The Problem
I am always looking for an excuse to travel, but I have to admit – when I received my cousin’s wedding invite for his destination wedding in Greece, I was a little annoyed. And that is solely because it was scheduled during the summer – everyone’s favorite (and most expensive) time to go to Europe. And what is one of the most popular countries to visit during that time? Greece, of course
When I started looking at flight prices, cheap flights to Greece were not easy to find. Prices were just as ridiculous as I thought they would be. On top of that, the Athens airport was surprisingly difficult and pricey to fly into. Can someone please explain that to me?!?!
After hours of searching in incognito mode for the cheapest way to get my boyfriend and I to Athens for the wedding, I turned to where a Gen-Z-millienial-cusp girl goes for life hacks – Tik Tok. I typed “flight hacks” into the search bar, and began doom-scrolling. That’s when I stumbled upon a website that completely changed the game for me – PointsYeah.com.
My Favorite Points Calculator
PointsYeah compares flight options across your travel rewards programs – in my case, Chase Ultimate Rewards. I’ve had the Chase Sapphire Preferred credit card for over two years, at the time, I had racked up more than 100,000 Ultimate Rewards points. But until recently, I never really knew how to use those points in a way that felt like a smart deal. PointYeah changed that.
By comparing flights to Greece through Chase’s various transfer partners, I found a flight on Air France for me and my boyfriend using Flying Blue miles – and it only cost us $100 total. How?! Because Chase and Flying Blue had a transfer bonus.
What’s a Transfer Bonus and Why It’s Helpful
Transfer bonuses are one of the easiest ways to get the most out of your credit card points. They let you receive extra miles when you move points from your credit card portal to an airline or hotel rewards program. At the time I booked, Chase was offering a 25% transfer bonus with Flying Blue. That meant if I transferred, for example, 100,000 Chase points I’d end up with 125,000 miles in my Flying Blue account. That’s free travel money in my eyes. This hack can save you hundreds of dollars, especially if you do the math right – and if you’re not a numbers person, no worries. PointsYeah does the math for you! Another reason why I love this site!
In the end, what started out as an expensive travel dilemma turned into a major travel win. By using my Chase Ultimate Rewards points strategically and taking advantage of a transfer bonus, I turned a $1500+ flight into a $100 steal for two people. So if you’ve been sitting on unused travel points and dreaming of your next big vacation, take a little time and do some research – you might just find a deal that you can’t refuse.
Happy travels and don’t sleep on the transfer bonuses.
