Dream Weekend Trip: Escape the Winter Cold in Los Angeles With 150K Amex Points

Growing up in the Chicago suburbs, I remember sub-zero temperatures on the way to school and dreaming about going somewhere warm. If you can relate, now’s the time to plan your warm-weather winter getaway before award space is booked up — and cash fares get expensive.

Los Angeles is one of my favorite places to travel to in the winter (or any time of year). My wife and I have friends and family in Long Beach and North Hollywood, and the city is home to a couple of my favorite restaurants. Plus, it’s the perfect escape from the bitter cold that rips through the upper Midwest and Northeast every winter. It’s not too hot or cold, just the perfect temperature to hang out on the beach or enjoy a cocktail outside. What’s not to love?

Here, I’ll explain how you can use 150,000 American Express Membership points to book a long weekend away from the cold in Los Angeles. And don’t worry — I’ll also cover how to earn this amount of points.

Earning 150,000 Membership Rewards Points

Earning American Express Membership Rewards points is easier than you might think. The company has a suite of Membership Rewards-earning cards that reward you for everyday purchases. Some of these cards have extensive travel benefits, while others offer industry-leading returns on everyday purchases such as groceries.

An easy way to rack up Membership Rewards points is to open a new American Express card and earn its welcome offer. One of the largest welcome offers available to eligible applicants is on The Platinum Card^® from American Express, which gives targeted members up to 175,000 Membership Rewards points after meeting a set spend requirement. These points, plus the card’s suite of benefits, help offset its $695 annual fee (rates & fees).

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The Platinum Card^® from American Express

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The Amex Platinum reigns supreme for luxury travel, offering the best airport lounge access plus generous statement credits, and complimentary elite status.

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The Platinum Card^® from American Express

The Amex Platinum reigns supreme for luxury travel, offering the best airport lounge access plus generous statement credits, and complimentary elite status.

Welcome Offer

You may be eligible for as high as 175,000 Membership Rewards^® Points after spending $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.

As High As 175,000 Points. Find Out Your Offer.

UP's Offer Valuation*:

Up to $3,850

Annual Fee

$695

APR

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Credit Recommended

Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO^®Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit cardapplication.

Good to Excellent

Why We Like This Card

When it comes to cards that offer top-notch benefits, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better card out there than The Platinum Card^® from American Express.

Make no mistake — the Amex Platinum card is a premium card with a premium price tag. With amazing benefits like best-in-class airport lounge access, hotel elite status, and tremendous value in annual statement credits, it can easily prove to be one of the most lucrative cards in your wallet year after year.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• The best airport lounge access out of any card (by far) — enjoy access to over 1,400 worldwide lounges, including the luxurious Amex Centurion Lounges, Priority Pass lounges (enrollment required), Plaza Premium Lounges, and many more!
• 5x points per dollar spent on flights purchased directly with the airline or with AmexTravel.com (up to $500,000 per year)
• 5x points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels booked with AmexTravel.com

Cons

• $695 annual fee (rates and fees)
• Airline credit does not cover airfare (only incidentals like checked bags)

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Card Highlights

• You may be eligible for as high as 175,000 Membership Rewards^® Points after you spend $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
• Earn 5X Membership Rewards^® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel^® up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year and earn 5X Membership Rewards^® Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel^®.
• $200 Hotel Credit: Get up to $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts^® or The Hotel Collection bookings through American Express Travel using your Platinum Card^®. The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay.
• $240 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $20 back in statement credits each month on eligible purchases made with your Platinum Card^® on one or more of the following: Disney+, a Disney+ bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, The New York Times, Peacock, and The Wall Street Journal. Enrollment required.
• Enjoy the benefits of the Global Lounge Collection, with over $500 of annual value if you visit Centurion Lounges and each of our partner lounges including Delta Sky Club^® lounges when flying an eligible Delta flight (subject to visit limitations) , select Lufthansa lounges when flying Lufthansa, Plaza Premium lounges and Escape Lounges, and enroll in Priority Pass Select. See terms.
• A Walmart+ membership can get you free shipping with no order minimum on eligible items shipped by Walmart. Use your Platinum Card^® to pay for a monthly Walmart+ membership (subject to auto-renewal) and receive one statement credit for up to $12.95 (plus applicable taxes. Plus Ups not eligible) each month. Free Shipping excludes most Marketplace items, freight & certain location surcharges. Paramount+ Essential plan only, separate registration required.
• $200 Airline Fee Credit: Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees are charged by the airline to your Platinum Card^® Account. American Express relies on airlines to submit the correct information on airline transactions to identify incidental fee purchases. If you do not see a credit for a qualifying incidental purchase on your eligible Card after 8 weeks, simply call the number on the back of your Card. Qualifying airlines are subject to change. See terms & conditions for more details.
• $200 Uber Cash: Platinum Card^® Members can ride or dine in style with $15 in Uber Cash each month, plus a bonus $20 in December after adding their Card to their Uber account. Use your Uber Cash on rides and orders in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction.
• $199 CLEAR^® Plus Credit: CLEAR^® Plus helps get you to your gate faster by using unique facial attributes to verify you are you at 50+ airports nationwide. Receive up to $199 in statement credits per calendar year after you pay for your CLEAR Plus Membership (subject to auto-renewal) with the Platinum Card^®.
• Receive either a $120 statement credit every 4 years for a Global Entry application fee or a statement credit up to $85 every 4.5 years for a TSA PreCheck^® (through a TSA official enrollment provider) application fee, when charged to your Platinum Card^®. Card Members approved for Global Entry will also receive access to TSA PreCheck at no additional cost.
• Shop Saks with Platinum: Get up to $100 in statement credits annually for purchases in Saks Fifth Avenue stores or at saks.com on your Platinum Card^®. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
• Use Global Dining Access by Resy to access premium dining experiences. Receive Priority Notify and unlock insider access to some of the world's most sought-after restaurants with Global Dining Access by Resy. Download the Resy iOS app or log into Resy.com and add your Platinum Card^® to your Resy profile to take advantage of your special benefits and discover restaurants near you.
• $695 annual fee.
• Terms Apply.

