How To Visit Universal Studios for Cheap by Using Points & Miles [2024]

Theme park vacations are fun for every age. Whether it’s an adults-only trip with friends or a family vacation with kids, you’re in for a good time. Universal Studios is one such theme park in the U.S. and abroad that packs a lot of fun into a 1-day or multi-day visit.

While it’s no secret that the cost of a theme park vacation can add up — including airfare, hotel accommodations, and park entrance tickets — paying cash isn’t the only way to afford this type of vacation. You can redeem points and miles in strategic ways to pay for almost every component of a theme park vacation.

Here are the best ways to visit Universal Studios with points.

Universal Studios Locations

There are 5 Universal Studios locations around the world: Univeral Studios Hollywood, Universal Orlando Resort, Universal Studios Japan, Universal Studios Singapore, and Universal Beijing Resort.

Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Orlando Resort are the most popular for U.S. travelers, and that’s where we will focus for this guide.

Universal Studios Hollywood

Universal Studios Hollywood is a real working movie studio in Southern California. There is only 1 park to explore, which many visitors can do in just 1 day.

Here, you can find various attractions, including The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Super Nintendo World, and Minion Land. Don’t miss The World-Famous Studio Tour, a classic Universal Studios ride that takes you behind the scenes of movies and television production sets, including pyrotechnics and other experiences.

King Kong 360 3-D is a recently opened attraction, and a Fast & Furious rollercoaster is set to debut in 2026.

Universal Studios Hollywood doesn’t have any on-property hotels.

Universal Orlando Resort

Universal Orlando Resort is much larger than its counterpart in Hollywood. Universal Studios Hollywood has 17 rides and attractions, while Universal Orlando Resort has 52.

Universal Orlando Resort comprises 3 parks, with a fourth park, Epic Universe, scheduled to open in 2025. Attractions within Universal Studios Florida include Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts and Despicable Me Minion Mayhem. Universal Islands of Adventure Theme Park features Jurassic World VelociCoaster and Skull Island: Reign of Kong. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter rides and attractions can also be found across these 2 main theme parks. Universal Volcano Bay is a water park that promises the fastest waterslides you’ve ever seen.

This park has 7 on-property hotels, with some featuring themed guest rooms. The resort will welcome 2 new properties in 2025.

How To Pay for Universal Studios Tickets With Points

American Express Membership Rewards

Universal Studios lets you purchase tickets through PayPal, which is great if you want to redeem Amex Membership Rewards points. Although it isn’t the best use of Membership Rewards, you can redeem these points on purchases through PayPal.

Keep in mind that the redemption rate is relatively poor at just 0.6 cents per point this way — our current valuation is 2.2 cents per American Express Membership Rewards point. A better use of your Membership Rewards for your trip to Universal Studios might be toward accommodations.

Hot Tip:

Speaking of PayPal, you could earn 5% cash-back on Universal Studios tickets (up to $1,500 in purchases) when PayPal is a quarterly bonus category with the Chase Freedom Flex℠.

Bilt Rewards

Powered by Expedia, the Bilt Travel Portal allows you to redeem Bilt Rewards points for theme park tickets at a rate of 1.25 cents per point. We value Bilt Rewards points at 1.8 cents per point, so this isn’t the best use of these points.

Capital One Miles

You can’t redeem Capital One miles directly for activities or theme park tickets through Capital One Travel, but you can still use your miles to pay for your tickets. You can do this by redeeming miles as a statement credit worth 1 cent each on travel purchases within 90 days of purchase. If you purchase your Universal Studios tickets through the park or a third-party online travel agent such as Expedia or Priceline that codes as travel, you can use the miles you’ve earned to help pay for some of the cost.

Chase Ultimate Rewards

You’re in luck if you’re a Chase cardholder, as you can redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards points for tickets to any Universal Studios directly through the Chase Travel portal.

As the screenshot above shows, you can purchase 1-day or multiday tickets to Universal Studios Hollywood with your Ultimate Rewards points. My account shows that I can redeem points at a rate of 1.25 cents per point thanks to my Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card. You can redeem Ultimate Rewards points for 1.5 cents per point when you hold the Chase Sapphire Reserve^®.

We currently value Ultimate Rewards points at 2 cents per point, so redeeming them in this way doesn’t give you the greatest return. However, if the goal is to spend as little cash as possible for your Universal Studios vacation, redeeming Ultimate Rewards points is a worthy option.

