The 3 Lessons I Learned from my First BIG Points Redemption

[@CallMeLani]

Sounds like a great trip! Congrats again to you and your wife on the wedding!

[@TheCreditFrog]

I appreciate that Lani! Thanks so much!

[@MontyTheCardNerd]

What an amazing honeymoon & redemption Stan! Completely agree to prioritize flying business class on redeye flights ... while the food/drinks & better service are nice, the lie-flat flight makes for the biggest benefit over economy in my opinion.

[@TheCreditFrog]

Thanks so much Monty! Yeah, I'm not going to make that mistake again, haha! Lie-flat seats would have really made that experience a lot better - especially with a layover. Lesson learned!

[@jimmyjames6492]

Congrats 🎈🎉🍾 That's an amazing redemption! Thanks for the info + video!

[@TheCreditFrog]

Thank you Jimmy James! We appreciate you!!

[@linsridesharehustle]

Glad to see you had an amazing time in Japan and Thailand. Congrats on your wedding!

[@TheCreditFrog]

We appreciate it Lin! Thanks so much!!

[@jeff.0-3]

Awesome video Stan! So glad your honeymoon was amazing! You'll remember the memories that you created far longer than the CPP value for the trip. That is, unless you rewatch the video in the future. 😀

[@TheCreditFrog]

Appreciate it! You're absolutely right, the memories and experiences are what counts. CPP is a nice secondary bonus!

[@jpknowledge8852]

I'm glad this trip turned out to be everything you hoped. It looked super nice following on Instagram. I'm definitely looking to add an IHG card to my wallet in 2025. Those intercontinental hotels looked nice. Also, getting a private room at the Star Alliance first class lounge is so baller!! I have to get in there at some point. I appreciate the shout-out 🙏🏾

[@TheCreditFrog]

I appreciate you so much JP! It was very helpful to have your input and advice when making this booking as there were a lot of nuances that came up, and it was nice to have an expert by my side haha! IHG cards are underrated and that 4th night free comes in clutch more often than I realized. You definitely should try to get into that VIP lounge at some point. So cool!!

[@PhilMo78]

What an unreal experience!! Congrats again Stan on the wedding and thank you for sharing this with us! Love seeing the details. ❤

[@TheCreditFrog]

I appreciate that PhilMo! And you're welcome! Hopefully it gives you and wife some ideas on what to do for your next trip!

[@mburke364]

Awesome video, Stan. Congrats to you and your wife! I’m in the boat of knowing most of what there is to know about earning points and what my credit card roadmap is going forward, but I’m a super novice at actually finding and getting great redemptions, so videos like this are really helpful!

[@TheCreditFrog]

Thanks so much Max! I'm happy to hear that you found this video helpful. I'm right there with you! Gotta keep learning to figure out how to make these great redemptions!

[@crystalgiannone2683]

Congrats Stan!!! So happy you enjoyed a wonderful honeymoon ❤ All the best for you and your wife ❤️ Lots of love

[@TheCreditFrog]

Thanks so much Crystal!! We really appreciate it!

[@lashadow8]

Congratulations to you and your wife Stan~ 🐸

[@TheCreditFrog]

Appreciate it! Thank you so much!! 🐸

[@kikyochan66]

Congratulations on your wedding! What an awesome trip and redemption !

[@TheCreditFrog]

Thanks so much!!

[@kyletavarez]

DAYUM STAN, congrats on the honeymoon! Huge redemption!

[@TheCreditFrog]

Thanks Kyle! It was Huge!

[@TheProfessor-YouTube]

Congratulations, Stan. What a great honeymoon (and redemption!). Thanks for bringing us along for the breakdown. I really enjoyed this video.

[@TheCreditFrog]

I appreciate it! You bet! So happy to hear that you enjoyed the video!!

[@marklihsu]

Congrats on the fun trip! Cents per point kinda goes out the window once you are enjoying the trip. There will always be more points but the memories are what matters! As a heavy data user myself I prefer Google Fi with unlimited plan. 50gb international roaming data with hotspot for those 50gb for $60 best traveling plan ever.

[@TheCreditFrog]

Absolutely agree! Memories and the experience are what makes it all worth it. I'll have to check out Google Fi! We weren't in each location for that long, but 50gb sounds like a great way to go! I was checking my data usage nonstop, and definitely would have preferred to have more if I could!

