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Save points by booking all-inclusive resorts through your credit card portal
Carissa is freelance writer and points and miles expert.
May 24, 2021 • 7 min read
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Quick summary
The article compares different strategies for booking all-inclusive resorts in Puerto Vallarta using transferable rewards points.
It analyzes the value of redeeming points with major hotel loyalty programs versus booking through travel portals.
Booking directly through a travel portal provided a better redemption value than transferring points to hotel programs in this scenario.
The author highlights that sometimes using a travel portal can result in significant savings, even at highly rated properties.
What to consider
Redemption values can vary widely depending on whether you transfer points to hotel programs or book through a travel portal.
Some travel portals offer fixed point values and unique benefits, such as discounts for longer stays, but may have usage limits per year.
Always compare cash rates and point redemptions to ensure you are maximizing the value of your rewards.
What you'll miss from the article
A step-by-step breakdown of how to evaluate and compare different booking methods for all-inclusive resorts using transferable points.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
Here at TPG, we're all about maximizing your rewards, which is why we do everything from providing monthly points valuations to writing guides showing you how to stretch your points. We often suggest using transferable points to get outsized value on your redemptions, but sometimes that doesn't make sense.
I experienced this scenario when I was tasked with booking my family of four adults into an all-inclusive resort for a two-night weekend getaway. I'm not overly familiar with booking all-inclusive resorts with points, but I know that many large hotel chains operate them. Puerto Vallarta, where we were heading, is full of such resorts.
As four adults traveling together, we needed two rooms because I'm nearly 30 and I'm not sleeping in a bed with my brother. My parents were footing the bill using their rewards points stash and it was up to me to find the best way to spend them. So where could we stay?
Booking a Hilton all-inclusive resort
Hilton Puerto Vallarta Resort (Photo courtesy of Hilton Hotels.)
As a Diamond Hilton elite member (courtesy of the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card), my first thought was to check out the Hilton Puerto Vallarta Resort. However, when I looked, the nightly award rate was 57,000 points per room, based on double occupancy — worth $342 based on TPG valuations.
Since the resort is already all-inclusive, being a Diamond member, unfortunately, doesn't mean much. After all, who needs lounge access when poolside drinks are included? Additionally, my parents didn't have points in their Hilton account and would have needed to transfer 114,000 American Express Membership Rewards points for two nights in two rooms. This is because Membership Rewards transfer to Hilton at a 1:2 ratio.
The cash rate for the same stay was just $269 per night, meaning I'd be getting 0.47 cents per point from Hilton — well below TPG's valuation of 0.6 cents per point. It was an especially bad deal for Amex Membership Rewards, valued at 2 cents per point — this redemption would have gotten 0.94 cents per Membership Rewards point.
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.
The cash rate for this stay was $528 per room using a Hyatt member rate (non-members would be charged an astronomical $732 per night). The redemption value for this proposition is slightly better than with Hilton, at 1.3 cents per point ($528/40,000 points), but TPG values Chase Ultimate Rewards at 2 cents each, so we're still falling short.
Booking through the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal
Though it's easy to overlook booking hotels directly on a bank travel portal, in this case, it made a ton of sense. If you're a Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholder, your points are worth a flat 1.5 cents each when booking a hotel through the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal. Check out these prices:
These are just a few examples of all-inclusive hotels available on Chase's portal. (Photo courtesy of Chase)
The Barceló Puerto Vallarta instantly caught my eye. I've stayed in one of their properties previously and had a phenomenal time, so I knew my family was in for a treat.
(Photo courtesy of Chase)
At this rate, we would pay 38,252 Chase Ultimate Rewards points for two rooms for two nights. This is less than half the cost of the Hyatt at an equally nice (if not nicer) hotel.
Booking through the Citi ThankYou Rewards travel portal
Though recently devalued, those with the Citi Premier® Card (see rates and fees) and Citi Prestige® Card can redeem their points on Citi's travel portal for a flat 1 cent each. That's not a great rate, but the ThankYou portal has one thing going for it — you can use your points in conjunction with the Prestige's fourth-night-free benefit to essentially get a 25% discount on a four-night stay. However, keep in mind that Citi has limited this benefit to use just twice a year, so make sure it's worth your while.
The information for the Citi Prestige 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.
There are quite a few options on Citi's website, but this is both the cheapest and most highly-rated all-inclusive I could find:
With the fourth night free, we'd end up paying right around 35,000 points for each room, for a total of 69,054 Citi ThankYou points for two rooms for four nights (if we'd been staying for four nights). While this isn't as phenomenal a redemption as booking through the Chase portal, it is a good option if you have ThankYou points to spare, especially because Citi doesn't have any hotel transfer partners.
Bottom line
We spend a lot of time talking about transfer partners and maximizing your rewards, but sometimes your best option is to keep it simple. Check your travel portals to see if there's something better, especially in the case of boutique hotels where status doesn't matter. In our case, my family was able to enjoy a long weekend in Mexico for half the cost of other hotels, ultimately meaning we had more to spend for the good stuff, like jet skiing, fishing and spa days, all without breaking the (points) bank.
Additional reporting by Benji Stawski.
Comments
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.
