My Year in Travel Rewards Redemptions

Because I give others advice on points and miles and how to play the travel rewards game, it is only fitting that I report on my own outcomes at the end of the year. After all, if I do not “practice what I preach” or demonstrate solid results, why should you listen to me?

2023: A Fantastic Year

2023 was an excellent year for redemptions for our household. The total fair market value of all flights and hotel rooms we got from miles and points redemptions was over $15,000. This total included:

•        Two roundtrip airfares to Munich on Air France (Business class to Europe; main cabin returning)
•        Two one-way flights to Montreal
•        Two roundtrip airfares to Kalispell, MT for a visit to Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks
•        Three additional domestic roundtrips
•        Sixteen hotel nights (with four that could be classified as luxury or resort)

In addition to saving over $15,000 on flights and hotel stays, the credit cards we use to generate points and miles add various perks and benefits including: airport lounge access, Uber discounts, room upgrades, airplane seat upgrades, checked bag fees, free food and cocktails, discounts, and of course, bottled water. While the individual value of each of these things is de minimis, I would estimate the value of all these extras at between $500 and $1000.

Some highlights from the year:

Best Short Notice Redemption: Andaz Scottsdale Resort

We tacked three nights at this resort onto one of Ms. Optimizer’s business trips. We got $1737 of value with a redemption of 71,000 World of Hyatt points.

Best Hotel Room Upgrade: Montreal Intercontinental

As holders of the Chase IHG credit card, we were upgraded from a standard free room to one of the hotel’s “turret” rooms on a top floor which gave us spectacular views of Mount Royal.

Best Value Redemption: Business Class seats on Air France

We were able to snag business class seats to Europe for 55,000 Air France miles each. This worked out to about 4.6 cents per mile.

Bottom line

As I mentioned in a post about six weeks ago, you need to hold some of the credit cards that charge annual fees to unlock significant travel rewards so the $15,000+ in value did come at some cost. The total annual fees for the cards that Ms. Optimizer and I hold add to a tad over $2,000. However, this total is largely driven by an American Express Platinum card plus the cost of an authorized user ($890). This is mostly a luxury card that we use for the benefits because it is not so great for point accumulation. If we did not have this card, our total annual fees would drop to less than $1200 and we still would have generated the $15,000+ we got in free travel. In fact, we have been averaging more than $11,000 per year for the past seven years (despite reduced travel due to COVID in 2020 and 2021).

Also, it is worth pointing out that almost all the points and miles we used this year came from our routine household spending. Very few points and miles were earned through actual paid flights or paid hotel stays.

Looking ahead to 2024, Ms. Optimizer and I expect more great redemptions and memorable travel. Start your own year off with a customized Travel Rewards Optimizer plan to cut your travel costs and get you on your next trip faster.

We are ready to help you turn your routine credit card spending into the travel of your dreams.