Course→Lesson 3

Pick Your First Trip

Lesson 3 of 19•6 min•By Austin Nguyen•Updated Oct 16, 2026

Pick one specific trip (destination, dates, travelers) before applying for cards. Start domestic for your first award. Estimate point costs using airline award search.

Key Takeaways

  • ✓ Pick a specific destination and timeframe (not just 'travel more')
  • ✓ Start domestic for your first award trip (easier availability)
  • ✓ Estimate point costs using airline/hotel award search tools
  • ✓ Having a goal prevents impulse card applications
  • ✓ Flexible dates make award booking much easier

Why Pick a Goal First?

Before applying for credit cards, choose ONE specific trip you want to take. Not "travel more" or "visit Europe someday" — an actual trip with dates.

Good goal: "Fly two people round-trip from LAX to Maui in June 2027"

Bad goal: "Save points for future travel"

A specific goal helps you choose the right card, estimate costs, and stay motivated through minimum spend.

Start Domestic

Your first award trip should be domestic U.S. (or nearby: Mexico, Canada, Caribbean). Why?

  • Fewer points: 25k-35k miles vs 60k-100k+ for international
  • Easier availability: More flights, more options
  • Simpler booking: Direct flights, fewer complications
  • Lower risk: If something goes wrong, you're closer to home

Good first goals:

  • Weekend in New York from Chicago
  • Week in Hawaii from West Coast
  • Visit family in Florida
  • Long weekend in Cancun

How to Estimate Point Costs

Use airline and hotel websites to search award availability:

For flights:

  1. Go to United.com, Southwest.com, or your target airline
  2. Search for award flights (look for "Book with miles" option)
  3. Enter your route and dates
  4. Note the point cost

Typical domestic costs:

  • Southwest: 7,000-25,000 points one-way
  • United: 12,500-17,500 miles one-way (saver)
  • Round-trip for 2 people: ~50,000-70,000 points total

For hotels:

  1. Go to Hyatt.com, Marriott.com, or your target chain
  2. Search your destination and dates
  3. Filter by "Use Points"
  4. Note nightly point cost

Typical costs:

  • Hyatt Category 1-2: 5,000-8,000 points/night
  • Hyatt Category 3-4: 12,000-15,000 points/night
  • 3-4 nights: 20,000-60,000 points total

See our points valuation table and CPP calculator to understand point value.

Be Flexible

Flexible dates are crucial. Award availability varies by day. If you MUST fly on a specific date, you may not find availability or may pay 2-3x more points.

Tips:

  • Search multiple date ranges (+/- a few days)
  • Weekdays usually have better availability than weekends
  • Avoid major holidays
  • Off-season travel = more availability + fewer points

Write It Down

Document your goal:

  • Destination
  • Travel dates (or season)
  • Number of travelers
  • Estimated flight points
  • Estimated hotel points
  • Total points needed

Example: "Fly 2 people LAX-HNL June 2027 (50k United miles) + 4 nights Hyatt (48k points) = Need 98k points total. Chase Sapphire Preferred 75k bonus covers most."

Next Step

Before applying for cards, learn about credit scores and how card applications affect them (Lesson 4).

← Lesson 2Next: Lesson 4 →