Morgan Patton 7/9/23 Morgan Patton 7/9/23

Paris on Points

Where We Stayed

We spent one night at Le Narcisse Blanc Hotel & Spa, a beautiful boutique hotel walking distance from the Eiffel Tower. We arrived mid afternoon, checked in, walked through the surrounding neighborhoods, and spent an hour at the Spa before dinner at Tomy & Co. We then crossed the Seine and checked in for two nights at the Park Hyatt Paris Vendome. This is a beautiful, luxurious hotel just off of Place Vendome that starts at $2,000 a night. We explored the surrounding shopping, walked to Notre Dame, and had two incredible dinners at the Park Hyatt.

How We Got There

We took the 4.5 hour train from San Sebastian into Paris. After three days, we flew back to the United States CDG-EWR on United Polaris Business Class.

What Points We Used

We used 135,000 Hyatt Points to book our three nights in Paris. Le Narcisse Blanc is part of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World collection, which means it’s bookable with Hyatt points and includes free breakfast. These Hyatt points were earned through my World of Hyatt card and my Blue Bank CSP card and transferred to Hyatt.

Our flight also booked with Blue Bank CSP card points trasnferred to United.

Value

Narcisse Blanc (1 night) - 30,000 Hyatt ($415)

Park Hyatt Vendome (2 nights)- 122,000 Hyatt ($4,266)

CDG-EWR United Polaris Business Class 130,000 + $345 USD ($10,200)

Morgan Patton 7/3/23 Morgan Patton 7/3/23

San Sebastian

A breakdown of our trip to San Sebastian: hotels, itinerary and travel details.

Where We Stayed

We had just to nights in San Sebastian, and spent our first night in the heart of the city at the Maria Cristina, which is part of Marriott. We explored the city, beaches, and some incredible restaurants - all within a 10 minute walk. The Maria Cristina is a historical landmark right on the river; Queen María Cristina was the first to cross its threshold in 1912 and it retains is regal look and feel. For our second night, we took a 15 minute taxi ride south of the city to Akelarre: a destination hotel, spa, and three Michelin star restaurant. This incredible place is set on the cliffs overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and has some of the most beautiful rooms, architecture, and views I’ve ever seen.

How We Got There

We took at 4.5 hour train from Madrid right into the heart of the city. We walked 10 minutes from the train station to the Maria Cristina. For flight info on how we flew to Spain in business class on points, check out my Gran Canaria and Madrid posts.

What Points We Used

We used 60,000 Marriott points to book our night at the Maria Cristina. We used 70,000 AMEX points to book our night at Akelarre, earned through our AMEX Gold card.

For more info on how to use transfer partners and points, check our my Guide. For a referral link to any of the recommended cards, sent me an email at mpattonpardner@gmail.com.

Itinerary

San Sebastian (11/29-12/1)

11/29 8:43 - 13:37 Train Madrid Chamartin - San Sebastian/Donostia
Hotel Maria Cristina (Marriott) #71607328 (11/29 - 11/30)

Free Breakfast - Marriott Platinum
Walk from train station to hotel (9 minutes)
Walk through Old Town, Hike up Castillo de la Mota (Monte urgull)
Parque de Alderi Eder - La Concha Beach

Basque Wine - txakoli - sparkling white wine
Pintxos - Kata4, La Mejillonera, Gandarias, Bar Martinez, La Cuchara*
Bar Goiz-Argi, La Vina for cheesecake, Chutney Gastribar, Bergara

Hotel Akelarre (11/30 - 12/1)

15 minute taxi from San Sebastian
Free Breakfast
21:00 Dinner

Morgan Patton 6/27/23 Morgan Patton 6/27/23

Madrid & Valladolid

A breakdown of our trip to Valladolid & Madrid, Spain: flights, hotels, itineraries, and how I booked it all.

