Plan your ski trip using points and miles: How to book flights, hotels, lift tickets and more

The 2024-2025 ski season is nearly upon us. Huge-name U.S. resorts like those in Vail, Colorado; Park Metropolis, Utah; and round Lake Tahoe on the California-Nevada border are slated to open in mid-November, and Colorado’s Wolf Creek Ski Space is already open due to an October snowstorm. Which means now is a superb time to begin planning (and budgeting for) a winter getaway.

Even a budget-conscious ski trip can easily cost between $200 and $500 per particular person, per day if you embody raise tickets, gear leases, meals, lodging and transportation. Tack on some personal ski classes, flights or a splurge on fancy lodging, and that whole can shortly multiply.

Nonetheless, your subsequent journey to the mountain would not have to empty 1000’s of {dollars} out of your checking account. In reality, you’ll be able to pay for a lot of your ski journey utilizing factors and miles. Here is how.

Associated: Everything you need to know about packing for a ski trip

Flights are one of many greatest bills when taking a ski journey — and one of many best methods to save money by using points and miles.

When you have a stash of airline factors or miles or a bank card that earns transferable points or miles, you’ll be able to book award flights instantly by way of airways. You may normally discover the perfect offers both on the final minute (when lodge costs will not be equally low cost) or far upfront, so we suggest beginning your search early. Most airways provide some form of calendar characteristic, permitting you to see which dates have the perfect costs.

Listed below are some nice choices we discovered.

*Be aware costs had been correct on the time of publishing.

Flights to mountain airports

There are two methods for flying to a ski vacation spot. The primary is to fly right into a small airport that is near the slopes. That is very handy when the whole lot goes easily, however remember that you are much less more likely to discover a nonstop flight to those smaller airports and extra more likely to see your flight get delayed or canceled on account of unpredictable mountain climate. Just a few years in the past, TPG’s Summer season Hull was caught in Aspen, Colorado, for days on account of a snowstorm (fortunately, she had built-in journey insurance coverage by way of her Chase Sapphire Reserve®).

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Additionally, seats on these flights may be fairly dear, particularly on weekends or holidays throughout peak ski season. However there are some unbelievable award offers on the market that may enable you get to your favourite ski slope for (virtually) free.

As an example, United Airways constantly affords Saver awards from many U.S. cities to prime ski locations for 15,000 MileagePlus miles (plus $5.60 in taxes and charges) every manner.

You possibly can typically get these flights for much less by reserving them by way of Turkish Airlines‘ Miles&Smiles program or Avianca LifeMiles as a substitute. On this case, the very same United flight from Boston Logan Worldwide Airport (BOS) to Aspen/Pitkin County Airport (ASE) prices solely 12,500 LifeMiles (plus 51,351 Colombian pesos, or about $12) every manner.

American Airways has January flights to Jackson Gap Airport (JAC) in Wyoming from East Coast airports like Miami Worldwide Airport (MIA) and Charlotte Douglas Worldwide Airport (CLT) starting from 8,500 to 11,000 American Airlines AAdvantage miles and $5.60 in taxes and charges every manner. It additionally has loads of award area for flights from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Worldwide Airport (ATL) and Dulles Worldwide Airport (IAD) close to Washington, D.C., for less than 6,000 miles every manner. That is an amazing deal for flights that value roughly $200 to $400 one-way, supplying you with a worth of over 3 cents per mile. (AAdvantage miles are value 1.6 cents every, per TPG’s November 2024 valuations.)

Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan has open award area to Vail’s Eagle County Regional Airport (EGE) from main airports like Chicago’s O’Hare Worldwide Airport (ORD), Minneapolis-St. Paul Worldwide Airport (MSP) and Seattle-Tacoma Worldwide Airport (SEA) for less than 7,500 miles and round $20 in taxes and charges every manner. Since these flights value upward of $400 every manner, that provides you a superb worth of over 5 cents per mile.

Southwest Airways would not fly to a ton of smaller ski locations, nevertheless it does serve Yampa Valley Regional Airport (HDN) in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. For instance, you could possibly fly from Houston’s William P. Passion Airport (HOU) to HDN for below 10,000 Southwest Rapid Rewards factors every manner this January — and should you maintain the sought-after Companion Pass, you could possibly deliver a beloved one for simply the price of taxes and charges. You may additionally get two free checked bags, which is very useful when touring with ski gear.

Most airways aren’t so beneficiant with regards to baggage, however having an airline cobranded credit card will typically get you at the very least one free checked bag.

