Happy New Year friends!
Hope you all had a wonderful holiday season!
Let's hope that the churning gods are in our favor this year. We were only approved for 4 UR earning business cards and only 1 MR earning card in 2024. We are running low on URs and MRs.
Thankfully American Airlines was good to us in 2024, we should have 365K AA miles soon. Which will be helpful in booking our summer 2026 flights to Norway.
For 2025 we have the following booked:
Spring Break Disney World
Summer Break Belize
Thanksgiving Break Italy
What are your plans for 2025?
In 18 days Singapore & Japan with ds
late March Paris & Amsterdam
mid-May Lake Como & Lisbon
Halifax, NS in late May for dd's uni graduation -- will book a few rooms at the Delta (Marriott) using 35k FNCs; for my flight I'm going to use points from a Cdn Visa that I churned; will have to figure out something for dd and ds
September / October
DCL Hawaii --> Sydney, then flying to Auckland with ds
November considering a 1 day trip to Churchill, MB to see polar bears (will likely put down a deposit soon); this 1 day trip will cost me 2 nights in a hotel because the departure is very early in the morning about an hour from my house and the trip returns very late
December London with ds for Arsenal match; will have to figure flights because AA & ACs point costs are outrageous, but stay will be at the HR Churchill (on points)
January, 2026 Whistler, BC for a week of skiing & snowshoeing (run-off of a timeshare that dh and I had at the Westin Whistler that we relinquished back to the Westin because the maintenance fees were outrageous and we weren't using it any longer, but we get 5 years of stays in week 2 as part of the deal)
All international flights are booked with points, otherwise there is
no way I could travel like this.
Singapore we are staying at the Conrad booked on an unbeatable cash rate (stay 4 pay for 3); already upgraded to rooms on the executive floor; already registered for the 2X promo and will pay with my Aspire card
Tokyo I have 2 rooms at the Hyatt House Shibuya (both booked on points)
Osaka I booked 1 room on points and the other with a stay 4 pay for 3 promo at the Conrad
Paris I am paying cash for a small boutique hotel
Amsterdam I have 5 nights at the Andaz (Hyatt points)
Lake Como 5 nights at the Grand Hotel Victoria booked before the HH devaluation on points (went up 20k / night)
Lisbon stay is at the Verride Palacio de Santa Caterina using 3 HH FNCs
Honolulu I booked rooms at the Ka Lai LXR using an early booking 40% off bonus
DCL cruise partially was booked using a bunch of Disney GCs that I have had for years (I'm hoping to gather more over the next several months at 10% discount!)
Sydney I booked harbor view rooms at the PH; 1 room I used my AmEx FHR credit for 2024 that will get free breakfast for ds and I + $100 food credit and the 2nd room I booked using a points + cash rate
Auckland is at the PH (Hyatt points)
Whistler Westin isn't costing me any cash for the 2 bedroom unit (1 bedroom + studio) -- I told ds that he can bring a friend and use the studio
Thinking of where I want to go after these trips and I'm drawing a blank. I can see myself going back to Florence & Bologna at some points, but not sure when. I'd love to get back to Bali at some point as well.
also in May
... yet!!
).
