TPG Reader Hall of Fame: The ultimate luxury vacation
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Today's TPG Reader Hall of Fame story comes to you courtesy of Tom, who took the ultimate bucket-list vacation with his wife — an ultra-luxury 11 days spent on board some of the finest cabins and in the fanciest hotels around the world. Let's see how they did it.
Tom and his wife splashed out for a high-end vacation at one of our favorite properties — the Conrad Maldives — combined with some truly incredible nights at the Conrad Singapore and the JW Marriott Dubai.
To swing this they applied for a number of credit cards, including:
- Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card — Earn 40,000 bonus miles plus Alaska's Famous Companion Fare; from $121 ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $22) when you make purchases of $2,000 or more within the first 90 days of opening your account.
- Chase Sapphire Reserve — Earn 50,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening
- Chase Freedom — (No longer open to new applicants) Earn a $150 bonus (15,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points) after you spend $500 on purchases in the first three months of account opening
- The Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card — Earn 150,000 Hilton points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening. Terms apply.
- Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card — Earn 130,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $2,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card in the first 3 months of Card Membership. Plus, you can earn an additional 50,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend a total of $10,000 in purchases on the Card in the first 6 months. Terms apply.
- Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express® Card — Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $3,000 in purchases within the first three months of card membership. Plus, earn up to $200 in statement credits for eligible purchases made on your new card at U.S. restaurants within the first six months of card membership.
The information for the Hilton Aspire Amex card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
They also spent five years accumulating a truly impressive 200k+ United miles via actual butt-in-seat flying, in addition to frequent use of the United MileagePlusX app and bonuses from rental cars. This enabled them to fly EVA Air's phenomenal business-class product for the long journey from San Francisco to Singapore.
As if that weren't amazing enough, they also snagged United saver-award space on Singapore Airlines for the flight from Singapore to Male, and even better, cashed in their Alaska Airlines miles (earned via welcome bonuses, flying and shopping portal bonuses) for flights from Male to San Francisco (with a free stopover in Dubai) in Emirates first class:
All told, they spent just under 800,000 points for flights and hotels. If that seems suspiciously low to you, that's because it is. Tom and his wife are no newbies, and they managed to squeeze incredible value from travel rewards credit card perks to extend their stay. Using the annual free weekend night offered by the Hilton Honors Aspire Card they both applied for, and a third free weekend night earned by spending $15,000 on the Hilton Honors Surpass Card, they managed to stay five whole nights while spending only 190,000 points. That's an incredible redemption, especially at a hotel that regularly goes for more than $1,000 per night.
They also used the annual statement credits offered by the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card to pay for the JW Marriott in Dubai, turning their cash stay (which earned them bonus points and elite credits) into a completely free affair.
Here's the breakdown of the points they spent:
| Program | Points used | Current TPG valuation in cents per point |
|---|---|---|
United Airlines | 237,000 | 1.30 |
Alaska Airlines | 300,000 | 1.80 |
Hilton Honors | 190,000 | 0.60 |
Chase Ultimate Rewards | 43,000 | 2.00 |
Here's how they redeemed them:
| Flights | City | Airline | Class of service | Points used | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Flight | San Francisco to Singapore | EVA Air | Business | 180,000 | United Airlines miles |
Flight | Singapore to Male' | Singapore Airlines | Business | 100,000 | United Airlines miles |
Flight | Male' to Dubai to San Francisco | Emirates | First | 300,000 | Alaska Airlines miles |
| Hotels | Location | Name | Points used | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Paid hotel | Singapore | Conrad Centennial Singapore | N/A | Out of pocket $1,455 (four nights) |
Hotel reward | Maldives | Conrad Maldives Rangali | 190,000 | 95,000/night (two nights) |
Credit card rewards | Maldives | Conrad Maldives Rangali | N/A | Covered with Aspire and Surpass free weekend nights (three nights) |
Credit card rewards | Dubai | JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai | N/A | Covered with the Bonvoy Brilliant annual statement credits (two nights) |
Tom and his wife put together a truly memorable vacation, from their awe-inspiring Emirates redemption to the five nights in their overwater bungalow. And clever use of hotel credit cards, dedicated mileage earning and credit card welcome bonuses meant that this high-end vacation was nearly free. Inspirational!
Updated on 11/3/21.
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.
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- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.