This Couple Booked Honeymoon Flights Worth More Than $40,000 All On Points—Here’s How They Did It

Eric King, 33, and Sasha Slipak, 36, dated long-distance for the first three years of their relationship. It wasn’t easy, but a growing devotion toward each other—and a passion for travel—made it smoother than expected. 

“During that span, we traveled to destinations worldwide, spent holidays together, and met each other’s family and friends,” King said. Then came the moment to finally put down some roots. 

“In April 2023, we moved in together, made it through the process of integrating three cats, and made our apartment in Pennsylvania a home.” More than four years after their first date, in September, King, a VP of marketing, and Slipak, a surgeon, wed in an intimate ceremony outside of Philadelphia. 

For their honeymoon, the duo knew two things: They wanted to go somewhere big, and they wanted to travel in late December. They ultimately chose Australia for a few reasons. First, neither had been to the continent before, and it was also on King’s bucket list to see Sydney’s New Year’s Eve fireworks. As for timing, December meant the start of the summer season for Australia, which would be a nice escape from the Northeast winter, according to King. 

Thanks to a large stash of credit card points and airline miles, King and Slipak paid nearly nothing for long-haul international business- and first-class flights to and from Australia. If they had paid in cash, the tickets would’ve been more than $40,000.

Instead, the couple’s out-of-pocket flight expenses were less than $500, solely in taxes and fees. Here’s how they made it happen. 

How They Booked It

About eight months prior to heading Down Under for two weeks, King and Slipak started the planning process by securing their hotel stays.

“We wanted to ensure we could stay at the places that we wanted to, especially during the holiday season,” King said. With cash, they booked hotels—at Qualia Resort near the Great Barrier Reef, Park Hyatt Melbourne, Park Hyatt Sydney, and Hyatt Regency Sydney—as the foundation for their Aussie itinerary. 

At this point, it was about finding the right flights, on the right airlines. 

“Given the distance, we knew we would want to fly business or first class,” King noted. As an amateur points and miles enthusiast, King followed a handful of travel “hacking” accounts on Instagram. One of them, the website Upgraded Points, posted a deal in mid-2024 about Qantas first-class award availability from the U.S. to Australia. 

First class on the Qantas Airbus A380 is a showy affair, equipped with high-end champagne and meals, fancy amenity kits, and doting service. However, it’s also notoriously difficult to book with points and miles, as it tends to have a limited availability of reward seats. 

King jumped at the rare opportunity. He transferred 330,000 American Express Membership Rewards points to the Qantas Frequent Flyer program and reserved two, one-way first-class seats from Los Angeles to Sydney. He also paid $300 in taxes and fees. The cash price for each ticket was $17,583—$35,166 for two people.

For the return flight from Australia, at the time, no other first- or business-class seats were available at a reasonable cost using points and miles. Instead, King set an alert through awardtool.com, a service that automatically sends users an email when specific award flights that you’re interested in become available. (This tool is similar to how you can set Google alerts for upcoming flights.) 

Several months later, just weeks before the honeymoon, King snagged a second points and miles win: He received an alert that two one-way tickets from Sydney to Los Angeles in United Polaris business class were available through the Avianca LifeMiles program. This is a Colombian airline that has strong partnerships through the Star Alliance program.

He immediately transferred 160,000 Capital One points to Avianca, landing him and his husband in United Polaris, the brand’s top-tier class. Their long-haul flights were secured—and they were set to fly in luxury. 

What the Experience Was Like

While the hotels were incredible (King even called the adults-only Qualia “undoubtedly one of the best hotels that I’ve ever stayed at”), as an aviation geek, he had a particularly fond memory of the Qantas first-class experience. 

“Dining right across from each other at 35,000 feet was so special,” King said. “We played cards together, and our flight attendant Carlene had to have been one of the most wonderful people on the planet.” 

Qantas first class has 14 seats onboard the Airbus A380, all arranged in an ultra-private 1-1-1 configuration, with fine dining and plush bedding. It didn’t hurt that the champagne never stopped being poured, and that they booked the entire experience on points. 

For the return to the U.S., King and Slipak flew United Polaris business class on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner. These seats are also private, pod-like spaces with lie-flat seats and Saks Fifth Avenue amenities. 

King noted that the United crew was also extremely personable and doted on the couple. “Of course, we loved the privacy and opportunity to sleep comfortably, but it was the service that really set the experience apart.” 

A Points and Miles Tip for Travelers

King’s one big tip would be to avoid falling into the habit of booking flights right away, unless absolutely necessary. Instead, rely on tools that help find the best deal for you. “It’s counterintuitive, but if you can wait, and there’s something out there that you really want to fly, hold out, set an alert or two, and continuously monitor for award availability,” King said.  

Availability is dynamic and ever-changing, and by setting an alert, King was able to snag two one-way business-class seats months after booking the initial outbound leg. 

Have a feel-good points and miles story you want to share with T+L readers? Email me at thechrisdong@gmail.com.