4 Ways You Can Save on a Summer 2025 Europe Trip With Points and Miles

Summer in Europe is a dream for many travelers, from the fjords of Norway and the Alps and Pyrenees mountain ranges to historical cities like London, Paris and Rome. However, traveling during the summer high season can be expensive once you factor in flights, accommodations, and activities.

With a strategic approach to using points and miles, it’s possible to enjoy a memorable European adventure without breaking the bank. Here are 4 ways you can lower your trip costs for a summer trip to Europe with travel rewards.

1. Transfer Credit Card Points to Partners

One of the best uses of your points and miles is redeeming them for business or first class flights. One way to do this is by transferring credit card points (like Chase Ultimate Rewards, American Express Membership Rewards, or Capital One Miles) to their airline partners. There are currently 11 Chase airline transfer partners, 18 American Express airline transfer partners, and 16 Capital One airline transfer partners.

As just one example of this strategy, all 3 of those transferrable points currencies are partners with Air Canada Aeroplan. You can transfer your credit card points to Air Canada, and then use your Aeroplan miles to book travel on Air Canada or one of their Star Alliance partners. There are many good ways to use Aeroplan points, but one of the best redemptions is using 90,000 points to fly between the East Coast and South Africa.

While some might think that a flight from the East Coast to Europe is not long enough to “waste” miles flying business class, there can be great value in getting a good night’s rest and starting your vacation on the right foot.

And, of course, if you’re flying from the West Coast or farther to Eastern Europe, flying in a premium cabin makes even more sense.

On a recent European trip with my dad and my sister, I splurged and flew us in American Airlines business class from Dallas (DFW) to Frankfurt (FRA).

Neither of them had ever flown business class before, so they were blown away by the service and, of course, the lie-flat bed. It helped all of us get a decent night’s sleep, so we were able to start our day in Germany without feeling too jet-lagged.

2. Use a Bank Travel Portal To Save Money on Economy Flights

If you’re not looking to fly business class, it can make more sense to use your miles via a bank travel portal like the Chase Travel portal. If you can find a cheap economy ticket, you can redeem points for that ticket and save your cash.

Some people might say that this is not the best way to redeem points. That may be true, from a strict cents-per-point calculation, but another way to look at it is that the best use of your points is the one that gets you where you want to go, when you want to go there, while minimizing the amount of cash you have to take out of your pocket.

A few years ago, our family of 8 was flying from New York (JFK) to Barcelona (BCN), Spain. We found a cheap ticket for $173 per person on TAP Portugal, which included a free stopover in Lisbon (LIS).

While we could have spent the cash and saved our miles, instead, we decided to book this flight through the Chase Travel portal with our Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card. In many cases, redeeming your miles through a travel portal only gets you around 1 cent per point in value, but the Chase Sapphire Preferred card allows you to redeem points on the Chase Travel portal for 1.25 cents per point, so in total, we redeemed 110,000 Ultimate Rewards points. Not bad for 8 tickets to Europe during peak summer travel season!

3. Maximize Hotel Points To Cut Down on Lodging Costs

Another big expense for a European trip is your lodging costs, and it’s another area where miles and points can make a big difference. Flights and hotels are generally 2 of the biggest costs in any vacation, and that’s especially true if you’re taking a summer European trip, when hotel prices are often at their highest.

One thing to keep in mind when using hotel points in Europe is that many European hotels have strict occupancy rules and often have a maximum occupancy of only 2 or 3 people. And unlike many hotels in the U.S., where you might be able to get an extra person or two in, even if they weren’t officially on the reservation, this is unlikely to work in Europe. So if you’re traveling with a larger family, you may need to find a hotel with a larger room, book 2 rooms, or reserve a vacation rental.

Last year, I traveled to London with my wife and 2 of my children. We ended up booking a stay at the Holiday Inn Express London – Hammersmith using points. While it may not be the fanciest hotel in London, it was very near a Tube station, which made it easy to get around the city. And the biggest benefit? It had rooms with an occupancy of 4 people.

Taking advantage of the fourth-night-free benefit that comes with several IHG credit cards, we booked 4 nights for only 77,000 IHG One Rewards points. Compared to a cash cost of around $870 for those nights, we saved a great deal by using our hotel points.

4. Don’t Forget About Using Points for Activities

While it may not be the most lucrative usage of points, you can use Chase Ultimate Rewards points to book activities for your trip via the Chase Travel portal. If you are flush with points, this can be an additional way to save cash for your next summer European trip.

Even better, there are activities in just about every city around the world. On a recent European trip, I redeemed Chase points for a private tour of the Vatican, which let us get into the Sistine Chapel early in the morning before the crowds showed up.

Final Thoughts

Summer travel to Europe doesn’t have to come with a sky-high price tag, especially if you take full advantage of points and miles. Whether you’re booking business class flights to arrive well-rested, using travel portals for discounted economy fares, redeeming hotel points to offset lodging costs, or even covering activities through rewards programs, there are smart ways to stretch your travel budget.

With a bit of planning and flexibility, your dream European summer getaway can become a reality without the financial stress. By maximizing your points and miles, you can focus on enjoying the experiences, culture, and beauty that make Europe such a sought-after destination.