Flying 13 Hours in Business Class for 75K Points, United Debuts New Amenity Kits & More From TPG ✈

May 22, 2024

Using points for a getaway to New Zealand

by Eric Rosen, Director of travel content

I used to be the type of traveler who would spot a good airline award deal, transfer some points and hop on the next flight out. While I can’t be quite that spontaneous anymore, I did jump at the opportunity TPG recently gave me to show just what I could do with 75,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points.

Where did that number come from? As you may have heard a time or two, both the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and the Chase Sapphire Reserve® are currently fielding their best welcome offers in about a year: Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening.

While Katie Genter used her 75,000 points for an all-inclusive couples getaway to Mexico by transferring them to Southwest Airlines and Hyatt, and Tanner Saunders stretched the value of his points with a redemption on Emirates and a Hyatt stay in Greece, I decided to go all-out with a single redemption: I transferred all 75,000 points to Air Canada Aeroplan and used them (plus about $90 in taxes and fees) for a one-way award ticket in Air New Zealand business class from San Francisco to Auckland. This would have been a $6,000 ticket otherwise!

I spent a couple of days exploring Auckland, catching up with old friends and hiking around Waiheke Island to sample wines and freshly pressed olive oil.

Though it was a short and splurgy getaway, it was just the exciting adventure I needed before a very busy summer of travel. More importantly, it was a reminder of all the fun, creative ways to redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards points for incredible travel experiences. (Here are some of our other favorite ways to really stretch these points.)

To learn more about my trip and all the fun things I did (and ate!), check out my story below, as well as other fantastic articles about the cards and how you can maximize the points and benefits:

And if you want 75,000 bonus points of your own, remember that increased bonuses on the Chase Sapphire Reserve and Chase Sapphire Preferred are rare and only available for a limited time.

Posts in this newsletter contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products, and this may impact how or where they appear. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit this page.

Photo Credit: ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY.

Today’s top stories

United Airlines debuts new amenity kits, pajamas in Wrexham AFC tie-up

United Airlines and Welsh soccer stars Wrexham AFC are bringing the action directly to Polaris and Premium Plus seats this summer.

Need help choosing your first (or next) rewards credit card? Sign up for this week’s free webinar

Join experts from The Points Guy on a live webinar as we share concrete tips for choosing your first (or next) travel rewards credit card.

White House intensifying war on hotel and airline junk fees, selling aggressive infrastructure rollout

In an wide-ranging interview with The Points Guy, White House Council of Economic Advisers Chair Jared Bernstein said the Biden administration is going after drip pricing and junk fees.

Just got the Chase Sapphire Preferred? Do these 5 things next

Now that you have the Chase Sapphire Preferred, be sure to take care of these five tasks to maximize your earnings and the benefits on the card.

Current credit card transfer bonuses: 50% bonus when transferring Citi points to Turkish Miles&Smiles

A look at all the current transfer bonuses involving major credit cards and airline and hotel loyalty programs.

The latest

1.	Amex Green Card vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred: Which card is right for you?

2.	Transfer Avios to and from the Finnair Plus loyalty program

3.	Yikes: Major traffic disruptions are coming to New York JFK in time for peak summer

4.	Frontier returns to San Jose with 5 new routes launching this summer

5.	Fly SAS to various European destinations for as low as $340 round-trip

6.	Amex Delta offers: Save $40 on your next flight, earn 7,500 SkyMiles

7.	Aer Lingus, meet Sin City: New Dublin-to-Las Vegas route coming this fall

8.	New Zealand newbie: The InterContinental Auckland

9.	1 dead, at least 30 hurt as ‘extreme turbulence’ rocks Singapore Airlines flight

10.	The best cruises from Galveston for every type of traveler

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