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Cleared for Takeoff: A couple's trip from Detroit to Edinburgh with limited points
Andrew Kunesh is TPG's Points & Miles editor. He has been active in the points and miles space since 2014, using them to travel far and wide around the world. He is originally from Chicago but moved to New York City after graduating from DePaul University. His work is featured on Credit Karma, UpgradedPoints, ValuePenguin and various other travel and finance publications. He currently holds Delta Diamond Medallion and Marriott Titanium status, and 20+ credit cards that each have a special place in Andrew's wallet.
May 11, 2021 • 13 min read
The cards we feature here are from partners who compensate us when you are approved through our site, and this may impact how or where these products appear. We don't cover all available credit cards, but our analysis, reviews, and opinions are entirely from our editorial team. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
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Quick summary
A reader sought advice on using airline miles and transferable points for a trip from Detroit to Edinburgh, focusing on business-class flights and hotel stays.
Due to high international award pricing, the couple needed to combine miles, purchase a small top-up, and book a connecting flight via London to maximize value.
For hotels, transferring points to a major hotel loyalty program enabled a four-night stay at a luxury property in Edinburgh, with options to extend using additional hotel points.
The article emphasizes the importance of diversifying points across multiple airline, hotel and transferable programs for greater flexibility and protection from devaluations.
What to consider
Some offers referenced in the article are no longer available.
Award flights to Europe using certain airline miles can require high mileage and incur significant taxes and fees, especially on return journeys from the U.K.
Transferring points to hotel partners can offer strong value, but elite status benefits may not always apply at partner properties.
What you'll miss from the article
Step-by-step guidance on booking award flights and hotels, plus specific strategies for maximizing point redemptions for transatlantic travel.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
Cleared for Takeoff is a weekly series showing readers like you the best ways to book post-pandemic adventures using points and miles. If you’d like tips on booking your own trip using miles, please email us with your preferred itinerary and current mileage balance.
Europe is expected to reopen this summer, and we're assuming that the U.K. will quickly follow suit. TPG reader Cole Bahakel recently wrote in asking for help planning a future trip to Edinburgh:
"This is such a cool idea! My wife and I are planning a trip from DTW to EDI for a friend’s wedding and would love some help. We are hoping to travel at the end of August. As you might have guessed, we mostly fly Delta so Delta One (or similar SkyTeam cabin) is the goal."
The couple has a stash of Delta SkyMiles and Chase Ultimate Rewards points to use on this trip. Let's take a closer look at how they can maximize their available points balance for hotels and business-class flights from Detroit (DTW) to Edinburgh (EDI) later this summer.
Current points stash
Downtown Edinburgh in the autumn. (Photo by f11photo/Shutterstock.com)
Cole has a limited number of points, and we'd like to see him and his wife diversify the types of points they earn going forward. That said, they have enough points to book a round-trip ticket to Edinburgh if they're willing to make a couple of compromises.
Here's a look at their Delta and Chase balances that we'll use to help them book a trip across the Atlantic:
370,000 Delta SkyMiles.
90,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points.
I'll discuss ways they can diversify their points balances as we move through the article.
It's tough to use SkyMiles to fly to Edinburgh, but it's possible. (Photo by Angel DiBilio/Shutterstock.com)
American, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines fly nonstop from the U.S. to Edinburgh (EDI). American flies seasonally from Philadelphia (PHL) while Delta flies year-round from its New York-JFK hub and seasonally from Boston (BOS). United flies year-round from Newark (EWR) and seasonally from Chicago O'Hare (ORD) and Washington Dulles (IAD).
Now for the bad news: Cole and his wife don't have enough miles for a round-trip ticket in business class. Delta's international award pricing has skyrocketed over the years, and nowadays, it's nearly impossible to find a reasonably priced international business-class award.
Here's a look at Delta pricing for one-way flights from Detroit to Edinburgh this August:
(Screenshot courtesy of Delta)
So, I had to get creative. I looked for flights from Detroit (DTW) to London Heathrow (LHR) and found connecting flights through New York-JFK and Atlanta (ATL) most days in August on Virgin Atlantic. You can book these tickets for 120,000 SkyMiles and $5.60 per person, which means the couple has enough SkyMiles for three one-way tickets. The couple could book two one-ways and then book premium economy on the way home.
(Screenshot courtesy of Delta)
Return pricing is the same 120,000 miles one-way per person, so the couple will have to fly back in a lower-service cabin. Return tickets from Edinburgh to Detroit via Paris (CDG) on Air France cost 70,000 miles and $467.67 in taxes and fees on many days in August. Taxes are high due to Air Passenger Duty taxes in the U.K. Plus, Delta charges higher fees on flights originating outside the U.S. and doesn't allow mixed-cabin awards on the same itinerary.
(Screenshot courtesy of Delta)
Unfortunately, this totals 380,000 SkyMiles, which is 10,000 more than what's in Cole's account. The couple will have to purchase 10,000 SkyMiles to make this redemption. This costs $350, so it's not a terrible way to top up mileage, considering the award will save the couple thousands of dollars on premium airfare to Edinburgh.
(Screenshot courtesy of Delta)
Of course, the couple will need to find alternate transit between London and Edinburgh. Flights on British Airways start at just $78 this August. They'll need to conserve Chase points for hotels, so I think it's in their best interest to book a standard paid ticket on this quick flight.
