Testimonial: A wedding in Costa Rica with points

Through a series of testimonials from our readers, Milesopedia presents what you can achieve with credit cards and loyalty programs.

Here’s Isabelle’s trip to Costa Rica with her husband and three children. During these three weeks, they even celebrated a small family wedding.

Testimonial: A wedding in Costa Rica with points - temoignage-isabelle2

Isabelle's testimonial – Who are you?

I’m 45 and have been a Milesopedia reader for two years.

Before becoming a parent, I backpacked for several months at a time. I’ve been all over South America, Europe and South-East Asia.

Since becoming a mom, I’ve mostly been on camping trips in Quebec, Eastern Canada and the United States. I’ve also stayed in all-inclusives, in addition to a few trips to France, Mexico and Tunisia for work.

Since I’ve been reading Milesopedia, I’ve started travelling frequently again, and I can’t get enough of it! I prefer a combination of these types of trips:

Frequent getaways nearby, like a weekend in Quebec City.
Getaways alone with a child. I took my son to New York for his 18th birthday and my daughter to Philadelphia for her birthday.
Couples getaways, to Mexico for example.
Larger family trips, including this three-week trip to Costa Rica, the first of many.

As a family of five, we prefer economy-class flights. Our aim is to travel more often.

Isabelle’s Story – Your Travel Project with Points: An Elopement in Costa Rica

We went to Costa Rica for three weeks during the 2023 holiday season. We traveled as a family: my husband, our children aged 7, 14 and 19, and myself.

The heart of our trip was a small, simple family wedding (also known as an elopement). We wanted to visit a few regions of Costa Rica, but without spreading ourselves too thin or getting exhausted.

As far as accommodation was concerned, we wanted to experience several different types: tree house, mini-home, etc. We were looking for accommodations with kitchenettes to keep within our budget, as the cost of living is quite high in Costa Rica. In the end, we decided to rent a car for the flexibility it brings.

Testimonial: A wedding in Costa Rica with points - Isa & Remy

Our three-week itinerary began and ended in San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica. In total, we visited three regions and visited the following places:

Central Pacific coast: Manuel Antonio National Park, Nauyaca Falls, Quepos and Uvita
North of the country: Monteverde, La Fortuna, San Carlos, Curi-Cancha, Selvatura Adventure Park and Sloth’s Territory
Guanacaste and Nicoya Peninsula: Rincón de la Vieja National Park, Playa Grande, Montezuma and Santa Teresa

Testimonial: A wedding in Costa Rica with points - temoignage-isabelle3

Transportation

Flights for five people were booked with Aeroplan points.

Flight	Carrier and cabin	Number of points used	Money saved
Inbound: Quebec City-Toronto-San Jose Outbound : San Jose-Montreal	Air Canada economy class	100,000 Aeroplan points + $1,590	$5,900

Flight

Carrier and cabin

Number of points used

Money saved

Inbound: Quebec City-Toronto-San Jose

Outbound : San Jose-Montreal

Air Canada economy class

100,000 Aeroplan points + $1,590

$5,900

For the car, we dealt with a local rental agency. We paid $2,892 for a three-week rental. With our Platinum Card^® from American Express, rental car collision damage waiver (CDW) is included. We didn’t need to take the company’s protection, so we saved $294 on this aspect.

Transportation savings

With 100,000 Aeroplan points, we saved $5,900 on our five round-trip tickets to Costa Rica. As we traveled during the high season (holiday season), the cash price of flights was very high. Points allowed us to fly for way cheaper!

In total, we saved $6,194 on transportation during our trip.

