I’ve got some exciting deals for you this week! 🎉

Fancy Fall Break in Spain? Explore Puerto Rico’s beaches? Take the ultimate New England road trip? Or hop across the pond to Europe on Delta for fewer points than most people spend on a domestic flight?

Then grab your passport (or not), because this week’s deals are some of my favorites yet. In fact, a few are the types of deals I’ve personally built trips around.

But first, a few reminders:

• Soon, these weekly flight deal emails will become a perk for paid subscribers only. If you’ve been enjoying them, now is a great time to upgrade.

In addition to flight deals, paid subscribers receive personalized card and trip strategies, access to the member hub, and other award travel resources. I’ve also included a one-on-one award travel consult with me if you become a Founding Member (Emily’s Platinum Circle).

• All flights listed below are one-way for award flights and round-trip for cash bookings unless otherwise noted.

• These deals won’t last forever, so book quickly. Remember those $35 RT flights from Knoxville to Destin over July 4th I shared with you last week? Today, they are almost $400!

• The current Chase Sapphire Preferred welcome bonus is 100,000 Ultimate Rewards points. Combined with the current 30% transfer bonus to Virgin Atlantic, that’s enough points for multiple trips to Europe. You can read more about the recent (mostly positive) changes to this dynamite card in my article from earlier this week:

Ok, let’s get to the deals! 🎉

Europe on Your Mind?

🇪🇸 Madrid for only 48,000 Skymiles (Round Trip!)

The sun-drenched capital of Spain is full of history and art, and is also an easy gateway to the rest of Europe via train or a short flight. I plan to visit in spring 2027 and then hop over to Portugal for a few days. I’ve already booked my Hyatt (with points, of course)!

Delta is currently offering some excellent award pricing for much of the fall. I’ve shared a few dates over Fall Break and Thanksgiving below.

Nashville → Madrid

Lots of availability, including:
• September 30–October 9
• November 19–27

Book via:
• Delta SkyMiles (or transfer from AMEX)

🇮🇪 Ireland for only 22,500 points

We are heading to Dublin next week, so be prepared for some upcoming articles about Ireland, our favorite finds, and of course, how we booked the trip with points.

Nashville → Dublin

Book via:
• Virgin Atlantic

Transfer from:
• Chase
• Capital One
• Citi
• American Express
• Bilt

Direct Flights to Europe from Atlanta for 22k Points

One of my favorite sweet spots continues to be booking Delta-operated flights through Virgin Atlantic. I don’t love driving to Atlanta when the Knoxville airport is so easy, but when it saves one (or more) layovers and costs a fraction of the points, it can make a lot of sense for a family.

🔥 Transfer Bonus Alert: Chase currently has a 30% transfer bonus to Virgin Atlantic. That brings these flights down to fewer than 17,000 Chase points. You could book SIX tickets to Europe with the current 100,000-point Chase Sapphire Preferred welcome bonus. Learn more and apply here.

Current availability includes:

🇫🇷 Paris
• Most dates in July

🇬🇧 London
• July 13 & 16

🇮🇹 Rome
• July 13

🇳🇱 Amsterdam
• July 4, 11, 12 & 13

🇩🇪 Munich
• July 13

Book via:
• Virgin Atlantic

Transfer from:
• Chase
• Capital One
• Citi
• American Express
• Bilt

🌲 Ultimate New England Road Trip

Fly direct from Knoxville to Boston, spend a few days exploring one of America’s most historic cities, then rent a car and head north through some of New England’s most beautiful scenery, like Bar Harbor, Acadia National Park, and Stowe, Vermont.

Knoxville → Boston

$178 Round Trip

Or just $134 round trip using Allegiant’s airport booking discount (you save $44 per person, round trip when booking Allegiant flights at the airport).

Available:
• July 18–25

Book via:
• Allegiant

🏝️ Puerto Rico with Summer, Labor Day & Fall Break Availability

No passport required!

Knoxville → San Juan RT

• July 21–28: $487
• September 3–8: $427
• October 3–8: $477

Book via:
• Southwest

Nashville → San Juan RT

Under $400

Available:
• July 22–August 29: $375
• September 3–8: $326
• October 3–10: $317

Book via:
• United or American

Whew, that was a lot of flight deals!

Drop your dream destinations in the comments and I’ll be looking! And please let me know if you snag any of these flights! I love hearing about your adventures.

Happy Traveling!

Emily

P.S. Knoxville gals: My next award travel meet-up is coming soon, so be on the lookout for the Eventbrite announcement. This one is going to be extra special, as the meet-up will be at a spa 💕

Long beloved as the best way to get started in award travel, its $95 annual fee has always seemed like a drop in the bucket compared to the benefits it provides.

For years, the points and miles community has worried that a refresh would come with a higher annual fee. We see this all the time in this hobby. Last year, the Chase Sapphire Reserve increased by $245, and the American Express Platinum jumped by $200.

But like the $1.50 Costco hot dog combo, the Chase Sapphire Preferred’s price isn’t changing. It is remaining at $95. And today (June 15th, 2026) it announced a WILD elevated welcome offer.

I am honestly shocked by this.

Ok, so what did change?

The Annual Hotel Credit Doubled

• The annual hotel credit doubled from $50 to $100.

• Unlike many travel credits on premium cards, this credit does not require a minimum two-night stay. It’s simply a statement credit for a hotel booked through Chase Travel. This credit alone makes the card a net positive for many people!

• It comes in clutch when you need a night at an airport hotel before an early flight, a stay near a national park where there aren't many great points options, or a sports tournament weekend where you don't feel like dropping a mountain of transferable points on a basic hotel room.

