Here’s How We Book Our Hawaii Travel

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Jordan and I love to travel. A lot. We’ve each been to over 60 countries, and we spent nearly a decade living abroad. 

Do I wish we could bankroll this level of travel without caring about the costs? Absolutely. 

Would that lead to financial ruin? Probably. (I like nice things).

Instead of emptying our bank account, we lean heavily on points and miles to help us defray the cost of our travel. As members of every mileage and loyalty membership program, we earn points for our stays. However, it’s the miles we earn from using our credit cards that make a significant difference in booking our free or reduced-cost trips. 

We focus on signing up for credit cards that have good sign-up bonuses and will give us extra rewards on things we buy regularly (like travel and groceries). We also ensure that we sign up for credit cards that allow us to transfer points to various airline or hotel partners. 

Because we have been able to find such good airfare deals to/from Hawaii over the past couple of years, our credit card points have mostly been used on accommodations in Hawaii with Marriott or Hyatt properties. 

And since accommodations are the most expensive part of a trip to Hawaii, this has helped us save thousands of dollars on our trips. Which means we’ve had more money to invest in trying out activities to share with you. 

Here is my Travel to Hawaii for (almost) Free: A Beginner’s Guide to Credit Card Points. Start there to learn how we maximize our points and miles to get free nights in Hawaii.

For a luxury Hawaii hotel, the best offers are for Hyatt and Marriott properties. Hyatt Hotels in Hawaii will provide the best option for a free night. 

We share Where to Stay in Hawaii with Points: 31 Top Hotels to help you find the right hotel for your group!

What’s in Our Wallets

These are the credit cards we currently use. Jordan and I each have our own cards (we are not authorized users on each other’s accounts), so we can each earn the sign-up bonus separately. We also run a business, so we have business credit cards in the mix.

We are always in the process of planning multiple trips, so having a bank of points and miles we can use is incredibly valuable.

We focus on earning points on travel rewards credit cards that let us transfer our points to different hotels and airlines, rather than being locked into using one brand. 

I share details on why those credit cards are in our wallets here: The Best Credit Cards for Hawaii Travel. We explain how we use those cards for free nights and flights, like Southwest companion passes.