Accommodation

For accommodation, we used a combination of Marriott Bonvoy, Scene+, TD Rewards, NBC Rewards and HSBC Rewards points for our bookings:

Accomodation name	Number of nights	Number and type of points used	Money saved
Four Points by Sheraton Lévis	1	15,500 Marriott Bonvoy	$148
Courtyard San Jose Airport Alajuela	1	17,500 Marriott Bonvoy	$224
Mini house in Quepos (Airbnb)	3	41,600 Scene+	$416
Tree house in Uvita (Airbnb)	2	24,600 Scene+	$246
Apartment in Alajuela (Airbnb)	1	4 400 Scene+	$44
Dreams Lodge Monteverde (Booking.com)	3	–	–
Birds and Breakfast San Carlos	3	84,800 TD Rewards + $100 annual travel credit from the TD First Class Travel^® Visa Infinite* Card.	$524
Santa Maria Volcano Lodge Guayabo	2	30,400 TD Rewards	$152
Apartment in Playa Grande (Airbnb)	2	55,000 NBC Rewards	$500
Tree house in Montezuma (Airbnb)	2	36,000 NBC Rewards	$300
Zula Inn Apparthotels Santa Teresa	1	45,000 HSBC Rewards	$225
Courtyard San Jose Airport Alajuela	2 x 2 bedrooms	57,500 Marriott + $200 annual travel credit on the Platinum Card^MD from American Express	$868
Sheraton Saint-Hyacinthe	1 x 2 bedrooms	31,000 Marriott Bonvoy	$484

Testimonial: A wedding in Costa Rica with points - temoignage-isabelle7

Testimonial: A wedding in Costa Rica with points - temoignage-isabelle6

Savings on accommodation

Phew! That’s a lot of different reservations. By taking full advantage of the variety of points in our wallet, we saved a whopping $4,131 on accommodation during our family trip to Costa Rica. In the end, we spent only $720 out of pocket for three weeks.

We were also able to try out different types of accommodation, including hotels, apartments, mini-homes and tree houses.

Activities and other

With Airbnb Experiences, we booked a guided tour. We then applied 25,000 HSBC Rewards points for a $125 statement credit.

Isabelle's testimonial – The credit cards used

All these points were accumulated by applying for credit cards and being strategic with our spending.

My husband helped collect Aeroplan points by unlocking a welcome bonus with an American Express^®* Aeroplan^® Card. He also got the Marriott Bonvoy^® American Express^®* Card welcome bonus.

Otherwise, for the most part, I’m the only one applying since he’s a student and doesn’t qualify for most cards.

Credit card	Accumulation period	Number of points used	Points redemption method
American Express Cobalt^® Card	5 months	30,000 Membership Rewards points	Transfer to Marriott Bonvoy
TD First Class Travel^® Visa Infinite* Card	4 months	115,200 TD Rewards	Booking accommodation on Expedia for TD
American Express^® Aeroplan^®* Card	6 months	50,000 Aeroplan	Flight booking
TD^® Aeroplan^® Visa Infinite* Card	1 year	50,000 Aeroplan
Marriott Bonvoy^® American Express^®* Card	4 months	70,000 Marriott Bonvoy	Hotel reservations
HSBC World Elite^® Mastercard^®	6 months	45,000 HSBC Rewards	Statement credit
National Bank World Elite Mastercard	1 year	91,000 NBC Rewards	Statement credit
Scotiabank Passport^™ Visa Infinite +* Card	9 months	70,500 Scene+	Travel Credit

