How Points and Miles Took Me Around the World in First Class

Points and miles are my thing. Whether I’m looking to earn elite night credits via rewards credit card spend or booking flights to wherever has premium award space, I spend much of my time on planes, in hotels or writing about the lot of them. 

Each year I make a point of going somewhere for my birthday, so last year when first class award space opened up on Etihad Airways , I knew it was time to jump. Did I think I’d end up spending over a million points, 18 days and an entire workweek on a plane? No, but I’m glad I did. Let me show you how this bucket-list adventure breaks down. 

Earning the points

I used Hilton points, Avianca miles, IHG points, American Airlines AAdvantage miles (AA miles), Hyatt points, Virgin Atlantic points and free night certificates to make this trip happen.

A million points sounds like a lot, but the vast majority of it had to do with redeeming points for my hotel stay in the Maldives, which came in at 750,000 Hilton points. This is mainly because Hilton points tend to be far less valuable than other types of points — case in point, you can transfer American Express Membership Rewards® to Hilton at twice the rate you’ll find with Amex’s other hotel partners. 

See our complete guide: How do American Express transfer partners work?

That being said, earning enough points for this trip was certainly an endeavor. I’ve been accruing points and miles for many years now, which means I have already earned and redeemed most credit card welcome bonuses. I also don’t have a ton of spending (or at least, not enough to make this trip a reality), so in many cases I end up doing a few extra activities to earn my points. 

This means I will nearly always buy Hilton points when they’re on sale. A few times per year you’ll be able to purchase them for a half cent each, and with a 100% bonus, I can easily grab 320,000 points for $1,600. 

I also stay fairly frequently in Hilton hotels, where my Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card
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(terms apply) and its automatic Diamond elite status with the brand earn me a total of 34 Hilton points for every dollar I spend at one of their properties. Suffice it to say that the points add up quickly. 

In general, I make sure I’m always maximizing my spending with the appropriate card, such as putting dining purchases on my American Express® Gold Card (terms apply, rates & fees), which has an annual fee of $250 and earns 4 Membership Rewards points per $1 at restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S., 4 points per $1 at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1 point), 3 points per $1 on flights booked directly with airlines or through American Express travel and 1 point per $1 on other eligible purchases. I also take other steps to earn points and miles. This includes the following activities: 

• Using Simply Miles to earn AA miles.
• Booking hotel stays with Rocketmiles to grab 10,000+ airline miles per night.
• Scouring Amex Offers for lump-sum point-earning opportunities.
• Tracking all my purchases through shopping portals to earn additional rewards. Sending credit card referrals whenever someone asks. 

I also hold points in every flexible point currency, including Amex points, Chase Ultimate Rewards®, Capital One Miles, Citi ThankYou® points and Bilt Rewards. Having a balance with each allows me to always book the best (cheapest) partner for whatever travel needs crop up. 

Booking the flights

This trip involved quite a few bookings, cancellations and rebookings since my goal was also to visit friends along the way. Rather than a straightforward circumnavigation, I hopped to where the award availability sent me, which meant I spent a little extra time on the plane. Since it was usually in first class, I wasn’t all that bothered!

My very first premium flight took me aboard Lufthansa first class, which is a little less private than some newer suites, but still an incredible experience.

It’s really difficult to find first class space on Lufthansa since they tend to release it last-minute. I snagged this two days before departure and ended up canceling my other plans.

My next real first class flight came courtesy of Etihad, where not only was I the only passenger in first, it also turned my birthday mid-flight. They even made me decorations and sang me a song!

Stops in Abu Dhabi and Doha followed my week-long stay in the Maldives, since I have friends in both cities. Aside from this, I was really excited to try out Qatar Airways’ first class, which doesn’t fly to the United States. Even cooler, this plane happened to be a Cathay Pacific plane that Qatar is leasing, which means it featured Cathay’s enormous first class seats. 

The final leg of incredible first class flights included a fan-favorite, All Nippon Airways (ANA) first. Once again the only passenger in first class, the flight attendants were kind enough to make up both a sleeping seat and an eating seat for my perusal. 

What did all of these first class flights have in common? Incredible food, oversized seats, great amenities (free pajamas!), personalized service and five-star treatment at the airport. 

Here’s the breakdown of my flights and how I booked them.

Booking the hotels

If you thought the flights were the star of the show, you’d barely be half-right. All of my hotel stays ended up being luxurious, mostly because international hotels tend to be so much cheaper than domestic properties. 

This meant staying at the Andaz Capital Gate in Abu Dhabi cost me just 9,500 Hyatt points for a five-star hotel. It also meant I needed just 105,000 IHG points for a three-night stay at the InterContinental Edinburgh.

Of course, all of these pale in comparison to the seven nights I spent at the Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi, which is one of the most expensive Hilton properties.

Your journey to the resort begins with a yacht ride and ends with an overwater villa (even when booking with points), whose expansive 2,500 square feet is complemented by a ladder leading directly into the ocean. 

Those with Hilton Diamond status are entitled to a number of benefits, including a champagne brunch, discounts at the spa and a daily cocktail happy hour. Add into this the 11 different restaurants at which you can dine and you can see why I wept a little when leaving. 

Now that I’ve finished waxing poetic about the Maldives, here’s a breakdown of all the hotels in which I stayed and how they were booked. 

Bottom line

As you can see, this vacation isn’t for the faint of heart. It was a lot of points, a lot of time and a lot of travel. That being said, it was absolutely the coolest experience I’ve ever had. After all, who else can say they spent their birthday jaunting around the world in luxury? It was a billionaire’s birthday on a writer’s salary, and that’s why points and miles work for me. 

Ready to get started with travel rewards? Here’s our guide to choosing the best credit card for you.

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