Even More Robust Travel Protections

One of the reasons I keep reaching for my Chase Sapphire Preferred (CSP) is due to the powerful travel protections it comes with. I ALWAYS book my rental cars with my CSP because of the coverage it provides. With this refresh, the CSP’s became even stronger, now including emergency evacuation and transportation coverage benefits up to $100,000.

They added a $120 Trusted Traveler Credit

• Use your CSP to pay for your TSA Precheck or Global Entry fee and receive a statement credit.

New bonus categories

• 3x on gas (this one is huge for my family!)

• 3x on EV charging

• 3x on vacation rentals like Airbnb and VRBO

  • These are categories many travelers already spend heavily in, so they're meaningful additions rather than filler benefits.

A Complimentary Year of Apple TV+

• Cardholders now receive a complimentary one-year Apple TV+ membership.

• It’s not a benefit I’d choose over travel perks, but it’s a nice addition for anyone already using the service, plus the new season of Ted Lasso is coming soon!

THE BAD NEWS

The transfer ratio to our beloved Hyatt is now 4:3 instead of 1:1.

This one hurts, but not enough to change my recommendation. This one hurts, but not enough change my recommendation.

I’ll share an example that I used at our last Ladies’ Award Travel Meet-up.

We looked at the Hyatt in Downtown Knoxville for Big Ears Festival Weekend (April 1-4, 2027). My husband and I have stayed here several times, and highly recommend it. It has an elevated feel, more so than any other Hyatt Place I’ve seen. The swanky rooftop bar is really nice.

Note: I tried to look at a UT Home Football weekend, but those are already sold out!

• Thanks to dynamic pricing, the cash price on the Hyatt website for 3 nights was over $3100

  

• The price in the Chase Portal was 303,000 points

  

• The award price on Hyatt’s website? 15k per night. Yes, you read that correctly.

  

  So even with this disappointing change in the transfer ratio, you would still only need to transfer 20k points per night for this stay.

For comparison, the Courtyard by Marriott a block away is currently charging 53,000 points per night for the exact same dates.

My Take

The Hyatt devaluation is disappointing. There’s no way around that. But even with the transfer ratio dropping from 1:1 to 4:3, Hyatt remains one of the most valuable hotel partners in the points and miles world.

As the Big Ears example shows, transferring points to Hyatt can still save you hundreds (or thousands) in cash or points.

Meanwhile, Chase doubled the annual hotel credit, added a Trusted Traveler credit, introduced several genuinely useful bonus categories, added emergency evacuation to their travel protections, and kept the annual fee at just $95.

I’ve always recommending the Chase Sapphire Preferred to my friends, family, and clients as the best way to dip your toes into award travel, and after these changes, I’m not changing that recommendation.

I haven’t even mentioned the welcome offer, which is at an all-time high.

With this refresh, Chase is increasing the welcome bonus from 75,000 Ultimate Rewards points to 100,000!

Even if you never transfer a single point, that bonus alone is worth at least $1,000 in travel. (Of course, the reason I’m here on Substack is to teach you how to get far more value than that by transferring points strategically, like when I flew my family of four to Europe and back for under 60,000 points.)

You can learn more or apply HERE and start turning everyday expenses into incredible travel experiences.

Do you hold the Chase Sapphire Preferred? I'd love to hear your favorite perk of the card in the comments below!

Happy Traveling,

-Emily

P.S. I’ve had a lot of people reaching out lately about one-on-one award travel strategy and trip-planning sessions. Did you know that a personalized consultation is included when you become a Founding Member (”Emily’s Platinum Circle”)? Whether you’re trying to earn more points, plan a dream trip, or figure out the best use of the points you already have, I’d love to help.

Want to visit Hawaii during peak summer travel? Catch a Broadway show (or a Yankees game) in New York City? Or maybe you’re looking for a simple beach trip to Destin over the Fourth of July—for less than the price of a couple of movie tickets?

This week’s deals include all three.

But first, a few reminders:

• Weekly flight deal emails will soon become a perk for paid subscribers. Thank you to everyone who has already upgraded and is helping support the work I’m doing in this little corner of the internet.

• All flights listed below are one-way for points bookings and round-trip for cash flights unless otherwise noted.

Let’s get to the deals!

🗽 New York City from 17,000 Chase Points ROUND TRIP

Virgin Atlantic is charging 11,000 points each way for Delta’s nonstop flight from Knoxville to New York (LaGuardia—my favorite NYC airport to fly in and out of).

Chase is currently sweetening this deal by offering a 30% transfer bonus to Virgin Atlantic.

Book via:
• Virgin Atlantic

Transfer from:
• Chase Ultimate Rewards

With the transfer bonus, you’ll need to transfer only 17,000 Chase points for a round-trip nonstop flight from Knoxville to NYC.

Availability:
• Available almost every day this summer and into fall.

🌺 Maui from 22.5k Points

TYS→OGG (Maui)

Option 1:

Book via:
• American Airlines

Transfer from:
• Citi ThankYou Points

Price:
• 22,500 points (one-way)

Availability:
• Lots of July dates

Option 2:

Book via:
• United Airlines

Transfer from:
• Chase Ultimate Rewards

Price:
• 25,000 points

Availability:
• July 4 departure currently available

Honolulu from 29k Points, DIRECT from Atlanta

There aren’t many nonstop flights to Hawaii from our side of the country. Atlanta has one on Delta, and it is showing up with Delta’s alliance partner Flying Blue at a much lower price of just 29,000 points each way.