Our credit card selection
Credit card	Annual fee	Welcome offer
FeaturedTD^® Aeroplan^® Visa Infinite* Card Apply NowCompare	Annual feeFirst Year Annual Fee Rebate$139 $0First Year Annual Fee Rebate	Welcome offerAfter $12,000 in 12 months Up to 50,000 points After $12,000 in 12 months	Apply NowCompare
Scotiabank Passport^® Visa Infinite +* Card Apply NowCompare	Annual fee$150	Welcome offerAfter $2,000 in 3 months Up to 35,000 pointsEnds Nov 1, 2026 After $2,000 in 3 months	Apply NowCompare
American Express Cobalt^® Card Apply NowCompare	Annual fee$191.88	Welcome offerGet 1,250 points after $750 in purchases per month for 12 months Up to 15,000 points Get 1,250 points after $750 in purchases per month for 12 months	Apply NowCompare
ExclusiveNational Bank World Elite^® Mastercard^® Apply NowCompare	Annual feeFirst Year Annual Fee Rebate$150 $0First Year Annual Fee Rebate	Welcome offer$150 annual fee rebated First Year Annual Fee RebateEnds Nov 4, 2026 $150 annual fee rebated	Apply NowCompare
Marriott Bonvoy^® American Express^®* Card Apply NowCompare	Annual fee$120	Welcome offerAfter $3,000 in 3 months Up to 70,000 points After $3,000 in 3 months	Apply NowCompare
Scotiabank Passport^® Visa Infinite +* Card Apply NowCompare	Annual fee$150	Welcome offerAfter $2,000 in 3 months Up to 35,000 pointsEnds Nov 1, 2026 After $2,000 in 3 months	Apply NowCompare
American Express^® Aeroplan^®* Card Apply NowCompare	Annual fee$120	Welcome offerAfter $7,500 in 6 months Up to 45,000 points After $7,500 in 6 months	Apply NowCompare
SponsoredTD First Class Travel^® Visa Infinite* Card Apply NowCompare	Annual feeFirst Year Annual Fee Rebate$139 $0First Year Annual Fee Rebate	Welcome offerAfter $7,500 in 6 months Up to 160,000 points After $7,500 in 6 months	Apply NowCompare

The benefits

With our credit cards, we enjoy additional benefits such as :

Free checked baggage with the TD^® Aeroplan^® Visa Infinite* Card on flights operated by Air Canada, as well as travel insurance for flights paid for with Aeroplan points.
Unlimited access to airport lounges with the Platinum Card^® from American Express. We took advantage of it in Quebec City, Toronto and San Jose.
Our Scotiabank Passport^™ Visa Infinite +* Card and CIBC Aventura^® Visa Infinite* Card also give us lounge passes.
No conversion fees for foreign currency transactions with the Scotiabank Passport^™ Visa Infinite +* Card.
A $200 annual travel credit with the Platinum Card^® from American Express.
An annual travel credit of $150 with the National Bank World Elite Mastercard^®.
An annual $100 travel credit with the TD First Class Travel^® Visa Infinite* Card.

Tips for collecting more points

To accumulate all these points for my trip and to save as much as possible, I adopted various strategies:

First, I booked the cheapest flights on points I could find from Montreal, even if they involved very long and inconvenient stopovers. I only had 100,000 Aeroplan points available for five people during the holiday season. Flight schedule changes allowed me to change my reservation with flights that suited me better, even changing the departure point to Quebec City instead of Montreal, at no charge.
I took advantage of a 25% transfer bonus for American Express Membership Rewards points to Marriott Bonvoy, a bonus that usually comes back on an annual basis.
For parking in Montreal, I found a 14-day parking package with an overnight stay at the Courtyard Montreal Airport that was cheaper than paying for parking at YUL.
To withdraw local currency, I used my Wise account, which minimizes transaction fees when withdrawing from ATMs.
Since our return flight was delayed by more than three hours, I also filed a claim with Air Canada. This enabled me to recover $2,000 ($400 per person).

Summary

Combining all expenses, we achieved significant savings of $10,156! Here are the details of the amounts saved by category during our three-week wedding and family trip to Costa Rica:

Type of expense	Savings
Transportation	$5,900
Accommodation	$4,131
Activities	$125
Grand total	$10,156

Our points portfolio is varied, and we used seven different loyalty programs for this wonderful trip. Here is a summary of the points used:

100,000 Aeroplan points
91,000 NBC Rewards points
64,000 Marriott Bonvoy points
115,200 TD Rewards points
70,000 HSBC Rewards points
70,600 Scene+ points

The final word

The best card in my wallet is the American Express Cobalt^® Card for its excellent accumulation rate. I use a variety of tactics to maximize my points, including the purchase of gift cards.

