Member Success Story: Julie’s $11,000+ Savings on Family Trip to Hawaii
When Travel Freely member Julie and her family started dreaming of Hawaii, she wasn’t sure where to begin with points and miles. But after downloading the Travel Freely app and taking a few beginner steps, she discovered just how far those points could take them: literally across the Pacific!
Recently, her family of 4 spent 12 days exploring 3 islands, Maui, Kauai, and Oahu, for a fraction of the normal cost. They saved over $11,000 in flights, checked baggage fees and hotels by using the Travel Freely app to select her next cards and keep her organized.
👉 New to points and miles? Read our beginner-friendly guide: How to Get Started with Free Travel
Tell Us About Yourself
Hi! I’m Julie from Southwest Michigan. I’m married with 2 kids, and we love trying new things together. I have not been earning points and miles for too long and, in fact, this is my first travel redemption. I’ve always loved to travel, but my desire to see the world seemed out of reach.
That’s when I discovered the world of points and miles and I started digging in. I learned about card bonuses, flight deals, and all the little tricks that help regular families stretch their travel dollars.
Tell Us About Your Trip
We traveled to Hawaii over the kids’ spring break. We spent 5 days on Maui, 5 days on Kauai, and 2 days on Oahu. We explored each island by Jeep and loved finding new beaches and towns to adventure through. Highlights included surf lessons for the kids, driving the road to Hana, an amazing helicopter tour of Kauai, and visiting Pearl Harbor.
What Kind of Points Did You Use for These Trips?
I used a combination of Southwest Rapid Rewards®, Delta SkyMiles®, and Chase Ultimate Rewards® points to cover every leg of the journey.
Flights:
- We flew from Grand Rapids, Michigan direct to Maui on Southwest for 125,000 Rapid Rewards points total (cash value: $1,500) + $22.40 in taxes and fees for 4 people
- We flew Southwest again on an inter-island flight from Maui to Kauai that cost 25,000 Rapid Rewards points total (cash value: $350) + $22.40 in taxes and fees for 4 people
- We then positioned ourselves for our trip home by flying Hawaiian Airlines from Kauai to Oahu for $350 total in cash for 4.
- Our flight home was not direct. We first flew from Oahu to Los Angeles (LAX) in Delta Comfort+ for 150,000 SkyMiles® for 4 tickets (cash value: $1,300) We then flew from LAX back to Grand Rapids on Delta using the Chase Travel portal for the booking worth 122,000 points for the 4 tickets (cash value: $1,600)
With benefits like free checked bags on Southwest and Delta, our family of 4 saved even more on baggage fees.
Estimated cash value: $4,750 saved on flights + $560 saved on checked bag fees = $5,310
Cards used: Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card, Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card, Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Resort Stays with Marriott Bonvoy® Points
We booked all of our Hawaii stays entirely with Marriott Bonvoy points. It cost us around 600,000 points for multiple nights across the 3 islands, including 1 free night certificate and using the 5th night-free benefit (see below for more details on this).
Our first night in Maui we stayed near the airport at Courtyard by Marriott Maui Kahului Airport since we got in around dinner time. After that we stayed at the Residence Inn by Marriott Maui Wailea. This was the perfect set up for our family of 4. The hotel has a kitchenette in the room so we were able to purchase a few snacks and drinks to have during our stay. The free breakfast was also a deciding factor in staying at the hotel in order to save a little more money.
On Kauai we stayed at the Sheraton Kauai Resort and originally booked a garden view room which would have been located across the street from the beach. Upon check-in, we were upgraded to an Ocean View room, thanks to my husband’s status with Marriott (he travels frequently for work and stays at Marriott properties). We enjoyed breathtaking views of the ocean and sunset right from our room. The pool area was great with plenty of room and chairs. The beach was also very accessible and had great waves for boogie boarding for our kids. (We purchased boogie boards for the kids at Walmart while we were there.)
Since we only had one night on Oahu, we chose to stay in Waikiki at the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani Waikiki Beach, a perfect fit and location. The hotel was just across the street from the beach, right in the mix of shopping and swimming. We didn’t fly out till the evening (10pm) and the hotel was very accommodating with our late departure. We were able to continue to use the facilities – pool, restaurant, showers – before our overnight flight home which was great. They had free beach chairs to check out each day as well.
We felt we chose great locations to stay on each island that made getting around easy.
Estimated cash value: $6,000 saved on hotels
Card used: Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card (since Julie’s husband travels for his business, they also used Marriott Bonvoy points earned through his business travels.)
Perks like the fifth-night-free on Marriott Bonvoy award stays made it easy to stretch our points for a longer stay without spending extra.
Hot Tip: When you book a Marriott stay of 5 nights or more using points, the cheapest night is automatically free. For example, if your five-night stay costs 40K, 32K, and 45K points for the remaining nights, you’ll skip paying the 32K night and owe just 175,000 points total. The same rule applies to longer trips—stay 10 nights, and you’ll get the 2 lowest-priced nights free. You can even mix in cash or free night certificates, as long as there are at least 5 award nights in your booking; the lowest-priced points night will still drop off automatically.
Exploring Each Island
On each island, we rented a Jeep to explore hidden beaches, small towns, and local eats. We booked all of these excursions on our Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card so we could reimburse the charges with miles later.
Card used: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
How Much Money Did You Save Using Points and Miles for Your Trips?
For our trips to all 3 islands, we saved over $11,000 in travel costs.
What Were Some of the Highlights of Your Travel Experiences?
Seeing the turtles coming up on the beach our first night was amazing. We were the only people on the beach and were able to sit and watch them. This was my daughter’s big wish – to see the turtles – and to start the trip that way just made it all worthwhile.
What Advice Do You Have for Someone Just Starting with Points and Miles?
Start with a well-rounded card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred that works for both flights and hotels and has good transfer partners. Read the Travel Freely articles and download the app to stay organized. It helped me know how and when to open a new card for me or my husband and keep track of annual fees and minimum spends so we didn’t miss earning a bonus. It truly made our trip possible.
How Has Travel Freely Helped You Achieve Your Free Travel Goals, and What Do You Like Best About the App?
I don’t miss a detail and always have a plan. Organization is key, and that’s where Travel Freely helps me stay on top of everything.
Final Thoughts
You can start just like Julie did, with a simple, flexible card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card and a free Travel Freely account to help you stay organized and earn your first free vacation.
👉 Inspired by Julie’s story? Start tracking your cards with Travel Freely today – it’s free, beginner-friendly, and built to make stories like this possible.
Have a success story you’d like to share with us? We’d love to hear it! Reach out to us at .
Cards that helped Julie and her family experience their dream travel experiences:
