At the stadium my husband and I were asked many times where we were from. We would answer, “From California.” More than once people reacted by saying, “You came all the way out here for a football game?!” I would smile and think to myself how great it was that we could make this trip JUST for a football game.
We had been here once before when the Mercedes Benz stadium opened for the first time in 2017. It was my birthday present for my husband, a lifelong fan of the Falcons. I paid a little over $1,000 cash. I thought that was going to be a once in lifetime trip because our family of 6 could not afford to be spending over $1,000 on a football game trip. Yet here we are again and this time 100% for free thanks to points and miles. We look forward to many more times of coming out here “just for a football game”.
Points Breakdown
Cash, this trip would have been $1,272. We paid $0.
Hotel: 22,500 Chase Ultimate Reward points transferred over to Hyatt for 3 nights at the Hyatt Place Atlanta/Downtown. Cash, this room would have been $496. Making this a 2.2 cent per point redemption.
Flights: 25,446 Southwest points and a Companion Pass flight. Cash, this would have been $775.92. The taxes on our flights were paid through a free Southwest gift card earned through Fetch. Making our flights 100% free.
Details on the Trip
I would 100% recommend the Hyatt Place Atlanta/Downtown if you plan to visit Atlanta. Paying points or cash, it’s a great bang for your buck/points. It was only 7,500 points per nigh or $165 per night. You can’t beat that. It was located next to all the main attractions downtown has to offer. It’s also located next to the civic center train station that will take you from the airport to the hotel. It’s a 5 minute walk. The cost of a train pass for each person was $3.50. No Uber or Lyft required! Another money saver. The room was spacious for just my husband and I, but it could have fit our family of 6. It had 2 standard size beds and a sofa that turned into a bed. Again, all of this for 7,500 points per night!
Aside from that, it was a VERY budget friendly hotel because it also gave free daily breakfast, saving my husband and I at least $100 on our food budget. We would have coffee, breakfast, take water in to go cups to save us money on water bottles, and take some fruit or muffins as a late night snack that we could save money on. Additionally, the hotel offered free unlimited shuttle service within a 3 mile radius. Since all of the attractions were close by, we did not have to take any Uber or Lyfts, saving us even more money. The shuttle was always there and waiting. No hassle.
We only had to take 2 Lyft rides to and from the Atlanta Braves stadium because it was far away and we wanted to cross this stadium off of our list. Aside from that, the shuttle took us to visit: all the restaurants we wanted, Centennial Park, World of Coke, Georgia Aquarium, Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Park, and the Mercedes Benz Stadium. The last time we were in Atlanta we took a guided city tour, highly recommended if it’ll be your first time so you can learn about this fascinating city. My favorite of this trip aside from the stadiums were World of Coke and the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Park. A must for yourself and your kids.
Points Earnings During the Trip
99% of the time we were using the Capital One Venture card because we are currently working on that minimum spend. We got about $500 closer to meeting it on this trip. All the while earning 2x Venture miles on every category
I used my Chase Sapphire Preferred card on the two Lyft rides we took because they offer 5x the points on Lyft through 2025
At the Mercedes Benz Falcons Team Store I was going to buy my souvenir hoodie and hat. I checked Rakuten to see if I could earn extra points buying these items through there and I could! They were offering 2% cash back at the NFL shop. So I bought my items through there to earn extra travel points. Instead of just earning 2x the miles with my Venture Card at the team store, I earned 2x Venture miles per dollar AND 2x American Express points, quadrupling my points earning.
Make smart choices on which credit card to use when you’re on your trips to maximize your earning potential.
Hope this inspires you on your journey. Happy travels!
