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

The 2024-2025 ski season is nearly upon us. Huge-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 good time to start out planning (and budgeting for) a winter getaway.

Even a budget-conscious ski journey can simply value between $200 and $500 per individual, per day whenever you embrace carry tickets, gear leases, meals, lodging and transportation. Tack on some non-public ski classes, flights or a splurge on fancy lodging, and that complete can rapidly multiply.

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

Associated: All the pieces you might want to learn 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 lower your expenses by utilizing 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’ll be able to e book award flights instantly by way of airways. You may often discover one of the best offers both on the final minute (when resort costs is probably not equally low cost) or far upfront, so we advocate beginning your search early. Most airways provide some type of calendar function, permitting you to see which dates have one of the best costs.

Listed below are some nice choices we discovered.

*Notice costs have 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 all the pieces goes easily, however remember that you are much less prone to discover a nonstop flight to those smaller airports and extra prone to see your flight get delayed or canceled because of unpredictable mountain climate. A number of years in the past, TPG’s Summer season Hull was caught in Aspen, Colorado, for days because of a snowstorm (fortunately, she had built-in journey insurance coverage through her Chase Sapphire Reserve®).

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

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

You may usually get these flights for much less by reserving them by way of Turkish Airways’ Miles&Smiles program or Avianca LifeMiles as an alternative. 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 method.

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 method. It additionally has loads of award area for flights from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Worldwide Airport (ATL) and Dulles Worldwide Airport (IAD) close to Washington, D.C., for under 6,000 miles every method. That is an awesome deal for flights that value 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 area 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 under 7,500 miles and round $20 in taxes and costs every method. Since these flights value upward of $400 every method, that provides 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 beneath 10,000 Southwest Fast Rewards factors every method this January — and in case you maintain the sought-after Companion Go, you possibly can carry a cherished one for simply the price of taxes and costs. You may additionally get two free checked luggage, which is very useful when touring with ski gear.

Most airways aren’t so beneficiant relating to baggage, however having an airline cobranded bank card will usually get you at the very least one free checked bag.

Flights to bigger airports

You could select to fly into a bigger airport, even when it is a bit of farther from the slopes. Some frequent ones embrace 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 offers you extra choices relating to flights and doubtlessly higher award pricing.

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

Since Southwest does not serve many of the smaller mountain airports, flying into an even bigger airport will give Southwest loyalists much more choices to make use of their Fast Rewards factors, Companion Go or bank card perks.

The draw back of this strategy is that you’ll have to prepare journey from the airport to your vacation spot. Fortunately, many ski locations provide shuttle providers 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 you might want to know

Bank card portals and perks

When researching flights, do not overlook bank card journey reserving platforms, the place you’ll be able to redeem factors for flights at a flat fee. 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 popular® 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. If you happen to discover a low cost flight to your ski vacation spot, this might be an effective way to e book it with factors or miles. And since airways sometimes code these flights as paid income flights, you may doubtless nonetheless earn airline factors or miles on them.

You can too select to e book a flight in money after which redeem your factors or miles for a press release credit score to cowl the acquisition. For instance, the Capital One Enterprise X Rewards Credit score Card presents a fee of 1 cent per mile whereas permitting you to reap the benefits of bank card perks like journey cancellation and interruption.

Do not forget to reap the benefits of different card advantages, both. Airline playing cards usually present free checked luggage or boarding upgrades. Some playing cards provide money again (within the type of a press release credit score) on airline incidental purchases; for instance, The Platinum Card® from American Categorical offers an annual (as much as) $200 assertion credit score towards airline incidental charges (enrollment is required). You should utilize 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 worthwhile reductions on award flights. For instance, Delta’s TakeOff 15 function 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 annually.

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

If you happen to’re a frequent skier, you already know the way dear on-mountain lodging may 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 need to use your hard-earned factors and miles and free night time certificates to slash the price of your ski journey.

Even higher, most of those lodges’ websites provide a calendar function that will help you discover one of the best charges and dates on your wintry trip. Listed below are some offers we have discovered at the most well-liked packages.

