A honeymoon can easily cost $5,000, $8,000, $10,000 or more. Between airfare, hotels, meals and activities, that dream trip can become one of the biggest expenses of getting married.
But what if some of the money you’re already spending on your wedding could help pay for the honeymoon?
That’s the idea behind using travel credit card welcome bonuses.
If you have good credit, pay your cards in full and plan carefully, it’s possible to earn enough airline miles and hotel points to cover a large portion of a honeymoon — and in some cases, nearly the entire trip.
The key isn’t spending more money.
It’s putting expenses you were already going to have on the right cards and collecting the rewards.
For couples planning a wedding, the timing can be especially good because weddings usually come with several large, preplanned expenses. Instead of putting those purchases on a debit card, writing checks or using a credit card that earns very little, you can potentially use them to unlock thousands of dollars in travel rewards.
Here’s how it works.
Step 1: Understand Where the “Free” Honeymoon Comes From
Most travel credit cards offer a welcome bonus to new cardholders.
For example, a card might offer tens of thousands of miles or points after you spend a certain amount during your first few months of having the card.
Those points may then be redeemed for airfare, hotel stays or other travel.
The welcome bonus is the important part.
If you simply earn one or two points per dollar from normal purchases, it can take a long time to accumulate enough rewards for a major vacation. A large welcome bonus can dramatically accelerate the process.
That’s why couples planning a honeymoon shouldn’t just ask:
“Which credit card gives me the most points?”
A better question is:
“Which welcome bonuses can pay for the trip we’re already planning?”
That changes the entire strategy.
Instead of collecting random points and figuring out what to do with them later, start with your honeymoon.
Where do you want to go?
How much will the flights cost?
How many hotel nights will you need?
Which airlines fly there?
Which hotel chains have properties where you’re going?
Once you know those answers, you can work backward and find cards whose bonuses match the trip.
You can browse current travel card options at:
Step 2: Use Wedding Spending to Earn the Bonuses
This is where newly engaged couples have an advantage.
Most people have to earn a credit card welcome bonus using ordinary monthly expenses.
Couples planning weddings may already have thousands of dollars in predictable spending coming up.
That might include:
· Wedding venue deposits
· Catering
· Photography
· Flowers
· Invitations
· Wedding attire
· Decorations
· DJ or entertainment
· Cake
· Rehearsal dinner
· Transportation
· Hotels
· Wedding favors
· Other planned wedding purchases
If those businesses accept credit cards without charging an excessive fee, those purchases may help you meet the spending requirement for a welcome bonus.
Suppose you know you’re going to spend $4,000 over the next three months on wedding expenses.
Instead of putting that $4,000 on a debit card, you might open a travel card offering a large bonus after $4,000 in purchases.
You didn’t spend an additional $4,000 to get the points.
You redirected $4,000 that was already in your wedding budget.
That’s the foundation of the IDoLetsGo strategy:
Don’t spend more to earn travel rewards. Earn travel rewards from money you already planned to spend.
Step 3: Remember That There Are Two of You
This is one of the biggest opportunities couples overlook.
There are two people getting married.
That potentially means two welcome bonuses.
Think of it as Player 1 and Player 2.
One person might open a card whose welcome bonus will be used primarily for airfare.
The other person might open a hotel or flexible-points card whose bonus can help pay for the resort.
Now instead of trying to make one credit card pay for an entire honeymoon, you’re dividing the trip into pieces.
Player 1: Flights
Player 2: Hotel
That can make a seemingly impossible points goal much more realistic.
For example, imagine the first partner earns enough miles to cover two round-trip airline tickets.
The second partner earns enough hotel points for five nights at the honeymoon destination.
Suddenly, the two largest expenses of the trip may be dramatically reduced.
You’re still likely to have expenses for food, activities, transportation, taxes and fees, but eliminating or reducing airfare and lodging can completely change the honeymoon budget.
Step 4: Don’t Automatically Add Your Partner as an Authorized User
This is an important part of the strategy.
If both partners have good enough credit to qualify for travel cards, don’t automatically assume that adding your future spouse as an authorized user is the best move.
In many cases, it can be more valuable for each partner to qualify for their own card and their own welcome bonus.
Imagine a card is offering a valuable welcome bonus.
If one partner opens the card and simply adds the other person as an authorized user, the couple generally doesn’t get two full new-card welcome bonuses.
But if each person qualifies separately, you may have an opportunity to earn two bonuses.
There are issuer rules, application restrictions and credit considerations, so don’t blindly apply for multiple cards. But couples should at least consider the value of separate applications before automatically combining everything.
Step 5: Use Referral Bonuses When Available
Here’s another opportunity that couples sometimes miss.
Some credit card issuers allow existing cardholders to refer another person and earn bonus points or miles if that person is approved.
That can create a powerful sequence.
Partner #1 opens a card and earns the welcome bonus.
Later, if that card has a referral program and the offer makes sense, Partner #1 may be able to refer Partner #2.
Partner #2 gets their own card and works toward their own welcome bonus.
Partner #1 may also receive referral points.
That means one card strategy could potentially produce:
Welcome bonus #1 + referral bonus + welcome bonus #2.
Always compare the referral offer with the best publicly available offer before applying, because referral offers aren’t necessarily the best offer every time.
But when the offers line up, this can add another chunk of points to your honeymoon fund.
Step 6: Consider Flexible Travel Points
Airline credit cards are great when you know which airline you’re likely to use.
But don’t overlook flexible travel rewards cards.
Cards that earn flexible points or miles can be especially useful when you’re planning a honeymoon because your plans can change.
Maybe Delta has the best flights today but another airline has a better option when you’re actually ready to book.
Maybe you find a great hotel that isn’t part of the hotel program you originally expected to use.
Flexible rewards give you more options.
Programs such as Chase Ultimate Rewards, Capital One Miles, American Express Membership Rewards and other transferable currencies can potentially be redeemed or transferred in different ways, depending on the program.
This flexibility can be extremely valuable when you’re trying to build an entire trip rather than simply earn points with one airline.
Step 7: Don’t Ignore Airline-Specific Cards
Flexible points are useful, but airline cards can still play a major role.
If your home airport has a strong presence from a particular airline, an airline card may make perfect sense.
For example, if Delta offers convenient flights from your airport to your honeymoon destination, a Delta welcome bonus could potentially cover a significant portion of your airfare.
Some airline cards also include travel-related perks that can continue providing value after the honeymoon.
The important thing is to choose the card based on your actual trip — not simply because an advertisement says the bonus is huge.
100,000 points that are difficult for you to use may be less valuable than 60,000 miles that take you exactly where you want to go.
Step 8: Use Hotel Credit Cards for Free Nights
Flights get a lot of attention, but hotels can actually be the more expensive part of a honeymoon.
A seven-night stay at $400 per night is $2,800 before taxes and resort fees.
At $600 per night, you’re looking at $4,200.
That’s why hotel credit card bonuses can be incredibly valuable for honeymoon planning.
Hotel cards may offer points, free-night certificates or other benefits that can reduce your lodging costs.
Depending on your destination and the hotel’s redemption requirements, a welcome bonus might cover several nights.
This is also where the two-person strategy becomes particularly useful.
One person earns the airline miles.
The other earns the hotel points.
Instead of asking one rewards program to do everything, each program gets one job.
Step 9: Start Planning Before You Apply
Don’t start opening credit cards simply because you’re engaged.
Start with a plan.
Write down your approximate honeymoon dates and destination. Then estimate the cost of the trip if you paid cash.
For example:
Flights for two: $1,400
Hotel for six nights: $2,400
Activities: $600
Food: $800
Local transportation: $300
Total: $5,500
Now look at the two largest numbers.
In this example, airfare and lodging represent $3,800 of the $5,500 trip.
Those are the expenses to attack first.
If credit card rewards can cover $1,200 of the airfare and $2,000 of the hotel, you’ve reduced a $5,500 honeymoon to roughly $2,300 before considering any additional savings.
You don’t necessarily need every part of the trip to be free.
The goal is to use rewards where they have the biggest impact.
Step 10: Give Yourself Enough Time
Don’t wait until a month before your wedding to begin.
Welcome bonuses take time.
You have to apply for the card, receive it, complete the required spending and wait for the rewards to post. Then you need award availability for the flights or hotel you want.
Ideally, honeymoon rewards should be part of your wedding planning from relatively early in the process.
That also allows you to spread applications and spending requirements out rather than trying to earn multiple bonuses at once.
For example, one partner might earn a bonus using early wedding deposits.
Several months later, the second partner might earn another bonus using later wedding expenses.
You’re matching the cards to the natural flow of the wedding budget.
Step 11: Never Go Into Debt for Points
This is the most important rule in this entire article.
Never spend extra money just to earn a credit card bonus.
If you need to spend $4,000 to earn a welcome bonus but only have $2,500 of planned expenses, don’t buy another $1,500 worth of things you don’t need just to earn points.
And don’t carry thousands of dollars of credit card debt because you’re trying to get a “free” vacation.
Credit card interest can quickly wipe out the value of your rewards.
The ideal strategy is simple:
Charge planned expenses.
Earn the bonus.
Pay the balance in full.
Use the rewards for your honeymoon.
You’re not using credit cards to finance a lifestyle you can’t afford.
You’re using credit cards as a tool to earn rewards from purchases that were already part of your budget.
Step 12: Watch Out for Credit Card Processing Fees
Before putting a major wedding expense on a credit card, ask the vendor whether they charge a fee.
Suppose your wedding venue allows you to put a $5,000 payment on a credit card but charges a 3% processing fee.
That’s an extra $150.
Is it worth it?
Maybe.
If that $5,000 payment unlocks a welcome bonus worth $750 or $1,000 toward your honeymoon, paying $150 could still make mathematical sense.
But you need to know the numbers.
Don’t pay unnecessary processing fees just to earn one or two points per dollar.
The welcome bonus is what can sometimes make the calculation worthwhile.
Step 13: Don’t Forget Annual Fees
Some of the best travel credit cards have annual fees.
That doesn’t automatically make them bad choices.
A $95 annual fee on a card that helps you earn $750 or more in useful travel isn’t necessarily a problem.
Premium cards with larger annual fees require more consideration.
They may offer airport lounge access, travel credits, hotel benefits or other perks, but those benefits only matter if you’ll actually use them.
Don’t justify a $500+ annual fee by adding up $1,000 worth of benefits you’ll never use.
For a honeymoon strategy, calculate the value based on your trip and your lifestyle.
Step 14: “Free” Doesn’t Always Mean $0
Even if your flights and hotel are booked entirely with rewards, you may still have expenses.
Airline award tickets can have taxes and fees.
Hotels may charge resort fees.
Some destinations impose local taxes.
You’ll still need food, transportation, tips and activities.
International destinations may have additional taxes or fees.
So when we talk about a “free honeymoon,” we’re really talking about using credit card rewards to eliminate or dramatically reduce the major travel expenses.
If rewards turn an $8,000 honeymoon into a $2,000 honeymoon, that’s still a huge win.
Step 15: Stack Your Rewards With Other Travel Savings
Credit card rewards don’t have to be your only strategy.
Once flights and hotels are handled, look for discounts on everything else.
Check Groupon and similar sites for activities.
Look at attraction passes in major tourist destinations.
Compare airport transportation options.
Check whether your credit cards include Uber, rideshare, dining or travel credits.
Look for free hotel breakfast or other included benefits.
If you’re going somewhere with expensive attractions, compare individual ticket prices with sightseeing passes before purchasing.
The honeymoon might start with credit card rewards, but stacking multiple savings strategies can push the total cost even lower.
What Could a FREE HONEYMOON Actually Look Like?
Imagine a couple planning a honeymoon that would normally cost around $7,000.
They have $10,000+ of wedding expenses coming over the next year.
Instead of paying those bills from their checking account or putting everything on one old credit card, they build a strategy.
The first partner opens a travel card and uses planned wedding expenses to meet the welcome-bonus requirement.
Those rewards cover most of the flights.
Later, the second partner opens a hotel card and uses another round of planned wedding expenses to earn that welcome bonus.
Those points cover several hotel nights.
One partner then refers the other for another card when a worthwhile referral opportunity becomes available.
They use those additional rewards to cover another night or part of their airfare.
They also use card benefits and online discounts to reduce transportation and activity costs.
Their original $7,000 honeymoon might now cost $2,000-$3,000 out of pocket.
With the right bonuses, destination and redemption opportunities, they could potentially do even better.
That’s why wedding spending presents such an unusual opportunity.
You’re already going to spend the money.
The question is whether that money disappears after you pay the wedding bills — or whether some of it generates rewards that help pay for the honeymoon.
What If We Don’t Have Enough Wedding Expenses?
You don’t need a huge wedding to use this strategy.
Normal expenses count too.
Groceries, gas, utilities, insurance, phone bills and other everyday purchases may help you meet a spending requirement if the card and merchant allow it.
The same rule still applies:
Don’t manufacture spending. Redirect existing spending.
If you normally spend $2,000 per month on household expenses, that’s $6,000 over three months.
Some couples may be able to meet a welcome bonus requirement without adding a single dollar to their normal budget.
What If Only One of Us Has Good Credit?
Then build the strategy around that person.
You don’t need two people opening multiple cards for this to work.
One strong welcome bonus could still save $500, $750, $1,000 or more on a honeymoon.
If the other partner’s credit isn’t currently strong enough for the cards you’re considering, don’t force it.
There are plenty of other ways to save on the trip while working on credit for the future.
What If We’re Not Getting Married for Another Year?
That’s actually a great position to be in.
Time gives you options.
You can plan which bonuses to pursue, spread applications out, use different stages of wedding spending to meet different requirements and watch for especially strong offers.
You also have more time to research flight and hotel award availability.
The goal isn’t to collect as many cards as possible.
The goal is to earn the right rewards for the honeymoon you actually want.
The Best Honeymoon Credit Card Isn’t the Same for Everyone
There isn’t one “best” honeymoon credit card.
The right card for a couple honeymooning in Hawaii might be completely different from the right card for a couple traveling to Italy, Fiji, New York or the Caribbean.
Your airport matters.
Your destination matters.
Your credit matters.
Your wedding spending matters.
Your preferred hotel matters.
And the current welcome bonuses matter.
That’s why IDoLetsGo focuses on matching travel cards with the trip you’re already planning instead of simply ranking cards from #1 to #10.
Look at the bonus, spending requirement, annual fee and how the rewards could actually be used for your honeymoon.
The Honeymoon Is the Goal — Not the Credit Cards
This is worth repeating.
You’re not trying to become a professional credit card collector.
You’re trying to go on an incredible honeymoon without spending a fortune.
Start with the honeymoon.
Then use the cards as tools.
Maybe one welcome bonus gets you to Hawaii.
Maybe another puts you in a beautiful resort for five nights.
Maybe a referral bonus pays for another night.
Maybe card credits pay for a few Uber rides.
Maybe Groupon or an attraction pass saves another $200 on things you wanted to do anyway.
Individually, these savings may not seem life-changing.
Put them together and suddenly a honeymoon you thought was financially out of reach becomes possible.
Turn Your Wedding Budget Into a Travel Budget
You’re going to spend money getting married.
Some of that spending may be unavoidable.
So make it work twice.
Let the first purchase pay for the wedding expense.
Then let the rewards from that purchase help pay for the honeymoon.
That’s the simple idea behind IDoLetsGo.
Wedding spending → welcome bonuses → airline miles and hotel points → honeymoon.
You don’t need to be wealthy.
You don’t need to understand every complicated points-transfer trick on the internet.
And you definitely don’t need to go into debt.
You need a destination, a realistic budget, decent credit and a plan.
Before you pay your next big wedding expense, take a few minutes to see whether that same purchase could be helping you get to the beach, the mountains, Europe, Hawaii or wherever you’re dreaming of going.
Your wedding expenses are coming either way.
You might as well see if they can help pay for the honeymoon.
Ready to start planning?
Browse travel credit cards and compare current offers at:
Then work backward from the honeymoon you want and find the rewards that can help get you there.
Credit card offers, welcome bonuses, annual fees and benefits can change. Approval is not guaranteed. Always verify the current offer and terms with the card issuer before applying. Credit cards should be used responsibly, and carrying interest-bearing debt can outweigh the value of travel rewards.
