The 100K Vacay travels started last week with Greg’s benchmark trip on September 25th. Shortly after his return on October 1st, our competitors started their own trips, attempting to beat the benchmark set by Greg. We’ll be leaning on all of you for a piece of the judging process, so pay attention! In this post, we’ll look at how each of our travlers are measuring up to their goals so far, and will review the rubric for how this annual challenge will be judged.
What is the 100K Vacay challenge?
Nick, Stephen, and Tim each picked a different transferable points currency they think can compete with Greg’s 100K Chase Ultimate Rewards points, each trying to beat Greg’s 100K Vacay with one of their own. Unfortunately Tim's trip came to an early end due to an unavoidable need back home, so it's up to Nick and Stephen to see this challenge through.Greg and I judge who had the best 100K Vacay
As a reminder, Greg and I are the official judges of this challenge, comparing Nick, Stephen, and Tim’s trips to Greg’s benchmark trip, awarding points based on the following primary standards. (Of course, we love acronyms, so here are the general targets we’ll be assessing to see how each competitor is making WAVES in the competition. 😛 )
- WOW (Destination wow!)
- Applicability
- Value for your specific points
- Extra bonuses (outlined later in this post)
- Style
Using these primary goals as guideposts, we’ll decide which competitor had the best 100K Vacay.
Readers vote on the winner vs Greg
Once Greg and I have selected the competitor we think had the best 100K Vacay, you, the readers, will be responsible for deciding whether or not that winner beat Greg’s benchmark trip.
Live Check-Ins and scoring updates
There will be 3 live check-ins by the time our challenge is done. You can rewatch the check-ins that have already occurred below, and see when our final check-in is scheduled.
- Wed 10/1, 9 PM ET: Challenge kick-off livestream on YouTube where we reviewed Greg’s trip (presenting the most impressive moments that our competitors will have to try and match or beat), interviewed contestants, and answered audience questions. You can watch the full thing here:
- Sat Oct 4, 6 PM ET: Mid-challenge live check-in on YouTube where we did some live, mid-challenge scoring. We didn’t score each individual category at this point yet, since travelers may be at different stages of their trips, but rather we checked in on how everyone was doing with their budget, and graded each contestant on the primary targets. Watch the midstream check in here:
- Wed 10/8, 9 PM ET: Final challenge livestream where we will assess how each traveler did on all of the individual scoring categories, tally up all these scores, and crown a winning competitor! (But did the winning competitor beat Greg? That part will be judged by you!)
Budget statuses
Here’s a quick look at how everyone’s doing with their budget so far.
Nick’s midstream budget status
Nick’s starting to get nervous due to an unexpected flight rebooking when his flight into Spain was delayed. That threw ~$60 down the drain (and Nick is not known for leaving very much margin for these things!)
Stephen’s midstream budget status
Despite adding a second person to the points budget, the Peppers are doing better than Nick with both their points and cash budget status, with more than half of their cash and points budgets still left.
Tim’s early departure budget final
Unfortunately, Tim had to end his challenge early for a family need back home, but we’ve included his first night’s budget usage for anyone who’s curious. He will update his journal post in the near future with the itinerary he’d planned, and trust me, it would’ve been good!
Greg’s budget final
For comparison’s sake, here’s how much of the total budget Greg used for his benchmark trip to Malta.
Midstream grades
For our midstream scoring, Greg and I separately came up with grades we thought appropriate for each competitor in each primary category. Then, we discussed our different decisions live until we agreed on a letter grade. Again, watch the full discussion here, but you can see a few short notes below.
| Stephen | Nick | |
|---|---|---|
Destination WOW
|
The Peppers’ decision to visit Munich for Oktoberfest won them an A! – Judge Greg: A- |
Nick’s trip has not yet featured much local exposure or food experiences. – Judge Greg: B |
Applicability
|
The taxes on the Virgin Atlantic flight Stephen booked have increased, making it harder to replicate. – Judge Greg: B+ |
Nick’s Iberia flight was booked on a short-term sale, and he featured Priority Pass Restaurants. – Judge Greg: B- |
Value
|
Flying Shae along with him on his 100K points budget landed Stephen an A+ for value. – Greg: A+ |
Nick’s SLH palace demonstrated a good value. – Greg: A |
Extras
|
This category won’t be judged until the end. | This category won’t be judged until the end. |
Style
|
Stephen and Shae have flown only economy flights and have stayed in modest hotels. – Greg: B- |
Nick flew an economy flight in a seat he described as “the worst possible”, but his first hotel was impressive. – Greg: B |
Review our scoring scale
At the final check-in, we’ll get deeper into the nitty-gritty with points assigned for each subcategory. Let’s review what our scoring system will look like.
