The Magic Combo: Southwest Companion Pass + World of Hyatt Points

Southwest Companion Pass + World of Hyatt points = endless family travel possibilities. Here's how to make them work together.

What happens when you combine the Southwest Companion Pass with World of Hyatt points? You get one of the most versatile family travel strategies out there — whether you're looking for an easy long weekend at a Texas resort, a ski trip in Colorado, an eco-adventure in Costa Rica, or an all-inclusive in Jamaica. In this episode I'm breaking down how these two programs work together, walking through some of my favorite properties across several trip types, and sharing honest real-world experience from stays I've actually done with my family.

In this episode:

• How the Southwest Companion Pass works — and why having two in one household is a game-changer
• The best tip for saving even more on Southwest fares after you book
• How Chase Ultimate Rewards points transfer to World of Hyatt at 1:1 — and why that matters
• Three ways to earn a Category 1-4 free night certificate from the Chase World of Hyatt card
• What Hyatt's new five-tier award chart means for families (and the silver lining for cert holders)
• Easy long weekend getaways: Florida, Texas, New Mexico, California
• Family adventure trips: Costa Rica, Joshua Tree, skiing, Hawaii and why Anchorage is suddenly on the table
• All-inclusives: the properties, AND the important caveats families need to know before booking

Timestamps
00:00 — Welcome 
01:42 — Earning the Southwest Companion Pass and Saving More After You Book
05:20 — Chase, Hyatt Points and Free Night Certificates 
07:36 — Understanding Hyatt's New Award Chart 
09:12 — Easy Long Weekend Getaways
18:31 — Family Adventure Trips
28:19 — All-Inclusive Resorts
32:27 — Wrap-Up

Resources

Southwest

• Southwest credit cards 
• How to earn the Southwest companion pass
• Episode 17 — Southwest Companion Pass deep dive

Chase / Hyatt

• Chase Sapphire Preferred credit card 
• World of Hyatt award chart

Hotel Reviews on The Family Voyage

• Andaz Costa Rica at Peninsula Papagayo
• Hyatt Regency Lost Pines
• Hyatt Regency Waikiki
• Hyatt Regency Coconut Point
• Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress

Don't miss this inspiring, practical travel with kids podcast hosted by family travel expert Melissa Conn, founder of The Family Voyage, certified Child Passenger Safety Technician, and mom of two who proves family travel is achievable for everyone.

