My Paris/ Seychelles Trip (Intro)
When planning my vacations, I always let the miles decide where I go. When planning this year's summer trip, I had a boatload of Delta miles to use and every time I tried to book a flight on Delta.com in business class, it was giving me their "medium" level or 200,000 miles. Being the spendthrift mileage hound that I am, I looked to other methods of maximizing my miles (ps this trip story was also featured in Conde Nast's Maximize Your Miles Contest).
I loaded up my browser and powered up my trusty expertflyer.com account. I knew I wanted to go to Paris, which would cost me 100,000 miles roundtrip and I immediately found dates in July that worked well for my schedule. However, I have a minor case of travel ADD, so I really don't need to be in one place for 10 days. I did a little research and started thinking Africa. At first I was going to do Senegal.. or maybe Ghana? However, after 3 days in Paris, I figured I'd need to relax, so I kept going east until I hit the Indian Ocean. Air France flies to Mauritius and Reunion, both in the Indian ocean, but the available flights didn't work with my schedule. I did a little more research on www.flyertalk.com and found out that Air France codeshares with Air Seychelles for daily flights to Mahe. The Seychelles - yea, that sounds about right. I remember playing "spin the globe" in middle school and I landed on the Seychelles. Even though I may not have pronounced it correctly at the time, I told myself I would go there someday.
I plugged in my ideal dates and magically there were almost 9 seats available on every day I wanted. It was like finding a frequent flyer mile treasure! Knowing that Air France availability shows on Delta.com if you type it in exactly, I used their multi-city search and plugged in the flights and dates where I knew there was availability on expertflyer.com. Magically, all flights loaded and I booked the ticket right then and there for 120,000 miles and $245 in taxes. Yes, thats right - only 20,000 additional miles to go to the SEYCHELLES in business class. And those $250 in taxes? Well I paid for them using a voucher I had for volunteering to get bumped off a flight.
Total out of pocket expense for business class JFK-CDG (2 nights)- SEZ (5 nights)- CDG (1 night)- JFK= $0. My subway ticket to work costs more.
For laughs, I created the same itinerary on airfrance.us and to purchase it, was over $15,000. Not that I would spend $15k on a plane ticket (at this point in my life), but my Delta miles at face value yielded me over 13 cents a piece. I'm not trying to brag too much here, but the moral of the story is that you should never feel defeated when trying to use frequent flyer miles. Think of it as a puzzle and the rewards you can get when you crack the code.
I'm currently sitting in the JFK Terminal 1 Korean Air Lounge (free access due to my Skyteam Elite Plus Status), sipping a cup of green tea and relaxing before my flight to Paris. Once in Paris, we'll spend two nights at the Park Hyatt Vendome, a room which is currently selling for 700 Euros a night. I used two Hyatt free nights earned from several cheap leisure stays earlier this year, so my total cost for that will be $0.
Once in the Seychelles, we are staying at Le Meridien Barbarons, which is running us 4,800 Starwood points and $90US a night- a bargain if you ask me.
I will concede I decided not to use my Hertz points for our rental car, because it only costs 35 euros a day and my Hertz points are better used for Manhattan rentals which can be over $100/day.
If anything, I hope my trip report (which will be posted throughout my trip, whenever I have down time - thanks for free internet for being Hyatt Diamond and Starwood Platinum) will inspire others to maximize the value of their points in order to live their travel dreams- the whole premise behind www.thepointsguy.com.
Safe travels and happy Fourth of July!
[card card-name='Premier Rewards Gold Card from American Express' card-id='22035076' type='javascript' bullet-id='1']
TPG featured card
at American Express's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 5X | New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
- Valuable dining and food-related credits
- Flexible rewards with airline and hotel transfer partners
- Multiple travel and purchase protections
- No foreign transaction fees
- Access to Amex Offers for additional savings (enrollment required)
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- Pay It® lets you tap in the American Express® App to quickly pay for small purchase amounts throughout the month and still earn rewards the way you usually do. Plan It® gives you the option to split up big purchases into equal monthly payments with a fixed fee. You’ll know upfront exactly how much you’ll pay.
- Updated! $120 Dining Credit: Earn up to a total of $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the Gold Card at Grubhub (including Seamless), Buffalo Wild Wings, Five Guys, The Cheesecake Factory, and Wonder. This can be an annual savings of up to $120. Enrollment required.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year at over 10,000 qualifying U.S. Resy restaurants after you pay for eligible purchases with the American Express® Gold Card. That’s up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: Earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin’ locations. Enrollment required.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Enjoy up to $120 in Uber Cash annually with your Gold Card. Just add your Card to your Uber account and you'll get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction.
- New! As an American Express® Gold Card Member, you can enjoy complimentary Hertz Five Star® Status. Enjoy benefits like skipping the counter at select locations, adding an additional driver at no additional cost*, and vehicle upgrades**. Benefit enrollment and Hertz Gold+ registration are required. *Additional drivers must meet standard rental qualifications and must be a spouse or domestic partner to qualify as complimentary. Other additional drivers subject to fees. **Benefits are subject to availability and vary by location. Additional Hertz program Terms and Conditions including age restrictions apply.
- Take advantage of a $100 credit towards eligible charges* at over 1,300 upscale hotels worldwide when you book The Hotel Collection through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App **. *Eligible charges vary by property. **The Hotel Collection requires a two-night minimum stay.
- Book your travel through the Amex Travel App with added peace of mind – backed by American Express® service and support. Only for American Express® Card Members.
- Whenever you need us, we're here. Our Member Services team will ensure you are taken care of. From lost Card replacement to statement questions, we are available to help 24/7.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.