7 Ways to Travel in Ultra Luxury (Using Only Points and Miles)

One of the greatest benefits of earning miles and points is being able to take luxurious vacations that you would never pay cash for. Once you've redeemed miles for a flight in Business or First Class, it’s hard to return to Economy seats. The same goes for being pampered at five-star hotels at resort locations around the world.

But vacations like this can literally cost thousands of dollars if you were spending money instead of rewards. Yet, travel like this is attainable for the average family by using the power of airline miles and the best hotel credit cards.

If you're looking for inspiration on where to go and what's possible with your rewards, here are seven ways you can use your points, miles, and some of the best travel credit cards to travel beyond your dreams.

Singapore Suites using Amex Membership Rewards

The Singapore Suites offer complete privacy with individual cabins for First Class passengers. The suites include a sliding door, window blinds, a chaise lounge, and a large table. While flying Singapore Suites on Singapore Airlines, you'll also enjoy a separate bed, not one converted from your seat. And when traveling with a partner, adjacent suites can be converted into a double room. You can also "book the cook" and reserve your main course up to 24 hours before your flight so you can dine in a restaurant setting with full table service.

To book the Singapore Suites, you'll need miles in your Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer account. Lucky for us, KrisFlyer is a transfer partner with American Express Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, and Citi ThankYou Points, and all three programs’ rewards transfer on a 1:1 basis.

The cost in points for the Singapore Suites varies based on the flight distance and whether you are booking a Saver or Advantage ticket. You can search for award space and book your flight on the Singapore Airlines website. The flight I chose can be booked for only 40,500 miles one-way or $3,050.

To earn enough miles for this trip, you could get a Citi Strata Premier℠ Card. With this card, you can earn 70,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening, redeemable for $700 in gift cards or travel rewards at thankyou.com. It earns 10X points on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked on CitiTravel.com; 3X points on air travel and other hotel purchases, at restaurants, supermarkets, gas and EV charging stations; and 1X points on all other purchases, and has an annual fee of $95.

Learn more in our Citi Strata Premier℠ Card review.

Conrad Maldives Rangali Island Water Suite using Hilton Honors points

The Maldives is on the bucket list of many travelers because of its remote location and the abundance of overwater bungalows. The Conrad Maldives does not disappoint with its unique experience of eating five meters below the surface in the Ithaa undersea restaurant. It offers a total of 12 world-class restaurants and the country's first undersea wine bar.

Rooms can be booked at the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island starting at 95,000 points per night. For those with a huge balance of points, the Sunset Water Villa is available for 1,639,000 points (or $4,835) per night. 

However, that may not be necessary because the regular Water Villas also offer sunset or sunrise views with a plunge pool in 925 square feet of living space. These rooms can be booked for 95,000 Hilton Honors points (or $1,083) per night.

To get enough points to book a Water Villa, you could apply for the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card, which has a $550 annual fee. Earn 175,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after spending $6,000 in the first 6 months. This card will also earn you 14X points on eligible purchases within the Hilton portfolio, 7X points on qualifying travel purchases made directly with airlines/select car rental companies or Amextravel.com, 7X points at U.S. restaurants, and 3X points on all other eligible purchases. 

Check out our Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card review for more details.

Cathay Pacific First Class using Alaska Airlines miles

The First Class suites of Cathay Pacific feature an in-chair massage, Bamford bedding with 600-thread-count linens, and the ability to convert into a large, private working area. You can even enjoy an a la carte dining option, so you can eat on your schedule, not the airlines. Cathay Pacific partners with Michelin-starred chefs to craft First Class menus that will delight the most sophisticated of palates.

To book this flight, you'll first need to find award space availability on the British Airways or Qantas websites, then call Alaska's customer service to finalize your reservation. It may seem like a hassle, but the value of this redemption makes the effort completely worthwhile.

Don't let the big price tag of British Airways award flights scare you. Once you find award space available, you'll be able to book the flight for only 70,000 Alaska Airlines miles each way.

