How We Redeemed 220K Points for a Group Mexico City Trip (Saving $5,000+)

When 2 of my friends mentioned wanting to visit Mexico, they jokingly suggested that my wife and I should join them. I was quickly on board.

Thanks to the points and miles I already had, my wife and I could make the trip happen with almost nothing out of pocket.

My friends knew the basics of travel rewards, but they hadn’t realized how much money the right travel and hotel cards could save them on flights and hotels. They wanted to get started, but didn’t want to open too many new cards, so I explained that opening just 1 travel card and 1 hotel card could cover most of the cost of a trip to Mexico.

Here’s a look at how we utilized the welcome offers from just 2 travel rewards cards for a couple’s trip to Mexico, saving over $2,500 in the process.

Our Simple Credit Card Strategy

Even after more than a decade of earning and redeeming millions of miles, some of my closest friends were still relying on cash-back cards and missing the real value of points and miles.

It gave me the perfect opportunity to show them the true potential of travel rewards by walking them through a real trip — from choosing the right travel cards to redeeming points for flights and hotels — and demonstrating how points can turn an expensive vacation into an affordable one.

Fortunately, planning this trip was pretty straightforward, since we only needed to cover round-trip flights from New York to Mexico City and a 4-night hotel stay.

My strategy was simple: Each of my friends would open a single card. One would open a transferable rewards card, giving them the ability to move points to an airline partner and book flights. Meanwhile, the other would open a hotel card to help offset those costs.

Best of all, they had high spending coming up, so meeting the spending requirements for each card would be easy.

Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card

The Chase Sapphire Preferred card is widely considered one of the best all-around travel rewards cards — and for good reason. It earns 5x points on travel purchased through Chase Travel, 3x points on dining, select streaming services, and online groceries, and 2x points on all other travel purchases, making it easy to rack up points quickly.

NEW OFFER

Terms Apply / Rates & Fees

Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card

U.P. Rating 

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the ins and outs of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

A fantastic travel card with a great welcome offer, good benefits, and perks for a moderate annual fee.

Apply Now(at Chase's secure site)

Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card

A fantastic travel card with a great welcome offer, good benefits, and perks for a moderate annual fee.

Welcome Offer

Earn 60,000 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

60,000 75,000 points

UP's Offer Valuation*:

$1,500

Annual Fee

$95

APR

19.24% - 27.49% Variable

Credit Recommended

Upgraded Points 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.

Good to Excellent

Why We Like This Card

The Chase Sapphire Preferred^® card is one of the best travel rewards cards on the market. Its bonus categories include travel, dining, online grocery purchases, and streaming services, which gives you the opportunity to earn lots of bonus points on these purchases.

Additionally, it offers flexible point redemption options, no foreign transaction fees, and excellent travel insurance coverage including primary car rental insurance. With benefits like these, it’s easy to see why this card is an excellent choice for any traveler.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• 5x points on all travel booked via the Chase Travel portal
• 3x points on dining purchases, online grocery purchases, and select streaming services
• 2x points on all other travel worldwide

Cons

• $95 annual fee
• No elite benefits like airport lounge access or hotel elite status

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Card Highlights

• Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
• Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases
• Earn up to $50 in statement credits each account anniversary year for hotel stays through Chase Travel℠
• 10% anniversary points boost - each account anniversary you'll earn bonus points equal to 10% of your total purchases made the previous year.
• Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
• Complimentary DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees & lower service fees for a min. of one year when you activate by 12/31/27. Plus, a $10 promo each month on non-restaurant orders.
• Member FDIC

Financial Snapshot

• APR: 19.24% - 27.49% Variable
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

Rewards Center

Chase Ultimate Rewards

Beyond its earning structure, the card also comes with numerous perks and benefits, including a $50 annual Chase Travel hotel credit, flexible point redemption options, and fantastic travel insurance coverage, including primary car rental insurance.

New cardholders can also earn a generous welcome offer: Earn 60,000 75,000 points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months.

Best of all, Chase Ultimate Rewards are one of the most valuable transferable currencies available. We value Chase points at 2 cents apiece, thanks to their flexibility and strong transfer partners, second only to American Express Membership Rewards. As you’ll see later, that flexibility played a key role in helping us cover flights for this Mexico trip while keeping cash costs to a minimum.

The World of Hyatt Credit Card

The World of Hyatt card is a strong option for World of Hyatt loyalists who frequently stay at their hotels, offering both high earning potential and valuable long-term perks. Cardholders can earn up to 9x points for Hyatt stays (4x points per $1 spent on qualified purchases at Hyatt hotels and up to 5x points per $1 from Hyatt as a World of Hyatt member).

ELEVATED OFFER

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Disney^® Premier Visa^® Card

U.P. Rating 

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the ins and outs of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

The World of Hyatt card offers a fast track to Hyatt elite status, an annual free night, and up to 9x points per $1 on Hyatt stays.

Apply Now(at Chase's secure site)

Disney^® Premier Visa^® Card

The World of Hyatt card offers a fast track to Hyatt elite status, an annual free night, and up to 9x points per $1 on Hyatt stays.

Welcome Offer

Earn up to 5 free nights. Earn 3 free nights after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of account opening. Plus, 2 free nights after you spend $15,000 on purchases in the first 6 months. Free nights can be redeemed at any Category 1-4 Hyatt hotel or resort worldwide.

Up to 5 Free Nights

UP's Offer Valuation*:

$1,350

Annual Fee

$49

APR

19.24% - 27.74% Variable

Credit Recommended

Upgraded Points 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.