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Transcript

0:02

Hey there, and welcome back to Family Travel Unpacked. I'm your host, Melissa, and in case you're new here, you can find tons of detailed destination guides, travel tips, hacks, and more on my website, thefamilyvoyage.com. And if you've been enjoying the show, be sure to hit follow wherever you're listening so you never miss an episode, and drop a five-star review. It really helps other families find the show. By the time you hear this episode, I'm positive I'll be smiling ear to ear And coming off a major travel high. My daughter Shoshana and I will have just gotten home last night from a return trip to Hyatt Regency Coconut Point in Florida for the long weekend We went back there because she asked, not because I planned it, and nothing makes me happier than giving a guilt-free "sure" When my kids ask to go somewhere with me and spend time together. So Today we're talking about two travel programs that when you combine them, give your family an amazing range of options. They'll let you say yes to those special times together too. I'm talking about the Southwest Companion Pass and World of Hyatt points. And the reason I love this combination so much isn't because of any single trip, it's because of how many different kinds of trips it makes possible. There's nothing cookie cutter about the experiences you can have, but what they do have in common is that you can stop stressing about the cost of flights and hotels and focus your vacation budget on amazing experiences once you get there, or keep that money in your pocket and put it towards something else. In this episode, I'll walk you through how these two programs can work together, and then I'm gonna take you through some of my favorite properties across a few different categories: easy long weekends, family adventures, and all-inclusives. This episode does run a little long because I'm gonna give you actionable information about a lot of cool places. I have personal experience with plenty of these, but I'll tell you where I don't also. So grab your cup of coffee and have a listen. Let's start with the basics. If you're not familiar with the Southwest Companion Pass, here's the short version. It lets one person you designate fly with you on every single Southwest flight for close to free. You pay the points or cash for your own ticket, and your companion's ticket costs just the taxes and fees. It's $5.60 each way for domestic flights in the US, but it could go up to 100 or $150 if you're flying to a different country. Still, super reasonable when you consider that you're getting the actual ticket for free. In our house, my husband Ronnie and I each have our own Companion Pass. Normally, our daughter flies as my companion, and our son flies as Ronnie's. So for a family of four, both kids are flying essentially free on every single Southwest trip we take. That's a level of savings that has truly changed how often we're able to say yes to a trip. One thing you might not realize is that you can change your companion designation up to three times per calendar year. So for a mother-son trip this summer, I'm gonna temporarily switch my companion so that he and I can fly together for practically nothing. You have that flexibility and it's just worth keeping in mind, especially as your kids get older and their schedules or interests might not line up all the time. I have a super detailed guide to earning the Southwest Companion Pass over on the blog at thefamilyvoyage.com/companion, or you can flip back to episode 17 if you're more of a listener. The short story is that you earn the Companion Pass by accumulating 135,000 qualifying Southwest points in a calendar year. The good news is that credit card welcome bonuses count toward that total, which is how most people get there. You open either one or two Southwest co-branded credit cards, hit the spending requirements, and you're done. Once you earn the pass, it's valid through the end of the following full calendar year. So keep that timing in mind. If you earn it now, it'll be good through December 31st of 2027. And the great thing that sometimes confuses people is that those 135,000 points, those are still redeemable. It's not like you have to give them up to Southwest to get the Companion Pass. You still keep those in the account, and you can use them for your own tickets while your companion flies just for taxes and fees. One thing I do wanna be upfront about is that Southwest isn't always the cheapest option, especially lately, and that's even with the Companion Pass taken into account. The pass cuts your cost in half, but if another airline is significantly cheaper, you might still come out ahead booking elsewhere. So always comparison shop. I like to use AwardTool and PointsYeah to check out different award travel options, and I have links for both of those down in the show notes. That said, here's a Southwest pricing tip I really love. Book as soon as the schedule opens, usually about six months out, and then set a Google Flights price alert for the same route. Because Southwest points prices are directly tied to the cash price, when you see fares drop, you can go back to Southwest, hit the Change Flight button and select the same flight at a new lower points price. You get the difference back in points right away, even on basic fares. It's one of the most underused moves in Southwest's system. If you're paying cash for the flight, you'll either get a credit or a refund depending on which fare class you booked, but some of those credits do have a pretty short expiration, so make sure you read the fine print. And if you get the Companion Pass and love it, share that love. After you explain how it works to your friends, send them your referral link so that they can open their own Southwest credit cards and start traveling for less. Every