Citi ThankYou Rewards

Citi ThankYou Points can be redeemed for Universal Orlando Resort, Universal Studios Hollywood, and Universal Studios Singapore tickets through the Citi Travel portal. You can purchase nonrefundable ticket packages for 1 cent per point.

As the screenshot above shows, a 2-park, 1-day ticket for Universal Orlando Resort on August 14 is $229.39 or 22,939 ThankYou Points. A 2-park, 2-day is $363.16 or 36,316 ThankYou Points. On the Universal Orlando Resort website, the 2-park, 1-day ticket is $211.94, saving you almost $20. The 2-park, 2-day tickets are exactly the same price.

Upgraded Points’ current valuation for Citi ThankYou Points is 1.6 cents per point. Losing just over half a cent in value may not seem like a lot, but you can often redeem your ThankYou Points for more than the average valuation of points when making the right redemptions. Whether or not redeeming your points for theme park tickets is worth it is ultimately up to you.

Airline Miles

You can redeem airline miles from select airline loyalty programs without buying a package that includes air and hotel. Purchase Universal Orlando Resort tickets with Southwest Rapid Rewards or United Airlines MileagePlus miles through the activities tab on their respective vacation websites.

Season Tickets to Universal Studios

There isn’t currently a way to purchase season tickets to Universal Studios with points through any credit card travel portal.

Hot Tip:

Need to pay for your trip with cash? Check out our guide to the best credit cards for Disney and Universal vacations to maximize your points or cash-back.

Using Airline Miles To Fly to Universal Studios

Unless you live within driving distance of Universal City, California, or Orlando, Florida, you will likely fly to get to your Universal Studios vacation. Luckily, plenty of airlines service Orlando International Airport (MCO), the airport closes to Universal Orlando Resort, and Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR), the airport closest to Universal Studios Hollywood.

While BUR is not a hub airport for any airline, MCO is a hub airport for Avelo, Silver, Southwest, and Spirit. That’s not to say that other airlines don’t fly to these airports, but you can expect the best flight availability from the airlines that serve an airport as a hub.

When it comes to using points, however, it doesn’t really matter if an airport is a hub for any particular airline. Depending on where you’re coming from, Southwest and JetBlue are usually the best airlines for redeeming points to MCO.

If flying to BUR, you have a choice among 8 commercial airlines, including all major U.S. airlines and Avelo, JetBlue, Southwest, and Spirit.

Hot Tip:

Looking to maximize your credit card’s travel points? Try our Transfer Partner Tool!

Using Hotel Points for Stays Near Universal Studios

Universal Studios Hollywood

Universal Studios Hollywood doesn’t have any on-property hotels, but there are properties nearby. Hilton Los Angeles/Universal City and Sheraton Universal Hotel are each less than 1 mile from the park. They can be booked with points starting at 62,000 Hilton Honors points and 46,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night, respectively.

You could also stay close to Burbank Airport, the closest airport to Universal Studios Hollywood. The Hampton Inn & Suites Los Angeles Burbank Airport can be redeemed for a free night starting at 49,000 Hilton Honors points.

Universal Orlando Resort

None of the 7 on-property hotels at Universal Orlando Resort belong to a major hotel chain. That means that there’s no opportunity to use your hotel points for a stay on the property. Luckily, there are points hotels nearby, including Holiday Inn & Suites Across From Universal Orlando, where you can get a free night starting at 15,000 IHG One Rewards per night.

In fact, you can find points hotels near Universal Orlando Resort belonging to all of the major hotel brands and varying levels of luxury. The Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes, is 15 minutes by car from Universal Orlando Resort, and award nights can be redeemed starting at 46,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night. The Conrad Orlando is another luxury option from Hilton located less than 20 minutes from the park, with nights available to redeem starting at 90,000 Hilton Honors points per night.

Hot Tip:

Check out our guides to the best places to stay in Orlando and the best cheap hotels in Orlando!

Credit Card Points and Airline Miles

You can redeem credit card points for your hotel stay through your credit card’s travel portal.

You can also redeem airline miles for your hotel. Examples include packages booked American Airlines Vacations or Delta Vacations. These websites often require you to book a package that includes airline tickets and a hotel, but it can all be paid for with miles.

Final Thoughts

Visiting a theme park isn’t the most common way to redeem points and miles for travel, but it is possible. Redeeming Membership Rewards points through PayPal to purchase tickets, for example, is just 1 step toward booking all or most of your visit to Universal Studios on points. Using your airline miles for flights and hotel points for accommodations is another.