Taylor Swift U.S. tickets cost $1,832. I saw The Eras Tour in Amsterdam for $384. Credit card points covered almost everything else.

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• I booked a flight to Amsterdam on a whim just two hours before the plane's scheduled departure time.
• While waiting to board, I purchased my Eras Tour ticket, booked a hotel, and found a return flight.
• This trip had a cash value of $6,183, but I only paid $727. My credit card rewards covered the rest.

I booked a flight from Texas to Amsterdam two hours before departure time to see Taylor Swift in Amsterdam.

I wanted to catch the Eras Tour, and concert ticket prices in Europe were relatively low on Independence Day. So I canceled my fireworks plans to pack a backpack for a whirlwind trip to the Netherlands.

I spent a total of 26 hours on the ground in Amsterdam, and attended the Eras Tour concert solo. I had a blast meeting strangers from around the world, and I only paid $727 for the whole experience — show ticket included.

I have several of the best travel rewards credit cards , which I leveraged to pull off this spontaneous two-day trip to Europe.

How much my trip was worth vs. how much I paid

Taylor Swift's economic clout is hitting Europe right now, and will return to North America later this year. True to Swiftonomics , the average lowest ticket price at any concert location in the U.S. or Canada is nearly $2,000 — more than double the total cost of my trip, including flights and hotels.

The following factors helped me pull off this incredibly spontaneous adventure:

I only packed a backpack

The key to efficient travel is packing as little as you can. Since this was such a whirlwind trip, I packed everything into my favorite travel backpack and called it a day.

The hardest part was figuring out an Eras Tour outfit on such short notice, and I wasn't as dolled up as I would've liked since I had to choose clothing and accessories that were small and soft enough to throw in my backpack. Furthermore, I had to plan ahead for cool and rainy weather, so I opted for a cute raincoat over some comfortable clothing.

Note: I got my travel backpack from Amazon. It's water-resistant with comfy padded straps, has a whopping 17 pockets including a hidden one for your passport, and comes in a slew of beautiful colors at a very reasonable price. It's on sale for Amazon Prime Day , and only costs a fraction of your $ 200 welcome bonus from the Prime Visa.

I booked a direct flight

I'm all for taking the scenic route on leisure trips. But I avoid connecting flights when I'm on a tight timeline, especially in summertime because inclement weather often impacts travel .

I would not have taken this particular trip if not for a direct flight from my home airport of Austin to Amsterdam, because there would have been a much higher chance of being delayed.

I chose a city with great public transportation

I chose to attend a concert in Amsterdam because the city has a beautiful public transit system that made it very easy to travel to the concert venue. I felt very safe on the intercity train as a solo female traveler. I paid just over $5 each way (€4.90), which was infinitely cheaper and faster than taking an Uber at $60 each way.

One of Amsterdam's train lines runs directly from the airport hotel to the Johan Cruijff Arena. Instead of buying a ticket, I used my Chase Sapphire Reserve® via Apple Wallet to tap in and out of each station.

I went solo

Many people hesitate to travel alone, but the tradeoff is flexibility. I found a well-priced seat for the concert with an clear view of the stage because it was a lone spot in an otherwise sold-out section. I also found great deals on my award flights, which would have been far harder to coordinate with a travel partner.

I saved over $5,000 with points and miles

This trip was only possible because of my stash of credit card points and miles. While the cash value of my escapade exceeds $6,000, it's fair to argue that I would neve have considered this trip if I had had to pay that much out of pocket, because I'm not comfortable going into debt to attend a concert.

Here's how much I paid for each segment of my trip:

Austin to Amsterdam on KLM

38,500 Flying Blue points and $86 vs. $1,961.50 cash value

I transferred Amex points from my American Express account to book an economy seat just two hours before departure time. Transfers are instantaneous, and I was able to rush to the airport in time to get on my flight.

Round-trip tickets on this exact route would have cost me $3,923. Instead, I paid just 38,500 points and $86 in taxes and fees.

Sheraton Amsterdam Airport Hotel

1 Marriott Bonvoy Free Night Award (up to 50K) and 4,000 Bonvoy points vs. $405 cash value

After mapping out the route from the Amsterdam Schipol airport to the concert destination, I decided to book a hotel at the airport. The Sheraton Amsterdam Airport Hotel was the perfect spot because it's directly connected to both the airport as well as the train station.

I booked the room using a free night award I earned from a new customer bonus on the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card credit card. If I had paid cash, my room would have cost $405.

The real benefits of this room came from my Marriott Gold elite status, which allows me to request early check-in when available. I could check in around 11:30 a.m., which was lovely after a 10-hour flight and jet lag.

I even had a fun view of the airport, train station, and the control tower from my room window.

Amsterdam to Austin on KLM

35,000 Flying Blue points and $246.40 vs. $3,418 cash value

I flew home in premium economy because, thanks to a quirk in the awards booking system, the premium seat was significantly cheaper than economy. I did end up paying more taxes and fees for this seat, but it felt worthwhile for the comfort and cost savings because the flight was worth $3,418, according to Google Flights.

I earned additional rewards by using the right credit cards

Points and miles don't cover everything. I still had to pay $727 out of pocket for my concert ticket and the taxes and fees on my flights.

However, I have multiple credit cards that earn bonus rewards on certain categories of expenses. I earned:

• 1,921 Chase Ultimate Rewards points for the concert with my Chase Freedom Flex® (live entertainment is one of the 5% rotating bonus categories from July 1 through September 30, 2024).
• 739 Chase Ultimate Rewards points on my flight taxes and fees on the flight back to the U.S. with my Chase Sapphire Reserve® to enjoy the best credit card travel insurance (though thankfully I didn't need to use it)
• 86 Amex Membership Rewards points on the taxes and fees from my award flight to Amsterdam on The Business Platinum Card® from American Express .

Would I do it again? Maybe.

The best thing about points and miles is that they're entirely at your disposal. You can use credit card awards to book luxury vacations, seek out gritty adventures, and do everything else in between. My favorite award redemptions always come with a story, whether it's flying home to surprise my family last-minute or jetting off to Amsterdam to see the world's biggest pop star.