Summer 2024 Family California Road Trip: 10 Free Nights with Points
A Little Background
As an AAU basketball coach, I have a tournament scheduled for the last weekend of July. Perfect timing for a California road trip! We’ll be making stops in Sacramento, Burbank, and Anaheim, visiting family along the way.
Planning the Trip with Marriott Points
Back in March 2024, Marriott ran a promotion for their Bonvoy Boundless credit card. After spending $4,000, you receive five free night certificates (each worth up to 50,000 points per night). With property taxes due, it was an opportune time to sign up for the card. Plus, the card comes with a free night certificate (up to 35,000 points) after your one-year anniversary. Not a bad deal for a $95 annual fee.
The Stops
Seattle to Sacramento:
We’ll kick off our journey with a stay at the Hyatt House Natomas in Sacramento. By transferring 9,000 points from Chase to Hyatt (valued at $90), we secured a room that would have otherwise cost $175 per night.
Westlake Village:
Next, we plan to stay just outside Los Angeles. Between Santa Monica and Ventura, we’ve found the Hyatt Regency Westlake. We booked two nights for 15,000 points per night, saving $400 in total.
Burbank:
For our visit to Universal Studios, we’ll stay three nights at the Residence Inn Burbank. This would have cost $960, but thanks to our Marriott free night certificates, this stay is completely free.
Anaheim:
Our tournament will take us to Anaheim, where we’ll stay at the Residence Inn Garden Grove for three nights. This would have cost $709, but we used our remaining Marriott certificates and points to cover the cost.
Return to Sacramento:
On our way back, we’ll stop again at the Hyatt House Natomas. This time, it will cost us 12,000 points transferred from Chase, saving us $173.
The Savings
For 10 nights of hotel stays, the total cost would have been $2,417. However, we’ll pay $0 out of pocket. By strategically using 51,000 Chase points and six free nights from our Marriott Bonvoy Boundless credit card, we covered the entire trip.
Looking Ahead
Chatting with my friend Matt about his trip to Cabo got me thinking. I might apply a similar strategy by opening a Hyatt credit card. With 60,000 points, I could cover a couple of nights at an all-inclusive Hyatt resort in Mexico, possibly for a summer 2025 adventure.
This upcoming road trip is not only a great way to enjoy a summer adventure with my family, but it also showcases the power of planning and utilizing credit card rewards. We can’t wait to hit the road!
