My Families’ Ultimate Summer In Spain

This is a sponsored post by Chase Ultimate Rewards®. The content and opinions expressed below are that of Guy and the Blog.

Summertime

Summer is the ultimate season. It’s the season of fun, sun, and excitement. It’s also the season of lazy days and nights with friends. Pools, beaches, vacations, and BBQs hopefully all make an appearance, too. Even if there’s a lot to do, it will hopefully be a schedule filled with good times and joy. The kids are out of school, so why not take advantage!?!?! The summer is a season of celebration and the ultimate summer may include a couple of truly special occasions, activities, or memories, too. Last year, we were lucky enough to all go to Malta to see my wife’s family…what an amazing time!!

While the WHAT of the ultimate summer is different for everyone, one thing is certain…having a good time tends to cost a little bit. From pennies to dollars, you have to make sure that you’re spending wisely and making the most out of it that you can. Get the best deals, do the most stuff, have the fun. It all adds up, but Chase Ultimate Rewards helps Chase cardmembers like me have the ultimate summer while making the most of my money. If you’re spending it, you might as well get as much out of it as you can, right?

Ultimate Summer with Ultimate Rewards

Chase credit cards with Ultimate Rewards^® let you earn on all purchases and redeem for just about anything you want: travel, gift cards, cash back, experiences and more. Points don’t expire as long as your account is open¹  and it’s easy to redeem wherever you are – online or through the Chase mobile banking app. Value, flexibility and choice with points that don’t expire. That’s pretty much the definition of the ultimate in rewards if you ask me.

My wife and I have been loyal Chase cardmembers for years. From the Chase Freedom and Chase Freedom Unlimited to the Chase Sapphire Reserve℠ Card, we have been making the most of our spending for years now. Since our business leads us to a fair amount of travel each year, we have really been reaping the Ultimate Rewards of late. The Chase Sapphire Reserve℠ Card offers thousands of bonus points when you first sign up and a whopping 3X the points on travel and dining!! All those hotels, dinners, gas stations, car services and flights have really been adding up. It’s been so awesome, I was able to plan one of the most ultimate summers ever!

Family Vacation

Want to talk ultimate? How does a 9-day trip to Spain with the family as a surprise 40th Birthday celebration for my wife sound? Pretty amazing, right? Well, that’s the plan. We will fly into Madrid and spend three nights there. Then, it’s off to San Sebastian and Basque Country for two nights. Finally, three final nights in Barcelona, which is where we leave to go home from. We had so many Ultimate Rewards saved up over the years that I was able to book all five of our direct flights with our preferred airline (Delta) to Spain with them! I was psyched.

It really made sense, too, given that you get the most bang for your buck not only when using the card but also when redeeming for travel rewards! With Chase Sapphire Reserve, I snagged 1.5X the amount of benefit in travel than I would have for other rewards. It’s just amazing!! I even had some points left over to book some hotel nights, too! The kicker, I used my Chase card to pay for all of the other hotel nights and tours on the trip, so I’m already getting some of those Ultimate Rewards back again!! Seriously, if it wasn’t for these points, we would not be taking this trip. It would have just cost too much money.

The planning was super easy, too. The website lays so much information out for you. It tells you your points and what they are worth in dollars, plus all of the many, many options available to you. When I booked the travel, I simply called customer service (you can use the website and app, too) and they did it all right there. No transferring, no waiting, no calling the airlines of hotels. Chase even keeps all your info easily accessible, too, so you know exactly where to find it. They do it all!

Ultimate Rewards

As I’ve mentioned, this trip would likely not be happening at all if it wasn’t for my Ultimate Rewards^®. The coolest part about the program has to be the amazing flexibility and breadth of redemption options. The list seems like it’s virtually endless! Seriously, I was considering so many options before the idea for this trip came up. The option to purchase gift cards for spa/beauty and restaurants really piqued my interest (and my wife’s as you could imagine). In the end, travel won out – this time!

As part of my trip planning, we quickly figured out that the kids needed a whole bunch of new clothes not only for this trip, but for the summer in general. Man, they grow fast, don’t they? Anyway, we plan to take advantage of this awesome promotion where Chase cardmembers with Ultimate Rewards can redeem for a Gap Inc. gift card and save 20 percent (while supplies last). There’s a bunch of great gear online at Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic, and Athleta (you have your choice of any of these, plus either online or in the store). It’s the right time to jump at the chance since there’s a limited quantity of discounted gift cards available! One less thing to worry about, one more thing checked off the list.

If you’re already a Chase cardmember with Ultimate Rewards, sign into your account on the Ultimate Rewards portal to learn more about special gift card offers.

If you’re looking to get the most from your credit card spending, be sure to check out the Chase Ultimate Rewards program, including the benefits provided through Chase Freedom Unlimited, Chase Freedom, Chase Sapphire Reserve, Chase Sapphire Preferred and Chase Ink. It’s been really amazing for me and my family with, hopefully, many more memories yet to come.