It's easy to book this award ticket on Delta's website. Head to Delta's website, log in to your account and search for your desired itinerary. Make sure to select the "Shop with Miles" option underneath the search bar. Then, click the advanced options button, select your class of service from the drop-down and click the red arrow button to the right of the search field to initiate your search.
(Screenshot courtesy of Delta)
You'll be redirected to a calendar search screen that shows you a week's worth of award pricing. Click on the date you'd like to book and click the red "Continue" button at the bottom right-hand corner of the screen.
(Screenshot courtesy of Delta)
You can view all flight options and their price per person at the center of the screen. Click on the flight you'd like to book, and you'll be taken to the checkout screen.
(Screenshot courtesy of Delta)
From here, follow the on-screen prompts to book the ticket.
I don't recommend booking U.S.-to-Europe awards with Delta SkyMiles. It can be an OK deal if you only have SkyMiles available to you, but if you're planning a similar trip, focus on earning transferable points that you can transfer to Star Alliance airlines. This generally gives you a better deal for international business class and more flight options given Star Alliance's large European footprint.
My favorite way to book Star Alliance U.S.-to-Europe awards is transferring American Express Membership Rewards points to ANA Mileage Club. You can book round-trip business-class tickets for 88,000 points (and moderate taxes) if flying with United, SAS, LOT Polish Airlines and other low-surcharge Star Alliance carriers. Plus, you can add a stopover for free to maximize your ticket further.
(Screenshot courtesy of ANA)
This is the best deal for round-trip Star Alliance tickets to Europe. Consider opening one of these Amex cards to earn points to book one of these award tickets:
American Express® Green Card:Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $3,000 on purchases within the first six months of card membership. Plus, 20% back on eligible travel and transit purchases in the first six months, up to $200 back in the form of a statement credit. Earn 3x points at restaurants, on travel and transit (including flights, hotels, taxis, tours and ride-sharing services), and 1x points on all other purchases ($150 annual fee; see rates and fees).
American Express® Gold Card: Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $4,000 on eligible purchases with your new card within the first six months of account opening. Earn 4x points at restaurants, 4x points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year, then 1x points), 3x points on airfare purchased directly from airlines or American Express Travel, and 1x points on all other purchases ($250 annual fee; see rates and fees).
The Platinum Card® from American Express: Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $6,000 on purchases in your first six months of card membership. Earn 5x points on airfare purchased directly from airlines or with American Express Travel (on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year), 5x on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel and Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts, and 1x on all other purchases ($695 annual fee; see rates and fees).
With flights out of the way, let's look at how the couple can redeem their points for hotels.
They're left with 90,000 Chase points that they can transfer to Marriott, IHG and Hyatt. While Marriott and IHG don't usually yield the best deals for Chase transfers, you can get great value by transferring Chase points to Hyatt.
The hotel costs 20,000 Hyatt points per night, so they can book four nights for 80,000 points. A four-night stay at the hotel (when booked through Hyatt) costs $1,464 in early August, so this redemption yields 1.83 cents per point in value.
The couple can extend their stay by signing up for a Hyatt credit card. Alternatively, they can sign up for a credit card with a different hotel group like Marriott, IHG or Hilton. I'll dive into credit card options later in the article, but here are a few hotel options:
To book a Hyatt award night, head to the Hyatt website and sign in to your account. Then, enter your desired itinerary on the homepage, select the "Use Points" option and click the yellow "Find Hotels" button.
(Screenshot courtesy of Hyatt)
Find your desired hotel in the list of hotels on the left-hand side of the screen. Click the "View Rates" button and select the type of room you'd like to book. Then, follow the on-screen prompts to finalize your booking.
(Screenshot courtesy of Hyatt)
How to earn World of Hyatt hotel points
Remember, Chase points transfer to Hyatt at a 1:1 transfer ratio, so Cole and his wife can cover four nights at the Nira Caledonia with their stash of 90,000 Chase points. They can extend their stay by opening a World of Hyatt Credit Card, which offers up to 60,000 bonus points. They'll earn 30,000 points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Plus, up to 30,000 more bonus points by earning two bonus points per $1 spent in the first six months from account opening on purchases that normally earn one bonus point (on up to $15,000 spent).
Alternatively, they can open a credit card with a different hotel group to book more nights at a different hotel in Edinburgh. Marriott has the most intriguing options in the city, so they may want to consider one of these credit cards:
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card: Earn 95,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after you use your new card to make $5,000 in eligible purchases within the first three months of card membership.
Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card: Earn 75,000 bonus points after you use your new card to make $3,000 in purchases within the first three months of card membership.
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card: Earn 3 Free Night Awards (each night valued up to 50,000 points) after spending $3,000 on purchases in your first three months of account opening.
Marriott Bonvoy Bold Credit Card: Earn 30,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in your first three months from account opening.
As you can see, it's easy to turn a relatively small amount of points and miles into an international trip for two. The couple can use their existing points balances to fly round-trip to their friend's wedding in Edinburgh and save money on a hotel room for at least part of the trip. Plus, they can extend their trip by opening a new hotel credit card and meeting the minimum spending requirement for even more hotel points.
Remember, it's in your best interest to diversify your points portfolio and earn points with multiple airline, hotel and transferable points programs. This gives you more options, protects you from devaluations and generally makes the award travel booking experience easier.
Need help booking your own post-pandemic trip? Send us an email to be featured in the next installment of Cleared for Takeoff.
For rates and fees of the Amex Green card, click here. For rates and fees of the Amex Gold card, click here. For rates and fees of the Amex Platinum card, click here. For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant, click here.
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.
