If you’ve ever thought that using points and miles for luxury travel, like planning a Safari in Kenya, was only for spreadsheet-loving experts… I’m here to prove you wrong.
Hi, I’m Tara—and I just booked my first major trip entirely using points and miles. I’m talking luxury safari in Africa, round-trip business class flights, and a total trip value of over $40,000—and I did it as a complete novice in the points and miles world.
Seriously, I had no idea what I was doing when I started. But with the help of Thrifty Traveler Premium (my luxury travel hack for hotel & airfare alerts and redemption tips) and their Thrifty Traveler podcast, I learned just enough to pull off the points redemption of my dreams.
Here’s exactly how I booked it—step by step.
The Safari that Started it all…
It all began with one epic email.
Each year, I give myself a goal trip, well, this year it was planning an African Safari. I have been able to accomplish it the past two years, but would I make it a reality 3 years in a row?
I’d been signed up for Thrifty Traveler Premium (grab it for $10 off with my affiliate link) for about a year, and one day I got an alert about a rare points redemption opportunity at the JW Marriott Masai Mara—an ultra-lux all-inclusive safari lodge in Kenya.
It was 130,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night, and even better? The 5th night was free when redeeming with points. After a little convincing of my husband, we decided to go all in and used 520,000 Marriott Bonvoy points to book five nights.
Just like that, planning a safari was locked in. Valued between $15,000 and $20,000 depending on the season, this redemption was already one of the most luxurious (and smartest) things I’d ever booked with points. And up until recently, I didn’t even realize I had enough points to pull something like this off.
✈️ But How Were We Going to Get There?
I was thrilled about planning a safari experience, but slightly panicking about the 20+ hours of flying required to get to Kenya.
I knew one thing: we needed to fly business class if we were going to survive the long haul. I had heard people talk about business class redemptions for 50K–100K points one-way, but when I went searching… crickets. Nothing like that was showing up.
Then came the next Thrifty Traveler Premium email.
💺 Qatar Qsuites… for Half the Points
Another alert from Thrifty Traveler Premium hit my inbox one night right before bed. It was for Qatar Airways Qsuites, which are basically the Best of the Best in business class. The deal? 85,000 points per person each way.
Historically, Qsuites had been going for around 170K points one-way. So this was a massive drop.
Here was the catch: I’d need to transfer AMEX points to my husband’s Qatar Airways account to redeem, and he was already asleep. I decided to wait and talk to him in the morning.
Of course, by the time I woke up… the outbound redemption was gone. 😫
BUT—silver lining—the return flight home was still available at 85K points per person. I grabbed it. We were officially flying home in one of the most luxurious business class cabins in the sky… for just 170,000 AMEX points total.
Quick perspective:
- Cash price for that flight: ~$12,000
- Booking directly through Amex Travel Portal: ~1.3 million points
- Booking via transfer to Qatar Airways: 170,000 points
That’s the power of using the right strategy. 🔥
💡 So, How Do We Fly To Africa?
By this point, my points were dwindling. I still had to figure out how to get us to Kenya without spending another $10K–$12K on flights. Enter: the Thrifty Traveler Podcast.
I’d heard them talk about buying airline miles strategically when big bonuses were offered. Shortly after, I got an email from United Airlines offering a 90% bonus on purchased miles. With a little girl-math magic, I realized I could buy 170,000 miles for just under $2,100, enough to book United Polaris business class one-way.
Yes, you read that right. I “bought” my way into business class to Africa for $2,100—compared to the $11,000+ cash fare on that route.
Game. Changer. And…who even knew this was a thing?
💰 The Final Tally
Here’s what the full redemption looked like:
| Item | Points Used | Cash Value |
|---|---|---|
| JW Marriott Masai Mara | 520,000 Bonvoy points | ~$15,000–$20,000 |
| Flight to Kenya – United Polaris | 170,000 United miles (purchased) | ~$11,000 |
| Flight home – Qatar Qsuites | 170,000 AMEX points (transferred to Qatar) | ~$12,000 |
| Taxes & fees | – | $337.20 |
Total Out-of-Pocket Cost: ~$2,437
Total Estimated Value: $37,000–$44,000+
🧳 So What Did I Learn?
Honestly, this whole experience taught me that you don’t need to be an expert to win the points and miles game. You just need:
- ✉️ A good alert service (hello, Thrifty Traveler Premium)
- 💳 A few key credit cards that earn transferable points (like AMEX or Bonvoy)
- 💡 A basic understanding of how transfer partners work
- ✍️ A little strategy—and a willingness to act fast when a great deal pops up
And don’t be afraid to buy points if the math makes sense. That United flight was worth every penny.
🗣️ Your Turn
Have you ever booked a trip with points? Thinking about diving into redemption travel for the first time? If you were able to have the tools and knowledge to do this, would you start planning an African safari, or would you choose another destination?
I’m here to tell you that you can do this too, just grab my GUIDE.
Let me know in the comments—or DM me on Instagram [@fabulouslyadrift] if you’ve got questions! I’ll also be sharing a visual look at this trip on Instagram soon, so be sure to check out the post when it drops. 🎥✨
If you’re ready to get started, I can’t recommend Thrifty Traveler Premium enough. Their alerts and podcast literally changed how I travel.
Still want more details about how to do this yourself? Grab my FREE PDF Guide below…it has the step-by-step instructions so you can do this too!
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