We try to travel as often as possible. However, point redemptions – especially the kind of points redemptions that we like to brag about, only come around once every few years. For starters, you have to save up points! Sure, there are sign up bonuses through [American Express Link] and [Chase link] which are currently 90,000 points (Amex Link) and 60,000 points (Chase Link), each of which may be higher than you can find elsewhere by using the above links. However, between Chase’s 5/20 rule (google it, it’s a real thing) and American Express’s limitation on signup bonuses, you eventually reach a place where you just need to earn points the old fashion way – by accumulation, which takes time.

Points redemptions are also not consistently available or reliable. If you have your heart set on a dream destination, and a specific time, you might be lucky enough to find it with a point redemption (more on this in future articles!), or you might just have to wing it (no pun intended) and catch a FREE flight to somewhere that wasn’t on your bucket list. And that’s how we ended up in the most beautiful place I’ve ever been…

We never intended to go to the Maldives. Sure, we’d heard it was beautiful, and that many people like to honeymoon or take bucket-list anniversary trips there, but we live in Florida, so why do we need to go to a beach? Whelp, we were absolutely blown away. So, while it wasn’t on “the list” of places to go, we are certainly glad we did. Truth be told, without a windfall point redemption opportunity, we might not have ever gone. So, keep your options open and if you find that windfall redemption – take it! Here’s the story of how we ended up in the Maldives. 

Remember when I told you about the benefits of transferrable points currencies (like American Express Membership Rewards Points or Chase Ultimate Rewards Points)? Well, if you forgot, here’s a link to [Japan Article]. A brief refresher is simply this: transferrable points currencies give you access to at least eleven different airline loyalty and flight redemption options. “At least,” you say? Why “at least?” Because of partnerships between airlines and airline alliances! Did you know, for instance, that Aer Lingus, the flagship carrier of Ireland, is a member of the One World Airline Alliance? (Of course you did, because I told you about our point redemption story here: [All Points Lead to Ireland].) This means you can use Chase points to transfer to a number of airline loyalty programs, but more than this, you can use those transferred points to book flights on that airline’s partners! Stay with me – I’ll tell you how I did it.

A few years ago, British Airways announced a new partnership with Qatar Airways. Previously, Chase Ultimate Rewards Points were unable to book Qatar flights (and, they still were, unless you used this trick). Following the partnership taking effect, I was able to transfer 169,000 Ultimate Rewards points, per person, to British Airways Avios program. Immediately thereafter,  and based on the airlines partnerships, I transferred the total 338,000 Avios to Qatar Airways loyalty program and booked two roundtrip tickets to the Maldives in business class. Some airlines allow you to book the redemption flight though their own currency (i.e. using British Airways Avios to book, through British Airways, a Qatar flight), while at other times, and particularly in this instance, we were able to transfer the points from BA to Qatar – which resulted in a substantial savings in airline taxes.

As usual, I had to work on origination airports to find a flight redemption availability. On this trip, and with flexible dates, we found availability from Miami to Qatar, continuing on to Male, Maldives with the same return itinerary. Qatar, whose spot-on marketing dubs themselves “First in Business,” has consistently ranked #1 in business class product. Checking the “cash price” of this flight, it was over $14,000 per person. For those of you that love your “cash back credit cards,” (anywhere from 1% - 2%), this means we scored a redemption value of over $28,000 for points worth less than $6,700.

To date, Qatar Airways (which we have flown on two separate occasions, a total of eight segments) is the best airline we’ve been on. The long-haul flights (on many routes) include the Q-Suite, which can raise and lower dividers potentially creating a four-person pod with fully lie- flat seats. Their lounge in Doha, Qatar is, hands down, the best lounge in the world. The lounge is larger than several airports I’ve been inside. It is two levels, with 3 restaurants, a family room, a sleeping room, and two separate areas with showers that rival hotel spas. If the “journey is part of the destination,” a flight on Qatar’s business class, through Doha, is a must.

At this point it’s just getting fun to book these windfall point redemptions. Where will the next one take us? Stay tuned…