9 trips TPG staffers have booked with points and miles for travel in 2023

The hunt to maximise factors and miles has impressed hundreds of TPG posts. Whether or not you are new to points, miles and credit cards or need to improve your mileage redemption strategies, we possible have loads of articles for you.

Like many TPG readers, some TPG staffers spend their free time trying to find high-value resort awards and flight award availability for their very own journey. This is a take a look at 9 award journeys TPG staffers have booked for journey in 2023.

Hola, Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires is considered one of my favourite cities. Nevertheless, it is identified for having restricted business-class award flight choices.

Fortunately, this yr I am leveraging LifeMiles’ lesser-known partnership with Aeromexico to journey on one of many few daytime flights to Argentina in enterprise class from Mexico Metropolis Worldwide Airport (MEX) to Buenos Aires Ezeiza Worldwide Airport (EZE).

The one-way flight prices 52,500 miles and $95 in taxes and charges. Avianca LifeMiles routinely sells its miles with a generous bonus, so I bought 52,800 LifeMiles for $726.This nine-hour enterprise class flight will price me a complete of $821, whereas money charges for a similar seat price $3,587 on Aeromexico’s web site.

Kyle Olsen, factors and miles reporter

Associated: ¡Viva México! A review of Aeromexico’s business class on the 787-9 from Mexico City to Buenos Aires

Utilizing factors and miles for the perfect seats within the skies

The information of Singapore Airlines swapping its Airbus A380 for a Boeing 777-330ER on the John F. Kennedy Worldwide Airport (JFK) to Frankfurt Airport (FRA) route — and thus eliminating its luxurious Suites product from the U.S. — gave me critical FOMO (worry of lacking out).

I searched Singapore KrisFlyer and was comfortable to search out Benefit house on the Frankfurt to New York route for 143,500 miles earlier than Singapore pulls its A380 from the route in Could. I transferred Amex Membership Rewards points to KrisFlyer for this reserving.

To get to Europe, I discovered Emirates business class award house on the Newark Liberty Worldwide Airport (EWR) to Athens Worldwide Airport (ATH) fifth-freedom flight for 70,000 Air Canada Aeroplan factors.

With Aeroplan, you’ll be able to add a stopover for an additional 5,000 points, so I made a decision to make Athens my stopover. I am going to proceed to Malta on Aegean Airways after spending a couple of days in Athens.

I transferred 75,000 Amex Membership Rewards factors to Aeroplan for this reserving. I’ll possible both redeem miles or discover an affordable money one-way ticket from Malta to Frankfurt for the Singapore Airways flight again to the U.S.

Additionally, since I dwell in Texas, I’ll possible redeem miles for my positioning flights to and from the New York Metropolis space.

Senitra Horbrook, bank cards editor

Associated: Did your credit card points just get more valuable? Air Canada and Emirates expand partnership

Austrian attraction

My household is planning a reunion in Austria, so I spent a while over the vacation break arranging award flights. I used to be apprehensive about discovering availability since we’re locked into a selected week in August attributable to everybody’s schedules.

I used to be thrilled to make use of United MileagePlus miles and British Airways Avios to safe well-timed flight pairings for my nieces flying out of Washington, D.C. They’re going to fly Austrian Airlines in economic system class to Vienna Airport (VIE) for 33,000 miles and $41.30 every. Aer Lingus will ferry them dwelling for 27,500 Avios plus $211.55.

My husband and I opted to fly enterprise class, and I used to be comfortable to attain one-way flights (United and Austrian Airways in a single path and Austrian and Lufthansa within the different) for 66,000 MileagePlus miles plus about $100 per individual every approach.

Now, I would like so as to add my nieces as authorized users on The Platinum Card® from American Express in order that they’ll acquire lounge entry throughout this journey. In spite of everything, it prices simply $175 so as to add as much as three licensed customers on this card (see rates and fees).

Andrea Rotondo, director of content material

Associated: Why you should add authorized users on your Amex Platinum

Southeast Asian luxurious

Over the brand new yr, I booked a two-week journey to Japan and Vietnam, my first journey to Asia in over three years. I redeemed 65,000 Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles for a one-way Japan Airlines enterprise class flight to Hanoi’s Noi Bai Worldwide Airport (HAN).

I am utilizing the Mileage Plan free stopover in Tokyo to go to Disneyland. I additionally used my $200 Fine Hotels & Resorts/The Hotel Collection credit from The Platinum Card® from American Express to e-book a three-night keep at a luxurious resort in Hanoi.

On the way in which dwelling, I am going to fly EVA in enterprise class from Taiwan Taoyuan Worldwide Airport (TPE) to Seattle-Tacoma Worldwide Airport (SEA). I booked this utilizing my favourite frequent flyer foreign money, 75,000 Air Canada Aeroplan factors.

