How We Booked a Boston Weekend With Points, Miles & Travel Credits
Last Updated: August 2026
For years, my husband has had one travel goal that has nothing to do with international flights or luxury hotels.
He wants to visit every Major League Baseball stadium in America.
Over the years, we've checked several stadiums off the list, but as international travel became a bigger part of our lives, baseball trips started happening less often.
In fact, the last MLB game we attended together before this trip was the Atlanta Braves World Series.
Needless to say…it had been a while.
Since our birthdays are close together, we decided to turn Boston into a combined birthday getaway for the two of us.
Before school started back, before soccer tournaments took over our lives again, and before the chaos of fall began, we planned a quick weekend away—just the two of us.
When we realized the Red Sox would be playing at home during dates that worked perfectly with our schedule, everything clicked.
I'd always wanted one of those classic New England summer weekends.
Sailboats.
Historic streets.
Fenway Park.
Seafood.
Cool mornings and warm evenings.
Boston gave us the perfect excuse to celebrate both of our birthdays while checking another MLB stadium off Troy's list.
And this trip became another great example of why we like having different types of travel rewards available to us.
What We Used for Our Boston Weekend
For this trip, we used a combination of:
72,000 airline miles for two round-trip flights
29,000 flexible travel rewards points toward our hotel
$500 in eligible hotel statement credits
an annual ticketing credit toward our Red Sox tickets
two separate dining statement credits
complimentary hotel breakfast
a Marriott Free Night Award for our final night
A quick note: Due to affiliate compliance requirements, I can't always name the specific cards or credits we used in this post. I can still show you exactly how we used them to reduce the cost of our trip.
We still spent money during the weekend, and the rewards we redeemed have value.
But using points, miles, statement credits, and other travel benefits helped reduce several of the biggest expenses we would otherwise have paid in cash.
If you're completely new to points and miles, you don't need to have all of these benefits to start.
We built our travel rewards strategy gradually over time.
How We Booked Our Flights
We flew Delta from our small hometown airport to Boston, which meant we didn't have to reposition or drive several hours to a larger airport.
Our Flights
Airline: Delta
Route: Our home airport to Boston
Cost: 72,000 Delta SkyMiles total for both of us
Taxes and fees: $24 total
Award flights also aren't completely free. We still paid the applicable taxes and fees, which came to $24 total for both of us.
If earning miles specifically for flights is one of your travel goals, you can compare our favorite airline credit cards here.
How We Used Points and Credits at the Omni Boston Hotel at the Seaport
For our first two nights, we stayed at the Omni Boston Hotel at the Seaport.
The cash price for our stay was approximately:
$982 for two nights
Rather than paying the entire amount with cash or covering the entire stay with points, we used a combination of flexible travel rewards points and statement credits.
Here's How Our Hotel Booking Worked
Cash price: approximately $982
Used two separate eligible $250 hotel statement credits
Redeemed approximately 29,000 flexible travel rewards points toward the booking
Final remaining cash cost for the hotel booking: about $3
That doesn't mean everyone will be able to recreate this exact booking.
Travel credits, redemption values, eligible properties, and booking requirements vary by card and can change over time.
But this is a good example of why we try to use benefits we already have available before automatically spending more points or cash.
The Points-and-Cash Strategy We Used
When a booking gives us the option to combine points and cash, we don't always automatically use enough points to cover the entire stay.
Instead, we first look at any eligible statement credits we still have available.
For this booking, we adjusted the amount of points we redeemed so that approximately $500 remained to be charged.
Because the booking qualified for two separate $250 statement credits available to us, those credits later offset approximately $500 of that charge.
That allowed us to use fewer points while still taking advantage of benefits we already had.
It's a strategy that worked particularly well for this trip, but eligibility and redemption options depend on the specific cards and booking.
If you're interested in cards that offer more premium travel benefits, you can explore our favorite premium travel cards here.
Our Experience at the Omni Boston Hotel at the Seaport
Our booking came with a few additional hotel benefits, although we weren't able to take advantage of all of them.
We were supposed to receive a welcome amenity, but unfortunately, we never received it.
I'm also not sure whether our room was technically considered an upgrade, but we did have a corner room, which was nice.
One thing that surprised us was that there wasn't a minibar in the room.
We also had a $100 property credit available during our stay, but between everything we had planned around Boston and the limited time we spent at the hotel, we never ended up using it.
And honestly, I think that's worth mentioning.
We don't count a $100 credit as $100 of value just because it's available. If we don't actually use it, it didn't save us $100.
The benefit we did get a lot of value from was breakfast.
We received complimentary breakfast each morning, and it was delicious.
Even better, breakfast was served until noon.
On Sunday, we took advantage of the later hours and had a late breakfast that was filling enough to basically serve as lunch too.
For a short weekend when we were trying to fit a lot into our time in Boston, that was one hotel benefit we genuinely appreciated.
Using a Travel Credit for Our Red Sox Tickets
Fenway Park was the reason we chose Boston in the first place, so baseball tickets were non-negotiable.
We purchased our Red Sox tickets through StubHub and used an annual ticketing statement credit available to us to offset part of the cost.
This was especially useful because we were already planning to buy tickets anyway.
And while the Red Sox didn't pull off the win, experiencing a game at Fenway was easily one of the highlights of the weekend.
