This site is part of an affiliate sales network and may earn compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened. This relationship may impact how and where links appear on this site. This site does not include all financial companies or all available financial offers. Zachary Abel is also a Senior Advisor to Bilt Rewards. Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
Italy/England 2016 Trip Report
- One World Business Class Lounge Los Angeles Review – Tom Bradley
- SkyTeam Korean Air Lounge Los Angeles Review
- LAX-LHR American Business Class 777-300ER
- London Terminal 4 SkyTeam Business Class Lounge Review
- LHR -FCO Alitalia Business Class A330
- Marriott Rome Park Hotel
- Viator private tour Vatican
- Boscolo Rome Exedra
- NUN Assisi Relais and Spa
- Le Anfore (business class) Lounge
- London Radisson Blu Edwardian New Providence Wharf Review:
- London Terminal 3 British Airways Galleries Lounge Review
- London Terminal 3 Admiral’s Club Review
- LHR-LAX American Business Class 777-300ER – mini cabin
The Sistine Chapel is BANANAS! WOW!
How I started
The idea for the Italy/England 2016 Trip originated when British Airways had an incredible fare sale last fall. We’re talking insanely discounted business class tickets from all over the U.S. to several cities in Europe:
Here’s one of the deals from Miles to Memories – I Just Paid $408 in Cash Roundtrip for Business Class from Las Vegas to London – This Won’t Last!
I meeeeeeeeeaaaannnnnnnn that is just ridics
My parents have wanted to go to Italy for a long time and this presented the perfect opportunity for doing just that! I ended up finding them tickets in/out of Chicago – their hub city of choice – that provided them with 17 days in Italy. We randomly chose dates that would facilitate their schedule and also provide a great deal. They used the One Way Car Rental trick to get in and out of their hub city
They flew roundtrip IN BIZ for $800 a piece.
In addition to this, I signed them up for a Platinum Challenge because their EQM for the flight was over the needed 12,500 EQM in 90 days. If you aren’t familiar with a Platinum Challenge it allows you to earn Platinum status if you hit certain requirements and pay a fee. They also earned over 40k RDM ( redeemable miles ): AA has been running a promotion for paid transatlantic business class tickets that gives 25,000 bonus miles and they were able to take advantage of this. I’d say that they nearly earned back the value of their tickets just in AA miles. They also have AA platinum which they will use as leverage to status match to another airline at the end of the year.
We set out a loose itinerary
It literally changed a gigilion times. They had 17 days. As an actor my schedule isn’t really ever that set. Without being on a tv show full time, it’s really difficult to block time. SO we planned the trip for them and maaaaaaybe Miles and I could join. They ultimately decided to do a train trip through Switzerland. While they loved the scenery, it was a very fast paced trip. This left them with about 8 days to see Italy.
We had everything set with them staying in Rome for 5 nights at the Intercontinental Hotel de Ville. THEN IT CLOSED. It was unbelievably annoying. When we booked the Intercontinental we had the choice of it or the Boscolo ( which we ended up in ) for just point rates. When we got the email that the Intercontinental was canceling our reservation the Boscolo only had premium rooms available. UGH! I thought as the dates neared that something would open up, but they never did. In the end, the rooms we stayed in were amazing and we still got a huge discount over the cash rate, but would have preferred to stay in rooms just for points. Sometimes you just have to roll with the punches.
We knew we wanted to see Rome, Amalfi, Florence, Pisa, and Venice.
We contacted Elisabetta at Rome Magic Tours and asked for assistance on planning some excursion trips. She did a very good job assisting us with transportation all over the country. We individually booked hotels and our tour of the Vatican through Viator.
We spent 2 days touring Rome
A day down the Amalfi Coast
3 days through Pisa, Florence, and Assisi
Ultimately we had to cancel Venice.
My mom came down with a bad case of bronchitis and we called an audible and holed up at the Rome Park Marriott. The did a wonderful job assisting us with medicine and catering to whatever language barriers we may have faced. I found an app called medinaction that is specifically designed for english speaking travelers abroad. Andrea is in association with the U.S. embassy and a great doctor. He came to the hotel, prescribed meds, and if need be would have the ability to admit to a hospital and navigate the system for us. It was a blessing in disguise.
