How to Reserve Holiday Travel Using Points and Miles – The Points Guy

Holidays can provide a perfect opportunity for travel, especially if you have children in school or are short on vacation days at work, and they might be your only occasion to reunite with extended family. The drawback? Prices usually increase around Thanksgiving, Christmas, and extended holiday weekends such as Labor Day.

At TPG, we frequently talk about the benefits of staying flexible with your travel plans, which can aid in securing the best deals. However, there are times when holidays are the only feasible periods for travel. Fortunately, using points and miles can help you steer clear of exorbitant holiday travel costs.

Here are some points and miles offers I’ve discovered for upcoming holidays, ranging from the Fourth of July to New Year’s. Whether you’re planning a short weekend trip, visiting distant relatives on a budget, or organizing a dream vacation for the winter break, these recommendations can help you save on holiday travel expenses.

Relevant: Looking to earn points for holiday travel? This is the perfect moment to apply for a new credit card.

Commemorate Independence Day with flair

This year, July Fourth is on a Thursday, which is ideal for planning a long weekend trip. Regrettably, most hotels are aware of this and often increase their rates in response.

Consider Hyatt’s boutique hotel in New Orleans, The Eliza Jane. Typically, weekend rates in July begin at approximately $230 per night. However, during the Fourth of July weekend, these rates soar to more than $500 per night.

However, with the World of Hyatt’s award chart, you can book rooms starting at just 20,000 points per night. Considering that a room would cost at least $538, this translates to a value of 2.7 cents per point, significantly higher than TPG’s June 2024 valuation of 1.7 cents per point for World of Hyatt points.

Marriott Bonvoy, similar to many hotel loyalty programs, has abandoned its award chart in favor of dynamic pricing, but there are still opportunities for bargains. For example, you might book a three-night stay at the W Chicago — City Center for 80,000 Bonvoy points in total, which would otherwise cost you $723. This amounts to 0.9 cents per point, which is slightly higher than TPG’s June 2024 valuation of 0.85 cents per Bonvoy point.

Labor Day getaways

If you want to escape the heat this Labor Day, Air Canada offers affordable award flights from the West Coast to Canada. You can travel from Los Angeles to Calgary (close to Banff National Park) for just 25,000 Aeroplan points in business class, which is actually a bit cheaper than economy.

You could return home for nearly the same cost, or switch to economy class for just 10,000 points, making the total 35,000 points.

For the same route, cash rates begin at $631, providing you with a strong value of 1.8 cents per point, which is significantly higher than TPG’s valuation of 1.5 cents per Aeroplan point as of June 2024.

Air Canada offers round-trip fares from Denver to Calgary for 23,000 Aeroplan points and from Seattle to Calgary for 24,000 points.

If you’d rather enjoy the long weekend at the beach, Hawaiian Airlines offers main cabin fares from Los Angeles to Honolulu for 47,500 HawaiianMiles plus $12 in taxes and fees. If you lack sufficient HawaiianMiles, you can transfer them from American Express Membership Rewards.

You can also travel with Southwest Airlines from the Bay Area to Lihue on Kauai island for approximately 34,000 Rapid Rewards points and $12 in fees. These flights begin at $485 for a round trip, offering a good value of 1.4 cents per point (The Points Guy values Rapid Rewards points at 1.3 cents each, based on their June 2024 valuations).

Celebrate Thanksgiving with family … or choose a different way to spend the day

Airfares are frequently inexpensive if you travel on Thanksgiving Day, but the prices can be exorbitant for any other day during that week. Nonetheless, you might be astonished to find excellent — or at least moderate — award rates on identical flights. Given that cash prices are typically elevated during holidays, you can derive significant value from your points.

For instance, if I intended to visit my family in New York City during Thanksgiving, the economy class tickets from Denver—my place of residence—begin at $600 for a round trip on United Airlines. Alternatively, I could use 25,500 MileagePlus miles.

This results in a value of 2.4 cents per mile, which is quite favorable given that TPG assesses United miles at 1.35 cents each, according to our valuations from June 2024.

Alternatively, you might choose to avoid the family gathering and opt for a short vacation, just as I did in 2022 when I celebrated Thanksgiving on Bourbon Street in New Orleans. This year, I could book a round-trip flight with Delta Air Lines from Denver to New Orleans for just 31,000 SkyMiles plus $11. Additionally, owning a Delta cobranded credit card would lower the required miles to 26,350, thanks to Delta’s TakeOff 15 benefit, which offers cardholders discounts on award tickets.

For a flight with cash prices beginning at $413, the value I would obtain is 1.3 cents per mile, slightly above TPG’s June 2024 assessment of 1.15 cents per SkyMile. Delta provides comparable award tickets to New Orleans from Boston (starting at 30,500 miles for a round trip), Atlanta (starting at 27,000 miles), and Seattle (starting at 32,500 miles).

Christmas abroad

If you’re envisioning a European getaway, you can enjoy Christmas in London for just 38,000 American Airlines AAdvantage miles and less than $200 for a round-trip ticket.

For a flight priced at $820, this offers a great value of 2.2 cents per mile, in comparison to TPG’s June valuation of 1.7 cents each for AAdvantage miles.

Should you prefer to delve into Germany’s enchanting Christmas markets, United Airlines offers economy fares to Munich from East Coast cities such as New York and Boston for 110,000 MileagePlus miles plus $144 for a round-trip.

Economy seats begin at $1,600 in cash, providing a good value of 1.5 cents per mile.

New Year’s Eve in NYC

New York City is a top choice for many travelers wanting to celebrate the New Year. Unfortunately, hotels are aware of this and room prices usually soar on Dec. 31.

For example, the rates at the Motto by Hilton New York City Times Square are an exorbitant $558 on New Year’s Eve. (On January 1st, the rate decreases to $245, and by January 7th, it goes down to $138). Alternatively, you could reserve a room on New Year’s Eve for 80,000 Hilton Honors points.

This equates to 0.7 cents per point, offering a favorable value for Hilton points, which The Points Guy (TPG) values at 0.6 cents apiece according to our June 2024 assessments.

The Hyatt Place New York City / Times Square experiences a significant rate increase from approximately $300 to $563 on New Year’s Eve. However, if you opt for an award stay, the cost is just 23,000 points for that night, resulting in a great value of 2.4 cents per point.

Top credit cards for booking holiday trips

If you need to cover any or all of your holiday travel expenses with cash, maximize your benefits by using a credit card that offers bonus points on travel purchases. The cards listed below accumulate valuable transferable points, earning at least 2 points per dollar spent on travel-related expenses. In addition, some of these cards include trip insurance. Here are a few of our top travel credit card picks:

Related: Top travel credit cards

Bottom line

Points and miles can be quite useful when facing exorbitant holiday travel costs. Since cash prices frequently surge during the holiday season but award prices might remain stable, you can uncover excellent deals and maximize the value of your points and miles.

However, keep in mind that it’s important to begin organizing your holiday travel well in advance, and make sure to explore various options before making a reservation to secure the best deals. If you choose to pay with cash, make certain to use a travel credit card to optimize your reward points.