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The Happiest Place on Earth isn’t just for kids.
In fact, a trip to Walt Disney World® Resort in Orlando, Florida, can be the perfect action-packed vacation for solo travelers or for you and your significant other. Not to mention, it’s also far cheaper for couples compared to a family of five.
However, even for couples and solo travelers, Disney World is still on the pricier end of the vacation spectrum—that’s all the more so with Disney World ticket prices set to increase in 2025.
Nevertheless, the world of points and miles can come to the rescue in such a situation, reducing the cash cost of your Disney World vacation significantly.
In this post, we’re demonstrating how you can fully fund both flights and a hotel stay at Disney World by earning the welcome bonuses on just two travel rewards cards—and you’ll even have some points left over.
If you don’t believe it, read on.
Return Flights and a Hotel Stay for the Price of Two Cards
The two cards that will take us to Disney World and back are the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and The World of Hyatt Credit Card.
Don’t be mistaken—there are other card combos that could fund this points and miles trip. But these two Chase-issued cards offer a solid balance between perks and annual fees while giving us access to a wide range of transfer partners.
Let’s have a brief overview of the cards and their benefits.
Chase Sapphire Preferred Card
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
60,000
bonus points
after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of account opening.
Annual Fee: $95
The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card offers the following benefits:
- $50 annual statement credit for hotels booked through Chase TravelSM
- 5X points on travel purchased and booked through Chase Travel (excluding hotel purchases that qualify for the $50 annual hotel credit)
- 3X points on dining, including eligible takeout, delivery services and dining out
- 3X points on online grocery purchases (excluding Walmart, Target and wholesale clubs)
- 3X points on select streaming services
- 2X points on all other travel purchases
- 1X point on all other purchases
- 25% value bonus when you redeem points for travel through Chase Travel℠
- Annual 10% bonus point boost based on your total expenditure on your Sapphire Preferred Card in the previous year
- Complimentary 12-month membership for both DoorDash and Caviar—the DashPass—when you activate it by Dec. 31, 2027. Unlocks lower service fees and $0 delivery fees on eligible orders.
- 5X total points on Lyft purchases through March 2025.
- No foreign transaction fees
- Trip cancellation and interruption insurance
- Baggage delay insurance
- Lost baggage reimbursement
- Auto rental collision damage waiver
- Baggage insurance
For an annual fee of $95, the Sapphire Preferred Card packs a punch. The card earns Ultimate Rewards points, which are highly flexible and offer high-value redemption opportunities.
Chase’s list of 14 airline and hotel transfer partners proves extremely valuable when organizing a trip to Disney. Similarly, if you redeem your points through Chase Travel, you’ll enjoy a point value boost of 25%, which makes them worth 1.25 cents apiece.
With such a wide array of travel insurances, you’ll be covered in case things go south during your vacation.
The World of Hyatt Credit Card
The World of Hyatt Credit Card
Earn up to 60,000
Bonus Points
after you spend $3,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. Plus, up to 30,000 More Bonus Points by earning 2 Bonus Points total per $1 spent in the first 6 months from account opening on purchases that normally earn 1 Bonus Point, on up to $15,000 spent.
Annual Fee: $95
Our second card choice, The World of Hyatt Credit Card, offers the following perks and earning rates:
- 4X points on purchases at Hyatt hotels
- 2X points at restaurants, on airline tickets purchased directly from the airline, local transit and commuting, fitness club and gym memberships
- 1X point on all other purchases
- Annual free night award at any Category 1-4 Hyatt hotel or resort after your cardmember anniversary. Receive an extra free night award at any Category 1-4 Hyatt hotel or resort if you spend $15,000 in a calendar year.
- Complimentary World of Hyatt Discoverist status
- Receive five qualifying night credits toward your next tier status every year. Earn two additional qualifying night credits every time you spend $5,000 on your card.
- Complimentary 12-month membership for both DoorDash and Caviar—the DashPass—when you activate it by Dec. 31. Unlocks lower service fees and $0 delivery fees on eligible orders.
- No foreign transaction fees
- Trip cancellation and interruption insurance
- Baggage delay insurance
- Lost baggage reimbursement
- Auto rental collision damage waiver
For an annual fee of $95, The World of Hyatt Credit Card offers the opportunity to make Hyatt stays more frequent and more luxurious.
