Jonathon, Rowland (36), and Maranda, Poe (33), were married in late 2013. According to Rowland, Poe was first intrigued by him due to a specific photo on his dating app—it featured Rowland posed in front of the Great Pyramid of Giza. Rowland stated that “our mutual love of travel was established years ago.”
They then traveled around the world, using miles and points for many of their trips, including a November 2023 trip to Venice, ItalyThey got engaged in a place called.
After their nuptials, they began planning the trip of a life time for January 2025. The couple booked long-haul international flights and luxury hotels in South America for their honeymoon using points. Here’s what they did to get flights worth $15,000 that would normally cost them in cash.
The Numbers
- The destination: Lima, Peru
- Flight Cost: Two round-trip seats in business class from New York to Lima for $15,000
- Redeemed pointsVirgin Points – 200,000 (Transferred from American Express & Chase)
- Total spent: Taxes, fees and charges of $111.60
How they booked the flights
Rowland Poe and their respective work schedules were more flexible in January. The two were flexible but wanted to travel somewhere new and unplug completely.
Spencer Howard, the founder of Straight to the Points—an award-focused flight alert subscription service—and a friend of the couple, alerted Rowland and other newsletter subscribers about award availability for business class flights from New York to Peru. The offer was made by LATAM, which is the largest airline in Latin America. South America. What’s the cost? One-way tickets for 50,000 points each per person plus taxes and fees of about $50.
Rowland and Poe hadn’t been to South America, so the deal helped them decide which countries they would visit on their honeymoon: Peru Chile and Brazil.
Booking Tip
You can find the best deals on points by being flexible with your travel dates, your destination or both.
Virgin Atlantic’s site was used to book the round-trip, long-haul flights from New York. Virgin, like many other airlines offers the opportunity to redeem points for partner carriers such as LATAM. The South American carrier offers nonstop service from the U.S., to hubs such as Santiago, Chile, Sao Paolo Brazil, Lima, Peru and more.
Rowland, Poe and other transfer partners leveraged their power even though they didn’t directly have Virgin points. Virgin Atlantic has partnered with most major transferable-point programs.American Express Membership Rewards (Cashback from Chase Ultimate Rewards, Capital One miles, Citi ThankYou Rewards and Bilt Rewards).
You can transfer points from multiple accounts. Rowland, in his case, transferred points from American Express The following are some examples of how to get started: Virgin Atlantic offers the maximum rewards for Virgin Chase.
He signed into his account and navigated to travel. Then he selected the option for Virgin. You’ll need to provide your Virgin Flying Club account information if you are a first-timer. Virgin accounts are free to create. Rowland finally logged into Virgin to book his LATAM flights using the available points.
What was the experience like?
John Coletti/Getty Images
The couple, who are frequent travelers, had already experienced the incredible products offered by Singapore Airlines and Emirates Airlines. They weren’t certain what to expect when they boarded LATAM.
Rowland stated that “we were overall pleasantly surprised.” One of their best perks is the lounge access they have with Delta. This allowed us to enjoy the Delta One lounge in JFK.
He continued, “The flight itself was also great.” “The crew was friendly and the catering delicious.” The flight was on an updated Boeing 787-9, with a 1-2-1 seating layout. We arrived refreshed and ready for our Honeymoon thanks to the comfortable lie-flat seats.
Rowland Poe was able to use the money she would have spent for flights on luxury experiences and accommodations. This included several Belmond hotels, such as Mira Flores Park, Monasterio, in Cusco and Rio Sangrado. the Sacred Valley.
“We love our loved ones too” Belmond Hiram Bingham train Rowland said that the Pullman carriages were a replica of those on the Orient Express. Onboard, we had a delicious dinner and lunch and enjoyed live music as we traveled back to Machu Picchu.
Tips for Travelers on Points and Miles
You should maximize your points value on flights in business or first class. You can book airfare at a lower cost per dollar. Rowland recommends that if you are a beginner at maximizing your points, you use online resources to gain knowledge or ask for help from other members of the community. People are often happy to offer tips and tricks to help you maximize your points.
If you are a brand-new user of points, the process can be overwhelming. You can also benefit from signing up for email subscription services or following loyalty influencers. Rowland said that for people like her, who have a busy schedule, searching for award spaces on their own can be difficult.
