Plan your ski journey utilizing factors and miles: Methods to e book flights, lodges, carry tickets and extra

The 2024-2025 ski season is nearly upon us. Massive-name U.S. resorts like those in Vail, Colorado; Park Metropolis, Utah; and round Lake Tahoe on the California-Nevada border are slated to open in mid-November, and Colorado’s Wolf Creek Ski Space is already open because of an October snowstorm. Which means now is a superb time to begin planning (and budgeting for) a winter getaway.

Even a budget-conscious ski journey can simply price between $200 and $500 per individual, per day while you embody carry tickets, gear leases, meals, lodging and transportation. Tack on some personal ski classes, flights or a splurge on fancy lodging, and that whole can shortly multiply.

Nonetheless, your subsequent journey to the mountain does not have to empty 1000’s of {dollars} out of your checking account. The truth is, you possibly can pay for a lot of your ski journey utilizing factors and miles. Here is how.

Associated: Every thing that you must find out about packing for a ski journey

Flights are one of many largest bills when taking a ski journey — and one of many best methods to get monetary savings through the use of factors and miles.

When you’ve got a stash of airline factors or miles or a bank card that earns transferable factors or miles, you possibly can e book award flights instantly via airways. You will often discover the very best offers both on the final minute (when resort costs might not be equally low-cost) or far prematurely, so we suggest beginning your search early. Most airways supply some form of calendar characteristic, permitting you to see which dates have the very best costs.

Listed here are some nice choices we discovered.

*Notice costs had been correct on the time of publishing.

Flights to mountain airports

There are two methods for flying to a ski vacation spot. The primary is to fly right into a small airport that is near the slopes. That is very handy when every thing goes easily, however take into account that you are much less more likely to discover a nonstop flight to those smaller airports and extra more likely to see your flight get delayed or canceled resulting from unpredictable mountain climate. Just a few years in the past, TPG’s Summer season Hull was caught in Aspen, Colorado, for days resulting from a snowstorm (fortunately, she had built-in journey insurance coverage by way of her Chase Sapphire Reserve®).

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Additionally, seats on these flights could be fairly dear, particularly on weekends or holidays throughout peak ski season. However there are some improbable award offers on the market that may enable you to get to your favourite ski slope for (virtually) free.

As an example, United Airways constantly provides Saver awards from many U.S. cities to prime ski locations for 15,000 MileagePlus miles (plus $5.60 in taxes and costs) every approach.

You may usually get these flights for much less by reserving them via Turkish Airways’ Miles&Smiles program or Avianca LifeMiles as a substitute. On this case, the very same United flight from Boston Logan Worldwide Airport (BOS) to Aspen/Pitkin County Airport (ASE) prices solely 12,500 LifeMiles (plus 51,351 Colombian pesos, or about $12) every approach.

American Airways has January flights to Jackson Gap Airport (JAC) in Wyoming from East Coast airports like Miami Worldwide Airport (MIA) and Charlotte Douglas Worldwide Airport (CLT) starting from 8,500 to 11,000 American Airways AAdvantage miles and $5.60 in taxes and costs every approach. It additionally has loads of award house for flights from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Worldwide Airport (ATL) and Dulles Worldwide Airport (IAD) close to Washington, D.C., for less than 6,000 miles every approach. That is an important deal for flights that price roughly $200 to $400 one-way, providing you with a price of over 3 cents per mile. (AAdvantage miles are value 1.6 cents every, per TPG’s November 2024 valuations.)

Alaska Airways Mileage Plan has open award house to Vail’s Eagle County Regional Airport (EGE) from main airports like Chicago’s O’Hare Worldwide Airport (ORD), Minneapolis-St. Paul Worldwide Airport (MSP) and Seattle-Tacoma Worldwide Airport (SEA) for less than 7,500 miles and round $20 in taxes and costs every approach. Since these flights price upward of $400 every approach, that offers you a superb worth of over 5 cents per mile.

Southwest Airways does not fly to a ton of smaller ski locations, but it surely does serve Yampa Valley Regional Airport (HDN) in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. For instance, you possibly can fly from Houston’s William P. Interest Airport (HOU) to HDN for underneath 10,000 Southwest Speedy Rewards factors every approach this January — and if you happen to maintain the sought-after Companion Move, you possibly can convey a cherished one for simply the price of taxes and costs. You will additionally get two free checked baggage, which is very useful when touring with ski gear.

Most airways aren’t so beneficiant in relation to baggage, however having an airline cobranded bank card will usually get you no less than one free checked bag.

