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Hi Travel Junkies,

I just got back from an amazing 2-week trip to Thailand with my wife.

We flew in business class, we stayed in luxury hotels, we got to feed elephants, we snorkeled in crystal clear water, and we ate a TON of Thai food.

Two people underwater in snorkeling masks and swimsuits, one giving a thumbs-up. The water is clear, their faces partly visible behind the masks. This fun travel moment is slightly blurry but captures their excitement.
A smiling man and woman stand next to a large elephant in an outdoor, grassy area with trees and blue sky—capturing the spirit of travel and adventure. The man is touching the elephant's head.

And the best part?

Our trip cost a whopping $326.42.

That’s right. $326.42. Which is less than my monthly grocery bill.

Today, I am going to walk you through exactly how I did it. Complete with screenshots, step-by-step instructions, and tips for how you can book your own amazing getaway.

There is a TON of information in today’s post, so take it slow if you need to.

And as always, feel free to email me with questions. I read every single one.

Also be sure to check out the 10xT Insiders Facebook Group, where you’ll find thousands of 10xT Readers sharing the best money-saving travel tips of the day.

The Flights

My wife and I put together a large sum of Chase Ultimate Rewards Points thanks to the sign-up bonuses that we each earned from the Chase Sapphire Preferred (40,000 points), Chase Ink (50,000 points), and Chase Freedom (20,000 points) cards.

Each of these cards has a minimum spending requirement of $500 to $5,000, which met by moving most of day-to-day spending and our monthly bills.

We also each signed up for the Chase United MileagePlus Explorer card, which was offering a bonus 50,000 United points at the time.

Chase Ultimate Rewards points transfer 1:1 to United, meaning that we had a combined 320,000+ United miles burning a hole in our pockets. Which is more than most people earn in a lifetime.

It was time to go flight shopping.

This is my receipt for a Business Class flight from Columbus, OH to Chaing Mai, Thailand. I paid 80,000 United miles and $28.50 for a business class ticket that routes through Toronto, Copenhagen, and Bangkok.

A United Airlines e-ticket receipt showing flight details, traveler information, fare breakdown, and a highlighted eTicket total of $28.50 USD at the bottom. Personal information is blacked out for privacy, and travel miles or points may apply.

Unfortunately there was only one business class seat available for an award booking so I had to book an economy ticket for my wife. I made it up to her by booking her a business class ticket for the flight home (I flew economy home).

Her economy ticket cost just 40,000 miles and $28.50.

Screenshot of a United Airlines e-ticket receipt showing a multi-city travel itinerary from Columbus, Ohio to Toronto, Copenhagen, Bangkok, and Chiang Mai. The total ticket price, highlighted in red, is $28.50 USD—perfect for using miles or points.

Here’s what those flights would have cost if we would have paid cash:

Screenshot of flight booking options showing Economy fare at $3,780.75 or First/Business Class at $10,992.75, with detailed travel itinerary from Columbus, OH to Chiang Mai, TH—perfect for earning points or miles.

$10,992.75 for business class and $3,780.75 for economy for a total one-way price of $14,773.50. Not bad for about 20 minutes of work.

Left: A spacious, luxurious airline seat with a pillow, blanket, and water bottle. Right: A man taking a selfie in the same first-class cabin. Caption: This is what a $10,000 airline seat looks like—travel in style or use miles and points.

Now for the trip home.

We decided to fly home out of Koh Samui to give us more time to explore Thailand. This is called an open-jaw itinerary and it is a great tool to help maximize vacation time.

Here is a copy of my wife’s business class itinerary. The total cost was 80,000 United miles and $54.90.

A United Airlines e-ticket receipt showing traveler details, flight itinerary from Bangkok to Columbus via Tokyo and Chicago, payment by VISA, and travel points earned. The ticket total of $4.90 USD is highlighted in red at the bottom.

And here is my economy class ticket. 40,000 United Miles and $54.90.

A United Airlines flight itinerary and receipt showing travel details from Bangkok to Chicago to Columbus, with a total ticket cost of $4.90 USD highlighted at the bottom. The purchase may involve miles or travel points. Personal information is blacked out.

