Using Points for Family Travel: 2025 Award Recap ($51,000 in Value, 7 Trips)
Saving money on using points family travel does not have to be complicated. We rounded up the essentials so you can spend less and skip the guesswork.
Key Takeaways
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- This is my second annual travel rewards recap.
This is my second annual travel rewards recap. (Here’s my 2024 reward travel recap if you want to start there.)
Each year, I add up the points we spent, the cash we paid and the estimated value of what we got.
Points and miles cost real money to earn , whether that’s through credit card annual fees, spending that could have gone toward cash-back cards, or time spent managing accounts and tracking award availability.
If the math doesn’t work, I’d rather take the cash back and invest it.
In 2025, our family of five took seven trips using a mix of Hyatt points, airline miles, Wyndham Rewards, free night certificates and cash.
We used roughly 1.55 million points and spent about $5,400 out of pocket. The estimated value of those trips was approximately $51,000.
That’s about half of what we got in 2024 ($90,000), but 2024 included a two-week Hawaii trip.
Here’s how each trip broke down.
#1. Winter Break 2024/2025: Family Vacation in Costa Rica
A spider we spotted on a guided night walk through the Monteverde cloud forest on New Year’s Eve.- Summary: We returned to Costa Rica over winter break, splitting the trip between three nights at the Koora Hotel in Monteverde and five nights at Andaz Costa Rica.
- Estimated trip value: $16,837.
- Points Used: 485,125
We first stayed at the Andaz over the 2023/2024 winter break and loved it enough to book this trip again.
The one thing we missed that first year was the rainforest , the Andaz is on the west coast, and the cloud forests are about three hours away. This time, we fixed that by flying into Liberia and heading straight to Monteverde.
We stayed three nights at the Koora Hotel, an independent hotel with a two-story family room that fit all five of us. The Koora cost $1,717 total, paid in cash.
The service stood out. My daughter has severe food allergies, and we travel with an allergy card in standard Spanish. The staff at the Koora printed and laminated a new version in the local dialect.
They also arranged all our tours and transportation, making Monteverde completely hands-off.
On New Year’s Eve, we did a night walk through the cloud forest. We found the above spider, snakes, a sloth in a tree and monkeys.
If you’re planning a trip to the Andaz, I’d recommend adding Monteverde to the front end.
Three nights was the right amount.
After Monteverde, we took ground transportation to Andaz for five nights.
The resort has two beaches, the food is good, and the daily cost of meals and activities is reasonable for a luxury resort.
We booked connecting rooms this year, which we didn’t have last time. They’re near the kids’ area, which is convenient. The trade-off is the view , not as good as some other room locations.
We paid 35,000 points per night per room, which was the peak rate at the time.
Hyatt has since raised the Andaz to 45,000 points per night for peak dates, and cash rates for the same dates run about $1,200 per night.
Hyatt’s next award chart update is expected in May 2026, and I’d be surprised if the Andaz doesn’t go up again , especially over spring break and school holidays. It’s one of the most in-demand properties in the Hyatt portfolio.
The flight booking is worth explaining.
When award availability first opens, I book whatever’s available , even if it’s not ideal. This year, that was an American Airlines flight through British Airways Avios with a Charlotte stop and a 6:00 a.m. departure.
Then I set up alerts through PointsYeah.
About a month before our trip, United released award availability for a direct flight from Chicago to Liberia. I canceled the Avios booking, transferred Membership Rewards to Aeroplan, and rebooked for 62,500 points plus CA $501 in fees.
We had a two-and-a-half-hour drive to Monteverde after landing, so eliminating the layover made a big difference.
The return was on Southwest for 72,625 Rapid Rewards points (14,525 per ticket) plus $298.45 in fees.
#2. Spring Break in St. Kitts
Park Hyatt St. Kitts with infinity pool overlooking Banana BaySummary: We spent spring break at the Park Hyatt St. Kitts for six nights. St. Kitts is a cool island with a different feel from the typical Caribbean , more rainforest and mountains than you’d expect. Estimated trip value: $21,439.
PointsCash PaidEstimated ValuePark Hyatt St. Kitts (two rooms, six nights)420,000 Hyatt, $16,800Outbound flights (Amex Travel, five people)152,035 MR (net after 35% rebate)$234$2,339Return flights (AA certificates, five people)75,000 AAdvantage$228$2,300Emergency Southwest rebooking, $2,092.40, AA miles refund (7,500 × 5)+37,500 AAdvantage back, , Total549,535 points~$2,554$21,439St. Kitts isn’t your typical Caribbean island. It has rainforest, mountains and a feel that’s more nature-forward than most beach destinations. We really liked that about it.
The Park Hyatt sits right on Banana Bay. It’s not a big hotel, and our connecting rooms were on the first floor with a walk-out to the beach.
We paid 35,000 Hyatt points per night per room during spring break.
The hotel is very nice. Excellent service, excellent rooms.
But having stayed at several other top-tier Hyatt properties, I wouldn’t put the Park Hyatt St. Kitts in the same tier of fun as the Andaz Costa Rica or the Grand Hyatt Kauai.
The food options aren’t as strong, and there’s less to do at the resort. It was frequently wavy and windy at the hotel beach, so we’d hop in the car and drive to other beaches around the island.
It’s a excellent property for a four- or five-night stay, and I’d recommend it , especially if you have a direct flight.
But for our family, the travel time to get there is close to what it takes to get to Hawaii, and given the choice, we’d go back to Kauai.
For the outbound flights, I booked through Amex Travel using Membership Rewards points.
The total was $2,339 for five tickets ($421 per person plus $234 in fees), paid with the Amex Business Platinum card.
That card gives you a 35% rebate when you book flights through Amex Travel with your preferred airline selected.
The gross cost was 233,900 MR points; after the rebate of 81,865, the net was 152,035 points.
It works out to about 1.5 cents per point , not an exceptional redemption, but when you’re traveling with five people over spring break and award availability is limited, flexibility matters.
The return was booked using AAdvantage points from the Aviator card signup bonus.
We paid 75,000 AAdvantage miles (15,000 per ticket) plus $228 in fees for five tickets on American Airlines through Miami.
The trip home didn’t go as planned. We had a layover in Miami, boarded the flight to Chicago, but couldn’t land due to weather.
The plane diverted to Houston.
American Airlines wasn’t able to rebook us the next day in a way that worked, so we bought same-day Southwest tickets out of Dallas for $2,092.40 out of pocket ($418.48 per ticket).
After some back-and-forth with American, we got 7,500 miles back per person , half of what we paid.
The trip was still worth it. St. Kitts is a cool island, and the Park Hyatt is a solid property.
Just not one we’d go out of our way to return to when we have other Hyatt options, such as the Park Hyatt Cabo, we like more.
#3. Masters Weekend in Augusta for My Dad’s 70th Birthday
Summary: My dad, my two brothers and I flew to Augusta for the Masters to celebrate my dad’s 70th birthday. We stayed two nights at the Hyatt Place Augusta, booking one room fo
Final Thoughts
Before you check out, double-check using points family travel against current offers and any coupons you can stack. Small habits like this add up to real savings over a year.
Originally published at thewaystowealth.com.
R.J. Weiss
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