Two-Card Trip to New Orleans: The Big Easy on the Cheap

Whether you’re in town for Mardi Gras, a po’boy or world-class jazz clubs, New Orleans has something for everyone. Solo travelers, couples and families alike can all find a wide range of activities to keep them entertained.

Here at 10xTravel, we don’t like paying for our vacations with cash. Instead, we prefer to use credit card points to fund our flights and hotels. And by using the welcome offers of just two credit cards, you can do exactly the same and have your next vacation to New Orleans fully-funded by points and miles.

Don’t believe it? Read on to find out how to experience The Big Easy on the cheap.

The Two Cards to Get You to NOLA and Back

For this two-card trip, we’re going to use the welcome offers of the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card to get us to New Orleans and back.

These two cards offer lucrative welcome bonuses, flexible transfer partners and a solid balance between perks and annual fees.

Let’s look at what both cards have to offer us.

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card offers lucrative perks, transfer partners and strong bonus spending categories for an annual fee of $95.

It comes with the following features:

• $50 annual statement credit for hotels booked through Chase Travel℠
• 5X points on travel purchased and booked through Chase Travel℠ (excluding hotel purchases that qualify for the $50 annual hotel credit)
• 3X points on dining, including eligible takeout, delivery services and dining out
• 3X points on online grocery purchases (excluding Walmart, Target and wholesale clubs)
• 3X points on select streaming services
• 2X points on all other travel purchases
• 1X points on all other purchases
• 25% value bonus when you redeem points for travel through Chase Travel℠
• Annual 10% bonus point boost based on your total expenditure on your Sapphire Preferred Card in the previous year
• Complimentary 12-month membership for both DoorDash and Caviar—the DashPass—when you activate it by Dec. 31, 2027. Unlocks lower service fees and $0 delivery fees on eligible orders.
• No foreign transaction fees
• Trip cancellation and interruption insurance
• Baggage delay insurance
• Lost baggage reimbursement
• Auto rental collision damage waiver
• Baggage insurance

The Sapphire Preferred enables you to redeem your points for 1.25 cents apiece through Chase Travel℠. Alternatively, you can transfer your points for even greater value to any of Chase’s 14 airline and hotel partners, including a solid selection of domestic airlines.

In case you run into trouble while traveling, be it a lost bag or rental car accident, Chase’s strong travel insurance protections will have you covered.

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card

The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card offers competitive perks when you stay with Marriott, in addition to luxury travel benefits and a solid welcome offer. While its annual fee of $650 isn’t small (see rates and fees), you can easily offset the cost of holding this card by maximizing its perks.

The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card includes the following features:

• 6X points at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy
• 3X points on restaurants worldwide
• 3X points on flights booked directly with airlines
• 2X points on all other purchases
• $300 annual dining statement credit for restaurant purchases worldwide, given in $25 monthly increments
• $100 property credit for qualifying charges at The Ritz-Carlton® or St. Regis® when you book directly using a special rate for a minimum stay of two nights
• Annual free night reward valid for use at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy with a maximum redemption value of 85,000 points
• Complimentary Platinum Elite status
• Complimentary Priority Pass Select™ membership
• Spend $60,000 within a calendar year and receive one Earned Choice Award benefit, including: five Nightly Upgrade Awards, an additional free night reward with a maximum equivalent redemption value of up to 85,000 points, or $1,000 off a bed from any Marriott Bonvoy retail brand.
• 25 complimentary Elite Night credits issued to your account annually
• Receive either a $100 statement credit every four years for a Global Entry application fee or a statement credit up to $85 every 4.5 years for a TSA PreCheck® application fee (when applying through a TSA official enrollment provider), in each case when charged to your eligible American Express card.
• No foreign transaction fees
• Cell phone protection insurance plan*
• Car rental loss and damage insurance*
• Baggage insurance plan*
• Trip delay insurance*
• Trip cancellation and interruption insurance*

Property credits, annual free night awards and complimentary Marriott Platinum Elite status will make for an enjoyable stay at Marriott properties. Likewise, a statement credit toward Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fees and complimentary Priority Pass Select membership will ensure that you get to your destination in style.