The card offers a wide range of bonus spending categories for accumulating points. It also includes an annual free night reward with the opportunity to earn a second, complimentary World of Hyatt Discoverist status, unlocking elite check-in, 2 p.m. checkout and preferred room upgrades, subject to availability.
Earning the Welcome Bonuses
The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card has a welcome bonus of 60,000 to 100,000 points after spending $4,000 within the first three months of card membership.
Likewise, The World of Hyatt Credit Card’s usual welcome bonus is between 30,000 and 60,000 points after spending $3,000 to $6,000 within the first three months of card membership.
To open both of the cards, you’ll need to ensure you’re within the Chase 5/24 count.
Technically, Chase doesn’t allow you to open more than two cards every rolling 30-day period. That means you could apply for both cards in the same month, assuming you have no other Chase card applications planned or pending.
However, the more important decision factor is whether you’ll be able to hit both minimum spending requirements for both welcome bonuses simultaneously. In most cases, leaving at least a few months between your card applications will enable you to leverage your natural expenditure more effectively, preventing you from overspending to reach the minimum spends.
Spending between $3,000 and $6,000 within three months shouldn’t be much of a challenge for the average American household. Aside from using your card for everyday expenses, there are many ways—from bill prepayment to early Christmas shopping—to hit minimum spends.
However, spending $7,000 to $10,000 within three months to hit both minimum spends simultaneously could be difficult. So unless you have a higher than average monthly expenditure, stick to one card’s welcome bonus at a time.
Once you’ve earned both welcome bonuses, you’ll have between 60,000 and 100,000 Ultimate Rewards points as well as 30,000 to 60,000 Hyatt points. For argument’s sake, let’s average that out to 80,000 Ultimate Rewards points and 45,000 Hyatt points.
If you and your significant other use two-player mode as part of your points and miles strategy, and you each opened and earned the welcome bonuses of both cards, you’d have double the number of points.
You’d also earn additional points from referral bonuses—an extra 10,000 Ultimate Rewards points—leaving you with a total of 170,000 Ultimate Rewards points.
Not too shabby. Let’s see how these points can help you book a trip to Disney.
How to Book Award Flights to Orlando with Ultimate Rewards Points
The first step to getting to Orlando is booking a flight.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card offers two options when it comes to booking an award flight: using the Chase Travel portal or transferring your points to airline partners.
Chase Travel Portal
If award space availability is low or the cash prices of flight tickets are cheap, you might be better off booking through the Chase Travel portal.
As a Chase Sapphire Preferred cardholder, your points are worth 1.25 cents apiece when redeemed for travel through the portal. The number of points required for a flight is tied to the cash price in the portal. This means that a flight that costs $100 will require 8,000 Ultimate Rewards points.
Keep in mind that you’ll also earn miles on flights booked through the portal as these are treated like a regular cash paid fare by the airlines.
Transfer Partners
If you want outsized value from your redemptions, look beyond the portal to Chase’s transfer partners.
Chase has 11 airline transfer partners with access to all three major airline alliances.
These include:
- Aer Lingus AerClub
- Air Canada Aeroplan
- Air France-KLM Flying Blue
- British Airways Executive Club
- Emirates Skywards
- Iberia Plus
- JetBlue TrueBlue
- Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
- Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards
- United MileagePlus
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
By transferring your Ultimate Rewards points to a partner airline, you can often get outsized value for your points. Instead of a fixed rate of 1.25 cents each, you can typically expect above 2 cents apiece, if not more.
You can also take advantage of airline alliances, enabling you to use the award chart of one airline to book an alliance partner award fare for a lower number of total miles.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
60,000
bonus points
after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of account opening.
Annual Fee: $95
Flying to Orlando with Chase’s Transfer Partners
Here are some of the best options when it comes to transferring your Ultimate Rewards points to Chase’s partner airlines.
Whether you’re traveling as a couple or solo, you typically have more freedom compared to the family who is tied to school vacation times. That means you can take advantage of off-peak travel times to score the lowest priced award fares possible.