Flights to bigger airports

You might select to fly into a bigger airport, even when it is somewhat farther from the slopes. Some widespread ones embody Denver Worldwide Airport (DEN), Salt Lake Metropolis Worldwide Airport (SLC) and Reno-Tahoe Worldwide Airport (RNO), relying on the place you are planning to ski. This provides you extra choices with regards to flights and doubtlessly higher award pricing.

As an example, you’ll be able to fly to Denver on Delta Air Traces this upcoming ski season for below 10,000 SkyMiles every manner from locations like Seattle (5,500 miles), Minneapolis (6,500 miles), Chicago (7,000 miles) and Boston (9,500 miles). United is at the moment providing flights to Reno from New York Metropolis ranging from 13,300 MileagePlus miles every manner or from Seattle ranging from 10,100 miles one-way. As for American, the service has award area to Salt Lake Metropolis from Miami, Dallas and Charleston, South Carolina, for round 10,000 AAdvantage miles every manner.

Since Southwest would not serve a lot of the smaller mountain airports, flying into an even bigger airport will give Southwest loyalists much more choices to make use of their Speedy Rewards factors, Companion Cross or credit card perks.

The draw back of this strategy is that you’ll have to organize journey from the airport to your vacation spot. Fortunately, many ski locations provide shuttle providers and public transportation choices, and there are a number of methods to ebook rental automobiles with factors or miles — we’ll cowl these in additional element later.

Associated: Denver airport gets 17 new security lanes — here’s what you need to know

Bank card portals and perks

When researching flights, do not overlook bank card travel booking platforms, the place you’ll be able to redeem factors for flights at a flat fee. As an example, many Capital One cardholders can get 1 cent per mile on Capital One Travel purchases, whereas these with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or the Chase Sapphire Reserve can get 1.25 or 1.5 cents per level, respectively, utilizing the Chase Travel℠ portal.

On this case, the price in factors or miles correlates to the money worth of a flight. In the event you discover a low cost flight to your ski vacation spot, this might be a good way to ebook it with factors or miles. And since airways usually code these flights as paid income flights, you may doubtless nonetheless earn airline factors or miles on them.

You may also select to ebook a flight in money after which redeem your factors or miles for an announcement credit score to cowl the acquisition. For instance, the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card affords a fee of 1 cent per mile whereas permitting you to make the most of bank card perks like trip cancellation and interruption.

Remember to make the most of different card advantages, both. Airline playing cards typically present free checked baggage or boarding upgrades. Some playing cards provide money again (within the type of an announcement credit score) on airline incidental purchases; for instance, The Platinum Card® from American Express supplies an annual (as much as) $200 assertion credit score towards airline incidental fees (enrollment is required). You need to use this to cowl checked baggage charges (which might actually add up on a household ski journey) or pay for seat assignments to make sure your group can sit collectively.

Merely holding sure playing cards can get you worthwhile reductions on award flights. For instance, Delta’s TakeOff 15 characteristic provides many eligible Delta cobranded cardholders a 15% low cost on flights booked with Delta SkyMiles, whereas the United Quest℠ Card supplies two 5,000-mile rebates on award flights annually.

Associated: United Quest vs. Delta SkyMiles Platinum Amex: Battle of the mid-tier airline cards

In the event you’re a frequent skier, you already understand how dear on-mountain lodging may be throughout ski season. The excellent news is that many of those lodges belong to main loyalty applications like Hilton Honors, World of Hyatt and Marriott Bonvoy, that means you should utilize your hard-earned factors and miles and free night certificates to slash the price of your ski journey.

Even higher, most of those lodges‘ websites provide a calendar characteristic that will help you discover the perfect charges and dates to your wintry trip. Listed below are some offers we have discovered at the most well-liked applications.

*Be aware costs had been correct on the time of publishing.

Hilton Honors

In the event you’re a Hilton loyalist, there are various choices for redeeming your Honors Honors points at lodges at or close to ski resorts. With the Hilton Honors program, there isn’t any set award chart. As an alternative, the lodge operates utilizing dynamic pricing, besides for traditional room rewards. Every lodge has a spread for the variety of factors it expenses per night time for traditional room rewards that you could find utilizing Hilton’s Factors Explorer device.

Though you’ll be able to count on most dates throughout ski season to fall below peak pricing and thus have the best award charges, there are some affordable choices on the market. For instance, the Hampton Inn & Suites South Lake Tahoe runs between 47,000 and 70,000 factors per night time in January.

