Hawaii is one of the dreamiest vacation destinations, but staying at a beautiful hotel or resort can get expensive, especially if you’re booking a stay in a popular area like Waikiki, Maui, or Kauai. However, with the right credit card strategy, you can unlock free (or nearly free) nights at some of the best hotels in Hawaii. Here’s how you can leverage credit card points to stay in at hotels in Hawaii using your credit card points!
1. Choose the Right Credit Cards for Travel Rewards
The first step to booking free hotels in Hawaii is earning travel rewards points through credit cards. Not all credit cards offer the same value for hotel stays, so it’s essential to pick the right ones.
Recommended Credit Cards for Hotel Stays in Hawaii:
- Chase Sapphire Preferred
- World of Hyatt Credit Card
- Chase Ink Business Unlimited
- Chase Ink Business Preferred
- Chase Ink Business Cash
2. Maximize Sign-Up Bonuses
One of the fastest ways to rack up points is by taking advantage of credit card sign-up bonuses. Many cards offer large bonuses (e.g., 50,000-100,000 points) after you meet a minimum spending requirement within the first few months.
Example Strategy:
- Sign up for the Chase Sapphire Preferred and earn 60,000 points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months.
With a 60,000-point bonus, you can typically redeem 3-4 nights at mid-range hotels, or even 1-2 nights at luxury resorts depending on availability and point value.
Pro Tip: Refer your spouse to the same card and repeat this process to have DOUBLE the amount of points!
3. Search Properties and Check Availability
To search for award availability, you’ll need to use the Hyatt website or the World of Hyatt app. The process is straightforward, but here are the key steps to follow:
Log in to Your World of Hyatt Account
- First, make sure you’re logged into your World of Hyatt account (which is free to sign up for!) to see available awards for your account. You’ll need to have accumulated points or have linked a credit card that earns Hyatt points to your account.
Select Your Hotel and Dates
- Go to the Hyatt website or open the World of Hyatt app and enter your destination (e.g., “Waikiki Beach” or “Maui”) and travel dates.
- Select “Use Points” for payment, and you’ll see a list of available properties in the area with their point requirements for each night.
Filter and Sort by Points Availability
- Once you have your search results, you can filter by award nights or sort the list based on points cost. Hyatt will show you how many points are required for each night.
- Make sure to check “Award Availability” to see only the rooms that can be booked with points.
Check Room Availability
- When you find a hotel you like, click on the specific dates to check room availability for your points. Hyatt will display the number of points required for each room type.
- Some rooms may be standard awards, while others may be premium awards, requiring more points (sometimes even double the standard award rate).
Pro-Tip: Hyatt hotels in Hawaii book out FAR in advance! Start looking at least 6 months out to secure your dates and even further in advance for peak travel times (Christmas, Spring Break, etc.).
4. Transfer Points
Chase Ultimate Rewards has a partnership with the World of Hyatt Program. Transferring your Chase points to Hyatt is one of the BEST ways to get the highest value for your credit card points. I have an entire blog post breaking down how to do this. Read more about it here!
Once you have pick a hotel- double check that your dates are available to book with points BEFORE you transfer your points! (you cannot transfer them back).
5. Book your free hotel in Hawaii!
Once you have transferred your Chase Ultimate Rewards Points to the World of Hyatt Program you are all ready to book! Whether you have chosen the Grand Hyatt Kauai or the Hyatt Regency Maui- you cannot go wrong with a FREE hotel stay in Hawaii!
In April 2024 I stayed at the Grand Hyatt Kauai for 5 nights booked with Hyatt points. Read all about my (highly discounted!) trip to Hawaii here!
Ready to start booking your next Hawaiian getaway using points? Check out my list of top travel credit cards for 2025 to start earning points for your dream vacation now!
Images in this post are from the World of Hyatt website