referral earns you 20,000 points, and those points count toward renewing your own Companion Pass. I have one friend who I taught about the companion pass, and she went on to refer her daughter's entire competitive cheer team. They all saved so much money on travel to competitions, and my friend earned a ton of referral points in the process, so she got to keep her companion pass for an extra year. So think about that if your kid is in travel sports. I'll have my referral link in the show notes, and you can also find more details in the article on my website and in episode 17 of the podcast. Now I want to talk about the Hyatt side of the equation. Chase Ultimate Rewards points, which I'm sure you've heard me talk about before on the show, they transfer to World of Hyatt at a one-to-one ratio. That means every point you earn on your Chase Sapphire Preferred, Sapphire Reserve, Freedom Unlimited, or Ink for Business can become a Hyatt point, which you'll then use to book your hotels. Bilt Rewards also transfers to Hyatt one-to-one these days, and it's a really interesting program, but it's sort of niche and it's also so complicated that it would take several episodes to explain. If I ever take myself fully down that rabbit hole, I promise I'll bring you with me, so be sure to hit follow to find out. Now, what makes Hyatt so valuable compared to, say, Hilton or Marriott? Hyatt still has a published award chart. That means you know what a property costs before you book. Hilton and Marriott have gone fully dynamic. The number of points you need can change based on demand, time of year, what day of the week it is. Hyatt has moved in that direction with their new five-tier pricing system that went into effect last week, which I'll get to in a second, but they still publish the range for every category. That transparency matters a lot when you're trying to plan and prepare. Also, Hyatt waives resort fees on bookings. That alone can save you 30, 40, or even $50 a night at some properties compared to Marriott and IHG, which charge a resort fee no matter how you book. Another way to leverage the Hyatt program is by opening the Chase World of Hyatt credit card. The welcome offer isn't that great, to be honest, but it comes with a free night certificate every year on your card anniversary, and that's valid at any category one through four property. That's your baseline just for keeping the card at $95 a year. If you put $15,000 on the card in a calendar year, you get a second certificate for those same categories. So that's a good spending threshold to keep in mind. And here's where it gets even more interesting. If you earn 30 of what they call elite qualifying nights in a calendar year, you'll get a milestone reward, which is another free night certificate. Those 30 nights include your actual hotel stays and five that you get just for holding the credit card and six qualifying nights that you receive when you hit that $15,000 spending threshold we talked about a second ago. None of the other hotel chains have milestone awards that are that valuable or available that early in your loyalty journey. So in addition to whatever points you transfer from Chase or earn directly on the Hyatt credit card, you could potentially have three more nights to make the core of a nice family vacation. Now about those categories. Hyatt uses eight categories for standard properties. And as of this month, they've added a five-tier pricing structure within each category. Lowest, low, moderate, upper, and top. The upside of the lowest tier is that some nights are actually cheaper than they used to be. The downside is that the top-tier nights in higher categories can cost way more, especially at peak times like school breaks and summer. But now that the changes are live, I'd say that they aren't quite as terrible as a lot of us had feared. I would say most hotels went up maybe five to ten thousand points per night, but they're still a great value compared to paying cash or redeeming points with another chain. And here's a silver lining if you have those free night certificates. If you can find a category three or four property on a busy weekend that would have cost twelve or fifteen thousand points at the old standard rate, that same night might price out at twenty or twenty-five thousand points under the new system. Your free night certificate covers it either way, so The devaluation actually makes your certificates worth more in those situations. For comparison's sake, Hilton has devalued their program so dramatically that top properties can cost a quarter million points a night. IHG is also fully dynamic, and some properties are north of 150,000 points per night. So with that context, Hyatt's published chart for regular hotels, even with the new tiers that hit 75,000 points, is still the most generous hotel program out there if you're using points. And on the low end, good luck finding a Marriott, Hilton, or IHG hotel that you actually want to stay in that's under 15,000 points per night unless you're going to some far-flung corner of the globe. But I've got a few coming up in that range within the Hyatt program Now let's get into the actual destinations where Southwest's route map and Hyatt's properties overlap to give you an amazing family vacation. I'm gonna start with what I think of as the easiest category, domestic long weekend getaways. A short Southwest hop, no passport, and there are even some places where you can use a free night certificate. These are the trips that almost feel too easy when you have a companion pass and a stack of Hyatt points. I'll start where Shoshana and I literally just were, Hyatt Regency Coconut Point in Bonita Springs, Florida, near Fort Myers. We just got back last night, so this is about as fresh as a review gets. This property is beautiful, like palm trees and flowers everywhere kind of stunning, and there's