Smart Travel: Upgrade Your Getaways
Where 100,000 Points Can Take You: First Class Seats, Five-Star Suites and VIP Upgrades
Wed, 30 Apr 2025
Explore your options for spending 100,000 credit card points, with tips on redemptions for luxury flights, hotels, and hidden travel perks. What are the best ways to use 100,000 credit card points for travel? How do you transfer points to airlines or hotels to get the most value? Hosts Sally French and Meghan Coyle discuss top redemptions across Chase, AmEx, and Capital One to help you stretch your points for luxury flights, high-end hotels, and memorable experiences. But first, they break down the latest travel headlines, including Bilt Rewards adding Southwest as a transfer partner, Citi devaluing transfer ratios for Emirates Skywards, JetBlue allowing point redemptions for Japan Airlines, Chase Travel now listing cruise itineraries online, and a new Disney World dining deal that lets kids eat free when bundled with resort stays. Then, Benjamin Din, lead travel writer at NerdWallet, joins Sally and Meghan to discuss how to make the most of 100,000 credit card points. They share tips for booking premium cabins on airlines like Lufthansa, ANA, and Virgin Atlantic, scoring great hotel stays with Hyatt and Choice Privileges, and stacking perks like complimentary breakfast, resort credits, and early park access through AmEx’s Fine Hotels & Resorts collection. Whether you’re planning a European getaway, a theme park weekend, or an all-inclusive escape, this episode explores flexible, high-value ways to use your points strategically. Card benefits, terms and fees can change. For the most up-to-date information about cards mentioned in this episode, read our reviews: Citi Strata Premier Review Chase Sapphire Preferred Review Citi AAdvantage Platinum Card Review American Express Platinum Review Resources discussed in this episode: Cruises Now Searchable on Chase’s Travel Portal 11 Things to Do with 100K Chase Ultimate Rewards Points Loews Portofino Bay at Universal Studios: The Best Way To Use The Amex $200 Hotel Credit 5 Best Ways to Use Delta SkyMiles 5 Best Credit Card Points Programs and Who They Partner With In their conversation, the Nerds discuss: best travel credit card redemptions, Chase Ultimate Rewards Hyatt transfer, Capital One transfer partners, American Express fine hotels and resorts, best hotel redemptions with points, using AmEx points for Universal hotels, Lufthansa first class on points, ANA first class with points, best transfer partners for credit card points, Hyatt award chart, Virgin Atlantic upper class points, flying blue promo rewards, Air Canada Aeroplan redemptions, Iberia Avios business class, Choice Privileges points value, hotel points vs flight points, Bilt rewards southwest transfer, Citi Emirates transfer ratio, JetBlue Japan Airlines points, cruises with Chase points, AmEx Platinum hotel perks, vacation rentals with points, Virgin Red vs Virgin Atlantic, British Airways Avios redemptions, Delta SkyMiles deals, redeem points for Europe flights, stackable Disney deals 2026, Universal Studios hotel rewards, Marriott vs Hyatt redemptions, award travel sweet spots, short haul Avios flights, and theme park travel rewards.
Chapter 1: What are the latest travel rewards news and updates?
Sally, you know those icebreaker questions that are like, what would you do with a million dollars? What if we asked, what would you do with 100,000 points?
That would be way more fitting for our show and fitting Megan to have an icebreaker because we have a guest on our show today. And I am guessing he has some good answers to that icebreaker question.
After the news, we'll be joined by our colleague Benjamin Din. I think he would describe himself as a proud aviation geek. And when it comes to redeeming points, he really knows his stuff.
I have to say, every time I read about his airline redemptions, I'm like, can you please show me your ways, Ben? That's why I asked him to come on the show. Welcome to Smart Travel, a deep dive into the tips, tools, and tactics to maximize your travel dollars. I'm Megan Coyle. And I'm Sally French.
And we're the travel nerds ready to help you plan your next big trip.
We've asked our colleague, Benjamin Din, to join us to talk about what to do with six figures worth of credit card points. But first, the news.
Before we get there, you should drop our usual disclaimer, Sally.
Yes, we will talk about a few credit card companies that are NerdWallet partners in this episode, but that does not influence how we discuss them. The benefits, terms, and fees mentioned were accurate at the time of this posting, but things can change. Some offers may have expired by the time you're listening, so for the latest details, follow the links in the episode description. I do.
And I think the listeners know it, too. Yeah.
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Chapter 2: Who is Benjamin Din and what is his travel style?
You also get a refillable drink credit. There's another more expensive tier. That's the standard Disney dining plan. That one includes one table service meal in lieu of one of those quick service restaurants. That one costs about $100 per adult per day.
So basically, you'd have to spend more than $60 or $100 per day per person on food to make it worth it.
Right. And while Disney food is expensive, it's usually not that expensive. You just end up getting so much food. A lot of people say they can't even eat it all. So what they find is that a lot of people don't actually see huge savings.
It seems to be more of a budgeting mechanism. You sort of prepay for your food and then you don't have to budget for that later. Yeah.
Yes. So there are some deals where it's like free dining plan, but you cannot combine it with other discounts. So I would say just do the other discounts for most people. But unlike past deals, this deal is actually good because it is stackable with other discounts. So now you're getting that kids eat free. You can also combine this with other discounts like the hotel room rate.
All right. That's the news for now. On with the show. Let's get Ben in here. For a lot of people with a travel credit card, I think one part they get a little intimidated by is deciding what to do with their points.
You know, Megan, I think there are a lot of people who are saving their points for some dream trip that they might never actually take.
And then they end up with tens of thousands or maybe even a hundred thousand points just laying around.
