How To Plan a Day of the Dead Trip With Points and Miles

I’ve developed a tradition of spending Day of the Dead in Mexico every year, and I plan every trip around the same 2 problems: The best spots book out fast, and prices spike around the Día de Muertos festivities.

Fortunately, points and miles solve both problems.

Here’s how to build your own trip using points, plus where I’m headed this year.

When To Go to Día de Muertos

Día de Muertos centers on November 1 and 2. November 1 honors children who have passed (Día de los Angelitos), and November 2 honors adults.

Most celebrations start the evening of October 31, and in Oaxaca, the daytime comparsas (street parades) run from October 29 through November 2. To catch the heart of it, plan to land at your destination by October 30 or 31 and head home on November 3. In 2026, November 1 is a Sunday and November 2 is a Monday, so the weekend works in your favor.

What Is Día de Muertos, and How Do You Participate Respectfully?

Day of the Dead isn’t a somber occasion. The belief is that the souls of loved ones return each year, so families welcome them back with ofrendas, home altars layered with marigolds, candles, photos, and the food and drinks the departed enjoyed.

It’s closer to a reunion than a funeral, which catches a lot of first-time visitors off guard if they’re used to the way death is perceived back home.

That framing matters most at the cemeteries, where families spend the night beside decorated graves. You can visit the cemeteries as a tourist, to be clear. When you visit, keep your distance, stay quiet, and don’t block anyone’s path to a grave. Ask before photographing people, and never put a lens in someone’s face. These are private moments, not photo ops.

Skip the costume and face paint at cemeteries, especially in smaller traditional towns, and don’t bring alcohol with you or show up intoxicated. To find out what’s happening where, check the local tourism office’s schedule for parade routes and times, or just ask your hotel’s front desk.

Where To Go

Oaxaca

If someone asked me to recommend a single location for Day of the Dead, I’d choose Oaxaca first. The altars are the most elaborate, the comparsas fill the streets for days, and the cemeteries at Xoxocotlán and the Panteón General glow with thousands of candles.

Chain hotels are thin on the ground here, which is worth knowing up front. Oaxaca de Juárez, commonly known as Oaxaca City, has the following options:

• IHG One Rewards: Holiday Inn Express Oaxaca-Centro Histórico
• Marriott Bonvoy: City Centro by Marriott Oaxaca, City Express by Marriott Oaxaca, Otro Oaxaca, a Member of Design Hotels, and Hotel Escondido Oaxaca , Oaxaca, a Member of Design Hotels

Airlines that fly nonstop to Oaxaca (OAX) from the U.S. include:

• American Airlines: Dallas (DFW), plus seasonal Phoenix (PHX) flights
• United Airlines: Houston (IAH)
• Volaris: Los Angeles (LAX)

Mexico City

Mexico City is the easiest to reach and the most flexible, with public altars, museums, the huge Desfile de Día de Muertos parade, and the candlelit cemetery at Mixquic on the city’s edge. It also has by far the largest number of hotels you can book with points:

• Hilton Honors: Hilton Mexico City Reforma, Conrad Mexico City, and Casona Roma Norte (SLH)
• IHG One Rewards: Holiday Inn & Suites Mexico Zona Reforma, Holiday Inn Express Mexico Reforma, voco Ciudad de Mexico Reforma, Holiday Inn Mexico Zona Centro, InterContinental Presidente Mexico City, Kimpton El Castelar Polanco, Kimpton Virgilio Polanco
• Marriott Bonvoy: Mexico City Marriott Reforma, JW Marriott Hotel Mexico City, W Mexico City, Le Méridien Mexico City, Circulo Mexicano, Mexico, a Member of Design Hotels, Downtown Mexico, a Member of Design Hotels, City Centro by Marriott Ciudad De México, City Express by Marriott Ciudad De Mexico Alameda, Boca Alameda Hotel, Mexico City, Autograph Collection, Sheraton Maria Isabel Mexico City Reforma, The St. Regis Mexico City, and The Ritz-Carlton, Mexico City
• World of Hyatt: Hyatt Regency Mexico City, Hyatt Regency Mexico City Insurgentes, Andaz Mexico City Condesa, and Hotel San Fernando

Airlines that fly nonstop to Mexico City (MEX) from the U.S. include American, Delta, United, Aeromexico, JetBlue, and VivaAerobus, with service from a long list of cities.