Flights to bigger airports

It’s possible you’ll select to fly into a bigger airport, even when it is slightly farther from the slopes. Some frequent ones embody Denver Worldwide Airport (DEN), Salt Lake Metropolis Worldwide Airport (SLC) and Reno-Tahoe Worldwide Airport (RNO), relying on the place you are planning to ski. This provides you extra choices in relation to flights and doubtlessly higher award pricing.

As an example, you possibly can fly to Denver on Delta Air Strains this upcoming ski season for underneath 10,000 SkyMiles every approach from locations like Seattle (5,500 miles), Minneapolis (6,500 miles), Chicago (7,000 miles) and Boston (9,500 miles). United is presently providing flights to Reno from New York Metropolis ranging from 13,300 MileagePlus miles every approach or from Seattle ranging from 10,100 miles one-way. As for American, the service has award house to Salt Lake Metropolis from Miami, Dallas and Charleston, South Carolina, for round 10,000 AAdvantage miles every approach.

Since Southwest does not serve a lot of the smaller mountain airports, flying into a much bigger airport will give Southwest loyalists much more choices to make use of their Speedy Rewards factors, Companion Move or bank card perks.

The draw back of this method is that you’ll have to organize journey from the airport to your vacation spot. Fortunately, many ski locations supply shuttle companies and public transportation choices, and there are a number of methods to e book rental vehicles with factors or miles — we’ll cowl these in additional element later.

Associated: Denver airport will get 17 new safety lanes — here is what that you must know

Bank card portals and perks

When researching flights, do not overlook bank card journey reserving platforms, the place you possibly can redeem factors for flights at a flat charge. As an example, many Capital One cardholders can get 1 cent per mile on Capital One Journey purchases, whereas these with the Chase Sapphire Most well-liked® Card or the Chase Sapphire Reserve can get 1.25 or 1.5 cents per level, respectively, utilizing the Chase Journey℠ portal.

On this case, the fee in factors or miles correlates to the money value of a flight. In case you discover a low-cost flight to your ski vacation spot, this might be a good way to e book it with factors or miles. And since airways usually code these flights as paid income flights, you will possible nonetheless earn airline factors or miles on them.

You can even select to e book a flight in money after which redeem your factors or miles for an announcement credit score to cowl the acquisition. For instance, the Capital One Enterprise X Rewards Credit score Card provides a charge of 1 cent per mile whereas permitting you to make the most of bank card perks like journey cancellation and interruption.

Do not forget to make the most of different card advantages, both. Airline playing cards usually present free checked baggage or boarding upgrades. Some playing cards supply money again (within the type of an announcement credit score) on airline incidental purchases; for instance, The Platinum Card® from American Specific offers an annual (as much as) $200 assertion credit score towards airline incidental charges (enrollment is required). You should use this to cowl checked baggage charges (which might actually add up on a household ski journey) or pay for seat assignments to make sure your group can sit collectively.

Merely holding sure playing cards can get you invaluable reductions on award flights. For instance, Delta’s TakeOff 15 characteristic provides many eligible Delta cobranded cardholders a 15% low cost on flights booked with Delta SkyMiles, whereas the United Quest℠ Card offers two 5,000-mile rebates on award flights every year.

Associated: United Quest vs. Delta SkyMiles Platinum Amex: Battle of the mid-tier airline playing cards

In case you’re a frequent skier, you already know the way dear on-mountain lodging could be throughout ski season. The excellent news is that many of those lodges belong to main loyalty packages like Hilton Honors, World of Hyatt and Marriott Bonvoy, that means you should use your hard-earned factors and miles and free evening certificates to slash the price of your ski journey.

Even higher, most of those lodges’ websites supply a calendar characteristic that can assist you discover the very best charges and dates in your wintry trip. Listed here are some offers we have discovered at the preferred packages.

*Notice costs had been correct on the time of publishing.

Hilton Honors

In case you’re a Hilton loyalist, there are lots of choices for redeeming your Honors Honors factors at lodges at or close to ski resorts. With the Hilton Honors program, there isn’t any set award chart. As an alternative, the resort operates utilizing dynamic pricing, besides for normal room rewards. Every resort has a spread for the variety of factors it prices per evening for normal room rewards that you will discover utilizing Hilton’s Factors Explorer software.

Though you possibly can anticipate most dates throughout ski season to fall underneath peak pricing and thus have the best award charges, there are some affordable choices on the market. For instance, the Hampton Inn & Suites South Lake Tahoe runs between 47,000 and 70,000 factors per evening in January.

