Thanks to the Chase Sapphire Preferred, I’m Knocking $600 Off My Family’s Disney Trip (2024)

Travel is expensive. And so is childcare. So imagine trying to comfortably afford both without feeling like you’re spending your life savings. Luckily, I found a way.

For years, I only had one cash-back credit card, and affording travel for two kids isn’t cheap. I’d always heard of charging what you can afford on your credit card, then paying it in full to reap the rewards. And many travel credit cards come with perks that can save money on flights and hotels. So I gave it a shot.

Over the past year, the card has helped me and my husband afford a lot of flights and hotels -- especially spur-of-the-moment travel. And with a trip to Disney World around the corner, my son’s monthly daycare expense is helping foot the bill to see Mickey. Here’s how.

How I chose my first travel rewards credit card

There are plenty of cards to choose from, but I wanted a travel credit card that already aligned with my spending and had an annual fee that was less than $100. Based on my preferred travel brands and spending categories, I narrowed it down to the Chase Sapphire Preferred™. Plus, the card comes with a few perks I can use, including an annual $50 hotel credit that can be applied toward hotel stays booked through the Chase Travel℠ portal. Here’s a glimpse at the card’s details.

How the points are helping me save money on travel

With my first credit card, I only paid for utilities and streaming subscriptions. But by the time I got the Sapphire Preferred, I felt more confident about managing money. I put my biggest expense on the card -- my son’s $1,300-per-month daycare bill.

Before earning points, I was earning cash back on my son’s daycare bill but it wasn’t enough to make it worthwhile to me. The $1,300 was only adding up to $26 in cash back each month. Now, I’m still only earning 1 reward point for each dollar I spend on daycare with my Sapphire Preferred card. But here’s the benefit: If I book flights or hotels using Chase Travel, I can redeem the rewards at 1.25%.

Let’s do the math.

Right now, I have 38,000 points with 8,000 points pending, for a total of 46,000 points. If I redeem the points on the Chase Travel portal, the points could be worth $575.

If I booked a round-trip flight to Orlando for my son’s Disney trip through Chase Travel today, I’d pay $33 for one of the tickets (not including taxes and fees). Note that the flight was originally $511 for Dec. 26 to 30, which is a big difference for a family of four.

If I wait to book a flight until October, I’ll have paid for five more months of daycare by then. Since the bill is $1,300 (assuming the price doesn’t go up), I estimate I’ll earn another 6,500 points, for a total of 52,500 points with an estimated value of $656 when redeemed through Chase Travel. This isn’t enough to cover the entire trip, but it’s a big help. And that doesn’t include other points I’ll earn for other purchases.

Aside from the Chase Travel portal, I can also transfer the points to one of Chase’s travel partners, such as Marriott Bonvoy -- we’re already loyalists. The 52,000 can be transferred to my Bonvoy account to add to other points we’ve accumulated from booking with Marriott to help cover our stay in Florida. While I won’t be able to redeem at 1.25%, I’m still OK with the savings even if it’s at a rate of 1% per dollar.

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