I’ve been a travel journalist for over a decade, and even seasoned pros make rookie mistakes. At the end of last summer, I made such an elementary-level travel error that it derailed a trip I spent months planning — and nearly cost me thousands of dollars to fix. Luckily, points and miles came to the rescue.
What Happened
My mistake? When I booked a flight from Dallas to Fiji, I forgot I was crossing the International Date Line.
For over a year, I was planning a whirlwind trip to Australia with my mom. After months of tracking flights I could book with points and miles across a range of programs, I stumbled on 80,000-mile tickets from Dallas to Sydney via Fiji in Fiji Airways’ business-class product through American Airlines. After mulling it over, we decided that instead of just connecting through, we’d extend our layover and spend three days exploring a country neither of us had visited. We also booked three nights at the popular Likuliku Lagoon Resort.
On the Friday before our Thursday night flight, while writing out an itinerary for my mom, it hit me: yes, we leave Thursday — but our plane lands on Saturday. On Saturday. The hotel reservation, along with complicated pre-booked boat transfers, started on Friday.
My first thought was to extend the stay by one night at the back end, but this was no ordinary trip. It was a nearly month-long journey through Fiji, New Zealand, Australia, and Hong Kong. Adding a day would trigger a domino effect of other changes. The only real options were to lose a night in paradise or figure out how to leave the States a day early.
I tried to get Fiji Airways to move us up a day — no luck. Then I tried American Airlines, which told me I’d have to cancel the award tickets and rebook. With less than a week to spare, award availability was practically nonexistent, according to Seats.aero, the award-flight aggregator I turn to first when booking flights.
The day we needed to leave had just one ticket to Fiji available with miles, and instead of departing from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), it left from San Francisco International Airport (SFO). That business-class ticket was still 80,000 miles. I considered putting my mom in the front and taking an economy seat myself — but the economy ticket was 100,000 AAdvantage miles. Paying more to sit in the back wasn’t happening.
I canceled the original tickets, got my miles refunded instantly, and rebooked my mom on the business-class flight from SFO.
That weekend, I tried every trick in the playbook: searching award partners I could transfer points to from my Chase Sapphire Reserve or American Express Platinum Card, pricing out cash options, and hoping another award seat would open up. Nothing worked.
How the Chase Travel Portal Saved the Day
My last-ditch effort was to use Chase Ultimate Rewards or American Express Membership Rewards to pay myself back for the business-class seat I’d already booked for my mom. The cash fare was over $4,000, so I went in with little hope.
On the Chase Travel portal, I found that the flight was eligible for the Chase Points Boost, which let me redeem my points at 2 cents each. I didn’t have enough points to cover the full flight, but my 158,540 Chase Ultimate Rewards points — valued at 2 cents each — covered $3,170.80 of the $4,066.50 fare. I paid the remaining $895.70 in cash.
TPG values Chase Ultimate Rewards points at 2.05 cents each, so the redemption worked out well given the circumstances. Could I have found a better use for those points with more planning and flexibility? Probably. But I was in a bind, and I wanted to be sipping Champagne with my mom in the front of the plane as we kicked off our trip together.
How to Avoid This
As long as you travel, mistakes will happen — whether it’s a delayed flight, a canceled booking, or simply writing down the wrong date. When things go wrong, have a plan of action ready.
- Download useful tools like the Flighty app, which often flags delays before the airline does, and Seats.aero to quickly find available award flights.
- Know your credit card travel insurance benefits and make a mental note of which transfer partners you have access to.
- Know your limits. I could have accepted the pricier economy ticket early on, but I gave myself a couple of days to explore all options before committing. By the end of day two, I was ready to give up — and that’s when the Chase Travel portal finally came through.
Bottom Line
Three nights at Likuliku Lagoon Resort and exploring Fiji’s Mamanuca Islands were more than worth the stress. This trip wouldn’t have been possible without points and miles — and when things went sideways, points and miles were what fixed it too. That’s the double-edged beauty of earning and redeeming rewards: they can be a nightmare and a blessing, a gift and a curse. In this case, they were all of the above. Just remember to check the calendar — and the International Date Line — before you book.
