Use 75K Chase points for a last minute getaway to Mexico for 2 people

Two of the best travel rewards cards, Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card And Reserve Chase Sapphire®, both now offer a sign-up bonus of 75,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. There are many ways to redeem Chasing the ultimate reward points, but you’ll usually get the most value when you transfer your rewards to one or more Pursue transfer partners.

To illustrate the types of trips you can book with these new sign-up bonuses, two TPG employees and I each took trips using 75,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points. I chose to book airfare and an all-inclusive resort for a last-minute weekend escape to Mexico with my husband. Here’s how I did it and how our trip went.

How did I plan this trip?

When the opportunity to redeem 75,000 Chase points for a last-minute trip came my way, my schedule was pretty full. But we can fit a long weekend trip into mid-April. So I started looking at what kind of getaway I could book for 75,000 Chase points or less for the two of us.

World of Hyatt, Chase Ultimate Rewards’ 1:1 transfer partner, has expanded significantly Complete collection of all-inclusive resorts over the past few years. But I haven’t found a chance to visit any of them yet. So I checked to see if I could stretch the 75,000 points into a weekend trip to a Hyatt all-inclusive resort for me and my husband. I’m willing to go anywhere in North America as long as I can include round-trip flights for two and a half nights at a resort into my allotted points.

As it turns out, I was able to arrange the perfect last-minute Cancun trip.

Related: 11 reasons to choose the Chase Sapphire Preferred over the more luxurious Chase Sapphire Reserve

4,565 points for flights to Cancun

I was surprised to find a nonstop flight from William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) to Cancun International Airport (CUN) on a Friday departure that I wished I could book for just 2,905 points West Male plus 48.23 USD. Negatives: This flight departs Houston at 6:45pm and arrives in Cancun at 9pm. It was an especially late flight considering we were only planning on spending a few nights in Mexico.

A little more expensive Wanna Get Away Plus ticket price allows free same-day flight changes starting at midnight on the day of travel if seats are available. So, after taking many Southwest flights recently that either left with empty seats or cleared many of the passengers waiting at the gate, I decided to book a Wanna Get Away Plus ticket for my husband for 4,565 points plus 48.23 points. USD taxes and fees with the company. hopefully we can change flights during the day to catch one of the two direct flights earlier.

You might be wondering: “There’s only one ticket. What about your flight, Katie?” The reason I only need points for a single ticket is because my husband already earned it Southwest Companion Card in early 2023, that’s valid through the end of 2024. So I can add myself to his flight without adding points, instead paying just $48.23 in taxes and fees for second ticket.

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There were no seats available on the previous flight when the same-day change window opened at midnight on our flight date. But I woke up at 7 a.m. to double check for availability and grabbed two out of three available seats for the 9:25 a.m. departure. This same-day flight change meant we arrived in Cancun nine hours earlier than our original flight, despite getting a little less sleep than optimal!

Cons of changing our flight during the day: We had boarding slots C17 and C18. We were expecting this and planned to purchase the upgraded Boarding Service, because of us Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card Refund up to four upgraded Boarding purchases per anniversary year. However, there were no Upgrade Boarding slots available for our flight when we checked in.

We assumed these middle C boarding positions would put us in middle seats near the back of the plane. But even though we were among the last passengers to board, we were still surprised to see empty window and aisle seats near the front of the plane. We each sat next to couples and found the roughly two-hour flight very comfortable.

Related: 15 lessons from 15 years of having a Southwest companion ticket

My ability to get a Hyatt award in Cancun was limited as I booked my stay about two weeks before departure. However, among the options available, Dreams Jade Resort & Spa stood out for its Preferred Club – which I was able to access as a Hyatt Globalist members — and a beachfront setting just 30 minutes from CUN.

Dreams Jade Resort & Spa is one Hyatt class B The property costs 17,000 points on an off-peak night, 20,000 points on a standard night, and 23,000 points on a peak night. Unfortunately, both of my weekend nights were peak nights so I had to redeem 46,000 points for my two-night stay. If I paid cash, it would have cost me $1,088 for the same room — giving me a solid conversion value of 2.37 cents per point.

Besides its stunning beachfront location, the highlights of Dreams Jade Resort & Spa are its friendly staff, excitable guests and good quality food. I was impressed with most of the dishes I tried, including the ceviche at Castaways Cafe, the Preferred Club Pool Cafe fish tacos, and the Spice salmon.

I also absolutely love the swings and hammock chairs at the beach bar – this is my favorite place to relax.

I was impressed by the good attitudes of my fellow guests, many of whom were able to cheer for others during pool activities, chat with strangers at the bar and learn dance moves new.

On-site Hyatt elite perks, other than Preferred Club access and higher-floor rooms with attractive views, are limited. But the only timeshare sales I received were at the airport while waiting for the hotel shuttle.

Related: When and how to transfer Ultimate Rewards points to World of Hyatt

23,074 points for the flight back to Austin

Finding a modestly priced award flight from Cancun to Austin on April 14 proved difficult – especially since we booked our tickets within two weeks of departure and wanted to depart later in the day to Maximize your time in Mexico.

I booked what was probably the most expensive Southwest award flight I’ve ever booked for my husband: a nonstop flight from Cancun to Austin for 23,074 points plus $77.58 in taxes and fees. However, this direct flight was perfect as it allowed us to enjoy the morning, even have lunch and a few final drinks at the resort before heading to the airport.

As with our other Southwest flights, I was able to add myself as a travel companion after booking my husband’s flight. My cost with his Companion Pass was just taxes and fees.

We checked in for our flight exactly 24 hours before departure and got boarding slots B15 and B16. We took a window and aisle seat in the same row near the back of the plane. The flight departed with no empty seats, but there was a woman who seemed happy to sleep in the middle seat during the flight.

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KATIE GENTER/THE POINTS GUY

Related: 7 priority benefits of Chase Sapphire you may not know

Related: Chase Sapphire Preferred vs. Sapphire Reserve: Should you choose mid-tier or premium?

Bottom line

It’s nice to see how a sign-up bonus – and some cash to cover taxes, fees, tips and airport transfers – can help us get a last-minute getaway to a resort Full package care in Mexico.

With Chase Sapphire preferred And Chase Sapphire Sanctuary offers a 75,000 point sign up bonus, now is a good time to sign up. This story focuses on how I redeemed 75,000 points for a vacation, but you can use 75,000 points in many other ways. For example, you can transfer 75,000 Chase points to Hyatt and redeem up to 21 off-peak points Hyatt category 1 hotel night.