Here is what the flights would have cost. The exact itinerary was no longer available for booking so I found the closest alternative. The only difference is the time of the final flight from Chicago to Columbus, so the price difference should be immaterial.

Screenshot of a flight booking page showing prices for an itinerary from Koh Samui, Thailand to Columbus, OH. Economy costs $3,033.15 or use miles. First/Business Class costs $6,562.15. Itinerary and travel details are shown below.

$6,562.15 for business class and $3,033.15 for economy for a total of $9,595.30.

Meaning that my total cost of 2 tickets to Thailand with Business Class 1 way was 240,000 United miles and $166.80.

I’ve spent more on Thai food this month.

A plate of Pad Thai with tofu, garnished with green onions, lime, and a decorative carrot flower sits on a woven placemat—perfect after travel miles. In the background are a glass of water, an empty glass, and a smoothie.

Next, we had to book our flights from Chiang Mai to Koh Samui to complete the triangle.

I used a Barclays Arrival Plus card to pay for the flights. The Arrival Plus earns points that can be used to erase any travel purchases made with the card at a value of 1 cent per point.

It also comes with 40,000 points (at the time, worth $400) as a sign-up bonus. There was no fee for the first year.

(This offer has since changed. More details can be found by visiting the credit cards page)

Now you see the charge.

Screenshot of a flight booking confirmation from Chiang Mai to Ko Samui for two adults, showing traveler names, flight times, trip cost breakdown, and total price of $410.14 highlighted in a red box—perfect for tracking your travel plans or redeeming miles.

Now you don’t.

A rewards redemption history displays five completed travel credit redemptions with points, miles, and amounts. One entry, dated 03/16/15 for 40,000 miles and $400, is highlighted with a red box.

Possibly the easiest $400 I’ve ever saved.

Ok, deep breath. That was a lot of information.

Let’s add the flights up.

A table compares regular and discounted prices for six travel itineraries. Regular prices total $24,778.94, while discounted prices total $176.94, showing how using points or miles makes each trip significantly more affordable.

$24,778.98 of airfare for $176.94 out of pocket. Off to a good start.

With the flights booked, it was time to shift my focus to the hotels.

The Hotels

After a little bit of research I decided to stay at Le Meridian Chiang Mai because it is an amazing property, the location is perfect, and it’s incredibly easy to book on points.

Night view of the illuminated entrance to Le Meridien Chiang Mai hotel, featuring two elephant statues at the front and warm lighting under a covered walkway—an inviting sight for travel enthusiasts earning points or miles.
A modern hotel room with a large bed, a cushioned sofa by a wide window offering city and greenery views, neutral walls, and decorative lighting. Perfect for travel stays or using your points and miles. Pillows and a handbag rest on the sofa.
A rooftop infinity pool with lounge chairs and umbrellas on a wooden deck overlooks a cityscape with trees and tall buildings, perfect for relaxing after miles of travel under a clear sky.

In fact, the going rate for our dates was a mere 3,833 Starpoints per night.

So I applied for a Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card, used my normal bills to meet the $5,000 minimum spending limit, and earned the 25,000 point sign-up bonus.

Screenshot of a credit card account summary showing a $0.00 balance and 25,000 travel points available to redeem. Sensitive information and personal details are blacked out.

Like the Chase cards, the Starwood Preferred Guest Card has no fee for the first year. Meaning that I paid absolutely nothing out of pocket to earn these points.

My 25,000 Starpoints were just enough to book 6 nights at this amazing property.

Here is a copy of my receipt.

Screenshot of a hotel booking confirmation page for Le Méridien Chiang Mai, showing reservation details, guest info, stay dates, and a section highlighting that 23,000 points were used for the travel booking.

Starwood doesn’t charge taxes on award reservations so our 6 nights were completely free.

The cash price for the exact same booking would have been 25,785 THB, or roughly $773.55.

