How We Used 111,000 Amex Points to Fly Our Family to Cancun on Delta
One of my favorite parts of traveling as a family of six is finding ways to make flights affordable without sacrificing convenience. For our recent family trip to Cancun, I leaned on a solid transfer partner strategy and turned American Express points into six one-way Delta flights with very little cash out of pocket.
Here is exactly how this redemption worked and why it made sense for our family.
The Points Strategy
We started with 111,000 American Express Membership Rewards points and transferred them to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club. Virgin Atlantic is an often-overlooked partner, but it can be incredibly valuable for booking Delta-operated flights.
Once the transfer was complete, we used those points to book:
6 one-way tickets
Delta-operated flights
From Salt Lake City to Cancun
Because these were booked through Virgin Atlantic, we were able to access Delta award space at a fixed rate rather than Delta’s often-inflated SkyMiles pricing.
The Numbers Breakdown
This is where the value really shows up:
Points used: 111,000 Amex points
Cash value of flights: $2,226
Out-of-pocket costs: $289 (taxes and fees)
That gives us a redemption value of 1.75 cents per point.
While 1.75 cpp may not sound flashy compared to business-class redemptions, this is an excellent real-world value for six economy tickets for a family trip. More importantly, it eliminated a major cash expense we would have otherwise had to budget for.
Why This Redemption Worked Well for a Family
Flying a family of six adds complexity fast. This booking checked several important boxes for us:
Nonstop Delta routing from our home airport
One reservation for all six passengers, which matters when traveling with kids
No need to reposition or split the family across multiple flights
Predictable pricing using Virgin Atlantic’s award chart
Using points for one-way flights also gave us flexibility to mix strategies for the return, which is often helpful when award space is limited.
The Big Takeaway
This redemption is a great example of how you do not need premium cabins to get strong value from points. By understanding transfer partners and looking beyond the obvious programs, we turned Amex points into six Delta flights to Cancun for a fraction of the cash price.
For families especially, saving over $2,200 on airfare can mean more nights at a resort, better excursions, or simply less stress on the travel budget.
If you are sitting on Amex points and live near a Delta hub, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club is absolutely a program worth keeping on your radar.