Good to Excellent (670-850)

Why We Like This Card

The World of Hyatt Credit Card makes your Hyatt stays more rewarding and helps you get coveted World of Hyatt elite status faster. This card is a must-have for any traveler who regularly stays at Hyatt hotels, or even for anyone who’s able to take advantage of the card’s annual free night certificate.

When you factor in all the benefits the World of Hyatt card offers, it’s easy to see why it is one of the best co-branded hotel credit cards on the market.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Up to 9 points total for Hyatt stays – 4 Bonus Points per $1 spent on qualified purchases at Hyatt hotels & up to 5 Base Points per $1 from Hyatt as a World of Hyatt member
• 2x points per $1 at restaurants, on airline tickets purchased directly from the airline, local transit, rideshares, and fitness clubs/gym memberships
• 1x point per $1 on all other purchases

Cons

• $95 annual fee

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Card Highlights

• Earn a $300 Statement Credit after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
• Earn 5% in Disney Rewards Dollars on card purchases made directly at DisneyPlus.com, Hulu.com or ESPNPlus.com. Earn 2% in Disney Rewards Dollars on card purchases at gas stations, grocery stores, restaurants and most Disney U.S. locations. Earn 1% on all your other card purchases. There are no limits to the number of Rewards Dollars you can earn.
• Redeem Rewards Dollars for a statement credit toward airline purchases.
• 0% promo APR for 6 months on select Disney vacation packages from the date of purchase, after that a variable APR of 17.49% – 26.49%
• 10% off select merchandise purchases at select locations and 10% off select dining locations most days at the Disneyland^® Resort and Walt Disney World^® Resort.
• Save 10% on select purchases at DisneyStore.com
• Member FDIC

Financial Snapshot

• APR: 19.24% - 27.74% Variable
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

Rewards Center

World of Hyatt

The card also includes ongoing benefits that help offset hotel costs, such as complimentary World of Hyatt Discoverist status, an annual free night certificate (after your cardmember anniversary at any Category 1-4 Hyatt hotel), and 5 tier qualifying elite night credits each year the account remains open.

For high spenders, the card provides additional value with an extra Category 1-4 Hyatt free night certificate (after spending $15,000 in a calendar year) and 2 qualifying night credits towards tier status (for every $5,000 spent).

New cardholders can earn a solid welcome offer: Earn up to 5 free nights. Earn 3 free nights after you spend $5,000 in the first 3 months of account opening. Plus, 2 free nights after you spend $15,000 in the first 6 months. Free nights can be redeemed at any Category 1-4 Hyatt hotel or resort worldwide.

This combination of free night certificates, elite status, and flexible point redemptions made it an ideal option for covering hotels on our Mexico trip while keeping cash costs low.

How We Redeemed Points for Flights to Mexico

After meeting the spending requirements on those 2 cards, my friends had about 80,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points and roughly 65,000 World of Hyatt points, more than enough for a nice getaway.

Now came the fun part — at least for me — and the most challenging part for them: redeeming the points for maximum value.

The first step in planning our trip to Mexico City (MEX) was booking flights from New York. With multiple nonstop options on Aeromexico, American Airlines, and Delta Air Lines, we had flexibility for award redemptions.

When using transferable currencies such as Chase Ultimate Rewards, the best value typically comes from transferring to airline and hotel transfer partners rather than booking directly. The key is finding programs that consistently offer both good award availability and reasonable pricing.

One of my go-to Chase transfer partners is Air France-KLM Flying Blue, a highly underrated airline loyalty program that checks both boxes. Flying Blue has a wide range of airline partners, straightforward redemption rules, frequent transfer bonuses, and reliable award availability.

While Flying Blue uses dynamic pricing (meaning ticket costs depend on demand), it also maintains fixed saver award fares for certain partner awards, including flights between the U.S. and Mexico. These flights can be booked for as little as 12,500 miles one-way or 25,000 miles round-trip per person, plus taxes and fees, making it a strong option for this trip.

This meant that my 2 friends could book round-trip tickets for a total of just 50,000 Flying Blue miles, transferred from Chase Ultimate Rewards. Even after booking, they would still have roughly 30,000 points left, enough to put toward a future trip.

Last-minute cash fares between New York and Mexico City can be expensive, and we were seeing round-trip prices around $640 per person.

While the main goal was simply to save money on airfare, this redemption still delivered solid value, coming out to about 1.72 cents per point and saving more than $800 for 2 people.

How We Booked a 4-Night Hyatt Stay in Mexico City

My friends had more than 60,000 World of Hyatt points available, which was enough to cover a 4-night stay in Mexico City.

After narrowing down several options, we settled on the Andaz Mexico City Condesa, a luxurious Category 4 property within the World of Hyatt portfolio.

According to the World of Hyatt award chart, Category 4 hotels range from 12,000 points per night during off-peak dates to 18,000 points per night during peak periods. Since our stay fell entirely within standard dates, the hotel could be booked for 15,000 points per night.

This worked out perfectly, as the entire stay was covered by the World of Hyatt card’s welcome offer. Even if they had fallen short, they could have topped off their balance by transferring from Chase Ultimate Rewards, since World of Hyatt is a 1:1 transfer partner.

Cash prices for the same 4-night stay totaled a staggering $1,868. By using a single welcome offer, we were able to eliminate nearly all out-of-pocket costs and score a redemption value of more than 3 cents per point.

Final Thoughts

Using just the welcome offers from the Chase Sapphire Preferred card and the World of Hyatt card, my friends were able to book a Mexico City trip and save more than $2,500. Once they saw how the process actually worked, it felt far less intimidating, and it gave my wife and me the chance to travel with them while showing what points and miles can really do.