December 26, 2023
Alex’s 2023 Points and Miles Recap
Alex
2023 was another year full of earning and redeeming points and miles for nearly free travel! This year we took more family trips than we have ever before. It was a great year full of making great memories! Here’s Alex’s 2023 Points/Miles Recap!
Alex’s 2023 Points/Miles Recap
February
The first trip in my 2023 Points/Miles Recap was in February during President’s Day weekend to St. George, UT. We used some Marriott free night certificates to stay at the Springhill Suites for a soccer tournament for my oldest. Nights were going for close to $300 this this was a great use of those certificates! This property is a little newer, has a fun pool, free breakfast, and enough room to sleep my family of 6. Bonus– my son’s team took first place in the tournament!
Relaxing in the hot tub post-game
March
In March, my mom and I used some IHG points to stay at the Kimpton Seafire in Grand Cayman. We had had this resort on our radar for a while, and it did not disappoint! You can read more about our trip to the Kimpton Seafire in Grand Cayman here.
The view from our room
April
In April, we spent spring break as a family in Hawaii. My parents joined us too, as we stayed at the Grand Hyatt Kauai and then island hopped on over to the Hyatt Regency Maui! We flew on Southwest using points and Southwest Companion Passes.
We spent Easter at the Grand Hyatt Kauai
The whole group at Hyatt Regency Maui
May
In May, my mom and I went on a trip that was solely based around a flight after finding availability on Emirates first class from Milan to JFK. We flew from Salt Lake City to Amsterdam on KLM business class and from Amsterdam to Milan. Once we arrived in Milan, we drove for about an hour to our hotel, Villa Orselina, in Switzerland. After a few relaxing days here, we took that amazing flight on Emirates and then spent two nights in NYC!
Views of Lake Maggiore
June
In June, Mitch and I spent three nights at the Alila Ventana in Big Sur, California. We used Southwest Rapid Rewards for our flights and World of Hyatt points for the resort. This was a one-of-a-kind resort! You can read all about our trip to Alila Ventana Big Sur here.
Mitch and I hiking among the Redwoods
Just a couple of days after getting home, my parents and I hopped in the car and drove to Rexburg, Idaho, for my oldest soccer tournament. We used IHG free night certificates to stay at a Holiday Inn Express.
It was so fun to have my parents come to the tournament!
Later that month, we headed to the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach. Once again, we took advantage of those Southwest Companion Passes and used Hyatt points for our stay. This trip was extra fun because we invited our friends to accompany us! It was so much fun!
We love that the hotel is across the street from the beach
July
In July, we took our annual family trip to Colorado to visit family. We drove and stayed at my parents’ house, but while we were there, we went to Denver for the Eras Tour! We got super lucky and were able to get Tickets from Ticketmaster a couple of weeks before the show. Getting hotel rooms that late was no easy task, though! Luckily (or unluckily, since the place was kind of a dump, lol), We were able to find availability at a Marriott and used our 35K free night certificates.
Eras Tour!
Later in July, we spent 3 nights at the Hyatt Place Park City. We used Hyatt free night certificates for this stay. My two oldest boys were both playing in Park City for a soccer tournament, so we made a trip of it. This tournament was so fun, but the highlight was Cruz’s team taking first place!
My second oldest’s team took first place!
September
In September, Jess and I headed to Secrets Impression Moxche. We absolutely loved it! It’s a pricey one, but we think it’s totally worth it, especially since it’s all-inclusive.
Enjoying sunset from the Impressions main pool
At the end of September, we had family come to Salt Lake City for a conference our church holds semi-annually. We spent two nights at the Hyatt Regency Salt Lake City (my favorite hotel in downtown Salt Lake City) and enjoyed eating out, shopping, attending the conference, and the kids’ favorite- swimming in the rooftop pool.
So fun spending time with my mom and sisters in Salt Lake City
October
My kids have a fall break in October, so we headed to Austin, Texas, to check out the Hyatt Regency Lost Pines. Jess and her family even joined us for a few days! It was so fun introducing our families to each other and we all had such a great time! Check out episode #51 of our podcast to hear all about this trip.
Enjoying the lazy river at Hyatt Regency Lost Pines
November
In November, we took a family trip to Hyatt Ziva Cancun. This trip was extra special because both my parents and my sister Kasey and her family joined us! The cousins had the best time together. We used Hyatt points to stay and Southwest (as always) for our flights.
These kids love Hyatt Ziva Cancun!
December
My last trip in this 2023 recap was our annual retreat. At this retreat, we discuss the previous year, make goals for the next year, and, of course, get some massages as well! We stayed at the Andaz Scottsdale. Each of us really enjoyed it. It’s a great spot for a girl’s trip or a couples’ trip. The three of us always have so much fun together, but somehow, this year, we didn’t get a picture all together!
Jess and my mom outside our casita
Alex’s 2023 Points/Miles Recap
Cards Opened This Year
In 2023 I opened 7 cards and Mitch opened 5 cards.
Alex’s Cards:
- American Express Business Platinum– I was targeted for an offer and wanted the lounge access that comes with this card.
- Chase Ink Business Cash– I opened this card right before the elevated offer ended.
- American Express Delta Platinum Business– This card had an increased offer + I live near a Delta hub and I wanted the annual companion certificate you get each year upon renewal.
- American Express Hilton Honors Business– This was my first Hilton card ever! This card had a great limited-time offer earlier in the year and included a bunch of points + a free night certificate.
- Chase Ink Business Preferred– I couldn’t pass this card up after they slashed the minimum spend amount almost in half!
- American Express Business Gold– I took advantage of an increased welcome offer and also wanted to get it before the annual fee goes up next year.
- Chase Ink Business Unlimited– The no annual fee Ink cards went up again towards the end of 2023 so I just HAD to get another!
Mitch’s Cards:
- Bank of America Alaska Airlines Business– This card had an increased offer
- Chase Ink Business Preferred– I had to get this one for Mitch too
- American Express Hilton Honors Business– This offer was too good not to get it for Mitch too!
- Chase Southwest Premier Business– Mitch was short a bit to renew his Companion Pass so I had him get this card during an increased offer.
- Capital One Venture X Business– This card just came out! If you can hit the minimum spend then it’s a really good one!
All together, from welcome offers on the cards we opened in 2023, we will have earned 1.5 million points. That does not include any points earned on meeting the minimum spend or points from referring each other to those cards.
Plans for 2024
Here are the trips I have booked for 2024 so far:
- Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal– using those free night certificates we earned on those Hilton Honors Business cards.
- St. George, UT for a soccer tournament (using free night certificates for the hotel stay)
- Disneyland
- Singapore and Kuala Lumpur
- San Diego
- Greece
- Florida
- Park City
Bottom Line
I hope 2023 was a wonderful year for you as well. I hope you enjoyed reading about my 2023 Points/Miles Recap. Let me know in the comments how you used points this year or what you have planned for 2024! We can’t wait to see where points and miles take you.
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