You can also use the Bonvoy Brilliant’s $300 annual dining statement credit toward dining costs while on vacation.

How to Earn Each Card’s Welcome Offer

The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card has a typical welcome offer between 60,000 and 100,000 Ultimate Rewards points after spending $5,000 within the first three months of card membership.

The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card has a typical welcome offer between 75,000 and 185,000 Marriott points after spending $6,000 within the first six months of card membership.

Given Chase’s 5/24 rule, you’ll want to begin by applying for the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card. It’s best to wait until you’ve hit the minimum spending requirement for the Sapphire Preferred Card’s welcome offer before applying for the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card. That’s unless your average monthly expenditure is high enough to earn both welcome offers simultaneously.

To earn the Sapphire Preferred card’s welcome offer, you’ll need to spend an average of $1,667 per month. To earn the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card’s welcome offer, your spending will need to average $1,000 per month, as the window for earning this bonus is typically six months instead of three. If your usual average monthly expenditure is equal to $2,334 or more, there’s nothing stopping you from earning both welcome offers simultaneously.

For the average American household, spending $1,667 per month should be manageable. Utilizing your card for everyday expenses, from groceries to gas, as well as charging large expenses such as vacation costs, utility and tax bills to the card will help you hit the minimum spending requirement naturally. Just remember that overspending is counterproductive—instead, leverage your upcoming expenses and everyday costs to earn the welcome offers naturally.

If you happen to have a lower than average monthly expenditure, you can get creative by moving upcoming costs forward in the year, allowing them to count toward your minimum spending requirement. For instance, you could prepay your insurance bills or even do your Christmas shopping in advance. As always, just ensure that this early expenditure fits your budget.

After months of diligent spending, you’ll have earned yourself two lucrative welcome offers. You’ll have anywhere from 60,000 to 100,00 Ultimate Rewards points and between 75,000 and 185,000 Marriott points. For the sake of our example here, let’s say you applied when the welcome offers were highest and earned yourself 100,000 Ultimate Rewards points and 185,000 Marriott points.

If you and your significant other pursue a two-player mode strategy—meaning both of you would open and earn the welcome offers on both cards—you’d land yourself double the number of points. That works out to a total of 200,000 Ultimate Rewards points and 370,000 Marriott points.

How to Book Award Flights to New Orleans

You’re equipped with 100,000 to 200,000 Ultimate Rewards points—now it’s time to put them toward flights to The Big Easy.

Your first option is to redeem them through Chase Travel℠. This can be a solid option if cash prices or award seat availability are running low. Your points are worth 1.25 cents apiece when redeemed through Chase Travel℠ and the price in points is tied directly to the cash price of the airfare. For instance, a flight that costs $200 will require 16,000 Ultimate Rewards points.

That means your 100,000 points are worth at least $1,000—or $2,000 if you and your travel partner have both earned the welcome offer.

Alternatively, if you want maximum flexibility and value, you can transfer your points to one of Chase’s airline partners. In this case, you can take advantage of Chase’s partnership with United Airlines, Southwest Airlines and JetBlue Airways.

Whether you want to fly business class, book a romantic trip with your partner or take the whole family to the Birthplace of Jazz, the Sapphire Preferred’s welcome bonus can make it happen.

If you’re a family with kids, you’ll typically be tied to school vacation times, meaning you’ll be best off booking cost-effective economy award fares. However, if you’re a solo traveler or couple, you can take advantage of off-peak travel dates to maximize the value of your points.

Let’s see how much you can expect to pay for your award flights.

JetBlue Airways

JetBlue offers affordable flights to New Orleans, which you can find using its Best Fare Finder. You can compare award fares by month—highly convenient if you’re flexible with your travel dates.

You don’t need to create an account to scan for award fares, so just hop on to the website and start comparing your options.

Your Chase Ultimate Rewards points transfer instantly to JetBlue’s TrueBlue points at a 1:1 ratio, making it simple to book award flights.

A flight from Los Angeles (LAX) to New Orleans (MSY) starts at around 24,700 points + $5.60 in taxes and fees for a one-way economy ticket.

