If you’ve been following on Instagram, you might have noticed we’re already been busy booking trips for early 2017! As we started looking at flights for our Spring trip in March of 2017, originally we wanted to fly through Amsterdam and on to the Middle East, but after a series of events happened both in the world and in our own lives, we decided to postpone our Middle East trip and explore a new part of Europe instead. So in March, we’ll be heading to Bavaria and Austria, via Amsterdam and I’m so very excited!
When we started looking at flights for this trip, we wanted to use some of our Alaska miles and we wanted a pretty direct flight from the West Coast of the US to Europe. We also really liked the idea of going through Amsterdam again, as it’s a city we’ve visited multiple times and that we always enjoy. Luckily, Delta has a direct flight from Portland to Amsterdam which makes it super easy and Delta is a partner of Alaska, so we could use our miles.
Originally, I was going to just use our miles for one way, Portland to Amsterdam. And on the way home, we were planning on flying another one way from Dubai (since we wanted to go somewhere in the Middle East) to Seattle on Emirates. However, after we realized that the Delta flight would make us pay way more miles for one way over roundtrip, we changed our plans and decided to just stay in Europe for this particular trip.
At the end of the day, we were able to book our flights on Delta from Portland to Amsterdam for just $75 out of pocket and 60,000 Alaska miles. Considering this flight would cost over $1,000 per person for this route, using Alaska miles on Delta flights is an amazing deal! If you live on the West Coast of the US and bank your miles with Alaska, using them for flights to Europe or Asia on Delta can be a great way to go for very little out of pocket.
So in March, we’ll be heading off to Amsterdam for a few days, followed by a few days in Munich (our first time in Germany – I’m so excited!), and then a road trip through Austria (which we fell in love with this past Spring!). All in all, for only $75 out of pocket, I’d say that’s a pretty great way to get to Europe!
Traveling to The Netherlands?
See all of my posts on the country!
Emily of Em Busy Living says
I really need to get a points card and buy every single thing with it. This is amazing!
Casey says
YEs!!! It adds up so quickly! And a lot of these cards have great sign up bonuses too so you get a ton of points up front too!
Christine Everyday says
Wow, that’s amazing!
Casey says
Such a great deal!
Emily says
Wow, what a great trip and at SUCH a good price. I love using miles. It saves you a lot and it’s nice to get points for things I’m already going to spend money on anyway. 🙂
Hope you guys have a great time!
-Emily http://www.coatandcoffee.com
Casey says
I know!!! I couldn’t believe it myself!
Jordan Beck Wagner says
How fun!!! Maybe we can meet up in Germany?! You’ll love Germany!
Casey says
Yes!!! Are you near Munich at all? We’ll be there for a few days in March. If you’ll be near by, I’d love to meet up!
Jenn says
Miles cards are the best! I haven’t paid for a flight on Southwest in years and I’m waiting booking a flight to Arizona for free once I find a job in NY. Love love love those cards!
Casey says
They are so amazing! You can get so much free with mileage cards! And that’s exciting though…. you guys moving to NY?
Jenn says
Totally, and I love free stuff, hah! and yes, Josh got stationed in Fort Drum which is in Upstate NY about 20 miles south of Canada 🙂
Casey says
Wow!!! What a gorgeous place to move to and so many travel opportunities!
Mar says
We LOVE Alaska Air! When we lived in Alaska, we collected mile on everything – groceries, gas, cell phone. It was amazing. Since my husband traveled a lot for work, he racked them up pretty quickly. We were able to pay for two round trip tickets from Anchorage to Kauai and from Detroit to Anchorage.
Casey says
Totally! Alaska Air miles are some of the most valuable out there in my opinion! So many places to use them to fly and such great partners!
Rachel @ STCL says
That’s so amazing! I use my Southwest points all the time but I’ve been saving up my Sapphire Preferred points. Which cards do you use?
Casey says
I love my Sapphire Preferred card! You can get really good deals with their points! That and my Alaska air cards are currently my go-to’s for points. I also like the BA Visa as well if you fly BA, it’s a good deal too! And for my business, my primary card is the Ink Plus by Chase, which you can combine with your Sapphire points!