Have you always wanted to head to the Emerald Isle, but it always seems too expensive? Look no further than heading to Ireland on points and miles. It is very easy to book a trip to Ireland using a minimal amount of points. These are the things I wish I had known about when I was stranded by an Icelandic volcano in Dublin.
Table of Contents
Ireland Airfare
There are over 100 routes that fly nonstop to Dublin, Ireland, so it can be pretty easy to find a flight to get there. Some of the airlines that seem to have the most flight availability to book to Ireland on points and miles are the following.
- AerLingus
- Air France/KLM
- American
- Delta
- JetBlue
- United
How I Did It
Since my home airport is Los Angeles (LAX), my only direct option was flying Aer Lingus to Dublin. However, this is not a bad thing because Aer Lingus flights are very easy to book with points. Aer Lingus uses Avios, which is the currency that British Airways, Qatar Airways, and Iberia all use.
I scored flights at off-peak pricing, which cost 16,500 Avios plus about $150 in taxes and fees. I booked one way through Aer Lingus and one way through British Airways. I transferred these from my American Express points. You can also book this flight for 35,000 Alaska miles.
Ireland Hotels
There are so many hotels in Ireland that you can book on points and miles. However, most of them are in Dublin or Belfast. Once you get outside of the major city centers, there are a lot fewer hotel options on points. The following are some options listed by brand.
Hyatt
Marriott
- The College Green Hotel Dublin
- CitizenM Dublin Street
- Residence Inn by Marriott Cork
- Mount Juliet Estate
- AC Hotel Belfast
Hilton
- Hilton Garden Inn Dublin City Centre
- Conrad Dublin
- Hampton Inn by Hilton Dublin City Center
- Hilton Belfast
- DoubleTree Belfast
- Multiple SLH properties across Ireland
IHG
- Intercontinental Dublin
- Holiday Inn Express Dublin City Center
- Holiday Inn Belfast City Center
- Voco Belfast
Choice Hotels
Also, if you have an American Express Platinum Card or a Chase Sapphire Reserve Card, make sure to check out the hotel credits for Dublin! Note that outside of Dublin, hotels on points are limited, so you may want to allow some extra money in the budget if you plan on exploring more of Ireland than Dublin, Belfast, and Cork.
How I Booked It
We opted to stay at the Hyatt Centric The Liberties Dublin for our trip. It is a fantastic hotel. Thanks to my Globalist status, we got free breakfast and a fabulous upgraded room. This hotel costs around 17,000 to 23,000 Hyatt points a night.
Other Expenses to Keep in Mind
Transportation
If you have the Citi Strata Elite card, this is a good place to use your Blacklane Credits. Lyft and Uber are also widely available, so you can use those credits to get around. Dublin and Belfast both have great public transportation within the city.
To get around Ireland, buses are widely available between major cities. However, if you want to explore smaller places, I recommend renting a car. If you have a Venture X, that is a good use of the $300 annual travel credit. Note that Ireland usually requires extra rental insurance, so renting a car here is not cheap. However, it is well worth it to explore some of the more hidden gems of the country.
Alternatively, you can take the bus and train between the cities. Then, you can base yourself in each city and take tours and day trips from each city. Galway, Cork, and Dublin are the most popular cities in Ireland to base yourself in. On my first trip to Ireland, we took the buses in between these three cities.
Activities and Tours
If you want any guided tours, use Get Your Guide to book them! You can often book through shopping portals to earn some extra points. I find them more reliable than Viator. The following are some of my favorite Ireland tours that you can do without a car.
- Cliffs of Moher Tour
- Wicklow Mountains Tour
- Blarney Castle
- Skellig Michael
- Connemara National Park
- Dingle Peninsula
- Ring of Kerry
- Blarney Castle from Dublin
- Cobh Titanic tour
Total Costs for Ireland on points
- Airfare: 16,500 Avios points for each one-way. 66,000 Avios points total
- Dublin Hotel: 66,000 Hyatt points for 3 nights.
Total Value of Points Used
- Airfare: $1000/person, $2000 total
- Dublin Hotel: $1200 total (3 nights)
Final Thoughts on Ireland on Points
While you cannot use points on an entire Ireland vacation, the use of points helps with the cost of airfare and the most expensive hotels. It is also a good place to use up a lot of your travel credits. Galway, Cork, and Dublin are the best major cities to base yourself in. From there, you can take many day trips to amazing places such as the Aran Islands. If you have more time, Ireland on points pairs well with a trip to Iceland, which you can also easily do on points.