Where We Stayed

We first went to small town about 90 minutes outside of Madrid, called Valladolid, in order to spend two nights at one of my dream hotels, Abadia Retuerta LeDomaine Hotel, Restaurant, Winery & Spa. This is a restored ancient 12th century Romanesque abbey, set on 500 acres of vineyards in the Duero Valley. The heart of the estate is its award-winning winery, it’s intimate resort with just 30 rooms and suites offering full butler service and a beautiful spa, and Refectorio, their Michelin-starred restaurant. This place felt like a storybook; stunning grounds and architecture with a very boutique, special feel. The hotel provides you with an itinerary or your stay and each of the activities, spa services, and meals you have booked. For our first night, they surprised us with a framed picture from our wedding and the room decorated with candles and roses while we were finishing up dinner. We loved the winery tour, spa visit, and every meal we had.

We then took the train back to Madrid and checked in to the Four Seasons Madrid, another stunning building placed in the heart of Madrid with between the Puerta De Sol and Plaza Major. The attention to detail here was also above and beyond. The concierge met us out front when we first arrived, offered us a glass of Cava, and escorted us around the showstopping lobby and up to our room. Thanks to AMEX’s Fine Hotels and Resorts Program, we were upgraded to a terrace room on the highest floor of the hotel with incredible views of Madrid.

How We Got There

We flew from the island of Gran Canaria to Madrid on Air Europa’s 737 business class. This was only about a three hour flight, but we were luckily on one of the flights that have the upgraded/long-haul business class seating. This includes full lie flat pods with plenty of storage, legroom, and a nice entertainment system. We had a nice meal service, watched a movie, and landed in Madrid. From there you can take the train to Valladolid.

What Points We Used

Our four nights at both of these hotels were booked using AMEX points, earned through my AMEX Platinum which gives me access to AMEX’s Fine Hotels and Resorts Collection. These special hotels can be booked through the AMEX travel portal for either cash or points and they include special benefits when booking: free breakfast, room upgrade, and $100 hotel/experience credit. We used our credit for Spa services at Abadia and dinner at Dani at the Four Seasons.

I booked two seats on our LPA-MAD flight with 55,000 Citi points transferred to Air France Flying Blue and $17. in taxes/fees. Citi points were earned through my husband’s Citi Premier Card Sign-Up Bonus.

Check out my free guide for more information on cards and transfer partners. If you’re interested in signing up for any of the cards I mention, please send me a message and I’ll send you my referral link. I don’t get paid - It just helps me earn a small amount of bonus points and you get to earn the full sign-up bonus.

Value

Abadia (2 nights)87,000 AMEX = $850, plus Free Breakfast, $100 Spa Credit

Four Seasons Madrid (2 nights)180,000 AMEX = $3,600, plus Free Breakfast, $100 Hotel Credit

LPA-MAD Business CLASS 55,000 + $17 = $900

Itinerary

Abadia Retuerta Le Domaine (11/25-11/27)

11/25 10:00 - 13:45 Flight UX9161 LPA - MAD

Air Europa via Air France #NV6BYI
Sala Galdos Lounge (PP - 2nd floor, zone C)
7:30 Transfer from hotel to airport
Transfer from MAD to Abadia
21:00 Dinner at Vinoteca

Abadia (11/25-11/27)

Free Breakfast, $100 Spa Credit
Address: Sardon de Duero 47340 Valladolid (Spain)

11/26 (Saturday) Spa, Wine Tour, Dinner, Bikes

10:30 Winery Visit and Tasting
17:00 Spa
21:00 Dinner at Refectory

Madrid (11/27 - 11/29)

11/27 Car to Valladolid, 12:50 - 13:56 Train - Madrid-Chamartin

Train: Aliva 4086

Four Seasons Madrid (11/27 - 11/29)

Free Breakfast, $100 credit, room upgrade
Address: C. de Sevilla, 3, 28014 Madrid, Spain
Chocolateria San Gines for churros, Casa Labra for salt cod!, Lambuzo*
Puerto del sol (4 min walk)

