Whenever I talk to people about their dream vacations, the topic almost always turns to Italy.
After all, most people dream of seeing Venice, a masterpiece built on waterwhich is often referredto as “the city of love.” Others want to see Rome and the great Colosseum. Of course, there’s also Tuscany, a region in central Italy known for its rolling hillsides and historic wineries. Then there’s Genoa, Pisa, Naples, and Cinque Terre, as well as the other hundreds of cities and villages that make up Italy’s unique culture and landscape.
If you’re considering a trip to Italy, you’re probably worried about the cost of such a trip. After all, you’ll have flights and lodging to worry about, in addition to paying for food and incidentals. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to fly and stay in Italy for free, or almost free. How? By pursuing credit card rewards.
How it Works
If you’re reading this site, you probably already know just how lucrative credit card rewards can be. If not, I’ll give you a quick rundown of how it works and you can also read our beginner’s guide. Basically, credit card issuers offer certain perks for signing up for new cards and reaching certain minimum spending requirements.
In most cases, those perks come in the form of cash back, airline miles, or free hotel stays. A little bit of strategy can go a long way when it comes to pursuing rewards, and can even fund entire trips if you play your cards right. In fact, they could even fund an entire trip to Italy. Want to see Italy? Do this:
Visiting Italy With Credit Card Rewards
Note: This plan was created for a household with two point-earners, and can be tweaked to your particular schedule. There is a LOT of flexibility here, depending on what part of the country you visit, which particular hotels you want to book, etc. This guide is the perfect start and can be used as is, or you can look for other cards to help stretch your trip even further (more on that below).
Step 1: Hotels
This is probably the category with the most flexibility, so I’ll recommend one of the most helpful and versatile hotel program: Marriott.
Here are some great hotels where you might use them, along with the points per night cost:
- Sheraton Roma Hotel & Conference Center
- Sheraton Golf Parco de Medici Hotel and Resort, Rome
- Sheraton Diana Majestic, Milan
- Westin Palace Milan
- Westin Excelsior Florence
- The Gritti Palace, Venice
- St. Regis Rome
This card is a great way to take advantage of the current Marriott deals, and its bonus would come in handy for a trip to Italy.
Step 2: Airfare
Many travelers can find good deals flying with American Airlines. You can find one-way flights in the “off-peak” season as low as 22.5K points, so 45K round trip. There are multiple ways to go about getting these points. Some cards earn AA miles directly, and others allow you to transfer your points.
- Stay away from BA. Make sure to choose flight itineraries that do not include British Airways for any leg of your trip. They charge ridiculous fuel surcharges that other airlines don’t charge.
- Keep an open mind. Be flexible when it comes to your travel dates. For example, you might have to travel during the week to get the best flights or find the best off-peak seats. Being flexible with your travel dates will allow you to get the best bang for your buck when it comes to point redemption.
- Experiment with taxes and fees. Taxes and fees for your flights will vary by the city you fly into/out of as well as the airlines you use. As an example, I found an American flight into Venice, Italy on November 4th and out of Milan, Italy on November 12th for a total of 90,000 AA miles and $152.00 for two people. Play around with the calendar and yourdestination citiesuntil you find the best deal.
Tips and Other Options
This might seem like a lot to take in, but once you get the hang of it you’ll realize that it’s fairly simple. Keep in mind that you can spread the sign-ups out over time, for as long as it takes. And remember that this is your regular spending and you will pay your credit card balances in full, so you will not be paying any interest expense at all.This is not an opportunity to spend more money than you normally would on your credit cards, because that might defeat the purpose of “saving” on the trip. If you do choose to stagger the cards, as most people do, you simply sign up for the next card on your list as soon as you’re almost finished meeting the minimum spendingon the last one.
The cards we included in this guide should get you started in the right direction. But there are definitely a TON of ways you could plan your trip, and other cards could give you more flexibility. Don’t be afraid to look at other options, but you also can’t go wrong with the guide as-is. To learn more about great credit card offers, check out our credit cards page where we post the best deals we can find.
You’re on your Way!
Want to see Italy? As you can see, you can, and you can do it for far less than you’ve ever dreamed. All it takes it a little bit of planning, research, and discipline to make it happen. So, figure out your game plan, and decide where you want to go. Then sign up for the appropriate cards and make it happen. And it’s definitely worth it for a free trip to Italy, am I right?
Have you ever wanted to see Italy? What’s stopping you from making it happen?
About the Author: Holly Johnson is a wife, mother of two, and frugal lifestyle enthusiast. She is the co-founder of Club Thrifty and a staff writer at Get Rich Slowly, Frugal Travel Guy, and U.S. News and World Report’s “My Money Blog.” Holly has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Kiplinger Personal Finance, Fox Business, and Daily Finance.
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