Paris Last Minute For Free
Thanks to the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card by American Express, we were able to take off to Paris relatively last minute with a free 5 night stay that would otherwise have cost us $2,000. This card is currently offering a 100,000 point bonus and provides a lot of value despite the high $450 annual fee. Off the bat, the card provides a $300 credit at Marriott hotels, reimbursement of Global Entry/TSA Pre-check every 5 years, and also includes roadside assistance (towing up to 10 miles, jump starts, and flat changes) - an often overlooked benefit and a reason to stop paying for AAA.
Alternatively, if you own a business (even if you just sell crafts on etsy/resell things on ebay), you can earn 100,000 points for signing up for the Marriott Bonvoy Business card by American Express. This card has a much lower annual fee of $95 through 3/27/19 and $125 starting 3/28/2019. That said, the main draw to the card is the sign-up bonus as well as the annual free night on your card anniversary.
While booking in advance will usually offer the most award availability when using points/miles, having them available can also afford you the flexibility to take advantage of spur of the moment opportunities or get where you need to go quickly in times of loss.
I have experienced both scenarios - once saving over $3,000 by using British Airways Avios for round trip flights to Nice, France during high season for a funeral. This time, for a happier occasion, my wife was given the opportunity to help coordinate the 30th anniversary of Le Diner en Blanc Paris, an all white pop-up dinner party that we had attended 4 of the last 5 years in Philadelphia.
Naturally, my response was - let me see what I can do. I was able to find flights for 175,000 American Airlines miles to get us both to London in Economy and back from Paris in Business. The lie flat seats were much appreciated on the longer return flight, especially since Kristin was 6 months pregnant at the time.
The best part of the flight (besides the room to spread out) had to be the ice cream sundae mid flight!
Last time we were in Paris, we were on a budget so even though we found a nice location near the Arc de Triomphe, we had to make do with a very small, dark room - par for the course in Paris. And while I understand that many don't care much about where they stay if they're not spending much time in the hotel, it's still such a nice comfort to come home to a welcoming room. On this trip, were able to leverage my Marriott points, redeeming 160,000 points for five nights (with the fifth night free) at the Renaissance Le Parc hotel near the Trocadero.
Here's to unlocking the potential for travel you never thought possible!
Alternatively, if you own a business (even if you just sell crafts on etsy/resell things on ebay), you can earn 100,000 points for signing up for the Marriott Bonvoy Business card by American Express. This card has a much lower annual fee of $95 through 3/27/19 and $125 starting 3/28/2019. That said, the main draw to the card is the sign-up bonus as well as the annual free night on your card anniversary.
While booking in advance will usually offer the most award availability when using points/miles, having them available can also afford you the flexibility to take advantage of spur of the moment opportunities or get where you need to go quickly in times of loss.
I have experienced both scenarios - once saving over $3,000 by using British Airways Avios for round trip flights to Nice, France during high season for a funeral. This time, for a happier occasion, my wife was given the opportunity to help coordinate the 30th anniversary of Le Diner en Blanc Paris, an all white pop-up dinner party that we had attended 4 of the last 5 years in Philadelphia.
Naturally, my response was - let me see what I can do. I was able to find flights for 175,000 American Airlines miles to get us both to London in Economy and back from Paris in Business. The lie flat seats were much appreciated on the longer return flight, especially since Kristin was 6 months pregnant at the time.
Last time we were in Paris, we were on a budget so even though we found a nice location near the Arc de Triomphe, we had to make do with a very small, dark room - par for the course in Paris. And while I understand that many don't care much about where they stay if they're not spending much time in the hotel, it's still such a nice comfort to come home to a welcoming room. On this trip, were able to leverage my Marriott points, redeeming 160,000 points for five nights (with the fifth night free) at the Renaissance Le Parc hotel near the Trocadero.
Here's to unlocking the potential for travel you never thought possible!