Mallorquina - napolitana de chocolate

Wander down calle major, left into Plata Major - Regal Square

La campana - calamari sandwich

Mercado san miguel
21:00 Dinner at Dani
La Canibal
Azoteo Rooftop Cocktail

11/28 (Monday)

Buen Retiro Park, Reina or Prado
Walk through Ibiza (Tapas) and Lista neighborhoods
Confiteria Rialto for moscovitas
Oriol Balaguer for croissants
Platea Madrid - food hall
Calle de Serrano - boutiques
La Castela* - tapas

Morgan Patton 6/23/23 Morgan Patton 6/23/23

Gran Canaria, Spain

A breakdown of our trip to Gran Canaria: flights, hotels, itineraries, and how I booked it all.

Where We Stayed

We spent four nights at Salobre Resort and Serenity. This resort was situated on the southern half of Gran Canaria with views of both the ocean and desert-like landscape. Our biggest takeaway was that it was so incredibly peaceful. The environment, decor, landscaping, bounty of pools, and spa all contributed to a very relaxing few days. We loved the wellness circuit at the spa so much, we booked it two of the four days we were there. We also spend a lot of time at the very top of the resort - a sprawling piece of plants, pathways, cabanas, and the Sunset Pool and restaurant. The views of the sunset were incredible and the burrata pizza and gin & tonics brought us back multiple days for lunch.

How We Got There

I booked two seats on Air Europa’s Business Class MIA-MAD-LPA. We flew from Miami to Madrid in lie flat business class seats. We had a three hour layover in Madrid, where we got to visit the Sala Puerta De Alcala lounge. We had drinks, snacks, and my husband took a shower at the lounge. We then took a short flight to the island of Gran Canaria in standard business class.

What Points We Used

We booked our hotel nights with AMEX points through the AMEX portal that we earned from our Amex Gold card. We booked our flights with 140,000 Citi points and $47 transferred to Flying Blue. Air Europa is part of Star Alliance which means any of their flights can be booked through other Star Alliance airlines, like Air France. We earned our Citi points through the sign-up bonus from the Citi Premier card. Check out my free guide for more information on cards and transfer partners. If you’re interested in signing up for any of the cards I mention, please send me a message and I’ll send you my referral link. I don’t get paid - It just helps me earn a small amount of bonus points and you get to earn the full sign-up bonus.

Value

Salobre (4 nights)97,000 AMEX + $900 = $1,800, plus Free Breakfast

MIA-MAD-LPA 140,000 Citi Points + $47 = $3,600, Business Class

Itinerary

Gran Canaria (11/20 - 11/25)

11/20 21:45 - 12:05 (11/21) Flight UX098 MIA - MAD
- MIA - Centurion Lounge
11/21 15:05 - 17:00 Flight UX9164 MAD - LPA

MAD - Sala VIP Puerta De Alcala Lounge (T2 - opposite Gate D59)

Hotel transfer to Salobre
Salobre Hotel Resort and Serenity (11/21-11/25)
- Breakfast included
- Address: Urbanización Salobre Golf calle Swing s/n, Maspalomas, Las Palmas

Email for Referral

Morgan Patton 5/24/23 Morgan Patton 5/24/23

Greece

A breakdown of our trip to Athens & Mykonos: flights, hotels, itineraries, and how I booked it all.

Athens & Mykonos

May/June 2022

Where We Stayed

In Athens, we stayed at the Periscope Hotel - a smaller hotel in a great location. In Mykonos, we stayed at the Casa Del Mar Resort - a boutique resort right on the southern coast of the island.

The Periscope Hotel was simple, but lovely. They had a nice selection of drinks and snacks in the lobby at all times and the staff was very friendly. The location was wonderful - walking distance to all of the major sites and surrounded by cafes and shops.

Casa Del Mar was unbelievable. It’s a stunning property and a secluded little innlet of crystal clear water. It’s made up of individual little white villas of different sizes scattered on the hillside heading down to the water. The restaurant is open ar and overlooking the innlet and beautuufl Medidertrain. The service was above and beyond, a delicious breakfast was included each morning, and I would go back in a heartbeat.

