A software engineer from Jharkhand has taken the internet by storm after his post about a five-night luxury stay at JW Marriott's lodge in Masai Mara, Kenya—worth ₹5.5 lakh a night — went viral. The catch? He didn’t spend a single rupee.
Anirban Chowdhury's post on the trip sparked a wave of reactions on X, with many people asking questions about how he managed to afford such a lavish vacation. Scores of comments flooded his X post, with one in particular striking a nerve. The commenter expressed disbelief at the kind of wealth required to stay at such a high-end resort, writing, “Unable to wrap my head around the kind of wealth people have.
I think I'm fairly rich, but almost ₹10 lakhs for a 3-day stay? What kind of money do folks earn?" In response, Chowdhury posted, “It's time for some myth-busting,” clarifying that while the tariff was indeed ₹5.5 lakh per night with taxes, he had offset the cost by using 424,000 Marriott Bonvoy points. Chowdhury, a self-proclaimed credit card enthusiast, explained further in his post, “I’m not a multimillionaire.
I’m a salaried employee, and I pay my taxes (auto-deducted!). I travel a lot for work, which helps me earn even more points.” He went on to encourage others to learn about the point-earning process, concluding, “If you really want to learn how to earn more points instead of sitting behind a screen and contemplating, you’ll find a lot of good folks who’ve tried to make you understand the process.
Do follow them and learn.” Chowdhury's viral post also delved into how he collected the points that funded his luxurious trip. "I own more than 40 credit cards but mainly use four or five of them.
My wife and I collected enough points over the course of a year to cover the cost of the entire vacation," he shared. They used credit cards for everyday expenses, including groceries, utilities, and school fees, with American Express cards offering the highest rewards. The five-night stay in Masai Mara, which typically charges 1.
06 lakh points per night, came with a bonus: the fifth night was free when booked with loyalty points. Chowdhury ended up paying 4.24 lakh points for his stay, covering accommodation, luxury safaris, food, and travel.
"My invoice was zero," he noted. Chowdhury also shared his strategies for maximizing points, such as using RuPay-based UPI credit cards for everyday purchases and buying vouchers from stores like Smart Bazaar and Big Basket to multiply points. His next trip, to Singapore in October, will be funded similarly, with a first-class flight on Singapore Airlines costing him just ₹3,000 in cash—thanks to his accumulated reward points.
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