The crowd singing "Sweet Caroline" was one of those things I'd seen on TV plenty of times, but experiencing it inside Fenway was completely different.
I get it now.
For Troy, it also meant one more MLB stadium officially checked off the list.
Lunch Before Fenway at Game On
Before the game, we stopped at Game On, which is right outside Fenway Park.
It ended up being the perfect pregame stop because we could grab food and drinks without having to go far before first pitch.
We used one of our available dining statement credits toward the meal, which helped offset an expense we were already planning to have that day.
Then we walked straight over to Fenway.
For us, this is exactly the type of benefit that's easy to value.
We weren't changing our plans or spending money we otherwise wouldn't have spent just to use a credit.
We were already going to eat before the game.
Dinner at Fox & The Knife
We used another dining statement credit at Fox & The Knife, an Italian restaurant in South Boston that has earned MICHELIN Bib Gourmand recognition.
And this ended up being one of our favorite meals of the entire weekend.
The food was incredible.
It also gave us another opportunity to use a benefit toward something we genuinely wanted to do rather than choosing a restaurant simply because we had a credit available.
That's an important distinction for us when deciding whether the benefits on a travel card actually provide value.
We don't count a credit at full value just because it exists.
We count it when it helps pay for something we realistically would have purchased anyway.
If you're trying to decide whether higher-fee travel cards make sense for you, we also break down how we decide whether premium travel cards are worth the annual fee.
Our Tall Ship Cruise Through Boston Harbor
One of my favorite parts of the weekend had nothing to do with points or credit card benefits.
We booked a tall ship sailing cruise through Boston Harbor, and it gave me exactly the New England summer experience I had pictured when we started planning this trip.
The harbor.
The sailboats.
The Boston skyline.
Being out on the water on a summer evening.
It was such a different way to experience the city, especially after spending part of the weekend walking through Boston's historic neighborhoods.
If you're planning a Boston trip and want to do something beyond the typical sightseeing stops, this is an experience I'd absolutely consider adding to your itinerary.
Affiliate Disclosure: We may earn a commission if you book through the link below, at no additional cost to you.
Using a Marriott Free Night Award for Our Final Night
For our final night, we moved to the Renaissance Boston Seaport District.
Because we had an early flight home, we wanted somewhere convenient for our last night without paying cash for another hotel stay.
We redeemed a Marriott Free Night Award for the room, which made this a really practical use of a certificate we already had available.
I can't name the specific credit card that provided the Free Night Award due to affiliate compliance requirements, but this is another example of how hotel benefits can help reduce the cash cost of a trip.
A Free Night Award might not sound as exciting as a business-class flight or luxury resort redemption, but sometimes the best redemption is simply the one that covers a hotel night you already need.
If hotel stays are one of the biggest travel expenses for your family, you can compare our favorite hotel credit cards here.
What We Actually Used During Our Boston Weekend
By the end of the trip, we'd used travel rewards across almost every major part of the weekend.
Flights
72,000 Delta SkyMiles for both of us, plus $24 in taxes and fees.
First Two Hotel Nights
Approximately 29,000 flexible travel rewards points, plus two separate $250 eligible hotel statement credits.
Our remaining cash cost for the hotel booking was about $3.
Red Sox Tickets
We used an annual ticketing statement credit toward our StubHub purchase.
Lunch at Game On
We used one dining statement credit toward food and drinks before the Red Sox game.
Dinner at Fox & The Knife
We used another dining statement credit toward one of our favorite meals of the trip.
Hotel Benefits
We received complimentary breakfast each morning at the Omni. We also had a $100 property credit available but didn't end up using it.
Final Hotel Night
We redeemed a Marriott Free Night Award at the Renaissance Boston Seaport District.
Tall Ship Cruise
We paid separately for our Boston Harbor sailing experience, which was one of the highlights of the weekend.
Was Using All of These Points and Credits Worth It?
For us, yes.
Not because we believe every travel credit automatically makes a credit card worth keeping.
And not because points make travel free.
The points, miles, certificates, and other rewards we redeemed all have value.
The credit cards that provide some of these benefits may also have annual fees.
What made this strategy work for us was that the rewards matched expenses we already planned to have.
We wanted to fly to Boston.
We needed a hotel.
We wanted Red Sox tickets.
We were going to eat lunch and dinner.
And we needed somewhere to stay for our final night.
Using points, miles, certificates, and statement credits helped reduce the cash cost of things we were already going to buy.
At the same time, the $100 hotel credit we didn't use is a good example of why we don't automatically count every available benefit as savings.
That's ultimately how we think about travel rewards.
We're not trying to make every trip "free."
We're trying to make the trips we already want to take cost significantly less.
Want to Start Using Points and Miles for Your Own Trips?
You don't need a wallet full of premium travel cards to start.
If you're new to points and miles, I'd start by learning the basics and deciding what you actually want your points to help you accomplish.
Maybe that's taking your kids to Europe.
Maybe it's making an annual beach vacation less expensive.
Maybe it's planning a birthday getaway without paying full cash price for every part of the trip.
Or maybe it's simply flying your family to visit grandparents without paying hundreds of dollars per ticket.
Your travel goal should come first.
From there, you can look for the type of rewards strategy that makes sense for you.
Or, if you're ready to see the cards we personally use:
Opinions expressed here are the authors' alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within this post.