Even better, you can transfer to Flying Blue from any of the major transferable points currencies.

Book via:
• Flying Blue

Transfer from:
• Chase, Amex, Capital One, Citi, or Bilt

Availability:
• Wide open beginning in early June

For anyone sitting on transferable points, this is an excellent way to get to Hawaii without spending a fortune in points—or in layovers.

☀️ Cash Deal: Destin from $79 ROUND TRIP (or less!)

Dreaming of a beach trip?

I’m seeing Knoxville to Destin nonstop for just $79 round trip over Fourth of July week.

Travel dates:
• July 4–11, Allegiant

Even better, if you book directly at the Allegiant airport counter, the total cost drops to approximately $35 round trip after avoiding Allegiant’s carrier usage charges. You can’t even take a date to the movies for this price, much less buy gas to drive to 30A and back!

🏔️ Cash Deal: TYS → Denver $172 ROUND TRIP (or less!)

Have you ever driven Trail Ridge Road or visited the Stanley Hotel (from The Shining) in Estes Park? I love escaping the heat and heading to the Rockies in the summer, and it’s so easy with Allegiant’s direct flight.

Travel dates:
• July 30–August 5

Book via:
• Allegiant

Remember that booking at the airport counter can save approximately $44 per person, bringing the total cost to under $130 round trip.

Ok friends, that’s all I’ve got for you this week!

As always, if there’s a destination on your bucket list, drop it in the comments. I’ll keep an eye out and let you know when something good pops up. And let me know if you book any of these deals, because I LOVE seeing where you all are traveling.

Happy traveling!

Emily

P.S. My favorite travel card, the Chase Sapphire Preferred, rolled out its refreshed benefits yesterday, and I think I love it even more now.

Not only did Chase double the annual hotel credit (from $50 to $100), but they also added a $120 TSA PreCheck®/Global Entry credit, made gas stations a new 3x earning category (!!!), and are giving cardholders a complimentary year of Apple TV+. They also enhanced several of the card’s already excellent travel protections.

With an annual fee of just $95, I think this is the best starter travel card on the market. The welcome bonus is currently 75,000 Ultimate Rewards points, which—based on the New York deal above—could fly a family of four from Knoxville to NYC and back with points to spare. Learn more and apply here.

These benefits kick in beginning Monday.

Instead of a trip report, card strategy, transferable point booking tip, or flight deal, I’m dropping a note to remind you that TOMORROW, Tuesday, June 9, is my second Ladies’ Award Travel Meet-up, and if you’re a Knoxville-area gal, you’re invited. This month’s event is being hosted by We Rock the Spectrum (on Kingston Pike near Pellissippi) and we’ll start at 7 p.m.

Our first meet-up last month at The Adelene was an absolute blast! We spent the evening talking about all things points and miles, from the best beginner credit cards to the basics of transferable points and airline and hotel transfer partners.

One of my favorite moments was walking through a real Hyatt booking together. We looked at the exact same room booked three different ways:

• Cash: $1,200 per night

• Through a credit card travel portal: 101,000 points per night

• By transferring points and booking directly with Hyatt: 15,000 points per night

For roughly the same number of points, you could stay almost a full week instead of a single night.

These kinds of examples get me so excited. It’s why I love teaching people about points and miles. Once you understand the basics, an entirely new world of travel opens up. Learning strategies like this is how I’ve booked more than $40,000 worth of travel for my family in the past year while spending only about $2,000 out of pocket.

Whether you’re points-curious, slightly overwhelmed by the idea of award travel, or already booking transfer awards, this night is for you. We’ll have snacks, drinks, and plenty of time to ask questions, share travel stories, and learn together.

Claim your spot here.

I’d love to meet you.

-Emily

Boy, do I have some WILD deals for you this week.

I know New Zealand is on many people’s bucket lists. Australia too. Want to spend a few days in the Bahamas? Maybe you’d rather sip champagne on your way to Paris…in business class. Or perhaps you’re dreaming of Hawaii (I know I am!).

Then keep reading, because this week’s deals include all of the above.

But first, a few reminders:

• Weekly flight deal emails will soon become a perk for paid subscribers only. Thank you to everyone who has already upgraded! If you’d like to support me and continue to receive these deals as well as receive other exclusive perks, become a paid subscriber for less than the price of a latte here.

• All flights listed below are one-way for award flights and round-trip for cash bookings unless otherwise noted.

• Don’t forget: My 2nd Ladies’ Award Travel Meet-Up is coming up next week on June 9th! If you’re in the Knoxville area and curious about points and miles, I hope you’ll join us. Claim your spot here.

Ok, let’s get to the deals!

Delta Flash Sale 💥

I suggest focusing on transferable points because they offer flexibility and outsized value, but every once in a while Delta drops a flash sale that makes my jaw drop.

Note: If you don’t have Skymiles, you can also transfer points from AMEX. If you have a Delta Skymiles card, these prices will be 15% less than listed below.

New Zealand and Australia from 50,000 Skymiles

From Knoxville, ROUND TRIP, during peak season

Yes, you read that correctly.

New Zealand and Australia often feel out of reach because cash fares routinely start around $1,600.

Right now, I’m seeing Knoxville → New Zealand and Australia (Auckland, Brisbane, and Sydney) pricing as low as 50,000 SkyMiles round trip during peak travel season (November through March).

This deal will not last long. If New Zealand or Australia is on your bucket list and you have a bunch of Skymiles, check the cancellation policy (consider paying a few more miles for a fully refundable ticket), go ahead and book this deal, and figure it out later.