Since these are commonplace room rewards, these with a Hilton Honors American Specific Surpass® Card (after spending $15,000 in a calendar yr) or a Hilton Honors American Specific Aspire Card may theoretically use a free evening reward — however we would not suggest it. These certificates are extraordinarily invaluable as a result of you should use them for any commonplace room reward value as much as 150,000 factors. You are higher off utilizing your free evening at a property just like the Waldorf Astoria Park Metropolis, which prices 110,000 factors for the standard room reward. Money charges there throughout ski season recurrently climb to nicely over $1,000 per evening.

The knowledge for the Hilton Honors American Specific Aspire Card has been collected independently by The Factors Man. The cardboard particulars on this web page haven’t been reviewed or supplied by the cardboard issuer.

Like a lot of Hilton’s ski properties, the Waldorf Astoria Park Metropolis is assessed as a resort by Hilton, that means Aspire cardholders can use their semiannual (as much as) $200 Hilton resort assertion credit score there. Different Hilton ski resorts embody the DoubleTree by Hilton Lodge Breckenridge, the Hilton Trip Membership Lake Tahoe Resort South, the Homewood Suites by Hilton Mont-Tremblant Resort and the Hilton Whistler Resort & Spa.

Hilton provides a number of cobranded bank cards to fast-track your Honors factors. Many of those present elite standing, which not solely provides you perks throughout your keep but additionally permits you to e book a fifth evening free with factors.

Associated: Finest Hilton bank cards

World of Hyatt

World of Hyatt is a in style resort program amongst vacationers, partially as a result of it nonetheless makes use of an award chart — which can lead to some improbable Hyatt redemptions.

Whereas the top-notch ski resorts will usually require between 25,000 and 45,000 World of Hyatt factors per evening, there are a couple of hidden gems in this system. For instance, Hyatt Place Keystone / Dillon and Hyatt Place Park Metropolis are each Class 4 properties, that means they price solely 18,000 factors per evening on peak dates. For these with the World of Hyatt Credit score Card, it is a nice alternative to make use of your annual Hyatt Class 1-4 free evening certificates.

You may usually get essentially the most worth out of your factors at higher-category properties. As an example, the Grand Hyatt Deer Valley is a Class 6 property, that means peak dates will set you again 29,000 factors per evening. Money charges common round $1,300 throughout ski season, providing you with a price of roughly 4.5 cents per level — nicely over TPG’s November 2024 valuation of 1.7 cents every for World of Hyatt factors.

When checking award charges at a person resort, click on “Factors Calendar” to see which dates are most cost-effective. Though most dates throughout ski season are likely to fall underneath “peak” pricing, you could get fortunate.

One main good thing about utilizing your factors at Hyatt properties is that resort charges are waived on award stays. Parking charges are additionally waived for Globalist members, even on paid reservations.

Associated: World of Hyatt elite standing: What it’s and how you can earn it

Marriott Bonvoy

If an annual ski trip is in your future, you will in all probability wish to begin incomes factors throughout the Marriott Bonvoy program ASAP. That is as a result of it provides the best variety of ski-friendly properties throughout out west and past. There’s every thing from high-end ski-in, ski-out resorts to extra budget-friendly properties not too removed from the primary ski villages.

Marriott now makes use of dynamic pricing, and ski season typically interprets to the best charges. You may seek for the most affordable dates by checking the “Versatile dates” field when setting the dates in your search.

Some moderately priced properties embody the Residence Inn Steamboat Springs and the Sheraton Steamboat Resort Villas, the place award charges this winter are largely within the 60,000- to 75,000-point vary. Each lodges supply full kitchens, so you possibly can save much more by eating in.

However as with Hyatt, you possibly can usually maximize the worth of your factors at Marriott’s luxurious properties — if in case you have sufficient factors to e book them. As an example, a weekend at The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe in January will set you again roughly 125,000 factors per evening. With money charges round $1,300, you will get a price of over 1 cent per level. That is fairly good, contemplating TPG values Bonvoy factors at 0.85 cents apiece, as of November 2024.

Different upscale resorts to contemplate embody The Cloudveil, Autograph Assortment in Jackson Gap, Wyoming, and The Sky Residences at W Aspen and The Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa, Avon, Vail Valley in Colorado.

Sadly, not like Hilton and Hyatt, Marriott prices nightly resort charges, even if you happen to e book with factors or maintain elite standing. You will obtain your fifth evening free when reserving with factors, but it surely’ll take off your least costly evening.