[@thomasalexander7395]

First off…congratulations on the honeymoon! Wow…what a monster points and miles redemption! That’s awesome!

[@TheCreditFrog]

Thanks so much Thomas! Yeah, there were a LOT of points redeemed, but good value to be had as well!

[@basaindon]

Damn. Very nice trip. I understand why you made the moves you made for comfort, rather than max CPP. And kicking things off with SQ 1st certainly makes a statement. Glad you had fun.

[@TheCreditFrog]

Absolutely! Yeah, I was willing to sacrifice CPP for some convenience and peace of mind.

[@CesarJoel]

Congratulations on your wedding mi hermano!🙌 Sounds like you had a great trip and experience. Thanks for the detailed overview of all redemptions!

[@TheCreditFrog]

Appreciate it so much hermano César!! 😃

[@lilgohan]

Sounds like an incredible trip. Congratulations!

[@TheCreditFrog]

Thanks so much!

[@DelhiBelly1620]

If you ever go back to Bangkok, I recommend the Marriott Marquis Queens Park and The Athenee. They have amazing lounges and treat their elite Bonvoy members very well!

[@TheCreditFrog]

Nice! Thank you so much for the recommendation Delhi Belly! 👍

[@Mike_Genisys]

If you going to do it, do it right! Congrats to you and your wife!

[@TheCreditFrog]

Absolutely! Thanks Mike!!

[@KevinYang]

Gotta love that international travel! Amazing that you got to try out tons of SQ, and in First too! Curious was there something that would've made the SIN immigration complicated? From my experience it's usually just a walk through a machine. Japan always has amazing "replay" value, and looking forward to my Thailand trip next year too if you have any strong recs!

[@TheCreditFrog]

Thanks so much Kevin! Yeah, I loved Singapore Air. Their service was impeccable on the First Class flight! For us, we had enough exploring to do within the airport that we didn't want to complicate things by going through immigration. As for Thailand, I haven't been there enough to give you great recs, but I'd just say that the area I stayed in Bangkok was super posh and had lots to do in that area. The Grab app was also super helpful (SE Asia's Uber). We got a Grab Eats and took some Grabs around town, and it was nice to have that option, and all of our rides were like $5, even for distances that we expected to be more expensive. 😎

[@KevinYang]

@@TheCreditFrog Gotta love Grab, so convenient! When do you think you'll go on another international trip now that you've had a taste of it? haha

[@TheCreditFrog]

I would love to! But it’s hard to take time off from work. We’re going to try to do at least 1 international trip a year, but we’ll see how that goes.

[@peterchen205]

Congratulations on your wedding and it sounds like you had a great time!

[@TheCreditFrog]

Thanks so much Peter! We sure did!!

[@FrequentFlyer_MIA]

Excellent. I usually hit up Japan, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia. I take about 3 months off. From Miami it sucks because of the need to fly cross country to California for a SE Asia flight.

[@TheCreditFrog]

Yeah, Miami is definitely far to go to Asia. That’s awesome that you can take 3 months off and just do the trip!! Those are some nice countries you get to visit. I’ll have to visit those at some point 🏝️

[@bruceedwards3844]

This was a terrific high quality video. I appreciate all the details. Best wishes on your marriage.

[@TheCreditFrog]

Of course! I appreciate the well wishes - thank you!

[@iankm1]

14:47 😂😂 don’t ever fly Econ, always maximize time on the ground. I could never sleep in Econ 😢

[@TheCreditFrog]

Mistakes made. Lessons learned!

[@thejokerspeaks]

Nice planning! That Japan Airlines lounge in Narita is nice, we got in with business class seats on Hawaiian in October. I was only in my beginning stages of switching from Delta loyalty when planning the trip, but $1,600 for business class wasn't bad (cheaper than Delta premium economy). In 14 months, we'll be sailing on a cruise from Hong Kong to Japan, and I'll definitely be utilizing points and miles. The Tokyo Hilton was nice, but I think we're going to save some money with 4th night free at the Kimpton Shinjuku.

