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Our site may earn compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened with our partners, and this may impact how or where these products appear. While we don't cover all available credit cards, our editorial team creates and maintains all of the analysis of these cards, and our content is not influenced nor subject to review by any credit card company, bank or partner prior to (or after) publication. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.
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Want to travel for Memorial Day? Here are 4 ways to find a good deal using points and miles
Featured image by HINTERHAUS PRODUCTIONS/GETTY IMAGES
Katie Genter is a digital nomad who has traveled full time since June 2017. She writes and edits stories about points and miles, and loyalty programs, often letting her personal experiences color these stories.
May 11, 2021 • 10 min read
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Quick summary
The article outlines four practical strategies for booking a last-minute Memorial Day trip using points and miles, even if you haven't made plans yet.
Flexible travelers can use airline award maps, check points-based flight options, or leverage travel search tools to find available routes and hotels.
Examples focus on departures from Atlanta, but the methods apply broadly to other cities and regions.
Driving to nearby destinations and booking hotels with points is also highlighted as a viable alternative to flying.
What to consider
Some offers and availability mentioned may no longer be current, so travelers should verify options before booking.
Hotel and flight award rates can vary significantly by destination and demand, especially for holiday weekends.
Certain loyalty programs offer perks like a complimentary fourth night on longer stays, which can enhance value.
What you'll miss from the article
Step-by-step guidance on using airline award maps, hotel loyalty programs and travel search tools to maximize last-minute points redemptions for holiday travel.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
Memorial Day will be the first long weekend for many Americans since becoming fully vaccinated. With the long weekend quickly approaching, you may think it's too late if you don't have travel plans yet. That's not the case, especially if you are flexible regarding your destination. Best of all, you can still book some great trips using points and miles.
If you have American Airlines miles but no specific destination in mind, you may want to use the American Airline Award Map to find one. You can access the map here. Simply enter your origin airport, trip dates, number of passengers and the total amount of miles you're willing to use.
(Screenshot courtesy of American Airlines)
In my case, I searched from Atlanta for a quick Friday to Monday trip over Memorial Day weekend. I started with a query for non-stop or 1-stop round-trips using no more than 20,000 American Airlines miles. Here's what I got:
(Screenshot courtesy of American Airlines)
You can click on the pin for a destination and then click "Book now" to see the results. I clicked on New York-JFK, which the award map says I can book for just 18,500 miles. Once you get to the results page, click the arrows next to "Main Cabin" to sort the pricing from low to high. After doing so, I discovered the least-expensive one-stop routing would let me leave after work on Friday.
(Screenshot courtesy of American Airlines)
I selected my departure and then found that the least expensive return lets me depart New York on Monday afternoon for a late return into Atlanta Monday night. For a long weekend where I'm looking to maximize my time at my destination, this itinerary is perfect.
There are plenty of hotels in New York City that are still bookable on points for Memorial Day weekend. My two go-to programs for New York City are Choice Privileges and IHG Rewards. I've found these two programs give me the best value in a city where I typically don't spend much time in my room outside of sleeping. However, since I'm only planning to stay for three nights (and hence wouldn't be eligible for a fourth night reward), I'd likely use Choice Privileges points for this trip.
I'd likely book the Cambria Hotel New York Chelsea for 70,000 points total since the rooms at this Cambria look larger than the ones at other Choice Hotels properties in Manhatten. Plus, I have yet to stay at a Cambria hotel.
I'd also consider booking The Paul Hotel NYC-Chelsea, part of the Ascend Hotel Collection for 20,000 points per night. The room types are interesting, with some of them featuring bunk beds, city views and patios).
I still have many Southwest points from signing up for the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card and Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business Credit Card a few years ago. So if I wanted to book a Memorial Day trip, I'd check my Southwest flight options. I quickly found an itinerary to Austin, TX that would work well for a quick trip to get some tacos, see friends and perhaps go tubing in San Marcos.
(Screenshot courtesy of Southwest)
As I noted a few weeks ago, there are still ample hotels bookable on points during Memorial Day weekend in Austin, TX. Prices have increased some since I wrote that article. But, I could still pay 12,000 points or $249 per night to stay at the centrally-located Hyatt House Austin Downtown. These three nights would push me over the threshold for World of Hyatt Globalist status.
If I could stretch my trip to four nights, I'd likely book a four-night stay at the Holiday Inn Austin Midtown for just 48,000 points. After all, the fourth night would cost zero points due to the IHG Rewards Premier Credit Card's fourth night reward perk. Although this hotel's location isn't ideal for tourists who want to walk and use public transit, it's located closer to my favorite kebab shop (Halal Corner) and other places I'd like to see as a former Austin resident.
(Screenshot courtesy of IHG)
Plus, by stretching my stay to four nights, I could snag less-expensive flights back to Atlanta after work on Tuesday.
(Screenshot courtesy of Southwest)
Of course, there are likely many other destinations you can still fly to inexpensively from your home airport. If you have Southwest travel funds or points, it's worth checking the pricing for several destinations you'd want to visit. Although you'll likely find that flights to some destinations are expensive, you may still find a good deal.
Use Google flights' Explore feature to check cash fares
If I didn't find any appealing trips using Southwest points, travel credits or using American Airlines miles, my next stop would be the Explore feature through Google Flights. To search, go here and enter your origin and "United States" as your destination. Include travel dates, passengers and cabin class. Then click "Search." Here's what I got for a search from Atlanta for a Memorial Day trip.
(Image courtesy of Google Flights)
Now, you can limit your search. For example, I dragged the price slider to $300 and limited airlines to Oneworld since I have Executive Platinum status with American Airlines and prefer flying Oneworld airlines. Doing so gave me the following results:
(Image courtesy of Google Flights)
I decided to look at the Atlanta to Los Angeles round-trip bookable for $266. However, when I clicked through and selected flights, I found a main cabin fare connecting in Miami both ways for $237.
(Image courtesy of Google Flights)
Although American does fly direct from Atlanta to Los Angeles, I don't mind connecting in Miami on this itinerary. After all, then I can fly the 777 between Miami and Los Angeles both ways. And as I mentioned in a previous section, American codes premium economy seats as main cabin extra on these flights.
I could book this cash fare through American Airlines or the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal. If I used my Chase Sapphire Preferred Card account, I could redeem 20,512 points for the $256.40 round-trip fare.
I usually stay near the airport in Los Angeles since I'm typically just in town for a few nights between itineraries. Plus, I like plane spotting at the In-N-Out. So, I usually snag a cheap cash rate at the Sheraton Gateway Los Angeles Hotel, which has lots of suites (which is good for getting upgrades as an elite) and an executive lounge with runway views. But, there are also plenty of hotels bookable with points in Los Angeles if you want to see more than just the airport area.
All of these destinations have hotels that are bookable with points over Memorial Day weekend. However, points (and cash) rates are high in some destinations. So, after quickly checking rates, I'd likely drive up to Chattanooga for the long weekend.
I could stay at the Category 4 Chattanooga Marriott Downtown or Moxy Chattanooga Downtown for 30,000 points per night. Or, I could book a three-night stay at the Holiday Inn Express & Suites Chattanooga Downtown for 54,000 points. I could even tack on an extra night for no extra cost using the IHG Premier's fourth night reward perk.
It's not too late to book a last-minute Memorial Day vacation. Even if you want to redeem points and miles for your trip, you still have time to book. Of course, your options will be different depending on whether you're based, but hopefully, this inspires you to start looking. But if I was quickly looking to book a last-minute trip using points and miles, these are the first methods I'd try.
Comments
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
