Mommy Points: It Takes 12 Airline Tickets for 2 Parents to Visit Vegas for 2 Nights
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
Over a decade ago, we got married in a city we loved: Las Vegas. No, we didn't use a drive-thru chapel, but Elvis was at the after-party. We chose Vegas in large part to keep the ceremony and wedding planning simple. (Well, and it was just a whole lot of fun.) In the ensuing 10 years, we've had a couple kids and life is no longer remotely as simple. Our most frequent leisure travel destination is now Orlando, outpacing Sin City more than 10:1. However, to celebrate Josh's 45th birthday, I decided it was time we return to the city we once loved, Las Vegas, and relive the "glory days" -- at least for a couple of nights. Two parents in Las Vegas for two nights, that seems pretty simple, right? Wrong. Very wrong.
During our pre-wedding and pre-kid years, we were prone to taking Vegas trips every few months, requiring nothing more than one round-trip ticket each since hotel comps were handed out like candy back in those days. This time, it took exactly 12 airline tickets to send two parents to Vegas for two nights.
Let's rewind to the beginning of the idea so you see how we ended up where we did holding 12 individual airline tickets for a two-night domestic parents-only getaway.
Josh (my husband) turned 45 over the weekend. I have a track record of giving big birthday surprises, especially on big years. As a couple of examples, for his 35th birthday we went to Disney World and did the unofficial Epcot "around the world" beer tour. Well, he did. I turned up a few weeks pregnant with our first daughter at the time -- surprise!
For his 40th, we raised the bar and blew things out with an around-the-world trip in business class with stops in Amsterdam, the Maldives, etc. This was all fueled with miles and points.
But for his 45th last weekend, our plans were to take our 9-year-old daughter to see the "Avengers: Endgame" movie. Even that took some arranging since the movie wasn't a good fit for our youngest daughter. My how the mighty have fallen.
That's just where we are in life and that's a-OK, but with a few days to go before his big day, I decided to raise the stakes and at least surprise him with a planned future trip that I knew he would love.
When we travel without the girls, sometimes we have my parents (who live in the same city) watch them while we are away. Other times, we fly his parents down from Kansas to help us out. But, we try to share the load and not overly burden any one grandparent more than necessary. And, it was more than "our turn" to head up to Kansas and visit his folks on their turf. So, after some phone calls and "secret" discussions with the grandparent committee when Josh wasn't home, the first four airline tickets were booked. We will take the girls up to Kansas to stay with grandma and grandpa while we're in Vegas. We will also get a night or so to visit with them in Kansas -- placing us solidly in the win column. 40,000 United miles later, four tickets are in hand.
Lucky for us, Southwest has a nonstop route from Wichita, Kansas, to Las Vegas. I happen to have $250 in Southwest gift cards burning a hole in my pocket. We added another $65 cash for the overage beyond $250 (including two Early Bird Check-In purchases as Josh hates the Southwest boarding process), and two more tickets were in hand.
That gets the girls to Kansas and us to Vegas, but it doesn't get anyone home. Long story short, our schedule doesn't permit doubling back through Kansas on the way home. So, enter ticket No. 7. Grandma Points, my mom. She will fly from Houston to Wichita to pick up the girls.
While our oldest daughter is 9, our youngest will only be 4, so she is still not old enough to fly as an unaccompanied minor. Grandma's ticket cost us about $200 cash as award prices just weren't optimal, though I did use some United.com credit toward the purchase.
Tickets eight, nine and 10 will get Grandma and our girls home to Texas at a cost of 10,000 United miles each for the short-haul awards. Grandma will be doing her first same-day turn in an airport to bring them home.
That just leaves lucky numbers 11 and 12: The tickets that will bring Josh and me home from Vegas (hopefully with some winnings in our pockets). These tickets were secured using points from the Chase Sapphire Reserve at 1.5 cents each, for a total of around 15,000 points per economy ticket (basic economy would have been a bit less). United wanted 23,000 United miles per ticket if we booked the tickets as awards via MileagePlus, so we passed on that.
If you lost count (and I don't blame you), that is 12 airline tickets totaling 70,000 United miles, a $250 Southwest gift card, 30,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points and about $265 in cash. All of that to get two parents to Vegas for two nights in economy.
Now, this is not a sob story, so any would-be internet vigilantes can save the "that's what you get for having kids comments" for another day. We're lucky to be able to go at all. There is also the built-in bonus of getting to visit Josh's parents in Kansas, something we were overdue on, so there's value beyond just a Vegas trip. Having all four grandparents ready and willing to help us pull things like this off -- and to have kids who are (mostly) willing to go with the flow, is better than hitting a royal flush on video poker.
Bottom Line
Believe it or not, there are a couple morals to this story. Rule No. 1 -- travel while you can. Life gets harder as you go, so if you can take the trip you want now, do it.
Rule No. 2 -- hard doesn't mean impossible. Was it a little hard (and points-pricy) to put this all together? Sort of, but it wasn't impossible. If you don't have grandparents available to help, look to your siblings, cousins or even close friends. Offer to trade kid-watching duties with another couple so each unit can get away for a weekend. Maybe you have to fly in someone you trust to make it happen -- that's OK, too. Your miles and points are there to be used, so use them however you need to in order to turn vacation goals to travel plans.
TPG featured card
at American Express's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 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. |
| 5X | New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
- Valuable dining and food-related credits
- Flexible rewards with airline and hotel transfer partners
- Multiple travel and purchase protections
- No foreign transaction fees
- Access to Amex Offers for additional savings (enrollment required)
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 $8,000 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.
- New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- Pay It® lets you tap in the American Express® App to quickly pay for small purchase amounts throughout the month and still earn rewards the way you usually do. Plan It® gives you the option to split up big purchases into equal monthly payments with a fixed fee. You’ll know upfront exactly how much you’ll pay.
- Updated! $120 Dining Credit: Earn up to a total of $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the Gold Card at Grubhub (including Seamless), Buffalo Wild Wings, Five Guys, The Cheesecake Factory, and Wonder. This can be an annual savings of up to $120. Enrollment required.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year at over 10,000 qualifying U.S. Resy restaurants after you pay for eligible purchases with the American Express® Gold Card. That’s up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: Earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin’ locations. Enrollment required.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Enjoy up to $120 in Uber Cash annually with your Gold Card. Just add your Card to your Uber account and you'll get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction.
- New! As an American Express® Gold Card Member, you can enjoy complimentary Hertz Five Star® Status. Enjoy benefits like skipping the counter at select locations, adding an additional driver at no additional cost*, and vehicle upgrades**. Benefit enrollment and Hertz Gold+ registration are required. *Additional drivers must meet standard rental qualifications and must be a spouse or domestic partner to qualify as complimentary. Other additional drivers subject to fees. **Benefits are subject to availability and vary by location. Additional Hertz program Terms and Conditions including age restrictions apply.
- Take advantage of a $100 credit towards eligible charges* at over 1,300 upscale hotels worldwide when you book The Hotel Collection through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App **. *Eligible charges vary by property. **The Hotel Collection requires a two-night minimum stay.
- Book your travel through the Amex Travel App with added peace of mind – backed by American Express® service and support. Only for American Express® Card Members.
- Whenever you need us, we're here. Our Member Services team will ensure you are taken care of. From lost Card replacement to statement questions, we are available to help 24/7.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.