To the point
Reward points have allowed me to travel around the world almost for free. Here's the strategy I've put in place.
Introduction
I recently traveled in March 2023 and wanted to show you that it’s possible to travel almost entirely “free” thanks to the wonderful world of credit cards.
My itinerary was as follows: Montreal – Doha – Singapore – Tapei (Taiwan) – Hong Kong – Montreal
I had all the following points and benefits at my disposal. Also, suggestions for credit cards and promotions that can help you accumulate (or obtain) them are listed:
| Points/Benefits | Suggested credit cards | Notes |
| 70,000 Avios miles | Recurring RBC Avion points transfer promotions. | |
| 176,800 Aeroplan points | Please consider the terms and conditions of the Aeroplan program. | |
| Aeroplan 35K Elite Status | Guide to Aeroplan Elite Status | |
| 17 upgrade credits | Obtaining Aeroplan Elite status | |
| 120,000 Hilton Honors points | Hilton Diamond status | |
| 22,000 Marriott Bonvoy points | ||
| 80,000 CIBC Aventura Points ($1,000 value) | Currently increased exchange rate | |
| 45,000 HSBC Rewards points ($225 value) | Excellent credit card with no foreign transaction fee | |
| 10th night free on Hotels.com ($201.59 value) | Hotels.com loyalty program | |
| $350 | Scotia Chequing Account Opening Bonus | |
The flights
The idea behind this itinerary was to be able to do almost everything in business class. The plan was respected except for the 2-hour flight from TPE to HKG, as only economy class was available.
The itinerary is divided into 3 different bookings in order to optimize the use of points.
1st booking with Avios
| Route | Airline | Class | Points | Taxes and fees | Actual cost |
| Montreal – Doha | Qatar Airways | Business (Qsuite) | 70,000 Avios | $157.71 | $5541.45 |
2nd booking with Aeroplan
| Route | Airline | Class | Points | Taxes and fees | Actual cost |
| Doha – Abu Dhabi | Etihad Airways | Business (A320) | 85,000 Aeroplan points | $163.30 | $5,446 |
| Abu Dhabi – Singapore | Etihad Airways | Business (B787-9) | |||
| Singapore – Taipei | Eva Air | Business (B777-300ER) |
3rd booking with Aeroplan
| ROUTE | AIRLINE | CLASS | POINTS | TAXES AND FEES | ACTUAL COST |
| Taipei – Hong Kong | Eva Air | Economy (B787-10) | 91,800 Aeroplan points + 17 upgrade credits | $118.90 | $10,937 |
| Hong Kong – Vancouver | Air Canada | Business (B777-300ER) | |||
| Vancouver – Montreal | Air Canada | Business (B777-300ER) |
Airport lounges
It was easier than I thought, even though we no longer had access to Priority Pass (Plaza Premium lounges have since joined Priority Pass again).
Here are the details of all the salons I visited, and how I went about it:
| Airport | Lounge | Access |
| Montreal – YUL | National Bank Lounge | National Bank World Elite Mastercard |
| Doha – DOH (arrivals) | Premium Arrival Lounge | Included with business class ticket |
| Doha – DOH (departures) | Oryx Lounge | Included with business class ticket |
| Abu Dhabi – AUH | Etihad Business Class Lounge | Included with business class ticket |
| Singapore – SIN | SilverKris Lounge | Included with business class ticket |
| Taipei – TPE | Plaza Premium Lounge | American Express® Gold Rewards Card |
| Hong Kong – HKG | Plaza Premium Lounge | American Express® Gold Rewards Card |
The hotels
I prioritize Hilton hotels, because I have Hilton Honors Diamond Status. So, upgrades are possible and, above all, I get a free breakfast. In Canada, you can get Hilton Honors Gold status (which also offers complimentary breakfast) with the Platinum Card®. This is one of its many advantages.
Here’s a summary of how to get almost free nights with the points and benefits I listed at the beginning of this article.
Doha - Embassy Suite by Hilton
For my two nights in Doha, I stayed at the Embassy Suite by Hilton.
| List price | Points/Benefits used | Net cost |
| $428.64 |
|
$2.05 |
Singapore - Hilton Garden inn
Once I arrived in Singapore, I stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn for 5 nights.
| List price | Points/Benefits used | Net cost | Actual cost |
| 120,000 Hilton Honors points |
|
$0 | $1,950 |
Taipei - Hilton Tapei Sinban
For my stay in Taipei, I chose the Hilton Taipei Sinban where I stayed for 4 nights.
| List price | Points/Benefits used | Net cost |
| $680 |
|
$0 |
Hong Kong - Le Méridien Hong Kong
Then, once in Hong Kong, I split my stay over two establishments to pay as little as possible out of pocket using points.
The first night was booked at Le Méridien Hong Kong.
| List price | Points/Benefits used | Net cost | Actual cost |
| 22,000 Marriott Bonvoy points | – | $0 | $325 |
Hong Kong - Hilton Garden Inn Hong Kong Mongkoko
After that, I had some money left over from my Scotia chequing account bonus. So I chose to spend the second night at the Hilton Garden Inn Hong Kong Mongkoko.
| List price | Points/Benefits used | Net cost |
| $170 |
|
$0 |
Bottom line
In the end, I spent a grand total of $441.96 for this magnificent round-the-world trip, mainly in business class. Almost all of this amount happens to be the taxes and fees I had to pay to book my award tickets.
It’s important to remember to be creative in crafting our itinerary and to deconstruct it, as I did, to maximize the use of points. We can also see that for an almost free trip, it often takes a combination of different points and even a combination of their use on the same booking!
Read on for more testimonials from members of the Milesopedia community:
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