Testimonial: Seoul and Sydney on points
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Aurélie’s Testimonial – Who are you?
I’m 32 and have been a Milesopedia reader since 2020.
I love outdoor travel: being able to enjoy nature, hiking, visiting and discovering. I also like trips where I can enjoy the comforts of a more renowned hotel.
Aurélie’s Testimonial – Your travel project with points : Seoul and Sydney
In the summer of 2023, I traveled alone for 12 days in Australia and Korea.
Initially, I wanted to discover Seoul and immerse myself in Korean culture. As this was my first long-distance trip on my own, I wanted to leave for a maximum of two weeks. I also wanted to combine another destination within the same trip.
I started to look at countries close to Korea and eventually expanded my possibilities a little. So I decided to spend six days in Seoul and six days in Sydney. I really liked the idea of discovering two such different cities in one trip.
Transportation
To book my plane tickets, I used the Aeroplan program. I took advantage of the Aeroplan stopover to design my route. For an additional 5,000 points, the program allows you to add a stopover in a city for up to 45 days.
So for my return ticket from Seoul, I branched out to Australia and added a six-day stopover in Sydney.
Here are my booking details:
| Flight | Carrier and cabin | Number and type of points used | Money saved |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montreal-Vancouver-Seoul | Air Canada economy class | 44,200 Aeroplan | $1,191 |
| Seoul-Sydney (Aeroplan stopover) | Asiana Airlines in economy class | 73,300 Aeroplan | $1,002 |
| Sydney-Los Angeles-Montreal | Air Canada and United in economy class | $1,598 |
Transportation savings
For a round trip from Montreal to Asia, with a stopover in Australia, I used a total of 117,500 Aeroplan points. These tickets had a value of $3,916 at the time of booking. In the end, I only paid $155!
Accommodation
I was able to cover almost all my accommodation expenses with points. First, I applied my annual $100 HSBC travel credit for a night at the Moxy Seoul Insadong, which cost $116. Then I used my Marriott Bonvoy points for the next five nights. I was able to take advantage of the program’s fifth free night when you book four nights with points.
In Sydney, I stayed in an independent hotel and applied my CIBC Aventura points against an statement credit. Finally, I had accumulated a free night with the Hotels.com loyalty program.
| Accomodation name | Number of nights | Number and type of points used | Money saved |
| Moxy Seoul Insadong | 1 | $100 Travel Credit from HSBC World Elite® Mastercard® | $100 |
| 5 | 74,500 Marriott Bonvoy points | $663 | |
| Little National Hotel Sydney | 6 | 105,000 CIBC Aventura points + 1 Hotels.com free night | $1,467 |
Savings on accommodation
For 12 nights in hotels, I paid only $16 and saved $2,130!
Activities and other
I booked a tour to visit the demilitarized zone (DMZ) in Korea for $80.49. I reimbursed these charges by applying 8,049 Scene+ points as a statement credit.
Testimonial – Credit cards used
For this travel project, I was the only one collecting points. In total, I used rewards from six different credit cards.
| Credit card | Accumulation period | Points used | Points redemption method |
| Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card | 3 months | 74,500 Marriott Bonvoy points | Hotel reservations |
| TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card | 1 year | 118,700 Aeroplan points | Flight booking |
| CIBC Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card | 1 year | ||
| CIBC AventuraMD Gold Visa* Card (x 2) | 4 months | 105,000 Aventura points | Statement credit |
| CIBC Aventura® Visa Infinite* Card | 4 months |
| Credit card | Annual fee | Welcome offer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| $120 | |||
| $0 | |||
| $0 | |||
| $0 | |||
| $0 |
The benefits
Thanks to my credit cards, I enjoyed additional travel benefits, including:
- A $100 travel credit for seat selection and no conversion fees for foreign currency transactions with the HSBC World Elite® Mastercard®.
- Free checked baggage with TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* CardMD AeroplanMD on Air Canada flights.
- Six airport lounge passes a year with the CIBC AventuraMD Visa Infinite* Card
Tips to help you save more
The main rule I set myself is to optimize each and every one of my expenses. For example, when I know I have a major expense coming up, I anticipate and find out what cards are available and what bonuses I could unlock.
I also leave nothing to chance when it comes to my day-to-day expenses. And that’s what’s so satisfying: knowing that it’s daily, obligatory expenses that allow me to accumulate so much and travel.
Summary
In the end, I saved $6,125 on my nearly two-week trip to Seoul and Sydney! Here’s a breakdown of the savings in each category:
| Type of expense | Savings |
|---|---|
| Transportation | $3,916 |
| Accommodation | $2,129 |
| Activities | $80 |
| Grand total | $6,125 |
The trick to reducing travel costs lies in diversifying reward programs. Overall, I used five different programs:
The final word
If I had to choose just one card to keep in my wallet, it would definitely be the American Express Cobalt® Card. The referral offer, the generosity of the points accumulated in certain categories, and the flexibility of points transfer possibilities make it an indispensable card in my wallet today.
Thank you Milesopedia!
- Annual fee
- $191.88
- Our valuationMilesopedia first-year estimate First-year valueWelcome bonus$255Total$255Rewards on your spending are not included. The calculator that adds them from your own profile is on the card's page.
- $255
- Welcome offerGet 1,250 points after $750 in purchases per month for 12 months
- Up to 15,000 points
Apply Now
on American Express's website
Apply 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”).
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