[@TheCreditFrog]

Thanks! Yeah, we had the opportunity to go to the ANA lounge at the Narita airport, which we really enjoyed. But we spent more time outside doing the duty-free shopping, hah! Sounds like you have a nice itinerary planned out for Asia in about a year! Yeah, I love the 4th night free with IHG. It makes things so much more flexible if you want a shorter 4-day trip!

[@Cody.Little]

Congrats Stan! What an insane honeymoon with crazy redemptions. We just got back from a very similar trip for our anniversary haha Singapore biz to Tokyo, insane upgrade at regent Hong Kong with IHG plat, seeing the Jewel using the skytrain 😂 and Singapore biz back to LA all using points. One of these days we gotta chat about our experience! Definitely changed my wife’s travel expectations lmao

[@TheCreditFrog]

Appreciate that Cody! My IHG brother!! Very cool that you and your wife also got back from Asia! Singapore in business class sounds awesome! That's such a nice flight to get business since it's so long!! Yeah, my wife was also appreciative of the trip - always nice to show her what points and miles can do!

[@MattWelterOfficial]

Awesome to hear how amazing this trip was for you & Mrs. Frog, and what makes it even sweeter is that the whole trip was covered on points! This whole redemption was wild, crazy to see the cash values for some of those flight redemptions especially. Definitely agree that in some ways lounge access isn't that important (because if you have 1-2 major travel redemptions per year) and fly Biz Class for those, you can get that lounge access built in based on your flight ticket. Congrats again on the wedding and amazing honeymoon!!

[@TheCreditFrog]

I finally made the video!! Haha, I remember you asking for this one from all the way back from last year when I told you about it. It was quite the crazy redemption! Lots of points were used, but the experience was certainly worth it! Yeah, lounges were certainly a great part of this trip. We also got into the ANA lounge from the Singapore business ticket, the JAL lounge from the JAL business ticket. PP came in clutch for the Thai Airways ticket. Really appreciate it Matt! Looking forward to seeing your future redemptions as well bro!

[@iankm1]

17:14 100% know you’ll have way bigger redemptions in the future. You are going to have so many points you won’t know what to do with them.

[@TheCreditFrog]

I’ll impress even myself if I do a redemption with more than 1.5 million points in one trip again!

[@deadxpride45]

Congratulation sounds like you had the 2 best weeks of ur life

[@TheCreditFrog]

Thank you so much! It was such a great experience - even better since we were able to use points and miles for a lot of the expenses!

[@paulstein916]

Hi Stan, thanks for the details on your fantastic trip. It sounds like a perfect trip that you and Mrs Frog will never forget. How did you accumulate so many points, mostly through SUB’s, referrals or spending? Did JP give your guidance or does he actually plan out the flight and hotel options and you did the actual bookings? Anything you could share on that process is appreciated.

[@TheCreditFrog]

Of course Paul! For me, most of the point accumulation was through welcome offers. I did start saving points starting about 3 years ago so time does help with this. In terms of JP's guidance, he was able to let me know what routes were best for my situation, and then he kept an eye on when the route was initially released for redemption. He then messaged me, and I did the redemption right away so we could get the confirmed seats on the exact dates we wanted! His role was a kind of consultant since I just followed his instructions and did the booking using my own points and my own accounts.

[@deadxpride45]

​@TheCreditFrog JP, that one best friend you never wanna lose great guy he came in clutch

[@LukesPointsandMiles]

priceless honeymoon, Stan!!! I honestly cant wait to see how this experience effects how you earn in the future. I mean after getting a taste of that GOOD LIFE!

[@TheCreditFrog]

For sure Luke!! It certainly has changed me a bit. Those first class/business class flights were AMAZING! Hard to get back to that SW bus. Will have to farm more points and learn the game to make more economical redemptions in the future so we can travel like this all the time! 😅

[@LukesPointsandMiles]

@ rest in peace USBaR

[@TheCreditFrog]

​@@LukesPointsandMiles HAH! But yeah if I want to travel like that again, I need to reconfigure some things..

[@jamesyu613]

congrats on the honeymoon

[@TheCreditFrog]

Thank you!

[@jamesyu613]

@@TheCreditFrog yw

[@Rowdyyy_rod]

Congrats. And good video. Does this experience change your opinion on Amex MR earning cards?

[@TheCreditFrog]

Thanks Rodrigo! Ultimately, no, it doesn't. I've always considered Amex MR points to be the best point system to have for these redemptions. My issue is that their cards now make you work for them, both with annual fees (money) and with statement credits (time). Depending on your situation, the juice may be worth the squeeze. The question is: is Amex the right choice for you, and does the time/money you put into it make it worth it for your situation?

[@gilbertnicholas1582]

Great redemption... When I'm sleeping and stuffing my face is business class I could care less about the cpp value of the flight because sometimes you just gotta go with what's available

[@TheCreditFrog]

Thanks so much! Yeah, I feel the same way haha. As long as the redemption is decent, I don't really think about it, and just enjoy the experience!

[@newagain9964]

Interesting vid. Lots of layovers. Further confirms my beliefs hotel cards are end game strategy. Esp program benefits as super niche and stingy as IHG, Marriott. Thx for being specific, cause I don’t consider a property to be an “airport hotel” unless airside/behind security.

[@TheCreditFrog]

Thanks! Yeah, there were certainly lots of layovers. We really enjoyed our experience at the airport hotel. Very simple, but the ability to have a bed and shower at that time at night was well worth the cost.

[@WhatsThePoints1]

Great trip congrats! Curious how the biz class compared to first class

[@TheCreditFrog]

Thanks Mike! First Class on Singapore was excellent. The service and the food/beverages available are what makes them different. In First, there were 2 attendants for 4 passengers, and we had access to a nicer menu than Business class .. which says a lot because Business class was already very good!

[@La.aviator]

That poll that you had makes a lot of sense now lol

[@TheCreditFrog]

Haha, yeah! I'll make adjustments next time to the ranges make more sense 😆

[@jwil4286]

Question: do IHG (and Marriott) FNCs stack with 4NF (or 5NF)? Like, if one of the award nights is booked with a FNC, does it count towards nNF?

[@TheCreditFrog]

I'm pretty sure the answer is no, although, I haven't tried that before. I was always under the impression that those 4NF, 5NF were only with points bookings.

[@jwil4286]

@@TheCreditFrog ah ok. in that case, the strat would be to stay for n+1 nights, so you get the nNF as well as the FNC.

[@BY-ib9ew]

I honestly don’t understand all the talk about e sims for international travel. I always just use the Verizon international plan. Once I land I get a txt asking if I want to use data and I just text yes and that’s it

[@ToboeKey309]

I do the fuckin same its like why deal with the esim bullshit or getting an international simcard fuck all that 🤣

[@TheCreditFrog]

eSim was $10 for the 5-day trip in Japan. Phone companies are like $10 a day. I would just check the price and then you'll see that it may be more worth it depending on where you visit.

[@BY-ib9ew]

yah I get it it’s cheaper and I did go the e sim route years ago but nowadays I’m too lazy lol

[@L-Man-Gaming]

Congrats Stan. That sushi looked delicious in Shibuya, do you remember the name of the place?

[@TheCreditFrog]

Absolutely! It's the Kaiten Sushi Ginza Onodera

[@L-Man-Gaming]

@@TheCreditFrognever would have guessed that was a conveyor belt sushi place, looks like you ordered a set or something

[@TheCreditFrog]

I looked at the picture again, and I got it wrong, sorry about that! The picture is actually from Sushi Zanmai! The Kaiten Sushi place was my favorite, but I forgot I didn't put a picture of it in this video. My bad, but nice catch!

[@L-Man-Gaming]

@@TheCreditFrog thanks Stan, and congrats again, this is a big time redemption. Going to need more points and the Amex Gold can get you there lol

[@nubianpwr]

This sounds like a once-in-a-lifetime experience Stan!! Just imagine if you were a cash-back over points kind of guy😎 Thanks for sharing this and the value it bought👍🏾😊

[@TheCreditFrog]

It sure was Nkosi! I know, right? I like running a hybrid setup for this reason so I can take advantage of both worlds. If I had more time to travel, I probably would be completely over on team travel and earning those points! Glad you found value from this redemption man!

