Quebec Case Study: Points and Miles Free Up Travel Budget for Poutine and Museum Visits

Recently, Ms. Optimizer and I took a short trip to Montreal and Quebec City for our anniversary. We were interested in learning more about our northern neighbor, experiencing the rich and distinct French-Canadian culture, exploring the art and history of First Nations people, and catching some early fall colors. And, of course, we wanted to sample the Montreal style bagels, poutine, and other great cuisine that we have always heard about.

As usual, points and miles played a role in this trip. We were able to utilize United miles, IHG points, and the World of Hyatt program to lower our costs as follows:

• We redeemed 27,600 United miles for two, one-way tickets to Montreal. With a value of $462, we got a reasonable redemption of 1.7 cents per mile.
• We used the annual free room credit I get with my IHG credit card to cover one night at the Montreal InterContinental. The free room credit covered most of the room but, as this is a high-end property in the IHG portfolio, we had to pay an additional $60. Once backing this out, the IHG card yielded $286 in value.
• We used annual free room credits that we get from holding World of Hyatt credit cards to stay at Montreal’s Hyatt Centric, a $937 value.

Overall, the miles and points we utilized for this one trip saved us almost $1,700. However, the use of travel rewards credit cards yielded several less tangible, but useful, benefits that enhanced our trip.

• For the flight to Montreal, we used the airline credit from our Amex Platinum card to upgrade from economy class to premium economy.
• The United MilesPlus credit card includes two passes for United lounges each year, so we had access to the United lounge before departure.
• The IHG credit card gives us some level of status, so we were upgraded to one of the hotel’s “turret” rooms on one of the highest floors. We were also offered two complimentary cocktails at the hotel’s excellent bar.
• On our return trip, we were able to visit a lounge in the Toronto airport with our Priority Pass membership which is a benefit of the Amex Platinum card.

Even for brief trips like this, the well-planned use of miles and points has changed the way that we travel by reducing our costs and enhancing the experience.

This area is described as a place where “Europe meets North America.” If you are interested in traveling to this “piece of Europe” in North America, or Europe itself, or anywhere else for that matter, let us create a Travel Rewards Optimizer plan to get you on your way with less expense.

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