A ‘rewards couple’ turned buying their first home into the trip of a lifetime – jetting off to Greece on a dream £7,400 ($10,000) holiday they didn’t pay for and later redeeming points to secure a £15,000 ($20,000) honeymoon.
Zach, 32, an emergency medicine doctor, and Kaitlin, 30, who works in pharmaceutical sales, said their travel windfall came through a rewards-based real estate program that gave them points after purchasing their home.
Through RBN Rewards, a platform that allows buyers and sellers to earn reward points on real estate transactions, they were able to redeem their rewards for an eight-day trip across Greece with flights, hotels, transfers and experiences covered, valued at more than $10,000.
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Having discovered the company on Facebook – they described the concept as something that sounded too good to be true.
The couple said the rewards didn’t just feel like a bonus; they felt like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
“It truly felt like a culmination of so many things,” Kaitlin from the Lake Country area of Wisconsin, USA, told What’s The Jam.
“All of our accomplishments allowed us to get to that moment.
“We had met on Hinge.
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“It was a modern day love story and we’ve been together ever since.”
Kaitlin was living in Chicago, Illinois at the time and Zach was in residency in Detroit, Michigan.
Kaitlin added: “Luckily as a physician Zach had access to a physician mortgage.
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“This allowed us to put 0% down and not have to pay any private mortgage insurance.
“The search process was quite stressful and took about four-to-six months.
“We actually had worked with two other real estate agents before finding RBN Rewards.
“Our participating agent through RBN Rewards was Ashley Myhre at Keller Williams and she was incredible.
“Funnily enough, we actually closed on a different house with her but after finding multiple issues during the inspection the deal fell through.
“Unfortunately, this left us without a home as we had just moved back and we needed to get an apartment.
“We were then able to find our current house about a month later and only had to be in the apartment for a couple months.
“The process for this house was smooth.
“With closing costs we had to pay around $15k.
“We both had been saving hard but Zach got a sign on bonus for work which helped us to cover this cost.
“Buying the house has been great.
“We were able to finally give our dogs a yard and had some real room to spread out and feel like grown ups.
“We also ended up only a mile from Zach’s sister so being close to family has been super nice.
“Also, while the house was nice it was almost like a blank canvas.
“We were able to do a pretty significant renovation and really feel like we made the house our home.”
She said the Greek trip meant a lot after such a stressful period.
She added: “Because we were celebrating so many things it was a blast.
“Celebrating buying our first home, moving to Wisconsin, Zach officially being an attending physician for over a year, my 30th birthday as well as recently getting engaged.
“It truly felt like a culmination of so many things and all of our accomplishments that allowed us to get to that moment.
“You could not ask for a better stress reliever.
“We wouldn’t have been able to afford a $10,000 trip without the rewards, definitely not.
“To get a trip that was this curated and special would never have happened at this point in our lives.
“The rewards along with the free RBN travel agent advice was truly a blessing.
“We received the RBN rewards points less than two weeks after closing.
“It was both our first times exploring Greece.
“We love to travel, earlier in the year in 2025 we went to Jamaica as well as local trip to Arizona.
“We love to stay close to the lakes in Wisconsin during the summer, so we tend not to travel abroad during those months.”
But Greece has been top of Kaitlin’s bucket list for years.
“Seeing pictures of the white buildings amongst the bright blue waters was always so enticing.
“Also my favourite cuisine is Mediterranean, so it was perfect.
“The views in Greece were absolutely breathtaking. Pictures do not do it justice.
“It is something you have to experience for yourself.”
Among the stand out moments of their holiday were a chauffeur-driven tour of Mykonos, a sailing tour around Milos and a six-hour guided tour in Athens.
The rewards also don’t stop there for the couple who have now planned their honeymoon thanks for the points.
Kaitlin said: “Through RBN’s travel agents, we were guided in the right direction on where to stay and what excursions to do, and they did not disappoint.
“The hotel in Mykonos specifically was above and beyond our wildest dreams and we still talk about it as the best hotel and service we have ever experienced.”
“Interestingly enough our honeymoon to Hawaii in August was paid for mostly in credit card points.
“We got over $20,000 in hotel rooms for under $7,000 in points.”
Kaitlin added: “Through the RBN experience we were sent three participating agents in our area who were vetted and approved and we went with one who best suited our needs.
“The process was very seamless and we loved our agent.
“After the final purchase of the house within two weeks we were notified our points through RBN were ready for use.”
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