What Transportation We Used

We flew American First Class ORD - EWR and then Emirates Business Class EWR- ATH.

We LOVED the entire Emirates experience. To be fair, it was our first ever international business class flight, so the excitement was high, but even now after getting to tryp multiple other business class products, we have very fond feeling about Emiarates. We first booked the main flight (EWR - ATH) once we found award availability. I then booked the positioning flight (CDG - EWR) from my home airport.

Once arriving at EWR on our positioning flight, we had to transfer to the international terminal, check-in for our flight at the counter, and go through security again. After security, we were given access to the Virign Atlantic lounge while we waited for boarding. This was included in our business class ticket or in my Porpority Pass membership which in included with the AMEX Platinum card. The Virigin Atlantic lounge had a bar, small snack buffet, and a full menu you could order food from (all free). We enjoyed a couple hours of lounging, eating, and drinking before heading right down the hall to board our midnight flight to Athens.

Once onboard, we were directed to our seats and greeted by a crew member. Champagne was passed out along with menus for the flight’s meals. The business class cabin on this flight was set up in a 2-3-2 layout. We chose two of the middle three seats and loved the open feel of the middle grouping and had plenty of privacy with the dividers. Everything from the entertainment system, service, meals, and layflat seats was wonderful.

Hoe We Booked It

I booked our positioning flight (ORD-EWR) with 22,000 Chase points transferred during a bonus to British Airways. This equated to 33,000 BA Avios for two first class seats. [Cash value = $428]

I booked EWR-ATH with 145,000 Capital One miles transferred to Emirates for two Business class seats. [Cash value = $6,200]

I booked one night at The Periscope Hotel with 50,000 Marriot points earned from my husband’s Bonvoy. [$1742]

I booked two nights at Casa Del Mar with 90,000 Chase points transferred to Hyatt.

Finally,  I booked Air France economy CDG-ORD for 44,000 points + $314 transferred from Citi.

Itinerary

Athens (5/29-5/30)

5/28 4:12 - 7:19: Flight AA2276 ORD - EWR

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Lounge: Admirals Club (H/K in Term 3)
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5/28 23:55 - 5/29 16:05: Flight EK210 EWR - ATH

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Lounge Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse (B2)
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Hotel transfer from airport (50E)
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5/29 - 5/30: Periscope Hotel

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Dinner: 8:00 Tudor Hall
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5/30 Blue Star Paros Ferry Piraeus → Mykonos

Mykonos (5/30 - 6/1)

5/30 Arrival, Hotel Transfer to Casa Del Mar

5/30-6/1 Casa Del Mar Hotel

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Dinner: Apaggio for Sunset 8:00
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5/31

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Dinner: M-Eating post sunset 9:30
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6/1 Ferry to Santorini

From here, we went to Santorini and paid cash for an Airbnb with a group of friends. We then took a cheap cash flight to Paris and flew home on Air France economy CDG-ORD for 44,000 points + $314 transferred from Citi.

Dinner at Tudor Hall overlooking the Parthenon in Athens

Morgan Patton 5/29/19 Morgan Patton 5/29/19

How to use Points & Miles to Travel & Experience

An Introduction to Travel Hacking

Travel hacking simply means using points and miles to make travel accessible and affordable. Whether you’re interested in traveling to experiencing food, wine, and culture all over the world, or to be able to travel as a family, utilizing points and miles can make travel nearly free. The “points” refer to credit card and hotel brand points. Miles refers to airline miles. The beauty is that they work together and can transfer between each other to maximize value to allow you to buy flights and hotel stays.

