How We Booked a $38,000 Family Trip to Thailand Using Points and Miles
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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 hear all the time is:
“How do you earn enough points for trips like this?”
For our family, most of the points came from travel rewards we earned over time, including welcome offers from several travel rewards credit cards after meeting each card’s spending requirement.
We also used a combination of annual travel benefits, hotel perks, and free night certificates available through cards we already carried.
Some of those cards were premium travel rewards cards with higher annual fees and more extensive benefits. Others played a different role in helping us earn rewards for the trips we were already planning.
You can explore our favorite premium travel rewards cards or browse more of our favorite travel rewards cards to compare the options we currently recommend based on different travel goals and spending habits.
This is not the only way to earn travel rewards, and it will not be the right strategy for every family. It is simply the approach that has worked well for us.
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.
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 hotel free night certificate.
Flying Back to the United States
For the international portion of our trip home, we flew Singapore Airlines Business Class from Singapore to San Francisco.
We transferred flexible travel rewards points to Singapore Airlines before booking.
The Strategy We Used for Our Final Flight Home
After arriving in San Francisco, we still needed to fly from California to our home airport.
That final domestic flight was operated by United, but we did not book it through United’s own loyalty program.
Instead, we booked the United-operated flight through Air Canada Aeroplan, one of United’s airline partners.
Booking through the partner program required significantly fewer points for the exact same flight.
It is one of our favorite examples of why it can be helpful to compare partner programs before transferring points or booking an award flight..
Trip Totals
Total Travel Rewards Used
Approximately:
30,000 American Airlines miles
1,033,000 flexible travel rewards points
Total: About 1.06 million points and miles
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 is not really about Thailand.
It is about changing what we thought was possible for our family.
A few years ago, we believed trips like this were reserved for families with much larger travel budgets.
Now we know that is not always true.
We are still raising kids.
Still paying bills.
Still working normal jobs.
We have simply learned how to understand travel rewards, plan ahead, and make more intentional decisions with the expenses we already have.
The travel rewards cards we choose to keep in our wallets are one part of that strategy. Each one serves a different purpose based on our current spending, travel plans, and goals.
You can see what is currently in our wallet and learn more about how those cards fit into the way we travel.
That approach has completely changed what family vacations look like for us—and helped us experience places we once assumed were financially out of reach.
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 our Favorite Travel Rewards Cards
If You're Just Getting Started
If points and miles still feel confusing, you are not alone.
We remember how overwhelming it felt to hear terms like transfer partners, airline miles, hotel points, and welcome offers for the first time.
That is why we created resources specifically for beginners.
Start with our Free Beginner’s Guide to Points & Miles, where we explain the basics in a simple, step-by-step way.
Once you understand the foundations, you can explore our favorite beginner travel rewards cards and compare options based on your own spending habits, travel goals, and comfort level.
You do not need to understand everything at once. The goal is simply to learn the basics, choose a strategy that fits your family, and take the next step when you feel ready.
Editorial Disclosure
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.
