Travel Hacking in 2025: How we saved a whopping $22,000 thanks to points and miles
Travel hacking in 2025: this was a big year – not just in savings, but in the variety and quality of trips we made happen with points and miles.
We traveled a lot, explored new places and even cashed in our toddler’s first business class redemption. It wasn’t all on points and miles (we definitely paid for our fair share of travel this year), but the redemptions we did make saved us over $22,000 — and made a few trips possible that we wouldn’t have otherwise splurged on.
Here’s a full look at the flights and hotels we booked using miles and points — and exactly how much value we got in return.
Travel Hacking in 2025: What We Booked with Points and Miles
This year’s redemptions covered a mix of family travel, luxury hotels, and one big milestone: lie-flat business class seats.
- Roundtrip flights from Chicago to the Bay Area for two
- Roundtrip flights to Liberia, Costa Rica for three
- Five nights at the JW Marriott in Guanacaste, Costa Rica
- A family trip to South Dakota (roundtrip flights for three from ORD to RAP)
- One night in Indianapolis covered by a free night certificate
- Business class flights to Vancouver for three on Air Canada
- Five nights at the Westin Bayshore, Vancouver
- Two nights in New York City at the Grayson
- One round-trip flight to Orange County to go to Palm Desert
- Five nights at the JW Marriott in Palm Desert
- Three roundtrip flights to Los Angeles for a year-end trip to Santa Barbara
These were just the trips we booked with points and miles. We had plenty of other travel this year that we paid for out-of-pocket — but these redemptions alone added up to more than $21,000 in value, for only $441 in taxes and fees.
Travel Hacking in 2025: Flights – $12,135 in Value
We redeemed 708,400 airline miles across United and Aeroplan, covering domestic and international travel — including a business class experience.
| Route | Retail Value | Points Used | Fees Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago → San Jose, CA / SFO → Chicago (2 people) | $1,029.92 | 59,400 United miles | $22.40 |
| Chicago ↔ Liberia, Costa Rica (3 people) | $2,123.28 | 120,000 United miles | $254.00 |
| Chicago ↔ Rapid City, SD (3 people) | $1,330.11 | 75,000 United miles | $33.60 |
| Chicago → Vancouver (3 people, Business Class) | $4,073.10 | 198,000 Aeroplan miles | $86.00 |
| Vancouver → Chicago (2 people) | $533.94 | 30,000 United miles | $11.20 |
| Chicago ↔ Orange County (1 person) | $726.00 | 46,000 miles | $11.20 |
| Chicago ↔ Los Angeles (3 people) | $2,319.00 | 180,000 United miles | $33.60 |
Flight savings total: $12,135.15
Could we have saved more on our flights? Perhaps. We never research cents-per-point before booking and rarely compare providers. We prefer to stay loyal to United when the miles redemptions are reasonable so we can use our United Club card for lounge access when departing O’Hare (and frequently at our destination airports).
Travel Hacking in 2025: Hotels – $10,022 in Value
We redeemed 640,200 Marriott Bonvoy points, 50,000 Hyatt points, and one Free Night Award for these stays — some of them at truly amazing properties. While we absolutely paid cash for other hotels this year because the rates were ones we were comfortable paying, these particular point redemptions helped stretch our travel budget significantly.
| Hotel | Nights | Retail Value | Points Used |
|---|---|---|---|
| JW Marriott Guanacaste, Costa Rica | 5 | $4,299.65 | 171,200 Bonvoy points |
| JW Marriott Indianapolis | 1 | $337.00 | Free Night Award (Marriott Bonvoy Boundless) |
| Westin Bayshore, Vancouver | 5 | $2,075.00 | 252,000 Bonvoy points |
| Grayson Hotel, New York City | 2 | $1,066.00 | 50,000 Hyatt points |
| JW Marriott Palm Desert | 5 | $2,640.00 | 217,000 Bonvoy points |
Hotel savings total: $10,417.65
We do count the Free Night Award as travel hacking savings because we wouldn’t have the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless (the card that gives us the FNA) if we weren’t into points and miles.
How We Earned the Points
You don’t redeem over a million points in a year without earning a lot of points. Most of our points came from:
- Credit card welcome bonuses (still the fastest way to earn big)
- Everyday spending in the right categories (earning 2, 3, 4, and 5x on points and miles)
- Business travel reimbursements where we earned points and miles while our companies paid
- Ongoing loyalty to Marriott and United — plus a few timely promos
No extreme couponing or spreadsheets required — just strategic use of spending we’d be doing anyway.
Total Value of Travel Hacking in 2025
| Category | Value |
|---|---|
| Flights | $12,135.35 |
| Hotels | $10,417.65 |
| Total Value Booked with Points | $22,553 |
Travel Hacking in 2025: Why It Matters
We don’t travel hack to chase luxury — we do it to make travel more affordable, flexible, and fun. Points and miles help us say yes more often, travel with the people we love, and stay in places we wouldn’t normally book.
Sure, there were lots of paid hotels, economy flights, and fast food dinners along the way. But these redemptions made a huge dent in our travel budget — and let us stretch it further than we could have imagined.
Want to Try This?
If you’re new to travel hacking, here’s how we recommend getting started:
- Pick one great travel credit card (with a good welcome offer and flexible rewards)
- Put your everyday spend on it (groceries, gas, bills — nothing extra)
- Track your points so you don’t let them go to waste. Earn and burn is your friend!
- Redeem for high-value trips like international flights or big hotel stays
- Ask questions! We’ve learned so much just from reading, testing, and swapping tips with others
Need inspiration? Start with our 2024 recap, or reach out — always happy to share what’s worked for us.
Onward to 2026
We’ve already got a few trips lined up and a fresh wave of points and miles ready to go. If this year is anything like the last, we hope to be sharing even more stories, sunsets, and seat upgrades next year.
Here’s to more trips, ocean views, and making travel possible — one point and mile at a time.