Availability:
• Many dates from November-March.

Book via:
• Delta SkyMiles

Transfer from:
• Amex Membership Rewards

This is the kind of jaw-dropping redemption that reminds me why I love points in the first place.

Bahamas from 10,000 SkyMiles (ROUND TRIP!)

This one is absolutely wild, too.

✈️ Nashville → Nassau from 10,000 SkyMiles RT

✈️ Atlanta → Nassau (direct) from 14,000 SkyMiles RT

✈️ Knoxville → Nassau from 38,000 SkyMiles RT

Availability:
• Tons of dates throughout the summer

Book via:
• Delta SkyMiles

Transfer from:
• Amex Membership Rewards

Moving on from the Delta deals…

🥂 Business Class to Paris for 55,000 Points

(From Knoxville!)

Want to skip economy entirely? Business class is one of the most comfortable ways to cross the Atlantic. A lie-flat seat for the overnight journey, premium dining and beverages, lounge access, and arriving in Paris actually feeling human? Yes, please!

I’m currently seeing Knoxville → Paris in business class for just 55,000 points.

Availability:
• Multiple dates throughout July

Book via:
• Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan

Transfer from:
• Bilt Rewards

🌺 Cash Deals to Hawaii

My family just returned from Maui and the Big Island (if you’re counting, yes, this was our second trip to Hawaii in 2026). This time, we brought my mom along because Hawaii has always been on her bucket list. Being together as she experienced it for the first time was pretty special.

Since it’s our family’s favorite place on earth and we are wishing we were still there, I thought I’d end this week’s email with a few Hawaii deals:

✈️ Honolulu, Maui, and Kauai

From Knoxville: ~ $650 RT

From Nashville: ~ $550 RT

Available many dates throughout August, and select dates from Nashville in July.

Whew! That’s all I have for you this week!

Let me know if you snag one of these insane deals, and as always, if there’s a destination on your bucket list, drop it in the comments. I’ll keep an eye out and let you know when a great points or cash fare pops up.

Happy traveling, and I hope to see some of you at the meet-up next week!

-Emily

(Update: It did, and WOW—it was incredible! I’ll tell the story next week!)

The Big Island doesn’t have a Hyatt (my usual go-to for points hotels), and there aren’t many other great award-booking options. Instead, I used one of our travel credits to book our accommodations. More on that travel credit in a minute.

We’re staying at the Hawaiian Sanctuary Retreat Center in Pahoa, and my goodness, it’s a little slice of hippie-vibes heaven.

The 44-acre property is part bird sanctuary, part botanical garden, and part self-sustaining farm, with cute cabins scattered throughout the grounds.

Our cabin has two queen beds, a bathroom, a kitchenette, and a small porch with an outdoor table. In the morning we had muffins and smoothies made with ingredients grown on the property at their “elixir bar.” Every guest receives an hour of infrared sauna and hot tub time each day, which I took full advantage of. It felt wonderful after a travel day.

The property has been amazing, but my favorite part was watching my youngest discover that there are more than 30 peacocks roaming the grounds. Peacocks are her favorite animal, and when the owner handed her three (washed) feathers to take home as a souvenir, she was absolutely delighted.

The best part? This entire stay was covered by the Venture X travel credit.

The Capital One Venture X comes with a simple-to-use $300 annual travel credit that can be applied to travel booked through Capital One Travel. Our need for a non-points option on the Big Island ended up being the perfect use for it.

There are many reasons to consider the Venture X as your go-to premium travel rewards card.

At $395, it has a much lower annual fee than Amex, Chase, or Citi’s premium cards, which are $895, $795, and $595, respectively.

Included in that annual fee is a super easy-to-use $300 annual travel credit. Unlike some competing cards, there are no minimum-stay requirements to use it. Just book travel through Capital One Travel and the credit applies.

It also comes with a 10,000-point bonus at the end of your cardholder year. If you learn the sweet spots and transfer partners (my goal is to teach you how to do that), those points can be enough for a round-trip flight from Knoxville to New York City or one way to Europe (I’m not kidding). If you value a flight to the Big Apple or London at even $100 (which would be a crazy low fare), the annual bonus plus the $300 travel credit more than offset the card’s fee.

A major perk is lounge access to both Capital One Lounges and Priority Pass lounges. If you’ve ever spent time in a nice airport lounge before a flight, you know it can be a game changer. Complimentary food and beverages, comfortable places to relax, and sometimes even showers or sleeping areas.

• A note for my Knoxville friends: We don’t have a lounge at TYS, but Capital One and Priority Pass lounges can be found in many airports you may be traveling through. We use them all the time on connections and return trips.

Add in the Venture X’s simple 2-points-per-dollar earning structure, and you’ve got a solid card. In fact, it’s the only card my husband keeps in his wallet for everyday purchases. He doesn’t have to think about which card to use for groceries, dining, or gas because the Venture X earns well on everything.

With Capital One’s extensive list of travel partners (more than 20 of them), this card can help you get almost anywhere you want to go while keeping things relatively simple. It currently has a 75,000 point sign-up bonus, too. I’ll throw my husband’s link below so you see if it’s a good fit for you.

While points often (and should) get the spotlight in award travel, credits like these can be just as valuable. In our case, a simple travel credit gave us a great place to stay while we explored volcanoes, watched peacocks roam the grounds, and experienced a side of Hawaii we never would have found through a traditional points booking.

Have you been to the Big Island? I’d love to hear about your experience!

Happy Travels,

Emily

More Info/Apply for Venture X

I’ve got some GREAT deals for you this week.

