TPG Readers' Best Points and Miles Trips in 10 Words or Less
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It's easy to go on and on about your favorite redemptions and the trips you've been able to take by cashing in those precious points and miles. So as a special challenge, we recently asked our TPG Lounge readers to leave just a 10-word summary of their last points and miles adventure — you know, something like, "Three nights in Paris at the Hyatt Madeleine. Loved it!"
While a number of the responses we received still went over the 10-word limit, it was great to see how many people really got into the spirit of it — one reader was even inspired enough to leave us a 10-word haiku. So here's a look at the most memorable trips you've taken on points and miles in 10 words or less. (Some responses have been lightly edited for style and clarity).
Proposals, Honeymoons and Other Special Trips
From a mother-daughter holiday in Paris to a dream honeymoon in Africa, TPG readers have used points and miles to take incredibly memorable vacations.
"First class. LA, Seoul, Phuket, Phi Phi, Bangkok, Beijing. Engaged." — Lucky H.
"Engaged in Sydney. 32 hours home celebrating in Singapore Suites!" — Adam F.
"Honeymoon in Africa. Ignited business-class travel addiction forever." — A.J. A.
"10th anniversary Australia trip. United/Asiana biz, Park Hyatt Sydney." — Sharon F.
"AA round-trip to Guatemala City to plan my Antigua wedding!" — Luiza F.
"Adoption of our two-year-old daughter from South Korea! (KE/OZ; Marriott Seoul Namdaemu)." — Scott B.
"Korean Air. Grand Hyatt Club Kauai. Anniversary Trip. Happy Wife!" — Jonathan L.
"Kenya: best trip of my life. Cannot wait to return." — Pam V.
"Business class, Air France and Park Hyatt Paris during honeymoon." — David K.
"Paris. Mommy-daughter trip. Louvre. Eiffel Tower. Best. Trip. Ever." — Kathleen S.
"Thanks to points, I took my whole family to Hawaii." — Hunter S.
"Seven nights. Grand Hyatt Kauai. 25th anniversary trip. Unbelievably magnificent!" — Don M.
Bragging Rights
"Go big or go home!" we always say. Some readers put their points and miles to use in style, springing for first-class flights or snagging free stays in great hotels.
"Puerto Vallarta. First class. Hyatt all-inclusive. Nine days. Totally free!" — Scot S.
"Five countries, seven cities, 18 days. Never flew coach once!" — Patrick H.
"PDX–LIH [Portland-Lihue, Hawaii]. Alaska first class. Grand Hyatt Kauai. $7,500 saved!" — Tim L.
"Spring break in Curaçao, free flights for four. Thanks Aviator!" – Rosie M.
"ZRH-LAX [Zurich-Los Angeles] for 70,000 in business. 13 hours of bliss." — Edison C.
"BUR–DEN–FRA–CAI [Burbank-Denver-Frankfurt-Cairo]. Cruising the Nile without tourists? Priceless." — Katrina R.
"Park Hyatt Maldives. 25,000 points per night. Heaven on Earth." — Shey T.
"Island Hopper + Palau + Philippines + Seoul — UA points!" — Anusha R.
"39,000 United points round-trip: Houston to Bangkok, Singapore to Houston." — Anitha E.
"One week SoCal honeymoon. BMW convertible. Hotel Del Coronado. $45 total." — Matt M.
"Three countries, four airlines and three Hyatts in 10 days." — Emilie F.
"Four people, Phoenix-Madrid on Delta. 102,000 Amex MRs. Round-trip!" — Dan P.
"LAX to ICN [Seoul, South Korea] on Asiana's A380 first class. First time!" — Tony L.
"Vietnam in Singapore A380 Suites and A350 Delta One Suite." — Jamie S.
"50,000 Etihad miles for AA Flagship First LHR-JFK [London-New York]." — Chris B.
"JFK-Zambia-Zimbabwe-Cape Town-Seychelles-Mauritius-JFK. 60,000 AA. 110,000 UA." — Sherry D.
"First class Delta One seats. LAX to SYD. 94,000 each."— Karen P.
"ATL to VCE [Atlanta to Venice], FCO to ATL [Rome to Atlanta], 60,000 Delta Skymiles." — Dana A.