Thanks Milesopedia!

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

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American Express Cobalt^® Card

American Express Amex Membership Rewards

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

The American Express Cobalt^® Card is a versatile American Express card, whether you want points for travel or cash back.

American Express Cobalt^® Card welcome offer

The welcome bonus is paid out monthly over your first 12 months. You earn 1,250 Membership Rewards points for each monthly billing period in which you charge $750 in net purchases to your card, in any category (1X, 2X, 3X or 5X). That adds up to 15,000 Membership Rewards points over the year, a welcome offer valued at $255.

Earning the full bonus means $9,000 in net purchases spread across 12 monthly billing periods. This offer rewards steady monthly spending rather than one large purchase.

You can use these points as statement credits on everyday or travel purchases, at the same rate either way: 1,000 points = $10.

You can also transfer them to Aeroplan, Avios (British Airways and Qatar Airways), Flying Blue, Marriott Bonvoy or Hilton Honors. With the full welcome bonus, that is a choice between:

15,000 Aeroplan points
15,000 Avios points
15,000 Flying Blue Miles
18,000 Marriott Bonvoy points

American Express Cobalt^® Card benefits

Here is what the card gives you, starting with the benefits cardholders use most.

5X points on eligible eats and drinks in Canada: groceries, restaurants and bars, and home food delivery. A spend cap applies.
3X points on eligible streaming subscriptions in Canada.
2X points on eligible gas, public transit and ride sharing purchases in Canada.
1 additional point on eligible hotel and car rental bookings made through American Express Travel Online.
1X point per dollar on everything else, with no category restrictions.
Points that hold the same value either way: 1,000 points = $10 as a statement credit, or a 1:1 transfer to several airline and hotel loyalty programs.
No minimum income requirement, as with every American Express Canada card.
Additional cards at no extra cost: the first and every other supplementary card is $0.
The Hotel Collection: a room upgrade when available, 12pm check-in and late check-out when available, and up to $100 USD in hotel credit on amenities charged to the room for a stay of two or more consecutive nights, booked through American Express Travel.
Front Of The Line^® presale and reserved tickets for concerts and theatre performances, plus offers and events curated for cardmembers through Amex Experiences.
A soft credit check before you apply: you can see whether you will be approved with no impact to your credit score. This applies to American Express personal card applications.

The 5X categories and where they apply

The 5X rate is the reason most people carry this card. In Canada it covers three kinds of merchants:

Groceries: Metro, IGA, Sobeys, Super C, Safeway, Whole Foods.
Restaurants and bars: sit-down meals, takeout and drinks.
Home food delivery.
Convenience stores (Couche-Tard, 7-Eleven): not part of 5X, 1 point per dollar.

The 2X rate covers gas stations such as Esso, Shell and Petro-Canada, along with public transit and ride sharing.

With the American Express Cobalt^® Card, you earn between 1 and 5 points per dollar:

Category	Points per dollar
Grocery (Metro, IGA, Sobeys, Super C, etc.)	5
Home food delivery	5
Restaurants and bars	5
Convenience stores	1
Streaming services	3
Service station	2
Transport	2
Travel	1
Other	1

That works out to a 1 to 5% return on those purchases. For example, if you spend $1,000 per month across groceries, restaurants and food delivery, you earn $50 back per month, or $600 per year from that category alone. Transfer the points to a program such as Aeroplan instead and the return can be higher.

You can also stack these categories with the hundreds of stores that offer 5x points.

American Express Cobalt^® Card insurance coverage

The card comes with a broad insurance package. The amounts below are the coverage limits; conditions, age limits and exclusions are set out in the certificate of insurance linked in the Insurance section above.

