How I saved over $8,000 on a family trip to Paris with the Chase Sapphire Reserve
I almost closed the browser tab.
Not because I didn't want to go to Paris, but because I had just priced flights for two adults and an infant during Roland-Garros (the French Open), and the total was approaching $7,000 — for economy.
Planning my son's first international trip across the pond wasn't exactly shaping up to be a budget-friendly getaway. Fortunately, I had other tools at my disposal to bring the cost down.
I recently added the Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see rates and fees) to my wallet, thanks in part to its highest-ever public welcome offer: Earn 150,000 bonus points after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
As I looked back at the flights, hotel and card benefits I used for the trip, I realized the card's full welcome bonus and statement credits were enough to cover nearly the entire vacation, from peak-season flights to a luxury hotel stay in Paris. All told, I saved over $8,000.
Here's how.
Why this 150,000-point offer caught my attention
I've historically carried the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees) and never felt particularly compelled to upgrade.
However, after Chase updated its Sapphire eligibility rules, I became eligible for the Sapphire Reserve just in time for the card's best-ever public welcome bonus.
150,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points are worth $3,075 according to our June 2026 valuations. But I knew I could make it stretch even further thanks to the magic of transfer partners.
Related: Who are the Chase Ultimate Rewards airline and hotel transfer partners?
How I reduced nearly $7,000 in airfare to less than $1,000
We had a short window to work with. My husband only had a few days off, and his brother was already planning to be in Europe around the same time, giving us a rare opportunity to overlap our trips.
The challenge? Our dates coincided with Roland-Garros, so airfare was already elevated.
When I started pricing cash flights from Miami to Paris for two adults and an infant, I experienced a bit of sticker shock.
Fortunately, Chase Ultimate Rewards points transfer to 10 airline partners at a 1:1 ratio, giving me some options for award space.
After spending some time on Seats.aero, I found round-trip flights from Miami International Airport (MIA) to Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) that worked for our schedule.
My itinerary would have cost $6,968 if I had booked it in cash.
Instead, I paid $974.18 in taxes and fees.
Miami to Paris on Air France
For the outbound flight, I booked Air France-operated flights through Flying Blue.
The itinerary cost:
- 51,000 Flying Blue miles for two adults in Economy Comfort
- $278.60 in taxes and fees
- $78 for my lap infant
Because Chase was offering a 20% transfer bonus to Flying Blue at the time, I only needed to transfer 43,000 Ultimate Rewards points. The transfer bonus supplied the remaining 8,600 miles.
The same itinerary would have cost 105,000 miles through Delta SkyMiles, making Flying Blue (and having transferable rewards) the clear winner.
The cash price for these flights was $3,145, so I redeemed my points at a value of 5.5 cents.
Paris to Miami on Air France, booked through Virgin Atlantic
The return flight turned out to be an even better deal.
Instead of booking directly through Flying Blue, I booked Air France-operated flights through Virgin Atlantic Flying Club.
The redemption cost:
- 24,000 Virgin Atlantic points for two adults in Economy Comfort
- 1,000 Virgin Atlantic points for one lap infant
- $617.58 in taxes and fees
Had I booked the exact same flights through Flying Blue, the price would have been 113,000 miles (thanks, Seats.aero!).
In other words, booking the exact same Air France flight through a different partner saved me roughly 88,000 points. That's the kind of difference that can make or break a redemption, and one of the reasons I never transfer points until I've checked multiple programs.
Related: The same flight, half the miles: Making this award booking mistake could cost you
The cash price for these flights was $3,823.29, so I redeemed my points at a whopping 12.8 cents.
By the time my round trip was booked, I had spent:
- 68,000 total Chase points
- $974.18 in taxes and fees (and the baby)
These flights otherwise would've cost nearly $7,000.
My first luxury hotel stay with The Edit
I'm team budget travel about 95% of the time.
But every now and then, the numbers line up in a way that makes a luxury stay hard to pass up. And for Paris, the math was definitely mathing.
