Portugal may not be the first European country people think of visiting, but it definitely should be added to any European vacation. It can be very easy to get to Lisbon using points and this can be expanded into an entire Portugal vacation.
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Lisbon Using Points
When visiting Lisbon using points you will first want to think about how long you will want to stay in Lisbon and if you want to visit other areas of Portugal. For this specific trip, I went to Lisbon to see a Taylor Swift concert so I had a very specific time frame I could go. If I had more time, I would have added in time in other parts of Lisbon, staying for at least a week. I booked this trip about 10 months in advance.
Portugal Airfare
Step one when visiting Lisbon using points is to find your airfare. There are a ton of different options on how you can do this. I will go over how I did this, but know there are a ton of different ways to use points to fly to Europe. Since I had specific dates I had to settle for flights that were slightly more points, but if you have flexible dates you can easily find options for 20,000 points each way in economy.
To get to Lisbon, I booked a flight from Los Angeles to Lisbon with a layover in Madrid. This flight was 35,000 points and $166 taxes and fees a person through Iberia. The flight was on American Airlines and Iberia. I transferred points from Chase for this. However, there was also a 30% transfer bonus so it really only cost me 25,000 points.
To get home, we flew from Lisbon to Paris to Los Angeles. This flight cost 24,000 points plus $77.50 in taxes and fees and it was booked through Flying Blue. I transferred American Express points for this flight. This flight was on Air France.
Other programs to look at for possible flights to Europe would be Areoplan, United, Virgin Atlantic, and British Airways, but I found the best deals through Iberia and Flying Blue.
Lisbon Hotels
Lisbon has a ton of hotels you can book on points. The ones that are cheaper are not as good of a location, but it is possible to book it using less points if you are okay with a lesser location.
During this trip to Lisbon, I split my stay between two hotels because of what I had planned in my itinerary. In addition, I paid cash for my hotels because it is what worked better for me at the time. I stayed at the Golden Lisbon Hotel and the Moxy Lisboa Oriente.
The Golden Lisbon Hotel cost $200/night. You could use the Capital One Venture X credit to offset this cost if you have that card. The Moxy Lisboa Oriente can be booked for around 35,000 points a night, so a good use of a free night certificate. Note that this hotel is located slightly east of Lisbon, but I wanted to stay here to be near the airport for our early flight the next morning. It is also a great spot if you want to take some day trips from Lisbon.
The following are some options for the different programs and make for great hotels to book in Lisbon using points.
Hyatt
If you want to use Hyatt points, the only option is the Hyatt Regency Lisbon. This hotel is a decent location that is in between the two main areas of Lisbon. This hotel costs 12,000, 15,000, or 17,000 points a night.
Marriott
The best Marriott hotel to stay at is The Ivens, Autograph Collection as this is the best location, right in the heart of Lisbon. This hotel starts around 55,000 points a night. The Moxy Lisbon City is a cheaper alternative that starts around 27,000 points a night.
Hilton
For Hilton points, you will want to stay at the Duo Hotel Lisbon. This hotel again is around the main area of Lisbon. The rates here are typically around 60,000 points a night. A cheaper option is the DoubleTree Lisbon-Fontana Park which is around 50,000 points a night.
IHG
For IHG, the Vignette Collection Covent Square Lisbon is a good option, again due to its location. Raters here start around 45,000 points a night. If you want somewhere for less points, the Holiday Inn Lisbon-Continental starts around 30,000 points a night.
Other Expenses to Keep in Mind
Activities
In Lisbon, there are a lot of things you can do that do not cost anything or are relatively inexpensive. You do not have to worry about spending too much extra on activities.
Food
Food in Lisbon can cost a lot of a little depending on where you eat and what you want to eat. Some of the hotels may include breakfast. I would say the average meal costs around $20 so I budgeted about $50 a day for food.
Total Costs for Lisbon Using Points
- Hotel: 72,000 Marriott Points +$400 cash (total for two people)
- Airfare: 59,000 points plus $193.50/person
- Transportation: $20/person
- Activities: $30/person
- Food: $150/person
- Total Cost Out of Pocket 95,000 points plus $295/person
Total Value of Points Used
- Hotel Value: $150/person $300 total
- Airfare Value: $1200/person or $2400 total
- Total Savings with Points: $1350/person or $2700 total
Final Thoughts of Lisbon Using Points
There are many ways you can visit Lisbon using points. How much you want to spend out of pocket versus using points is completely up to you. If you have more time, head to other places in the area such as Madrid or Morocco, as they pair well with a Lisbon trip.
