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One of the things I love most about being The Points Guy is getting to hear stories from readers about how award travel has affected their lives — the exotic vacations they’ve planned, the trips they’ve made to be with family and friends, the premium seats and suites they’ve experienced and so much more, all made possible by points and miles. I love to travel and explore, and it’s an honor to be able to help so many of you get where you want to go.
Recently, I posted a success story from David, who took advantage of some Starwood Preferred Guest promos to earn points for a stay in Punta Cana. Today I want to share a story from TPG reader Christopher, who recently took an epic award travel vacation to Southeast Asia with his wife. Here’s what he had to say:
One thing that impressed me about this story is how early on Christopher and Shannon set their plans in motion. They started earning sign-up bonuses in the summer of 2014 — roughly a year and a half before their trip began! Their early work paid off, as they were able to take advantage of a large transfer bonus and book flights through British Airways prior to the devaluation. Planning far in advance can certainly help you maximize your rewards, but don’t worry if you’re working with a tighter schedule — there are plenty of opportunities to book award travel at the last minute as well.
Not every award trip has to be an epic million-point journey, but if you’re going to go big, then it pays to stay organized. Juggling itineraries, frequent flyer accounts and credit card payments in your head can lead to mistakes, and those mistakes can eat into the value of your points and miles. Christopher and Shannon smartly kept track of their travel plans and finances in a spreadsheet, and there are plenty of travel apps and other tools you can use. Whichever system works best for you, go with it!
I love this story and I want to hear more like it! To thank Christopher for sharing his experience (and for allowing me to post it online), I’m sending him a $200 Visa gift card to enjoy on his travels (purchased from Office Depot with my Chase Ink Plus, of course), and I’d like to do the same for you.
Again, if the strategies you’ve learned here have helped you fly in first class, score an amazing suite, reach a far-flung destination or even just save a few dollars, please indulge me and the whole TPG team by emailing us with your own success stories (see instructions above). You’ll have our utmost appreciation, along with some extra spending money for your next trip.
Safe and happy travels to all, and I look forward to hearing from you!
Source: thepointsguy.com