water all around you. If your kids love to splash, they won't be able to get enough of it. There's a water park area with water slides, a lazy river, multiple pools, and it's not such a huge property that you'll feel overwhelmed. I'd say it's just right. But here's something really unique. It's not actually on the beach, and that's not necessarily a bad thing because the hotel runs its own free boat transfer to their barrier island. Think white sugar sand, uncrowded, great for playing or hunting for shells, and sometimes dolphins will follow the boat on the way over. I also want to give a shout-out to the staff here because every single person at that hotel is so incredibly helpful. My husband and I both noticed just how much they went out of their way for all of us on our first stay. We brought Grandma down there with us because she needed some sunshine, flowers, and a hot tub in the dead of winter, and one of the pool deck guys even tracked down a wheelchair and brought it over while we ate lunch to help her get over to the boat dock faster. This hotel's a category six now, so 20 to 40,000 points per night depending on the demand. But thankfully there are no resort fees on those points stays. Southwest flies directly into Fort Myers with non-stops from 15 different cities and easy one-stop flights from tons more. So the companion pass definitely comes into play. Some families also make Coconut Point a stop on a Florida West Coast road trip. So then you can think about places like Tampa and Fort Lauderdale airports, which have tons of Southwest options. And if you're looking for a quick Orlando trip and you need a break from the theme parks, or maybe you just wanna add a hotel day to your Disney trip, Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress is right next door to the parks. It's got a giant pool that's really neat with grottoes and waterfalls. There's a rock climbing wall, kayaking on the lake, hammocks over the beach, and more. It's a category five now after moving up this month, but it's still a great use of points given the location. I've got detailed reviews of both of those properties over on the blog, so check the links in the show notes. Sticking with Florida for another minute, there's a different option that I think is worth mentioning, Hyatt Regency Coral Gables in Miami. We've stayed there a few different times. It's not a beach resort, but it's a beautiful property in the super cute walkable Coral Gables neighborhood, and it functions as your base for everything Miami has to offer- little Havana food tours, Wynwood Walls, day trips to the Everglades, or hopping over to the beaches. We've done it all, and we really love it. Unfortunately, it also moved to category five this month, so your free night certificates aren't valid anymore, but it's a great points stay, and there's plenty of availability at the lower prices. Southwest flies into both Miami and Fort Lauderdale, so you've got good options for using that companion pass If you want a great kid-friendly getaway, but Florida isn't quite your speed, I'd send you straight to Texas, specifically Hyatt Regency Lost Pines near Austin, which I've stayed at and reviewed on my site. The best way I can describe it is this: it gives you kind of a light version of that family camp feel that places in New England charge thousands of dollars for, but you're in the hill country outside of Austin and Southwest will fly you there. There's the Crooked River Water Park with a thousand-foot lazy river and a cute sandy beach area. Plus there are nature trails, horseback riding, stargazing, archery, and more. But it also has a kids club, so you could sneak away for a massage while they're busy. Our cousins live down in Austin, and they've done that before on a day visit, and they swear by it. Plus in the evening, there are movies under the stars with free popcorn for the kids, and there's live music on the most gorgeous only-in-Texas patio. Our family had such a relaxing time at Lost Pines that I sent my sister-in-law last year when she needed an easy spring break trip to take solo with two of her kids, and she loved it so much that she went back this year too. It's a category six now, so that's twenty thousand to forty thousand points per night. San Antonio also has the Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort and Villas, which just finished a massive hundred million dollar renovation. The pictures look amazing. They added a huge lagoon with a white sand beach and a FlowRider wave simulator. And the rooms look really fresh and updated. But the great thing is that this one's still a category five. Now the catch is that Southwest doesn't have nearly as many routes to San Antonio, which is why we haven't been there yet. But if you're lucky enough to have one of those nonstops, or you're willing to drive the 90 minutes from Austin, then please report back and let me know what you think. Now that Hyatt has switched up their reward chart, I did a quick comparison of Lost Pines and Hill Country. For most dates, the difference is only 5,000 points, and every now and then it's 10,000 points. But there are actually a handful of dates when they're the same price- lost Pines is in its lowest bucket and Hill Country is in the low bucket. And overall, Lost Pines has more dates available. So if you're interested in one, I think it's worth checking both I also want to point out that the entire week of Thanksgiving at Hill Country is just 15,000 points per night. So if you want to skip the cooking and have a fun getaway in the heated lazy river, I won't judge you. It's so affordable that you could even have the whole family meet there. Just make sure to refer them to the Southwest credit card beforehand so they can get companion passes too. Let's keep moving across the Sun Belt, which is definitely Southwest's strongest coverage area. I have to give