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| Pivoting travel plans |
| by Brian Kelly |
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This week, I made a last-minute trip to the Paris Olympics, and boy, am I thankful that I did. This was my first time ever going to the Olympics, and I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect.
While the overall trip plan changed at the last minute and I wasn’t able to continue on to Vienna, Austria, to see Taylor Swift after the Olympics, I am very glad I used points and miles for this trip because it gave me the flexibility to make sudden decisions, some cancellations and even new bookings.
Last-minute changes
That’s the beauty of using points for hotels. For my Vienna stay, I used World of Hyatt points, which let me cancel up to 24 hours ahead of time (this can vary by hotel or season).
Then, I was able to book a last-minute flight home on La Compagnie using American Express Pay with Points in the Amex Travel portal because my American Express Business Centurion card* gives a 50% rebate on the value of my points, so my $2,000 La Compagnie ticket was just 100,000 Membership Rewards points. For The Business Platinum Card® from American Express cardholders, you can receive a 35% rebate when you use Pay with Points on first- or business-class tickets through Amex Travel (up to 1 million points per calendar year).
My Paris experience and Olympics recap
Before I took the trip, it looked magical, but I wondered if the logistics would be a nightmare. I’m happy to say that while there were some hiccups at some venues like Versailles, where I went to the equestrian events — which were incredible — overall, I thought it was run really well.
I stayed at the Waldorf Astoria Versailles — Trianon Palace; check out my Instagram for the full experience. I was able to redeem points for one room and paid for the second room. We were put in the Annex, which has older, unrenovated rooms, and in my opinion, it should not be a Waldorf Astoria.
For most of the events, I was able to use public transit, and if you used the G7 local taxi, they were actually able to drop you off very close to the venues. During my visit, I saw equestrian competitions, men’s diving, rhythmic gymnastics, and beach volleyball at the Eiffel Tower. All were super iconic, and I will definitely be attending future Olympics as they bring the world together, especially in times like these. So, if you ever have the chance to go, I highly recommend it — especially on points and miles.
Have a great weekend,
BK
* The information for the Centurion 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.
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| Photo Credit: WYATT SMITH/THE POINTS GUY. |
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