The year 2023 is coming to an end, which means the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris are quickly approaching. The opening ceremony is scheduled for July 26 and the Games end on August 11; the Paralympic Games will take place from August 28 to September 8.
Those making the most of it have likely already booked their flights and accommodations, possibly in July and August when award availability calendars opened.
However, people like me have come a little late to the game. I wasn’t planning on attending the Olympics until late November, but I was lucky enough to get tickets for three Olympic events – beach volleyball, volleyball and water polo – for 376 euros (about $404). This includes a (admittedly expensive) ticket of 200 euros to see beach volleyball played under the Eiffel Tower in the evening – iconic.
How do I get to and from Paris? And where would that leave me, since prize availability is virtually non-existent and cash prices are sky high? Well, I’m pleasantly surprised. Here’s how I nailed my plans for the Paris Olympics and even saved money by maximizing my points and miles.
Related: France: 2024 will be a year of commemorations and competitions
Business class flight to Europe for 39,000 points
In recent years I have attended Chicago Pride at the end of June and Madrid Pride the following weekend. (I taught English in Madrid for a year and five summers, so I like to return annually.)
In July 2023, when the rewards scheme launched, I took advantage of a 30% transfer bonus from American Express Membership Rewards to Iberia Plus to book a single Iberia Business Class flight from Chicago to Madrid. I transferred 39,000 Amex points to Iberia to book this award for 50,000 Avios plus $129 in taxes.
You can get non-stop Iberia business class flights from the US to Madrid for just 34,000 points, which would have only required 27,000 Amex points with the transfer bonus. However, I’m flying on a peak date, so the normal price was 50,000 Avios instead of 34,000.
After spending two weeks in Madrid, I’m planning a 10-day road trip through the Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Next I’m considering going to the Tomorrowland electronic dance music festival in Belgium before heading to Munich to see Taylor Swift, where I got floor tickets for 239 euros each – much cheaper than in the US.
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Air France-KLM Business Class flight for 50,000 points
After Munich I will stay in Stuttgart, Germany for three nights. From there I was able to secure an incredibly valuable redemption with Air France-KLM Flying Blue.
First, I was surprised to find that Air France business class awards were available from Paris to Los Angeles for 50,000 Flying Blue miles plus $383 in taxes for the exact date I wanted (the middle weekend of the Olympics). Even though I live in Austin, I can easily add a cheap economy class domestic flight to return home from Los Angeles.
Since Flying Blue offers free stopovers for travel on Air France-KLM and partner airlines, I searched for award availability from Stuttgart to France and called Flying Blue to complete my redemption (unfortunately you can’t do this online).
I was on the phone with a very helpful agent for 11 minutes. I told them which flights I wanted and they confirmed availability. I then asked them to hold the miles while I transferred 50,000 Capital One Miles to my Flying Blue account, which arrived immediately. I ended up paying an extra $87 in taxes and fees for the flight from Stuttgart to Paris, which was fine because that’s what an economy class cash ticket would have cost.
While paying $470 in taxes for this repayment was a little hard for me to stomach, the fact that I got two flights for the price of one and over 11 hours in a lie-flat business class seat to Los Angeles in the United States will fly right into the Olympic Games it is worth.
3 nights for 60,000 points plus $800
The final piece of the puzzle? A hotel or holiday home. This was the part I had the least hope for.
When searching for award availability for the four major hotel points programs (Hilton Honors, IHG One Rewards, Marriott Bonvoy, and World of Hyatt), I found hardly any options within the Paris city limits. And when paying in cash, most accommodations were sold out or blocked by external booking agencies.
However, one property – the Holiday Inn Express at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) – had rooms available for 59,000 points per night. This hotel is a free eight-minute tram ride from Central Station in Terminal 2, taking you to most city center attractions and sites in around an hour.
I covered my one night stay with points earned with a welcome bonus on the IHG One Rewards Premier business credit card and booked two extra nights in cash for 372 euros per night, a total of 744 euros. Luckily I share these costs with a friend I’m going with.
It’s worth noting that both the award night and the two nights booked with cash have strict cancellation policies, with free cancellation only allowed within 24 hours of booking, so there’s no turning back.
Related: Paris Olympics: Here’s everything you need to know to plan the perfect trip
In short
This six-week summer trip to Europe promises to be a fantastic trip. In total, I used 148,000 points plus $999 in taxes and cash bookings for my business class flights to and from Europe and three nights in Paris during the Olympics. If I had paid cash for my travel plans, these flights and hotel would have cost me $9,749. Of course, I’ll be spending a lot more on accommodation and domestic flights for the rest of my trip, but I’m happy that these repayments have significantly reduced my costs.
The four main conclusions from my case study are:
