Holiday Trip Thanks to Miles and Points
My wife and I wanted a short get-away in between Christmas and New Years to take advantage of my Southwest Airlines Companion Pass one last time prior to its expiration on December 31. A number of locations were in the running, but we ultimately decided upon a warmer, ocean front location to which neither of us had been.
And what played a large part in deciding our destination? Where we could use Miles and Points to get the trip for as close to free as possible, of course.
Which, I’m happy to say, we accomplished.
So, how’d we do it? Read on and I’ll give you the details.
But first, a quick look at the trip.
The Trip
We flew Southwest to Tampa, Florida and some beautiful sunshine and 80 degree temps.
Our first night was spent at the Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay, a quick 10 minute drive from the airport.
The rooms were very nice, with everything you’d expect from what is primarily a business hotel.
The room includes a small fridge and, of course, the obligatory coffee maker/coffees for that quick just-out-of-bed jump start to the morning.
And what I covet most from a hotel room, a large, walk-in shower, not tub/shower combo.
If you’re an aviation geek like me, be sure to request a city view room, fifth floor and above. Not only do you get a distant view of the Tampa skyline, but Tampa International is located in the foreground for your plane watching pleasure.
The next morning we packed up and headed for the beach and the Hyatt Regency Clearwater Beach Resort and Spa.
Upon check-in, we were upgraded from our originally booked Premium King Room to a 1 Bedroom King Suite. My cost/award calculations were based on what we would have paid for the Premium King Room – obviously we received a lot more value than originally thought for the points we used.
The Premium King also came with a kitchen, the difference being, it would have been located in the same room as the bed/seating area.
Not only did the suite have a separate bedroom, but it also had two full bathrooms. And, much to my delight, an extremely large walk-in shower in the master bath.
I was surprised to see the second bathroom, but even more so when I realized it had a tub/shower combo, and it was not just a half bath.
It looked as though all rooms would have some sort of ocean view.
The hotel was a great choice. Service was excellent and the location was exactly what we wanted for a quick beach getaway.
We were just getting into the groove of beach life, unfortunately, when it was time to head home.
So there’s a quick visual overview of our trip. Now, what kinds of points did we use and how much did we save?
Miles and Points and Our Cost
Southwest Airlines is a great option for domestic U.S. travel (and to locations in Mexico and the Caribbean). Not only do they have no change fees should you need to modify or cancel your travel plans, but luggage always flies free. And an added perk to Southwest Airlines is its Companion Pass that, once obtained, allows a designated individual to fly free, either on paid flights or flights booked with points, with the traveler who earned the Pass.
Southwest had nonstop availability (always a favorite) to Tampa for 56,819 points and $22.40 (the required government taxes/fees) roundtrip for the dates we wanted. My wife still had to pay the roundtrip taxes/fees of $11.20, but no additional points were needed.
Our stay at the Grand Hyatt Tampa was taken care of by using my wife’s free night certificate, an annual perk of being a Chase Hyatt credit card holder.
And our stay at the Hyatt Regency Clearwater Beach Resort and Spa cost 20,000 points per night for a total of 60,000 points.
Typically, any resort, Hyatt or other hotel chain, will charge a per night resort fee. A normal resort fee is in the $20-$30 range. A nice benefit of using points, at least at Hyatt hotels, is that the usual resort fee is not assessed on award stays. Which saved us another $25/night at the Hyatt Regency Clearwater Beach.
Additionally, we used Barclay’s Arrival Plus credit card miles to offset some of our food costs.
The Barclay’s Arrival Plus card allows earned miles to be used to offset travel-related costs. While a restaurant charge would not be eligible for a statement credit, a meal charged to a hotel room, and ultimately to the credit card as a hotel charge, would count. Which it did for us, to the tune of $171.00.
Here’s a breakdown of our points usage and savings for this trip.
As you can see, we saved roughly $2,300 by using Miles and Points to offset much of our travel expenses on this Florida excursion.
And you can save on your travel costs, too, by utilizing credit card signup bonuses and points/miles accrual from everyday spending.
It’s not that difficult. It just takes a solid FICO score, a little effort and a lot of desire to have exceptional travel experiences for little money.
If your interest is piqued, check out our four introductory posts on Miles and Points to get started. Begin with How to Travel More for Less, then check out another Florida trip my wife and I took with the help of Miles and Points titled, Miles and Points – A Real World Example, followed by Getting Started with Miles and Points and finish up with A Few Miles and Points Tips to Get You Going.
If, after all that, you have questions, don’t hesitate to ask in the comments or via our Contact page.
And, if you’d like a little more hand holding to get started, contact our partners over at Financially Savvy Travel. For a reasonable fee, they’ll help develop a personalized Miles and Points plan that will get you started toward achieving your travel dreams.
