Skiing on Points
Powder Mountain lived up to its name…
Tl;dr: A few cards can have you skiing far from home for next to no cash out of pocket
A while back we took a little ski trip, and today we’re going to break down how we were able to fly out to the powdery Wasatch mountains for some skiing and boarding, and how the flights for two, checked bags, hotel, and rental car barely cost us anything out of pocket. Here’s how you could do the same.
Lift tickets
It is possible to get some free lift tickets by flying Alaska, but this was a Delta trip for us. Like many skiers and snowboarders, we had a ski pass this year: the Indy Pass. In addition to our nearby mountains, the Indy Pass offers access to resorts across the country. Other passes like the Epic, Icon, and Mountain Collective passes have similar features. So we were able to ski for “free” at, among other places, Powder Mountain, Utah–it was just a matter of getting there.
Flights
Between the welcome offer on my Delta and Amex cards and the miles I’ve earned on them through spending, I had plenty of SkyMiles in the bank. Using the 15% discount on award flights with my Delta Amex Gold, I was able to book two roundtrip tickets for 17,700 miles each, a solid price for a refundable ticket that usually costs several hundred dollars. Our equipment flew for free thanks to the credit card luggage benefit, “saving” us $140 (I say “saving” because we wouldn’t have gone if it had meant spending $140 to bring the skis).
Thanks to my Silver Medallion status with Delta, we were able to check in quickly via the priority line at the airport (especially nice when carrying heavy equipment) and were upgraded to Comfort+ on both legs of our flight.
Although I got my status the old-fashioned way, you could also get it just by having Delta’s Platinum and Reserve cards together. And because Platinum card holders are eligible for upgrades, that card alone could have swung us the same upgrade.
I was able to use the Delta lounge to get some free food thanks to my Amex platinum card, but Shawn hasn’t gotten her yet, so she was locked out. If I had a Delta Reserve card I could have brought her as a guest, but I don’t have that one either.
Hotel
Shawn still has her welcome bonus points from the IHG Premier, and we were able to book a Holiday Inn Express about 40 minutes from the slopes for two nights for 43,000 IHG points. Thanks to the Platinum status that comes with the card, we were greeted with free bottled water, complimentary candy and chips, and were upgraded to a suite.
Rental car
With rental cars available for just $125, I decided to book in cash and stack triple points with my Venture X miles, OneKeyCash with Expedia, and Amex points with Rakuten. Although I elected not to this time, I could have used 12,500 Venture miles to erase the purchase and keep the $125 in my pocket, making the trip almost entirely free out of pocket.
Skiing
Once we flew to Utah, checked into our hotel, and drove to the mountain (or to the Ski Bus stop on a blustery first day), we found that fresh Utah powder is beautiful but challenging, and a big change from the type of skiing and snowboarding that we are used to. Although we endured a few falls, it was an incredible experience.
Conclusion
We love having some airline and hotel cards in our combined wallet because it allows us to book trips like this that we wouldn’t have been able to afford otherwise. We used Delta and IHG to go to Utah, but you could use other airlines or hotel chains to reach other destinations (United is great for getting to Colorado). If you’ve got a ski pass that gives you access to resorts all across the country, a few credit cards could help you cross a few more off your bucket list.