An Introduction to Travel Hacking

Now, some people understandably have reservations about credit cards, usually for two reasons. One, that credit cards end up costing you a lot of money if you don’t pay off your balance each month. This is very much true, so it’s important to only spend what you can pay off each month. Two, that opening credit cards hurts your credit score. This is actually a little bit of a misconception. Yes, the credit check that happens when you apply for a credit card does cause a small ding initially, but beyond a couple of months and over the long-term having a credit card(s) actually improves your score significantly because it increases your credit limit, which decreases your credit utilization each month Additionally, consistently paying off a credit card each month raises your score significantly. I always tell people there are only three real “requirements” for being able to travel hack are:

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A good credit score
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Most of the travel credit cards require a credit score of 700 or above.

Average monthly spend of $1000 or more to meet minimum spends for signup bonuses

OR having a big purchase or multiple big purchases coming up, like a wedding, home project, etc.

Transitioning all or most of your daily spend on food, utilities, clothes, etc, will help you meet your sign-up bonus and then continue to earn points to continue to travel.

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Pay off your card(s) on time!
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As with anything, paying off what you spend is very important. These cards can be so valuable when used correctly, but not paying off you card each month will cost you interest that diminishes the value of the point you’ll earn.

Now that we have those ground rules, let’s talk about the fun stuff - points and miles. Points are earned through signing up for and using certain Chase, AMEX, Capital One, Citi, or Bilt Credit Cards. My free cheat sheet, here, has my top recommend travel credit cards that allow you to earn points and miles. There are two sources of points from these cards - sign up bonuses and earning points from your normal spend.

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Sign-up Bonus
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Each of these major travel credit cards have point sign up bonuses when you meet the minimum spend within the first few months of opening the card.Each card is a little different, but on average, you can earn the sign up bonus by spending by $3,000 in the first 3 months of opening the card. To see a summary of the cards and their signup bonuses, download my free cheat sheet.

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Everyday Spend 
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Every dollar you put on any of these recommended cards earns you points for that program - Chase points, AMEX points, etc. Each card also has bonus categories to maximize the amount of points you earn for each purchase you put on your card. For example, the Chase Saphire Preferred card earns 3x points on restaurant spend.

Once you earn these points you can redeem them and maximize their value for flights and hotels through a few different methods.

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Portals
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The major credit card companies have portals where you can take the point you earned and redeem them for flights, hotels, rental car bookings, or statement credit.

Co-branded cards to earn Airline Miles or Hotel Points directly

Certain credit cards allow you to earn airline miles or hotel brand points directly. For example, Marriot, Hilton, Delta, and American Airlines commonly have cobranded cards.

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Transfer Partners 
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The BEST way to maximize your points. 
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The Chase, AMEX, Citi, Capital One, Citi, Bilt points you earn through the credit cards can be transferred to other airline and hotel partners to book hotel stays and flights. Each credit card program has different partners, and I have a free cheat sheet you can download here with the full list of partners. For example, Chase points transfer to Hyatt points, and allowed us to book 2 nights at the Paris Park Hyatt for 65,000 points and $0, where it would have been $1200 a night if we had paid cash for it. For more on how we booked this and the rest of our honeymoon, check out post.

Free Guide

Morgan Patton 5/28/19 Morgan Patton 5/28/19

Our Points Process - How I Began

When I first got engaged and was reading and listening to everything wedding related, I heard whisperings of the points and miles world and how much value you can get out of the extra spend you have to put out while planning a wedding. Without knowing much, I opened a card that had a high minimum spend requirement because I at least knew we would be spending a lot of money and would be able to get some points for it. With the help of podcasts and blog posts, I then realized just how valuable those points would be.

Abadia Retuerta Hotel, Spa, & Winery in Valladolid, Spain

Planning a wedding is one of the best times to get into travel hacking because there is so much spend that takes place while planning a wedding. If you maximize your points earning just by simply using some of these recommended cards to pay your vendors, you can absolutely earn enough points to book yourself an incredible honeymoon.

My husband and I were lucky enough to be able to spend two weeks traveling through Spain and France on points and miles for our honeymoon. There are so many different options and levels to choose from when booking a trip with points and miles, but we were really looking for a luxury experience that allowed us to visit some bucket list hotels and restaurants – see the details here.

I started with the Capital One Venture card. This card earned us a 100,000 point sign-up bonus plus 2x points on every dollar spent, which made it great for paying vendors. Over the next 18 months of our planning process, I dove into the travel hacking world and leared as much as I could so that we could turn our wedding spend into a trip of a lifetime. My husband and I then opened up the Chase Sapphire Prefered card, which was instrumental in booking flights like our Business class return flight and hotels like the Park Hyatt Paris Vendome. Over the 18 months we also opened up a couple AMEX and Citi cards. Check out my favorite cards here. Here’s how the points we earend from these cards become so valuable:

How these cards earned us points:

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Big Sign Up Bonuses 
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Each of these cards had a 100,00 point signup bonus or higher when we applied for them. Signup bonuses do fluctuate, so keep an eye out for the big ones.

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Points on All Spend
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- Using these cards to pay bills, buy groceries, and pay vendors earned us thousands of points.

My husband also owns a small business, so he was able to open up a couple of Marriott Bonvoy business credit cards along the way. Over these past two years we’ve utilized credit cards to earn points and book some incredible trips. Check out my blogs on each of our trips to see where we stayed, how we got there, and how we booked it with points and miles.

Morgan Patton 5/26/19 Morgan Patton 5/26/19

How We Honeymooned on Points & Miles

We were able to have over a $25,000 honeymoon for less than $2,000 in cash and everything else in points & miles. We flew business class and stayed in some of my bucket list, luxury properties. Here’s how I did it.

Salobre Hotel Resort & Serenity, Gran Canaria, Spain

We were able to have over a $25,000 honeymoon for less than $2,000 in cash and everything else in points & miles.

There are so many ways to honeymoon, but we really wanted to prioritize food, wine, and a bit of luxury. Once we decided on Spain and France, I knew we needed to earn a majority of Chase and AMEX points. The Chase points would allow us to book some incredible Hyatt hotels in Paris and allow us to fly home on United Polaris Business class. The AMEX points would allow us access to some boutique and unique hotels that aren’t part of the major hotel brands. I really wanted to visit specific restaurants and spas, which were at some of these fairly exclusive hotels. But thanks to AMEX’s Fine Hotels and Resorts program, we were able to book them without having to spend a dime. This is a feature of their portal that allows you the option to pay with your AMEX points instead of cash, and it one of my favorite features. Aside from giving you access to some of the best hotels in the world, it also includes free breakfast for two, complimentary room upgrade, and a $100 credit to be used at the hotel. You also get a annual $200 FHR credit with the AMEX Platinum card. For example, I booked two nights a boutique hotel that was $450 a night. At checkout in the portal, I put 70,000 AMEX points toward the cost, which brought it down to $200. I then charged my Platinum card that remaining balance, which was then credited back to my on my card thanks to the FHR credit.

I break down each stop of our honeymoon in detail in my other blogs (Canary Islands, Madrid, San Sebastian, and Paris), but we really did take a $25,000 honeymoon. We ended up paying about $500 in taxes and fees on our flights, $1500 on a few hotel nights, and certainly some $$$ on food and drinks, but everything else was completely paid for with points and miles.

The cards we utilized to get us our points and get us our luxury honeymoon:

AMEX Platinum: Highly recommend for access to the high sign up bonus and access to the Platinum portal and the FHR, as well as numneroud other travel benefits.

Chase Sapphire Preferred: Great sign up bonus easily used for booking Hyatt hotels and United flights.

Citi Premier: Transfer to Flying Blue Air France that gives you access to Star Alliance.

Cobranded Hotel Cards (World of Hyatt, Marriott): Perfect for getting points needed specifically for hotel stays.

Abadia Retuerta Le Domaine Hotel, Spa, & Winery, Valladolid, Spain

During our engagement, we also used some of these points to take a trip to Greece. Check out my detailed post of how we did Greece including my itinerary of the trip, here.