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I got home from my cruise last night.
And almost immediately, my husband Brandon casually mentioned that The Flaming Lips were playing Brooklyn Bowl during his birthday weekend.
He wanted to go to a concert.
Simple enough.
Except he is married to me. 😂
So while Brandon was probably thinking, Hey, we should get tickets, I was already mentally going through our credit card credits, points, miles, hotel benefits, and shopping portals trying to figure out how I could turn one concert into an entire Nashville birthday weekend without paying full price for everything.
And honestly?
This is one of my favorite parts of points and miles.
Not flying somewhere just because it makes a good redemption.
Not booking a fancy hotel just because I have a credit.
Not planning an entire trip around whatever the points-and-miles world says is the “best value.”
I start with a completely different question:
What do we actually want to do?
Then I open my travel toolbox.
New to how I use points, miles and credit card perks? → [Start with My Points & Miles Guide]
My Travel Toolbox Philosophy
I see a lot of points-and-miles content focused on the redemption itself.
Look where I flew.
Look at this fancy hotel.
Look how much “value” I got from my points.
And that's just not really how I travel.
I don't let my points and miles decide where I go. I decide where I want to go, and then I open my travel toolbox and figure out how to make it happen.
That toolbox might include points.
It might include miles.
It might be a hotel credit, ticket credit, shopping portal, casino offer, free-night certificate or simply a really good cash deal.
Usually it's some ridiculous combination of several of them. 😂
And because I actually have a running list of the tools, websites and resources I use when I'm putting trips together:
→ [Peek Inside My Travel Toolbox]
That's my Benable list of the resources I actually reach for when I'm trying to make a trip happen for less.
The goal isn't to create the most impressive redemption.
The goal is to do more of the things we actually want to do without spending more than we need to.
That, more than anything, is what No Point Left Behind means to me.
And Brandon's birthday weekend is a perfect example.
He didn't say:
“Julie, we have some credit card credits we need to use. Please manufacture a vacation.”
He said:
“The Flaming Lips are playing at Brooklyn Bowl on my birthday weekend.”
I took it from there. 😂
Step One: Let's Stack Those Concert Tickets
We've actually done this before.
Recently, I used our credit card benefits and shopping portal stacking when we bought Titans tickets.
So the minute Brandon mentioned The Flaming Lips, my brain went:
Wait. Don't we have StubHub credits?
Yep.
And we have two Chase Sapphire Reserve cards, so I had credits available to work with on both.
But apparently simply using a credit isn't enough for me. 😂
I also found a $20 back on $150 through Paze on Stubhub that I could stack into the deal.
This is EXACTLY the kind of thing I love.
We weren't buying concert tickets because there was a credit available.
Brandon already wanted the concert tickets.
I simply started digging through my toolbox to find the smartest way to buy something we were already going to buy.
→ [See How I Used This Same Strategy for Our Titans Tickets]
Step Two: Well...Now We Obviously Need a Hotel 😂
At this point, Brandon is probably still thinking we're going to a concert.
I've moved on to accommodations.
Because if the concert is happening during his birthday weekend and we're already going into Nashville, why not turn it into a whole weekend?
Back into the toolbox I went.
This time, I pulled out our Chase Sapphire Reserve The Edit credit.
I found a two-night stay at Loews Nashville for $380 after our credit, and our booking also comes with a $100 property credit and breakfast each morning.
So we have now gone from:
“Hey, The Flaming Lips are playing on my birthday weekend.”
to:
Concert + two nights at Loews + breakfast + $100 to spend at the hotel.
This escalated quickly.
I regret nothing. 😂
This Is Why I Love Credits When They Work This Way
There's an important distinction here.
I don't want to stay at a hotel just because I have a hotel credit.
I don't want to eat at a restaurant I don't care about because a dining credit is about to expire.
And I don't want to plan a vacation somewhere I wasn't particularly interested in visiting just because the internet tells me it's a “great redemption.”
That's backwards for me.
The experience comes first.
Then I figure out which tools I have available to make the experience cheaper, better or both.
Brandon already wanted the concert.
His birthday gave us the perfect excuse to make a weekend out of it.
A hotel turns one night out into a little getaway.
Now the credits actually have a purpose.
Step Three: Obviously I'm Already Thinking About Dinner
Because apparently concert tickets and a two-night hotel stay still aren't enough. 😂
Now I'm thinking about a really good birthday dinner.
I haven't booked this part yet.
Once we're closer to the weekend, I'll look at the dining benefits we have available at that time and see whether one works with a restaurant we'd actually like to try.
Maybe that will be one of our Amex benefits.
Maybe it will be a Chase benefit.
Maybe neither one will make sense and I'll simply pay for dinner.
Because I'm not making Brandon eat somewhere on his birthday just so I can announce that I used another credit. 😂
Restaurant first. Credit second.
Same philosophy.
Different part of the toolbox.
Brandon's Birthday Weekend So Far
And this all started because my husband mentioned a concert...
🎸 The Flaming Lips at Brooklyn Bowl
$20 for tickets purchased using the same type of credit + shopping portal stacking strategy I've used before.
🏨 Two Nights at Loews Nashville
$380 after using our available hotel credit.
☕ Breakfast Each Morning
Included with our hotel booking.
🥂 $100 Hotel Credit
Also included with our stay.
🍽️ Brandon's Birthday Dinner
Still TBD because I'll decide where we actually want to eat first and then figure out whether anything in my travel toolbox can make it better.
And yes, after the weekend I fully intend to come back and tell you what all of this really cost us.
Because you know I love a receipt. 😂
This Is What No Point Left Behind Means to Me
This little birthday weekend may be one of the simplest examples I've ever found for explaining how I travel.
I don't collect points so they can tell me what trip to take.
I collect points, miles, credits, and travel benefits so that when Brandon says he wants to see a band...
or I decide I want to take another cruise...
or we want a family trip...
or there's somewhere I've been dying to visit...
I have a toolbox.
Sometimes Chase is the hammer.
Sometimes Amex is the screwdriver.
Sometimes a shopping portal comes flying in from the garage. 😂
Sometimes the best tool is simply paying cash because the price is good.
→ [Peek Inside My Travel Toolbox]
I don't really care whether my redemption is impressive enough to brag about online.
I care whether it helped us do something we genuinely wanted to do.
Pick the experience first. Then figure out how to make it happen for less.
That's my version of travel hacking.
And that's No Point Left Behind.
My Lazy Girl Carry-On System
The luggage and travel pieces I actually use to make packing easier.
About the Author
Hi, I'm Julie, the traveler behind No Point Left Behind. I don't let points and miles decide where I go. I decide where I want to go, then use my travel toolbox to figure out how to make it happen for less.
I share the real trips, real numbers and ridiculous stacks that actually work for us.
Real trips. Real costs. Lazy Girl Approved.
