We're Back: Waldorf Astoria Maldives Once Again Bookable With Hilton Honors Points
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
The Maldives is one of the most popular destinations for points and miles enthusiasts. With round-trip flights from the United States to Male rarely going for less than $1,000 in coach and hotels for $600 per night, the Maldives is the perfect place to use your points and miles.
So, when Hilton announced what is arguably the chain's most ambitious property ever, the Waldorf Astoria Maldives Itaafushi, would be bookable with Hilton Honors points, members were understandably excited. However, that excitement was quickly met with disappointment when it appeared that the property pulled standard award rates from its website only a week later.
Thankfully, the Waldorf Astoria Maldives Itaafushi can once again be booked using points. In a statement from Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi Reservations Manager Afrah Abdulla to TPG, Abdulla says the outage was a "technical error" in the booking system that has been rectified as of Feb. 24.
Just over 24 hours since the hotel's website stopped listing standard room rewards, a quick search shows that rates are once again available:

Available rates for mid-July 2019 (image via Hilton.com):

If you're lucky enough to have 120,000 Hilton Honors points in your account, you can head over to Hilton's website and book the Waldorf Astoria Maldives Itaafushi in a matter of minutes. If you, like many travelers, have not yet amassed 120,000 points, now is the perfect time to start planning for your dream trip to one of the most luxurious hotels opening this year.
Thanks to the Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express, you can earn a whopping 150,000 Hilton Honors points after qualifying spend. That's enough points for a night at the Waldorf Astoria Maldives plus, you'd still have 30,000 miles left over that you could put towards a second night at the hotel using Hilton's cash and points feature.
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.
Getting to the Maldives
Half of the appeal of the Maldives comes from its geographic isolation, which makes getting to Male (MLE) and on to the hotel a bit of a challenge. Be sure to check out this guide for ideas on how to cover your flights to the Maldives with credit card points and airline miles. Keep in mind too that once you get there, you'll almost certainly have to pay an additional fee for a seaplane or speedboat transfer from Male to the hotel. Make sure to pay attention to the transfer fee, as it can range from ~$100 to almost $700 per person.
TPG featured card
Rewards
| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
| 5X miles | 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel |
| 10X miles | 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel |
Intro offer
Annual Fee
Recommended Credit
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The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
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Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month
Rewards Rate
| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
| 5X miles | 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel |
| 10X miles | 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel |
Intro Offer
Earn 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200K miles when you spend $150K in the first 6 monthsLIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus milesAnnual Fee
$395Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.740-850Excellent
Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
- The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month

