Reader success story: How this reader visited 8 countries in 3 years using points and miles
At TPG, one of our main missions is to teach our readers how to use points and miles to secure dream trips they otherwise wouldn't have been able to afford. Often, we don't hear about the trips that our readers end up taking, but every now and again, we're gifted with tales of special experiences.
Recently, a longtime reader of TPG, Doug M., came to us with just that. He took us through his journey with points and miles, highlighting how they allowed him and his fiancee (now wife) to travel worldwide. Here are the highlights of his globe-trotting and the advice he wishes to pass on to readers looking to use points and miles for aspirational travel.
Related: How I strategize my award redemptions
How TPG helped this reader take his first big international trip
Doug was once in the shoes of many beginners, wanting to see the world but not sure how to do it with just cash. Through TPG, Doug learned how to use points and miles to afford the trips he wanted to take. All of his time spent combing TPG articles for information paid off when he booked his first major international trip to the Swiss Alps and London in 2022.
Doug earned American Express Membership Rewards points with his American Express® Gold Card and The Platinum Card® from American Express. By transferring approximately 124,000 Membership Rewards points to Emirates, Doug was able to book two business-class tickets for himself and his fiancee from New York City to Milan.
Doug also transferred 35,000 Membership Rewards points to Virgin Atlantic, so he and his partner could fly in premium economy from London to New York City. Doug estimated that these two flights would have cost him $13,000, meaning he secured a fantastic deal. Note that redemption rates for these flights vary.
The welcome offers on the Amex Gold and Amex Platinum can help you quickly acquire Membership Rewards points so you can take trips like Doug's. Find out your offer and see if you are eligible to earn as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $6,000 on purchases within the first six months of card membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.
With the Amex Platinum, you can find out your offer and see if you are eligible to earn as high as 175,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $8,000 in the first six months of card membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.
Based on TPG's July 2024 valuations, these welcome offers are worth $1,200 and up to $3,500, respectively.
Related: These apps and websites make award redemptions easier to find
A dream trip to New Zealand and Australia using points and miles
Doug's trip to the Swiss Alps and London with points and miles opened Pandora's box. He and his fiancee had a dream trip in mind: New Zealand and Australia. With the aid of points and miles, they were able to turn this dream into a reality in 2023. By quickly taking advantage of an award-booking opportunity, Doug and his fiancee secured two business-class tickets from Houston to Auckland with a combination of Capital One miles and Amex Membership Rewards points. Doug transferred these 175,000 points and miles to Air Canada's Aeroplan to book a fellow Star Alliance partner, Air New Zealand.
That wasn't the only redemption they used to help them get the trip they'd always envisioned. Taking advantage of Air Canada's stopover feature, they nabbed a flight from Christchurch, New Zealand, to Sydney on Emirates for an additional 5,000 points per person.
In Australia, they were able to get a flight from Sydney to Cairns to see the Great Barrier Reef using Chase Ultimate Rewards points. Since Doug's fiancee (now wife) has the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, she transferred points to her United Airlines MileagePlus account to book the trip. Their journey home saw Doug transfer Amex points to Virgin Atlantic; plus, they added a one-day stopover in Honolulu on their path to Houston from Sydney, allowing him and his partner to check off yet another destination.
Doug estimated that this dream vacation would have cost him an extra $12,500 without the help of points and miles, proving that booking his dream trip was no fluke. With the right planning and execution, vacations to global destinations are possible without spending tens of thousands of dollars. Business-class international flights don't have to be exclusively for the ultrarich.
Related: How to potentially save miles by flying first class instead of economy
Where points and miles are taking this reader next
Since he started exploring points and miles, Doug has visited a total of eight countries — Switzerland, the U.K., Italy, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, as well as Bermuda. He and his wife are already planning their next big trip: Japan in cherry blossom season. They’ve booked round-trip tickets in Japan Airlines’ new A350-1000 business-class seats using Cathay Pacific Asia Miles.
They knew these luxurious seats would be tough to get because Japan Airlines typically releases only two business-class seats per flight, and they definitely wanted to fly together. They also knew Cathay Pacific would release award seats 360 days in advance at midnight Hong Kong time. Almost a full year before his trip, Doug hopped on the phone with the Cathay Pacific rewards desk.
He managed to find two award seats on a flight from Dallas Forth Worth International Airport (DFW) to Tokyo’s Haneda Airport (HND) for 178,000 miles per person. He transferred about half of the required miles from Capital One (he’d accrued plenty by using his Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card to earn 2 miles per dollar spent on wedding expenses); he transferred the rest from Amex Membership Rewards. Once the trip to Tokyo was booked, he repeated the process a few days later for the trip home.
Related: Cathay Pacific business-class award availability in 2025
This reader's advice to points and miles beginners
Start with transferable points
Doug recommends starting with a card that earns transferable points rather than a cobranded airline or hotel card. He and his wife have gotten a ton of value from cards with transferable currencies, like the Amex Gold and Platinum, Capital One Venture Rewards Card, Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Bilt Mastercard® (TPG founder Brian Kelly is a Bilt adviser and investor).
“My first card was a cobranded card because I didn’t know any better and listened to one of the ads on the plane,” Doug tells TPG, adding, “Don’t be me!” Instead, he says, you can get much more value by earning transferable points and transferring them to travel partners.
The information for the Bilt Mastercard has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Related: No-annual-fee credit cards that earn transferable points
Be flexible
Doug also stresses the importance of patience and flexibility, especially if you’re after business- or first-class award seats. Instead of choosing a flight and then looking for a way to book it with points or miles, he recommends keeping an open mind — and calendar — while searching for award availability.
“Let the flights tell you when to travel, not the other way around, especially if you want to unlock great value with hard-to-find business- and first-class seats,” he says.
Refer your friends
Many cards offer bonus points to cardholders who refer others to the card. This means that if your friend applies for a card through your personal referral link and gets approved, you’ll earn extra points, though the amount varies widely by card and often changes over time.
For example, the Chase Sapphire Preferred and Chase Sapphire Reserve are currently offering 10,000 bonus points for each person you refer, and Bilt has been known to offer 25,000 bonus points for every five referrals. Some rewards come in the form of increased earning rates rather than a chunk of points, like when select Amex cards offered an additional 5 points per dollar spent on supermarket purchases for referring a friend.
Doug and his wife have earned roughly 10 referral bonuses, some of them as high as 20,000 points each — without spending a dime. Plus, he’s shared his passion with loved ones and helped them dip their toes into points and miles.
Related: Capital One Refer a Friend: What you need to know about this generous program
Bottom line
The world of points and miles can seem daunting to beginners. But the good news is there are many easy ways to get started, and you can take it at your own pace. Doug went from having no knowledge of points, miles or credit cards to seeing eight countries (plus Bermuda) in three years, as well as booking a trip to Japan using rewards. Doug credits TPG for helping him build the knowledge needed to make these trips happen, and he strongly encourages others to give it a try.
Do you have a points and miles success story you'd like to share? Email us at questions@thepointsguy.com for a chance to be featured on TPG.
TPG featured card
Rewards
| 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. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. |
Intro offer
Annual Fee
Recommended Credit
Why We Chose It
There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
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 $6,000 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.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.
Rewards Rate
| 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. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. |
Intro Offer
You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.As High As 100,000 points. Find Out Your Offer.Annual Fee
$325Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.Excellent to Good
Why We Chose It
There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
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 $6,000 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.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.