Because our competitors are trying to beat Greg The Frequent Miler at his own game, so to speak, we’ve structured the points to reflect not only whether or not they’ve succeeded at a particular goal, but how they compare to Greg.
For example:
- 0 points – The traveler did not meet this target as well as Greg
- 1 point – The traveler met this target at least as well as Greg
- 2 points – The traveler met this target better than Greg
- 3 points – The traveler met this target better than everyone
(To make sure each subcategory is weighted according to our notion of its importance, sometimes this scale will use higher increments of 2 or 3.)
Review our scoring categories
Our WAVES acronym is pretty broad, so we’ve created different subcategories inspired by these broad goals. (Up until this post was published, our competitors did not know about any of these more specific targets.)
Destination WOW! (18 possible points)
- Location Location Location (3 possible points)
Did this traveler find a way to use points to position themselves in particularly scenic, awesome, and ideally located accommodations? - Adventure (3 possible points)
Did this traveler include an activity that was exciting or pushed them outside of their comfort zone? - Relaxation (3 possible points)
Did this traveler take advantage of the luxury side of points and miles in a way that helped them relax? - Food (3 possible points)
Did this traveler find a way to engage with the local cuisine in an interesting way? - Local Exposure (3 possible points)
Did this traveler include activities that gave them a glimpse into the local culture of their destination? This could be anything from cooking classes to chit chats with locals. (Or something we haven’t even thought of yet!) - Out-of-the-Box Ideas (3 possible points)
Did this traveler do something that surprised us, and maybe gave us a good idea for our own future travels?
Applicability (18 possible points)
- Replicability (9 possible points)
Is the traveler’s use of points reasonably repeatable by others? - Applicability (9 possible points)
Is the traveler’s use of points applicable to most of our audience? (e.g. do you have to have a specific card to make it work? Do you need elite status? Do you need to start from a specific location? Do you need to be able to travel without luggage? These would detract from applicability.)
Value (18 possible points)
- Dollar Value (6 possible points)
How much would this trip have cost if booked with cash? (The traveler will earn as follows: Less valuable than Greg’s trip by >$300 = 0 points, at least within $300 of Greg’s value = 3 points, $300+ more valuable than Greg’s trip = 6 points.) - Frugality (6 possible points)
Once we factor in the value of rebates, points earned, etc, what was the NET cost for the whole trip? The lower the better. (Scoring for this metric will go as follows: The traveler spent more than Greg = 0, the traveler spent within $100 of Greg = 2 points, the traveler spent less than Greg = 4 points, the traveler spent less than everyone = 6 points). - Pro Behavior (6 possible points)
Did this traveler highlight any tricks of the miles and points trade that go a level deeper than simply redeeming the first award found? (But remember, even pro tricks should maintain the primary standard of replicability.)
Extras (28 possible points)
(We’ve updated this section to incorporate some of your feedback about extra nights.)
- Budget (0 possible points)
Did the traveler stay within the 100K / $1K budget? (Traveler will score 0 points for passing and -10 for failing.) - Proper Lodging for 3 nights (15 possible points)
Did the traveler spend at least 3 nights in proper lodging (with a bed, etc)? (This will be scored as follows: Fewer than 3 nights = -10 points, 3 nights = 0 points, 4 nights = 5 points, 5 nights = 10 points, 6 nights = 15 points) - Check-in attendance (3 possible points)
Did the traveler make it to all of the live check-ins (or at least within a 10-minute grace period)? (Traveler will receive 1 point for each check-in attended, and -3 points for each check-in missed.) - Daily post updates (6 possible points)
Did the traveler successfully write at least one journal update for each day of their travel? (Traveler will receive 6 points for total success, 3 points for missing just one day, and -6 points for missing more than one day.) - Secret Destination Points (4 possible points)
Did this traveler end up in one of the secret destinations Carrie pre-determined as being extra bonus-point-worthy? (4 bonus points for this one.)