Have you ever dreamed of driving the Golden Circle in Iceland? What about Trail Ridge Road in the Rockies (one of my favorite drives ever)? Want to head across the northern border to visit Vancouver or Banff? How about the iconic landmarks of Hollywood? Or maybe you just need to sit on a beach for a few days?

Then keep reading, because it’s all here.

But first, a few reminders:

• Soon, these weekly flight deal emails will become a perk for paid subscribers only. I’m offering a discount for new subscribers through May 31st: Become a paid subscriber

• Other perks of paid subscriptions will include personalized card and trip strategies, your referral codes in the member hub (earn referral bonuses!), and more.

• All flights listed below are one-way for award flights and round-trip for cash bookings unless otherwise noted.

• I love flying from our chill little airport in Knoxville, but I ALSO love flying to Europe without 3 layovers — and I’ve found that if I’m willing to make a short drive, I can often fly my entire family for less than the cost of one ticket out of Knoxville.

• Ladies of Knoxville, I’m hosting an award travel meet-up on Tuesday, June 9th. More information and registration here. I hope to see you there!

Let’s get to the deals!

Here are some of my favorite flight deals I spotted this week:

✈️ Iceland on your bucket list?

Nashville → Reykjavik

22,500–32,000 points (direct!)

Book via:
• Alaska Airlines

Transfer from:
• Bilt

Available:
• Most dates in July

✈️ Still working on your points stash? Here are some great cash fares to Iceland from Knoxville or Nashville

BNA → KEF (nonstop) — $625 RT

Available:
• July 27–August 3 via Icelandair

TYS → KEF — $885 RT

Available:
• July 27–August 4 via Delta

🏖️ Still haven’t booked that beach trip?

These destinations are currently pricing under $90 RT for many June and July dates:

• Destin
• Gulf Shores
• Key West
• Miami
• Orlando
• Jacksonville

And with the airport booking trick I mentioned in last week’s article, many of these flights come in under $40 RT.

Book via:
• Allegiant

⛰️ Rockies calling?

Allegiant offers a direct flight to from Knoxville to Denver, and many July dates are pricing under $180 RT.

If you really want to save — especially with a big family — booking at the airport can bring the cost closer to $130 RT.

✈️ Have a stash of Chase Ultimate Rewards and want to travel to Denver for just $5.60 (taxes and fees)?

Points Option: United flights are currently pricing as low as 15k points each way.
• Tons of June + July availability

Book via:
• United

Transfer from:
• Chase

🎬 Nashville → Los Angeles

We recently had a day to kill in LA, so we did a quick self-tour of Hollywood — the girls had a great time.

Direct flights from Nashville are currently available from 8,000 points.

Available:
• Tons of June + July availability

Book via:
• American Airlines

Transfer from:
• Citi

🍁 Nashville → Vancouver for 13,500 points

I helped a friend book a trip to Vancouver, and they got back a couple of weeks ago. I’ve never been to British Columbia myself, but she said it was lovely.

Available:
• June 26

Book via:
• Air Canada

Transfer from:
• Chase
• Capital One
• Amex
• Bilt

🍁 Nashville → Calgary - $322

Available:
• July 15-21

That’s all I have for you today! Drop your dream destinations in the comments and I’ll keep an eye out for deals.

Happy Traveling!

-Emily

Like when I started a Facebook group in 2009 with the sole purpose of bringing Trader Joe’s to Knoxville because I was tired of stocking up on Unexpected Cheddar and Everything but the Bagel Seasoning every time I drove through Atlanta. I was on a mission (and everyone around me knew it).

Or when I listened to Hamilton for the first time and didn’t sleep for two days because I was so deeply affected by the masterpiece of it all.

My apologies to anyone who has had to listen to me absolutely geek out about “The Bullet” or how every song pays homage to a different hip-hop artist. Except for “You’ll Be Back,” which is King George’s abusive love song to the colonies written as a Beatles parody. The British Invasion layer of it all? Genius.

Anyway, I digress. We’re here to talk about award travel.

If you happened to read my first article here on Substack, you learned that it took me years to get into points and miles because I was convinced credit cards were evil. In my 30s, I almost considered extreme couponing but quickly realized that with my personal tendency toward clutter, obsession, and a scarcity mindset, that could very easily turn into a hoarding situation.

Then, at 40, I got my first card, the Chase Sapphire Preferred, and booked my first “free” trip: two nights in Asheville for zero dollars out of pocket.

Suddenly I began feel that familiar “this is going to change my life in the best way and I’m diving deep” feeling.

You see, I realized that have to spend money every single day anyway. Groceries. Gas. Bills. Kids’ activities. All of those regular expenses could be earning points that I could turn into travel.

Now THIS is my kind of extreme couponing.

Because instead of building a stockpile of toothpaste in my pantry, I’m building a treasure trove of experiences and memories with my family and friends. And when I’m in touch with my truest self, I know that experiences have always meant far more to me than things ever could.

Last Thursday, I hosted my first-ever award travel meet-up for women, and being in a room full of gals excited to deep dive into points and miles was an absolute blast.

I got to share about the trips my family has taken over the past year — more than $40,000 worth of travel for around $2,000 out of pocket — and hear about everyone else’s favorite vacations and bucket-list travel dreams. We talked strategy, transfer partners, welcome bonuses, and the best keeper cards.

And while I fumbled my way through using a projector and screen mirroring for the first time, we looked at a Hyatt stay that cost 303,000 points for three nights through a credit card portal, but only 45,000 points total when booked by transferring points directly to Hyatt (Yes, 15k per night).