Using Points Boost and statement credits
Through Chase Travel℠, I found the Kimpton St Honoré Paris, which was part of both The Edit and IHG One Rewards, thus making it eligible for three different statement credits on the Chase Sapphire Reserve
- $300 annual travel credit
- Up to $500 in annual statement credits for The Edit properties (two up-to-$250 credits each calendar year)*
- Up to $250 one-time statement credit (through Dec. 31) for select Chase Travel hotels*
*Eligible on prepaid bookings through Chase Travel of two nights or more
In addition, this property also has Points Boost.
Here's how the math broke down:
| Breakdown of spending and benefits used | Cost |
|---|---|
Hotel cost for two nights with taxes | $2,153.12 |
Points Boost redemption of 82,000 points | -$1,353.00 |
The Edit statement credit | -$250.00 |
One-time statement credit for select Chase Travel hotels | -$250.00 |
Annual travel statement credit | -$300.00 |
Final cost | $0.12 |
Not bad for a luxury hotel in Paris during one of the city's busiest weeks.
Related: Updated Sapphire Reserve hotel benefits live: New $250 credit and more flexible The Edit credits
The hotel perks added even more value
Booking through The Edit also unlocked several additional benefits, including:
- Daily breakfast for two
- Up to $100 on-property credit
- Complimentary Wi-Fi
- Potential room upgrade
- Early check-in and late checkout when available
Breakfast alone turned out to be one of my favorite perks.
The spread included pastries, breads, sliced and cooked meats, eggs made to order, and unlimited specialty coffees and hot chocolate. Had we paid out of pocket, breakfast would have cost 84 euros per day for two people.
We were upgraded to a king bed with a balcony, which was about $200 more a night than our original booked room, and we used our $100 on-property credit on room service and drinks at the hotel.
In total, this was almost $700 worth of additional value.
The Sapphire Reserve perks I used along the way
I was also able to take advantage of several Sapphire Reserve benefits outside of my hotel statement credits, including:
- Priority Pass lounge access at Miami International Airport (MIA) and Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG)
- Trusted traveler benefits (up to $120 in credits every four years for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or Nexus)
- Lyft credit for my ride to the airport (up to $10 each month through Sept. 30, 2027; does not apply to Wait & Save, bike or scooter rides)
- Elevated earning rates on my bookings and dining
- No foreign transaction fees
While welcome bonuses tend to get most of the attention, these ongoing benefits can add meaningful value throughout the year.
Related: Is the Chase Sapphire Reserve worth the annual fee?
The big picture: What can 150,000 Chase points get you?
In my case, 150,000 points got our family of three from Miami to Paris and back in Economy Comfort and helped offset a luxury two-night stay in Paris that would have otherwise cost thousands of dollars.
It can also get you:
| What 150,000 Chase points could get you | Starting points price |
|---|---|
Up to 12 round-trip economy flights to London on Virgin Atlantic | 144,000 points |
Five nights at the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa (standard night) | 150,000 points |
Two round-trip flights to Cancun on JetBlue and four nights at a Hyatt all-inclusive | 142,400 points |
Related: 10 best ways to redeem 150,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points
Bottom line
What initially looked like a trip I couldn't justify booking became a reminder of how valuable transferable points can be when paired with the right transfer partners and card benefits.
One of my favorite aspects of this redemption was that it combined both practical and aspirational travel.
Many travelers see a six-figure welcome bonus and immediately think about first-class flights or overwater villas.
I wanted to see what that bonus could do for a real-world family trip.
Last chance Sapphire Reserve: Earn 150,000 bonus points after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
By leveraging transfer partners, taking advantage of a transfer bonus and stacking Chase Sapphire Reserve benefits, I was able to dramatically reduce the cost of what would have otherwise been a very expensive trip to Paris during one of the city's busiest travel periods.
With the current 150,000-point offer scheduled to end June 15 at 9 a.m. ET, travelers still have a limited window to earn the highest public welcome bonus we've seen on the Sapphire Reserve.
To learn more, read our full review of the Chase Sapphire Reserve.