Financial Snapshot

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• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

Rewards Center

American Express Membership Rewards

Even beyond the welcome offer, the Amex Platinum card is good to have in your wallet if you’re a frequent traveler. It’s one of the most premium travel cards on the market, with extensive airport lounge access and a suite of travel-friendly statement credits (some require enrollment). Plus, it earns a whopping 5 points per $1 spent on airfare if you book directly with an airline or through AmexTravel.com.

Booking Flights to Los Angeles With Amex Points

Let’s start with booking your flights. For the purpose of this article, I’ll use Chicago O’Hare (ORD) as the origin airport. You might find similar pricing if you’re coming from elsewhere in the Midwest or the East Coast. Additionally, since it’s a weekend trip, I’m only looking for non-stop itineraries from Chicago.

There are dozens of ways to redeem Membership Rewards points for flights. This is thanks to the program’s 21 transfer partners, of which 18 are airlines. While the majority of these are international airlines, they have partnerships with major U.S. domestic airlines. This means you can transfer Membership Rewards points to an international transfer partner and then book airfare on United, Delta, or another U.S. airline.

That’s precisely how I’d book flights between Chicago (ORD) and Los Angeles (LAX). On most dates, the best way to book this route with Membership Rewards points is to transfer them to Avianca LifeMiles and book flights on United. This route costs a flat 15,000 LifeMiles one-way (plus minimal taxes and fees) in economy — if award space is available.

In other words, I can transfer 30,000 Membership Rewards points to Avianca LifeMiles per person to book round-trip tickets between Chicago and Los Angeles. This pricing applies to most routes from the Midwest, but you may have to connect through Chicago (ORD) or another United hub airport.

Oddly enough, these are sometimes cheaper than flying nonstop. For example, Green Bay (GRB) to Los Angeles (LAX) via Chicago (ORD) costs 12,500 LifeMiles.

That’s 2,500 LifeMiles less than flying nonstop between Chicago and Los Angeles.

Booking a Hotel in Los Angeles With Amex Points

Membership Rewards points transfer to 3 hotel loyalty programs: Choice Privileges, Hilton Honors, and Marriott Bonvoy. These points transfer 1:1 to Choice and Marriott, while transfers to Hilton process at a preferred rate of 1:2. This means 10,000 Membership Rewards points equals 20,000 Hilton points.

With that in mind, I focused on Hilton hotels when searching for points stays in Los Angeles. If you want to maximize your points, a good option is the Hampton Inn & Suites Santa Monica, which costs 80,000 Hilton Honors points per night. Thanks to the 1:2 transfer ratio, you’d need to transfer 40,000 Membership Rewards points per night. Note that room rates are cheap on some nights, so consider paying for your room with cash if you won’t get a good value from your points.

This hotel is located right off Santa Monica State Beach and near many great restaurants, coffee shops, bars, and stores. You can also walk to Venice Beach. Downtown Los Angeles, Hollywood, Silver Lake, and other tourist attractions are an easy drive or Uber ride away. The hotel isn’t overly luxurious, but it’s a clean and comfortable place to sleep.

If you want more luxury with a city vibe on your weekend adventure, consider staying at the Conrad Los Angeles. The award rates start at 95,000 Hilton points per night, so you can transfer 48,000 Membership Rewards to book a night.

The hotel opened in July 2022. Rooms are well-appointed with modern furniture and floor-to-ceiling windows that give stunning views of Downtown Los Angeles and the nearby Walt Disney Concert Hall. Plus, there are several on-site restaurants, 2 rooftop bars, and a 7,000-square-foot spa with 7 treatment rooms.

Final Thoughts

Even though it’s barely September, now is the time to start planning your winter vacation. Once the weather changes, award space will dry up to popular warm-weather destinations like Los Angeles (LAX), Phoenix (PHX), Miami (MIA), and Orlando (MCO). You can stay ahead of the game by booking your travel now.

As you learned in this article, having American Express Membership Rewards points can make booking your winter trips far less expensive. It has partnerships with 18 airlines and 3 hotel loyalty programs, giving you plenty of options when booking your next trip.