You can earn Alaska miles by applying for the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature^® Credit Card. You’ll earn 60,000 bonus miles plus alaska's famous companion fare™ ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) after making $3,000 or more in purchases within the first 90 days of opening your account (limited time offer). This credit card also comes with a companion fare each year when you renew the card.

Get more info in our Alaska Airlines Visa Credit Card review. 

JW Marriott Cancun Resort & Spa Grand Ocean Front Suite using Marriott Bonvoy points

Cancun is a popular destination to live the luxe lifestyle within a few hours of the U.S., and the Grand Ocean Front Suite offers affordable luxury at the JW Marriott Cancun. You'll have 1,345 square feet of comfort to spread out and relax. Plus, you can enjoy the gorgeous ocean views for your large private balcony.

Standard rooms at the JW Marriott Cancun start at 50,000 points (or 25,000 points and $190 in cash) per night. But you can upgrade to the Grand Ocean Front Suite to get about three times the size of a room for only 75,000 points (or 50,000 points and $125) per night. The price for Grand Ocean Front Suite varies by season, but I found nights starting at $390 (including taxes) for May of 2020.

If this trip sounds good to you, you might want to check out the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant^® American Express^® Card. It is one of the best credit cards for the wealthy or those who want to travel like they are. Earn 95,000 Marriott Bonvoy® bonus points after spending $6,000 in purchases in the first 6 months. Spending with this card also earns 6X points on eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy® program, 3X points at worldwide restaurants and on flights booked directly with airlines, and 2X points on all other eligible purchases.

The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant^® American Express^® Card also comes with up to $300 in annual (up to $25 per month) dining statement credits, a free night award that can be redeemed at participating properties for up to 85,000 points per night, and a Priority Pass Select membership. Select benefits require enrollment. Complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite status is also included with the annual fee of $650.

Check out our Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant^® American Express^® Card review to learn more. 

Showering in-flight in Emirates First Class using Japan Airlines miles

Few things in life define luxury as well as being able to take a shower at 40,000 feet. Of course, the shower water is limited to five minutes, but you can always extend the experience by turning the water on and off. Your First Class amenities when flying Emirates also include a lie-flat seat, gourmet meals, and an onboard lounge with a private bartender. You can even close the door to your seat to create a private suite.

Although Emirates is a transfer partner of Chase, you could also choose to book this experience using Japan Airlines (JAL) miles. For 65,000 miles, you’ll get pampered for a full nine hours from Hong Kong to Dubai.

If you were to pay cash for this luxury flight, it would cost you almost $7,000! Instead of spending that much cash, book your flight on the Japan Airlines website with miles received by converting Marriott Bonvoy points. Marriott points transfer on a 3:1 ratio to JAL, and there is a 5,000 bonus when you transfer in 60,000-point increments. This means you'll need to transfer 180,000 Marriott points to have the 65,000 JAL miles to book this flight.

You can work toward this trip by opening up the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless^® Credit Card. This card earns up to 17X points at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy; 3X points at grocery stores, gas stations, and dining on the first $6,000 spent in combined purchases each year; and 2X points on all other purchases. Plus, cardholders receive one free night (up to 35,000 points) each year when they pay the $95 annual fee to renew the card. New cardholders can earn 125,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening.

Get more details in our Marriott Bonvoy Boundless^® Credit Card review.

United Polaris using Chase Ultimate Rewards

Polaris is the latest iteration of the premium-class experience from United Airlines. Your Polaris experience includes Saks Fifth Avenue bedding, restaurant-quality dining, and Sunday Riley premium skincare products. Exclusive United Polaris lounges are also located in Chicago O’Hare, Houston Intercontinental, Los Angeles, New York/Newark, and San Francisco, with more on the way.

I found non-stop United Polaris flights from Newark, New Jersey, to Frankfurt, Germany, for only 60,000 miles each way (120,000 miles round-trip). This Saver Award space was actually cheaper than the 80,000 miles required for a Premium Economy seat, and the cash price for this round-trip ticket would have been $2,990.