Style (18 possible points)
- Luxury flights (6 possible points)
Were the flights comfortable and luxurious? - Luxury accommodations (6 possible points)
Was the lodging comfortable and luxurious? - Other points-driven luxury (6 possible points)
Were there other luxury experiences (lounges, massages, etc.) that were made possible thanks to a good use of points & miles?
Don’t forget, after all of our scoring is finished, we’ll be counting on you to vote on how our selected winner did in their effort to beat Greg’s benchmark trip. You can find regular updates here on the blog, on our YouTube channel, and on our Instagram as well. (We’re counting on you!)
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Maybe this is a minor point but I am puzzled how cost of food and activities matter in the budget. I thought the spirit of the challenge was to see what kind of trip could be put together with one sign up bonus and a nominal amount of cash — meaning which programs could yield the most with what they have to offer. The style, preferences and budget of eating and activities are so personal—e.g. at a beach one may prefer to windsurf, the other read a book, and be equally happy. But who was able to create the flights and hotels w their program? Just would consider divesting the cost of those from the competition.
Sorry but I lost interest after TIm dropped out. I just can’t get excited about this challenge like I was in past challenges. Scoring/judging system is weird and the places Nick and the Pepper’s are visiting just don’t interest me personally. I hope when Tim is ready to return to work he reveals what his plans were before the unfortunate event knocked him out of the challenge.
All I can say is I wish Greg and Carrie had been my professors in my freshman year of college instead of the ones I actually had who seemed to be so much more familiar with the letters “C” and “D” than Greg and Carrie.
After watching the latest Instagram videos and check-in video, I am sort of hating the scoring system that is being used for this challenge. The previous challenges had well defined objectives that made it much easier to score. There was the 40K to far away challenge which was obvious, Million Mile Madness was pretty easy since most of the rules were set by SAS. This one seems super subjective, especially when it’s being compared to Greg’s “benchmark” trip.
I get particularly annoyed when Greg is dinging Nick for not eating a meal at a fancy restaurant. I love that he has highlighted the “Too Good to Go” app in Europe instead of eating in restaurants. It is exactly the type of thing that I would prefer to do for dining by myself.
The scoring aspect turns the whole thing into a game but it’s always been full of subjectivity. For a real game, I prefer very clear, detailed, objective rules — preferably very complex ones that permit some degree of expoitation.
But the scoring here is secondary to what we actually learn by following the trips. So even though food was included as part of the scoring rubric, I find the Too Good To Go “tip” to be very interesting — although I note that getting a giant bag of bread, no matter how refined the pedigree of the yeast is, is not particularly helpful. Also, the focus on luxury for luxury’s sake isn’t something that particularly interests me personally. I like culturally relevant stays, but those can be at any price (and “star”) level.
A question about how you are including Shae’s contributions — her cash outlay, e.g. for food, isn’t being included in the budget. So, it seems as if you shouldn’t count things that she does that are “off budget”, particularly when doing it separately from Stephen. So, e.g., it was mentioned in today’s check in that the Pepper’s had “local interaction” due to Shae’s conversations with some guy when she was on the monopoly tour in London — but I’m not sure why that should be counted since it that tour, particularly the food, was outside of the budget.
I can see that.
It’s also why I’m his secret weapon if there’s a local interaction to be had, it will be from me I’ve even had local interactions with every pup on the trip too. I’m the professional interactor in this duo.
And to be fair to hubs, he did have some Oktoberfest interactions of which I was very proud of my little introvert for initiating.
Should there be a bigger bonus for extra hotel nights? I feel stretching that 100k to get a vacation longer than 3 nights should get more than 1 bonus point per night, given total possible points are currently 90 (ie. extra night should reward you more than just 1.1%).
Hmm good point – consulting with my co-judge on this now!
Just following up late on this: we did change it to give big bonuses for extra days.
How would the judges score if one of the competitors encounters some kind of unforeseen travel nightmare (think natural disaster, cancellation, lost luggage, theft or sickness)? Just curious.
I like this idea too. We’ll do some thinking…
love a good challenge. good luck to all