[@nubianpwr]

@@TheCreditFrog oh yes brother - I'm more convinced than ever to "lean" towards points😅

[@michaelkeaton32]

JP hooked y'all up! I'm with you where I would need to get some help to book that kind of redemption. Definitely not a simple one, IMO. Did you get a preliminary look at what you wanted to do and an idea of how many points you'd need in advance? That's a ton of points you used - that would take me a while to gather all those up. I'm hoping you have some content that goes over your trip in a little bit more detail.

[@TheCreditFrog]

He absolutely did! Honestly, I'm pretty bad with redeeming points as soon as I get them so I had a hoard of them before making this redemption. I saved them up for this honeymoon but didn't know how much I would end up using. Eventually, I knew I had enough so I could book the exact trip/dates I wanted with a confirmed ticket and not have to pinch pennies on the saver awards. Is there something specific you wanted to know? Send me an email, and I'll go into it in much more detail for you.

[@keyang007]

Congrats!! This trip is amazing 😍😍 Thailand has many best hotels in the world, and Japan airline and Singapore Airlines are the best of best !! Great choice 👍🍾💸💸💸

[@TheCreditFrog]

Thanks so much Richard! Yeah we really enjoyed our flights, and the hotels we stayed at were super nice too! We definitely plan to go back to Thailand more often!

[@L_____E_______IT]

Unreal redemption bro, you saved $40,000 by playing the points and miles game. Welcome to the matrix, the multiverse is open.

[@TheCreditFrog]

Thanks so much! Yes, it was a lot of points, but the amount of money saved was crazy when I did the final tally!

[@L_____E_______IT]

@ exactly welcome to the matrix

[@wanderingdoc5075]

Who cares about cpp, you had a great time and that's all that matters! Congrats Stan

[@TheCreditFrog]

I agree! Thanks so much WanderingDoc! Hope travels are treating you well! 🎄🏄

[@newagain9964]

CPP gives a basis for comparisons, budgeting, and just helps makes sense of things in general.

[@bastisarao3768]

Great Video! i Love sushi ❤

[@TheCreditFrog]

Thank you so much. We do too! 🍣 😋

[@SYS-ky7zk]

Stan, What a fantastic honeymoon!! 😀😀 I'd say other than Ritz experience, that Mega upgrade in Phuket was amazing! I visited SEA many times and I will have to visit Singapore airport just for the airport itself! Yes, getting good sleep and relaxation is a must during long international trip. When I have a late night flight, sometimes I book a hotel even though I am only staying until leaving to the airport. My next trip, I am doing just that in Bangkok, using 5000 Hyatt points. Thanks for details on your amazing Honeymoon trip!!

[@TheCreditFrog]

Thanks you so much! Yes, I loved that Phuket hotel - need to go back there too haha! Definitely recommend Changi. We should have stayed for longer, but we decided to be in Thailand. Next time! Yeah, for Bangkok, there are so many options, and 5,000 Hyatt points for a hotel is very legit. Appreciate the well wishes, and hope you enjoy your next trip to SEA!

[@BY-ib9ew]

Top tip: always indicate it is your anniversary or a birthday. A lot of the nicer hotels in Asia will do a free room amenity where you get free champagne, chocolate, and special decorations like rose petals on the bed etc

[@TheCreditFrog]

I've definitely noticed that! If you're celebrating something, very important to mention it. You never know what you might get! 👍

[@BY-ib9ew]

@@TheCreditFrog yah I’ll always make a note when booking the room and also either message them through the app or email them when it’s close to the check in date

[@iankm1]

Scummy tip.

[@TheCreditFrog]

If it’s actually a special event, I think it’s fine to let the hotel know!

[@qcman2000]

1st 👍🏽.

[@TheCreditFrog]

Congrats qcman! You are first!! 🏆🥇

[@qcman2000]

As far as the video goes, congratulations to you & Mrs. Credit Frog on your honeymoon! Those were some great redemptions. A 7 level upgrade? That was incredible.

[@banderson1979]

It’s cheating to call hotels and tell them it’s your honeymoon. Then brag you got upgraded 7 levels. Come on man.

[@deadxpride45]

I mean it's his honeymoon saved a lot for it he deserves it

[@TheCreditFrog]

It's definitely not cheating if it's your honeymoon and you tell the hotel that it's.... your honeymoon.

[@michaelkim2147]

How is this cheating? haters gonna hate

[@Triple.7]

Cheating is not illegal 😊 it is bad but not illegal