Work Smarter. Not Harder. Business Class Flights & 3 Nights at the Park Hyatt New York, all for Just $12 Thanks to Flexible Rewards Like American Express Membership Rewards Points

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Want to experience a Business Class seat or spend a few nights at a 5-star hotel, but shudder at the thought of how hard you’ll have to work to save up enough cash?

Think again!

You can absolutely be a lazy couch potato and still make luxury travel a reality!  You see, thanks to my American Express Membership Rewards points and Chase Ultimate Rewards points, I recently spent just ~$12 for:

  • A JetBlue Mint (Business Class) flight from Los Angeles to New York
  • 3 nights at the Park Hyatt New York

That’s right.  A trip that would have cost over $4,000, I was able to book for less than the cost of my usual lunch order at In-N-Out!

And you can do the same, by earning the bonuses from cards like:

American Express Membership Rewards Points and Chase Points Make Luxury Travel Possible.  Even in Its Less Luxurious Room Offerings, the Park Hyatt New York Did Not Disappoint!

Luxury Travel for EVERYONE Thanks to Flexible Rewards Like American Express Membership Rewards Points

Work smarter, not harder.

That’s one of my favorite sayings.  It’s something I try to apply to everything I do, especially when it comes to travel.  In fact, I often laugh to myself whenever I hear how hard other people had to work to save up enough cash for their vacation.  That’s working harder, not smarter!

There’s a better way.  The miles and points way.

You don’t have to be rich to travel in luxury.  And you don’t need to work countless hours of overtime or pick up a part-time job to save up boat loads of cash.

With miles and points, anyone can fly Business Class.  Anyone can book a 5-star hotel.  And it can be done without breaking a sweat!

I Usually Return Home Not REALLY Missing Much From the Hotel. But Not This Time! Look at That Awesome Rain Shower!

Easy Peasy Booking Process 

So how’d I manage a Business Class flight and 3 nights at the high-end Park Hyatt New York for just $12?  It was actually really simple, and here’s how you can do the same!

3 nights at the Park Hyatt New York will cost you 90,000 Hyatt points (30,000 points per night x 3 nights).  Since Hyatt is a transfer partner of Chase, I simply transferred 90,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points to my Hyatt account.  The points transfer at a 1:1 ratio, and happens instantly so you can use the points right away!

My flights on JetBlue cost me a total of 68,300 JetBlue points.  I paid 57,700 JetBlue points for Mint Business Class for the flight to New York, and 10,600 JetBlue points for the return flight in coach.  And the wonderful thing about JetBlue is they’re a transfer partner for both AMEX and Chase!

Most of the Mint Fares Were Coming up at 132,500 JetBlue Points, but I Seemed to Have Lucked Out When I Stumbled Upon a Mint Class Fare for Just 57,700 JetBlue Points!

Flexibility With AMEX and Chase Points!

I absolutely LOVE AMEX and Chase points.  That’s because they’re flexible points with multiple transfer partners, so you have the freedom and flexibility to transfer points to a number of different airline and hotel partners!

If you’re looking for a quick way to jump-start your points for a similar luxury trip, here are some of my favorite cards from Chase and AMEX!  Earning these welcome bonuses can get you within point-blank range of being able to book a similar luxury itinerary as my trip to New York:

Bottom Line

If you’re a lazy person like myself, luxury travel is still very much a possibility thanks to miles and points!  You don’t have to be rich, and you don’t have to work endless hours of overtime to save up cash.

And with the right cards from AMEX and Chase, you could soon be walking in my footsteps – enjoying some seriously luxurious travel for almost nothing out of pocket!

Andrew Wan is a contributor for Million Mile Secrets where he covers points, miles, credit cards, airlines and hotels. His work has also appeared in The Simple Dollar.

Editorial Note: We're the Million Mile Secrets team. And we're proud of our content, opinions and analysis, and of our reader's comments. These haven’t been reviewed, approved or endorsed by any of the airlines, hotels, or credit card issuers which we often write about. And that’s just how we like it! :)

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