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Only ~$80 Out-of-Pocket for a $2,000+ All-Inclusive Vacation Thanks to a Few of My Favorite Miles & Points Tricks!

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These are a few of my favorite thingsflexible Chase Ultimate Rewards points, Hyatt hotels, and the Southwest Companion Pass.

And Million Mile Secrets team member Keith used all 3 to help his mom book an upcoming all-inclusive trip to Los Cabos, Mexico for nearly free!  I’ll let him tell you about it!

Keith:   Thanks, Daraius!  Earning and redeeming miles & points to save money on travel is a team effort in my family.  With my parents recently retiring, I’m happy to help them earn lucrative sign-up bonuses, so they can enjoy Big Travel with Small Money during their golden years!
My Wife and I Had a Wonderful Time in Los Cabos, so I Encouraged My Mom to Plan a Visit! It Was Easy to Book and Nearly Free Thanks to Miles & Points!

Their miles & points strategy has been to earn mostly Chase Ultimate Rewards points with the below cards.  Because this gives them flexibility to transfer points to fantastic airline & hotel partners when they’re ready to book travel.

And these flexible points, along with some other miles & points deals and tricks, came in handy to save $1,900+ on an upcoming trip to Mexico!

I’ll share 3 takeaways from booking this trip, which might help you save points the next time you redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards points for a vacation!

Using Chase Points to Save $1,900+ on an All-Inclusive Trip to Los Cabos, Mexico!

Chase Ultimate Rewards points are useful for beginners and experts in the miles & points hobby.  Because they’re flexible, relatively easy to earn, and you can transfer them directly to popular airline and hotel partners.

You can also redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards points through the Chase travel portal.  This means you can quickly book trips without worrying about blackout dates.  And sometimes you’ll find better deals, which was the case when I helped my mom with her trip!

Here’s how my mom only had to pay ~$80 to get more than $2,000 worth of travel!

1.   Southwest Companion Pass to Get 2-for-1 Airfare!

Link:   How to Fly (Almost) Free For Two Years on Southwest!

The Southwest Companion Pass is the best deal in travel!  Because a friend or family member can travel with you for almost free on paid and award tickets for up to 2 years!  You just have to pay taxes and fees for your companion’s flight!

Adding a Friend or Loved One to Your Southwest Flight for Just the Cost of Taxes & Fees Is an Unbelievable Deal!

My mom earned the Companion Pass in early 2016 by signing-up for 2 Chase Southwest credit cards (1 personal and 1 small business).  At the time, the offers earned her the 110,000 Southwest points required to get the Companion Pass.  And she designated my dad as her companion.

But as Lyn from GotoTravelGal.com shared, you can change companions up to 3 times in 1 calendar year AFTER you initially choose your companion.  So for the trip to Los Cabos, my mom designated my brother as her companion.

2.   Booking International Southwest Flights Through the Chase Travel Portal to Avoid Out-of-Pocket Taxes & Fees

My family loves to fly Southwest because they don’t charge change or cancellation fees.  And you get 2 free checked bags!

For Southwest flights within the continental US (and soon Hawaii 😀), we typically transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points directly to Southwest.  Then, book award flights.

But with Southwest award flights to international destinations, there are usually extra taxes & fees.  So I’ve found it’s usually a better deal to book through the Chase travel portal with points linked to the Chase Sapphire Reserve.  When you book this way, you:

Sapphire Reserve Cardholders Can Redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards Points Through the Chase Travel Portal (Instead of Transferring Points) for Better Deals on Southwest Flights to International Destinations

My mom’s round-trip flight from Orlando to Cabo cost ~$468 if paying cash, which meant I was able to book through the Chase travel portal for ~31,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points ($468 cash cost of flight / 1.5 cents).  She could have transferred ~26,000 points to Southwest to book the same flight, but she would have also had to pay ~$80 in taxes & fees.

Remember, to book Southwest flights through the Chase travel portal, you have to call the Chase travel center at 866-951-6592.

And you can still add a companion to Southwest flights booked through the Chase travel portal.  So my mom paid ~$80 in taxes & fees to add my brother to her flight.  So she got 2 flights worth ~$936 (~$468 flight X 2) for just ~$80 in taxes & fees!

3.   Paying Nothing for a ~$1,080 4-Night All-Inclusive Stay at the Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos

Million Mile Secrets team members Harlan and Scott enjoyed their stays at the all-inclusive Hyatt Zilara Cancun.  And I’ve read positive TripAdvisor reviews for the Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos.

So after my wife and I recently enjoyed a trip to Los Cabos, I recommended my mom use points to stay at the Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos.

An award night at this hotel costs 20,000 Hyatt points.  But depending on the nightly cash cost of the room, you can sometimes find better deals booking through the Chase travel portal.

Booking Award Nights Are NOT Always the Best Deal! It’s Worth It to Check the Nightly Costs Through the Chase Travel Portal to Potentially Save Points!

For my mom’s booking, she used ~72,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points for a 4-night stay, which covers:

The Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos Gets Excellent Reviews and Using Points for a Free All-Inclusive Stay Is a Great Deal!

The same stay would have cost ~$1,079 if she paid cash.

My Mom Used Points Linked to Her Sapphire Reserve Card to Book the All-Inclusive 4-Night Stay

Bottom Line

Team member Keith helps his parents earn miles & points by applying for top credit card offers.  And he recently helped his mom redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards points for an upcoming vacation to Los Cabos, Mexico!

His mom’s only out-of-pocket expense was ~$80 total for flight taxes & fees and she got:

This type of trip is a great example why Chase Ultimate Rewards points are my favorite type of flexible rewards.  And Keith’s booking method (using the Chase travel portal) shows how easy it is to redeem points without worrying about blackout dates.

Editorial Note: We're the Million Mile Secrets team. And we're proud of our content, opinions and analysis, and of our reader's comments. These haven’t been reviewed, approved or endorsed by any of the airlines, hotels, or credit card issuers which we often write about. And that’s just how we like it! :)