Some Marriott playing cards present annual free evening awards that you should use at a wide range of properties. The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit score Card is presently providing 125,000 bonus factors after spending $5,000 in eligible purchases in your first three months from account opening. The Marriott Bonvoy Daring® Credit score Card has its best-ever supply: You may earn 60,000 factors plus one free evening award (valued as much as 50,000 factors) after you spend $2,000 on eligible purchases throughout the first three months from account opening. (Sure lodges have resort charges.)

Associated: The perfect Marriott all-inclusive resorts for an ideal trip

Different lodges and trip leases

We have lined a number of the hottest factors lodges, however they are not the one ones to contemplate in your ski journey.

IHG Resorts & Resorts provides a handful of properties conveniently positioned close to ski resorts, just like the Vacation Inn Steamboat Springs, the Vacation Inn Specific & Suites Park Metropolis and the Vacation Inn Membership Holidays Tahoe Ridge Resort. Many of those price 40,000 IHG One Rewards factors or much less per evening, which implies you should use your annual anniversary reward evening certificates (capped at 40,000 factors) that comes with the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit score Card. Cardmembers additionally get a fourth evening free on consecutive award stays.

Wyndham Resorts & Resorts has a number of choices which might be slightly outdoors of in style ski resorts, leading to a lot decrease costs. As an example, the Tremendous 8 by Wyndham Dillon/Breckenridge Space is inside a half-hour drive of Breckenridge and Keystone, Colorado, and prices solely 15,000 Wyndham Rewards factors per evening. Some Wyndham resorts require a two- or three-night minimal keep, so it may assist to test for award availability for a number of nights.

Alternative Resorts’ portfolio features a handful of properties close to ski slopes, like Consolation Inn Close to Vail Beaver Creek in Colorado and High quality Inn Close to Mammoth Mountain Ski Resort in California. The draw back is you can’t e book with Alternative Privileges factors till 100 days prematurely.

In case you’d desire a trip rental — maybe since you’re touring with a big group or hoping to save cash by eating in — there are a couple of methods to e book trip leases with factors via locations like Vacasa, Marriott Houses & Villas, Houses & Hideaways by World of Hyatt and Bluegreen Holidays. Moreover, some bank card journey portals, like Capital One Journey, now supply a collection of trip leases. An alternative choice is to e book a Vrbo or an Airbnb with money and use your bank card factors or miles to repay the acquisition.

Associated: Planning for ski season: How I booked a $1,500 trip rental for simply 45,000 factors

Bank card journey portals

As with flights, you possibly can e book lodges instantly with factors or miles by way of your bank card’s journey portal. This feature is engaging if you happen to maintain Chase’s Sapphire Most well-liked or Sapphire Reserve, as they provide you a redemption worth of 1.25 cents per level and 1.5 cents per level, respectively, while you e book via Chase Journey.

Moreover, the Capital One Enterprise X Rewards Credit score Card offers a $300 journey credit score every cardmember yr; nonetheless, you could e book via the Capital One Journey portal.

Get carry tickets and ski gear utilizing factors and miles

As soon as your flight and resort are taken care of, you would possibly assume you have lined the majority of your ski journey bills. However do not forget about the price of carry tickets, ski passes and tools. These bills are simple to miss, however they’ll shortly stack as much as a whole lot of {dollars} per individual. Fortunately, there are methods to cowl some or all of them with factors and miles.

Elevate tickets and passes

One tip to save cash (or factors and miles) and assure a day on the mountain is to buy carry tickets earlier than the season begins. You are able to do this via advance single-day ticket reservations or a bigger bundle or go, which typically supply higher charges than shopping for your ticket on the mountain. A season go is smart if you happen to plan to take multiple ski journey, and it may even be definitely worth the cash for a single weeklong journey. Remember that go costs usually rise as ski season nears, and gross sales often finish sooner or later in fall.

On the subject of utilizing factors for carry tickets and passes, you may have a couple of choices. Many rewards playing cards supply a method to put your factors or miles towards earlier purchases, providing you with an announcement credit score that successfully cancels the acquisition. Nonetheless, the classes you are able to do this with — and the worth you will get out of your factors or miles — rely on what card you may have.

As an example, Capital One helps you to pay with miles for journey purchases at a charge of 1 cent per mile. Nonetheless, ski passes usually do not code as journey purchases; they usually code as leisure. You can redeem your Capital One miles for money again to cowl the price of your ski go, however that might provide you with half the worth at 0.5 cents per mile.

