Wow, what a fantastic story we have here. It’s like the plot of an epic heist movie, but instead of stealing money from banks, this couple used credit card bonuses to fund their honeymoon trip to Japan. Talk about thinking outside the box (or should we say the wallet?).
Matthew and his wife decided against splurging on premium cabin airfare because let’s face it, who needs luxury when you can slum it in economy class for hours on end? By taking this approach, they were able to save up more points to use in Japan which is great because paper currency is so overrated.
To snag some flights for free or at a discount rate, Matthew and his spouse both opened The Platinum Card® from American Express with targeted welcome bonuses through CardMatch (subject to change at any time). Although if you’re looking into these deals now then sorry pal! This story includes references to some credit card offers that are no longer available. You can view our current offers here.
They managed to book round-trip nonstop airfare from Washington D.C.’s Dulles International Airport (IAD) all the way across Asia until they reached Tokyo’s Haneda airport using 100k Aeroplan points per ticket goodness gracious do those airlines really need that much payment by flying coach?!?
The Orchants saved themselves roughly $4,400 during their stay in Tokyo by booking rooms at 52-floor Andaz Tokyo Toranomon Hills utilizing their 120k World of Hyatt points while treating themselves with luxurious Aesop bath amenities!
In Kyoto staying at Park Hyatt also was essential as instead of leaving your sweet cash behind due to hefty prices averaging around $2k per night they redeemed just 35k points each night saving them fortunes indeed!
For Marriott certificates wow did W Osaka ever come alive offering three free nights with expiring sign-up bonus voucher going insane over there what an amazing deal! Since each night was just 44k points, they didn’t need to use any additional funds to top off their certificates.
The Orchants may have opened seven credit cards in eight months but does this mean we can all do it? Nooo because the application restrictions from major card issuers such as Chase’s “5/24 rule” for example is a major buzzkill and we totally would’ve gotten away with it too if it weren’t for those pesky kids!
If they had paid cash instead of using rewards, the trip would have cost them nearly $15,000. But saving money is always worth jumping through hoops like opening multiple lines of credit that will probably ruin your chances of getting loans down the road. Congrats to Matthew and his wife on their victory over the system – you deserve a round of applause (and maybe some financial counseling). Safe travels and make sure to bring back some souvenirs so people know how much cooler you are than them!
