Italy for Under $1,000
"We made it to Italy. All five of us. Together. That trip didn't break us financially - because of points."
Here's What We Actually Did
Let me pull back the curtain completely, because this is what I wish someone had handed me in a one-page document instead of making me piece it together over months.
The system has three parts: earn, transfer, book. That's it.
STEP 1: EARN
We applied for the Chase Sapphire Preferred card. It comes with a welcome bonus…at the time, 75,000 points after spending $5,000 in the first three months. That sounds like a lot, but between groceries, gas, bills, and school expenses, we hit it without changing our spending habits at all.
75,000 points. Earned. In three months. On purchases we were already making.
Pro tip: Set autopay to your full statement balance the day the card arrives. This is non-negotiable. The strategy only works if you never carry a balance. More on that in my next post.
STEP 2: TRANSFER
Here's the part most people don't know about: your Chase points don't have to stay in the Chase system. You can transfer them at a 1:1 ratio to airline and hotel programs. This is where the real value lives.
For our flights, I transferred Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Air France Flying Blue. Air France is part of the SkyTeam alliance, which means their miles can book flights on Air France and partner airlines at what's called a Saver award price.
Transfer partners are the secret the credit card companies don't advertise. Your points at face value are worth about 1 cent each. When you transfer to the right partner and book the right award, they can be worth 3, 4, even 5 cents each. That's the multiplier that made Italy possible.
STEP 3: BOOK
On www.seatsaero.com I searched for award availability on our route. I was looking specifically for what's called a Saver award…the lowest points tier, available on certain flights and dates. Think of it like finding a seat during Starbucks happy hour. Same product, dramatically lower price. You just have to know to look for it.
I found Saver availability for our family. The flights that would have cost thousands of dollars in cash were bookable for a fraction of the points I had earned.
I transferred the points. I booked the flights immediately.
Then I booked the hotels through Marriot and IHG’s award program. Properties that would have run $200–$400 per night were free due to new member offers.
The Final Numbers
Flights for 5: Chase UR → British Airways with a cash value of ~$2,800+
Hotels: Award Nights
Total cash out of pocket for the entire family trip: under $1,000
My daughter showed us Italy. We ate our way through Rome. We stood in places that felt like they belonged in another life…a life we couldn't afford. Except we could. Because of points.
What I Wish Someone Had Told Me
Here's the thing that still gets me: it didn't have to take weeks to figure out. The system isn't complicated. It just isn't explained simply anywhere.
Every resource I found was written for people who were already enthusiasts, people who had time to deep-dive, who enjoyed the research, who treated points like a full-time job. That's not me. I'm a high school principal. I work long hours. I have three kids. I needed someone to just hand me the condensed version.
"Nobody handed it to me. So I built it."
That's what 3P Travel is. Everything I learned - stripped down, simplified, and designed for busy professionals who don't have a second job's worth of time to figure this out on their own.
The cards to get. The order to get them in. How to assign your bills so you earn on autopilot. How alliances work and what that means for where you can go. How to find a Saver award and book it before it disappears.
All of it. In one place. For people like you.
Your Next Step
If this resonated - if you read "five people, Italy, under $1,000" and felt something shift - here's what I'd suggest:
Attend the next virtual workshop. Sixty minutes. I walk you through the whole system live, including a real flight search demo.
Download the free 3P Travel Cheat Sheet. It's a one-pager that shows you the exact cards, the exact transfer partners, and the exact steps. No fluff.
Or reach out directly if you want someone to look at your specific situation, your spending, your goals, your dream destination, and build a plan just for you.
The trip to Italy didn't happen because we had extra money. It happened because we had the right system.
You can have it too.
Subscribe HERE for a free 3P Travel course, resource guide,
and weekly tips to earn free travel.
Swipe Smart. Go Far.
Cassie Jemilo, Founder of 3P Travel
Cassie@3P-travel.com | www.3P-Travel.com
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