fbpx
Couples sitting on airplane

How I flew to the Galapagos Islands for $379!

Disclosure: Basic Travel Couple, LLC has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Basic Travel Couple, LLC and CardRatings and MileValue may receive a commission from card issuers. This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. This site does not include all financial companies or all available financial offers. Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.

Note: Some of the offers mentioned below may have changed or are no longer available. The content on this page is accurate as of the posting date; however, some of our partner offers may have expired. You can view our current offers here.

Once upon a time, there was a 13-year-old boy who walked into a classroom that was like every other one he encountered before. A same old desk, heavy textbook, and dusty chalkboard but this particular class would have a lasting impact. The class was Biology 101 and the lesson was on Charles Darwin and the Galapagos Islands. This particular lesson inspired me to add the Galapagos Islands to my bucket list. After almost 20 years of impatiently waiting; I have finally crossed it off of my list with the help of some award points, travel miles, and my new best friend pictured below!

Flights to the Galapagos

Flying from Buffalo NY is always challenging given the airport size and flight options available. Most people who visit the islands choose to fly into one of those islands and depart from another which allows you to maximize your time. This new information led me to the United Airlines portal with a huge decision to make; flying to Quito, Ecuador in Economy for 20,000 United Miles or Business Class for 35,000 United Miles. I knew that I had a stash of Chase Ultimate Rewards Points which transfer 1:1 to United so for only 15,000 additional United Miles I pulled the trigger on the Business Class flights! 🙂

BUF to UIO

Flight 1: 35,000 + $16.85 in Tax
Flight 2: 35,000 + $16.85 in Tax

Total: 70,000 United Miles and $33.70

Flights from Quito Ecuador to Galapagos Islands

While planning the flights from mainland Ecuador to the Galapagos I was duped by Google Flights. Let me explain so that I can save you from potential future frustration. If you search using the map view it shows you prices for $94 one way which is a great deal. UNTIL you actually click through and see what it’s only $94 if you are a resident of Ecuador!

With the Google Flights mistake, I was left with a few options: Pay the cash fare, use points through my Chase Portal with my reserve giving me a cashout at 1.5 cents per point, or transfer to United. Let’s break them down below:

Cash Fares were over $200 per/person each way so that was a hard NO!

Chase Ultimate Rewards Points

Using Chase Ultimate Rewards points would cost me 14,160 points each way per person. On the other hand, I could transfer points to United and fly one way for 12.5K plus $18.64 in taxes and fees per person. Based on three options above, the most cost effective option here was to transfer my Chase Ultimate Rewards points to United Airlines.

For the flights from Quito, Ecuador to Santa Cruz, it cost 25K United Airlines Miles plus an additional $37.28. Since the most time effective option in the Galapagos is to fly into one island and depart from another, I looked at flights from San Cristobal back to Quito. Luckily, United also offers 12.5K options with $12.50 in taxes and fees. For 25K United and $25 we had our flights back to Quito!

UIO to GPS

Flight 1: 12.5K United Airlines Miles + $18.64 in Tax

Flight 2: 12.5K United Airlines Miles + $18.64 in Tax

Total: 25K United Airlines Miles + $37.28

SCY to UIO

Flight 1: 12.5K United Airlines Miles + $12.50 in Tax

Flight 2: 12.5K United Airlines Miles + $12.50 in Tax

Total: 25K United Airlines Miles + $25

Flights from the Galapagos back to Buffalo

I looked at a few different options for return flights from Ecuador back to New York based on my points bank. I found a pretty awesome offer for Business/First Class Seats via American Airlines for 30K per person plus $141.38 in taxes and fees. What was interesting about this offer, was that for some odd reason it was actually fewer points to fly in Business/First than Economy! I couldn’t think of a better way to end an amazing bucket list trip to the Galapagos Islands than flying up front in lie-flat seats back to Buffalo.

UIO to BUF

Flight 1: 30K American Airlines Miles + $141.38 in Tax

Flight 2: 30K American Airlines Miles + $141.38 in Tax

Total: 60K American Airlines Miles + $282.76

If I didn’t have a nice stash of American Airlines Miles I would have looked to book a different day for saver economy which is usually wide open if you look far enough in advance. An economy ticket from UIO to BUF in Economy would only run me 17.5K American Airlines Miles which would have saved me 25K in AA miles. For the additional 25K, I’d say that it was definitely worth it for this great experience!

Basic Recap of Points Used for this Trip

Buffalo NY to Quito Ecuador – 70K United (transferred from UR) Miles and $33.70

Quito to Santa Cruz Island – 25K United (transferred from UR) Miles and $37.28

San Cristobal to Quito – 25K United (transferred from UR) Miles and $25

Quito to Buffalo NY – 60K AA Miles and $282.76

Totals:

  • 120K United/UR Miles
  • 60K AA Miles
  • $378.74

By using points and miles, my out-of-pocket costs to fly round trip in BUSINESS CLASS to the GALAPAGOS ISLANDS was only $378.74! I’d like to point out that the points used above may seem like a huge chunk but the reality is that I accumulated all of them from only three credit card signup bonuses. This was truly an amazing trip and one that I certainly could have not done without all of our basic travel points. If you’re interested in visiting the Galapagos and have questions about planning a trip be sure to reach out to us and we hope you enjoy our other articles below!

Dave sleeping peacefully
Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.

Disclosure: Basic Travel Couple, LLC has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Basic Travel Couple, LLC and CardRatings and MileValue may receive a commission from card issuers. This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. This site does not include all financial companies or all available financial offers. Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.

The comments section below responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

5 Basic Travel Strategies

Need-to-know tricks for cheap travel.

Top Credit Card Offers

card_name
bonus_miles_full

Chase Freedom Flexâ„ 

5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter you activate. Enjoy new 5% categories each quarter! 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, our premier rewards program that lets you redeem rewards for cash back, travel, gift cards and more 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases. 0% Intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR of 19.74% - 28.49%.
card_name
bonus_miles_full
card_name
bonus_miles_full
credit-card

We're Dave & Lisa

An easy-going, fun-loving couple who have a passion for adventure and exploring the world! Our strategies have saved us over $100,000 in travel over the last four years, and our goal is to help you do the same.

Keep Exploring