How I Earned 120K+ Points When Planning a Destination Wedding

Updated: August 26, 2025, 8:30am CDT

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Table of Contents

Paying for the Wedding With Travel Credit Cards
Points and Miles Earned From Our Destination Wedding
We’re Still Waiting For Hyatt Meeting Planner Points
Final Thoughts

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My wife and I got married in my ancestral home of Prague, Czech Republic, earlier this year. It was an incredible experience, with friends and family from North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia in attendance — including a few members of the Upgraded Points team. Not to mention, it was far less expensive than a wedding in our home of New York City.

Planning a destination wedding comes with no shortage of challenges. We flew to Prague twice before the wedding for tastings, meetings with the venue, and to test the host hotel. The venue handled paying vendors, but we could only make credit card payments in person, as credit card acceptance isn’t as widespread in the Czech Republic.

After the wedding, we still walked away with a nice haul of over 120,000 points using credit cards to pay as many venue, vendor, and hotel bills as possible. Let’s look at what cards I used, how many points I earned, and some challenges I encountered along the way.

Paying for the Wedding With Travel Credit Cards

I used 3 credit cards to pay for wedding expenses, each for different reasons and to earn different rewards.

Before making our initial $5,000 deposit, I applied for an Alaska Airlines Visa Signature^® credit card in May 2024 to take advantage of the 60,000-point bonus offer. These points were deposited into my account a few weeks later. (All Alaska credit cards have since been rebranded under Atmos Rewards, the joint loyalty program of Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan and Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles.)

A couple getting married in Prague — My wife and I were married by a close friend. Image Credit: David Tesinsky/Tesinsky Photo

The second card I used was the World of Hyatt Credit Card. Our host hotel was a Hyatt property: the Lindner Hotel Prague Castle.

With this card, I earned 4 World of Hyatt points per $1 spent at the hotel, which added up since we also had our rehearsal dinner and welcome drinks at the hotel. I also earned a handful of elite night credits toward Hyatt elite status, which helped me qualify for Globalist status for the first time.

The World of Hyatt Credit Card

U.P. Rating

The World of Hyatt card offers a fast track to Hyatt elite status, an annual free night, and up to 9x points per $1 on Hyatt stays.

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The World of Hyatt Credit Card

The World of Hyatt card offers a fast track to Hyatt elite status, an annual free night, and up to 9x points per $1 on Hyatt stays.

Welcome OfferEarn 2 Free Nights after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Plus, earn 25,000 Bonus Points after you spend $12,000 on purchases in the first 6 months from account opening.
2 Free Nights and 25K points

UP's Offer Valuation*:
$825

Annual Fee

$95

APR

19.99% - 28.49% Variable

Credit Recommended

Good to Excellent (670-850)

Why We Like This Card

The World of Hyatt Credit Card makes your Hyatt stays more rewarding and helps you get coveted World of Hyatt elite status faster. This card is a must-have for any traveler who regularly stays at Hyatt hotels, or even for anyone who’s able to take advantage of the card’s annual free night certificate.

When you factor in all the benefits the World of Hyatt card offers, it’s easy to see why it is one of the best co-branded hotel credit cards on the market.

Pros & Cons

Pros

Up to 9 points total for Hyatt stays – 4 Bonus Points per $1 spent on qualified purchases at Hyatt hotels & up to 5 Base Points per $1 from Hyatt as a World of Hyatt member
2x points per $1 at restaurants, on airline tickets purchased directly from the airline, local transit, rideshares, and fitness clubs/gym memberships
1x point per $1 on all other purchases

Cons

$95 annual fee

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Card Highlights

Earn 2 Free Nights after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Plus, earn 25,000 Bonus Points after you spend $12,000 on purchases in the first 6 months from account opening.
Enjoy complimentary World of Hyatt Discoverist status for as long as your account is open.
Get 1 free night each year after your Cardmember anniversary at any Category 1-4 Hyatt hotel or resort
Receive 5 tier qualifying night credits towards status after account opening, and each year after that for as long as your account is open
Earn an extra free night at any Category 1-4 Hyatt hotel if you spend $15,000 in a calendar year
Earn 2 qualifying night credits towards tier status every time you spend $5,000 on your card
Earn up to 9 points total for Hyatt stays – 4 Bonus Points per $1 spent on qualified purchases at Hyatt hotels & up to 5 Base Points per $1 from Hyatt as a World of Hyatt member
Earn 2 Bonus Points per $1 spent at restaurants, on airline tickets purchased directly from the airlines, on local transit and commuting and on fitness club and gym memberships
Member FDIC

Financial Snapshot

APR: 19.99% - 28.49% Variable
Foreign Transaction Fees: None

Rewards Center

World of Hyatt

Finally, we put a couple of venue and vendor payments on my wife’s Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card to earn 2 miles per $1 on eligible purchases. Earning double miles gave us a nice haul of Capital One miles, which we’ve already redeemed for a trip to Penang, Malaysia, next year.

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

U.P. Rating

The Capital One Venture X card is an excellent option for travelers looking for an all-in-one premium credit card.

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

The Capital One Venture X card is an excellent option for travelers looking for an all-in-one premium credit card.

