A bunch of points and miles tips

Good morning from Shanghai, China!

I was going to be flying home in Qsuites today, but in true “me” fashion, that did not happen.

So let’s talk about it:

Last week, I put a poll at the end of a newsletter.

I told you I had ZERO plans after a couple more days in Malaysia and asked for your advice about what to do… which was overwhelmingly pointed in one direction.

And what kind of monster would I be if I didn’t give the people what they wanted?

So I sat down a couple of days ago and booked a last-minute, crazy trip around the world, beginning with a quick hop to China… again. 🙃

I came here first for two reasons:

1. I found a cheap Cathay Pacific flight from Kuala Lumpur

2. There’s a new Hyatt Category 1 hotel I wanted to try

At $184, flying for seven hours in Cathay was a GREAT deal. 👇

Plus, I have this card, which offers $50 of quarterly airline credits that can be used with any airline in the world.

So getting another $50 off the price meant paying just $134 to fly in one of my favorite airlines in the world.

Since I have Oneworld emerald status from Alaska Airlines, I got special-ass treatment, too.

I got priority check-in, priority boarding, a premium meal on board, and even access to Cathay’s first-class lounge during my layover, which includes a full spa and a la-carte restaurant.

I had a shower, a nice massage, and ate some dank duck confit with champagne between flights… flying in BASIC ECONOMY.

Anyway, Shanghai is a great city with endless hotel options. So I decided to try out a new Hyatt property from their Caption brand, which costs as few as 3,500 points per night:

Another reason I came to Shanghai first is that they have some excellent flight deals to Europe.

And that’s perfect - because my next destination is none other than…

Yerevan, Armenia. 🇦🇲

But before we get into the Europe leg of this trip, a quick word from one of our lovely sponsors. And you BETTER support our sponsors. 👇

Okay, we’re back. Here is where things get really fun…

So, from Shanghai, I found an excellent deal on Qatar Airways for just under $300, which is great for 14 hours on one of the world’s best airlines.

Again, since I have Alaska status, I’ll get all of the same perks as I did on Cathay: lounge access, premium meals on board, priority airport services, etc.

I’ll also earn more EQMs with Alaska to further boost me toward renewing my elite status.

Yerevan is a little cold this time of year, but that’s exactly why I wanted to go to Europe; the low season means fewer crowds and lower prices.

There are two great options with IHG for just under 10,000 points per night (using the 4th-night free perk from this credit card).

38,000 IHG Points for four nights in the city center is as good as it gets, folks!

From Yerevan, I’ll head to Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina. 🇧🇦

Unfortunately, flights out of Yerevan are limited… and expensive. 😬

Thankfully, points and miles come in clutch in Europe.

A bunch of Star Alliance airlines like Austrian, LOT Polish, Lufthansa, and Aegean all fly to Armenia, so I found plenty of options to get me from A to B for just 12,500 Aeroplan points.

The Balkans is a region that I haven’t explored a ton… so I wanted to explore it the old-fashioned way: by bus!

Thankfully, I had a voucher from Flixbus from an expensive bus journey I needed to cancel last year.

Flixbus is a great app for booking buses, because it allows you to cancel your itineraries and get credit, which can be used for a full year.

So I used this credit to book three buses for this trip, and even have a few bucks of credit left over:

• Sarajevo to Dubrovnik ($37)

• Dubrovnik to Kotor ($24)

• Kotor to Tirana ($40)

This is why I always keep track of my unused credits, whether it’s airline, hotel, bus, train, or other credits. You never know when they’ll come in handy!

In Sarajevo, I found a really cheap (for Europe) Marriott property in the city center:

Since Marriott has their promo going on right now (read more about that here), I’ll earn double elite nights and an extra 1,000 bonus points per night on this paid stay.

In my next destination of Kotor, Montenegro, I’m staying somewhere that’s been on my list for a while…

A couple of years ago, Hyatt built a brand new Hyatt Regency resort in this scenic little city.

The only downside?

It costs over $1,000 per night in the summer. 🤮

But again, this is why I love traveling to Europe in the winter.

For my dates, the SAME hotel costs just one-tenth of that. 👇

And, again, since Hyatt is currently offering double points on all paid stays, I’ll rack up a nice little chunk of points from my stay.

In Tirana, Albania, I booked this Marriott hotel for 17,500 points per night, which is a solid deal for a hotel in the city center where I can use all of my elite benefits like free breakfast, etc.

From the Balkans, I’m traveling to the small island country of Malta. 🇲🇹

When looking for flights, I found this itinerary that looked pretty good but cost over $200.

It’s that weird sweet spot (or the opposite of that… a “sour” spot?) where it’s expensive for such a short journey but not a great value if I use points.

Thankfully, I looked up the same two flights individually… and it ended up being significantly cheaper, saving me about $75 total. 🤷🏼‍♂️

Since there’s a 5-hour layover in Athens and it’s flown on the same airline, I feel fine about having two separate tickets in this situation.

If you have a buffer between flights, this is a nice little trick to save some money.

In Malta, I’ll be staying at the Hyatt Centric, which, as a Category 2 hotel, costs just 6,500 points per night.

Again, since hotels in Malta are crazy expensive in the summer, now is a perfect time to visit with small crowds and cheap award rates!

But after all of this, I need to get back to Toronto for a few weeks… And I want to fly in a way that helps me with my travel goals, like elite status.

I found this flight on Aer Lingus, which is pretty ideal.

It’s a good airline, can earn me Alaska miles and status, and gets me directly to Toronto.

…but $700? 😬

I’d rather saw off my own arm than pay $712 for a basic economy flight. 🪚💪

Thankfully, I decided to look at the same flight, but on Alaska Airlines’ website.

And, would you look at that? $210.

There were only a few seats left, so I swiftly booked the crap out of this flight.

And because I am booking directly through Alaska, I’ll earn even MORE miles and EQMs toward elite status.

AND I even had some Alaska travel credit left over from a previously canceled flight, so I don’t have to pay another cent out of pocket. 👇

So I hope you all enjoyed this look at how I threw together a quick trip around the world using some of my favorite points and miles strategies.

All in all, here is what I spent for three weeks of travel through nine different countries:

• $1,100 in cash

• $311 in travel credit

• 23,500 Hyatt Points

• 12,500 Aeroplan Points

• 38,000 IHG Points

• 52,500 Marriott Points

Not bad for booking a last-minute trip in one day! 😉

I also want to say thank you to everybody who submitted recommendations in that poll last week.

Y’all know me pretty well, but you also had some really insightful and thought-provoking responses - and I took note of many of your recommendations for future trips. 🤗

Anyway, take care and come back tomorrow, where I’ll share some fun and valuable points and miles news with you.

Cheers,

31.2304° N, 121.4737° E