How We Saved $20,000 on a London & Paris Family Trip Using Points

January 20, 2026

London and Paris are bucket-list trips for so many families — and in this episode, I’m breaking down exactly how we made it happen using points. From business class flights and Hyatt award stays to the real challenges of booking hotels for families in Europe, I’m sharing what worked, what didn’t, and the strategies I’d use again.

In today’s episode, we’re chatting about

  • How our family pulled off London, Paris & Mallorca in peak summer using mostly points
  • The exact business class flights to Europe we booked
  • Real talk about Europe hotel occupancy rules for families — and smart ways around them
  • When it does make sense to pay cash instead of using points (and why that’s not a failure)
  • Niche but gold tips: Eurostar mistakes to avoid, laundry hacks in London, and tour wins (and fails)
  • A full breakdown of what we spent in points vs. cash — and why flexibility is everything

📋 SHOW NOTES

Booking JetBlue Mint via Qatar – including step by step to move Avios from British Airways to Qatar

Points we use for Hyatt award stays – earning transferable points (not hotel specific points) is key

Thrifty Travel Premium Newsletter – use “fancy” at checkout for $20 off 1st year

MaxMyPoint – Set up hotel alerts for award availability

New to points & Miles? Start with my favorite card!

📋 READY TO LEVEL UP YOUR POINTS TRAVEL?

Free points & miles guide – PDF downloaded over 17K times

Fancy Travel Pointers Instagram – keep up to date on all the latest points news

Fancy Travel Pointers Facebook – great place to share wins, ask questions 

Fancy Travel Pointers Newsletter – sent weekly to over 24K points lovers!

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