Months of wedding planning and tracking every detail can leave little desire to take on another budget after the celebration ends.
The honeymoon booked after the ceremony can quietly set broader financial goals back for years, and most couples never see it coming.
About two-thirds of newlyweds took on wedding-related debt in 2025, and more than half fought about money before or after the ceremony, LendingTree reported.
The honeymoon bill deepens that pressure further, with the average trip costing about $5,300 on top of a wedding that now averages $34,200, according to The Knot’s 2026 data.
Now, a Charles Schwab financial planner is sharing the strategy he and his wife used to fund a 10-day international honeymoon without borrowing a dollar.
His approach, laid out in a recent Schwab report, exposed several spending traps that engaged couples keep falling into each year.
How one Schwab planner sidestepped the honeymoon debt trap
Jay Wilson, a financial consultant at Charles Schwab, and his fiancee eloped and enjoyed a combined wedding and honeymoon across Bali and Sydney.
The couple started planning a full year before departure and chose a slower travel window around Thanksgiving when prices tend to drop, Wilson wrote.
Spend on what really matters to you. Don’t spend on what doesn’t. There are a million things that wedding planners, influencers and websites say that you should spend money on to have the ‘perfect’ wedding, but if you listen to all of it, you’ll end up broke. It is your day. Spend the money around it on things that matter most to you and the ones you love
They covered their flights with credit card points, and the early start gave them enough time to accumulate additional rewards without rushing.
Wilson signed up early for a hotel-branded credit card and used the sign-up bonus to cover a villa with a private pool.
The couple kept their remaining costs manageable by flying economy and limiting everyday spending, which freed up their budget for one standout accommodation experience.
Their combined wedding-and-honeymoon approach allowed them to skip a traditional reception entirely, redirecting those funds toward travel and longer-term savings goals.
Honeymoon debt compounds the wedding bill for most couples
Financial damage from wedding spending often extends well beyond the reception, and the honeymoon is where many couples lose control of the overall bill.
About 58% of engaged Americans planned to take on debt for their wedding, a separate U.S. News survey from 2025 found.
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Among those respondents, 46% said they expected to carry a credit card balance that would compound costs well beyond the ceremony date.
Among the couples who borrowed, 41% said it would take them at least a year to eliminate that debt, LendingTree indicated.
Wilson flagged a series of missteps in the Schwab report that tend to push honeymoon costs well beyond what couples initially budget.
Honeymoon spending traps Schwab identified
- Financing the trip on credit: Wilson cautioned that borrowing for a honeymoon means paying interest long after the memories fade, and couples are better off saving in advance.
- Waiting too long to build rewards: Credit card sign-up bonuses and loyalty points lose much of their value if you apply too close to departure.
- Skipping a buffer fund: One unexpected expense during the trip can blow through a carefully planned budget, and couples need a financial cushion for surprises.
- Saying yes to every upgrade: Luxury add-ons stack up fast unless you choose a single signature splurge and deliberately cut back elsewhere.
Source: Jay Wilson on financial planning
Credit card rewards can cover major honeymoon costs with early planning
Wilson’s strategy relied on credit card rewards, and financial experts say the approach works best for couples who start early and pay balances in full.
“The key with credit cards is to pay in full,” Ted Rossman, senior industry analyst at Bankrate, told CNBC.
Couples who already have savings earmarked for the wedding can route those payments through a rewards card and pay the bill the same month, earning points or miles without taking on any actual debt, Schulz told CNBC.
Rossman cautioned that couples who treat credit cards as a financing mechanism rather than a rewards vehicle face rapidly escalating costs.
Any balance carried after the trip accrues interest at rates that remain elevated, with the average annual percentage rate on new credit card offers at 23.79% as of May 2026, according to LendingTree’s data.
Schwab’s message for couples balancing competing financial goals
Wilson emphasized that his honeymoon planning never came at the cost of his other financial priorities, including student loan repayment and saving for a home.
Balancing all three goals at the same time is what separates couples who travel debt-free from those who face years of financial recovery afterward, Wilson explained.
Wilson recommended setting up a separate savings account for the honeymoon and treating the monthly deposit like a recurring bill with automatic transfers.
Wilson said his experience showed that couples who commit to the framework early can fund the trip they want without sacrificing other financial priorities.
