How We Used Points to Cover Flights and Hotels to Greece
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My family of four just got back from Greece — five nights in Paros and two nights in Athens — and almost every flight and both hotels were covered with points and miles. We paid $610 in cash on flights for a family of four against a retail value of over $6,500. The hotels were covered entirely with points.
The food, activities, and ferry were out of pocket, and I broke all of that down in my Greece trip cost post. [How Much Does a Trip to Greece Really Cost]
This post is about the points side. What programs we used, how many points each segment took, and which cards made it possible.
If you’re newer to points and miles and want to start from the beginning, my free course walks through everything. You can grab it at the bottom of this post.
BEST OFFERS LINK: Before you read another word, check out my best offers page. I update it every month with the highest current bonuses on the cards I actually use and recommend. If you’re going to apply for a card, that’s the place to start.
The Full Breakdown
Here is every flight and hotel on this trip and exactly what we used to book it.
MCI to Reagan National — Southwest Points 15,000 Southwest points covered all four of us on the Kansas City to DC leg. This was our positioning flight to get to our international departure airport.
Reagan to Dulles — $70 Lyft This one was cash. We took a Lyft between airports to connect to our international flight out of Dulles.
Dulles to Athens — Flying Blue Miles 29,500 Flying Blue miles per person, $280 total in taxes for all four of us. We flew Air France/KLM on this segment. Flying Blue is the loyalty program for Air France and KLM and it transfers directly from Chase Ultimate Rewards and American Express Membership Rewards at a 1:1 ratio.
I have a full post on how Flying Blue works and how to use it to book flights to Europe. Flying Blue Miles: How to Book Flights to Europe
Athens to Paros — Capital One Points 32,500 Capital One points covered all four of us on the short connecting flight from Athens to Paros through Sky Express. We booked this through the Capital One travel portal.
Athens to Kansas City — American Airlines Miles 30,000 American Airlines miles per person, $240 total in taxes for all four of us on the way home.
Total cash spent on flights for a family of four: $610. Retail value of those same flights: $6,500+.
The Hotels: World of Hyatt Points
Both properties were booked entirely on World of Hyatt points.
Acron Villas, Paros — 5 Nights Acron Villas is a Hyatt property in Naousa, the prettiest village on Paros. The retail rate for our five nights was $4,969. We paid $0.
I have the full review and itinerary in my Paros post. Best Paros Itinerary for Families: 5 Nights with Kids on a Greek Island
Grand Hyatt Athens — 2 Nights The Grand Hyatt Athens sits on Syngrou Avenue, which is a direct road from Piraeus — so when you arrive by ferry from the islands, the location makes everything easy. The rooftop pool has Acropolis views. Covered entirely with Hyatt points.
I have the full review in my Athens post. Athens with Kids: Our Complete 1-Day Family Itinerary
The Cards That Made This Possible
This trip used four different points currencies: Southwest, Flying Blue, Capital One, and American Airlines miles. That is what makes it look complicated from the outside. But each one came from a card we already had for other reasons, and the points had been accumulating over normal spending.
Here is what covers each piece:
Southwest points come from Southwest credit cards. If you fly Southwest domestically at all, these points are easy to earn and the Companion Pass is one of the best deals in travel rewards.
Flying Blue miles transfer from Chase Ultimate Rewards, Citi ThankYou Points, Capital One Miles and American Express Membership Rewards at 1:1.
Capital One miles come from Capital One travel cards. The travel portal lets you book flights, hotels, and more and apply your miles directly.
American Airlines miles come from co-branded American Airlines cards or can be transferred from Citi ThankYou Points earning cards at 1:1.
The current offers on all of these are on my best offers page — that is where I keep the highest current bonuses updated every month. [BEST OFFERS LINK]
Why This Works on a Teacher Salary
None of this required a huge travel budget or a six-figure income. It required having the right cards, spending on them for normal purchases, and being intentional about which programs to use for which bookings.
If you want to understand how to put a system like this together from scratch, that is exactly what The Blueprint is for. It is my free points and miles course, and it walks through everything — which cards to get first, how to earn points faster than you think, and how to actually book travel with them.
You can get it here: Join The Blueprint, my free points and miles course!
Posts in This Series
How We Used Points to Cover Flights and Hotels to Greece — you’re here
Flying Blue Miles: How to Book Flights to Europe
Best Paros Itinerary for Families: 5 Nights with Kids on a Greek Island
Acron Villas Paros: A Hyatt Property Review
Athens with Kids: Our Complete 1-Day Family Itinerary
Grand Hyatt Athens: Is It Worth Your Points?
How Much Does a Trip to Greece Really Cost
Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
I found out about points and miles accidentally.
I was researching index funds and happened upon the points and miles community through creators who also post about budgets, financial independence, and investing.
Points and miles allowed those people to travel and work toward financial independence simultaneously.
Thank goodness I got started when I did. The past almost two years of travel have been something we will never forget.
Earning points and miles through credit cards is only a good choice if you have the financial discipline to use them, like cash/debit cards.
Since we started traveling with points and miles, we have had more money going into our investment and savings accounts than ever.
Now I'm excited to teach you!
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