How We Booked a $38,000 Family Trip to Thailand Using Points and Miles
Advertiser Disclosure
Moms Chasing Miles may receive compensation when you click on links to products or services featured on this site. This compensation may affect how and where certain products appear, but it does not influence our opinions or recommendations. All views expressed are our own.
Offers and terms are subject to change. Please review the applicable issuer or provider’s website for the most current information.
Affiliate & Educational Disclosures
Affiliate Disclosure
This article may contain affiliate links. If you apply for certain products through links on this site, we may receive compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site, but it does not influence our opinions or recommendations. We only recommend products we believe may provide value to our readers.
Educational Disclosure
The information provided in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, legal, tax, or investment advice. Credit card offers, benefits, and eligibility requirements can change at any time. Always review the terms and conditions directly with the card issuer and consider your own financial situation before applying for any financial product.
We Never Thought We'd Take Our Kids to Thailand
If you had told me a few years ago that we'd be flying our family of four to Thailand in business class and staying at luxury hotels along the way, I probably would've smiled and thought,
"Maybe someday."
Because, like a lot of families, we assumed trips like this were only possible for people with much bigger travel budgets.
We were wrong.
We're still the same middle-class family we've always been. We simply learned how travel rewards work and started making more intentional decisions with the purchases we were already making.
This trip ended up being worth more than $38,000, yet our out-of-pocket cost for flights and hotels was only a fraction of that.
In this post, we're pulling back the curtain and showing you exactly how we planned it.
How We Earned the Points
One question we get all the time is:
"How do you earn enough points for trips like this?"
For our family, the majority of the points came from travel rewards we earned over time, including welcome bonuses on several travel rewards credit cards after meeting each card's spending requirements.
We also used annual travel credits, hotel benefits, and free night certificates that came with cards we already had in our wallets.
This isn't the only way to earn travel rewards, but it's the strategy that has worked well for our family.
Looking for a beginner-friendly explanation? Start with our Free Beginner's Guide to Points & Miles before diving into this trip breakdown.
Our Thailand Itinerary
Our trip included:
Seattle
Bangkok
Koh Samui
Phuket
Singapore
San Francisco
Traveling as a family of four.
✈️ Flying to Asia
Home → Seattle
Instead of flying overseas from our home airport, we booked a positioning flight to Seattle.
What we paid
7,500 American Airlines miles per person
$5.60 in taxes per person
Comparable cash price
Approximately $387 per person
For our family, that meant paying about $22 in taxes instead of around $1,500 in airfare.
Seattle → Bangkok
This was easily one of the highlights of the trip.
We flew Singapore Airlines Business Class for all four of us.
We transferred flexible travel rewards points to Singapore Airlines before booking our flights—a strategy we use when it provides good value for our travel goals.
What we paid
107,000 points per person
$16 in taxes per person
Comparable cash price
Roughly $3,300 per person
Seeing our daughters experience lie-flat seats for the first time is a memory we'll never forget.
Seattle Stopover
Before our international flight, we spent one night in Seattle.
We used an annual travel credit that covered the hotel, so we didn't have any additional out-of-pocket cost for the room.
Bangkok
We stayed at the Park Hyatt Bangkok.
Using hotel benefits available through cards we already carried helped reduce the overall cost of our stay.
During our visit we also received benefits such as:
Daily breakfast
Property credit
Room upgrade (when available)
Early check-in (when available)
Late checkout (when available)
Even after paying the nightly difference, we spent significantly less than the standard room rate.
Bangkok → Koh Samui
For this flight, paying cash simply made the most sense.
Not every flight is a good use of points, and one strategy we use is comparing both options before booking.
Koh Samui
This was one of our favorite hotels of the trip.
We stayed at Hyatt Regency Koh Samui using Hyatt points that we transferred from Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
We also used a Suite Upgrade Award, which moved us into a one-bedroom suite for our family.
Koh Samui → Phuket
Another inexpensive domestic flight that we paid for with cash.
Sometimes keeping your points for higher-value redemptions is the better strategy.
Phuket
Our family stayed in a two-bedroom suite at Hyatt Regency Phuket using Hyatt points.
Having the extra space made a big difference when traveling with kids.
Phuket → Singapore
Another short cash flight before our final international stop.
Singapore
We stayed one night at The St. Regis Singapore using a Marriott Free Night Certificate.
Flying Home
For our flight back to the United States, we again flew Singapore Airlines Business Class.
We transferred flexible travel rewards points to Singapore Airlines before booking.
One Strategy That Saved Us Thousands of Points
Our final flight home was operated by United.
Instead of booking directly through United, we transferred points to Air Canada Aeroplan and booked the exact same flight through one of United's airline partners.
That allowed us to redeem significantly fewer points for the same seats.
It's one of our favorite examples of why understanding transfer partners can make such a difference.
Trip Totals
Total Travel Rewards Used
Approximately:
30,000 American Airlines miles
916,000 flexible travel rewards points
117,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards® points
Total: About 1.06 million points
Out-of-Pocket Cost
For flights and hotels, we spent approximately:
$1,858
That included taxes, fees, and several domestic flights that we chose to pay for with cash.
Estimated Cash Cost
If we had paid cash for the flights and hotels included in this itinerary, the trip would have cost approximately:
$38,000+
The Bigger Lesson
This article isn't really about Thailand.
It's about changing what we thought was possible.
A few years ago, we believed trips like this were only for families with enormous travel budgets.
Now we know that's not true.
We're still raising kids.
Still paying bills.
Still working normal jobs.
We've simply learned how to understand travel rewards, plan ahead, and make more intentional decisions with the way we travel.
That approach has completely changed what family vacations look like for us.
Thinking About Getting Started with Points & Miles?
One of the questions we get asked most is, “Which travel rewards cards do you use?”
We’ve put together a page that shares the travel rewards cards we use, along with information to help you understand how different cards can fit different travel goals. Whether you’re just getting started or looking to learn more, it’s a helpful place to continue your research.
→ Explore the Travel Rewards Cards We Use
If You're Just Getting Started
If you're feeling overwhelmed, you're not alone.
We remember exactly what it felt like to hear terms like transfer partners, hotel points, airline miles, and travel rewards for the first time.
That's why we created resources specifically for beginners.
If you'd like to learn more, start with our Free Beginner's Guide, where we explain the foundations of points and miles in a simple, beginner-friendly way.
From there, you can explore our in-depth resources and compare travel rewards options based on your own travel goals and spending habits.