Travel insurance

Emergency medical: up to $5,000,000 for the first 15 days of a trip.
Travel accident: accidental death and dismemberment of up to $250,000 for you, your spouse and dependent children under age 23 when travelling on a common carrier (plane, train, bus or ship) and the tickets are charged to your card. Supplementary cardholders and their families are covered too.
Flight delay: up to $500 for necessary hotel, meal and sundry expenses bought within 48 hours when you are delayed or denied boarding for four hours or more and no other transportation is available. This $500 is an aggregate limit per occurrence, shared with missed connection and delayed baggage coverage.
Delayed baggage: up to $500 for essential clothing and sundries bought within four days when your outbound luggage is delayed six hours or more. This $500 is an aggregate limit per occurrence, shared with missed connection and flight delay coverage.
Lost or stolen baggage: up to $500 per occurrence for all insured persons combined, for checked or carry-on baggage and personal effects in transit, when the airline tickets are charged to your card. Within that limit, jewellery is capped at $300 per occurrence and golf clubs, including golf bags, at $250 per occurrence.
Hotel and motel burglary: up to $500 against the loss of most personal items if your hotel or motel is burglarized, when the stay is charged to your card.

Rental car insurance

Theft and damage coverage is included for a rental car with an MSRP, for its model year, of up to $85,000 excluding all taxes, for rentals of up to 48 days. To use it, decline the Loss Damage Waiver (LDW) or any similar option from the rental company and charge the full rental to your card. There is no cost for this coverage, and it replaces the daily insurance the rental company charges, usually $16 to $23 per day.

Mobile device insurance

Your device is covered for up to $1,000 per occurrence when it is charged to the card, for up to two years from the date of purchase. The payout is based on the depreciated value of the device, which falls by 2% of the purchase price for every completed month, less a 10% deductible. Theft and accidental damage coverage starts on the 91st day after purchase, because the first 90 days are covered by purchase protection.

Purchase protection and extended warranty

Eligible items charged to your card are insured against accidental physical damage or theft for 90 days from the purchase date, up to $1,000 per occurrence for all items combined. The card also extends the original manufacturer’s warranty by up to one additional year on eligible items, with indemnification limited to $10,000 per insured item and $25,000 per Cardmember per policy year for all items combined.

American Express Cobalt^® Card fees

Card fee: $15.99 per month, which equals $191.88 per year, for residents outside Quebec. Quebec residents are billed $191.88 per year.
Additional cards: $0.
Purchase interest rate: 21.99%.
Cash advance interest rate: 21.99%.
Foreign transaction fee: 2.5%.
Minimum income required: none.

Because the fee is billed monthly rather than in one annual charge, you can stop and restart the cost in step with how much you are actually using the card.

Legal

American Express is not responsible for maintaining or monitoring the accuracy of information on this website. For full details and current product information, click the Apply Now link. If you apply and get approved for an American Express Card, we may receive compensation from American Express, which can be in the form of monetary payment.

Annual fee

Primary card$191.88

Additional card$0

Annual income required

Individual$0

Household$0

Conversion fees

2.5%

Earning rate

5xRestaurants
5xGroceries
3xStreaming
2xTransit
2xGas
1xAll spending

Value

1st Year Value$1,675

2nd Year Value$799

Transfer partners

AeroplanAirline
British Airways ClubAirline
Cathay Asia MilesAirline
Etihad GuestAirline
Flying BlueAirline
Hilton HonorsHotel
Marriott BonvoyHotel

Travel insurance

Travel medical (under 55)Up to $5,000,000 / 15 days

Travel medical (55-64)Up to $5,000,000 / 15 days

Delayed BaggageUp to $500

Lost BaggageUp to $500

Flight DelayUp to $500

Hotel BurglaryUp to $500

Travel AccidentUp to $250,000

Purchase protection

Purchase ProtectionUp to $1,000 / 90 days

Extended Warranty+1 years

Mobile DeviceUp to $1,000 / 2 years

Auto Rental Collision (primary)Up to $85,000 / 48 days

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Go further with American Express Membership Rewards

To maximize your Membership Rewards earning, check our complete American Express Membership Rewards program guide and our best American Express Membership Rewards credit cards ranking, updated monthly by the Milesopedia team.