A $14K Cancun Vacation with Kids—Booked Almost Entirely on Points
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If you're hoping to copy this trip—or even just a piece of it—here's a list of cards that can help you earn the points we used
What It Really Looks Like to Book a Family Vacation With Points
I used to think taking my entire 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. But then I started using points the way they were meant to be used—intentionally, with a clear plan for each trip.
Over the holidays this year, we spent a week in Cancun with our family of six—and nearly the entire trip was covered with points. The first four nights were at a luxury all-inclusive resort, and all six roundtrip flights cost us $128 total (just the taxes) out of pocket thanks to points.
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.
And 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 for a trip that would have cost us more than $14,00.00 - and came to just $1,968.63. That includes six roundtrip flights, six nights at beachfront resorts (2 of which weren’t even points hotels) and unlimited tacos, smoothies, and pool time.
Side note: Can I just say how amazing it felt to take a vacation after Christmas without spending anything extra on food while we were there? All-inclusives are truly the best.
Here’s exactly how we pulled it off—and how you can too.
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 (from my husband’s work travel account) 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 how to earn Membership Rewards through Rakuten. Pairing a few simple shopping habits with the right card can add up fast.
If you’re trying to rack up Delta miles for a future trip, a co-branded airline card could be helpful. You can see a list of cards that earn Delta miles and other flexible travel rewards here:
These are my favorite travel credit cards.
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 we booked them using 208,000 total points (104,000 per room). These were hotel points I had transferred from a flexible rewards program that allows 1:1 transfers. The rooms fit three people each, and the total cash value for our 4-night stay was $6,384.
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 208,000 hotel points)
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—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 Onerewards 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 The Mom's Guide to Capital One Miles. You can also compare shopping portals in this post: Rakuten vs. Capital One Shopping.
This is one of the many reasons I love the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card. The ability to erase travel purchases, earn bonus points through their portal, and stack a travel credit on top makes it one of the most family-friendly cards for trips like this.
If you’re still comparing cards, I also have a list of my favorite beginner travel cards right here.
Final Trip Summary
Here’s what our full Cancun redemption looked like from start to finish:
Flights
Points Used: 264,000 Delta miles
Taxes & Fees: $128.63
Cash Value: $4,056
Hotels
Dreams Playa Mujeres: 208,000 points (transferred from flexible currency)
Cash Value: $6,384
Moon Palace The Grand: 140,000 Capital One miles + credits
Cash Value: $3,592
Final Out-of-Pocket Cost: $1,840
Trip Total Value: $14,032
Total Points Used: 612,000 points across 3 programs
Out-of-Pocket Total: $1,968.63
Want to earn more points for your next family trip?
Make sure to sign up for my free weekly newsletter where I share deals, award availability, and travel tips just for busy moms. You can also follow along on Instagram or join the private Facebook group to ask questions and get help planning your redemptions. And if you want a closer look at these hotels, I’ve saved all the details in a highlight on Instagram!
Want to copy this trip? Look at these cards to help make it happen: These are some of my favorite cards for family travel.
Editorial Disclosure: Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
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.