a quick shout-out to Grand Hyatt Scottsdale, which just completed a $115 million renovation as part of the transition from the Hyatt Regency brand. There are 10 pools and a massive water playground. Our family's finally visiting in June after years of looking at the pictures, so I'll have a full report on that soon. We've spent a ton of time in and around Scottsdale, and I think it's best in the fall or spring when you're not gonna melt. It'll be a little toasty when we go next month, but our entire plan is just to hang out by the pools with our extended family that's joining us. This one's a category 6, but looking ahead to next spring, most nights are 30,000 points, and that decreases once you get past mid-April. But a hidden gem in this region, in my opinion, is the Hyatt Regency Tamaya in New Mexico, right between Albuquerque and Santa Fe on the Santa Ana Pueblo. We haven't gotten there yet because we don't have any nonstops to Albuquerque on Southwest or any other airline, but plenty of you listening probably do. And this one, it's a category four. That means your free night certificate works here, and there are tons of nights available at 12,000 and 15,000 points as well. My friend Jordan took her boys there a few years ago and raved about it. It's set on 550 acres with three pools, a two-story water slide, horseback riding on rescued horses, hot air ballooning, and real cultural experiences that are tied to the Pueblo that hosts the hotel. Southwest flies into Albuquerque just 30 minutes away, plus you can tack on a day trip to Santa Fe. For outdoor-loving families, this has got to be one of the most underrated points redemptions in the whole Hyatt portfolio. I just wish we'd known about it one of the times we visited New Mexico when the kids were younger. Heading over to the Golden State now in San Diego, Hyatt Regency Mission Bay is a solid family choice. It sits right on the bay, and there are three pools, waterslides, plus a full marina where you can rent jet skis and kayaks. Also, it's just a few minutes from all the great attractions in San Diego, although I do recommend renting a car. I have a big San Diego guide down in the show notes for you, and if you're traveling on a budget, then plan your trip for October when the city runs its annual Kids Go Free promotion all month long. It's exactly what it sounds like. Kids get in free almost everywhere with a paid adult ticket. Fall break anyone? This is another hotel I sent my brother-in-law and sister-in-law to with their three young kids, and they had a fantastic stay. I'm kind of amazed, but this is still a category four, so it's a great place to use those free night certificates. And I wanna point out something special about this hotel that I haven't mentioned yet. You don't have to use points only to book a basic room. You can also use your points to book a standard suite or even premium suites, which can be clutch if you have three or four kids. The points difference is meaningful, but it's not huge. At this category, nine thousand extra points moves you into a standard suite, or twelve thousand extra points moves you into a premium suite, and that's even for peak dates. It's just a matter of availability. A lot of hotels play games and might only designate one or two suites as types that are available with points, but keep the rest for cash payers, even if the only difference is a high floor or a different view. Not at Mission Bay. They make tons of suites available on points, and their marina suite with two queen beds can sleep six people. Plus you get a great view of the marina from your balcony for your morning coffee. Southwest has really been growing their service into San Diego aggressively, and now we have a nonstop four days a week from Columbus, and there are lots of other mid-sized Midwestern cities that have at least as much. So I think San Diego is a really awesome example of how the Southwest Companion Pass and Hyatt can work together to give you a fantastic family getaway without breaking the bank. But let's say you want a big city experience for your family. Well, Chicago's the place to be. We've stayed at the Hyatt Centric Magnificent Mile in Chicago, which is really nice. Hyatt has a bunch of great properties around the city since it's their home base, and there are about a half dozen that are still eligible for those free night certificates we talked about at the beginning of the episode. Southwest runs a million flights into Midway since it's one of their major bases, and that's actually really convenient for getting to downtown. Chicago with kids is great. You'll never run out of things to do, whether you wanna visit the different museums, see the Shedd Aquarium, or rent bikes and ride along Lake Michigan. We go at least once a year to visit family, and we always find something new to do. Now let's talk about using the Southwest Companion Pass and Hyatt combination for bigger, more adventurous kind of trips. Some of these are really fun and unexpected. Now you're definitely gonna see higher categories here that translate to requiring more points. So you might not be able to do these all the time, but that's okay. You might wanna save up and just do one of these once a year. First up, Costa Rica. We've stayed at the Andaz Costa Rica in the Papagayo Peninsula, and I have a review for it on my site. So I'll give you my honest take. This place is pure relaxation with just a dash of Costa Rican adventure, but it oozes warm Tico hospitality. My kids were crushed to leave after four nights, and they still ask about going back. The way we approach Costa Rica, and I've talked about this on other episodes, is the first half of the trip doing activities like zip lining, wildlife tours, whatever adventure thing is on the list, and then the second half is decompressing at a nice hotel. Andaz Papagayo is built for that decompression