It sounds like a high number, but... Actually, 100,000 points is not that wild if you've earned a big signup bonus or you haven't used your points in a year or two.
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Chapter 3: What are the best ways to use 100,000 credit card points for hotels?
And I'm doing Chase Ultimate Rewards.
And I did Capital One. And just a reminder, there might be some overlap because some airline or hotel companies are transfer partners of one, two, or all three of the credit card rewards programs we're covering today.
Right. So Ben, what are your priorities when it comes to redeeming 100,000 points?
So when I redeem my points, I really like to spend them on hotels because I feel like that's where people can get the most value. While it's really fun to fly in business class, you're actually probably going to spend more time in your hotel room than on the plane. Also, I often find that whether I love my hotel room or hate it can also really play a huge role in determining the vibe of the trip.
Plus, hotels are expensive, especially if you're staying for multiple nights. So really, if you use points on hotels, you could be saving a lot of money.
You know, it's so funny you say that, especially because you've done so many flights. I expected you to say flights. But honestly, I use points on hotels pretty much for the same reasons that you do. I will say Amex, which Megan assigned me, is not the best with hotel transfers. Hilton and Marriott are only met as hotel transfer partners with Amex. So this is a fun challenge.
I am going to throw a fun Amex hotel zinger in my list.
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Chapter 4: How can Chase Ultimate Rewards points be redeemed for Hyatt hotels?
I'm excited for that one. I kind of go with the flow when I'm looking to redeem my points. And I just look at the hotels or flights for my next trip and see if there's a way I can use my points to book for at least 1.5 cents per point. But I'm not necessarily trying to maximize the value and go above and beyond that. And I don't really mind whether I use it on a flight or hotel.
I just want to save on my next trip. That's my style. All right. Let's have our guest nerd go first. Ben, you're up.
I want to start off with Chase. They have a really great transfer partner in Hyatt Hotels.
Oh, yes, Ben. I know we brought you on the show for a good reason. They are one of our favorite transfer partners. And Ben, I hope you heard my wedding episode where I said I was booking my wedding hotel on Hyatt Points. That's even rather than using my actual hotel room block.
You know what, Sally? I did hear that and I wasn't surprised by it at all. Yes, thank you. I love Hyatt as a transfer partner because they're one of the few programs that still have an award chart. And plus, their rates are very reasonable.
So even if you're looking to book the highest hotel category, which is Category 8, the most points you'll ever need to book a standard room is 45,000 points per night. Contrast that with Marriott Bonvoy, where I've seen hotel rooms go for more than 200,000 points a night.
Yes. The difficult thing is sometimes finding the availability, though. Like, I booked the Hyatt Alila Ventana in Big Sur back in September for March of this year. But it was so far ahead, I ended up having to move the date. And I called on January 1st to move it. And the next weekend availability wasn't until December.
Wow.
So check back then and see if I actually got to go.
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Chapter 5: What are some Capital One points hotel redemption options?
As a theme park lover, I definitely want to use my Amex hotel credit for that one day.
You have to.
Okay, let's take a quick break. And when we get back, we'll talk about using points for flights. Stay with us. Okay, Ben, you're up again. What do you say we cover some flights?
There are a lot of options here if you have chase points. One that I've done is fly Lufthansa First Class. You can actually book that by transferring your credit card points to Air Canada's Aeroplan program. So you would book your flights through Aeroplan because Air Canada and Lufthansa are partners.
In terms of pricing, a one-way flight from the East Coast to Europe would cost you 90,000 points, and a West Coast flight would be 100,000. This is definitely an aspirational redemption. Keep in mind that one-way international flights are often more expensive than round trips, but a one-way from San Francisco to Frankfurt can cost more than $11,000 in first class.
That's a whopping redemption value of more than 11 cents per point.
Ben, I'm glad we brought you on the show to bring us these great redemptions. Air Canada really is a transfer partner of a bunch of the major programs, Ultimate Rewards, Amex Membership Rewards, Capital One Miles, and then also a program that I know Megan is a huge fan of, but we're not going to go too much in depth today on, is Built Rewards.
Definitely. Air Canada miles are super accessible. But let me just talk a little bit more about what it's like to fly in first class, because it is such a cool experience. I flew to Boston from Frankfurt, where Lufthansa has an entire terminal just for first class passengers.
Wow, so exclusive.
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Chapter 6: What is the value and challenge of using points for premium flights?
Chapter 7: How do Disney World dining deals work and can kids eat free in 2026?
You know, Megan, I think there are a lot of people who are saving their points for some dream trip that they might never actually take.
And then they end up with tens of thousands or maybe even a hundred thousand points just laying around.
It sounds like a high number, but... Actually, 100,000 points is not that wild if you've earned a big signup bonus or you haven't used your points in a year or two.
So if you need ideas for how to spend your points, we got you. We also invited another travel nerd to help us out. Okay, Ben, say hi.
Hey, everyone. Excited to be here.
Ben is a fellow writer on the travel rewards team at NerdWallet. He wrote a great article about what to do with 100,000 points, so he's perfect for this episode. We'll link to that in the episode description. Ben, since it's your first time on the podcast, tell us more about your travel style. Where do you like to go and what do you like to spend your points on?
So I like traveling to places I've never been. And last year, I flew over 100 flights across six continents.
Whoa.
So that means I spend a ton of time on planes and in airport lounges. So I really try to maximize my air travel experience whenever I can, whether that's using points to book a premium cabin or using points to upgrade my flight. I'm also a United Premier 1K, so I really love chasing a weed status. And I'm also on my way to becoming a million miler with United.
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