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We travel for food, sights, people, but most importantly experiences – that’s how I justify this trip in my mind.
This travel challenge is a real life example of what my wife Sara and a good friend are doing to see New Kids On The Block in Glasgow, Scotland. NKOTB isn’t touring the US this coming Spring, so Europe it is! While we (Sara and I) already have points in the bank for her trip, I’ll take you through what her friend (let’s call her Chloe) is doing to keep the trip costs to a minimum.
To do this, we’re going to have Chloe pick up three credit cards. Being Irish, she is also thinking about a side-trip to Dublin so we want to make sure she’s got extra points/flexibility on her side. Chloe is a working professional with a couple of cards, a nice long history and scores over 810. She’s sitting pretty and should have no issue picking up a few gems for this trip. The cards she’ll need are:
- Barclaycard Arrival World Mastercard
- Citi Executive AAdvantage Card
- Club Carlson Premier Rewards Visa Signature Card
Chloe’s Itinerary: Fly out of Boston on Thursday May 29, 2014 with US Airways connecting in Philadelphia to Glasgow. Spend 4 nights at the Radisson Blu Hotel Glasgow (enjoy the concert) and return on Tuesday June 3.
TOTAL TRIP VALUE: $2,320.80 (but really priceless)
HERE’S HOW SHE’LL DO IT:
Round-trip: Boston, MA to Glasgow, Scotland
Cost: $1,256.00
Method: 60,000 American Airlines AAdvantage Miles
Card
1. Citi Executive AAdvantage Card – 110,000 AAdvantage Miles
- Chloe receives 100,000 AAdvantage miles after spending $10,000 within three months of account opening.
- She gets another 10,000 miles from her spend at 1 mile per dollar spent
Breakdown: American Airlines miles can now be used for flights on US Airways, plus there was saver space available. The only costs are $5 in taxes/fees each way and 60,000 AAdvantage miles; a steal!
Out of Pocket Cost: $10 in taxes/fees total
Radisson Blu Hotel Glasgow
Cost: $1,064.80
Method: Club Carlson Points
Cards:
1. Club Carlson Premier Rewards Visa Signature Card – 97,500 Gold Points
- Chloe receives 50,000 points after her first transaction.
- She receives another 35,000 points after spending $2,500 within three months of account opening.
- She gets another 12,500 points from her spend at a minimum of 5 point per dollar spent.
Explanation: The Radisson Blu Glasgow requires just 44,000 points per night for a Standard room; Sara and Chloe will share.
The Club Carlson Premier Visa offers a free night with any redemption of 2 nights or more. Sara will book the first two nights (one paid with points and one free) and Chloe will book the last two nights (again one paid with points and one free). It’ll run them each 44,000 points.
Out of Pocket Cost: $75 annual fee for the Club Carlson Premier Visa card
I’ve added a Barclaycard Arrival World Mastercard to cover additional expenses or the taxes/fees if they choose to take a train anywhere or if Chloe looks to extend her trip (there were actually several return dates that worked quite well for the award booking). The important thing about her trip is that Chloe will not use the Club Carlson card at the hotel for any expenses, as it charges a foreign transaction fee. She’ll want to use the Citi Executive or the Barclaycard Arrival, which will allow her to make purchases without any foreign transaction fees.
The things we do for the ones we love…actually, not really. Sara’s good credit has earned her all the points for this trip already and her friend Chloe is almost there. As a fan of scotch, I have to say I am a bit jealous, but maybe Sara will find a taste for it while she’s following her boy band.
Photo credit: ladybugbkt / Foter / CC BY-NC-ND
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Delta® Reserve for Business
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$3,000
Per dollar on eligible purchases with Delta Purchases
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$1
All Purchases
1.00
$1
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