half. It's a luxury eco-resort on a private peninsula 30 minutes from the Liberia Airport. Southwest flies into Liberia from Baltimore, Denver, Fort Lauderdale, and Houston. So from most Midwestern and East Coast cities, you're connecting through one of those hubs, and your companion flies for taxes only on every single leg. When we did it, the cost was about $100 per person, and most of that was the Costa Rica arrival and departure taxes that you have to pay no matter how you travel. The resort is a Category 8, so there's no certificate available, and it's definitely a splurge. Under the new award chart, most nights are 55,000 points, but they can go up to 75,000. But Hyatt Points plus a Companion Pass covers your two biggest costs, and I think it's okay to splurge a little for those last few days if you can go more budget-friendly on the rest. Now for ski families, and this is where I think the Companion Pass is really powerful because ski trip flights add up fast, Hyatt has some great options. I have a friend who swears by the Park Hyatt Beaver Creek in Colorado, which is a Category 8 that's ski-in, ski-out. During peak season, you're gonna be paying at least 55,000 points per night. But if you've ever looked at condo rentals in the area during ski season, that probably doesn't seem outrageous. Grand Hyatt Vail is also ski-in, ski-out, and it's only a Category 7. I'm seeing nights during our spring break time in March that are 35 to 45,000 points. One thing I want to flag is that often the points redemptions at ski destinations during peak season are non-refundable. So be sure to check the terms before you book if you're not certain you'll go. Southwest flies into Denver from a ton of cities around the US, even New York, so pretty much everyone can take advantage of the Companion Pass to get out there and hit the slopes. Unfortunately, they don't fly into Eagle County, so you'll have to rent a car or take a shuttle. If you've got an Epic Pass, you can get a discount on the shuttle they run, but be sure to do a full price comparison And in Utah, there are a few great options too. Hyatt Centric Park City is ski-in, ski-out at Canyons Village at Park City Mountain, which is the largest ski resort in the country. That's a category 8, so most nights during ski season are around 55,000 points per night, but they do go up to 75,000 on occasion. There's also the new Grand Hyatt Deer Valley, which is more in the 30 to 50,000-point range. But if you want a budget-friendly Park City option, you could stay at the Hyatt Place, and it's still a category 4. That means you could use free night certificates for your ski vacation, which is kind of amazing. It's got its own ski rental shop and a shuttle to the slopes too. Now, it's not ski-in, ski-out, but it's so much cheaper on points, and families I know love the hot tub out back after a long day of skiing. We haven't done any of those ski destinations, by the way, so take what I'm about to say with a grain of salt. If you're looking to use your companion pass, which is what this is all about, you're way more likely to get a nonstop flight on Southwest into Denver than Salt Lake City. However, you have to weigh the three-hour drive up the mountains in Colorado with the potential for a snowstorm to get in your way against taking a stop to get to Utah, but then making the much shorter, easier drive to Park City. Assuming you got your companion pass through credit card welcome offers, you'll be able to check your ski gear for free, which is really nice. Again, I'm not an expert at skiing or ski trips, so if you're looking to plan one of these for your family, be sure to listen to my friend Jessica of Skiing Kids, an actual expert, back in episode 11. Warming up a little, here's a creative combination that I love for outdoor families. Fly into Palm Springs- southwest serves it from six cities, so you probably need a quick stop. And stay at the Grand Hyatt Indian Wells. It's a category six resort with big pools, water slides, and a lazy river. Then you can drive about 45 minutes for a day trip to Joshua Tree National Park, where you could boulder, hike, and do some of the best stargazing in the country. This is a trip that's great for both adventure kids and the resort kids. You do your climbing and check out the night sky and then come back and fall into a pool. I've spent a lot of time out in Joshua Tree, and I think it's best in fall or spring. Summer in the desert is intense, and it can be really unsafe if you wanna be active in the park, and winter can get way colder than you expect, especially once the sun goes down And this brings me to the example that I think really illustrates the whole point of today's episode. Southwest just launched service to Anchorage, Alaska on May 15th, and I've already got a trip booked there this summer with my son Jacob. Here's the thing. We weren't sitting around thinking about Anchorage. It wasn't necessarily on our list because we did a big family trip to Alaska a few years back, and then I did another trip on my own more recently. But last month, my son saw me making some Canva graphics for my existing Alaska articles and said, "Man, I really wanna get back to Alaska." once I did the math with Southwest points, the Companion Pass, and Hyatt, it was an easy yes. Now, there is a really great Hyatt in Anchorage that's worth knowing about. It's called the Wild Birch Hotel, and it's actually a category 4, so you could use your free night certificates there. It's a fully renovated boutique property right downtown. Friends of mine stayed there and loved it. Unfortunately, since this is a last-minute trip, it seems to be sold out on points all summer. So instead, we're staying at the Hyatt Place Anchorage Midtown, which I've stayed at before, and it's perfectly fine. There's also a Hyatt House in Midtown nearby, and both of those are category 4 