Since these are normal room rewards, these with a Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card (after spending $15,000 in a calendar yr) or a Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card might theoretically use a free night reward — however we would not suggest it. These certificates are extraordinarily worthwhile as a result of you should utilize them for any normal room reward value as much as 150,000 factors. You are higher off utilizing your free night time at a property just like the Waldorf Astoria Park City, which prices 110,000 factors for the standard room reward. Money charges there throughout ski season commonly climb to effectively over $1,000 per night time.

The data for the Hilton Honors American Categorical Aspire Card has been collected independently by The Factors Man. The cardboard particulars on this web page haven’t been reviewed or offered by the cardboard issuer.

Like a lot of Hilton’s ski properties, the Waldorf Astoria Park Metropolis is assessed as a resort by Hilton, that means Aspire cardholders can use their semiannual (as much as) $200 Hilton resort statement credit there. Different Hilton ski resorts embody the DoubleTree by Hilton Resort Breckenridge, the Hilton Trip Membership Lake Tahoe Resort South, the Homewood Suites by Hilton Mont-Tremblant Resort and the Hilton Whistler Resort & Spa.

Hilton affords a number of cobranded bank cards to fast-track your Honors factors. Many of those present elite status, which not solely provides you perks throughout your keep but additionally means that you can ebook a fifth night free with factors.

Associated: Best Hilton credit cards

World of Hyatt

World of Hyatt is a popular hotel program amongst vacationers, partially as a result of it nonetheless makes use of an award chart — which can lead to some fantastic Hyatt redemptions.

Whereas the top-notch ski resorts will usually require between 25,000 and 45,000 World of Hyatt factors per night time, there are a number of hidden gems in this system. For instance, Hyatt Place Keystone / Dillon and Hyatt Place Park Metropolis are each Category 4 properties, that means they value solely 18,000 factors per night time on peak dates. For these with the World of Hyatt Credit Card, it is a nice alternative to make use of your annual Hyatt Category 1-4 free night certificate.

You possibly can typically get probably the most worth out of your factors at higher-category properties. As an example, the Grand Hyatt Deer Valley is a Class 6 property, that means peak dates will set you again 29,000 factors per night time. Money charges common round $1,300 throughout ski season, supplying you with a worth of roughly 4.5 cents per level — effectively over TPG’s November 2024 valuation of 1.7 cents every for World of Hyatt factors.

When checking award charges at a person lodge, click on „Factors Calendar“ to see which dates are least expensive. Though most dates throughout ski season are likely to fall below „peak“ pricing, you could get fortunate.

One main advantage of utilizing your factors at Hyatt properties is that resort charges are waived on award stays. Parking charges are additionally waived for Globalist members, even on paid reservations.

Associated: World of Hyatt elite status: What it is and how to earn it

Marriott Bonvoy

If an annual ski trip is in your future, you may in all probability wish to begin incomes factors throughout the Marriott Bonvoy program ASAP. That is as a result of it affords the best variety of ski-friendly properties throughout out west and past. There’s the whole lot from high-end ski-in, ski-out resorts to extra budget-friendly properties not too removed from the principle ski villages.

Marriott now makes use of dynamic pricing, and ski season typically interprets to the best charges. You possibly can seek for the most cost effective dates by checking the „Versatile dates“ field when setting the dates to your search.

Some fairly priced properties embody the Residence Inn Steamboat Springs and the Sheraton Steamboat Resort Villas, the place award charges this winter are principally within the 60,000- to 75,000-point vary. Each lodges provide full kitchens, so you could possibly save much more by eating in.

However as with Hyatt, you’ll be able to typically maximize the worth of your factors at Marriott’s luxurious properties — if in case you have sufficient factors to ebook them. As an example, a weekend at The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe in January will set you again roughly 125,000 factors per night time. With money charges round $1,300, you will get a worth of over 1 cent per level. That is fairly good, contemplating TPG values Bonvoy factors at 0.85 cents apiece, as of November 2024.

Different upscale resorts to think about embody The Cloudveil, Autograph Assortment in Jackson Gap, Wyoming, and The Sky Residences at W Aspen and The Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa, Avon, Vail Valley in Colorado.

Sadly, not like Hilton and Hyatt, Marriott expenses nightly resort charges, even should you ebook with factors or maintain elite status. You may obtain your fifth night free when booking with points, nevertheless it’ll take off your least costly night time.

