To the point
Find out how Pierre-Luc saved $10,815 on his trip to California with credit card rewards and loyalty programs.
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.
Pierre-Luc's Testimonial - Who are you?
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.
Pierre-Luc's Testimonial - Your travel project with points : California
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 :
- San Diego
- Carlsbad
- Anaheim
- Los Angeles (with Universal Studios Hollywood and Disneyland California)
Transportation
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 :
- 2 Air Canada North America Buddy Passes for two flights to California in economy class (a savings of $1350)
- 125,000 HSBC Rewards points on car rental ($625 value)
The car was rented through Costco Travel with the rental company Budget.
Transportation savings
Overall, thanks to our strategies, we saved $1,975 on transportation costs for our family of four.
Accommodation
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:
| Accomodation name | Number of nights | Number and type of points used | Money saved |
| Residence Inn Los Angeles L.A. LIVE | 5 | 168,000 Marriott Bonvoy points | $3,275 |
| AC Hotel San Diego Downtown Gaslamp Quarter | 5 | 134,000 Marriott Bonvoy points | $2,800 |
| SpringHill Suites San Diego Carlsbad | 1 | 1 Marriott Bonvoy annual certificate | $480 |
| SpringHill Suites Anaheim Maingate | 1 | 1 Marriott Bonvoy annual certificate | $450 |
Savings on accommodation
The savings on accommodation amounted to an impressive $7,005 for 12 nights!
Activities and other
With AIR MILES and TD Reward points, we were able to save on various admissions and tours. We exchanged :
- 15,200 AIR MILES for 4 Express tickets to Universal Studios Hollywood
- 133,750 TD Rewards points for a $535 account credit
Savings on activities
All in all, we saved $1,835 on the cost of activities during our trip to California.
Testimonial - Credit cards used
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.
| Credit card | Accumulation period | Points used | Points redemption method |
| Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card (x 2) | 2 years | Marriott Bonvoy points | Hotel reservations |
| TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card | 9 months | 1 Buddy Pass | Flight booking |
| CIBC Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card | 3 months | 1 Buddy Pass | |
| HSBC World Elite® Mastercard® | 10 months | 125,000 HSBC Rewards points | Statement credit |
| American Express Cobalt® Card | 2 years | Membership Rewards | Transfer to Marriott Bonvoy |
| American ExpressMD Gold Rewards Card (x 2) | 3 months | ||
| TD First Class Travel® Visa Infinite* Card | 15 months | 133,750 TD Rewards points | Statement credit |
The benefits
Thanks to our credit cards, we’ve enjoyed additional travel benefits, including:
- A $100 travel credit for seat selection and no conversion fees for U.S. dollar transactions with the HSBC World Elite® Mastercard®.
- 2 $50 Nexus membership fee credits each with our American ExpressMD Gold Rewards Card.
We were also entitled to checked baggage with Air Canada, 25% off in-flight meals and the new free Wi-Fi service with our TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card.
Tips to help you save more
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.
Summary
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:
| Grand total | $10,815 |
| Type of expense | Savings |
| Transportation | $1,975 |
| Accommodation | $7,005 |
| Activities and other | $1,835 |
The key to cost-effective travel lies in diversifying reward programs. In all, we called on five separate programs:
The final word
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!
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