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The Points Guy believes that credit cards can transform lives, helping you leverage everyday spending for cash back or travel experiences that might otherwise be out of reach. That's why we publish a variety of editorial content and card comparisons: to help you find a great card to turn your goals into reality.
Our site may earn compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened with our partners, and this may impact how or where these products appear. While we don't cover all available credit cards, our editorial team creates and maintains all of the analysis of these cards, and our content is not influenced nor subject to review by any credit card company, bank or partner prior to (or after) publication. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.
Guides
Use the right credit cards to make the most of the South Beach Wine and Food Festival
Madison Blancaflor is the managing editor for TPG's content operations team. She focuses on helping TPG's broader editorial team bring news, features and advice to readers. She has nearly six years of experience covering the credit cards and travel industries.
February 18, 2020 • 7 min read
The cards we feature here are from partners who compensate us when you are approved through our site, and this may impact how or where these products appear. We don't cover all available credit cards, but our analysis, reviews, and opinions are entirely from our editorial team. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
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Quick summary
The South Beach Wine and Food Festival is a five-day culinary event in Miami featuring renowned chefs, wine producers and over 100 events.
Tickets are available for individual events, bundled packages or custom experiences, with prices ranging from under $100 to over $300.
Last-minute hotel bookings for the festival can be challenging, with limited award availability and higher cash rates at many properties.
Certain credit cards can provide exclusive access, early entry and preferred pricing for select festival events, as well as potential savings on ticket bundles.
What to consider
Award-night availability at popular hotels may be limited close to the event, especially in South Beach.
Booking through third-party portals may mean you forgo earning points toward hotel elite status and may not receive elite benefits during your stay.
Some exclusive festival experiences and discounts require using an eligible credit or debit card for purchase.
What you'll miss from the article
A detailed breakdown of which hotels still have points availability and how to access cardholder-exclusive festival events.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
Want more advice for planning a trip to Miami? Visit our destination hub for more details on the best times to visit Miami, how to get there on points and miles, related hotel reviews and more.
The South Beach Wine and Food Festival is right around the corner. Whether you already have tickets or are looking into a last-minute trip to Miami for the festival, the right credit card can help you make the most of your experience.
What is the South Beach Wine and Food Festival?
The South Beach Wine and Food Festival is a five-day event in Miami that brings together renowned chefs, culinary personalities and wine and spirits producers. Proceeds from the festival benefit Florida International University's Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism Management.
The 2020 festival begins on Feb. 19, 2020, and runs through Feb. 23, 2020, with more than 100 events in the South Beach area.
The South Beach Wine and Food Festival has been hosted in Miami for 19 years. (Photo by Pola Damonte/Getty Images)
Tickets can be purchased on the festival website for individual events, packages for event bundles, or a build-your-own-experience package. Individual tickets to certain events range from under $100 to $300+. There's something for pretty much everyone — from family-friendly experiences such as a Foodie Movie Night in the Park with a special screening of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs to late-night parties such as an Art of Tiki Cocktail Showdown presented by Bacardi.
If you haven't purchased tickets yet, they should code as entertainment when you do. Using the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card (4% back) or flat-rate cards like the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card (2x Venture miles) or Citi® Double Cash Card (2% back; 1% when you buy, plus 1% as you pay) are your best options for earning rewards for your purchase.
The information for the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit 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.
If you are hoping to book a last-minute trip for the festival, hotel prices are likely to be inflated and award availability limited.
For example, The Confidante Miami Beach, a Hyatt property that can typically be booked starting at 15,000 points per night is currently unavailable for award-night stays and will run you $559+ per night this close to the event. At the Hampton Inn Miami South Beach, a Hilton property, there isn't award availability for the full duration of the festival. If you are flexible on dates, you can book a shorter stay, but it will take at least 70,000 Hilton Honors points per night.
Marriott, with its award chart that labels properties as a Category 1-8, might be a better choice for booking last-minute awards. Although top Bonvoy hotels such as the St. Regis Ball Harbour Resort and Marriott Stanton South Beach aren't currently showing standard award-night availability, there are plenty of other properties that are still available to book with points — especially if you are willing to stay a bit farther from South Beach.
For those who are adamant about staying near the beach, the Blue Moon Hotel can be booked starting at 50,000-60,000 Bonvoy points per night.
Or you can book a room at the JW Marriott Miami starting at 40,000 points per night during festival dates. The JW Marriott is on Brickell Avenue, 6.5 miles from where most events are taking place.
If you have a Chase Ultimate Rewards card, another option is to book your stay through the Chase portal. Remember, Chase Sapphire Preferred Card and Ink Business Preferred Credit Card cardholders get a 25% redemption bonus when booking through the portal, and Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholders get a 50% redemption bonus.
With a Chase Sapphire Preferred, you can book a stay at the Essex House by Clevelander for 22,144 UR points per night or The Marlin Hotel in South Beach for 24,936 UR points per night, for example.
When using a third-party portal such as the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal, keep in mind that you won't earn points toward hotel elite status, and it's likely that elite status won't be honored at the hotel.
Editor's note: All prices and availability subject to change between time of editing and publication.
Cardholder-exclusive benefits
(Photo by Isabelle Raphael/The Points Guy)
Capital One is the presenting sponsor for this year's South Beach Wine and Food Festival and cardholders get exclusive access to some events, early access to others and preferred ticket pricing for certain events.
Cardholders can buy exclusive event tickets, including:
Dinner hosted by Anne Burrell and Scott Conant (Thursday, February 20)
Dinner hosted by Ashley Christensen, Mike Lata and John Kunkel (Friday,
February 21)
Dinner hosted by Bobby Flay, Tommaso De Simone and Cosimo Cassano (Friday,
February 21)
Pie-Making Master Class (Saturday, February 22)
There are also exclusive-access tickets, early-access passes and reserved seating available. These tickets have to be purchased with an eligible Capital One credit card or debit card.
Some experiences, however, are available just by showing your eligible Capital One credit card and require no additional purchase. For example, you can get access to the Capital One Tasting Room at the Grand Tasting, the Capital One Lounge (with seating, shade and water to help give event-goers a break from the Miami sunshine and festival festivities) and the Capital One space at all evening Miami Beach Signature Events.
You can see the full list of cardholder-exclusive events here.
Those who book tickets to at least two eligible cardholder-exclusive events with a Capital One card can save 15%. Just make sure to purchase your tickets through the Capital One cardholder-exclusive package page.
The South Beach Wine and Food Festival is one of the biggest events of the year for any U.S.-based foodie. This year more than 65,000 guests are expected. With the right credit card you can still book last-minute hotel stays for the festival that kicks off this week, earn rewards on tickets and even get access to cardholder-exclusive events and experiences.
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