Matt Moffitt, senior bank cards editor

Associated: 7 reasons EVA Air is the most overlooked transpacific business-class option

Heavenly honeymoon

My spouse and I are headed on our honeymoon in 2023 to Hanoi, Bali and Singapore.

We transferred Amex factors to Singapore KrisFlyer to e-book flights from John F. Kennedy Worldwide Airport (JFK) to Hanoi by way of Singapore Changi Airport (SIN), flights from Bali’s Ngurah Rai Worldwide Airport (DPS) to Singapore after which flights from Singapore again to New York.

Better of all, our flights ought to all be in lie-flat business-class seats.

Ben Glidden, director of built-in advertising

Associated: Comparing the world’s 2 longest flights in Singapore business class

Barbados completed proper

I have been planning a weeklong journey to Barbados with my husband for summer time 2023 utilizing factors and miles I collected throughout the pandemic. This can be our first worldwide journey since 2019.

I booked our Even More Space seats on JetBlue flights between JFK and Bridgetown’s Grantley Adams Worldwide Airport (BGI) with a mixture of TrueBlue points I would earned by flying and Citi ThankYou points I earned with my Citi Premier® Card.

We’ll take Amtrak between New York and Washington, D.C. earlier than and after our flights. Nevertheless, to present us sufficient time, I booked one-night stays at a Marriott by JFK and a Kimpton by Penn Station utilizing Marriott Bonvoy and IHG One Rewards factors.

Whereas we’re in Barbados, we’ll keep on the Fairmont. I plan to e-book this keep quickly by means of Capital One Travel. To assist pay for this keep, I am going to redeem Capital One miles I’ve collected over time from a no-annual-fee card and the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card I added to my pockets late final yr.

Relying on what number of extra Capital One miles I am going to earn within the subsequent couple of months, I might also use some to pay myself again for our Amtrak tickets.

Christine Gallipeau, coordinating editor

Associated: Ouch: It’s not just you, Marriott stays now cost more points

New Zealand with a stopover in Fiji

My schedule is filled with all kinds of journey this yr. One journey I am particularly enthusiastic about is New Zealand with a stopover in Fiji.

My husband and I redeemed 60,000 United miles plus $46.20 per individual to fly Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Worldwide Airport (ATL) to George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) in United home first, Houston to Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport (SYD) in United Polaris business and Sydney to Wellington Worldwide Airport (WLG) in Air New Zealand economic system.

We’re holding our time in New Zealand versatile as we hope to snag an inexpensive RV rental to discover the nation. Nevertheless, we have booked freely cancellable accommodations as a backup if we will not discover a good campervan relocation rental.

For our return to the states, we redeemed 55,000 Alaska miles and $108.87 per individual to fly from Auckland Airport (AKL) to Los Angeles Worldwide Airport (LAX) in Fiji Airways enterprise with a stopover in Fiji.

Whereas in Fiji, we’ll keep in easy lodging booked by means of Airbnb on both aspect of a two-night keep at Hyatt’s Nanuku Resort (the place we redeemed 30,000 Hyatt factors plus a Class 1 by means of 7 free evening certificates).

Katie Genter, senior factors and miles author

Associated: Sweet Spot Sunday: Fly from the US to Australia with a stop in Fiji

Did somebody say “hockey?”

Whereas it is a less complicated journey than many others mentioned on this story, I redeemed United miles for a flight from Los Angeles Worldwide Airport (LAX) to Raleigh-Durham Worldwide Airport (RDU) to see the NHL Stadium Sequence sport at Carter Finley Stadium.

Taylor Stephenson, technical undertaking supervisor

Associated: Redeem for sports events, concerts and more through Marriott Bonvoy Moments

Devoted to the northern lights

My spouse continues to be attempting to see the northern lights for the primary time. I’ve seen it twice, however we struck out on earlier journeys to Alaska and northern Sweden.

We had an Alaska Airlines companion fare expiring lately, so we used this to e-book one other journey to Fairbanks, Alaska, in mid-March 2023, which we have learn is peak viewing time for the aurora.

We redeemed World of Hyatt points for 5 nights at a Hyatt Place, which price us simply 6,500 factors per evening.

Ryan Smith, bank cards author

Associated: 4 lessons learned from searching for the northern lights above the Arctic Circle

Whether or not it is a difficult reserving leveraging the best transferable points currencies to e-book premium-cabin seats on a associate airline with a free stopover or only a easy journey to a sporting match, every of us makes use of factors and miles for what’s vital to us.

With frequent devaluations, factors and miles are traditionally a bad long-term investment. We suggest holding to an “earn it and burn it” philosophy. In different phrases, let 2023 be the yr the place you may have a lot of enjoyable along with your factors and miles.

For charges and charges of the Amex Platinum Card, click on here.