Screenshot of a hotel booking summary for Le Méridien Chiang Mai, showing room and rate details for travel from 06/06/2015 to 08/06/2015, with an estimated total cost of THB 8,497.60; ideal for earning points or miles.
A person relaxes by an infinity pool at sunset, legs stretched out, enjoying a scenic view of mountains, buildings, and clouds at Le Meridien Chiang Mai—a perfect spot for travel and earning points or miles.

Added to the total:

A table compares regular and discounted travel prices for flights and a 7-night hotel stay, showing how using points or miles can reduce the total from $25,552.49 to just $176.94.

Next, we needed a hotel in Koh Samui. This is where things get interesting.

The Renaissance Koh Samui is widely considered to be one of the best award booking options on the island.

Infinity pool with blue tiles overlooking the ocean, surrounded by palm trees and a sculpted tree, with lounge chairs and umbrellas in the background at Renaissance Koh Samui—a perfect spot to relax after your travel miles.

This luxury hotel (4.5 stars on Tripadvisor) was a category 7 Marriott (it’s a category 8 now), meaning that it would cost 35,000 Marriott points per night.

Earning the required points for a one week stay would be nearly impossible with Marriott cards alone so we had to get creative here.

One little known fact about Marriott is that they share a rewards program with Ritz Carlton.

Meaning that any points earned with Ritz Carlton could be used to book Marriott properties and vice versa.

The Ritz Carlton Rewards Credit Card was offering 140,000 points after you spent $3,000 in 3 months. There was a $395 annual fee charged in the first billing period. More on that later.

A promotional banner for The Ritz-Carlton Rewards highlights earning 140,000 points, a $300 annual travel credit, hotel credits, and complimentary club upgrades after spending $3,000 in three months.

The card also came with a $300 Annual Travel Credit. We’ll talk about this later as well.

My wife and I each applied for the card, met the minimum spending requirements, and each earned the 140,000 bonus points. Which would have been more than enough to book a week at the Renaissance Koh Samui.

But I wasn’t done there.

Another little known secret about Marriott is that they offer Travel Packages that come with frequent flyer miles to help cover the cost of your flights.

These packages basically allow you to overpay for your Marriott room (in points) in order to earn a bonus of frequent flyer miles.

Here’s the award chart for Air Package 3, which gives you Southwest Rapid Rewards Points as a bonus.

A chart showing travel points needed for Hotel + Air Package 3, with options for different hotel categories and point combinations. The Category 7, 310,000 points option is highlighted. Participating airline is Southwest Airlines.

So if I paid 310,000 Marriott points instead of the standard rate of 245,000, Marriott would give me 100,000 Southwest Rapid Rewards Points in addition to my 7 free nights.

Southwest points are much more valuable to me than Marriott points so this was a no brainer.

I had ~30,000 leftover Marriott points from an earlier credit card bonus so I combined them with our 280,000 sign-up bonus points to book this package.

Here’s my 7 night redemption.

A rewards account statement shows a highlighted entry for a 7 Night Travel Package Category 7 Hotels ordered on 03/16/15, costing 310,000 points, along with other miles transactions and bonuses.

And here are my 100,000 Southwest Rapid Rewards Points, which are conservatively worth about $1,400.

A screenshot of a travel rewards activity statement showing dates, transaction types (air, hotel, car), descriptions, and points or miles earned or redeemed. One hotel entry on 03/17/2015 for Marriott is highlighted in red.

I will omit this from the total trip savings but $1,400 of free Southwest travel is certainly more than a casual side benefit.

The 100,000 Southwest points also helped me earn Southwest Companion Pass, their highest possible status, despite having flown on Southwest just 1 time. This effectively doubled the value of my 100,000 Southwest points, as I could now bring a friend on any Southwest flight that I fly for just taxes and fees.

A rewards summary shows travel progress bars: 4% toward A-List status with 1 flight and 1,021 points earned; 100% toward Companion Pass with 1 flight and 170,546 points earned.

Oh, and remember the $300 Annual Travel Credit that I mentioned earlier? Turns out chase allows you to use it for southwest gift cards.

So I purchased $300 of Southwest gift cards and got them reimbursed with my $300 annual travel credit.

A bank statement screen shows four transactions from 05/18/2015: two adjustments with credits labeled TRAVEL INCIDENTAL CREDITS and two sales for SOUTHWEST purchases, each for $100.00, helping you earn more travel points.