Bear in mind that JetBlue doesn’t run nonstop flights from Los Angeles to New Orleans, so if you’re based on the West Coast you’d be better off going for United or Southwest.

However, if you’re based on the East Coast, you’ll be able to find direct flights from Boston and New York.

From Boston-Logan (BOS) you can find one-way economy fares starting at 7,000 points + $5.60 in taxes and fees.

Likewise, from New York-John F. Kennedy (JFK) you can find one-way economy fares for as low as 6,200 points + $5.60 in taxes and fees.

You could easily fly yourself, your partner and the whole family to New Orleans and back at these rates—and still have points left over.

Southwest Airlines

Southwest Airlines operates nonstop flights to New Orleans from the West Coast, East Coast and Midwest, making it a solid option for all travelers.

Ultimate Rewards points transfer to Southwest Rapid Rewards points instantly at a 1:1 ratio, meaning your points retain their value.

Southwest’s Low Fare Calendar tool makes it easy to find the lowest priced award fares. You can conveniently search award fares by month. This makes it particularly useful for solo travelers or couples who aren’t tied to fixed dates. You don’t even need to have an account with Southwest to use their Low Fare Calendar, making it easy to quickly compare your options.

Southwest also includes two free checked bags as part of their standard ticket, making it a cost-effective option if you have luggage to check. As Southwest doesn’t offer a proper business-class product, you’ll be limited to economy award fares—saving you even more points for your next redemption.

For a one-way economy award fare from Los Angeles to New Orleans, you can find fares for 11,262 points + $5.60 in taxes and fees. These are nonstop flights make Southwest a great choice for West Coast-based flyers.

Alternatively, if you’re based in the Midwest, you can find one-way economy fares for as little as 4,238 points + $5.60 in taxes and fees.

For East Coast flyers, a one-way economy fare from New York-La Guardia (LGA) to New Orleans can cost just 4,160 points + $5.60 in taxes and fees.

If you’re based in or around Tampa (TPA), you can find one-way economy tickets with Southwest starting at 6,901 points + $5.60 in taxes and fees.

Overall, transferring your Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Southwest can score you cheap flights from around the country to New Orleans. Flying your entire family there and back would be easily possible by choosing Southwest.

United Airlines

United Airlines also offers nonstop flights to New Orleans from across the United States and has the most premium offering in terms of flying first class.

While you don’t need an account to view award fares, United typically displays more award availability and Saver Award fares to its members. Therefore, it’s best to create a United MileagePlus account and log in before searching for award fares.

United also allows you to search by month, making it easy to compare your options.

If you happen to hold the The New United℠ Explorer Card, you and up to one companion can each check a bag free of charge. If you hold the The New United Quest℠ Card, that increases to two free checked bags per person.

For a one-way economy fare from Chicago-O’Hare (ORD) to New Orleans, you can pay 8,300 miles + $5.60 in taxes and fees. If you want to up the luxury on your way to the Paris of the South, a one-way, first-class fare can cost just 30,000 miles + $5.60 in taxes and fees. If both you and your traveling partner have earned welcome bonuses from the Chase Sapphire Preferred, you could fly to New Orleans and back in first class on points alone (plus the taxes and fees).

If you’re flying from Newark (EWR), you can find one-way Saver Award fares from 9,200 miles + $5.60 in taxes and fees. A one-way, first-class fare can go for 30,000 miles + $5.60 in taxes and fees.

You can also find United Saver Award fares from the West Coast. From Santa Ana (SNA), a one-way economy fare comes to 15,000 miles + $5.60 in taxes and fees.

And from San Francisco, it’ll cost you 15,000 miles + $5.60 in taxes and fees for a one-way economy Saver Award fare.

United offers a wide variety of routes for getting to New Orleans, with cost-effective Saver Award fares and first-class fares to get you there and back in style. You and your partner’s Sapphire Preferred welcome offers could easily cover the cost of your flights to New Orleans with United.

Where to Stay in New Orleans on Points

With your award tickets booked, it’s time to focus on accommodation. There are a ton of Marriott properties in New Orleans to choose from and something for every budget—especially when you’re equipped with 185,000 to 370,000 Marriott points.

