How We Travel So Much: Our Alaska Miles Strategy for Cruise Flights
If you’ve ever wondered how we manage to travel — and cruise — as much as we do each year, here’s the real backstory. It’s not magic, and it’s definitely not unlimited spending. It’s simply using everyday expenses to unlock travel opportunities… and this semester’s tuition bill is the perfect example.
We just earned 70,000 Alaska miles by paying our boys’ tuition with the Alaska Atmos Card — and the best part? We’ll reimburse the payment through their 529 plans, so it’s no out‑of‑pocket spend and a huge points win.
And yes — here’s my personal referral link if you want to check out the card for yourself: 👉Alaska Atmos Card Referral Link (Thank you for supporting No Point Left Behind!)
But the story actually starts last year… in Barcelona.
This post may contain affiliate links, including my personal referral link for the Alaska Atmos Card. If you choose to sign up through one of these links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting No Point Left Behind — it helps me keep creating free cruise guides, dining reviews, and money‑saving tips.
How We Book Flights for Cruises Using Points — the step‑by‑step system behind our Barcelona flights.
✈️ Last Year’s Sign‑Up Bonus → This Year’s Cruise Flights
Me and my boys at Camp Nou back in 2015
When we booked our upcoming Princess Mediterranean cruise out of Barcelona, I used a card sign‑up bonus from last year to cover our flights. That bonus saved us thousands — and after booking those flights, we still had 14,000 Alaska miles left over sitting in our account.
Those leftover miles became the foundation for this semester’s strategy.
What to Expect on Your First Mediterranean Cruise— tips for ports, dining, and onboard life.
💳 This Semester: Tuition + Books = $2,500 Minimum Spend
Both boys’ tuition and books added up to just over $2,500 — the exact minimum spend required for the Alaska Atmos Card’s sign‑up bonus.
And here’s the kicker: Their university doesn’t charge a credit card fee.
That means we could:
Charge tuition to the card
Hit the minimum spend effortlessly
Earn the 70,000‑mile bonus
Reimburse the payment through their 529 plans
Pay zero out of pocket
This is the kind of everyday‑life stacking that makes points and miles so powerful.
Cruise More for Less Savings Hub — all our favorite ways to stack and save on cruise travel.
🧮 The Final Tally: 84,000 Alaska Miles
Here’s where we landed:
14,000 miles leftover from Barcelona
70,000 miles from the Alaska Atmos bonus
84,000 Alaska miles total
That’s enough for:
A roundtrip flight to a cruise port
Flights to Europe (like last year)
Or a future Princess cruise adventure we haven’t even planned yet
This is how we travel so much — not by spending more, but by redirecting the spending we already have.
If you’re getting ready for a cruise — especially a Mediterranean or Princess sailing — make sure you check out my 10 Essentials for Cruising. It’s the exact list I use on every trip, and it pairs perfectly with the Stack & Save strategies in this post.
🌊 Why This Matters for Cruise Travelers (Especially Princess + Med Sailings)
Cruise travel is one of the easiest places to save money with points and miles because:
Flights to cruise ports are often the biggest expense
Positioning flights add up
Families travel together (more tickets = more savings)
Cruise itineraries repeat, so miles can be used year after year
For Mediterranean cruises specifically:
Barcelona, Rome, Athens, and Venice flights are expensive
Shoulder‑season flights fluctuate wildly
Award availability is often better than cash prices
Alaska miles can unlock partner flights to Europe
And for Princess cruisers:
Princess sails from high‑cost ports
Many itineraries require long‑haul flights
Using miles frees up budget for excursions, dining, and onboard experiences
This is exactly how we cruise 7–9 times a year without spending like someone who cruises 7–9 times a year.
If you want to see exactly how I use stacking, points, miles, and casino offers to book real cruises — including Princess itineraries — check out my full breakdown of the Princess cruises I’ve booked using points, miles, and casino deals.
👉 Princess Cruises Booked With Points, Miles & Casino Deals
It’s one of my favorite examples of how everyday spending turns into real travel… and why we cruise 7–9 times a year without spending like people who cruise 7–9 times a year.
💙 How You Can Do This Too
You don’t need tuition bills to make this work. You can use:
Insurance premiums
Medical bills
Car repairs
Home projects
Holiday shopping
Summer travel
Back‑to‑school expenses
Groceries + gas + everyday spending
The key is choosing a card with a strong bonus, hitting the minimum spend with expenses you already have, and then using those miles strategically for cruise travel.
This is the heart of Cruise More for Less — and it’s the system we’ve used for years.
✨ Want to save on shore excursions too? I break down exactly how I book and save on Princess excursions — including when to book, when NOT to book, and the trick I use to stack deals with onboard credit. 👉 How I Book & Save on Shore Excursions
👩💻 About the Author
Julie is the creator of No Point Left Behind, a cruise‑focused travel blog that helps families travel more for less using smart money strategies, points, miles, and Lazy Girl systems. She cruises 7–9 times a year, specializes in dining reviews and port guides, and teaches everyday travelers how to turn normal spending into unforgettable trips.
Join the conversation! If you love finding smart ways to travel more for less, come hang out in my Travel Hacking Moms Group on Facebook. We share real‑life wins, cruise deals, and points‑stacking strategies every week. 👉 Join the Travel Hacking Moms Group
