Churning for the Chapel: The Wedding Spend Strategy
A wedding is the single largest spending event in most people's lives. Instead of paying by check, savvy couples use their vendor payments to trigger high-value Sign-Up Bonuses (SUBs). By timing your credit card applications with your venue deposit or catering final payment, you can easily net 300,000+ points without spending an extra dollar.
The Transfer Partner Strategy: 1 Cent vs. 5 Cents
If you use your points to "pay yourself back" for a flight through a bank portal, you usually get 1 cent per point. However, if you transfer those points to a partner like Hyatt, Emirates, or Singapore Airlines, you can often unlock values of 3 to 5 cents per point.
The Power of Transfer: A $1,200 hotel night at a Park
Hyatt might cost 120,000 points in a portal (1¢), but only 30,000 points via a direct
transfer (4¢).
Always check for transfer bonuses before booking!
A real couple used two cards to cover their entire trip to the Maldives:
- Card 1 (The Bride): Used for the $6,000 venue deposit. Earned 80,000
points
(SUB).
- Card 2 (The Groom): Used for the $5,000 catering bill. Earned 75,000
points
(SUB).
- Organic Spend: 45,000 points earned on groceries/gas during planning.
Total: 200,000 points.
They transferred these points to Hyatt for 5 nights at an overwater villa (Retail: $12,500)
and used airline miles for the flights. Total cash out: $800 in taxes and
fees.
Honeymoon Travel Hacking FAQ
Opening a new card causes a temporary 5-10 point dip. However, if you are planning to apply for a mortgage within 6 months, it is generally recommended to pause all new credit card applications.
Airlines only release a limited number of seats that can be booked with points. Finding these seats (Award Space) is the hardest part of travel hacking. Use tools like Point.me or SeatSpy to find them.