We use points and miles for a lot of luxury trips, family vacations, and more. Another great way to use points is to visit family. In fact, that’s what got Jess into points and miles…being able to visit family for less. In this reader success story,  Amanda shares how she used points and miles to visit family. Here is her story:

We have several upcoming trips planned (all on points & miles, of course), but my most recent success story isn’t necessarily a glamorous or super complicated booking. My husband and I (and our two little kids) live in Oklahoma. My parents are close by, but other than that, our extended family is spread around the globe – Colorado, Delaware, Seattle, and even the Middle East and Indonesia! Needless to say, as our kids continue to get older and our siblings have kids, we long to be part of our extended families’ lives and not allow distance or finances to push us further apart.

This past weekend was my niece’s 2nd birthday in Denver, and I hadn’t seen her or my sister-in-law in a year (at her 1st birthday!), so I was itching for a trip. (Enter credit card points and miles).

 

Booking with Credit Card Points and Miles

I booked a last-minute ticket on Southwest. Thanks to Rapid Rewards, which I earned from the Southwest card I signed up for earlier this year (that also earned me a Companion Pass), I only paid $11.20. Instead of crashing on my brother’s couch, I opted to stay at the Hyatt House near Denver Airport Saturday night. I booked that by transferring Chase Ultimate Rewards to my Hyatt account, and it provided a free shuttle to DIA on Sunday morning.

 

 

Overall, I paid more to park my car for 24 hours at the OKC airport than I did to travel to Denver for the weekend! It was a memorable trip – not because I flew business class or stayed at a Category 7 hotel (though we have some of those coming up), but because I got to spend some incredible quality time with my brother and sister-in-law. I got to snuggle my niece so sweetly, and I got to be fully present with family.

 

 

This is definitely the type of trip that I wouldn’t have even considered prior to points & miles – that much money for only 24 hours? But now – totally worth it with this hobby!

 

Bottom Line

We love your reader success story to visit family, Amanda! We also love that you have figured out that credit points and miles can get you on nearly free luxury vacations AND on those priceless trips to visit family!