.Booking hotels on points is a great way to get started with using your points! It is generally simpler than booking flights (because there are fewer variables), so makes a great way to get started. Once you book your first trip, you’ll feel more confident and ready to take on more points bookings.

Many trips start with a specific destination in mind, flights are planned first, and hotels come next. There are some trips where the resort itself is the destination, and with those I typically book the hotel and then plan flights.

Ways to book hotels with points

• Transfer points to hotel partners (ex transfer Citi Thank you Points to Choice or Bilt Points to Hyatt)
• Use points earned with hotel brand from spend on a credit card or staying nights with that brand
• Free night certificates
• Portal bookings- brands not available to transfer to, using card-specific credits (like $300 Venture X, $50 CSP), Rove
• Booking with cash and using cash “credits” from specific credit cards (The Edit, FHR, Bilt hotel credit...)

Order of operations:

• Any free night certificates
• For shorter stays- Any credits that need to be used – FHR, The Edit, Bilt hotel credit. Skip these for longer stays in general unless piecing a few together
• What transferrable points chain hotels are available- Rooms.aero- Hyatt, Hilton, Marriot, IHG, Choice hotels, NO Wyndham
• Consider what points I have available and which I’m willing to part with
• Consider Portal bookings- brands not available to transfer to, using card-specific credits (like $300 Venture X, $50 CSP), Rove
  • Sign up here to earn 500 bonus Rove miles!
• If all else fails, Expedia through Rakuten or hotel site through Rakuten

Rooms.aero map view- Hyatt, Hilton, Marriot, IHG, Choice hotels

European Hotels that sleep a family of 4 -Click Here!

Booking a hotel is a great way to get started on turning your points into free travel! There are many ways to do this, but booking directly through a partner is my favorite way to get the best value. Cancellation fees are typically none (but check fine print), so it’s easy to book speculatively and then cancel or adjust plans after the fact if needed. Let me know how you have used your points to book hotel stays! Happy booking!

Disney World is high on travel wish list for many families, and for good reason! It might seem like using points and miles to make your Disney World on vacation achievable isn’t an option, but the truth is, there ARE ways to use points lower the cost for your Disney vacation, AND ways to maximize points earning for the portions you don’t book on points!

Flights

• Southwest
  • companion pass
• United
  • Look for “Saver” awards
  • Remember you can also book United flights through Air Canada to use Amex points
• American Airlines
  • Transfer Citi Thank You Points
  • Can also book through Alaska using Bilt points.
• Delta
  • Generally not a great deal transferring your transferrable points here, but can earn on a cobranded card or book through Virgin Atlantic for a better deal

Don’t rent a car – rideshare, Disney transportation, hotels in walking distance, outside hotel shuttles. City bus is an option!!

Rideshare- don’t forget to link Lyft to Bilt account. Pay with CSR and CSP 5x points. CSR $10 per month. Uber- UberOne free with platinum, $15 per month, extra $25 in Dec.

Disney World on- property lodging

• Book any hotel on property and purchase erase with Capital One
• WDW Swan and Dolphin- deluxe on property resorts
  • Bookable on Marriot points, often 50-65K (sometimes more)- dynamic pricing. About once a year Marriot offer for 5 free night certs up to 50K, which can be “topped off” to up to 65K!
• Do you work in a field where you could attend a conference?
  • Primary Care MER conferences. Book deluxe hotels at a discounted rate and then get reimbursed by your employer if you have CME funds.

Off Disney property lodging

• Hyatt Place Orlando/Lake Buena Vista
  • Shuttles to parks (Hollywood Studios or Magic Kingdom)
• Hyatt Regency Orlando
  • 20 min drive from Magic Kingdom
  • Family Suite with 2 queen beds and a double Murphy bed for 30 K
• Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress
  • Shuttles to all parks

Park Tickets

• Undercover Tourist or Get Away Today code as travel – erase with Capital One. Remember to click through a shopping portal like Rakuten to get to Undercover tourist to earn extra points for the purchase!
• Book a PACKAGE through Disney that includes hotel and tickets
• To EARN a lot of points on tickets/discount on tickets
  • Book on Undercover tourist through a portal
  • Sam’s Club GC at discount
  • Target – buy $100 GC get $10 Target gift card
  • Rove Miles- 3.2-6x on Disney GC through giftcards.com- can pair that with an “offer” on your card for 10% off purchase!!!
    • Sign up - www.rovemiles.com/?signup&referralCode=9CPGSRPO

Food

• Codes as Travel and can purchase erase with Capital One Venture X if dining package booked

Combine at Disneygiftcard.com

Keep in mind they can combine up to $1000, and can only use one GC per purchase. Could split tickets into multiple purchases

Disney Inspire credit card – SUB is $300 statement credit (after $1000 spend in 3 mo), $300 Disney Gift card (immediate)

In this episode I unpack the details of the recent changes to the World of Hyatt Program, and what this means for the future of this beloved points program.