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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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A bucket list layover at Plitvice Lakes National Park for 38,000 points
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Quick summary
The article details a speculative trip to Croatia using a discounted business-class award through a frequent flyer program's monthly Promo Rewards, which offer fixed-percentage discounts on select routes.
Dynamic award pricing and flexibility with dates and destinations can help travelers secure significant savings on premium cabin flights.
The author describes a short stay in Zagreb, a rental car experience, and a visit to Plitvice Lakes National Park, highlighting the benefits of early morning entry.
Overall, the trip combined points redemptions, advance planning and strategic use of travel credits to minimize out-of-pocket costs.
What to consider
Some offers mentioned in the article are no longer available, so current deals may differ.
Promo Rewards discounts apply only to specific destinations and cabin classes each month, and dynamic pricing means award rates can fluctuate.
Advance booking for popular attractions like Plitvice Lakes National Park is recommended, especially during busy periods.
What you'll miss from the article
Step-by-step insights on leveraging monthly Promo Rewards, booking speculative trips and maximizing points for complex itineraries.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
Staffers at TPG love booking speculative trips and I am no exception to that. When Flying Blue came up with a Promo Rewards deal of 30,500 miles for a one-way business-class flight to Croatia, I jumped on the deal.
I am a huge AvGeek. These points were originally transferred way back in May of 2019 to fly the KLM 747 from Mexico City to Amsterdam. Unfortunately, the pandemic saw the KLM 747s retire and I found myself without a use for 30,500 points. I had forgotten about them until last winter when I was looking to book some summer travel.
Flying Blue monthly deals
Each month, Flying Blue publishes a list of discounted award tickets across various destinations and cabin classes. Each destination on the list will receive a fixed percentage discount on flights to or from any destination in Europe, not just Air France and KLM’s respective hubs in Paris (CDG) and Amsterdam (AMS). Discounts range from 10%-50%.
(Photo by Ryan Patterson/The Points Guy)
Flying Blue used to offer a fixed mileage discount for its monthly Promo Rewards. When the program switched to dynamic award pricing, the discounts switched to a fixed percentage. If you’re flexible with your destination and travel dates, you can use the dynamic pricing engine to score the cheapest possible awards.
It’s important to note that each destination has specific cabins that are eligible for Promo Rewards.
This means that if you have one of the most popular travel rewards cards, such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, The Platinum Card® from American Express or the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, you can transfer your points and miles to Flying Blue.
Booking
As soon as I saw this deal, I knew I had to book it: 30,500 Flying Blue miles for New York (JFK)-Paris (CDG)-Zagreb (ZAG). I'm not sure if it was a glitch, but I also didn't have to pay any fuel surcharges or booking fees on this ticket. It was simply 30,500 Flying Blue miles.
I originally booked this trip purely speculatively. I had no idea whether I would be able to find a way home, whether I would be working, whether I would have an internship that would allow me to travel or if I would have to cancel the trip for college swimming.
(Photo by EQRoy/Getty Images)
Luckily, the stars aligned and I found an internship that not only allowed traveling but encouraged it. I couldn’t have been more excited. However, I was ready to cancel this trip if I needed to. Knowing that, I didn’t book anything in Croatia until I had confirmation I could actually take the trip.
I only had 18 hours in Zagreb so I wanted to make the best use of it. I decided to book a rental car for $260 and drive up to Plitvice Lakes National Park. I had seen photos and was enamored of the stunning natural beauty. With the itinerary nailed, I had myself a trip.
We have plenty of reviews of Air France business class, so I did not review the flight. However, I was thoroughly underwhelmed and disappointed. We started the flight with a dinner service that took nearly two hours from start to finish. That is quite a chunk of time for a relatively short transatlantic red-eye.
(Photo by Ryan Patterson/The Points Guy)
The food was mediocre, and the cabin crew seemed to be understaffed. While I don’t blame the crew, I was disappointed and would choose next time to fly with partner airline KLM instead.
After 12 hours of work at Paris Charles de Gaulle, I hopped onboard an Air Croatia flight to Zagreb. The short flight offered some beautiful views of Paris as we departed, and I was pleased with the small snack.
I was really nervous about renting a car in Croatia. I paid $260 with my Platinum Card from American Express. I had never driven internationally before, so I wasn’t sure what exactly to expect. I had done my homework and made sure that at 21 years old I was eligible, but one never knows.
(Photo by Abdul Razak Latif/Shutterstock)
I had an awesome experience, to say the least. The Hertz representative was great and upgraded me to the newest car on the lot. He took care to make sure he had a car that was automatic as opposed to stick shift. I then drove about two hours to my hotel.
Originally I was going to stay in Zagreb but was told that a visit to Plitvice Lakes National Park was best if done in the morning. I took the advice and decided to stay only a few minutes' drive away. I chose a boutique hotel not a part of a chain. It was $119 and I decided to take advantage of the Amex Platinum's $200 hotel credit (requires a minimum two-night stay).
(Photo courtesy of hotelplitvice.com)
I stayed at the Lyra Hotel Plitvice. It was quite pleasant. Originally I was walked up to a room that hadn’t been cleaned and was then downgraded to a room with two double beds. Having traveled for 30 hours door to door I couldn't have cared less and slept like a baby.
The next morning I drove over to Plitvice Lakes National Park. I highly recommend visiting in the morning — the earlier, the better. I have heard it can get quite busy. I purchased a ticket in advance for $30 online and walked straight to the lakes from the parking lot.
(Photo by Ryan Patterson/The Points Guy)
The park offers a few different hikes. I wasn’t interested in something very long, as I had a flight to Dubrovnik at 2 p.m. While the hike was a little warm even at 8 a.m., it was stunningly beautiful and everything I had hoped it would be.
I was pretty nervous about checking off a bucket list item so far away in such a short time span but it worked perfectly. I managed to get away with only spending 38,000 points plus $295 to get from New York-JFK to Dubrovnik via Zagreb with an awesome bucket list hike at Plitvice Lakes National Park.
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.
