When my husband and I got married, we kicked off our marriage with an unforgettable adventure: an extended honeymoon of almost a year and a half. Within ten days of our wedding, we quit our full-time jobs, packed our giant duffel bags, and took off for Norway, the first of thirteen countries we’d explore together. To help fund the trip, we used over 850,000 points that we earned by strategically using credit cards for our wedding expenses.
A year of expenses adds up
Over the past few years, my fiance and I had already saved up 100,000 points between us, but we got more serious about amassing points during our engagement. We applied for travel credit cards that offered generous signup bonuses, such as earning 100,000 points if we spent $4,000 in the first three months. We focused on the Chase Preferred and Chase Sapphire Reserve cards because they had the best bonuses at the time. We also earned bonuses through the Citi Prestige, British Airways Visa Signature, and IHG One Rewards cards.
While the spending requirements seemed hefty at first, we found creative ways to reach that number without having to buy things we didn’t need. Our wedding reception venue cost $4,000, catering cost $5,000, and the photographer cost $1,500, so we put those expenses on different credit cards. We took care of the deposits when we booked each vendor, and then the full sums closer to our wedding date. We paid off the full amount on our cards each month with savings and a generous gift from my parents to put toward our wedding.
We also met the bonus requirements (and kept earning points) through regular expenses like groceries and car insurance. If a bill could be paid with a credit card (without a fee), we took the opportunity, whether it was dinner with friends or holiday gifts for our family.
My husband kept a spreadsheet to track our credit cards and spending. Once we achieved a signup bonus, we applied for another credit card, allowing us to bank points before embarking on our trip.
Within a year, we had earned over 500,000 points across six credit cards, and we kept accumulating points as we traveled. If we didn’t book a flight on points (which we did most of the time), we paid for the flight with our credit card to earn points for the next leg or used a travel credit that came with a card.
From dream wedding to dream trip
The flights we booked with points took us all over the world. Because we had plenty of time and a flexible schedule, we booked flights for times that maximized our points. We could take a Tuesday morning flight and save 8,000 points over a flight that left on Friday.
On our very first flight from Chicago to New York City, we spent 18,700 points through Chase Ultimate Rewards, a value of at least $300 (our Chase Reserve increased the value of our points by 50%). We got bumped to first class — a fun surprise for us newlyweds — and relished the extra legroom and complimentary cocktails. We saw Times Square and a Broadway show, then hopped on a flight to Europe.
We spent the next seventeen months traveling through Europe and Asia, including a flight from Venice to Bangkok that would have cost $800 but was paid for with 51,000 points through Chase. We snorkeled off Koh Samui’s coast, the waters so blueish green, they seemed fake, even in person. We took a train ride across India to see the Taj Mahal and Varanasi, the chai warm and spicy at every stop. We hiked the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal, with the majestic mountains towering over us and the most inviting Buddhist monk who taught us about the prayers in his temple.
When my sister got married, we used points to return to the Midwest before heading back to Europe. We flew from Tokyo to Mexico City to Chicago on points — flights that would have cost us $1,300 but instead were booked with 130,000 points through our Citi Prestige cards.
On the island of Crete in Greece (my favorite spot so far), we booked a car rental on points and drove off to explore the pristine beaches of Elafonisi and Balos. We traipsed through the sand until dusk, indulging in our surroundings at our own pace. When we stopped in Ireland for Saint Patrick’s Day, we rented a car on points again and drove through the greenest hills I’ve ever seen, ending by the Cliffs of Moher. Our three-mile hike on the coast left us breathless both from the view and the wind, our cheeks flushed by smiles and raindrops.
No matter where we went, our points offered us free travel, smooth flights, and knowing we could make it to the next destination without spending too much of our hard-earned savings. Our credit cards also gave us access to airport lounges, where we could graze from a luxury sushi buffet or sip a honey liquor while waiting between flights. Our points and credit cards made us feel like royalty, enriching our experiences everywhere we turned.
Building a new family tradition of travel
Our year-plus honeymoon was possible thanks to points. And the memories are embedded in my mind like a collection of the most vivid gemstones. I can still see my husband laughing in Poland over a plate of cabbage rolls, kicking back on a balcony in Spain with a glass of wine, and biking around the pagodas in Myanmar. Our extended trip built a strong foundation for our marriage and taught us about love, resilience, and the preciousness of time.
Thanks to the points we amassed then and continue to earn, travel hasn’t just been a dream for us. It’s possible and affordable.
Now that we have kids, my husband and I continue to collect points so we can take them on big, beautiful adventures together. We pay for almost everything on our travel rewards cards, from medical bills to new winter boots. Because even the most routine payments can become the building blocks to the next set of memories we’ll cherish forever.
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