Some Marriott cards present annual free night time awards that you should utilize at a wide range of properties. The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card is at the moment providing 125,000 bonus factors after spending $5,000 in eligible purchases in your first three months from account opening. The Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card has its best-ever provide: You possibly can earn 60,000 factors plus one free night time award (valued as much as 50,000 factors) after you spend $2,000 on eligible purchases throughout the first three months from account opening. (Sure lodges have resort charges.)

Associated: The best Marriott all-inclusive resorts for a perfect vacation

Different lodges and trip leases

We have lined among the hottest factors lodges, however they don’t seem to be the one ones to think about to your ski journey.

IHG Motels & Resorts affords a handful of properties conveniently situated close to ski resorts, just like the Vacation Inn Steamboat Springs, the Vacation Inn Categorical & Suites Park Metropolis and the Vacation Inn Membership Holidays Tahoe Ridge Resort. Many of those value 40,000 IHG One Rewards factors or much less per night time, which implies you should utilize your annual anniversary reward night time certificates (capped at 40,000 factors) that comes with the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card. Cardmembers additionally get a fourth night time free on consecutive award stays.

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts has a number of choices which might be somewhat outdoors of common ski resorts, leading to a lot decrease costs. As an example, the Tremendous 8 by Wyndham Dillon/Breckenridge Space is inside a half-hour drive of Breckenridge and Keystone, Colorado, and prices solely 15,000 Wyndham Rewards factors per night time. Some Wyndham resorts require a two- or three-night minimal keep, so it may possibly assist to examine for award availability for a number of nights.

Alternative Motels‘ portfolio features a handful of properties close to ski slopes, like Consolation Inn Close to Vail Beaver Creek in Colorado and High quality Inn Close to Mammoth Mountain Ski Resort in California. The draw back is that you could’t ebook with Choice Privileges factors till 100 days upfront.

In the event you’d favor a trip rental — maybe since you’re touring with a big group or hoping to economize by eating in — there are a number of methods to ebook vacation rentals with points by way of locations like Vacasa, Marriott Homes & Villas, Homes & Hideaways by World of Hyatt and Bluegreen Vacations. Moreover, some bank card journey portals, like Capital One Journey, now provide a selection of vacation rentals. Another choice is to ebook a Vrbo or an Airbnb with money and use your bank card factors or miles to repay the acquisition.

Associated: Planning for ski season: How I booked a $1,500 vacation rental for just 45,000 points

Bank card journey portals

As with flights, you’ll be able to ebook lodges instantly with factors or miles by way of your bank card’s journey portal. This selection is engaging should you maintain Chase’s Sapphire Preferred or Sapphire Reserve, as they provide you a redemption worth of 1.25 cents per level and 1.5 cents per level, respectively, if you ebook by way of Chase Journey.

Moreover, the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card supplies a $300 journey credit score every cardmember yr; nonetheless, you should ebook by way of the Capital One Journey portal.

Get raise tickets and ski gear utilizing factors and miles

As soon as your flight and lodge are taken care of, you would possibly suppose you’ve got lined the majority of your ski journey bills. However do not forget about the price of raise tickets, ski passes and gear. These bills are straightforward to miss, however they will shortly stack as much as lots of of {dollars} per particular person. Fortunately, there are methods to cowl some or all of them with factors and miles.

Elevate tickets and passes

One tip to economize (or factors and miles) and assure a day on the mountain is to buy raise tickets earlier than the season begins. You are able to do this by way of advance single-day ticket reservations or a bigger package deal or move, which typically provide higher charges than shopping for your ticket on the mountain. A season move is sensible should you plan to take multiple ski journey, and it may possibly even be definitely worth the cash for a single weeklong journey. Bear in mind that move costs typically rise as ski season nears, and gross sales normally finish in some unspecified time in the future in fall.

On the subject of utilizing factors for raise tickets and passes, you will have a number of choices. Many rewards cards provide a option to put your factors or miles towards earlier purchases, supplying you with an announcement credit score that successfully cancels the acquisition. Nonetheless, the classes you are able to do this with — and the worth you may get out of your factors or miles — depend upon what card you will have.

As an example, Capital One helps you to pay with miles for journey purchases at a fee of 1 cent per mile. Nonetheless, ski passes usually do not code as journey purchases; they typically code as leisure. You could possibly redeem your Capital One miles for money again to cowl the price of your ski move, however that may offer you half the worth at 0.5 cents per mile.