Of course, if you’re flying off-peak and have tens of thousands of points to spare, you could consider opting for a first-class fare to up the luxury of the experience. However, for the sake of keeping things as affordable as possible, we’ve limited our selection to economy class award fares.
Southwest Airlines
When taking an award flight to Orlando, Southwest Airlines is one of your best options. You can transfer your Ultimate Rewards points to Southwest Rapid Rewards points instantly at a 1:1 ratio.
You can take advantage of Southwest’s Low Fare Calendar tool to find the lowest priced award fares. You can search by the month, making it convenient if you’re flexible with your travel dates. You don’t need an account to access the Low Fare Calendar, meaning it’s quick and easy to compare flight prices.
Southwest ties its price in points to the cash price of its tickets, so there are no sweet spots other than timing your booking with a Southwest flight sale.
An off-peak one-way award fare from Washington-National (DCA) to Orlando (MCO) can be as low as 2,964 Rapid Rewards points + $5.60 in taxes and fees per person.
As you can see from the pricing calendar, flexibility with your travel dates is key to securing the lowest fare possible.
For those based on the West Coast, a one-way award fare from Los Angeles (LAX) to Orlando starts at 5,743 Rapid Rewards points + $5.60 in taxes and fees per person.
And if you’re based in the Midwest, a one-way award fare from Chicago-Midway (MDW) to Orlando can cost 6,863 Rapid Rewards points + $5.60 per person.
Of course, if you happen to have scored yourself a Southwest Companion Pass, you could have your P2 fly for just $5.60 in taxes and fees, saving you even more points for your next vacation.
Keep in mind that Southwest’s two free checked bags policy can save you even more compared to flying with other airlines.
JetBlue Airways
JetBlue is another carrier offering cheap direct flights to Orlando from a range of major U.S. cities. Its Best Fare Finder, which you can use without creating an account, can help you secure the lowest fares, enabling you to search by month.
You can transfer your Ultimate Rewards points to JetBlue TrueBlue points instantly at a 1:1 ratio.
You can fly one-way on an award fare from Washington-National to Orlando for just 5,100 TrueBlue points + $5.60 in taxes and fees per person.
Alternatively, a one-way JetBlue award fare from Los Angeles to Orlando could cost you around 8,900 TrueBlue points + $5.60 per person.
Just like Southwest, JetBlue ties its prices in points to its cash prices for flights.
American Airlines
American Airlines is another carrier to consider when booking your award flight to Orlando. However, depending on the date and duration of the flight, you could save thousands of AAdvantage miles by booking your flight using British Airways Avios instead.
Both American Airlines and British Airways belong to the Oneworld alliance. This opens up the possibility of booking British Airways flights using AAdvantage miles and vice versa with Avios.
However, a key difference between the two airlines is their award charts. American Airlines uses a dynamic pricing model for its own flights while British Airways uses a distance-based award chart for its partner bookings. This is where the opportunity for sweet-spot redemptions arises.
For example, a return award flight from Charlotte, North Carolina (CLT), to Orlando costs 22,000 AAdvantage miles + $11.60 in taxes and fees.
If you book the exact same flight through British Airways, it would cost you 16,500 Avios + $11.20 in taxes and fees. That’s a savings of 5,500 miles by simply booking with Avios.
As you can see, you can leverage your Avios for short domestic flights on American Airlines to Orlando. However, keep in mind that flights booked this way aren’t always cheaper.
British Airways prices its award flights per segment, meaning that you’ll secure lucrative fares only if you’re traveling nonstop.
If you’re open to flights with a layover, you should always double-check what American Airlines charges for connecting flight itineraries as they may be much cheaper compared to flying directly.
Likewise, using British Airways’ distance based award chart tends to be cheaper during peak travel times given that American Airlines operates a dynamic pricing model. This isn’t always the case during off-peak travel times.
United Airlines
United Airlines is another of Chase’s transfer partners to consider when flying to Orlando. Ultimate Rewards points transfer to United 1:1, and the transfer is usually instant.
To search for United award space, you don’t need to have an account, but United typically shows more award space to its own elite members and co-branded United cardholders. For this reason, you’re better off logging in when searching for award tickets on United.
A one-way award fare from Newark, New Jersey (EWR), to Orlando can require as few as 8,200 United miles + $5.60 in taxes and fees per person.
Midwest-based flyers can travel on an award fare from Chicago-O’Hare (ORD) to Orlando, starting at 8,200 United miles + $5.60 per person.
If you’re traveling from the West Coast, an award fare from Los Angeles to Orlando starts at 11,600 miles + $5.60 per person per direction.
If you manage to snag yourself a United Saver award flight, flying with United is another solid way of getting to Orlando.
How Many Miles Do You Need to Fly to Orlando?
As you can see, you have a range of options when it comes to award fares to Orlando.
Coming back to the original card plan, we estimated that the solo traveler has an average of 80,000 Ultimate Rewards points to splurge on flights, while the two-player mode couple has around 170,000 points.
Depending on where you fly from, an off-peak award ticket can cost as few as 2,964 points plus $5.60 in taxes and fees each way.
For flights from Washington, Charlotte and New York, you can often travel for under 10,000 points per person for a round-trip award fare. If you live on the West Coast, you can expect to redeem around 20,000 to 30,000 points per person for a round-trip flight.
That equates to anywhere between 10,000 and 30,000 points for the solo traveler and between 40,000 and 60,000 total points for the couple.
That means both the solo traveler and the two-player couple would have more than enough miles to cover their award fares. In fact, with so many points still left over, you could even consider the cost of flying in first class to Orlando. Alternatively, instead of splurging your points on a premium domestic award fare, you could go for the cheapest fares available and leave yourself enough points to repeat the whole vacation again.
The World of Hyatt Credit Card
Earn up to 60,000
Bonus Points
after you spend $3,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. Plus, up to 30,000 More Bonus Points by earning 2 Bonus Points total per $1 spent in the first 6 months from account opening on purchases that normally earn 1 Bonus Point, on up to $15,000 spent.
Annual Fee: $95
How to Pay for Your Stay Near Disney World
Once you’ve booked your airfare, the next step is booking your accommodation. Equipped with The World of Hyatt Credit Card and the points from its welcome bonus, you’ve got a fair few options to choose from in the Orlando area.
Hyatt’s generous award chart makes Category 1 through Category 4 hotel stays reasonable, particularly during off-peak seasons. Hyatt has multiple award charts for different types of properties, such as hotels, all-inclusives and Miraval resorts, as well as different award charts for the type of room, including standard, club, standard suite and premium suite.
To make our two-card trip to Disney World as cost-effective as possible, we’ll narrow our search down to standard-room stays at Category 1-4 Hyatt hotels. That also allows you to use your annual free night reward perk on The World of Hyatt Credit Card, which is good for stays at Category 1-4 hotels only.
Here’s how many World of Hyatt points you need to book a standard room at a Category 1-4 property.
| Category | Off-peak | Standard | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3,500 | 5,000 | 6,500 |
| 2 | 6,500 | 8,000 | 9,500 |
| 3 | 9,000 | 12,000 | 15,000 |
| 4 | 12,000 | 15,000 | 18,000 |
As you can see, Hyatt factors a dynamic pricing model into its award chart. For solo travelers and two-player couples traveling without kids, this is good news.
If you are flexible with your travel dates, you can redeem your award stays during off-peak times to maximize the number of nights you can stay.
Best Hyatt Award Stays in Orlando Near Disney World
Hyatt Place Orlando Lake Buena Vista
The Hyatt Place Orlando Lake Buena Vista is a Category 2 property whose award rates range from 6,500 to 9,500 points per night.
It comes with free breakfast, a pool and fitness center, among a range of other amenities. You can take advantage of its free shuttle service to Hollywood Studios and the Magic Kingdom, making it easy to get around. You also can use its paid shuttle service to get you to Sea World and Universal Studios.
For the solo traveler during off-peak season, you could stay for a maximum of six nights with 45,000 Hyatt points. For the two-player mode couple with 95,000 Hyatt points, you could stay for a maximum of 14 nights.
Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress Resort
If luxury is your top priority, you should consider staying at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress Resort.
Although it’s typically marketed for families, this Category 4 property with a range of amenities is just as enjoyable for singles and couples. With its own private golf course, full service spa, Peloton bikes and lagoon-style pool, there are many ways to kick back and relax during your time outside the Disney World parks.
And when you do want to visit Walt Disney World Resort or Universal Studios, you can take advantage of the free shuttle bus service.
Off-peak award nights start at 12,500 points for a standard room, which includes a king-sized bed. Peak season rates go as high as 18,000 points.
So if you time your vacation during the off-peak season, the solo traveler could stay a maximum of three nights here while the two-player mode couple could stay a maximum of seven nights.
Hyatt Place Across From Universal Orlando Resort™
You could book a stay at the Hyatt Place Across From Universal Orlando Resort™ for between 6,500 and 9,500 points per night.
As the name suggests, this Category 2 property is located right next to Universal Studios, which you can reach using the complimentary shuttle service.
With a range of amenities including free breakfast, this Hyatt hotel would be perfect if you’re planning on making Universal Studios a main part of your trip. It also doesn’t take much time to commute to Epcot, the Magic Kingdom or the Animal Kingdom if you’re wanting to see all the parks in one trip.
The solo traveler could stay for a maximum of six nights while the two-player mode couple could stay for a maximum of 14 nights on points alone.
Hyatt House across from Universal Orlando Resort™
If you want proximity to Universal Studios with a little more luxury, the Hyatt House across from Universal Orlando Resort™ is a great choice. Award nights here start at 9,000 points for this Category 3 property and go as high as 15,000 points during peak season.
You can enjoy studio-style suites with kitchenettes, a free shuttle bus service to Universal Studios and a 24-hour gym and business center.
The solo traveler in low season could enjoy a maximum of five nights at this property while the two-player mode couple could stay for a maximum of 10 nights.
Paying for Disney World Tickets with Chase Ultimate Rewards
To recap: You’ve maxed out most of your Hyatt points on your hotel stay, but depending on the flight you end up taking, you may still have a significant number of Chase Ultimate Rewards points.
Can you use your remaining Ultimate Rewards points to cover the cost of Disney World tickets? And if so, should you?
From time to time, Disney tickets are sold in the Chase Travel portal. However, they’re often overpriced compared to buying them directly with Disney World or through a third-party travel provider.
With the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, you might be able to get an average redemption value for your points spent on Disney tickets (although the Chase Sapphire Reserve® would be the more preferable option). However, keep in mind that this isn’t the best use of your points in terms of maximizing their value.
So unless covering the cost of Disney tickets is a worthwhile redemption for you (in other words, it matches your individual travel goals), you’d be better off paying for the tickets in cash and saving your points for your next flight or hotel redemption.
Final Thoughts
By earning the welcome bonuses of just two cards—the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card and the World of Hyatt Credit Card—you can have the entire flight and hotel costs of a Disney vacation covered by points. In many cases, you might even have a stack of points left over.
Whether you’re a solo traveler or a couple pursuing a two-player mode card strategy, you can make a Disney vacation affordable by traveling during low-season periods. That way, you can benefit from cheap award flights and off-peak priced hotel award stays. Not to mention, you can avoid the crowds.
So the next time you’re planning a Disney vacation, leverage your points and miles to ensure the Happiest Place on Earth doesn’t become the Most Expensive Place on Earth.
New to the world of points and miles? The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is the best card to start with.
With a bonus of 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of account opening. , 5x points on travel booked through the Chase Travel Portal and 3x points on restaurants, streaming services, and online groceries (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs), this card truly cannot be beat for getting started!
after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of account opening.
after you spend $3,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. Plus, up to 30,000 More Bonus Points by earning 2 Bonus Points total per $1 spent in the first 6 months from account opening on purchases that normally earn 1 Bonus Point, on up to $15,000 spent.
Editors Note: Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
10xTravel is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as CreditCards.com. This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. This site does not include all financial companies or all available financial offers. Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.
Editors Note: Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
bonus cash back
after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
Miles
once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening
bonus points
after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of account opening.
Membership Rewards® Points
after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months. Plus, receive 20% back in statement credits on eligible purchases made at restaurants worldwide within the first 6 months of Card Membership, up to $100 back. Limited time offer. Offer ends 11/6/24.