"Sydney, Queenstown, Melbourne. United Polaris. 80,000 each way. UR transfer." — Spencer K.
"I got a sweet ass economy flight to Boise, man." — Matt S.
Visiting Epic Destinations on Points and Miles
Sometimes, it really is the destination that makes a trip special. Here are some of the amazing places our readers were able to visit for free (or almost free) thanks to points and miles.
"Galapagos and Peru. Double destination vacation with the excursionist perk!" — Carl C.
"Skiing in Japan and the Winter Olympics in South Korea." — Dave M.
"The Scottish Highlands. Castles. Edinburgh. Driving on the left side." — Yami M.
"Weekend trip to London to see Hamilton." — Heather Z.
"BOS-MUC [Boston-Munich] for Oktoberfest. One liter beers and no kids!" — Sonja M.
"Puerto Rico is awesome even after the hurricane. Just go." — Antonio Q.
"Budapest, Vienna and Prague with three different hotel point programs." — Lindsey G.
"Western Europe. Three weeks. Points flights, mostly points hotels. Score." — Chris R.
"Ecuador, Peru, Columbia using United Excursionist perk. Machu Picchu = amazing!" — Megan B.
"Cancun trip. Transferred Chase to Southwest and used Companion Pass!" — Loraiine C.
"Charleston. Fried chicken. Grilled oysters. Awesome weather. Additional 10 pounds." — Amanda J.
"Dream trip to Italy, Venice and Florence. Thank you CSR [Chase Sapphire Reserve]." — Beth D.
"Beautiful breezy Aruba in 2016 thanks to Southwest and Hyatt." — Victoria C.
"London. Business class. Marriott Park Lane. Points. Miles. All free." — Mike B.
"Big suite. Warm breezes. Free breakfast. Christmas. Andaz Riviera Maya." — Cheryl D.
"South Island, New Zealand, using Delta miles on Korean Air." — Doug M.
Honorable Mention for the Most Creative Response
We love it when our readers go above and beyond when answering our questions in the TPG Lounge. Thank you, Corbin, for this lovely bit of poetry...
"Cape Town through Dubai
with Emirates in the sky.
Unbelievable!
(and yes, that's a haiku)" — Corbin C.
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- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels.
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Rewards Rate
| 3X | Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S. and at U.S. supermarkets. |
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Earn 90,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months.Earn 90,000 Bonus Miles50,000 Bonus MilesAnnual Fee
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Why We Chose It
Build your loyalty to Delta by applying for the carrier's mid-tier card option, the Delta SkyMiles Platinum card. The annual fee is quickly recouped by the card's travel perks, such as an application credit to Global Entry or TSA Precheck, annual companion certificate and so much more. Plus you can fast-track to elite status simply through card spend.Pros
- Earn bonus Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) and an Medallion Qualifying Dollar (MQD) waiver when you hit specific spending thresholds with your card within a calendar year
- Receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year
- Statement credit for TSA PreCheck/Global Entry fee (up to $100)
- First checked bag free
Cons
- Doesn't make sense if you don't fly Delta
- SkyMiles aren't the most valuable airline currency
- Earn 90,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months.
- Receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year upon renewal of your Card. Payment of the government imposed taxes and fees of no more than $80 for roundtrip domestic flights (for itineraries with up to four flight segments) is required. Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. See terms and conditions for details.
- Enjoy your first checked bag free on Delta flights. Plus enjoy Main Cabin 1 Priority Boarding and settle into your seat sooner.
- New: Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels.
- Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide including takeout and delivery in the U.S., and at U.S. supermarkets.
- Earn 1X Mile on all other eligible purchases.
- Enjoy a per-visit rate of $50 per person for Card Members and up to two guests to enter the Delta Sky Club when traveling on a Delta flight.
- Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® after you apply through any Authorized Enrollment Provider. If approved for Global Entry, at no additional charge, you will receive access to TSA PreCheck.
- Earn up to 20,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) with Status Boost® per year. After you spend $25,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year, you can earn 10,000 MQMs up to two times per year, getting you closer to Medallion® Status. MQMs are used to determine Medallion® Status and are different than miles you earn toward flights.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- $250 Annual Fee.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees