The Maldives is a luxurious, tropical, bucket list destination that most people only dream about because they think the trip is unattainable. What if I told you that you can visit the Maldives on points? Moreover, for (almost) FREE?!?
Maldives on points—what do you mean?
Some call it “travel hacking,” and it’s a great way to travel worldwide using points instead of cash. The Maldives is one of the most sought-after destinations in the world, and it’s popular to go with points.
We would know because we are one of them.
To celebrate our romantic 8th wedding anniversary, we took an expensive $40,000 trip to the Maldives…but we only spent $500 to get there, and our five-night hotel stay was 100% paid with points!
My guide to visiting the Maldives on points will cover everything you need to know, whether you are new to the point game or a seasoned travel hacker. From how to fly there to the several hotels you can stay at, and the best point strategy—my guide will help you achieve your dream of going to the Maldives (for almost FREE).
What is Travel Hacking?
If you are new to travel hacking, here is a quick 101 with enough information to help you understand how to visit the Maldives on points.
First and most importantly, you should only travel hack if you are financially responsible. If you have struggled to pay credit cards in the past, this guide and method of traveling may not be for you.
Travel hacking is a term used to describe the art and strategy of obtaining points/miles to redeem for flights, hotels, car rentals, cruises, and more. In other words, you can book your entire trip using points. This is precisely what you will learn how to do for the Maldives.
The fastest and best way to obtain points is by applying for travel credit cards with a worthy welcome offer (signup bonus). You receive the signup bonus after you meet the required spend on the credit card within a given time frame.
These points can be versatile through a bank or with a direct airline and hotel brand. For example, when you spend $4,000 on purchases with the Chase Sapphire Preferred within the first three months of opening the account, you receive a signup bonus of 60,000 Chase Ultimate Reward points.
The Chase Ultimate Reward points can be transferred to airlines like Qatar Airways and Emirates and hotels like Hyatt, IHG, and Marriott.
Alright, so nothing in life is ever completely free, but travel hacking comes close. Most travel credit cards will have an annual fee.
These annual fees can be anywhere between $95 to $695. Some credit cards will have additional benefits to offset the annual fee, but the annual fees can rack up. I consider the annual fees as the actual hotel or flight cost.
For example, a five-night stay in an overwater villa in the Maldives costs $6,000 in cash or 440k points. You pay in points, which you receive with four credit cards totaling $700 in annual fees. That means when you pay in points, the actual cost of your stay is $700 (what you paid for in credit card annual fees), not the hotel cash price of $6,000.
That is a considerable amount of savings! Hopefully, that helps put your mind at ease on your journey of travel hacking your way to the Maldives on points.
Basic Rules of Travel Hacking
There are a few basic rules of travel hacking. Though there are plenty of credit card issuers, I will review a few important ones I mention throughout this post.
You can only have five American Express credit cards at a time. Furthermore, you can only earn a welcome offer once per lifetime. The once-per-lifetime language is actually seven years.
There is no firm limit on how many Citi cards you can have. However, Citi has an 8/65 rule and a 48-month rule on most cards. The 8/65 rule states that you are ineligible to apply for more than one Citi credit card in eight days and up to two credit cards in 65 days. The 48-month rule means you cannot earn the welcome offer again until after 48 months from your application.
Chase does not formally limit the number of credit cards you can have. However, Chase has an important 5/24 rule. If you’ve opened five or more credit cards with any credit card issuer within 24 months, you will not be approved for a new Chase credit card.
As you build your points, have a solid strategy per Amex, Citi, and Chase rules. Also, make sure you pace yourself when applying for credit cards. Although you can apply for multiple credit cards after a few days with some issuers, an excellent general rule of thumb is to wait 30 days.
Opening several credit cards only hurts your credit score in the short term, but closing a card will hurt you in the long term. The best option is to downgrade to a $0 annual fee card only after you pay the first renewal fee. Downgrade the card before the second anniversary of opening the account.
Activate Player 2 Mode
In addition to opening credit cards to receive a welcome offer, another fast way to earn points is by referring a friend, i.e., activating Player 2 mode.
A majority of the issuer cards allow you to refer friends and family. You send your referral code, and after they are approved, you will be rewarded with referral bonus points.
Activating Player 2 Mode means you and your partner work together to earn points. For example, one person applies for a Chase Sapphire Preferred card. After you meet the required spend to receive the welcome offer of 60,000 points, send your referral code to your partner.
After they are approved, you earn 15,000 more points. Additionally, after Player 2 meets the required spend, they will receive the 60,000 points welcome offer. Between the two, you now have 135,000 Chase Ultimate Reward points!
Research and Set a Goal
Like any vacation, a trip to the Maldives on points will take some research and planning. Yes, this guide can help get you started, but you need time, patience, and a set goal.
Research the amount of points you will need for the trip, the best credit cards to obtain the points, and a timeframe for applying for all the credit cards.
Remember, this is not a sprint. It is a marathon. It will likely take a year of building up your points before you can book your stay in the Maldives.
Then, you must book your trip at least a year in advance to get the best point redemptions. So, if you start travel hacking today, you are looking at 2-3 years before you go on a trip to the Maldives on points.
How to Fly to the Maldives on Points
There are many ways to get from the United States to Male International Airport (MLE). I will focus on some of the best airlines to get you to the Maldives on points and miles. Additionally, you must be flexible on dates, utilizing multiple airlines, mixed cabin seats, and rerouting to different airports.
I will use our situation as an example. We live in Dallas but drove to Houston because DFW had no award flight redemptions. We flew business class with Singapore Airlines to MLE. Then, we flew business class with Qatar Airways to IAH.
The Maldives is one of the hardest-to-reach destinations, especially from the United States. In addition to flying over 23 hours to get to MLE, you must take a speed boat or seaplane transfer to your resort. (Heads up, you must pay the speed boat or seaplane transfer in cash).
You can easily find flight award redemptions in economy class as low as 80k points roundtrip, but some say that part of the lure of going to the Maldives on points is flying business class. Finding a good-value award space for a business-class flight to the Maldives is more complicated than finding award nights for a hotel.
Therefore, as you search for a trip to the Maldives on points, start with flight redemptions first. Then, see if the flight redemption also fits a nice hotel point redemption. Building your point portfolio with different card issuers with several airline and hotel transfer partners is essential.
Typically, you book roundtrip flights, but it’s better to book one-way flights for flight redemptions. Booking one-way flights allows you to use points for one airline to the Maldives. Then, another airline with different points on the way home.
We used Chase Ultimate Rewards to book our flight on Singapore Airlines to the Maldives. Then, we used our AAdvantage miles to book our flight home on Qatar Airways.
Flying to the Maldives on Points: Emirates
Emirates is one of the most lavish airlines in the market, with its cream leather seats and golden details. You may know Emirates from their commercial with Jennifer Anniston living the dream flying business/first class. That’s the first thing that comes to mind when I think of Emirates.
Can you imagine getting up from your seat and walking to a full-service in-flight bar and lounge? Now, that is the way to fly! Luckily, you can live that dream on your way to the Maldives. (Ensure it’s an Emirates Airbus A380 to enjoy the in-flight bar and lounge).
Although Emirates does not have an alliance with other airlines, there are several ways to redeem your points and miles for award flights on Emirates. The easiest way to book an Emirates flight with points is to book directly on their site with Emirates Skywards miles.
You can acquire Emirates Skywards miles with multiple card issuers with a 1:1 transfer to Emirates. That includes Amex Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards, and Capital One Venture miles.
Finding award flight redemptions is standard on Emirates’ site. A one-way ticket to the Maldives can cost at least 73,750 miles for economy, 138k miles for business, and 163.5k miles for first class. The only downside to booking directly through Emirates is the carrier-imposed charges.
An alternative is finding award flight availability through Aeroplan (Air Canada). Finding a decent award flight might be more difficult, but the points for an economy and business class seat are almost identical. More importantly, the carrier-imposed charges are significantly less!
You can earn Aeroplan points with the Chase Aeroplan Card for a quick 60k signup bonus. You can also transfer Amex Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, and Capital One Venture miles to Aeroplan at a 1:1 ratio.
Flying to the Maldives on Points: Turkish Airlines
Turkish Airlines holds the title of flying to more countries than any other airline, including the Maldives. It might not be as ritzy as Emirates or Qatar Airways, but it’s still a glamorous way to travel to the Maldives on points.
In both economy and business class, Turkish Airlines serves such delicious food that you forget you are eating “plane food.” Furthermore, you will most likely have a layover in Istanbul, where Turkish Airlines has one of the best airport lounges in the world.
Turkish Airlines is a member of Star Alliance. So you can find flight award space with partner airlines such as United Airlines, Air Canada, Singapore Airlines, and Lufthansa. You can also transfer Bilt Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards, and Capital One Venture miles to the Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles program at a 1:1 ratio.
You can find flight award space to the Maldives in economy class for as low as 75k points or in business class for 275k with Turkish Miles & Smiles. The carrier-imposed charges can also be between $160 to $600. The flight redemption and carrier-imposed charges are not terrible, but they are not excellent either.
Therefore, I recommend booking a Turkish Airlines award seat through United Airlines or Aeroplan (Air Canada). The same flight through United Airlines is significantly less in points and only $12.60 in carrier-imposed charges than if you book through Turkish Airlines.
You can earn United MileagePlus points with four United credit cards. The United Club Infinite Card has a signup bonus of 80k miles, which means you can almost pay for a business class seat to the Maldives with one card! You can also transfer Bilt Rewards and Chase Ultimate Rewards at a 1:1 ratio to United MileagePlus.
Flying to the Maldives on Points: Qatar Airways
Qatar Airways is easily known as one of the best airlines in the world. From economy to first class, the comfort and hospitality experience is world-class.
Qatar Airways is a OneWorld member, meaning you can book a Qatar Airways flight on the American Airlines’ website. Booking a Qatar Airways flight is the best way to use your AAdvantage miles (points) ever!
You can fly roundtrip to the Maldives in economy class for only 80k AAdvantage mile. Better yet, you can fly roundtrip on business class in the luxurious Qsuites for 140k AAdvantage miles.
There are a handful of cards that can earn AAdvantage miles. Barclays has an AAdvantage Aviator Red World Elite Mastercard for a 60k AAdvantage miles welcome offer. Citi has three personal and one business card with welcome offers up to 70k AAdvantage miles.
Flying on Qatar Airways Qsuites is one of the most sought-after flying experiences in the world. The Qsuite is like having a hotel room on a plane with fully lie-flat beds, five-star meals, impeccable hospitality service from the flight crew, and more.
It almost sounds too good to be true. That’s because finding the Qsuite award redemption with AAdvantage miles is difficult. The award space for Qsuites on American Airlines’ site is limited. Only two spaces are released per flight.
The key to booking Qsuites is being flexible on repositioning to airports and travel dates. Trust me, it’s worth it to drive or fly to another airport to fly in a Qsuite. If you can find the flight award redemption, book it! You will not regret it.
Hotels to Stay at in the Maldives on Points
There are four “big players” in the hotel-travel hacking world. There is Hilton, Hyatt, IHG, and Marriott.
Using points, you can stay at any of these hotel brand properties in the Maldives. And I am going to break down how with each one.
One of the best ways to stay in the Maldives on points is with one of the hotel brand credit cards. Depending on the card tier, most cards will offer an annual free night certificate and a high-tier status.
Some hotel brands will also offer an extra free night when you book your stay on points. In some cases, you could spend points for four nights and get two additional nights for FREE!
All of these resorts are world-class. You can’t go wrong. I recommend choosing a resort where you have status, the best bang for your buck, or, in this case, points, and the resort you most want to stay at.
Choosing which hotel to stay in in the Maldives was easy for us. We stayed at the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island because we have Hilton credit cards, Hilton Honors Diamond status, and I wanted to dine at the world’s first underwater restaurant.
Please note the credit card strategy tips are based on sign-up bonuses that can fluctuate. The nightly cost of points per night at each resort can also change from the time of writing this post.
Staying in the Maldives on Points: Hilton
Hilton was among the first international hotel brands to make waves in the Maldives. Since its first hotel opening in 1997, Hilton has opened three more luxury resorts in the Maldives.
Hilton’s nightly cost of a hotel room can fluctuate based on demand, but the point redemption per night on a standard room reward is typically static. A standard room redemption can cost a minimum of 5,000 points and a maximum of 150,000 points per night.
The Hilton Honors rewards points are worth approximately 0.6 cents per point. It could be a better point redemption, but Hilton makes up for it in different ways.
When you pay for four nights with points, you automatically get the fifth night for FREE! Additionally, if you have the Amex Hilton Honors Aspire credit card, you can use the yearly complimentary reward for an extra free night. So you can spend four nights in the Maldives on points and get two more nights entirely free for a luxurious 6-night stay.
Read next: Conrad Maldives Rangali Island Review: A Perfect Stay in Paradise
Here are the points per night at the following Hilton resorts:
- Conrad Maldives Rangali Island – 120k points per night for a Beach Villa or Sunrise Water Villa (average cash price is $922).
- Hilton Maldives Amingiri Resort & Spa – 110k points per night for a one-bedroom beach Pool Villa (average cash price is $1,275).
- SAii Lagoon Maldives – 85k points per night for a Sky Room (average cash price is $416).
- Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi – 150k points per night for a King Reef Villa with Pool or Two Queen Bedded Reef Villa with Pool (average cash is $2,079). This standard room redemption is popular and will get booked at this rate within hours. It is best to look as soon as hotel rooms are released, about 12 months in advance.
How to Find Best Point Redemption
Booking a Hilton property in the Maldives on points is relatively easy because the point redemption per night on a standard room reward is typically static.
When you visit the Hilton website, the first thing you want to do is click the check-in calendar icon. Now check the “My Dates are Flexible” box and click Done. Next, search for the Maldives, enter the number of guests, click “special rates,” check the box for “use points,” and click “find a hotel.”
You will see Hilton’s properties in the Maldives and the rate per night for a standard room reward. Select dates for your desired property and Hilton’s “find the best price” calendar will open a new window.
Since the standard room reward rate remains the same, you can use the calendar to search for your travel dates to ensure availability. It’s that simple to find and book with Hilton points.
Hilton Credit Card Strategy
When you utilize the Amex Hilton Honors Aspire credit card, a six-night stay at a Hilton property in the Maldives on points, can cost between 340k points to 600k points—i.e., four nights on points with two free nights.
With that said, I highly recommend getting the Amex Hilton Honors Aspire credit card first. It has a signup bonus of 150k Hilton Honors Bonus Points, and you receive a free night.
Then, I recommend getting the Amex Gold Card because it has a 1:2 transfer to Hilton, plus a signup bonus of 60k points. Therefore, when you transfer the 60k Amex Membership Rewards Points to Hilton Honors, you will receive 120k Hilton Honors Bonus Points.
These two cards will put you at 270k points (plus more from your everyday spending). The third card I recommend is the Amex Hilton Honors Surpass, with a signup bonus of 130k points.
From here, you have player 2 get the same cards from above (because you can transfer points to another Hilton Honors member) or apply for one more Amex card—Amex Hilton Honors or Amex Platinum Card.
If you get the Amex Platinum Card, make sure you get the Amex Gold Card first! You cannot receive the signup bonus on the Gold Card if you already have the Platinum Card.
I know that is a lot of cards, but remember, it is difficult to rack up Hilton Honors points, and you can only have five Amex cards at a time.
Staying in the Maldives on Points: Hyatt
Hyatt is considered the most award-friendly hotel program because of its point value and its ease of attaining points. Going to the Maldives on points is an excellent example of showcasing why Hyatt has the best point value.
As mentioned above, Hilton can be at least 120k points per night, whereas the two Hyatt properties in the Maldives are between 25k-35k points per night. That is a huge point differential.
The World of Hyatt rewards points are worth approximately 1.7 cents per point—more than any other hotel points in the industry. World of Hyatt prices its award nights by hotel category using a published award chart. The higher the hotel category, the more points you will need.
Although World of Hyatt does not have dynamic pricing, it does have off-peak and peak pricing. So, a hotel can be more or less than its standard published award chart of points needed per night.
As an added bonus, if you are a World of Hyatt elite status member of Discoverist, Explorist, or Globalist, you can receive a free upgrade, perhaps in an overwater villa.
Here are the points per night at the following World of Hyatt resorts:
- Alila Kothaifaru Maldives – 25k points (off-peak), 30k points, or 35k points (peak) per night in a Beach Villa (average cash price is $563).
- Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa – 25k points (off-peak), 30k points, or 35k points (peak) per night in a Beach Villa (average cash price is $782).
How to Find Best Point Redemption
Thanks to the World of Hyatt published award charts, finding and booking hotel stays with points is easy. The published award charts will show points at an off-peak, standard, and peak rate.
Visit the World of Hyatt website, search for the Maldives, enter a random one-night stay, input the number of guests, check the box for “use points,” and click “find hotels.”
Hyatt’s two properties in the Maldives will show the points and cash rate per night. Click “view rates” for a property, and a new window will open to that property booking portal.
Although 30k points per night is a great standard rate, to find off-peak rates or the dates you wish to travel, click “points calendar.” It is under the phone number with the property information.
Another window will appear with a calendar showing rates for every day. Now, you can scroll through the months and find the best rate for your travel days.
Hyatt Credit Card Strategy
A five-night stay at a Hyatt property in the Maldives on points can be as low as 125k points to 175k points.
If you want the World of Hyatt elite status to get an upgrade and other perks, then the World of Hyatt credit card is a good start. The World of Hyatt signup bonus is up to 65k points.
Since Chase Ultimate Rewards has a 1:1 transfer to Hyatt, I would also get a Chase Sapphire Preferred card with a signup bonus of 60k points.
If you are a small business owner, the Chase Ink Business Unlimited and Chase Ink Business Cash (my favorite card) are also great options with a signup bonus of 75k points.
So, if you open two to three of these recommended credit cards (by yourself or using a Player 2), you can stay at one of the Hyatt properties in the Maldives on points! World of Hyatt also lets you transfer points to other Hyatt members.
Staying in the Maldives on Points: IHG
Although IHG is considered one of the least valuable point redemptions (of Hilton, Hyatt, and Marriott), it’s still a great way to go to the Maldives on points. Since expanding its portfolio beyond name-brand properties, IHG has partnered with Six Senses, one of the world’s best and most luxurious hotel brands.
IHG One Rewards points are worth approximately 0.5 cents per point—one of the lowest point redemption values. However, you can make these points worthwhile with a credit card and some travel hacking.
Moreover, IHG One Rewards uses dynamic pricing, so the number of points needed per night can fluctuate based on demand and the property. Sometimes, you could find a significant point redemption that makes IHG One Rewards points worth more than 0.5 cents per point.
The best way to stay at an IHG property in the Maldives on points is by having any of the three IHG credit cards—IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card, IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card, and IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card. When you have an IHG credit card and book three nights with points, you get the fourth night FREE!
Here are the points per night at the following IHG resorts, but the rates can fluctuate more or less at any given time:
- Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives – between 35k-75k points per night for a Garden Villa (average cash price is $271).
- InterContinental Maldives Maamunagau Resort – between 133k-250k points per night for a Overwater Pool Villa (average cash price is $1,135).
- Six Senses Kanuhura Maldives – between 185k-246k points per night for a Beach Villa (average cash price is $1,529).
- Six Senses Laamu – between 190k-261k points per night for a Lagoon Water Villa (average cash price is $1,646).
How to Find Best Point Redemption
Since the IHG One Rewards program is based on dynamic pricing and has no award chart, you must research to find the best rate.
The first step is to go to the IHG website and choose the Maldives as the destination in the search box. Then, pick tomorrow’s date for one night, select one room and number of guests, and click “reward nights” under the rate preference drop-down. Now, click “search.”
You will receive a list of all the properties in the Maldives and see if reward night space is available. To find the best point redemption rate for a property (for this example, the Intercontinental Maldives Maamunagau Resort), you want to find dates that are not available.
In the screenshot below, you will see Six Senses Kanuhura Maldives for 185k points per night, but the Intercontinental Maldives Maamunagau Resort shows a cash price of $873. You want to see this for the Intercontinental Maldives Maamunagau Resort because now you can view the calendar nights to find the best reward night rate.
More than likely, when you search for dates for tomorrow, there will not be reward nights. If there are reward nights, search for a different date until you see the grey box with “view available dates.”
Click “view available dates,” and a pop-up calendar will appear showing the point redemption rate for available dates. Now, you can scroll through the months and find the best rate and the number of available days.
IHG Credit Card Strategy
When you utilize an IHG credit card, a four-night stay at an IHG property in the Maldives on points can cost between 108k for a low-tier property to 570k points for a high-tier property.
Of the four IHG properties in the Maldives, the InterContinental Maldives Maamunagau Resort is the most attainable for its appeal, given the reward rate is for an overwater pool villa. So I am going to use this resort for the credit card strategy.
A four-night stay at the InterContinental Maldives Maamunagau Resort can cost 399k points. The first card I would get is the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card, with a signup bonus of 165k points.
I would also get the IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card with a signup bonus of 100k points. As well as the Chase Sapphire Preferred card that has a signup bonus of 60k points because Chase Ultimate Rewards has a 1:1 transfer to IHG.
If you are utilizing player 2, they should also get an IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card because it comes with Diamond Elite Status. You can transfer IHG points between Diamond Elite Status members.
If you are a small business owner, there are three more options: IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card with a signup bonus of 140k points, and Chase Ink Business Unlimited and Chase Ink Business Cash, both with a signup bonus of 75k points.
Bonus night: with the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card, you can get five nights for 492k points. The IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card has an anniversary-free night for hotels up to 40k points, but the certificate is “flexible.”
It allows you to book expensive hotels like the InterContinental Maldives Maamunagau Resort with a point co-pay. If the nightly reward rate is 133k points and you redeem the anniversary free night, it would only cost 93k points for one night.
Staying in the Maldives on Points: Marriott
The Marriott Bonvoy program is a great way to stay in the Maldives on points because they have seven properties, and you can easily earn free nights.
Marriott Bonvoy points are worth approximately 0.8 cents per point and use dynamic pricingo the points per night can fluctuate based on the property and occupancy. On the upside, this also means you could find a significant point redemption to make your Marriott Bonvoy points worth more than 0.8 cents per point.
Of the four hotel brands discussed in this article, Marriott is the only one that partners with Amex and Chase, so you have some flexibility to earn Marriott Bonvoy points.
One of the best perks of Marriott Bonvoy is that when you book a five-night stay on points, the least expensive night is FREE. Additionally, you can earn free night certificates with specific credit cards. There is a slight stipulation on the free night award certificate.
Depending on the Marriott credit card, you can receive 35,000-point, 50,000-point, and 85,000-point free night award certificates. So, if you have a 50,000-point free night award certificate, and the points per night at the hotel are worth 90,000, you cannot use the certificate.
However, there is a 15,000-point flexibility. If the hotel is worth 65,000 points, you can combine your 50,000-point free night award certificate with 15,000 Marriott Bonvoy points.
Here are the points per night at the following Marriott resorts in the Maldives. These rates can fluctuate more or less at any given time:
- JW Marriott Maldives Resort & Spa – between 71.5k – 128.5k points per night for an Overwater Pool Villa, Sunrise View or Beach Pool Villa, Sunrise View (average cash price is $902).
- Le Méridien Maldives Resort & Spa – between 44k – 70k points per night for a Sunrise Overwater Villa or Beach Villa (average cash price is $503).
- Sheraton Maldives Full Moon Resort & Spa – between 41k – 81k points per night for a Deluxe Guest Room or Cottage (average cash price is $370).
- The Ritz-Carlton Maldives, Fari Islands – between 90k-150k points per night for an Ocean Pool Villa (average cash price is $2,618).
- The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort – between 88k – 150k points per night for an Overwater Villa with Pool or Garden Villa with Pool (average cash price is $1,754).
- The Westin Maldives Miriandhoo Resort – between 52k – 94k points per night for a Deluxe Beach Villa Pool or Family Beach Villa (average cash price is $446).
- W Maldives – between 73k – 130k points per night for a Fabulous Overwater Bedroom Villa (average cash price is $1,028).
How to Find Best Point Redemption
Since the Marriott Bonvoy program is based on dynamic pricing with no award chart, you must research to find the best rate.
The first step is to choose the Maldives as the destination in the search box. Then, pick a random date for one night, select one room and number of guests, and check the box for “use points/awards.” Now, click “find hotels.”
You will receive a list of all the properties in the Maldives and their points per stay. Find the property you want to stay at and click the “view rates” or “continue” black button.
Click the dates and a drop-down calendar will appear. Click “I’m flexible,” keep one night selected, choose a month, click “done,” then click “update stay details.”
The window screen will change to a calendar view showing the point redemption per night. Now, you can find the best rate that fits your budget and time of travel. You can also use the arrows to look at each month.
Marriott Credit Card Strategy
When you book a Marriott property for five nights in the Maldives on points, you get one night FREE. The Marriott properties in the Maldives are all luxurious, with a wide range of points needed per night.
To simplify the credit card strategy, I will break it down in two ways based on properties that cost an average of 50k points per night and properties that cost an average of 90k points per night.
There is one important factor with most Marriott Bonvoy cards—you are ineligible for the welcome offer on a card if you have another Marriott card open within a timeframe. You can do further research, but to keep it simple, open one Marriott Bonvoy card in a 24-month period.
If you want to stay at Le Méridien, Sheraton, or The Westin properties, getting the credit card strategy can be easy. All the properties mentioned are under or slightly above 50k points per night.
You can get the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless with a signup bonus of up to five 50,000-point free night award certificates. Then apply the 50,000-point free night awards to your hotel stay and combine it with up to 15,000 points (if needed).
On the other hand, if you are looking to stay at the Ritz-Carlton, JW Marriott, St. Regis, or W Maldives properties, then you can look into getting the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Amex Card with a signup bonus of 95k points. It also comes with an 80,000-point free night award after your renewal.
Given the nightly cost of those resorts, which is $1,000 – $2,000 a night, the hefty $650 annual fee makes up for it. You can apply the 80,000-point free night award to your hotel stay and combine it with up to 15,000 points. Now you have a six-night stay in the Maldives on points.
I would also suggest the Chase Sapphire Preferred card and the Amex Gold Card. They both have a signup bonus of 60k points. Then, you can transfer the Chase Ultimate Rewards and Amex Members points to Marriott at a 1:1 ratio.
If you are utilizing Player 2, they could get the above credit cards because you can transfer Marriott points to other Marriott Bonvoy members. Better yet, you could stay up to 10 nights in the Maldives for free with the free night award certificates.
Or if you are a small business owner, the Chase Ink Business Unlimited and Chase Ink Business Cash (my favorite card) are also great options with a signup bonus of 75k points.
Overall Comparison of Hotel Brand Points
If you are still with me, then you are one step closer to that luxurious trip to the Maldives on points. I know this is a lot to take in. So here is an overview of what hotel brands offer:
Hilton
- When you book your stay with points, you get the 5th night FREE
- There are no stipulations for the annual free hotel night. You can use it anywhere.
- You can combine the 5th night with an annual free night to get 6 FREE nights.
Hyatt
- It is easy to find published award charts showing off-peak, standard, and peak nights.
- You might receive a free upgrade if you are a World of Hyatt elite status member of Discoverist, Explorist, or Globalist.
IHG
- IHG credit card holders get the 4th night FREE when booking a stay with points.
- The IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card has a “flexible” anniversary-free night certificate for hotel stays up to 40k points. If the nightly reward rate is 133k points and you redeem the anniversary free night, the hotel night cost would be 93k points.
Marriott
- When you book a five-night stay with points, you get the least expensive night FREE.
- Some Marriott credit cards include free night award certificates worth 35k, 50k, and 85k points with a 15k point flexibility. In other words, you can combine your 50,000-point award certificate with 15,000 Marriott Bonvoy points for a 65,000-point stay.
I hope you have found my guide to flying and staying in the Maldives on points insightful and inspiring. Trust me. All the research and planning to acquire points to book this trip will be well worth it!
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask in the comments.