I ended up making the trip
When we first booked this trip we had no idea if we could make it or not. But, as luck would have it, we needed to be in England the following week. The trips coincided perfectly and we were able to make it. We also got to fly on American’s 777-300ER in business class which we hadn’t done before and LOVED IT! We also got to surprise my mom. HEH HEH HEH. This may have been my favorite part of the trip lol.
Italy/England 2016 Trip Report
- One World Business Class Lounge Los Angeles Review – Tom Bradley
- SkyTeam Korean Air Lounge Los Angeles Review
- LAX-LHR American Business Class 777-300ER
- London Terminal 4 SkyTeam Business Class Lounge Review
- LHR -FCO Alitalia Business Class A330
- Marriott Rome Park Hotel
- Viator private tour Vatican
- Boscolo Rome Exedra
- NUN Assisi Relais and Spa
- Le Anfore (business class) Lounge
- London Radisson Blu Edwardian New Providence Wharf Review:
- London Terminal 3 British Airways Galleries Lounge Review
- London Terminal 3 Admiral’s Club Review
- LHR-LAX American Business Class 777-300ER – mini cabin
Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card went through a major refresh in 2026 adding new bonus categories, travel protections, statement credits, and remains one of the best travel starter cards in the market. It earns Premium Ultimate Rewards that can be transferred into over a dozen partners many of which are US based including Hyatt, Southwest, United, IHG, and Marriott. Note that Hyatt is now a 4:3 transfer partner
Welcome Offer
Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
Annual Fee
$95
Points Earned
Transferrable Chase Ultimate Rewards
Earn
- 5x on all travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- NEW ACCELERATED EARN CATEGORY: 3x points on gas and EV charging
- NEW ACCELERATED EARN CATEGORY: 3x points on vacation homes at top brands
- Cardmembers will earn 3x points on vacation homes at these top brands: Airbnb, Vrbo, Plu Guide, HomeAway, Homestay.com and Vacasa.
- 3x on dining, including eligible delivery services for takeout & dining out
- 3x on select streaming services
- 3x on online grocery purchases
- (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs)
- 2x on all other travel
- 1x on everyday purchases
- 5x points on Lyft rides Earn 5x total points on eligible Lyft rides including ride share, bike and scooter rides and subscription and membership products through September 30, 2027.
- 5x total points on Peloton equipment Earn 5x total points on eligible Peloton equipment and accessory purchases over $150 through December 31, 2027.
Benefits and Credits
- $100 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit via Chase Travel℠
- NEW: $120 Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or NEXUS fee credit Cardmembers will receive one statement credit of up to $120 every four years as reimbursement for the application fee charged to the card.
- NEW: Complimentary Apple TV subscription for one year
- Points are transferrable to 14 Ultimate Rewards partners
- No foreign transaction fees
- Suite of Travel and Purchase Coverage
- Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver is my favorite
- Complimentary DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees & lower service fees for a min. of one year when you activate by 12/31/27. Plus, a $10 promo each month on non-restaurant orders
We keep an up to date spreadsheet that lists the best ever offers: You can find that spreadsheet here.
Historically 80k is a very, very good offer and hit in both 2022 and 2023. In 2021, we saw the offer hit an all time high of 100k. Who knows if that will ever come back.
Main Cast:
Cards that earn flexible points and should be used on the bulk of your purchases.
Supporting Cast:
Cards that earn fixed points in the currency of the airline/hotel and can not be transferred at attractive rates. These cards yield benefits that make it worth keeping, but not necessarily worth putting a lot of your everyday spend on.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is great starter card and offers transferrable Ultimate Rewards, and pairs well with other Chase cards.
If you carry this card alongside Chase’s cashback cards like the Chase Freedom Flex® and Chase Freedom Unlimited® or the business versions: Chase Ink Business Cash® , Chase Ink Business Unlimited® you can combine the points into the Sapphire Preferred account and transfer into hotel and airline partners
Annual fee remains quite low at $95 a year and if you use the $100 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit via Chase Travel℠ you’ll wipe out that annual fee every year. It has great bonus categories and other useful statement credits to enhance your travel.
One thing that is a bummer is Chase lowered the transfer ratio to World of Hyatt from 1:1 to 4:3.
The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.