Our latest reader success story shows you how to score major points with your teenager by taking them to a concert at an international location. Christina’s story is about Amsterdam and a concert on points and miles!

 

Christina’s Story

In a podcast, Jess mentioned that she would follow Taylor Swift around Europe. My 12-year-old (almost 13) is a huge Olivia Rodgrigo fan, but I could not secure retail tickets for her concert in our hometown of Philadelphia, PA. If I purchased resale tickets, it would cost me upwards of $2,000 (including fees) for nosebleed seats. I decided to check out international options because Jess had mentioned the possibility of going to Europe for concerts by American artists.

Sure enough, I could have my daughter in the VIP floor section in Amsterdam for a fraction of what resale tickets were going for at home in America. Within a month of the Saturday, May 25th, 2024 Olivia Rodgrigo GUTS concert, I could organize a quick trip using TMS tips. My daughter had the time of her life!

 

   

Using Points and Miles for Trip to Amsterdam

I used 40k Chase Ultimate Rewards® per person to secure our flights there (via United Economy). We had a layover in Chicago, but I had her bring her summer reading, and I planned our next trip while we waited. We only brought carry-on bags for this quick trip because we did not want to chance lost luggage! She was very excited to have a TV in her individual seat, as we normally fly Spirit, Frontier, and Southwest®. So, our trip was off to a great start!

We landed in Amsterdam around 9 AM their time. As virtually everyone speaks English in Amsterdam, we had no trouble asking for assistance to find out where to buy train tickets to get downtown to our hotel. I chose the Hyatt Regency Amsterdam because it is very close to the Metro, and I knew it would be easy to get to the concert venue from that location (6 stops and approximately 20-25 minutes). It was 66K points for three nights.

 

Surprise at Hyatt Regency Amsterdam

We were upgraded to a club room upon our arrival at the Hyatt Regency Amsterdam. This was quite exciting for us as this was our very first stay in a Hyatt since beginning to use points/miles for travel. I have temporary Explorist status due to the Corporate Challenge that I learned about from TMS, and I certainly think that helped! I emailed the hotel ahead of our journey and let them know this was my daughter’s first trip to Europe, and we were coming to a concert for her 13th birthday (I got this idea from Pam~ it never hurts to ask!). I asked if they could do anything to make her stay extra special. Sure enough, in addition to the room upgrade, they sent a birthday card and cake to our room to celebrate her birthday.

 

 

Activities in Amsterdam

On our first day, we visited the Van Gogh Museum and MOCO Museum. My daughter loved MOCO, and I highly recommend it to tween/teen travelers. Unfortunately, it rained heavily that night, and the canal cruise I had scheduled via Viator (Captain Jack) was canceled/rescheduled.

 

 

For dinner, we went to Hard Rock Amsterdam. It is right on a canal, and we had a lovely window seat to look out from as we ate.

Saturday (our second day) was the concert day, and we decided to keep the scheduling to a minimum. We slept in and then easily used public transportation to go over to the area where the Anne Frank House is located. Please note that the tickets sell out very early here.

You must plan to buy your tickets six weeks before your trip. We were on the last-minute side, and I was able to snag 2 tickets when they released the leftovers/cancellations on the Tuesday of the week before our trip. I set an alarm for 4 AM my time (EST) because they are released at 10 AM Amsterdam time.

 

 

We very much enjoyed seeing this important historical sight. We ate at the cafe there. Then, we went to the Albert Cuyp market and wandered through the various stalls. We found some great souvenirs along the way. After this, we headed to Vondel Park to walk around before returning to the hotel to prepare for Olivia Rodrigo!

 

 

The Concert and the Last Day

Saturday night was the concert. We felt extremely safe on the Metro, even at night, heading to the concert venue. Virtually everyone on the Metro with us was heading to the same place. After the concert, we reversed the trip, again with mostly women/girl travelers, and still felt quite safe. Amsterdam and a concert on points and miles was a cinch in this friendly and safe city!

 

 

Sunday was our final full day on this whirlwind tour of Amsterdam. Our rescheduled canal cruise was again canceled due to rain (it rains A LOT in Amsterdam… be prepared!). We went across the street from the hotel to the local grocery store (Albert Heijn) to get affordable candy/chocolates to bring home as souvenirs, and then we headed to Fabel Friets for the “must have” fries. They were delicious, and we very much recommend them! We also went to try the stroopwafels at van Wonderen. These were also wonderful!

 

 

I had originally made a few breakfast/brunch reservations but canceled them once we were upgraded to the club level. The hotel’s breakfast and happy hour options were wonderful. We had bitterballen, traditional chocolate cookies, and many other options. This strategy saved us quite a bit of money!

Monday morning, we headed back via Metro, then took a train to the airport to go home to PHL. We flew AA direct from AMS to PHL. We used 54K miles and paid under $200 in taxes/fees.

 

Bottom Line

It seems like Jess is NOT crazy for following Taylor Swift around Europe. Traveling to an international destination using credit card points and miles and SAVING on concert tickets is a win-win! Thanks, Christina, for sharing your trip to Amsterdam and a concert on points and miles!

 

Related Posts

• Girls Trip to Amsterdam Using Points
• Using Chase Ultimate Rewards® for European Flights
• Getting to Europe on Points & Miles