The Top Six Tips for Wedding Season Travel: Travel the Savvy Way!

For the majority of last year and part of this year, traveling felt like a foreign concept as many of us opted to stay safely at home and rarely drove beyond the radius of our hometowns. As time continues to pass and restrictions continue to ease, travel is again on our radar… and so are destination weddings and honeymoons!

To celebrate the return of fetes and adventures close to home and those that require planes, trains, and road trips, we thought we share our best wedding travel tips to enhance your fun and ease your stress. Because we thought these tips might be even better with help from an expert, we got some insights from American Express to help maximize your fun and your money. Keep reading and happy (wedding) traveling!

Book Travel Early:

Once you have decided to attend a destination wedding or travel for your honeymoon, start researching and book your flights, car (if needed), and accommodations. It’s best to book early because lower-priced flights and hotel room deals tend to book up in advance. Airlines and hotels are also all too aware that travelers might opt to book at the last minute – and last-minute travelers pay a hefty price! When you book early, you will secure your deals and have more money available for food, excursions, and fun!

Split Up Large Travel Purchases Over Time:

Whether you’re planning a honeymoon or traveling to a friend’s destination wedding, travel costs add up and can be hard for travelers to pay all at once. To help ease the strain on your wallet, try finding credit cards that offer a 0% introductory interest period to spread your payments out over time.

It’s also worthwhile to point out that you don’t have to travel to your honeymoon destination right after your wedding day. Instead, consider going on your honeymoon a few months or even a year after you tie the knot. This way you will be able to spread out your big purchases and continue to have a wedding event to look forward to. We promise anniversary trips are just as fun!

Maximize Membership Rewards:

One of the biggest perks of having a rewards credit card is the points! And, it’s important to use them to your advantage. Think about saving up your points and redeeming them to travel to a destination wedding or your honeymoon. Some card companies allow you to transfer your card points to popular hotel or airline points, so keep an eye on those terms.

For example, American Express Card Members can transfer their Membership Rewards points to Hilton Honors or Marriott Bonvoy. While there is technically a cost involved in utilizing points (you earned them based on purchases you previously made!), you can get some major perks to utilizing new account sign-up offers. (Learn more about how this works in our Travel Hacking e-book!) Using points to book travel will make you feel super savvy because you’re not spending additional money on aspects of your stay!

Learn how to use travel rewards for your honeymoon!

We’re sharing the savvy secrets to paying next to nothing for your honeymoon in our e-book. Get your copy of The Budget-Savvy Honeymoon via the button below!

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Upgrade Your Stay Without Paying More:

When you’re choosing your hotel, keep in mind that there are additional perks involved for members of certain card rewards programs. For example, American Express Platinum Card Members who book through American Express Travel’s Fine Hotels + Resorts program have access to a suite of luxurious exclusive benefits, such as complimentary daily breakfast for two, 4:00 p.m. check-out guaranteed, room upgrades, early check-in when available, and more.

We specifically want to add a few more thoughts to the room category aspect. When you’re choosing where to stay in a hotel or at a resort, think about how much time you’re going to spend in your room. Although it can be tempting to book a room with an incredible view, if you’re going to spend the majority of your time outside of your room exploring, the additional cost of the view will not be worth it. Also, when you check-in, you can ask if there are any room upgrades available. Make sure to note you’re not looking to pay more. Some hotels are happy to upgrade guests, particularly if the resort isn’t at capacity during your stay.

When you’re considering signing up for a credit card that you know you’re going to want to use for travel, make sure to look into the companies that are associated with the brand. Keep in mind, American Express teams up with Hilton, Delta, and Marriott Bonvoy. When you book with brands your credit card company also loves, you can earn additional points and bonuses for your preferences.

For example, one offer we’ve seen is on the Hilton Honors American Express Card where new Card Members can earn up to 130,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after spending a total of $5,000 in purchases on the Card in the first 6 months in which a member could redeem up to three nights at more than 4,400 Hilton hotels worldwide. That’s half a honeymoon for free when you use the card on purchases you’d make anyway. So savvy!

Travel to Destination Weddings Early:

Although an extra night (or a few) in a hotel will add to the overall cost of attending a wedding, knowing you are in place for the wedding festivities will lower your stress. Unfortunately, missed connections and canceled flights do happen. And, you definitely don’t want to be caught up in trying to rebook travel when you’re trying to attend a wedding! So, plan to arrive at least a day before the first event of the wedding weekend. That way, you will either have a completely free day to spend exploring the resort or city you’re visiting. Or, if things go awry, a buffer to rebook travel and ensure you make it to the wedding without missing a beat.

Are you traveling to a destination wedding this summer? Are you in the middle of planning your honeymoon? Let’s keep sharing travel tips to keep stress levels low in our community!