My June Trip to Italy Cost Breakdown
Aug 10, 2025
I just saved $12k on my July trip to Italy
How does booking with points translate into real-life travel? Let's use my most recent trip - 10 incredible days in Italy - to show how it works
My Italy Trip Breakdown
Outbound Flight
- United Polaris Business Class – Denver ➡️ Rome
- Cost: 40,000 Asiana miles + $5.60
Return Flight
- I booked two separate business class flights for my return:
- United Polaris Business Class – 40,000 Asiana miles + $105.95
- American Airlines First Class – 70,000 Alaska miles + $82.01
Later, I chose the United flight (Rome ➡️ Chicago ➡️ Denver) to use up my Asiana miles which were expiring, then cancelled my AA ticket for free.
Car Rental
- 5-day rental for $118.58 “all in” via rentalcars.com
- TIP: Your U.S. car insurance doesn’t work abroad except for Canada; you should always rent with a credit card with PRIMARY rental insurance.
Hotels
- Stayed in Orvieto, Siena, La Spezia, Rome, and Mediterranean beach towns.
- I used the Capital One Travel Portal with $300 annual travel credit plus my Capital One points to book these hotels.
The Numbers
If I’d paid cash for flights + hotels, I estimate the total would have been $12K–$14K. My actual out-of-pocket cost (including car rental): ~ $600.
Key Lessons
✅ Build a portfolio of transferable points
(Amex, Chase, Capital One, etc.) I always recommend building a portfolio of transferable points – so you can jump on the best deals when they appear - no matter the airline. In this instance, I booked lie-flat business class seats both ways, but here’s the twist - the points I used to book were different from the airline I actually flew.
✅ Don’t hoard miles into a single airline
Transfer miles from bank cards when you’re ready to book. In my free credit card consultation meetings, I recommend you should always be in Point Accumulation mode. You actually don't need to earn points in each airline account; you just need to be able to move your transferable points to the appropriate program before you're ready to book.
✅Remember your points value extends beyond flights
A lot of people think using points is only good for booking airfare. Using bank points is also great way for booking hotels, tours and activities.
✅ Use expiring points, certificates and your benefits first
There is nothing worse than credit card valuable benefits and certificates expiring before you use them. I keep a spreadsheet of these benefits to make sure I use all of my Amex, Chase and Capital One benefits before they expire.
✅ Always check your credit card travel insurance benefits
It really matters which credit card you use when booking travel, and not all credit cards have the same level of benefits. You should know exactly what your passenger rights are if your trip is every interrupted or there is an emergency.
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