How to travel to Portugal using points and miles
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How to travel to and from Philadelphia to Lisbon:
Flight Option #1: American Airlines
We were already in Europe when flew to Lisbon; but it’s easy to fly directly from PHL to LIS on American Airlines. Philadelphia is an American hub, so we fly with them often. We have multiple Citibank credit cards which allow us to accrue American miles and transfer to them.
Total miles used: 30,000 per person/ 90,000 miles total
Cash paid: $5.60 per person/ $16.80 total
Credit card used: Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® (we have 2 of these)
Other cards you could use: Citi Strata Premier or Citi Strate Elite
Flight option #2: Alaska Airlines
We also acquired Alaskan Airlines miles through the Bank of America credit card. Since Alaska is a partner of American Airlines, you can often find American flights on Alaska. This summer (2026) you can find great deals to and from Lisbon from the East Coast.
Total miles used: 22,500 per person/ 67,500 miles total
Cash paid: $19 per person/ $57 total (more cash, but fewer points than booking directly with American)
Credit cards you can use: BOA Atmos™ Rewards Ascent Visa Signature®
Book American Flights on Alaska Airlines
Flight option #3: Air France
Our original flight for Lisbon was on Air France. If you fly to or from the US on Air France, you will have a layover in Paris. However, you can also book a stopover if you call the airline. This means that you can make your points go further. We spent 2 nights in Paris and 2 nights at Disneyland Paris before we traveled to Lisbon. This flight will take longer, but Paris is a perfectly fine airport for a layover. We have transited through there many times and have never missed a flight or had an issue at security. The food in the airport is also great.
Total miles used:
Points have gone up a bit; you will be more likely to book for 60,000 total points now for 3 people
Cash paid: $80 per person/ $240 total
Credit card used: American Express Gold
Other cards you could use: Chase Sapphire Preferred, Capital One Venture
Hotel Option #1: (IHG)
We spent 2 nights in Lisbon upon arrival; this was not quite enough time to explore the city, so I would recommend 3 nights.
We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express Lisbon - Ave. Liberdade by IHG. This was just outside the busy downtown area, but still walkable to those spots. We did not want to be around night life (because we like our sleep) so we cancelled our more local hotel and booked this instead.
The rooms were quite large, and the staff was very friendly.
You could definitely fit a family of 4 here without any issue.
The air conditioning was great- and we needed it. It was 95 degrees when we were visiting in late June.
The breakfast buffet was delicious and offered a variety of foods- American and Portuguese.
Points per night: If you have an IHG card, you could use your free night(s) here.
Cash paid: $0
Credits cards you could use: IHG Premier or Chase Sapphire Preferred
Hotel Option #2: Hyatt Regency Amsterdam
While we did not stay here, many people recommend staying at the Hyatt Regency in Lisbon. This is NOT in the downtown area; you will have to take a taxi to get into the city, but it’s a beautiful location and will give you a bit more quiet than the city hotel rooms. (Not that Lisbon is a loud city!)
Total points used for 4 nights: 80,0000
Cash paid: $0/person
Credit cards you could use: Chase Sapphire Preferred or Chase World of Hyatt Card
Hotels in the Algarve Region:
Many popular hotel chains are opening up new hotels in the Algarve region, which is where we spent most of our time in Lisbon. If you rent a car, and do your homework, you could cover a lot of your trip with points.
We wanted an apartment with a kitchen and lots of pool and beach access, so we stayed at Belmar Spa & Beach Resort during our visit to the Algarve region. I highly recommend this hotel.
