[Expired] 5 Ways Your Points and Premium Cards Pay Off on a Trip to Paris

Paris is a city where you go to indulge, but it doesn’t always have to be about spending money. Oftentimes, I daydream about grabbing fresh-baked croissants from a neighborhood boulangerie and aimlessly wandering the city without a plan.

Of course, tax-free shopping is a huge draw for travelers, too. The beauty of points and miles is that earning the right rewards can help offset some of the biggest travel costs, leaving you with more room in your budget for the experiences that make a Paris trip memorable.

Here are 5 key strategies to keep in mind for your next vacation to Paris.

1. Book Flights With Points and Miles

Even in a city as expensive as Paris, award flight deals can be exceptionally good compared to other destinations. An economy ticket can easily cost $1,000 round-trip or more depending on your dates, while a lie-flat business class seat can easily cost several thousand dollars.

Air France-KLM Flying Blue is easily the best program for scoring award deals between the U.S. and Paris, especially when you take advantage of its monthly Promo Rewards. Each month, Flying Blue discounts award rates on select routes, making an already affordable redemption even better.

For example, many U.S. to France routes are discounted if you book by August 31, 2026, with one-way economy awards starting at:

• Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW): 18,750 miles
• Houston (IAH): 18,750 miles
• Los Angeles (LAX): 18,750 miles
• New York (JFK): 18,750 miles
• Orlando (MCO): 18,750 miles
• Miami (MIA): 18,750 miles
• Phoenix (PHX): 18,750 miles
• Seattle (SEA): 18,750 miles

Taxes and fees will add about $250 to the trip cost, but flying to Europe for fewer than 40,000 miles round-trip is still an incredible deal. Better yet, Air France’s flexible award calendar makes it easy to search for the lowest rates, and you should find plenty of dates available over the next year.

Flying Blue also offers excellent rates for business class, with one-way awards starting at 60,000 miles. While 120,000 miles may sound steep for a round-trip ticket, keep in mind that the same premium-cabin seats can easily cost thousands of dollars when paying cash.

2. Never Pay Full Price for Hotels

Paris hotels can get expensive quickly, so after airfare, lodging is the next place I look to my points and credit card benefits for savings.

One of my favorite options is transferring Bilt Rewards or Chase Ultimate Rewards points to World of Hyatt to book the Hyatt Regency Paris Étoile in the 17th arrondissement. Instead of paying around $400 per night, you can often book a room for 2 guests for roughly 15,000 to 20,000 points per night.

If I can’t find award availability (or I’ve simply run out of points), that’s when I turn to the hotel credits on my premium travel cards.

The Amex Platinum card offers up to $600 in annual prepaid hotel credits on eligible bookings through AmexTravel.com, split into up to $300 from January through June and another $300 from July through December. The credit can be used at Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection properties; the latter of which requires a minimum 2-night stay.

I particularly like using the credit at Fine Hotels + Resorts properties, even though they’re pricey. The additional program benefits make the splurge more worthwhile, including daily breakfast for 2, a potential room upgrade, and guaranteed late checkout.

Here are some other cards that come with annual hotel credits:

• Chase Sapphire Preferred card: Up to $100 in statement credits each account anniversary year for hotel stays through Chase Travel
• Chase Sapphire Reserve^®: Up to $500 annual credit for stays with The Edit by Chase Travel, delivered in 2 $250 semiannual credits (2-night minimum stay required)
• Citi Strata Elite℠ Card: Up to $300 credit to use on Citi Travel (requires a 2-night minimum stay)

Between hotel points and annual statement credits, there’s a good chance you can knock hundreds of dollars off the lodging portion of a Paris trip before you even arrive.

Hot Tip: Apply and find out if you’re eligible for a welcome bonus offer of as high as 175,000 points with the Amex Platinum. Welcome offers may vary, and you may not be eligible for an offer.

3. Stack Savings on Tax-Free Shopping

Once I’ve offset most of my travel costs, I have a lot more room to spend on luxury shopping — and there’s no better destination than Paris. The iconic Printemps Haussmann department store is offering an especially good deal for visitors this summer.

Through August 31, 2026, eligible non-EU visitors shopping at Printemps Haussmann can receive an enhanced tax refund of up to 16%, rather than the store’s usual 12% refund. Upgraded Points readers can use this exclusive invitation to join the Printemps loyalty program.

You’ll save 5% on shopping days, get 10% off the store’s Saison 1865 brand, and receive an enhanced tax refund of up to 16% based on how much you spend:

• Get a 12% refund up to €2,000 (around $2,300) spent
• Get a 13% refund up to €4,000 (around $4,615) spent
• Get a 14% refund up to €7,000 (around $8,077) spent
• Get a 15% refund up to €10,000 (around $11,539) spent
• Get a 16% refund when you spend €10,000 or more

Located centrally in the ninth arrondissement, the Printemps Haussmann has been a historic must-visit spot for more than 160 years. If you’re already planning to do some tax-free shopping in Paris, stacking the visitor discount with the boosted tax refund before the summer ends can make your purchases even more rewarding.

4. Earn Rewards on Purchases While Traveling

Any good travel credit card will waive foreign transaction fees, so you can rest assured you’re not paying around 3% extra just for making purchases in a different currency.

Earning rewards, whether it’s buying a luxury handbag or just dining out at a cafe, means the opportunity to bring home more points and miles for your next trip. The cards that check all the boxes include:

• Capital One Venture card: Earn 2x miles on everything
• Citi Strata Elite card: Earn 6x points on restaurants worldwide on Friday and Saturday evenings, 3x points at all other times, and 1.5x points on all other eligible purchases
• Chase Sapphire Reserve card: Earn 8x points on all Chase Travel bookings, 4x points on flights and hotels booked direct, 3x points on dining worldwide, and 1x points on all other purchases

5. Get Free International Data

A hidden (and underrated) benefit is that you can use your credit card to unlock free international data. Visa partners with GigSky, an eSIM provider with coverage in more than 175 countries, to offer complimentary international data plans to eligible Visa Signature and Visa Infinite cardholders.

Visa Signature cardholders can receive a complimentary 1GB, 15-day data plan once every 365 days, while Visa Infinite cardholders get 3GB for 15 days. Cardholders can also save 20% or 30%, respectively, on additional GigSky plans if they need more data.

France is among GigSky’s participating Visa Destinations, meaning Visa Signature cardholders can score 3 days of unlimited data annually there, while Visa Infinite cardholders receive 7 days.

You can also stack these benefits if you have multiple eligible Visa cards. For example, the Chase Sapphire Preferred card and Capital One Venture card are both Visa Signature cards, so having both could unlock up to 6 days of unlimited data in an eligible destination: 3 days per card. If you have even more eligible Visa cards in your wallet, you could extend your free coverage even further.

Final Thoughts

Using points and miles to cut costs on flights and hotels may be the most obvious way to save, but rewards cards are embedded with perks that extend well beyond traditional travel benefits. Combine those with VAT savings and the exclusive Printemps Haussmann offer, and you can put even more money back in your wallet — leaving extra room to enjoy everything Paris has to offer.