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

Hilton Honors

If you happen to’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 is no set award chart. As a substitute, the resort operates utilizing dynamic pricing, besides for normal room rewards. Every resort has a variety for the variety of factors it fees per night time for normal room rewards that yow will discover utilizing Hilton’s Factors Explorer device.

Though you’ll be able to count on most dates throughout ski season to fall beneath peak pricing and thus have the very 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 night time in January.

Since these are normal room rewards, these with a Hilton Honors American Categorical Surpass® Card (after spending $15,000 in a calendar 12 months) or a Hilton Honors American Categorical Aspire Card may theoretically use a free night time reward — however we would not advocate it. These certificates are extraordinarily worthwhile as a result of you need to use them for any normal room reward value as much as 150,000 factors. You are higher off utilizing your free night time 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 often climb to effectively over $1,000 per night time.

The data for the Hilton Honors American Categorical 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 lots of Hilton’s ski properties, the Waldorf Astoria Park Metropolis is classed 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 embrace the DoubleTree by Hilton Resort Breckenridge, the Hilton Trip Membership Lake Tahoe Resort South, the Homewood Suites by Hilton Mont-Tremblant Resort and the Hilton Whistler Resort & Spa.

Hilton presents 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 night time 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 may end up in some implausible Hyatt redemptions.

Whereas the top-notch ski resorts will sometimes require between 25,000 and 45,000 World of Hyatt factors per night time, there are just a few hidden gems in this system. For instance, Hyatt Place Keystone / Dillon and Hyatt Place Park Metropolis are each Class 4 properties, that means they value solely 18,000 factors per night time 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 night time certificates.

You may usually get probably 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 night time. Money charges common round $1,300 throughout ski season, providing you with a price of roughly 4.5 cents per level — effectively 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 least expensive. Though most dates throughout ski season are likely to fall beneath “peak” pricing, you might get fortunate.

One main advantage of 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 find out how to earn it

Marriott Bonvoy

If an annual ski trip is in your future, you may most likely need to begin incomes factors throughout the Marriott Bonvoy program ASAP. That is as a result of it presents the best variety of ski-friendly properties throughout out west and past. There’s all the pieces from high-end ski-in, ski-out resorts to extra budget-friendly properties not too removed from the principle ski villages.

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

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

However as with Hyatt, you’ll be able to usually maximize the worth of your factors at Marriott’s luxurious properties — when you’ve got 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 night time. With money charges round $1,300, you may 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 think about embrace 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, in contrast to Hilton and Hyatt, Marriott fees nightly resort charges, even in case you e book with factors or maintain elite standing. You may obtain your fifth night time free when reserving with factors, but it surely’ll take off your least costly night time.

Some Marriott playing cards present annual free night time awards that you need to use at quite a lot of properties. The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit score Card is at the moment 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 provide: You may earn 60,000 factors plus one free night time 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: One of the best Marriott all-inclusive resorts for an ideal trip

Different lodges and trip leases

We have coated among the hottest factors lodges, however they are not the one ones to think about on your ski journey.

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

Wyndham Accommodations & Resorts has a number of choices which can be a bit of 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 night time. 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.

Selection Accommodations’ 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 that you could’t e book with Selection Privileges factors till 100 days upfront.

If you happen to’d favor a trip rental — maybe since you’re touring with a big group or hoping to economize by eating in — there are just a few methods to e book trip leases with factors by way of locations like Vacasa, Marriott Properties & Villas, Properties & Hideaways by World of Hyatt and Bluegreen Holidays. Moreover, some bank card journey portals, like Capital One Journey, now provide 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’ll be able to e book lodges instantly with factors or miles through your bank card’s journey portal. This feature is engaging in case you maintain Chase’s Sapphire Most popular or Sapphire Reserve, as they provide you a redemption worth of 1.25 cents per level and 1.5 cents per level, respectively, whenever you e book by way of Chase Journey.