Again, I did the same with my wife’s card. Over the course of 3 months we scored a combined $600 of Southwest gift cards literally for free.

Meaning that our Ritz Carlton Cards gave us a total of 7 nights in the Renaissance Koh Samui, 100,000 Southwest Miles, and $600 of Southwest gift cards.

All for a grand total of $395 out of pocket.

I’ll take it.

Anyway, back to the Renaissance Koh Samui. Here’s a copy of my receipt.

A hotel reservation confirmation for Renaissance Koh Samui Resort & Spa shows a 7-night stay in June 2015 for two guests in a deluxe garden view room, with details on travel points used for the booking and room charges.

Like Le Meridian, the Renaissance Koh Samui did not charge any taxes or fees. My 7 nights were literally free.

Let’s take a look at the cash price.

Hotel room booking options for a Deluxe Garden View room with prices in THB per night; earn points on select travel rates. Rates shown are 3,268.28, 4,700.00, and 5,500.00—some marked Almost Sold Out. Room photo on left.

The “Limited Time Offer” is their non-refundable rate so the “Best Available Rate” of 4,700 THB rate is the equivalent here.

4,700 THB is roughly $141, so 7 nights would have cost $987.

As a bonus, I was able to talk myself into a free upgrade to the best suite on the property.

It was bigger than my condo, had 2 private balconies, a private outdoor whirlpool, and arguably the best views in Southeast Asia.

A cozy bedroom with a large bed, blue cushions, bedside lamp, and floor-to-ceiling windows offering a scenic view of lush green hills—perfect for relaxing after a day of travel or earning miles on your next adventure.
A wooden balcony with two chairs overlooks tropical palm trees, a coastline, and a calm blue sea under a partly cloudy sky—perfect for travelers to relax and enjoy the view after earning miles and points on their journey. Distant mountains rise across the water.
A balcony with terracotta tiles overlooks lush green trees and hills, offering a travel-inspired view of the ocean and distant houses under a clear blue sky. A wooden drying rack stands in the corner.
A tidy hotel room with a made bed, a blue bedside lamp, and a phone. An open partition leads to a sitting area with chairs, a table, and large windows—perfect for travel or relaxing after earning miles and points.

I won’t count the upgrade toward the “regular price” but it was cool nonetheless.

Let’s update the totals.

A travel cost comparison chart shows regular and discounted prices for multiple flights and hotel stays, with totals of $26,539.49 (regular) and $176.94 (discounted). Notes mention earning miles, using gift cards, and maximizing points for extra value.

$26,539 of flights and hotels for $176 is cool and all, but I wasn’t done quite yet.

I wanted to cover some of my hotel incidentals as well.

Here’s how I did it.

The Incidentals

Remember the Barclays Arrival Plus that we discussed earlier?

It’s the credit card that earns points that can be used to erase any travel purchases made with the card at a value of 1 cent per point.

Well it turns out that anything billed to your hotel room counts as a “travel” expense, so these points could be used to cover our hotel incidentals.

Fancy dinners? Check.

A smiling couple sits at an outdoor table overlooking the ocean at sunset, holding hands. The table is set for dinner with drinks, candles, and a water bottle—perfect for travelers enjoying sunsets after earning miles or points on their journey.

Poolside cocktails? You bet.

Two cocktails in martini glasses with black straws sit on a reflective table by a pool. One drink is creamy white and the other yellow with passion fruit seeds—perfect for refreshing moments during your travel or while earning miles. Fountains and greenery are visible behind.

And we took full advantage. Here’s a copy of our bill.

A hotel invoice from Le Meridien Chiang Mai details guest charges, dates, descriptions (e.g., room, dining), and totals—highlighting travel points earned—with personal information and payment details partially redacted for privacy.
Hotel invoice from Le Meridien Chiang Mai for Mr. Bryce Conway, showing a total amount due of 17,913.00, payment details, stay dates, travel points info, guest and billing information. Sensitive details are redacted.

Here is the corresponding credit card charge on my Barclays Arrival Plus.

