hotel lineup: Westin Seoul, Shangri-La Taipei, Hyatt Regency Bangkok and more. From these stays alone, I earned a sweet 35,000 AA miles.
- Points-Redemption Shortages – During our seven-week family adventure, we hit a snag with point-redemption hotels. In spots like Queenstown, Lake Tekapo, and Christchurch in New Zealand, and Sapporo, Otaru, and Aomori Prefecture, Japan, we couldn’t find accommodations we could book with points. Booking on AA hotel portal and prepaying them (you can choose refundable so you don’t need to be worried about the change) earned us 10x AA miles.
Most of our stays in Queenstown, Christchurch, and Lake Tekapo were at locally-owned hotels that earned me AA miles:
- Queenstown, New Zealand: Queenstown Park Boutique Hotel
This place consistently snagged Best of the Best awards. The hotel’s central location meant we were just a hop, skip, and a jump away from everything. They offered shuttles to the activities like our private jet glacier tours. We booked a three-person suite with stunning views of The Remarkables mountain range, perfect for our family. I initially tried to book with the Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard but ended up finding a great deal on Hotels.com. I scored a 500 square foot suite for three nights at about $1050 before tax. Hotels.com had a rare offer of 2 miles per dollar on AA shopping portal, so I earned a solid 2,100 AA miles.
- Lake Tekapo, New Zealand: Galaxy Boutique Hotel
We made a spontaneous decision to stay at the Galaxy Boutique Hotel. I found this spot on the AA shopping portal through Hotels.com, where they were offering a rare 2 miles per dollar. For our one-night stay, we racked up 450 AA miles. This newly built hotel has a stargazing rooftop that sounds amazing – though it was rainy during our visit. We booked a room for three and added a rollaway bed. The location is super convenient, just a 15-minute walk from all the main attractions.
- Christchurch, New Zealand: The Grange B&B
I stumbled upon this charming century-old B&B on AA hotel portal and decided to book through them. The Grange is beautifully renovated, conveniently located within walking distance of major attractions and right next to the Art Museum. They even offer laundry services for NZD 15 – perfect for freshening up mid-trip! Plus, I earned 5x points by using a new Chase IHG One Premier Business credit card. I booked a cozy double room for us for two nights at about $170 per night before tax. Even though I’m just a AA basic member, I managed to score nearly 4,500 AA miles from this stay. Not bad for a quaint B&B experience!
- Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan: Mitsui Garden Sapporo West
We booked two rooms for a four-night stay here, built in 2019. Nestled between Keio Plaza and Mitsui Garden, it’s just a 5-minute walk from Sapporo Station and only 15 minutes from the vibrant Tanukikoji and Odori Park. Initially, our booking didn’t rack up many AA miles, but a last-minute AA elite challenge three days before our stay turned things around. I rebooked, and voilà – 14,000 AA miles later! Using the Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard for booking both rooms, I ended up earning a whopping 30,000 AA miles.
- Otaru, Hokkaido, Japan: Unwind Otaru
The hotel there has a delightful English-style afternoon tea breakfast and offers free wine from 5:00 PM to 6:30 PM every night. I booked through AA hotels portal and scored a cool 13,400 AA miles. Plus, the hotel has a spacious loft room with four beds, perfect for spreading out (420 square feet of comfort!).
- Aomori, Japan: Hoshino Resort Oirase Keiryu and Aomoriya
Part of the fantastic Hoshino Group, these gems were booked through their official website. To hit the Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard’s sign-up spending requirement, I used the card to cover five days of stay and dining. From this stay, I racked up about 2,500 AA miles. Curious how many AA miles I racked up in just three months? Let’s do the math:
=> 2,100 + 450 + 4,500 + 30,000 + 13,400 + 2,500 + 35,000 = 87,950 AA miles.
Toss in the 70,000 miles sign-up bonus and meet the $7,000 spending requirement, and we’re talking nearly 165,000 miles! And that’s not even counting the extra miles from AAdvantage eShopping and SimplyMiles portals.
👉 Further reading: How To Reach American Airlines Elite Levels With Daily Spending
#4 Citi / AAdvantage Business World Elite Mastercard
I couldn’t say no to the elevated sign-up bonus offer when it popped up almost close to our departure date. Also, Citi / AAdvantage Business World Elite Mastercard aligned to my goal for earning more AA miles. It was 75,000 miles sign-up bonus offer when I applied, another stacks of points flowing in to the AA account. (Yeah, Maldives is calling!)
Final Thoughts
I totally understand – seeing your points balance drop can be a little daunting. But don’t let that hold you back from crafting savvy credit card strategies. By stepping back and looking at your whole itinerary, activities, and stays, you can pick the credit cards that will maximize your rewards with every dollar spent. It’s all about making those points work harder for you!