as well. Plus, there's a Hyatt Regency in the works near the Wild Birch. Honestly, this kind of situation does happen. Award availability doesn't always cooperate with you. But here's what I want you to take from this situation. The destination is still Alaska. Jacob and I are still gonna go fishing and take a boat to glaciers and hike up Flattop. Sometimes you get the perfect points redemption, and sometimes you work with what's available. We'll sleep at the hotel, and I'll keep those $800 in my pocket. Okay, that's a lie. I'm gonna give them to Budget to pay for my last-minute car rental. But it also shows you some of the trade-offs. I'm able to cover my flights with points and a Companion Pass and the hotel with Hyatt points, so that rental car stings just a little bit less. Another great option here is Puerto Rico, which is domestic, so no passport needed, Hyatt has a few hotels right in San Juan plus two different beach properties, the Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve on the east side of the island and the Hyatt Vacation Club at Hacienda Del Mar, which is west of San Juan. I've been to Puerto Rico twice, once as a family when Jacob was a toddler and more recently on a girls' trip, and I think it just has so many cool activities. Plus, the food scene is awesome. I haven't stayed in any of the Hyatts there yet, but I definitely want to. And we have to talk about Hawaii, right? Southwest serves all four main islands, and they've been expanding service. There are flights from 10 different mainland airports to Honolulu and lots of inter-island routes every day. We've actually used our Companion Passes and Hyatt points for two different Hawaii trips and visited two islands each time, all with flights on Southwest using our Companion Passes. Our flights just cost us the points for the adults and 17 bucks per kid for each trip. In terms of where to stay, there are lots of options. Unfortunately, right now all three Hyatts on Oahu are in Waikiki. Some people love it, but I've spent a lot of time on the island, and I'd personally rather stay somewhere else. But beggars can't be choosers, and the Hyatt Regency Waikiki got the job done just fine when we went as a family of 10. We had no problem snagging three rooms on points over winter break. It's a category five, and even over spring break, you can get rooms as low as 20,000 points per night. That one's right on the beach in the heart of the action. But the amazing thing is that Hyatt Place Waikiki just a few blocks away is still a category four. You can use your free night certificates to take your family to Hawaii. Over on Maui, there are actually three properties, the Hyatt Regency Kaanapali, the Andaz in Wailea, and the Hana Maui on the very far east side of the island. I've only stayed at the Andaz and also some condos next door that used to be part of Hyatt. That was one of our favorite stays ever, so I'm super sad that they're gone. We really love the Andaz, but it's up to a category eight now, and availability on points is pretty spotty. Thankfully, the nights that are available are mostly at 55,000 points, with some as low as 35,000. It sounds crazy to say, but it's still a lot less than it could be. Like, just to put that in perspective, Marriott's Wailea Beach Resort next door is almost always over 100,000 points per night, and both of those chains transfer one-to-one from Chase. We haven't stayed at the Hyatt Regency Maui yet, but it's generally considered the most family-friendly option. It's got water slides, penguins, and more. But it doesn't have the same incredible beach you'll get in Wailea, Or really much of a beach at all unless you walk about 5 to 10 minutes further north. However, most nights there are just 30,000 points per night and some are even cheaper, plus the rooms are bigger than they are at the Andaz. We've also stayed at the Grand Hyatt Kauai, which might be the most beautiful hotel anywhere. It's like Coconut Point, but amplified a million times. It's so lush and there are palm trees and birds of paradise everywhere. Definitely take a look at my Kauai article linked down below to see photos. It's basically the same story as the Andaz. Most nights are 55,000, but some are 35 or 45, and as of right now, availability on points isn't nearly as good as other properties. Some of that could be people rushing to make bookings before the big award chart changes, so I suspect there will be some cancellations for dates after the new year once people firm up their travel plans. I know this episode's running long, but I wanna go into our last category of trip here, and that's all-inclusives. Hyatt has really been dominating this market in the Caribbean and Mexico. They keep acquiring more brands, and Southwest is also expanding, so between the two, you can get pretty far, and again, think half-price flights. But there are some important things to know before you get too excited. Hyatt all-inclusive properties have their own award chart, categories A through F, but still with five different price buckets for each, and free night certificates from the Chase card can't be used at the all-inclusive properties at all. Depending on which level of all-inclusive you're looking at, the points could be anywhere from 30,000 points per night at some of the Dreams or Bahia to 65,000 points at some of the flagship Ziva locations over spring break. Now, compared to the points we talked about a minute ago for hotels, that sounds totally reasonable, right? The points are nearly the same, but you're also getting your food and beverage included. But here's the red flag for families. When you use points at an all-inclusive in Hyatt's portfolio, those points only cover two guests per room. That's it, no matter how big the room or suite is. If you have four people in your family, you either have to book two rooms on points, which doubles your