How points and miles saved me over $3,000 on a last-minute trip
There’s no better feeling in the world of points and miles than using your hard-earned rewards to book a premium cabin redemption or a dream vacation to an exotic tropical resort. But booking premium travel with points and miles can be time-consuming and typically requires patience, flexibility and, above all, booking far in advance of …
There’s no better feeling in the world of points and miles than using your hard-earned rewards to book a premium cabin redemption or a dream vacation to an exotic tropical resort.
But booking premium travel with points and miles can be time-consuming and typically requires patience, flexibility and, above all, booking far in advance of your actual travel dates.
However, there are times when using points and miles at the last minute can provide outsize savings. Recently, I had to attend a friend’s wedding out of state, and traveling with my family meant paying an exorbitant amount of money for last-minute tickets.
Luckily, I was able to use points and miles to book my flights. Here’s how I saved myself over $3,000 on my last-minute trip — and a few tips on how you could do the same if you find yourself in a similar situation.
Related: Use points and miles to book airline tickets, hotels and travel experiences for friends and family
How I booked a last-minute flight using points and miles
There are times when you’ll need to purchase airfare last minute. It could be for a joyous occasion, such as a surprise engagement party or graduation, or for more serious matters, such as the passing of a loved one. Regardless, those looking to book last-minute are at the mercy of airlines. Therefore, you’re more likely to pay an arm and a leg to fly.
Airfare within two weeks of your intended departure date in general is usually more pricey; however, as you close in on your departure date, the price tends to skyrocket. Just know that if you have airline miles or a travel credit card that earns transferable points, you may be able to spare yourself the financial burden of a last-minute ticket.
Related: The best time to book flights for the cheapest airfare
I received a phone call from a good friend explaining a mix-up with his wedding invitation and learned that the wedding in Texas, which was printed on the card to take place the following week, was actually in T-minus 72 hours. With our friendship going back over 15 years, there was no way I could miss the wedding, but I knew last-minute flights would be astronomical.
Round-trip airfare from my local California airport to Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) hovered over $1,000 per person. Traveling with my wife and son meant I’d have to fork over $3,000, in addition to other travel expenses such as accommodations and a rental car.
My favorite aspect about the world of points and miles is that there’s an entire ecosystem set up to help people travel — an alternative, so to speak.
As my phone call wrapped up, I began brainstorming ways to overcome this monetary challenge. Knowing that Dallas is a major American Airlines hub, I looked to book award seats on AA. To help me with my award flight search, I used a fairly new tool, PointsPath, which proved extremely useful.
PointsPath is a Google Chrome extension that automatically searches for award ticket availability when using Google Flights and displays the cost of a redemption ticket alongside the cash price.
Related: These 12 apps and websites make award redemptions easier to find
Helping me quickly reduce the hassle of searching for award availability across various programs, PointsPath nudged me to book an American Airlines award ticket using Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan.
Since Alaska and American Airlines are both part of Oneworld alliance, I found American Airlines award flights bookable through Mileage Plan. Check out our guide for information on how to book domestic American flights with partner airlines.
After searching Alaska Airlines, I found round-trip economy flights on American Airlines for 15,000 Mileage Plan miles per person and less than $50 in taxes and fees. In comparison, American Airlines AAdvantage was charging 40,000 miles round-trip for the same itinerary.
Importance of transferable credit card points
The main issue with the flights I found is that I do not have any Alaska miles or an Alaska Airlines credit card, such as the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card. All of my Oneworld flights are credited to AAdvantage. Lucky for me, Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines went through a merger last year, and while their loyalty programs still remain separate, for now, each airline allows the transfer of miles between the two accounts.
This is where having transferable credit card points comes into play. The only credit card that transfers points directly to Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan is the Bilt Mastercard® (see rates and fees). Though I do not have that card, I quickly thought of a work-around to use. TPG Brian Kelly is a Bilt advisor and investor.
As a holder of The Platinum Card® from American Express, I am able to transfer American Express Membership Rewards points to HawaiianMiles at a rate of 1:1. From there, I can instantly transfer Hawaiian miles to Mileage Plan.
Note that Amex does charge a fee — up to $99 per transaction — to transfer points to domestic partners (JetBlue, Hawaiian and Delta).
Keep in mind that Amex has hinted that HawaiianMiles will eventually be removed as a transfer partner later this year following the merger with Alaska. So, if you’re looking to take advantage of this transfer option, do so sooner rather than later.
Having a card that earns transferable reward points, specifically the Amex Platinum, proved to be a lifesaver.
I also have other reward cards that earn Chase Ultimate Rewards points and Citi ThankYou Reward points. I think it’s best to have a multitude of cards to help expand the list of airline and hotel transfer partner loyalty programs I can utilize.
Holding one or several cards that earn different transferable points can help you widen your redemption options with access to different transfer partners. It’s also useful because issuers occasionally run transfer bonuses, which can help you maximize your redemptions by reducing the number of points you need to transfer to book your travel.
Related: How (and why) you should earn transferable credit card points
Bottom line
Without a credit card that earns transferable points, I would’ve been out over $3,000. It was solely because of points and miles that I was able to attend my friend’s wedding with my family. Otherwise, the sky-high cost of a last-minute flight would have proved a real deterrent.
This experience further confirmed what I believe: Redeeming points and miles can help facilitate travel, and having transferable points is the easiest (and smartest) way to go about it.
My advice is not to put all of your eggs in one basket; add one or several transferable points-earning credit cards to your wallet, alongside any cash back or airline-cobranded credit cards. You never know when you’ll need the flexibility that such cards provide.
Related: Best reward credit cards
See Bilt Mastercard rates and fees here.
See Bilt Mastercard rewards and benefits here.
