How to Visit Kauai on Points

Alex

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Kauai is my very favorite Hawaiian island. It is so lush and green and it has the perfect laid-back Hawaiian vibe. It is less crowded and not as big as some of the other islands. I have been lucky to go many times thanks to my parents having a timeshare there. We love going to Kauai because it feels like home. We have our favorite spots and know all the best things to do and places to eat at. It had been a while since we had been back and Mitch and I were anxious to get back! Thanks to credit card points and miles we were able to go back and visit Kauai on points! Here is how we did it. 

 

Hotel Nights

I knew I wanted to stay at the Grand Hyatt which is located on the south side of the island. We have always stayed on the north side, it is much prettier there but also rains more. We had heard great things about the Grand Hyatt so we decided to try out the south side and see if the Grand Hyatt was as grand as people made it out to be!

back of the Grand Hyatt hotel in Kauai. Small waterfall and pond.

Grand Hyatt, Kauai

 

To get our points for the Grand Hyatt, Mitch applied for the World of Hyatt Card. When you sign up for the card you earn 30,000 points after spending $3,000 in 3 months. You will earn up to 30,000 more points by earning 2 points per dollar spent in categories that normally earn 1 point on up to $15,000 in spending in the first 6 months of account opening. Potentially you could earn 60,000 points.

World of Hyatt Credit Card

 

Alternatively, what I would recommend instead, is opening the Chase Sapphire Preferred card if you haven’t already. Then you can use these points to transfer to Hyatt.

The Grand Hyatt costs 25,000 points per night. With the bonus, we had 2 nights and some change. We wanted some more nights so another card was in order. 

Mitch also applied for the Chase Ink Business Preferred card. The card earns 100,000 points after you spend $15,000 in 3 months. After the spending, you’ll have at least 115,000 points.

When Mitch got the card, years ago, the bonus only required $5,000 of spending and offered 80,000 points.

If the minimum spend on this is too much then consider the Ink Business Cash.

Ink Business Preferred

 

Now you may be thinking, but I don’t have a business. You may be surprised at what qualifies as a small business. Before you write business cards off check out that link above and see if you have something that may work. 

Chase is a transfer partner with Hyatt. What that means is you can use your Chase Ultimate Reward points, transfer them into your Hyatt account and then book your Hyatt hotel stay directly with Hyatt.

What is great about Hyatt is they don’t charge resort fees on award bookings! Our hotel stay was literally FREE! Now that we have the hotel covered, let’s talk about flights! You can’t visit Kauai on points without free (or close to free) flights!

 

Flights

Now, how to get there. Mitch applied for the Merrill+ card from Bank of America. That card bonus was awesome and gave us $1,000 worth of flights. We booked our flights on Delta through the BofA travel portal and paid $100 total (we were a tad short on points). Sadly, this card isn’t offered anymore. Cards come and go. If you stick with us, we’ll keep you informed so you won’t miss out on one! Just because this card isn’t available doesn’t mean there aren’t lots of other options for using points for your flight.  We have a whole guide on all the best ways to use points to fly to Hawaii!

 

man going down waterslide at the Grand Hyatt Kauai

even adults enjoy the waterside 😉




 

The Resort

And let’s talk about the Grand Hyatt. The grounds are gorgeous! It has lots of pools, a lagoon, a waterslide, bikes to borrow and ride around, tennis courts, and restaurants on the property. And let’s not forget the Pina Coladas and pork nachos, the perfect lunch if you ask me! The hotel is right on the beach and there is a nice little walk you can take up to some cliffs. The beach isn’t the best for swimming but it is just down the road from a great one! We will be back again!

Man and Woman on beach

Grand Hyatt Kauai in the background

 

eating pork nachos at Grand Hyatt Kauai

I miss the pork nachos!

 

Bottom Line

Our trip was amazing. Can I tell you how empowering and satisfying it was to walk off that plane and then into that hotel knowing we paid hardly anything for it!? 

 

 

 

View of Ke'e Beach from a hiking trail along the Napali Coast

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