point spend, or you can book one room on points and pay a cash supplement for the additional guests. They also give you the option to just pay for that guest in points, but it's literally half the cost of the room, so with two kids, you might as well get the second room and have more space. But those cash supplements can be several hundred dollars per child per day at the nicest all-inclusives. I ultimately canceled our reservation at one of the Hyatt all-inclusives for exactly that reason. It would have cost $1,500 out of pocket to add my kids for a long weekend, and that was on top of the huge points cost. So before you mentally bank on a Hyatt Ziva vacation on points, run the full math. You might have to email to find out exactly what the cash piece is, and it depends on the kid's age. Also, definitely get it in writing because I've heard of some parents being told one thing over the phone and then something completely different at check-in. For two adults, it's a fantastic deal. For a family of four, you need to understand what you're actually getting into. And most of these all-inclusives can only accommodate four people per room, so if you have three kids and two parents, you're gonna either need to book two rooms, or you're gonna be stuck with one of the most expensive properties. That said, even with a supplement for the kids, you're still often coming out ahead of what you'd pay in cash for an all-inclusive of the same quality. But I want you to go in with eyes open. So let me start by saying we haven't visited any of these places. It just doesn't make sense for our budget or what we usually like to do when we travel. But I do know a lot of people who have stayed at these properties. The Hyatt Ziva brand I mentioned a minute ago is your top-tier family-friendly all-inclusive. The food and service quality at Ziva properties is considered very solid. For the Caribbean, Hyatt Ziva Rose Hall in Jamaica just reopened in April 2026 after hurricane repairs, and Southwest has really strong service into Montego Bay from Baltimore, Fort Lauderdale, Houston, Midway, and even St. Louis. Hyatt Ziva Cap Cana in the Dominican Republic is in the exclusive Cap Cana neighborhood. That place looks amazing, but it's also the most expensive family-friendly all-inclusive Hyatt offers, whether you're paying cash or points. Southwest serves Punta Cana from seven different cities, so it's really easy to get you and your kid down there with the companion pass. Hyatt Ziva Cancun is also in the portfolio, and before Cap Cana, that was the flagship. I'll mention Cancun specifically because it's the gateway airport for the entire Riviera Maya and even Tulum. You fly into Cancun and transfer north or south. So if you see Hyatt all-inclusive properties in Playa del Carmen, Riviera Maya, or Playa Mujeres, Flying Southwest to Cancun is generally gonna be your best option. There are also the Dreams properties. In fact, there are tons of them in the Dominican Republic and Mexico specifically, And those tend to be in the lower categories of the all-inclusive chart, and they're more mid-budget on points while still being really family-oriented. A lot of them have great water parks, but they might be a step down in terms of the food. I have family that stayed at two different Dreams locations, and they gave positive marks even though it might not be the fanciest option. But these are definitely worth checking if you want an all-inclusive where you can stretch your points further and the cash add-on for kids won't be nearly as eye-watering. Sorry guys, I know that episode got really long. I wanna zoom out for a second before I wrap up because I know I threw a lot of options at you and I don't want you to lose the thread. The point of today's episode wasn't here's the one trip you have to take. It's to show you how wide the range of possibilities is when you hold these two things at the same time: a Southwest Companion Pass and a healthy stash of Hyatt points or Chase Ultimate Rewards points that you can transfer in. You could go to New Mexico and ride horses on a pueblo. You can go to Alaska and look for bears. You could go to a waterpark resort in Florida for a long weekend. You can take your family to a Jamaican all-inclusive, or you can ski the Rockies and save your money for lift tickets and overpriced french fries. And right now, even with the changes Hyatt made to their reward chart, I think it's still the most transparent, family-friendly hotel loyalty program out there compared to the sky-high and unpredictable pricing that you'll get at Hilton and Marriott. If you find hotels that are still category three or four, those free night certificates are actually worth more than they used to be because the points cost of those properties can now be higher under the new tiers. I have full reviews of several of the properties I mentioned today over on my website, Andaz Papagayo, Lost Pines, Coconut Point, Grand Cypress, and Hyatt Regency Waikiki, and I'm sure I'll be writing more in the future. I'll link to all of those down in the show notes, and for the full breakdown of how our family approaches credit cards and travel, that's episode seven. Everything's in there. You could also grab my free e-book below or at thefamilyvoyage.com/freetravel. If you wanna start building Southwest points, my referral link is in the show notes. And remember, if you refer a friend, you'll earn 20,000 points per referral, which counts toward renewing your own companion pass. Episode 17 has the full companion pass deep dive if you wanna go back and hear that one. Thanks for listening to this episode of Family Travel Unpacked. If you like what you heard and wanna get more, hit follow wherever you're listening so you never miss an episode. While you're at it, leave a review and a five-star rating to help other families find the show. Until next time, safe travels.