One option to get round that is by way of a web site referred to as Undercover Tourist. A number of big-name ski passes, such because the Epic Pass, can be found for buy by way of the positioning. In the event you purchase your move by way of Undercover Vacationer, the acquisition will code as journey, supplying you with extra choices to redeem factors and miles.

For example to procure a three-day Epic Pass for $330 on Undercover Tourist together with your Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card. Since Capital One considers this a journey buy, you could possibly redeem 33,000 miles to cowl it. In the event you purchased the identical move elsewhere and it coded as leisure, you could possibly nonetheless redeem your miles for money again, however you’d must redeem double the miles to cowl the acquisition.

Associated: What’s the best ski pass this season? Comparing Epic, Ikon, Mountain Collective and Indy passes

Redeem factors for ski reward playing cards

Alternatively, you’ll be able to put your factors towards raise tickets by redeeming them for related reward playing cards. For instance, Chase helps you to redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards factors at a fee of 1 cent every for reward playing cards at numerous retailers, together with REI. Citi helps you to redeem Citi ThankYou Rewards factors for reward playing cards on the similar worth, and you may generally stand up to 1.11 cents per point throughout gross sales.

You may also redeem 28,600 American Express Membership Rewards factors for a $200 Aspen Snowmass reward card, however we do not suggest it. At lower than a 1-cent-per-point redemption, this is not an amazing choice for vacationers, particularly when TPG values these factors at 2 cents every as of November 2024. Typically, you are higher off utilizing your factors for flights or lodging.

Ski totally free

Along with utilizing factors and miles, there are various methods for kids and seniors to ski totally free (or at a drastic low cost). Concentrating on resorts the place at the very least among the household can ski for much less can prevent critical money and/or factors and miles.

Hire ski gear utilizing factors

As with raise tickets, you’ll be able to redeem your factors and miles for reward playing cards or assertion credit to place towards ski gear purchases. However if in case you have Chase Final Rewards factors, you too can use them to lease ski gear in lots of areas.

Within the Chase Journey portal, you’ll be able to redeem factors instantly for journey. Ski gear leases are included below the „Actions“ tab.

Simply enter your vacation spot and dates, then filter the outcomes for phrases like „ski.“

It is a fairly good use of your factors since you’ll get a worth of greater than 1 cent per level. Sapphire Preferred cardholders can redeem factors at a fee of 1.25 cents every; these with the Sapphire Reserve get an excellent higher fee of 1.5 cents every.

Ebook floor transportation to your ski journey with factors and miles

Final however not all the time least is getting from the airport to the mountain (and again).

Rental automobiles

In the event you want a automobile throughout your ski trip, there are a number of methods to book rental cars with points and miles. As with flights and lodges, you should utilize rental car rewards factors to ebook your automobile instantly, or you’ll be able to ebook it with bank card factors or miles by way of your issuer’s journey portal. You may also use cash-back rewards towards assertion credit to cowl the price of a rental automobile (in addition to associated purchases like gasoline and parking).

And do not forget that many travel rewards cards provide car rental insurance, so you will not must pay additional for it. Some playing cards present elite status at sure rental companies, which frequently comes with perks like automobile upgrades or a free second driver, saving you much more cash.

Associated: What I’ve learned from multiple car rentals with the Capital One Travel portal

Shuttles and public transportation

In the event you’re balking on the considered paying for a rental automobile (or navigating snowy mountain roads), a shuttle service or public transportation could also be simpler in your pockets and your nerves.

Epic Mountain Express affords van service (with free Wi-Fi) from the Denver airport to many Colorado ski areas, similar to Vail, Breckenridge, Keystone and Copper Mountain — and Epic Cross holders get a 20% low cost. The Snowstang bus runs to a number of ski hills in Colorado, and Amtrak affords a Winter Park Express prepare.

Identical to with gear leases, you’ll be able to generally ebook these shuttles and airport transfers by way of the Chase Journey portal. And since many ski villages provide free shuttles round city, you in all probability will not miss having a automobile when you get there.

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For flights, lodging, rental automobiles, and the rest that codes as journey, use a card that provides you bonus rewards on journey purchases. Many journey playing cards include built-in trip protection, eliminating the necessity to purchase travel insurance and supplying you with a security web in case your journey would not go easily. Listed below are a few of our favourite choices:

For nontravel purchases like raise tickets and ski gear, think about a card that earns bonus rewards on each buy:

*Eligibility and Profit stage varies by Card. Phrases, Circumstances and Limitations Apply. Please go to americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for extra particulars. Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance coverage Firm, an AIG Firm.

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