One method to get round that is via a web site known as Undercover Vacationer. A number of big-name ski passes, such because the Epic Move, can be found for buy by way of the positioning. In case you purchase your go via Undercover Vacationer, the acquisition will code as journey, providing you with extra choices to redeem factors and miles.

To illustrate to procure a three-day Epic Move for $330 on Undercover Vacationer along with your Capital One Enterprise Rewards Credit score Card. Since Capital One considers this a journey buy, you possibly can redeem 33,000 miles to cowl it. In case you purchased the identical go elsewhere and it coded as leisure, you possibly can nonetheless redeem your miles for money again, however you’d have to redeem double the miles to cowl the acquisition.

Associated: What’s the very best ski go this season? Evaluating Epic, Ikon, Mountain Collective and Indy passes

Redeem factors for ski present playing cards

Alternatively, you possibly can put your factors towards carry tickets by redeeming them for related present playing cards. For instance, Chase helps you to redeem Chase Final Rewards factors at a charge of 1 cent every for present playing cards at varied retailers, together with REI. Citi helps you to redeem Citi ThankYou Rewards factors for present playing cards on the similar worth, and you’ll typically stand up to 1.11 cents per level throughout gross sales.

You can even redeem 28,600 American Specific Membership Rewards factors for a $200 Aspen Snowmass present card, however we do not suggest it. At lower than a 1-cent-per-point redemption, this is not an important choice for vacationers, particularly when TPG values these factors at 2 cents every as of November 2024. Typically, you are higher off utilizing your factors for flights or lodging.

Ski totally free

Along with utilizing factors and miles, there are lots of methods for youngsters and seniors to ski totally free (or at a drastic low cost). Concentrating on resorts the place no less than a number of the household can ski for much less can prevent severe money and/or factors and miles.

Lease ski gear utilizing factors

As with carry tickets, you possibly can redeem your factors and miles for present playing cards or assertion credit to place towards ski gear purchases. However if in case you have Chase Final Rewards factors, you can too use them to lease ski gear in lots of places.

Within the Chase Journey portal, you possibly can redeem factors instantly for journey. Ski gear leases are included underneath the “Actions” tab.

Simply enter your vacation spot and dates, then filter the outcomes for phrases like “ski.”

This can be a fairly good use of your factors since you’ll get a price of greater than 1 cent per level. Sapphire Most well-liked cardholders can redeem factors at a charge of 1.25 cents every; these with the Sapphire Reserve get a good higher charge of 1.5 cents every.

Ebook floor transportation in your ski journey with factors and miles

Final however not at all times least is getting from the airport to the mountain (and again).

Rental vehicles

In case you want a automobile throughout your ski trip, there are a number of methods to e book rental vehicles with factors and miles. As with flights and lodges, you should use rental automotive rewards factors to e book your automobile instantly, or you possibly can e book it with bank card factors or miles via your issuer’s journey portal. You can even use cash-back rewards towards assertion credit to cowl the price of a rental automotive (in addition to associated purchases like fuel and parking).

And do not forget that many journey rewards playing cards supply automotive rental insurance coverage, so you will not have to pay additional for it. Some playing cards present elite standing at sure rental companies, which frequently comes with perks like automobile upgrades or a free second driver, saving you much more cash.

Associated: What I’ve discovered from a number of automotive leases with the Capital One Journey portal

Shuttles and public transportation

In case you’re balking on the considered paying for a rental automotive (or navigating snowy mountain roads), a shuttle service or public transportation could also be simpler in your pockets and your nerves.

Epic Mountain Specific provides van service (with free Wi-Fi) from the Denver airport to many Colorado ski areas, equivalent to Vail, Breckenridge, Keystone and Copper Mountain — and Epic Move holders get a 20% low cost. The Snowstang bus runs to a number of ski hills in Colorado, and Amtrak provides a Winter Park Specific practice.

Similar to with gear leases, you possibly can typically e book these shuttles and airport transfers via the Chase Journey portal. And since many ski villages supply free shuttles round city, you in all probability will not miss having a automotive when you get there.

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For flights, lodging, rental vehicles, and the rest that codes as journey, use a card that offers you bonus rewards on journey purchases. Many journey playing cards include built-in journey safety, eliminating the necessity to purchase journey insurance coverage and providing you with a security internet in case your journey does not go easily. Listed here are a few of our favourite choices:

For nontravel purchases like carry tickets and ski gear, take into account a card that earns bonus rewards on each buy:

*Eligibility and Profit degree varies by Card. Phrases, Situations and Limitations Apply. Please go to americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for extra particulars. Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance coverage Firm, an AIG Firm.

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