Travelers often wonder how some people manage multi city European vacations without spending thousands. The answer usually comes down to welcome bonuses and smart point strategies. With the right approach, two rewards cards can cover most flights and several hotel nights for a full two week itinerary.

Here is a clear step by step version of how this works.

Step 1: Choose Cards With Strong Welcome Bonuses

The foundation is selecting cards that earn large introductory bonuses and flexible points.

Two examples that pair well:

• Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

• Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

A welcome bonus of around 60,000 Chase points after meeting the minimum spending requirement and another 75,000 miles from the Venture X create a combined pool worth well over a thousand dollars in travel. Spacing applications a few months apart keeps spending requirements manageable and helps maintain a stable credit profile.

Step 2: Meet the Minimum Spend Using Everyday Expenses

Minimum spending requirements often look intimidating at first, yet they can usually be reached through routine purchases. Bills, groceries, fuel, and planned expenses all count. Larger unavoidable costs such as repairs or upcoming purchases can help finish the requirement quickly.

Paying balances in full each month prevents interest from reducing the value of earned rewards.

Step 3: Use Transfers to Book Flights at a Better Value

This is where welcome bonuses do the heavy lifting.

Chase Ultimate Rewards points can transfer at a 1:1 ratio to airlines like United or British Airways. Capital One miles transfer to partners such as Air France and KLM. By checking award space before transferring, travelers only move the exact number of points needed.

For example:

• A transfer of about 50,000 Chase points to United can often cover a round trip economy award to Europe

• A transfer of around 70,000 Capital One miles to Air France can secure a one way flight home

Flexible points create opportunities to choose the best available airline pricing on the dates needed.

Step 4: Use Remaining Points for Hotel Stays

After booking flights, leftover points can cover several hotel nights.

Chase Ultimate Rewards points redeemed through the Chase Travel℠ portal with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card receive a value boost, making them useful for boutique hotels or apartments. Capital One miles can offset travel purchases by erasing part of a hotel bill as a statement credit.

A combination of redemptions can cover over half of a multi city hotel itinerary across destinations like Amsterdam, Lisbon, Barcelona, or Rome.

Step 5: Stretch Travel Dollars Further on the Ground

Travel cards that waive foreign transaction fees help keep everyday expenses simple abroad. Some programs also allow partial redemptions against restaurant or activity charges, reducing out of pocket costs for meals or tours.

With flights largely covered and hotels partially offset, the remaining budget can go toward exploring cities, museums, and cafés without financial stress.

Travelers using this method often visit several major European cities over two weeks while paying very little for the core travel costs.

Talk soon,

Your Maestro Concierge

Editors Note: Opinions expressed here are only the author’s and have not been reviewed, approved, or endorsed by any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity.