One Month in Europe with Points: Family of Five

Katie’s note: Thanks to Aimee from @aimeespointsadventures for sharing the details of her family trip to Europe!

Spending almost a month in Europe feels out of reach for most families, and ours was no different. We started dreaming up this trip in 2020, and we were disappointed to cancel our plans then. In the end, that ended up making our 2022 European adventure even better because we were able to take advantage of more TIME to build up our points and miles! In the end, we covered round trip flights for 5 people, lodging for 28 nights, Disneyland Paris tickets, and more with points.

I’ve learned a lot in the last few years preparing for this trip, some of which I’d do the same and some differently, but all of that helped make free flights, accommodations, theme park, and train tickets available to us. I’m so grateful to Katie and others who have generously helped me with their travel points tips along the way!

Flight: Chicago to London

Total points used for 5 people: 175,000 AAdvantage miles plus $28 in taxes

It was so much fun to take our kids on their first international flight as we traveled to London. Book as early as you’re able for the best award availability (we booked last September for flights this June).

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London Hotel: London Marriott  Hotel Canary Wharf – 5 nights

Total points used: 160,000 Marriott points plus £200 to upgrade to a Family Deluxe Room

We liked that the hotel was conveniently located near the Elizabeth Line and lots of restaurants. Summertime points bookings for a family in European cities can be tricky, so I was happy to get this reserved in January for our summertime stay. When you book Marriott rooms with points, you get the fifth night free.

We earned these last year from Marriott business cards. We each have some side gigs that qualify us for business cards. After my husband was able to sign-up for this card, he then referred me to the same card. You can transfer up to 100,000 Marriott points/year to other accounts, allowing us to combine points for this stay.

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Oxford Hotel: Voco Oxford Spires – 2 nights

Total points used: 32,000 points + 1 free night certificate

From London, we went to Oxford for two nights to meet up with friends who hosted our kids on their canal narrowboat (such a treat!) while my husband and I stayed at the Voco Oxford Spires. We loved getting to spend time in this fascinating town with so much history, and this was a beautiful property. We used an IHG Free Night Certificate and 32,000 points to cover our stay. We got a complimentary upgrade to a Premium Room, thanks to the Platinum Elite status that comes with our IHG card, and some welcome gifts as well.

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Paris Hotel: Comfort Hotel Nation Pere Lachaise Paris 11 – 5 nights (2 rooms)

Total points used: 80,000 Citi Thank You points transferred to Choice Hotels

We headed back to London to take the Eurostar to Paris where we stayed at the Comfort Hotel Nation Pere Lachaise Paris 11. We booked two larger rooms on the top floor. We appreciated the clean rooms and helpful staff in a location that was convenient to the Metro and shops. Rooms cost 16,000 points per night.

Citi Premier points transfer 1:2 to Choice Hotels, so we were able to get 2 rooms here for five nights each from one Citi Premier sign-up bonus. We wanted to be on the east side of Paris for our day at Disneyland, and it worked well to get back and forth from here.

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Disneyland Paris Tickets + Local transportation – covered by Capital One Venture miles

Having been to the US parks, I can say that Disneyland Paris has a magic all its own, but it was even better that our tickets were free thanks to our Capital One points. We bought them through UK-based Attraction Tickets so they would code as travel and we could use our points to cover our purchase, and we also used our Capital One points to cover other train tickets, metro rides, and cab fares throughout our trip.

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Flight: Paris to Nice

Total points used: 55,000 American Express Membership Rewards® transferred to Air France. Taxes were Covered with a Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card.

We flew from Paris to Nice on Air France. Booking flights with points rather than the cheapest cash fare allowed us to each check a bag for free, too. We paid for the taxes with our Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, allowing us to cover those fees as well.

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5 nights at Airbnbs in French and Italian Riviera

Total points used: 76,300 Chase Ultimate Rewards®

Using Chase’s Pay-Yourself-Back promotion for AirBnB stays, we decided to book our stays in the French & Italian Rivieras in AirBnBs. Having a kitchen and washing machine at this point in our travels was really helpful.

We stayed just a few blocks from the Promenade des Anglais, right on a tram stop, for 3 nights at this AirBnB in Nice. This was a good home base for exploring nearby Antibes and Monaco. We took the train (booked via the handy Trainline app) to Vernazza in the Cinque Terre, a spot we first visited 17 years ago before we had kids! We really enjoyed our two nights at this spacious AirBnB with a lovely patio near the train station.

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Hotels in Florence and Rome: 3 nights in Florence, 3 nights (two rooms) in Rome

Points used: 138,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards®, booked through portal

After our coastal stays we headed inland, with a quick stop in Pisa along the way to get the requisite Leaning Tower photos, and used Chase Ultimate Rewards® to book our final six nights in Florence and Rome.

We earned most of these points through Chase business cards, and then transferred them to our Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card to get the 25% bonus on redemption value through Chase Travel℠ and use our $50 annual hotel credit.

We were able to add breakfast as part of our reservations when booking both these stays, allowing us to cover those costs with points, too. Hotel Desirée in Florence was right by the train station with a pretty breakfast room and a cozy, clean room setup for five people. We could explore Florence easily on foot from here, and also did a long day-trip to Venice on the speed train.

For our last stop, we took the train to Rome and booked two rooms for three nights using Chase Ultimate Rewards® at the Hotel Le Clarisse al Pantheon, which had an amazing breakfast on a lovely terrace each morning and a great location in the heart of Rome. Our room had a queen bed, the kids had a queen and twin bed in their room next door, and we were walking distance to the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, lively piazzas, and the Trastevere neighborhood.

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Flight: Rome to Chicago

Total points cost: 150,000 American Advantage miles plus $345

For our flight home, we used American AAdvantage miles again. Taxes were $69 per person flying home from Rome, the cheapest option I found returning from a European city, which is part of what determined our itinerary.

Our kids were excited to have their first airport lounge experience at the airport in Rome thanks to our Priority Pass memberships that are covered with the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, a great option for families to get free airport meals and drinks pre-flight.

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All cards used

These are the 12 credit cards that helped to make our adventure to Europe possible. Most of these were only opened by one of us over the course of the last three years. We alternated business and personal cards and met the minimum spends through our regular spending. We also paid it off in full each month!

• Barclays AAdvantage Aviator Business Mastercard

• CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®

• Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®

• Barclays AAdvantage Aviator Mastercard
• Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card
• IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card
• Citi Premier® Card
• Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
• American Express® Gold Card
• Chase Ink Business Cash® Credit Card
• Chase Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
• Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card