Traveling to the Big Island in 2022 Funded Entirely by Loyalty Points
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How our family of three managed to enjoy the vacation of our dreams using loyalty points!
You hear about loyalty points all the time. We all do, and most of us know that they can come with some pretty amazing perks. Who doesn’t love free money and gifts? It’s pretty hard to say no to that kind of exchange. While we used to think that loyalty points were kind of a sweet and subtle perk, we have realized that they can actually come with some seriously huge benefits—like a full vacation to the Big Island for our family of three!
The Life-Changing Hawaiian Airlines Credit Card Special
When we received an offer from the Hawaiian Airlines credit card, we almost couldn’t believe what we were reading. They presented us with a special offer of 80,000 miles just for signing up. With the sign-up bonus, we received two round-trip economy tickets on Hawaiian Airlines at 40,000 miles each. This made it really easy to book tickets for us and our adorable one-year-old baby to go lounge on the beach.
Yes, Yes Marriott Points Sales!
Marriott, the popular hotel franchise, was there to help us in our next stage of planning. Their points were 100,000 points for 1,250 with a valuation of 1.25c—not the best—but a good sale made this a much better deal.
Their points were on sale with a 90% bonus, which meant that we could purchase 100,000 points and receive a much better rate. While the original offer was a bit steep, our 90% bonus meant that we could receive 190,000 points, bringing the valuation down to 0.6c! With a sale like this, how could we possibly say no?
Our Gorgeous Hotel in Kona
Every night in our beautiful Kona hotel, the Waikoloa Beach Resort & Spa, cost 40,000 to 50,000 points a night. While this would have been a costly expense before, with our sales, it meant that we could make it work with ease. Nothing but smooth sailing for our Hawaiian getaway, just the way we like it!
Since we booked our stay with points instead of cash, we were also able to take advantage of another deal—book four days and get a fifth night free. In the end, we were able to stay five nights in a spacious and luxurious room that had us feeling more relaxed than the crashing waves of the beach outside. The total cash value for the same dates was $3,307—and when we realized how much we saved, we couldn’t believe it.
How You Can Have a Holiday of Your Own!
Like many, we thought that loyalty points were more of a nice-to-have than anything else, but after several incredible vacation experiences, we are the people who are constantly showing our vacation photos—and revealing what made them possible.
People spend their entire lives thinking that they will never be able to go on their dream vacations, but we know that vacations are all about strategic planning. While we did have to research where to go and all of the amazing ways to enjoy this incredible island, saving all that money makes it a small price to pay for a getaway that we will remember for years to come. Now, we just need to go back when our little one is older!