Welcome OfferEarn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel.
75,000 miles

UP's Offer Valuation*:
$1,350

Annual Fee

$395

APR

Purchases: 19.99% - 29.24% (Variable)

Credit Recommended

Excellent (740-840)

Why We Like This Card

The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is the premium Capital One travel rewards card on the block.

Points and miles fans will be surprised to see that the Capital One Venture X card packs quite the punch when it comes to bookings made through Capital One, all while offering the lowest annual fee among premium credit cards.

Depending on your travel goals and preferences, the Capital One Venture X card could very well end up being your go-to card in your wallet.

Pros & Cons

Pros

10x miles per $1 on hotels and rental cars purchased through Capital One Travel
5x miles per $1 on flights and vacation rentals purchased through Capital One Travel
2x miles per $1 on all other purchases

Cons

$395 annual fee
Does not offer bonus categories for flights or hotel purchases made directly with the airline or hotel group, the preferred booking method for those looking to earn elite status

Read Full Review

Card Highlights

Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
Receive a $300 annual credit for bookings through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options
Get 10,000 bonus miles (equal to $100 towards travel) every year, starting on your first anniversary
Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Travel
Earn unlimited 2X miles on all other purchases
Enjoy access to 1,300+ lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
Use your Venture X miles to easily cover travel expenses, including flights, hotels, rental cars and more—you can even transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck^®

Financial Snapshot

APR: Purchases: 19.99% - 29.24% (Variable)
Foreign Transaction Fees: None

Rewards Center

Capital One Miles

That said, we had to use bank transfers for some smaller payments made when we weren’t in Prague. Likewise, my cousin was our photographer, so I paid him via bank transfer. These transactions didn’t earn rewards.

Bride and Groom at their Wedding — Our wedding ceremony. Image Credit: David Tesinsky/Tesinsky Photo

I’m in Prague relatively often to visit family, so I minimized the number of times I used bank transfers for payments by making most payments in person. The venue organized billing on our behalf for flowers, audio equipment, and other vendors, so I could pay them directly with a credit card right after the wedding. Neither the venue nor the host hotel added credit card processing fees — a common expense at U.S. wedding venues, when they accept cards at all.

Hot Tip:

If you’re planning a destination wedding and need to pay in a foreign currency, use a credit card that doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees. These are usually about 3% of your purchase. You can also use services like Wise or Revolut to reduce currency conversion and transfer fees if you need to pay vendors through bank transfers.

Points and Miles Earned From Our Destination Wedding

Even in the Czech Republic, weddings are expensive. Thankfully, I could charge about $30,000 to credit cards to earn a total of 122,500 points and 6 Hyatt elite nights. Here’s how the spending roughly broke down:

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Card Used	Expense	Cost	Earn Rate	Points or Miles Earned
Alaska Signature card	Venue payment	$5,000	1 mile per $1, plus 60,000-mile welcome offer	65,000 miles
World of Hyatt card	Venue payment	$7,500	1 point per $1	7,500 points
Capital One Venture X card	Venue payment	$10,000	2 miles per $1	20,000 miles
World of Hyatt card	Host hotel payment for our stay and incidentals, welcome drinks, and rehearsal dinner	$7,500	4 points per $1	30,000 points

That’s a lot of points for a lot of spending, and I’m happy with my credit card choices for our wedding. When booking the Andaz Maldives for our month-long honeymoon, I used many of the Hyatt points we earned during our wedding to supplement 1:1 Chase Ultimate Rewards and Bilt Rewards transfers to World of Hyatt. Plus, it gave me a headstart towards qualifying for Globalist status for the first time.

So far, the total value of the points I earned is $1,962.50 based on our valuations that put Capital One miles at 1.8 cents per mile, Alaska miles (now Atmos points) at 1.6 cents per mile, and World of Hyatt points at 1.5 cents per point.

We’re Still Waiting For Hyatt Meeting Planner Points

The Lindner Prague Castle is an excellent property in the Czech Republic. The team was there for us throughout the planning process and gave us a great negotiated nightly rate that included breakfast. There’s something truly special about seeing your close friends and extended family from around the world at breakfast every morning, and the food was excellent, too.

lindner hotel prague castle — The Lindner Hotel Prague Castle. Image Credit: Libor Svacek/box@fotosvacek.cz

We booked the room block directly through Hyatt’s Meeting Planner Portal, where we were supposed to earn 1 World of Hyatt point per $1 spent. This is for our spending and for the guests who booked through our room block.

We’ve yet to receive these points in my World of Hyatt account, though the hotel proactively gave me a customer service bonus. I’ve contacted the hotel about this issue and will update this article when the points eventually post to my account.

Hot Tip:

Heading to Prague? The Lindner Hotel Prague Castle is a Category 2 Hyatt property, so award nights start at just 8,000 World of Hyatt points per night.

Final Thoughts

Our wedding was a truly magical experience for both of us. It’s hard to imagine a better time than having all our close friends and relatives together for a week and enjoying everything Prague offers. And to top it off, I got to marry my best friend before jetting off on our around-the-world honeymoon.

While paying for the wedding, we earned over 120,000 points and miles. This haul funded part of our honeymoon and is helping us book a trip to Malaysia next year.