A credit card statement shows three transactions dated 06/13/15 and 06/06/15. The LE MERIDIEN CHIANGMAI travel transaction for 534.62 is highlighted in red, earning 1,070 points. Total amount since last statement is 1,111.24.

And here is a copy of my points redemption.

Order confirmation for travel redemption: $534.62 spent at Le Meridien Chiangmai using 53,462 miles. Remaining points: 35,328. Bonus miles earned: 5,044. Total miles: 40,674. Option to return to manage rewards.

Poof! The $534.62 charge was completely erased with points.

I did the same thing with our hotel in Koh Samui.

Here is a copy of the bill. We got pretty carried away with the room service.

A hotel bill from Renaissance Koh Samui Resort & Spa details charges and payments for room 701 in June 2015, including cash deposit, telephone calls, transfers, dining, spa, minibar charges, and potential points earned during your travel.
A hotel invoice from Renaissance Koh Samui Resort & Spa for Mr. Bruce Conway details room and service charges, payments, VAT, final balance of 35,158.63 THB, and itemized dates—ideal for tracking travel expenses or earning points and miles.

I split the charge across two credit cards to use up some old points on my Capital One Venture card. It has the exact same point structure as the Barclays Arrival Plus.

Here is the 10,000 THB charge (~$297) on my Capital One Venture card.

A transaction entry showing a travel purchase at Renaissance Koh Samui Resort on 6/15/15 for lodging, with part of the card number ending in 3628, totaling $297.59.

And here is the redemption covering the entire amount.

Screenshot of a travel rewards order confirmation showing a $297.59 credit for a Renaissance Koh Samui reservation, redeemed with 29,759 miles. The order date is June 13, 2015—perfect for keeping your travel records organized.

Here are the other two charges on my Barclays Arrival Plus.

Screenshot of a credit card statement with two highlighted transactions at RENAISSANCE KOH SAMUI on 06/13/15 for $149.48 and $393.39, earning 298 and 786 travel points, respectively.

I only had enough points to erase the $393.39 so I was left paying $149.48 out of pocket.

Here is the $393.39 redemption.

Screenshot of an order confirmation for travel statement credits, showing a redemption of $393.39 (39,339 miles) at Renaissance Koh Samui, with 1,335 miles remaining and 3,934 bonus points earned. Total miles: 5,269.

Let’s update the totals:

A table compares regular and discounted prices for travel expenses—flights, hotels, and incidentals. Regular prices total $27,914.57; discounted My Price total is $326.42, showing significant savings when using miles or points for each item.

And there you have it. A $27,914.57 trip to Thailand for a whopping $326.42.

My only other expenses were for activities that didn’t accept credit cards.

You know, things like feeding elephants, custom-made suits, snorkeling cruises, and private Thai cooking lessons.

A couple stands smiling next to a baby elephant and an adult elephant eating long green leaves, with another person in the background and trees behind them, capturing a memorable travel experience.
A tailor adjusts the shoulders of a gray suit jacket on a man in a fitting room, as suits and bright lights fill the background—perfect style for those who travel miles in pursuit of sharp fashion.
Two men wearing aprons prepare food at a wooden table. One uses a mortar and pestle while the other chops ingredients on a large wooden cutting board. A mirror above shows the scene from above, capturing their culinary journey as if preparing for travel.
A man in red swim trunks and a woman in a blue bikini are jumping off a boat into clear blue water, with a lush green shoreline in the background—capturing the spirit of travel and adventure.
A man and woman stand together on a sandy beach with clear blue water, boats, and rocky islands in the background under a sunny sky, enjoying their travel adventure.

When you only spend $326 on your airfare and lodging you can afford to spend lavishly on your other travel activities.

Want to start putting together an amazing trip of your own?

Get started today by taking our free course!

Happy Travels,

Bryce

P.S. You can also check out the 10xTravel Insider’s Facebook Group, where 50,000+ Readers share the best tips and tricks you’ll find anywhere on the web.

P.P.S. Want to create an amazing trip like this for yourself? Start by taking a look at the best credit card offers on the market right now.