United Airlines is one of the many transfer partners in the Chase Ultimate Rewards program, so that means you can transfer your Chase points on a 1:1 basis to United. You can earn the points for this trip with a card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card. With this card, you'll earn 60,000 bonus points after $4,000 in purchases in your first 3 months from account opening (that's worth $750 when redeemed through Chase Travel). Plus, get up to $300 in statement credits on Chase Travel purchases within your first year.

The card also earns 5X points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠; 3X points on dining, select streaming services, and online groceries; 2X points on all other travel purchases, and 1X points on all other purchases, and it charges an annual fee of $95.

Check out our Chase Sapphire Preferred review to learn more.

Delta One Suite using Virgin Atlantic miles

Delta One Suites have a dedicated in-flight cabin attendant, lie-flat seats, and Westin Heavenly bedding. Select flights also feature full-height doors and dividers between center suites for additional privacy. Guests will enjoy TUMI amenity kits with luxurious travel essentials.

Booking flights in the Delta One Suites with Virgin Atlantic miles can often require fewer points than booking directly with your Delta SkyMiles. For example, a flight from Detroit to Amsterdam in a Delta One was 122,500 Virgin Atlantic miles versus 160,000 Delta SkyMiles when I checked recently (with a cash price of $4,000).

Thankfully, Virgin Atlantic is also a transfer partner of American Express Membership Rewards, and points transfer on a 1:1 ratio from American Express to Virgin. So, you can make major headway toward this trip by opening up an American Express^® Gold Card. That's because you can earn 60,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases within the first 6 months of card membership.

The Amex Gold also earns 4X Membership Rewards points at restaurants worldwide (up to $50,000 per year, after that 1X), 4X at U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000 per year, after that 1X), 3X on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com, 2X on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com, and 1X on all other eligible purchases. And cardholders can receive up to $120 in dining credits each year. The card does have a $325 annual fee.

Get more details in our American Express^® Gold Card review.

Which ultra-luxury trip are you booking?

Airlines and hotels continue to one-up each other with even more luxurious options in the hopes of offering the most desirable destinations. But you don’t have to be rich to travel luxuriously. Using the power of airline miles and hotel points, you can book vacations like these for a fraction of the normal cost.

These seven examples are just a small slice of what’s possible in the world of miles and points. With consistent earning of points and miles with our travels, credit card spending, and online shopping, it is easy to earn enough rewards to book dream vacations.

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Bank of America^® Travel Rewards credit card

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• Earn unlimited 1.5 points per $1 spent on all purchases, with no annual fee and no foreign transaction fees and your points don't expire as long as your account remains open.
• 25,000 online bonus points after you make at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening - that can be a $250 statement credit toward travel purchases.
• Use your card to book your trip how and where you want - you're not limited to specific websites with blackout dates or restrictions.
• Redeem points for a statement credit to pay for travel or dining purchases, such as flights, hotel stays, car and vacation rentals, baggage fees, and also at restaurants including takeout.
• 0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for purchases, and for any balance transfers made in the first 60 days. After the Intro APR offer ends, a Variable APR that’s currently 18.74% - 28.74% will apply. A 3% Intro balance transfer fee will apply for the first 60 days your account is open. After the Intro balance transfer fee offer ends, the fee for future balance transfers is 4%.
• If you're a Bank of America Preferred Rewards® member, you can earn 25%-75% more points on every purchase. That means instead of earning an unlimited 1.5 points for every $1, you could earn 1.87-2.62 points for every $1 you spend on purchases.
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Earn 25,000 online bonus points after you make at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening - that can be a $250 statement credit toward travel purchases

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• The Bank of America^® Travel Rewards credit card is great for individuals who enjoy earning rewards and traveling.

• Cardholders will enjoy the flexibility to redeem points with no blackout dates and receive a statement credit to pay for travel and dining purchases.

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