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Testimonial: Curaçao as a family with points

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Testimonial: Curaçao as a family with points
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Through a series of testimonials from our readers, Milesopedia presents what you can achieve with credit cards and loyalty programs.

Here’s Viviane and her family’s plan for a trip to Curaçao, and the savings she’s made with her reward points.

Viviane’s testimonial – Who are you?

I’m 35 and have been a loyal Milesopedia reader since 2018.

With my partner and my child, I like to travel in many different ways. We are open to opportunities with points and follow our family’s wishes. We’re interested in the whole world!

Testimonial: Curaçao as a family with points - temoignage-viviane

Viviane – Your travel project with points : Curaçao

We traveled as a family with my partner, our toddler and a baby on the way. I was pregnant on that trip.

During the 2021-2022 holiday season, we visited the island of Curaçao for 15 days. We did a combination of hiking, gastronomy and a very intense tour to explore more than twenty of Curaçao‘s thirty beaches.

Testimonial: Curaçao as a family with points - temoignage-viviane4

Transportation

Our three round-trip plane tickets were paid for entirely with Aeroplan points. We paid 77,000 points and $387 in taxes for these Montreal-Curaçao flights on Air Canada.

Transportation savings

The market value of the tickets when I bought them was about $1,000 each. So we saved over $2,600 on our flights by booking with Aeroplan points.

Accommodation

By using three different types of points, we were able to fully cover the cost of accommodation. We used points:

Here’s a summary of our reservations and savings:

Accomodation nameNumber of nightsNumber and type of points usedMoney saved
Bed & Bike Hostel Jan Thiel240,000 RBC Avion Rewards$400
Airbnb7125,000 HSBC Rewards$615
Curaçao Marriott Beach Resort5160,000 Marriott Bonvoy$1,800

As we booked the Curaçao Marriott Beach Resort with points, we took advantage of the 5th night free offer. This tip saved us even more money!

Savings on accommodation

In total, our savings on the hotel and our Airbnb came to $2,815.

Activities and other

To cover certain expenses such as tips, resort fees and drinks, we used HSBC Rewards points. We earned a $125 statement credit by redeeming 25,000 points.

Testimonial: Curaçao as a family with points - temoignage-viviane3

Testimonial – Credit cards used

In order to accumulate all these points, my partner lent me a hand. We have each signed up for the following credit cards:

Credit cardAccumulation periodNumber of points usedPoints redemption method
TD Visa Infinite* CardMD AeroplanMD x23 months77,000Aeroplan pointsFlight booking
RBC Avion Visa Infinite Card x23 months40,000RBC Avion Rewards pointsStatement credit
American Express Cobalt® Card x212 months134,000Membership Rewards pointsTransfer to Marriott Bonvoy
HSBC World Elite® Mastercard® x26 months125,000 HSBC Rewards pointsStatement credit
Our credit card selection
Credit cardAnnual feeWelcome offer
Annual fee$191.88Welcome offer
Up to 15,000 points
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Annual fee$139 $0Welcome offer
Up to 50,000 points
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Annual fee$150Welcome offer
Up to 35,000 pointsEnds Nov 1, 2026
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Annual fee$120Welcome offer
Up to 70,000 pointsEnds Nov 25, 2026
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The benefits

With our credit cards, we offer many additional travel benefits, such as

  • A $100 travel credit and no conversion fees for foreign currency transactions with the HSBC World Elite® Mastercard®. We used this credit to pay for access to the VIP Lounge at Curaçao Airport.
  • Free checked baggage on Air Canada flights, a 25% discount on in-flight meals and free access to the new Wi-Fi service with the TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card.

Tips to help you save more

The hunt for points may seem complex, but I didn’t use any special tricks.


Organization and patience alone can work wonders.

The Milesopedia beginner’s guide is also a goldmine of information for familiarizing yourself with the accumulation and use of reward points:

Summary

The portion of our trip where we saved the most money was lodging, with 14 free nights valued at $2,815. Here is a breakdown of the amounts saved in each category:

Grand total5 630 $
Type of expenseSavings
Transportation$2,600
Accommodation2 815 $
Other$215

To save big on travel, you need to be flexible and diversify your rewards programs. In total, we used five different programs:

Testimonial: Curaçao as a family with points - temoignage-viviane5
Testimonial: Curaçao as a family with points - temoignage-viviane6

The final word

Since that trip, I’ve continued the hunt for points and signed up for other credit cards. If I could keep only one card in my wallet right now, it would be the National Bank’s World Elite Mastercard®.

Exclusive
Annual fee
$0 $150
No annual fee the first year
Our valuation
$150
Milesopedia first-year estimateFirst-year valueAnnual fee rebated$150Total$150Rewards on your spending are not included. The calculator that adds them from your own profile is on the card's page.
Welcome offer
First Year Annual Fee Rebate
$150 annual fee rebated
Ends Nov 4, 2026
Apply Now

on National Bank's website

With Milesopedia, take advantage of an exclusive offer: your first-year annual fees are refunded with the National Bank World Elite Mastercard. This offer is exclusively available on the Milesopedia network, from June 30 to November 4, 2026.

  • Refund of the first-year annual fee (a $150 value) for the primary cardholder. This fee is charged to your new card account, then refunded as a credit on your statement within five months of opening your account, provided it remains open and in good standing.

The National Bank World Elite Mastercard is the best Mastercard credit card offered by NBC.