You can also take advantage of Marriott’s fifth free night on consecutive award stays of four nights or more.

If you want to be in the center of the action, you might want to look for a property in the French Quarter. Just beware that the French Quarter and Bourbon Street in particular can get loud at night, so it’s best for families with young children to avoid properties in this area.

If you want to be within walking distance of the rhythm and blues of the French Quarter but avoid the often massive crowds, you could look into booking a hotel in the Central Business District. You’ll find a range of Marriott-owned properties here where you will never be far from the action.

Alternatively, if you want a quieter, low-key vibe with an array of great restaurants and cafes, check out properties in the Garden District and Uptown. Here, you’ll find beautifully maintained historic properties alongside verdant neighborhoods. It’s also easy to commute from the Garden District to the French Quarter using the RTA Streetcar service, with an “All-day Jazzy Pass” costing just $3 per person.

Let’s check out some of the best properties in New Orleans.

Four Points By Sheraton French Quarter

Located in the heart of the French Quarter, Four Points By Sheraton French Quarter offers centrality to the cultural hub of New Orleans.

It’s situated on Bourbon Street, meaning you’re just a few minutes walk from many of New Orleans’ hotspots—whether it’s beignets at Cafe du Monde or a concert at the Preservation Jazz Hall.

The hotel offers 186 guest rooms, making it relatively small. It also has its own pool and fitness center, and breakfast is available for an additional charge.

You can find rooms starting at around 50,000 to 70,000 points per night.

Courtyard New Orleans French Quarter/Iberville

The Courtyard New Orleans French Quarter/Iberville offers proximity to the French Quarter while avoiding the night time crowds on Bourbon Street.

Located on Iberville Street, you’re just a few minutes away on foot from New Orleans’ major restaurants and jazz clubs. You’re also positioned close to the streetcar, enabling you to explore the rest of the Crescent City cheaply.

The hotel offers 230 rooms, with a full-service spa in addition to a fitness center.

You can find rooms here starting at 30,000 points per night, making it an affordable option.

Moxy New Orleans Downtown/French Quarter Area

If you want to stay at an affordable property in the Central Business District, the Moxy New Orleans Downtown/French Quarter Area is a solid choice.

Set back from Canal Street on O’Keefe Avenue, you aren’t far from the hustle and bustle of the French Quarter but can enjoy some peace and quiet come night time. You’re also better situated to some of the lesser-known restaurants and bars—such as Cochon or Bar Métier—visited by the locals of New Orleans.

Award nights start at 31,000 points per night, making it an affordable choice.

Sheraton New Orleans

Located in the heart of the Central Business District, the Sheraton New Orleans is a 49-story skyscraper offering a stylish hotel stay with 1,110 rooms to choose from.

You’re situated just a few blocks away from the Mississippi River and French Quarter, making it an ideal location. The Sheraton also offers live jazz music on-site every Friday and Saturday night at the Blue Dog.

Pricing varies, with award rates ranging between 43,000 to 70,000 points per night.

Hotel Tonnelle New Orleans, A Tribute Portfolio Hotel

Located in the Lower Garden District, Hotel Tonnelle New Orleans, A Tribute Portfolio Hotel, offers a peaceful place to stay away from the main tourist hotspots of New Orleans.

It’s located on St. Charles Avenue, making it easy to hop aboard the streetcar and travel to the French Quarter. It also has its own restaurant, offering breakfast as well as New Orleans classics.

Award nights vary in price between 43,000 and 70,000 points per night.

Final Thoughts

Vacations don’t need to break the bank to be fun. And a trip to the Big Easy is no exception.

Applying for the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card and Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card when their welcome offers are at their highest, will give you the best chance to earn hundreds of thousands of points. Equipped with these points, you can book award flights through United, Southwest or JetBlue and stay at one of the many Marriott-owned properties across New Orleans.

That way, the only other expenses you’ll need to cover are dining costs, which you can help offset by using one of the best credit cards for dining.

* Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions, and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by Amex Assurance Company.