Looking to plan a fantastic bachelor or bachelorette party without putting a dent in your bank account? You’ve come to the right place. We’ve got the tips and tricks to help you book your dream fiesta with points and miles, from using credit cards to pooling points to taking advantage of non-peak dates and more.
Table of contents
Figure out where you want to go
First things first: Decide on a destination. You’ll want to consider multiple factors before committing to airfare and hotel reservations, such as budget, interests, and travel distance, so talk to your group to figure out how much time and money everyone is willing to spend and what kind of vibe they’re looking for. Got folks coming from all over the U.S.? Flightconnections.com shows you direct flights from any city so you can see where it would be easiest for each of you to fly.
Next, consider your budget. If you’re celebrating during peak season or want to do things up in style in the U.S., Europe, or a chic Caribbean islands, it’s going to cost more, even if you can save a bit by using points for the hotel or flight. If you’re hitting a less popular domestic location or a more affordable island in the Caribbean, things like transport, activities, and food may be cheaper.
Best bachelor- or bachelorette-party destinations from major US gateways
Some of the best spots for a bachelorette or bachelor party from major U.S. destinations include:
- Las Vegas, Nevada
- Los Cabos, Mexico
- Cancun, Mexico
- Nassau, Bahamas
- Montego Bay, Jamaica
- Paris, France
- Napa Valley, California
In our experience, these places offer some of the best value when redeeming points and miles, whether you’re looking to party by the beach, explore a sprawling city, or enjoy spas, museums, and amazing food.
Plan ahead to score deals
Planning ahead can help you save money on travel purchases, like airfare, hotels, activities, and any rental cars booked. To avoid high prices and low award availability, we suggest nailing down flights and accommodation at least a few weeks — and preferably several months — before your bachelor or bachelorette party.
When booking flights with points, your best bet is to book far in advance (11-12 months) or relatively last minute (within a few weeks). For cash fares, the best prices are typically seen 2-8 months out, and prices almost always rise dramatically when you get to less than three weeks out.
Book flights and accommodation with points and miles
Rewards programs, such as Hilton Honors, Marriott Bonvoy, United MileagePlus, and Chase Ultimate Rewards, offer a great opportunity to book flights and hotels at a significantly reduced cost.
Using points and miles, you can book business-class flights and hotels directly from the company, through your credit card’s travel portal, or by transferring them to loyalty programs.
Consider pooling your points
Don’t have enough frequent flyer miles for that round-trip flight? Many airline and hotel loyalty programs allow points pooling, which means you can combine your rewards with other members’ to pay for award seats. Many major airlines in the U.S. and worldwide participate in points pooling, including United Airlines, Air Canada, JetBlue, Spirit Airlines, Emirates, and more.
So if your group of friends all has Chase points, for example, you could all transfer them to JetBlue, pool them, and fly the bride or groom to Mexico in business class.
Earn miles on activities
You can earn rewards on activities and travel purchased for your bachelorette or bachelor party if you put those expenses on a cash-back or rewards card.
Many airlines and hotel companies have e-shopping portals, where earning credit-card rewards is simple. Plus, you’ll earn bonus miles or points when you shop through those platforms rather than buying directly from the merchant.
Most major credit card issuers offer cash back or statement credits on purchases made through their platforms. One of the best examples is Chase Travel, which offers cash back on travel, dining, and other purchases. You’ll earn a statement credit if you meet the spending requirement within a certain amount of time (often the first three months after account opening). You can even double-dip on these purchases.
Open a new credit card
If you have good credit, it might make sense to open a new account and put the perks of that card membership towards travel costs. Some of the best options out there — like the Platinum Card from American Express, the Chase Sapphire Reserve, and the Capital One Venture X Card — offer a sign-up bonus when you meet the minimum spending requirement and pay an annual fee.
This might mean spending something like $3,000 on the card in the first three months; so if your group is going to be spending that prior to the trip on things like hotels and activities, you could put all the expenses on the card, have the group Venmo you their portions (so you can pay off the card balance asap!) and then you’ll earn a nice points bonus you can put towards your flight.
With a premium credit card in your wallet, you also have access to numerous travel benefits, including hotel elite status, lounge access, booking travel through the program’s portal, and transferring points to major airline and hotel partners. And you’ll still earn points and bonus points on every dollar spent on travel and everyday purchases.
Booking your bachelor or bachelorette trip with point.me
If that all sounds too complicated, let point.me streamline the process! Taking your personal travel preferences into account, our “Explore” tool can reveal deals across the world’s top bach-party destinations, so you can make an educated decision before you redeem any of your hard-earned points.
We’ll even help you decide where to go and when! Whether you’re looking for the best dates to travel for the least amount of points, the routes and destinations with the best deals, or the best destinations to suit a particular activity, Explore will show you the smartest ways to use your points.
Let’s say you’ve decided on an urban outing, have your dates set, and just need to pick a destination. First, you’ll navigate to point.me, select the Cityscape option, and adjust the filters to reflect your travel preferences.
For this sample booking, we’ll go with a trip to Vegas in economy class. Selecting “Las Vegas” takes you to a window with an estimated points total, where you’ll click through to find flights.
On the next page, you’ll see the available departure and arrival options, along with the amount of points you’ll need to book.
Next, you’ll review your flight details and decide on your deal.
Confirm your selections, and voila — you’ve saved time and energy booking your award travel with point.me!
Frequently asked questions about booking a bachelor or bachelorette party with points
Can I use my frequent flyer miles to book flights for someone else?
Yes, you can use your frequent-flier miles to book flights for someone else.
Should I transfer or gift my points or miles to a travel companion when booking a group trip?
Yes, if you’re feeling generous, you can transfer points to another person. Just check the transaction fees beforehand; depending on the airline, it might make more financial sense to book the flight yourself rather than transfer the points and miles to someone else, as some airlines charge a fee to transfer points to another person.
What are the best ways to offset the cost of a bachelor or bachelorette party using points and miles?
You can maximize your points and miles by taking advantage of transfer bonuses, traveling on non-peak dates, and pooling your points and miles with family and friends, all of which can help offset the cost of your bachelorette or bachelor party.
If you want to get a new credit card and earn the welcome bonus to put towards party expenses, plan to get a new card at least five to six months in advance. You’ll typically have three months to earn the welcome bonus, and then it will take a few weeks for the points to show up in your account.
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