Karen sent us her reader success story of taking multiple trips to Hawaii—something she never thought was possible! Here’s her story:

In 2023, my husband and I did something we once thought was impossible: we went to Hawaii. Stepping off the plane in Kona, HI, we were in awe of being in Hawaii. We even looked at each other and said, “We’re really in Hawaii.” This was a surreal experience for us. We had decided that if we’re ever going to see some of these places on our bucket list, we needed to just do it. At the time, we thought this was a once-in-a-lifetime trip. 

Looking For a Cheaper Way to Travel

In May of 2023, after already having a trip to Hawaii booked with cash, I started looking into how we could travel to more places on our list at the best prices. I followed someone on Instagram who shared how she traveled at a very low cost, using credit card points. Looking into the travel blogger she recommended, but they were hard to follow, and I didn’t know how to get started. I began searching for other bloggers who were talking about using credit card points to pay for vacations. This is when I found Points Talk Squad. The “Moms” broke this down in a way I could understand, so getting started was easy. I started getting cards and spending strategically to earn the points. I explained all this to my husband to get him on board as Player 2. 

Return to Paradise

In December 2024, we took our second trip to Hawaii, this time, mostly on points. This time, we visited the islands of Maui and Kauai. Because our flights and lodging cost so little, we could splurge on unforgettable experiences we’d never have been able to afford otherwise. We went snorkeling at Molokini Crater, which was like swimming in a postcard. The Road to Hana tour we took was so informative. Our Hawaiian tour guide took us on a day-long drive along the Road to Hana, shared Hawaiian history, and stopped at many places. We savored Sandy’s just-out-of-the-oven warm banana bread, coconut milk ice cream, and homemade ginger-and-hibiscus soda.

We toured the Kauai Coffee Company, which was my husband’s favorite part of the trip. We both loved tubing down the sugar cane plantation canals with Kauai Backcountry Adventures. We made chocolate bars at Wild Kauai Chocolate on a rainy day. We were able to choose our own flavors to add to make our original bar of chocolate.  The Na Pali sunset dinner cruise was on some rough waters, but the beauty of the coast is unmatched. They were playing the song “Somewhere over the Rainbow” when we saw a rainbow just past the coastline.

The one thing that I wanted to do on our first trip to Hawaii was to have a photo session with a professional photographer, but it was so expensive that we just couldn’t swing it. But we had saved so much money using points that on our second trip, we had photos taken on the beach to commemorate the trip.

 

Trip Highlights

• Snorkeling at Molokini Crater
• Whale watching in Maui
• Road to Hana tour
• Visiting Waianapanapa State Park’s black sand beach
• Touring Kauai Coffee Company
• Tubing with Kauai Backcountry Adventures
• Making chocolate bars at Wild Kauai Chocolate
• Waimea Canyon scenic lookouts
• Na Pali sunset dinner cruise
• Professional beach photo session with BK Kauai Photography

 

Cost Breakdowns

We really enjoyed our first visit to Hawaii and did some fun things while there, but we had a blast on our second trip to Maui and Kauai. We think about our trip all the time and how beautiful and fun it was. We were so grateful to be able to visit at such a reduced cost and enjoy this beautiful state again. The accommodations were amazing, and the ocean view in Kauai was breathtaking each day. 

Here’s the breakdown of our cash-only trip:
I booked our flights to Kona, HI, through United Airlines for $2,134.52 and booked a VRBO
condo rental for $1,689.03.

Total Cost: Almost $4,000

Here’s the breakdown of our trip using points and cash:
Three-night stay in a standard award room at Hyatt Regency Maui Resort: 75,000 points.

A four-night stay with a Club Access Ocean View room at Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort: 156,000 points.
These were booked with the Chase Ultimate Rewards® points we had earned from three different Chase cards.

American Airlines flight to Maui using points. Flights from RDU to OGG were 57,000 points. We paid $185.63 in cash for extra legroom because point upgrades were not available, and we knew the trip was long.

We stayed at Hyatt Place RDU Airport the night before our flight, and the day we returned, as it’s a pretty long drive home from RDU to our house. I spent 10,000 points for the two nights we stayed here.

We used Southwest® Airlines to fly from Maui to Kauai, but the cost did not warrant using points, so I paid cash and had a small Southwest gift card I also put towards it. This flight was $134.20 after the gift card. 

The flight home from Kauai was through United Airlines. Using the remaining points after booking the hotels and adding in my husband’s points from his Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, we used 67,200 points for economy seats. I did pay for extra legroom, and it was a little pricier than I liked, but there were no point upgrades available. We paid $576.16 for some extra space.

Bottom Line

I’m so thankful that I found Points Talk Squad. The travel information they provide is so helpful, and it was so easy to start earning points to travel. I now get cards based on our travel plans, including cards with elevated offers. The  Moms always post the best offers, so when I’m looking for a new card, I always go to the “Best Current Offers” page to find the next card in our points travel journey.

 

Related Posts

Reader Success Story to Maui, Kauai, and San Diego

Podcast 23. The Hawaiian Hyatt Showdown: Grand Hyatt Kaui vs. Hyatt Regency Maui

The Ultimate Guide to Using Points for Hyatt Hotels in Hawaii