By the way, I’m doing another meet-up in West Knoxville on June 9th and I’d love to see you there - claim your spot here: Eventbrite

I think the women left the evening feeling inspired (and maybe a little overwhelmed). And judging by the questions, the constant photos of my projected slides, and the audible gasps at the Hyatt redemption… I think the obsession may be spreading.

-Emily

P.S. I’m running a memorial day flash sale for the meet-up - 2 for 1 tickets until midnight tonight. Here’s the link to bring a friend for free June 9th BOGO

This week’s flight deals are a mix of July 4th getaway ideas, summer European escapes, and one MASSIVE award flight drop that’s worth knowing about.

Reminders:

• Soon, these alerts will become a perk for paid subscribers only. I’m offering a discount for new subscribers here through May 31st: Become a paid subscriber

Other perks of paid subscriptions will include personalized card and trip strategies, your referral codes in the member hub (earn referral bonuses!), and more.

• All flights listed below are one-way for award flights and round-trip for cash bookings unless otherwise noted.

• We all love flying from our chill little airport in Knoxville, but I ALSO love flying to Europe without 3 layovers — and I’ve found that if I’m willing to make a short drive, I can often fly my entire family for less than the cost of one ticket out of Knoxville.

Let’s get to the deals!

🌺 July 4th in Maui

This one is especially exciting because flights from Knoxville to Hawaii with just ONE layover are pretty rare.

Knoxville → Maui (OGG) on American Airlines — from 25k points
Available:
• July 4

Transfer from:
• Citi (to AA) — 25k
• Bilt (to Alaska) — 27.5k
• Capital One (to Qantas) — 29k

Finding great Hawaii itineraries like this one for the equivalent of ~$250 cash back is a great example of how awesome award travel can be.

New to award travel and need a cash fare while you build up your stash of points?

There are also some solid round-trip itineraries to Hawaii from Nashville:

Nashville → Kauai
July 1–8 — $656 RT

Nashville → Honolulu
July 2–9 — $701 RT

Nashville → Maui
July 2–9 — $713 RT

Want a vacation in paradise, but prefer a shorter journey?

How about a long weekend in the Caribbean? Sint Maarten, the Dutch side of the Caribbean island shared with French Saint Martin, has a great deal right now!

Nashville → Sint Maarten
July 3–8 — $309 RT (book with American)

🇺🇸 Fourth of July in DC for under $100 RT

You could celebrate Independence Day in our nation’s capital for less than $100 round-trip on Allegiant.

Knoxville → Washington, DC (IAD)
• July 3–6 — $93 RT
• July 3–10 — $96 RT

Remember that you can save $22 each way ($44 round-trip) on Allegiant flights by booking at the airport instead of online. That brings the long-weekend itinerary down to under $50. This REALLY adds up when you’re traveling as a family.

Visit Mickey (Or Hogwarts) for under $35

Knoxville → Orlando — $78 RT on Allegiant
• July 3–7
• July 3–10

Using the Allegiant airport booking trick, you could potentially get to Disney or Universal for $34 round-trip! With gas prices as high as they are, this is definitely worth looking at as opposed to making the drive.

✈️ Massive Europe Award Drop

Virgin Atlantic just released a TON of award availability on direct flights from Atlanta this summer, including:

• Paris
• London
• Amsterdam
• Dublin
• Zurich
• Munich
• Frankfurt
• Barcelona
• Rome
• Milan
• Copenhagen
• Brussels

Book via: Virgin Atlantic
Transfer from: Chase, Capital One, Amex, Citi, or Bilt

Many of these flights are available for under 30k points one-way, and some are even pricing at under 15k points. There are SO many options right now, so dream big and use those points to make the dream a reality.

❄️ Cool Off in Europe

Dreaming of a European adventure but don’t have the points yet? I found a couple of great cash fares from Nashville to the Scandinavian and Nordic regions for July 7–14 that are sure to do the trick:

Nashville → Reykjavik, Iceland — $619 (Delta)

Nashville → Stockholm, Sweden — $780 (Delta/Air France)

That’s all I have for you this week! Remember: these deals can disappear quickly, so if one catches your eye, don’t wait too long to book.

Where are you hoping to travel this summer? Let me know in the comments and I’ll keep an eye out for the best prices in points or cash.

Happy Summer!

-Emily

After writing today’s post, I realized it was worth sharing with all of my subscribers because, honestly, even I was amazed looking at the math behind it all. And while I hate algebra, I LOVE points travel math (and don’t you dare call it “girl math” either).

Let’s talk about how feeding my family helped me book a luxury resort in Portugal.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred (CSP) earns 3x on dining and online groceries. Kroger pickup? Potchke Bagel (for my Knoxville friends)? That’s 3 points per dollar spent.

If you’re feeding a family like I am, groceries are a huge expense. Let’s stick with simple math (for my sake) and say you spend $1,000/month on groceries. By ordering online and using your CSP, you’d earn 3,000 Ultimate Rewards (URs) points every month — or 36,000 points over the course of a year.

Now add in $500/month spent dining out. That’s another 1,500 points per month, or 18,000 points per year.

Just by strategically using your CSP for groceries and dining, you could earn 54,000 URs annually.

You might be thinking, “54,000 points won’t get me very far.” And you’d be correct…if you were booking through the Chase Travel Portal. But we don’t book through the portal, remember?

I just booked my family two nights in a 1 bedroom villa at the Masana Algarve in Portugal next summer. The cash rate was over €1,100 per night, but by transferring URs to Hyatt, I booked the stay for just 25,000 points per night. That’s a redemption value of over 5 cents per point!

So those 54,000 points you earned, simply by feeding your family? They just booked you a $2,600 stay at a luxury resort in Portugal.

And if you spend money on anything else (which I’m guessing you do!), you’ll earn even more points. Maybe instead of a two-night stay, it becomes three or four nights.

The world really can open up when you learn how to strategically use your everyday spending to earn valuable transferable points.

Thanks for sticking with me through the mathy parts. Things got a little rough there for a minute, but we made it through.

-Emily

Learn more/Apply Here for the Chase Sapphire Preferred

Reminders:

• Soon, these alerts will become a perk for paid subscribers only. I’m offering a discount for new subscribers here: I want to keep receiving these flight alerts! Other perks of a paid subscribers will be access to personalized card and trip strategies, your referral codes in the member hub, and more.

• All flights listed below are one-way unless otherwise noted.

• We all love flying from our sweet little airport in Knoxville, but I ALSO love flying to Europe nonstop — and I’ve found that if I’m willing to make a short drive, I can often fly my entire family for less than the cost of one ticket out of Knoxville (plus no layovers!)

  This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

• Flexibility and creativity are truly the name of the game with award travel! I’ve included some domestic flights from Knoxville at the top of the list as well.

I’m so excited to help you all travel more for less. I’ve got both cash and points deals for you today!

The beach + no drive = more time at the beach!

Knoxville via Allegiant Air, June 6-13 (Round Trip, Direct):

• Knoxville → Gulf Shores — $83
• Knoxville → Destin — $91
• Knoxville → Orlando — $98
• Knoxville → Fort Lauderdale — $107

Not feeling Florida? Visit Rocky Mountain National Park or catch a show at Red Rocks!

• Knoxville → Denver — $152 (RT, direct)
Lots of availability July 30–August 5

Prefer to save your cash and use points instead? There’s tons of availability for 15k points each way to Denver. Transfer points to United from Chase.

Feeling even more adventurous?

There are some fantastic points deals out West and to Ireland from Nashville:

• Nashville → Vancouver — 12,000 points (direct)
Available dates:
• June 17
• June 22
• June 24

Book via Air Canada Aeroplan. Transfer points from Chase, Capital One, Amex, or Bilt.

• Nashville → Salt Lake City — 14,000 points (direct)
Wide open award availability for most of June and July.

Book via Flying Blue. Transfer points from Chase, Capital One, Amex, Citi, or Bilt.

• Nashville → San Francisco — ~15,000 points (direct)

May 29th, July 2, July 24. Book via United Airlines, transfer points from Chase.

Europe Escapes

• Nashville → Dublin — tons of availability throughout the summer, many dates under 30k points one way.

Book with Alaska Airlines miles and transfer from Bilt. Haven’t gotten into Bilt points yet? You can also book through United Airlines for around 40k points one way.

Atlanta → Paris, London, Amsterdam

There are also still direct flights available to Paris, London, and Amsterdam from for under 15k points, though availability is slightly more limited than when I first sent the alert out.

Best availability:
• June 1
• June 7
• July 15
• July 20

Book with Virgin Atlantic.
Transfer points from Chase, Capital One, Amex, Citi, or Bilt.

That’s all I have for you today! Remember, these deals can disappear fast, so if one catches your eye, don’t wait too long to snag it. If you end up booking one, PLEASE tell me. Nothing makes me happier than seeing where you all are headed.

-Emily

I’m so excited to help you all travel more for less. I’ve got some really great deals for you today. Get to Europe for under 20k points, Hawaii for under 30k, or fun domestic spots for under 10k.

A few notes:

• Soon, these alerts will become a perk for paid subscribers only. I’m offering a discount for new subscribers here: I want the flight alerts!

• All flights listed below are one-way unless otherwise noted.

• I know we all love flying from our sweet little airport in Knoxville, but I ALSO love flying to Europe nonstop — and I’ve found that if I’m willing to make a short drive, I can often fly my entire family for less than the cost of one ticket out of Knoxville (plus no layovers!)

• Flexibility and creativity are truly the name of the game with award travel! I’ve included some domestic flights from Knoxville as well.

Atlanta → Paris (DIRECT) — 12,000 points

Available dates:
• May 29 (1 seat)
• June 7 (9 seats)

Book through: Virgin Atlantic
Transfer points from: Chase, Capital One, Amex, Citi, or Bilt

One of the best parts of this deal? If you recently opened a Chase Sapphire Preferred or Capital One Venture card, the welcome bonus alone could cover almost 7 seats.

Taxes and fees are a bit higher with Virgin (around $150 per ticket), but even so — a family of 4 could fly to Paris in peak season for just 48k points + about $600 total.

Atlanta → London (DIRECT) — 13,500 points

Available dates:
• July 13, 15, 20, 21, 22
(Up to 9 seats available)

Book through: Virgin Atlantic
Transfer points from: Chase, Capital One, Amex, Citi, or Bilt

Both London and Paris make amazing destinations on their own, but they’re also incredible gateway cities to the rest of Europe. Lock in the long-haul flight for cheap, then hop on a budget airline or train to explore elsewhere.

Nashville → Dublin (DIRECT) — 20,000 points

Available dates:
• June 24
• June 26
• July 4
(Up to 6 seats available)

Book through: Aer Lingus
Transfer points from: Chase, Capital One, Amex, or Bilt

Atlanta → Maui - 28.5k points

Available dates:

• May 29 (8 seats available)

Book through: Flying Blue
Transfer points from: Chase, Capital One, Amex, Citi, or Bilt

Knoxville → New York (LaGuardia DIRECT) — 7,500 points

Availability:
Late May through late July has almost daily availability.

