Through a series of testimonials from our readers, Milesopedia presents what you can achieve with credit cards and loyalty programs.
Here’s Pierre-Luc and his family’s plan for a trip to California, and the savings he’s made with points.
I’m in my late thirties and have been reading Milesopedia since 2020.
I prefer comfortable trips, with a more relaxed pace and where I can relax.
In the summer of 2023, I traveled to California with my wife and our two children, aged 10 and 12.
Over a period of 13 days, we visited :
By taking advantage of HSBC Rewards points and two Air Canada Buddy Passes, we reduced our spending on airfare and car rental in California. In short, we used :
The car was rented through Costco Travel with the rental company Budget.
Overall, thanks to our strategies, we saved $1,975 on transportation costs for our family of four.
Our biggest savings came in the area of accommodation. We made our hotel reservations with a combination of 2 Marriott Bonvoy annual one-night free certificates and 302,000 Marriott Bonvoy points. Here are our booking details:
The savings on accommodation amounted to an impressive $7,005 for 12 nights!
With AIR MILES and TD Reward points, we were able to save on various admissions and tours. We exchanged :
All in all, we saved $1,835 on the cost of activities during our trip to California.
For this trip, I teamed up with my partner to accumulate points. Accumulation with credit cards took place over a period of around 2 years. In total, we subscribed to 9 different cards.
As for AIR MILES, we’ve collected miles over the years and our bank was a little older.
Thanks to our credit cards, we’ve enjoyed additional travel benefits, including:
We were also entitled to checked baggage with Air Canada, a 25% discount on meals purchased on board as well as the new free Wi-Fi service with our Air Canada. TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card.
The HSBC World Elite® Mastercard® is now discontinued. For an alternative card with no conversion fees and easy-to-use points, consider the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Card.
In the fall of 2022, we took advantage of the bonus transfer of American Express Membership Rewards points to the Marriott Bonvoy program. As a result, we received 25% more Marriott Bonvoy points by transfering our points. It’s a promotion that comes up regularly, usually every year.
In addition, we maximized our Marriott Bonvoy points by booking five consecutive nights at two different hotels. This tip allowed us to get a fifth night free during our stay at the Residence Inn Los Angeles L.A. LIVE and AC Hotel San Diego Downtown Gaslamp Quarter.
Overall, we saved an incredible $10,815 on our nearly two-week trip to California ! Here’s a breakdown of how much we saved in each category:
The key to cost-effective travel lies in diversifying reward programs. In all, we called on five separate programs:
If I had to choose just one card to keep in my wallet, it would undoubtedly be the American Express Cobalt® Card.
Thank you Milesopedia!
Read on for more testimonials from members of the Milesopedia community:
Savings are here:
