Advertiser Disclosure: The Rewards Mom has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. The Rewards Mom and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers.
I used to think taking my family of six on a tropical vacation in the middle of winter would cost us $10,000 or more. Flights alone felt out of reach, especially when I started adding in food and two hotel rooms. Then I started using points the way they were meant to be used.
Over the holidays this year, we spoiled our kids and took them on an all-inclusive Cancun family vacation. We did it with points, saving our budget completely. The first four nights were at a luxury all-inclusive resort, and all six roundtrip flights cost us $128 total (just the taxes).
But we didn’t stop there.
We decided to extend the trip with a stay at one of the most beloved all-inclusive resorts in the region: Moon Palace The Grand. With its massive water park, dedicated kids’ club and teen lounge, 24/7 room service, and multiple gourmet restaurants (no soggy buffets here), it’s a dream resort for families.
Because points and travel credits covered so much of the trip, this splurge didn’t blow our budget. Even when I include the two nights at a resort we DID NOT book with points, our total out-of-pocket cost came to just $1,968.63. The regular cost would have been more than $14,000. Our trip included:
- Six roundtrip flights
- Six nights at beachfront resorts
- Unlimited tacos, smoothies, and pool time
If you’re hoping to copy this Cancun family vacation with points, here’s a list of cards that can help you earn the points we used.
How We Pulled off Our Cancun Family Vacation
If you’re just starting your points journey, I always recommend checking out my Beginner’s Guide to Points & Miles to get your strategy in place. You’ll see how powerful even one card can be when used for the right goal.
Flights to Cancun
When a Delta SkyMiles sale popped up for flights to Cancun, I jumped on it. We found roundtrip award tickets for just 44,000 miles per person, which is extremely rare for a peak holiday week. If you don’t find a sale, the companion pass is hard to beat for flights to Mexico.
We booked six roundtrip tickets using 264,000 miles total and paid just $128.63 total in taxes and fees. The cash price for those same flights? $4,056.
If you’re trying to build up Delta miles, don’t miss my post on shopping portals. Pairing a few simple shopping habits with the right card can add up fast.
A co-branded airline card can also be very helpful. You can find some of my favorites for this here.
Hotel #1: Dreams Playa Mujeres (5 days, 4 nights)
For our first three nights, we stayed at Dreams Playa Mujeres, a beautiful beachfront resort that is fully all-inclusive: meals, snacks, and even room service.
We needed two rooms for our family and paid 52,000 points per night/per room total. Over four nights, we used 416,000 points. I transferred these from a flexible rewards program that allows 1:1 transfers. Each room fit three people, so two rooms was perfect for our family of six. For reference, these same rooms can go for as low as 38,000 points per night total for three people during off-peak times, so it’s worth checking different dates. The cash price for our stay would’ve been $6,384.
Sometimes it can feel hard to find reward space, so here’s an example. I found this by putting 1 adult and 2 children in the room. For availability help, I use maxmypoint.com
If you’re looking for ways to earn flexible points that can transfer to hotel partners, these are my favorite cards to start with. We use them over and over for redemptions like this one.
Want to know which banks transfer to which partners? Check out the chart I made you for that here.
All-Points Trip Summary (if we had stopped here)
If we had ended our trip after Dreams Playa Mujeres, this would have been an all-points vacation with no hotel expenses at all.
Flight Cash Value: $4,056 (covered with 264,000 Delta miles + $128.63 in taxes)
Hotel Cash Value: $6,384 (covered with 416,000 points total)
Out-of-Pocket Total: $128.63
A full tropical family vacation during peak season for less than $130? That’s the power of points.
But…we decided to extend the trip a little longer. It was our kids’ first time in Mexico, and we wanted to revisit the place where we celebrated our anniversary years ago, at Moon Palace The Grand.
Hotel #2: Moon Palace The Grand (3 days, 2 nights)
To change things up for our final two nights, we moved to Moon Palace The Grand, another all-inclusive resort with a ton of family-friendly features.
We booked a family suite (two rooms: one with two queens, one with a king) and used a combination of Capital One rewards and credits:
140,000 Capital One miles = $1,400 off
$300 Capital One Venture X travel credit
$350 in Capital One portal rewards earned by booking through their site
The total cash cost for our stay was $3,592, but after applying all our rewards, we only paid $1,840 out of pocket.
If you want to learn more about how Capital One miles work and how to earn more of them, check out my guide to Capital One miles You can also compare shopping portals in this post: Rakuten vs. Capital One Shopping.
My friend got an even better deal than we did because she used a card that gives you more than 1 cent per point in the travel portal (up to 2 cents). She paid only $313.40, saving her over $2,000!
Find the card she used as well as my other favorites when you go the travel portal route here.
Final Trip Summary
Flights
- Points Used: 264,000 airline miles
- Taxes & Fees: $128.63
- Cash Value: $4,056
Hotels
- Dreams Playa Mujeres: 416,000 total for two rooms
- Cash Value: $6,384
- Moon Palace The Grand:140,000 Capital One miles + credits
- Cash Value: $3,592
- Out-of-pocket: $1,840
Grand Totals
- Trip Total Value: $14,032
- Total Points Used: 612,000 across 3 programs
- Out-of-Pocket Total: $1,968.63
Side note from a mom who cooks a lot: traveling right after Christmas and not paying extra for food felt amazing. All-inclusive really is a sanity saver. I still can’t believe we booked this entire Cancun family vacation with points.
Want To Do Something Similar?
- Set a destination and date window first. Then pick the points to match the trip, not the other way around.
- Use shopping portals for your normal online buys to stack extra points.
- Transfer only when you’re ready to book (saves you from having points stranded). Here’s my guide to when to book directly vs. transfer.
- If you’re curious about squeezing more from flights, read: Positioning flights (beginner-friendly), Why you never have enough miles, and How to book international flights with points.
Cards That Can Help
If you’re comparing options, click through to see current offers.
- Best for beginners:
See beginner-friendly picks - My favorite flexible points cards:
See flexible travel rewards cards - Shopping portal standouts (to stack with online purchases):
See cards that pair well with portals
Community: Come Vacation Plan With Us
I share real-time deals, family-friendly award space, and easy wins:
- Join the email list
- Follow on Instagram
- Join the FB group
One Last Tip Before You Go
If your goal is another “free” family trip this year, start with one flexible points card and run your everyday spend through it (groceries, gas, kids’ activities). Layer a no-fee earner later, and use portals whenever you buy online. When you’re ready, transfer just-in-time. For trip planning help, this deep dive is a favorite.
Next Step
Want to start earning free family travel? Grab my free beginner’s guide.
VIEW THE COMMENTS