Michoacán

Michoacán is the most traditional of the 3 recommendations. On the night of November 1, Purépecha families cross Lake Pátzcuaro by candlelit canoe to keep vigil in the island cemeteries — the image many people imagine when they think of Day of the Dead.

Pátzcuaro itself is all boutique lodging, so I’d base in nearby Morelia and day-trip to Pátzcuaro if I wanted to stay at a hotel using points:

• IHG One Rewards: Holiday Inn Express Morelia, Holiday Inn Express Morelia Centro Historico

Airlines that fly nonstop to Morelia (MLM) from the U.S. include:

• American Airlines: Dallas
• United Airlines: Houston
• Volaris: Chicago (both Midway (MDW) and O’Hare (ORD)); Dallas; Houston; Los Angeles; Oakland (OAK), California; Ontario (ONT), California; San Jose (SJC), California; Sacramento (SMF), California

Booking Flights to Mexico With Points

Most of these routes are short, which is exactly where transferable points shine. A few of my go-to strategies include:

• United flights (Houston to Oaxaca or Morelia and plenty into Mexico City): Book through United MileagePlus or Avianca Lifemiles, and compare prices depending on your origin.
  • Transfer to United from Bilt Rewards and Chase Ultimate Rewards.
  • Transfer to Lifemiles from Amex Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Brex Rewards, Capital One miles, Citi ThankYou Points, and Wells Fargo Rewards.
• American flights: Use British Airways Avios, which can run as low as 13,500 for a short one-way, but compare prices to American Airlines AAdvantage on longer routes.
  • Transfer to British Airways from Amex Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Capital One miles, Chase Ultimate Rewards, and Wells Fargo Rewards.
  • Transfer to American Airlines from Citi ThankYou Points.
• Aeromexico (strong into Mexico City): Transfer Amex Membership Rewards to Aeromexico Rewards at an elevated 1:1.6 rate, or transfer from Brex Rewards, Capital One miles, Citi ThankYou Points, and Rove Miles.
• Delta to Mexico City: Transfer Amex Membership Rewards to SkyMiles, then shop for low-price dates, but compare prices to see what Flying Blue is charging. Flying Blue accepts transfers from Amex Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Brex Rewards, Capital One miles, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Citi ThankYou Points, Rove Miles, and Wells Fargo Rewards.

Best Credit Cards for a Day of the Dead Trip

You don’t need a wallet full of cards to make this trip happen. You need 1 or 2 cards that earn flexible points that you can redeem with the right airline or hotel program. Cards earning Chase Ultimate Rewards, Amex Membership Rewards, Citi ThankYou, Capital One miles, or Bilt Points cover almost everything above, since each transfers to several partners.

If you’d rather earn a hotel currency directly, co-branded credit cards from World of Hyatt, Marriott Bonvoy, and IHG One Rewards cards do that and often throw in a free-night perk. Apply a few months out so you can earn the bonus in the card’s welcome offer before it’s time to reserve your hotel with the points from that bonus.

Cards with solid welcome offers right now that you should consider include:

Don’t Forget About Travel Portals

If a chain hotel is sold out or the place you want (Oaxaca and Pátzcuaro especially) is short on options, book any hotel through a portal such as Chase Travel or Capital One Travel and pay with points at a fixed rate, using your rewards like cash. It opens up the boutique spots that aren’t in any loyalty program.

Book as Early as You Can

This is the rule I never break. Flight and hotel prices around November 1 and 2 climb fast, and Oaxaca in particular sells out months ahead — often by late spring. Lock in your room and award flights as early as possible.

Submit any new credit card applications now so you can earn the welcome offer bonus, and you’ll pay a fraction of what last-minute travelers do. I’ll be in Mexico City this year, and I’ve had my room booked for a few months already.

Final Thoughts

Día de Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is an incredible time of year to be in Mexico. It’s not celebrated the same in every city, but it’s always magical. If this is on your bucket list, using points and miles can make it happen at a time of year when flights and hotels are far more expensive than normal.