The best ways to use credit card award-night certificates in Hawaii
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It's Hawaii Week at TPG! The Hawaiian Islands have so much to offer travelers, from the sprawling city of Honolulu to quiet, black-sand beaches and restaurants serving inventive island cuisine. And it's possible to pull off a visit to the islands using miles and points. It just takes savvy planning, and we'll show you how. Visit TPG's Hawaii destination hub for links to more stories about getting to the islands, staying on the islands and what to do while you're there.
There aren't award-travel vacation goals more popular than Hawaii. And for good reason. It's domestic, so you don't have to worry about passports, visas, extra taxes or international cellphone plans. It's also magical. Think: epic sunsets, soft sand, calming waves, whales, mountains and mai tais — oh my!
With six major Hawaiian islands to choose from, there's no shortage of activities, either. Whether you want to go sightseeing in Oahu, on an adventure in the Big Island or enjoy one of Maui's gorgeous beaches, there's something for every traveler on the islands.
But Hawaii is increasingly popular and can be pretty darn expensive if you aren't strategic, especially since this isn't usually the type of place you want to just go for the weekend. Spending at least a week in Hawaii is our recommendation, and build in more time if you want to island hop.
To keep costs under control, Hawaii is a smart place to redeem the credit card free-night awards that are burning a hole in your virtual wallet. Here are our top recommendations on where to use your hotel credit card free-night awards in Hawaii.
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Grand Wailea, a Waldorf Astoria property
The Grand Wailea is a Waldorf Astoria property on Maui. This top-tier resort hotel has a water elevator, nine pools on six levels, a waterslide, waterfalls and beachfront location in upscale Wailea. The downside to this perfection-on-paper resort is the number of points (or dollars) it costs per night — it can run 95,000 Hilton points per night for a standard room. But this means that using a weekend award night from a Hilton credit card such as the Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express is a fantastic redemption.
The information for the Hilton Aspire Amex card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Related: How to redeem Hilton points for a Hawaiian vacation
In case you aren't familiar with how Hilton weekend-award-night certificates work, here are the details: Free-night certificates that you can earn on Hilton American Express cards are valid for weekend nights only, defined as Friday, Saturday or Sunday nights. You're also restricted to standard room types (defined property by property), which may not always be available.
In addition, Hilton Amex cards award these certificates in slightly different ways.
- Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express: This card has a welcome bonus of 150,000 points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months of the account opening. You receive one free weekend night upon opening the card and each year after your account renewal. You also have the ability to earn a second free weekend night by spending $60,000 on the card in a calendar year.
- Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card: You can currently earn 130,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $2,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card in the first 3 months of Card Membership. Plus, you can earn an additional 50,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend a total of $10,000 in purchases on the Card in the first 6 months.
- The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card: New cardholders can currently earn up to 180,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points. Earn 130,000 Bonus Points after you spend $2,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors Business Card in the first 3 months of Card Membership. Plus, you can earn an additional 50,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend a total of $10,000 in purchases on the Card in the first 6 months. Both new and existing cardholders can also earn a free-weekend-night certificate by spending $15,000 on the card in a calendar year and another certificate by spending an additional $45,000 on the card (for a total of $60,000) in that same time frame.
Related: How to choose the best Hilton credit card for you
Westin Moana Surfrider
The Westin Moana Surfrider in Honolulu dates all the way back to 1901. A 20-minute drive from Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) and right on Waikiki Beach, it features a beautiful pool, beach and spa. It's also steps away from the main dining and shopping area, so you can easily get the best of both worlds here. Just beware: There are tourists galore.
If you can find off-peak award availability, rates at this Category 7 property start at 50,000 Marriott points a night. If you have the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, this is a stellar option for your up to 50,000-point award-night certificate at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program (certain hotels have resort fees).
Wailea Beach Resort
The Wailea Beach Resort recently completed a $100 million redesign, cementing its place as one of Maui's premier resorts and one of our favorite ways to redeem hotel credit card award nights. A room here will cost you a 50,000-point Marriott award night certificate, available each anniversary with the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card during standard or off-peak nights.
The Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villas
It's no wonder they call Kauai the Green Jewel of Hawaii. The Westin Princeville, on the north shore of the island, is no exception to the island's reputation for natural beauty. It's under a 10-minute drive to Hanalei Bay, with golf courses to boot. Here, you'll find guest villas separated into different low-rise building spread out over 18 acres of pure beach bliss.
While standard rates start at 60,000 points per night, off-peak awards are 50,000, making it another prime contender for your Marriott 50,000-point award-night certificate if the dates align. You'll have to do some digging for dates, but it's worth it for the views.
Bonus tip: Even if you don't book with points, you'll be pleased to know there's no resort fee at this property.
Hyatt Centric Waikiki Beach
If you're using World of Hyatt points in Hawaii, places such as the Grand Hyatt Kauai (25,000 points) and the Hyatt Regency Maui (25,000) are great choices, but if you're looking to use the Category 1 to 4 award from the World of Hyatt Credit Card, your best bet is the Category 4 Hyatt Centric Waikiki Beach that normally goes for 15,000 Hyatt points per night. The nearby Hyatt Place Waikiki is another option for redeeming your free-night award, but since it's available for 12,000 points per night, it may be better to use points there and save your award for a Category 4 property.
Better yet, you can actually earn two annual free-night certificates, thanks to the World of Hyatt card: one with your account anniversary and another after spending $15,000 on the card in a year.
The Hyatt Centric itself overlooks beautiful Diamond Head Island in the heart of Waikiki. You'll have to walk a bit to the beach, but that might not be a huge downside for some.
Sheraton Kauai Resort
Some would argue that Kauai is the most visually stunning of all the Hawaiian Islands, and it's certainly an island you don't want to miss — especially if a free night is in the cards. The Sheraton Kauai is a Marriott Category 5 hotel, with off-peak rates starting at 30,000 points per night and standard rates clocking in at 35,000 points per night.
Translation: This is a great opportunity to use your Marriott 35,000-point award night on standard or off-peak nights.
The best part? It's pretty easy to rack up Marriott's Free Night certificate up to 35,000-point awards from cards such as the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card and Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card, since they're awarded at each account anniversary, too.
Holiday Inn Waikiki and Kailua-Kona
Though IHG doesn't have a large footprint in Hawaii, budget travelers will be happy to know the chain has Holiday Inn Express properties in both Waikiki and Kailua-Kona.
If you hold the IHG Rewards Premier Credit Card, you receive an annual anniversary night certificate worth up to 40,000 points. Luckily for you, both of the aforementioned properties fit into this description. Room rates at each property go for 40,000 points per night, making them both within range. A night in paradise for free is always a win in our book.
Feeling inspired and ready to book your flights? Your best option might be to fly to paradise in a lie-flat seat for 40,000 miles on Hawaiian Airlines. Or you could just grab a cheap round-trip ticket on Southwest out of California. Plus, if you go that route and have the airline's coveted companion pass, you'll get a year's worth of buy one, get one free flights for your favorite travel buddy.
You'll be on the beach drinking a mai tai before you know it.
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| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 5X | New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
- Valuable dining and food-related credits
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Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
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- New! As an American Express® Gold Card Member, you can enjoy complimentary Hertz Five Star® Status. Enjoy benefits like skipping the counter at select locations, adding an additional driver at no additional cost*, and vehicle upgrades**. Benefit enrollment and Hertz Gold+ registration are required. *Additional drivers must meet standard rental qualifications and must be a spouse or domestic partner to qualify as complimentary. Other additional drivers subject to fees. **Benefits are subject to availability and vary by location. Additional Hertz program Terms and Conditions including age restrictions apply.
- Take advantage of a $100 credit towards eligible charges* at over 1,300 upscale hotels worldwide when you book The Hotel Collection through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App **. *Eligible charges vary by property. **The Hotel Collection requires a two-night minimum stay.
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- Terms Apply.