Book through: Flying Blue
Transfer points from: Chase, Capital One, Amex, Citi, or Bilt

Knoxville → Chicago (DIRECT) — 10,000 points

Availability:
Late May through late July has almost daily availability.

Book through: Air Canada
Transfer points from: Chase, Capital One, Amex, or Bilt

Knoxville → Denver (DIRECT) — 16,700–20,000 points

Availability:
Late May through late July has almost daily availability.

Book through: United
Transfer points from: Chase

That’s all I have for you today! Remember, these deals can disappear fast, so if one catches your eye, don’t wait too long to snag it. If you end up booking one, PLEASE tell me. Nothing makes me happier than seeing where you all are headed.

-Emily

P.S. I’m so excited to meet so many of you next Thursday at the West Knox Chat Ladies Points & Miles Meetup on May 14!

Registration is open — claim your spot here: Miles Meetup, and use code MILESANDMERLOT for 20% off your ticket. The discount ends tonight at midnight!

At Points Travel with Emily, we’ll focus on a different strategy: earning and redeeming transferable points currencies instead of airline or hotel-specific ones.

Why? Flexibility.

Think of transferable points as diversification for your travel rewards portfolio. If you have 100,000 Marriott Bonvoy points, your options are limited to Marriott properties. But 100,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points can be transferred to multiple partners—Marriott, Hyatt, IHG, Wyndham, and more—giving you far more ways to stretch your points.

That flexibility matters even more for flights.

Recently, a friend wanted to fly to Paris. A direct Delta flight from Atlanta cost $709 or 67,500 SkyMiles one-way. But that exact same flight—operated by Delta—was available through Air France (a partner airline) for just 18,500 points, or 40,000 points in premium economy (which can be totally worth it on that overnight flight to Europe).

Because Air France is a transfer partner of Chase, Amex, Capital One, Citi, and Bilt, you could book that flight using points from any of those programs.

Same seat. Same flight. A fraction of the points.

Ready to start earning transferable points and not sure where to begin? Here are my recommendations:

1. Best starter card: Chase Sapphire Preferred (apply here)

This is such a powerful card! The welcome bonus is currently 75,000 Ultimate Rewards (UR) Points after spending $5000 in 3 months, which is enough to book several flights and/or hotel nights by transferring to Chase’s partners like Southwest, United, AirFrance/KLM/Flying Blue, Marriott, and Hyatt.

This card includes a $50 hotel credit, great travel protections (including rental car coverage), complimentary DashPass and monthly Door Dash credits, and a 10% points bonus at your cardholder anniversary. It is a keeper card for basically everyone in this hobby. Use my link for the best welcome bonus and to support me!

Pro Tip: After meeting the minimum spend and earning the welcome bonus, refer your partner or a friend so that they can earn the welcome bonus and you can earn the referral! You can combine Chase UR’s within households, so this is a great way to begin building up a stash of points.

2. Rakuten Spend $50/Earn$50 Promo: Rakuten Sign-Up

Rakuten is a shopping portal where you earn cashback on the purchases you are already making. Link it to a free Bilt account and you’ll earn valuable transferable points instead!

Pro Tip: Use your Chase Sapphire Preferred or other points earning card when you shop online through Rakuten and DOUBLE DIP those earnings!

Questions? Drop them in the comments below!

I’m excited to see where your points and miles take you!

-Emily

And honestly—bless him. Living mostly on cash served me well in many ways. But if I’m being honest, I was always a little curious about what I might be missing.

Because every now and then, I’d cheat on Dave and listen to other financial voices. I’d hear people talk about credit card points and miles—how they were unlocking nearly-free travel—and I totally judged them.

“Cash is king!” Everything else felt questionable and irresponsible.

It wasn’t until my 40th birthday that I finally broke up with Dave and (gasp) applied for my first credit card. My husband had recently emerged from a decade-long chronic illness, and our family, along with the rest of the world, was waving goodbye to the covid era and its restrictions.

Needless to say, we were ready to do something questionable and irresponsible. Something WILD.

At a friend’s recommendation, I opened a Chase Sapphire Preferred and earned the 60,000-point welcome bonus. I didn’t start using those points immediately, but I noticed that their balance kept increasing because LIFE COSTS MONEY.

Then I booked our first trip using points: a beautiful, historic two-bedroom flat in downtown Asheville.

Cash price? Nearly $2,000. Points price? 40,000 points—about $400 in value if I had taken the cash back option instead.

Looking at these numbers, my mindset began to shift.

I stopped thinking:

“Expenses are just something I have to pay.”

And started thinking:

“My expenses are an untapped asset.”

Since turning 40, I’ve planned over $40,000 worth of travel for my family. London, Paris, Ireland, Switzerland, New York, Hawaii, and several closer-to-home domestic trips. My out of pocket cost? Right around $2,000.

If you love to travel and want to do it better for much, much less—this space is for you.

If you’ve ever felt skeptical about credit cards, assumed travel rewards were too complicated, or thought you “missed your window” to start in this hobby—this space is for you.

Here, I’ll show you how to turn the money you’re already spending into memory-making travel.

So long, Dave. We’re going to start checking off our bucket lists BEFORE retirement.

If you’re ready to think about your expenses as assets to unlock travel—stick around!

-Emily

Note: I am NOT a financial advisor and I am not here to give financial advice. I do know that you need to pay your credit card off on-time, in full, every month to succeed in this hobby.