Like many second-generation Americans, Katherine Fan grew up in the United States but was closely connected to her family’s culture. “My parents are from Taiwan, and it’s the place I’ve visited the most outside of the U.S.,” she said.
The Austin-based personal finance editor had traveled to Taipei dozens of times. However, Fan’s most recent two-week trip to the Taiwanese capital late last year had a unique purpose—to finally secure dual citizenship.
For years, Fan had been eager to make her relationship with Taiwan feel more “official.” Since she lived and worked in the U.S., strict residency requirements made it nearly impossible. But in 2024, those restrictions were relaxed, and she applied as soon as she could.
The final step in the process required visiting the country in person.
Thanks to a large stash of credit card points, hotel points, and airline miles, Fan paid nearly nothing for the once-in-a-lifetime process of finalizing her Taiwanese citizenship. In fact, Fan left Taiwan with her brand new passport. Here’s how she made it all happen.
By the Numbers
How She Booked It
For Fan, the points redemptions included round-trip business class tickets from the U.S. to Taipei, along with two nights at a hotel. (She stayed with family for the majority of the trip.)
If Fan had paid for everything in cash, the total travel cost would’ve been around $6,700. Instead, her out-of-pocket expenses landed at just about $150, in taxes and fees.
Courtesy of Katherine Fan
Flights
Fan’s trip to Asia was booked at the last minute. She reserved her flights, which included business class on Delta Air Lines, EVA Air—one of the two largest airlines in Taiwan—and Austrian Airlines, about two weeks before departure.
The key for Fan was finding award availability, which is why she waited to secure her tickets. Her secret weapon for this? Leveraging seats.aero, a service that automatically sends users an email when specific award flights that you’re interested in become available. (This tool is similar to how you can set Google alerts for upcoming flights, but specific to points and miles.)
To book the first flight, a Delta route from Seattle to Taipei, Fan transferred 60,000 American Express Membership Rewards points to the SkyMiles program, “topping off” an existing 34,000 miles already in her account. She secured this one-way journey in the ultra-private Delta One Suites for 93,500 miles and $5.60 in taxes.
To return back to the U.S., Fan had a lengthy journey east through Europe. However, it was a worthwhile redemption, she said. “Since I had to get a lot done on short timelines during this trip, getting to lie flat to and from Taipei helped tremendously.”
Fan redeemed 87,500 Air Canada Aeroplan points for an EVA Air business class seat from Taipei to Vienna; the two airlines are partners. She then connected onwards on Austrian Airlines business class from Vienna to New York, landing in JFK. The reservation required $150 in taxes and fees. To obtain the Air Canada Aeroplan points, she transferred points from Chase Ultimate Rewards through the company’s easy-to-use online portal.
Hotel
Finally, Fan’s two-night hotel stay was secured mere days before check-in. She booked the Sheraton Grand Taipei for 39,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night over New Year’s Eve. (The going cash rate at the time was nearly $500 per night.)
“Taipei is one of the few places in the world that genuinely will run out of rooms at major hotel chains if you don’t plan ahead,” Fan cautioned. “If I didn’t have backup places to stay, I would have booked significantly sooner.”
While Fan enjoyed the comforts of business class and bonding with cousins at the Sheraton to ring in 2025, most importantly, points and miles were able to help her finalize her Taiwanese citizenship.
“It’s meaningful to me as an adult to have a tangible legal connection to my country of heritage, especially now,” Fan expressed.
Courtesy of Katherine Fan
A Points and Miles Tip for Travelers
It’s the small purchases that can really help boost your points and miles balances over time, Fan told T+L. She is consistently collecting points in her day-to-day activities, and that’s really one of the easiest ways to rack up points.
“I’m a big proponent of using shopping portals like Rakuten for earning points,” she said. There are dozens of online shopping portals, allowing you to earn credit card rewards, airline miles, hotel points, or cash for your purchases.
Rakuten is one such site, and it lets you earn cash back, or American Express Membership Rewards points, when you shop online.
Have a feel-good points and miles story you want to share with T+L readers? Email me at thechrisdong@gmail.com.
