Julie sent in our latest reader success story about how she got her family to Niagara Falls to view the eclipse earlier this year. Within one year of opening her first card, she has already helped her family of six have unforgettable experiences.

 

Starting Out with Travel Mom Squad

I joined the Travel Mom Squad Facebook Group a year and a half ago without fully understanding credit card points and miles, and I hoped the posts I saw occasionally pop up on my feed would help me learn. Six months later, there was a big buzz about an amazing offer on the best starter card, card_name. I didn’t want to miss out, but I was still confused about points and miles.

I went to the Travel Mom Squad website, watched their free webinar, and used their free credit-card-consultation feature. After a quick response, I learned that the card_name would benefit me, and I dove in! After hitting the minimum spend, I referred my husband for the same card, and we hit the minimum spend on his card. We followed that up with the card_name for both of us. Within six months, we had earned over 420,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards®!

 

Trip Planning and Lodging

We had already been planning a trip to Buffalo, NY, for April 2024 for the total solar eclipse, but now that I had points for free travel, I canceled our original lodging in order to use our points instead of cash. I reserved the Hyatt Place Buffalo/Amherst for 8,000 points a night for seven nights (56,000 points total). The cash price would have been $2,089, and when I checked the night before, the days just before and after the eclipse, rooms were going for $500 a night! I felt extra-smug about only using 8,000 points and $0 daily.

There was room for my family of six because our room had two queen beds and a pull-out sofa. We got free parking and breakfast, and the staff even brought us a cute eclipse bag with sky-themed snacks! I would absolutely stay there again and highly recommend it.

 

Flights for Six on Rapid Rewards Points to Buffalo, NY

We knew flying six people to New York during spring break would be expensive so I learned all about the Southwest® Companion Pass. I didn’t have any Southwest® points when the calendar for spring break opened up, so I transferred 154,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards® to my Southwest account and booked five tickets to Buffalo and five tickets back to Salt Lake City, planning to earn the Southwest® Companion Pass to cover our sixth ticket.

I later opened the card_name at the start of November and the card_name at the end of November. The Travel Mom Squad podcast was so helpful in getting the timing right to earn the Southwest® Companion Pass for two years! Once I had my Companion Pass, I added my husband as my free companion on both flights. My family’s flight costs would have been over $3,000 if I had to pay cash! I couldn’t believe how much money we were saving!

 

Activities in Buffalo, NY

While we were in Buffalo, NY, we visited Canalside and Glen Falls, drove to the nearby town of Palmyra, and, of course, visited Niagara Falls. The waterfalls are amazing, and my six-year-old had the time of her life on the Maid of the Mist. We ate lots of pizza and couldn’t get enough wings. Our top food recommendations in the area would be Duff’s, Franco’s Pizza, and Paula’s Donuts. All the food was delicious!

 

 

 

Watching the Total Solar Eclipse

One of the most amazing parts was getting to watch the total solar eclipse. Unfortunately, it was pretty cloudy, but luckily, the clouds shifted just enough for us to catch a glimpse of the sun completely blacked out with the corona of light shining around it. Everything was so dark that the streetlights all turned on! My kids couldn’t believe it.  I’d seen partial eclipses before, but a total solar eclipse was so much better and an incredible once-in-a-lifetime experience. (Although now that I have this new hobby, I immediately started looking at the cheapest routes on points to Spain for the next total eclipse in 2026!)

 

 

Great Airport Experiences

Travel days with four kids are obviously stressful, but learning how to use some of the benefits from our cards made it so much nicer! My husband opened a card_name and got free TSA PreCheck®, and after I opened my card_name, I got free TSA PreCheck® as well. All of our kids were able to come through the TSA PreCheck® line with us. I don’t know how we would have survived without it. It streamlined security so much.

I also got free internet for all of us using that same card on all of our Southwest flights.

And knowing we had a 3-hour layover in Denver, I also opened up the card_name. After landing, we made our way to the Capital One Lounge, and using my card and an authorized-user card, all six members of my family got in for free. My kids were in heaven, drinking pop and eating cookies. The food was amazing. I was worried about my kids being too rowdy as two of them have ADHD, and I was ready to leave early and grab some food from the fantastic grab-and-go section if we needed to. However, much to my surprise, my kids did AMAZING in the lounge.

The quiet, less-stimulating atmosphere really seemed to help them, and we all boarded the last leg of our flight feeling refreshed and calm. My 11-year-old packed some snacks to take on the plane and later announced that the lounge had been one of his favorite parts of the whole trip.

 

Learning from the Travel Mom Squad

I have learned so much from the Travel Mom Squad. Their blog posts and Instagram tips are great, and I have learned a ton from their podcast; I can’t recommend it enough. They have such great chemistry, and I’ve learned amazing things. Some of my favorite parts from the podcast are learning about the perks of all the different cards.

 

Future Plans

We’ve continued to rack up points using the formula we learned from the Squad.

1. Open a card
2. Meet the minimum spend using our everyday expenses
3. Repeat!

We already have the Hyatt Regency Maui booked for next year, and next month will be the one-year anniversary of opening my first travel card. I am having the time of my life traveling with my family, and I can hardly believe that while the memories are priceless, the travel is nearly free.

Thanks, Julie, for your reader success story to Niagara Falls! It’s hard to believe that you are a beginner—you are a rockstar at this!