With this card, you earn up to 5 points per dollar on your purchases:

  • 5 points per dollar for groceries and restaurants
  • 2 points per dollar on gas and electric recharge purchases
  • 2 points per dollar on recurring bills
  • 2 points per dollar on À la carte Travel
  • 1 point per dollar for all other purchases

And since it’s an NBC mycredit Mastercard, you can use it at Costco.

With this card, you have access to a $150 annual travel credit that you can use in any of these categories:

  • Airport parking
  • Baggage fees
  • Seat selection
  • Access to airport lounges
  • Airline ticket upgrades

What’s more, you can enjoy access to DragonPass airport lounges and unlimited access to the National Bank Lounge at Montreal-Trudeau.

Finally, Milesopedia has named the National Bank World Elite Mastercard as the Best Travel Credit Card in 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026.

Annual fee

Primary card$150
Additional card$50

Annual income required

Individual$80,000
Household$150,000

Conversion fees

2.5%

Earning rate

  • 5xRestaurants
  • 5xGroceries
  • 2xTravel
  • 2xBills & recurring payments
  • 2xGas & EV
  • 1xAll spending

Value

1st Year Value$778
2nd Year Value$923

Card benefits

Airport lounge access$400
Travel creditsIncluded

Travel insurance

Travel medical (under 55)Up to $5,000,000 / 60 days
Travel medical (55-64)Up to $5,000,000 / 31 days
Travel medical (65+)Up to $5,000,000 / 15 days
Trip CancellationUp to $2,500
Trip InterruptionUp to $5,000
Delayed BaggageUp to $500
Lost BaggageUp to $1,000
Flight DelayUp to $500
Travel AccidentIncluded

Purchase protection

Purchase ProtectionIncluded
Extended Warranty+2 years
Mobile DeviceUp to $1,000 / 2 years
Auto Rental CollisionUp to $65,000 / 48 days

Read on for more testimonials from members of the Milesopedia community:

Our featured card

Featured
Annual fee
$120
Our valuation
$990
Milesopedia first-year estimateFirst-year valueWelcome bonus$990Total$990Rewards on your spending are not included. The calculator that adds them from your own profile is on the card's page.
Welcome offer
Up to 110,000 points
Ends Sep 22, 2026
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on American Express's website

Apply with confidence — no impact on your credit scoreApply with confidenceCheck whether your application will be approved before you submit it, with no impact on your credit score*When you apply for a personal American Express Credit Card, we will tell you whether you are eligible without affecting your credit score. So you can apply with confidence.*Instant decisions are only available for consumer Card applications (also called “personal Cards”).

The Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card is the best credit card in Canada for free hotel nights.

New Cardmembers can earn up to 110,000 Marriott Bonvoy® points with the current offer:

  • Earn 80,000 points after you spend $6,000 on your Card in your first 6 months of Cardmembership.
  • Plus, earn 30,000 points by making a purchase during your 15th month of Cardmembership.

This offer ends on September 22, 2026. The annual fee is $120, and there is no annual fee on Additional Cards, so you can add a partner or a family member at no extra cost.

Every year after your first Card anniversary, you receive an Annual Free Night Award good for a redemption of up to 35,000 points at eligible hotels and resorts worldwide. At a valuation of 0.9 cents per Marriott Bonvoy point, that certificate is worth roughly $315, which on its own more than covers the $120 annual fee. That is the main reason to keep this Card year after year instead of cancelling it.

To get the most out of the certificate, aim it at a night that would otherwise price close to the 35,000 point ceiling.

The Card also gives you 15 Elite Night Credits each calendar year and automatic Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite status. Those credits count toward the next Elite tier, so you begin every year 15 nights ahead of where you would otherwise start.

You move up to Gold Elite status automatically when you reach $30,000 in purchases on the Card in a year, or when you combine 10 qualifying paid nights within one calendar year with the 15 Elite Night Credits from your Card.

Marriott Bonvoy points are generally valued at 0.9 cents each. On that basis, the 110,000 point welcome offer is worth about $990, and an Annual Free Night Award used at its full 35,000 point ceiling is worth about $315.

Marriott Bonvoy points pull their weight on free nights rather than on gift cards or merchandise, which is why this Card should be judged on the hotel stays it produces.

You earn 5 points per dollar on eligible purchases at participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels and 2 points per dollar on all other purchases. Points can be redeemed for free nights with no blackout dates at more than 7,000 hotels around the world.

The Card carries a solid package of coverages: $500,000 travel accident insurance, flight delay, baggage delay, lost or stolen baggage and hotel or motel burglary at $500 each, car rental theft and damage up to $85,000 for rentals of up to 48 days, Purchase Protection for 90 days and a one year Extended Warranty.

Two things to plan around: the 2.5% foreign transaction fee on purchases made in a foreign currency, and the 21.99% purchase interest rate, which makes this a Card to pay in full every month. Like all American Express Canada Cards, no minimum income is published for this Card, and you can see whether you would be approved before you apply, with no impact on your credit score.

Annual fee

Primary card$120
Additional card$0

Annual income required

Individual$0
Household$0

Conversion fees

2.5%

Earning rate

  • 5xMarriott Bonvoy hotels
  • 2xAll spending

Value

1st Year Value$1,437
2nd Year Value$312

Travel insurance

Delayed BaggageUp to $500
Lost BaggageUp to $500
Flight DelayUp to $500
Hotel BurglaryUp to $500
Travel AccidentUp to $500,000

Purchase protection

Purchase ProtectionIncluded
Extended Warranty+1 years
Auto Rental Collision (primary)Up to $85,000 / 48 days

Our editorial integrity

Our reviews and rankings are based on an objective assessment. Advertisers do not influence our content. We may receive compensation through some links; our analysis and opinions remain independent.