Moreover, the Capital One Enterprise X Rewards Credit score Card offers a $300 journey credit score every cardmember 12 months; nonetheless, you need to e book by way of 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 may assume you’ve got coated the majority of your ski journey bills. However remember about the price of carry tickets, ski passes and tools. These bills are simple to miss, however they will rapidly stack as much as tons of 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 economize (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 by way of advance single-day ticket reservations or a bigger bundle or go, which typically provide higher charges than shopping for your ticket on the mountain. A season go is smart in case you plan to take a couple of ski journey, and it may even be well 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.

In the case of utilizing factors for carry tickets and passes, you might have just a few choices. Many rewards playing cards provide a strategy to put your factors or miles towards earlier purchases, providing you with a press release credit score that successfully cancels the acquisition. Nevertheless, the classes you are able to do this with — and the worth you may get out of your factors or miles — rely upon what card you might have.

As an example, Capital One helps you to pay with miles for journey purchases at a fee of 1 cent per mile. Nevertheless, ski passes sometimes do not code as journey purchases; they usually code as leisure. You could possibly 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 strategy to get round that is by way of a website referred to as Undercover Vacationer. A number of big-name ski passes, such because the Epic Go, can be found for buy through the location. If you happen to purchase your go by way of Undercover Vacationer, the acquisition will code as journey, providing you with extra choices to redeem factors and miles.

To illustrate you got a three-day Epic Go for $330 on Undercover Vacationer together 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. If you happen to purchased the identical go elsewhere and it coded as leisure, you possibly can nonetheless redeem your miles for money again, however you’d must redeem double the miles to cowl the acquisition.

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

Redeem factors for ski present playing cards

Alternatively, you’ll be able to 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 fee of 1 cent every for present playing cards at numerous retailers, together with REI. Citi helps you to redeem Citi ThankYou Rewards factors for present playing cards on the identical worth, and you may typically rise up to 1.11 cents per level throughout gross sales.

You can too redeem 28,600 American Categorical Membership Rewards factors for a $200 Aspen Snowmass present card, however we do not advocate it. At lower than a 1-cent-per-point redemption, this is not an awesome 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 without cost

Along with utilizing factors and miles, there are lots of methods for youngsters and seniors to ski without cost (or at a drastic low cost). Concentrating on resorts the place at the very least among the household can ski for much less can prevent critical money and/or factors and miles.

Lease ski gear utilizing factors

As with carry tickets, you’ll be able to redeem your factors and miles for present playing cards or assertion credit to place towards ski gear purchases. However when you’ve got Chase Final Rewards factors, you can even use them to lease ski gear in lots of areas.

Within the Chase Journey portal, you’ll be able to redeem factors instantly for journey. Ski gear leases are included beneath 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 popular cardholders can redeem factors at a fee of 1.25 cents every; these with the Sapphire Reserve get an excellent higher fee of 1.5 cents every.

Guide floor transportation on 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

If you happen to want a car 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 need to use rental automotive rewards factors to e book your car instantly, or you’ll be able to e book it with bank card factors or miles by way of your issuer’s journey portal. You can too use cash-back rewards towards assertion credit to cowl the price of a rental automotive (in addition to associated purchases like gasoline and parking).

And remember that many journey rewards playing cards provide automotive rental insurance coverage, so you will not must pay additional for it. Some playing cards present elite standing at sure rental businesses, which regularly comes with perks like car 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

If you happen to’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 Categorical presents van service (with free Wi-Fi) from the Denver airport to many Colorado ski areas, similar to Vail, Breckenridge, Keystone and Copper Mountain — and Epic Go holders get a 20% low cost. The Snowstang bus runs to a number of ski hills in Colorado, and Amtrak presents a Winter Park Categorical prepare.

Similar to with gear leases, you’ll be able to typically e book these shuttles and airport transfers by way of the Chase Journey portal. And since many ski villages provide free shuttles round city, you most likely will not miss having a automotive when you get there.

Associated: One of the best bank cards for Amtrak and prepare journey

For flights, lodging, rental vehicles, and anything that codes as journey, use a card that provides 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 below are a few of our favourite choices: