The Power of Points and Miles: A Last-Minute Trip to Seattle to See the Seahawks
- Points and Places
- 1 day ago
- 5 min read
The Power of Points and Miles: A Last-Minute Trip to Seattle to See the Seahawks
With the Seattle Seahawks heading to the Super Bowl this weekend, it feels like the perfect time to revisit one of my favorite examples of why I love collecting points and miles.
One of the biggest advantages of points-based travel isn’t just saving money, it’s flexibility. The ability to turn a spontaneous idea into a real trip, often with very little notice and very little out-of-pocket cost, is where points truly shine.
Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to put that flexibility to the test with a last-minute trip to Seattle to attend a Seahawks game. What made the trip even better was that it was combined with a university tour for my son, turning what could have been an uneventful weekend into a memorable, multi-purpose getaway.
The Plan: Vancouver First, Seattle Next
The plan came together quickly. We would fly to Vancouver, tour the University of British Columbia, then drive down to Seattle for the weekend to catch the Seahawks taking on the Arizona Cardinals at Lumen Field.
This is exactly the kind of trip that would be frustrating and expensive to book with cash at the last minute. With the right mix of points and free night certificates, however, it came together surprisingly smoothly.
Flights to Vancouver: Finally Using Those “Old” Alaska Miles
For the flight to Vancouver, we booked Porter Reserve using ATMOS reward miles.
Years ago, I actively collected Alaska miles through the MBNA Alaska Airlines Mastercard. When MBNA discontinued the card, earning Alaska miles in Canada became difficult unless you leaned heavily into U.S. credit cards. I didn’t quite have enough miles for the original First Class flight I had planned, and with limited opportunities to earn additional points, those miles slowly sat unused.
Over time, Alaska miles transitioned into the ATMOS Rewards program, expanded their partnership network, and eventually announced a partnership with Porter Airlines in Canada. Suddenly, those miles became useful again.
Rather than defaulting to Air Canada, we decided to try Porter Reserve. I had heard consistently positive things about Porter’s onboard experience, and this felt like a great opportunity to finally put those ATMOS rewards to work. We booked a one-way flight from Toronto to Vancouver for 17,500 miles and $42.75 CAD per person.
Porter Reserve: Mixed Impressions
Porter Reserve is Porter’s highest class of service, but I’d say it falls somewhere between economy and premium economy on Air Canada, or perhaps closer to European short-haul business class. It’s definitely better than economy, but expectations should be kept in check.
The cold boxed meals were tasty but simple, and honestly reminded me of business class catering on short European routes, including a recent flight in Croatia.
My biggest issue with Porter, however, is the aircraft configuration. Porter uses the Embraer 195 on longer routes like Toronto to Vancouver. The plane is arranged in a 2–2 configuration, with Porter Reserve occupying the first four rows.
The problem is that there are only two lavatories for 132 passengers, which works out to an astonishing 66 passengers per bathroom. This setup might be fine on shorter flights, but on a five-plus-hour YYZ–YVR flight, it became a real issue.
For much of the flight, the aisle in Porter Reserve was filled with passengers lining up to use the forward lavatory, which took away from the premium experience. This aircraft either needs additional lavatories or should be restricted to shorter routes.
Overall, I would fly Porter Reserve again, but I’d limit it to shorter flights where this issue wouldn’t be as noticeable.
The Return: Air Canada and the Risk of eUpgrades
For the return flight from Vancouver, the plan was to fly Air Canada. We booked Premium Economy with the intention of immediately upgrading to Business Class using eUpgrades. With a growing pile of eUpgrades and confirmed clearance, everything looked good on paper.
Unfortunately, this part of the trip did not go as planned.
Despite booking Premium Economy and having upgrades clear into Business Class, we ultimately ended up sitting in economy on the way home. This experience perfectly illustrates why relying too heavily on eUpgrades can be risky, a topic I’ll dive into in a future post.
The one unexpected bright spot was that the person sitting next to us happened to be a semi-famous Instagram personality with several million followers, which at least made for an entertaining flight.
Vancouver: Westin Wall Centre Airport
In Vancouver, we stayed at the Westin Wall Centre Vancouver Airport using Marriott Free Night Certificates.
This is a solid airport-area hotel with comfortable rooms and a convenient location for getting around the city and heading south toward Seattle. It’s not a destination hotel, but for a short, logistics-focused stay, it worked perfectly.
One highlight was the excellent treatment of Marriott Bonvoy elites. We were informed that the hotel does not have a lounge, so instead we were invited to order complimentary non-alcoholic drinks directly from the restaurant. On top of that, a 4 PM late checkout was proactively offered upon arrival. It was refreshing to see a hotel not only meet Marriott elite standards, but actively promote them.
The room itself was well laid out, and I was particularly impressed with the bathroom design. Everything was exactly where you expected it to be. In an era where hotel bathrooms are often designed more for aesthetics than function, it was refreshing to stay in one that simply worked.
The only real negative was the dark carpet, which felt like an odd design choice and gave the impression it might be hiding more than it should.
Seattle: Hotel 1000, LXR by Hilton Near Lumen Field
In Seattle, we stayed at Hotel 1000, an LXR by Hilton property, using expiring Hilton Free Night Certificates.
These certificates were originally reserved for a Middle East trip, but with rising regional tensions, those plans were cancelled and the expiration dates were approaching quickly. Seattle wasn’t the most aspirational redemption, but with limited time to use the certificates, it made sense. I was also curious to try an LXR property to see how Hilton’s higher-end brand stacked up.
The hotel itself was very nice, with a spacious room, an excellent à la carte breakfast at the restaurant, and an unbeatable location within walking distance of Lumen Field. From a convenience standpoint, it couldn’t have been better.
That said, the hotel felt fairly average overall. Nothing was bad, but nothing stood out as exceptional either. With cash rates often being quite high, it’s difficult to justify paying out of pocket. As a certificate redemption, however, it worked well enough.
The hotel has since announced that it will be leaving Hilton’s LXR portfolio and reopening under Hyatt’s Unbound Collection.
The Game: Seahawks Win Big
The highlight of the trip was, of course, the game.
Seattle won in a landslide, the atmosphere inside the stadium was electric, and the weather was perfect. There’s something special about experiencing an NFL game in a city that truly lives and breathes its team, and Seattle absolutely delivered.
Final Thoughts
What still amazes me about this trip is how quickly it came together.
With just a few hours of planning, we were able to piece together flights, hotels, and a game-day experience across two cities, with almost no out-of-pocket cost beyond the game tickets and food. No inflated last-minute airfare, no painful hotel rates, and no compromises on experience.
This trip perfectly illustrates the real power and versatility of points and miles. They don’t just save money, they create opportunities to experience things that would normally be out of reach or prohibitively expensive.
And sometimes, those last-minute trips end up being the ones you remember the most.
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