How to Use Points for Hotels While Visiting Walt Disney World

All information about the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card has been collected independently by 10xTravel.

For many, a trip to the House of Mouse is a once-in-a-lifetime splurge. Steep park entrance and hotel prices—with further ticket price increases to come in 2025—make a Walt Disney World vacation anything but cheap.

However, with some insider knowledge and the right credit cards on hand, you can enjoy Disney without breaking the bank. By taking advantage of non-Disney hotels on Disney property, off-site hotels near Disney, and points earned through credit card expenditure to fund your stay and flights, you can turn a Disney vacation from a once-in-a-lifetime holiday to a once every year holiday.

Let’s look at the best non-Disney hotels near Disney World, as well as the best hotels on Disney property not owned by Disney, and which credit cards can best get you there.

Non-Disney Hotels on Disney Property

It’s easy enough to assume that all hotels on Disney-owned property are Disney resorts. However, this isn’t the case.

There are a range of non-Disney hotels on Disney property, most of which you can book with points. Not only can you save cash by booking these hotels with points, but many also offer exclusive Disney perks, such as Early Theme Park Entry and Extended Evening Hours.

Some of these hotels are within walking distance of Disney’s parks and offer complimentary shuttle services and Disney-themed experiences for their guests—all while remaining bookable with points.

Walt Disney World Swan Resort, Dolphin Resort and Swan Reserve

The Walt Disney World Swan Resort, Dolphin Resort, and Swan Reserve are arguably the best non-Disney hotels on Disney property. Managed by Marriott International, these three resorts lie right in the heart of Disney and enable you to earn and redeem Marriott Bonvoy points for stays.

Regardless of which of the three resorts you stay at, you can take advantage of the amenities at all of them.

The Swan Resort and Dolphin Resort have a whopping 2,270 rooms combined and are situated just across from Disney’s BoardWalk. Both resorts are located between Epcot® and Hollywood Studios™, enabling you to reach either park on foot within 10 to 20 minutes. Alternatively, you can take a complimentary water taxi from the resorts to Epcot or Hollywood studios, as well as take advantage of the resorts’ complimentary bus service to the other Disney parks, including Disney Springs.

The Swan Reserve, while situated close to the Swan and Dolphin Resorts, is slightly further away from Epcot, but offers a more intimate experience with 349 rooms and 149 distinctive suites.

Whether you stay at the Swan Resort, Dolphin Resort or Swan Reserve, you have the option to save your energy by taking advantage of their free bus services to all Disney parks.

When it comes to dining, you’ll enjoy a choice of up to 23 restaurants across the three resorts. You’ll also have access to six swimming pools, including a three-acre grotto pool, a rooftop pool and two lap pools.

All three resorts offer the highest number of Disney perks compared to other non-Disney hotels. As a guest at the Swan and Dolphin or Swan Reserve, you’ll enjoy Early Theme Park Entry and Extended Evening Hours. You’ll also be able to purchase Lightning Lane Passes up to seven days before your trip and benefit from a dedicated Disney Planning Center.

Redemptions for these three resorts tend to cost 45,000 to 85,000 points per night, depending on the season and room type.

Club Wyndham Bonnet Creek and Wyndham Grand Orlando Resort Bonnet Creek

The Bonnet Creek area—while technically not belonging to Disney—is surrounded by Disney-owned property and is near Epcot and Hollywood Studios.

This gorgeous stretch of land houses several luxury and affordable properties, including two Wyndham properties:

• Club Wyndham Bonnet Creek
• Wyndham Grand Orlando Resort Bonnet Creek

The Club Wyndham offers spacious condo-style suites, perfect for the whole family. You’ll have the choice of one-, two-, three- or four-bedroom suites, all of which come with private balconies, individual bedrooms, separate living areas and fully-equipped kitchens.

The Club Wyndham is a timeshare, which means that timeshare owners have priority when it comes to booking. This also means that there are blackout dates. However, you still can book this property with points.

The Club Wyndham enables larger families or groups to enjoy the self-sufficiency of a condo like you’d find in Kissimmee while being very close to the Disney parks. While the property offers little in the way of extra Disney benefits—such as shuttle services—those with their rental car can easily get to the parks within minutes.

The resort includes a range of amenities shared with the Wyndham Grand Orlando Resort, including two lazy rivers, five swimming pools and nine hot tubs, allowing you to unwind after hitting your 10,000 steps at the parks.

Adjacent to the Club Wyndham across the lake, you’ll find the Wyndham Grand Orlando Resort Bonnet Creek. This is a luxury hotel bookable with points, and it’s an official Disney Gateway Hotel that offers a range of Disney perks.

You can take advantage of its complimentary shuttle service to all Disney parks, including Disney Springs. You can also purchase Disney tickets and Lightning Lane passes through the hotel.

The Wyndham Grand Orlando has 400 rooms to choose from, including Deluxe rooms, family suites and Parlor suites. When not at the parks, you can relax at the hotel’s spa or enjoy one of its five dining options.

Wyndham has a simple award chart when it comes to redeeming your points, with hotels broken into three tiers:

• Tier 1—7,500 points per night
• Tier 2—15,000 points per night
• Tier 3—30,000 points per night

This makes stays at Wyndham affordable compared to other hotels in Orlando. Likewise, if you don’t have enough Wyndham points, you can book using cash and points.

Signia by Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek and Waldorf Astoria Orlando

Located in Bonnet Creek, the Signia by Hilton Orlando and Waldorf Astoria Orlando offer Hilton Honors members the chance to use their points to stay at Disney.

Both properties are official Walt Disney World hotels, opening up a range of perks, including free shuttle bus transportation to the parks and Early Entry privileges. You’ll be able to enter all Disney parks up to 30 minutes before the official opening time, enabling you to squeeze even more magic into your day. The hotels are situated on a 195-acre nature reserve, making for an idyllic stay.

The Signia by Hilton Orlando offers 1,009 rooms to choose from while the Waldorf Astoria Orlando offers 502 rooms.

The Signia offers a pool with waterslides, a lazy river and private cabanas which can also be used by guests at the Waldorf Astoria. Both resorts offer their spas and fitness centers, and the Waldorf Astoria offers a beautiful par-72 golf course within Bonnet Creek’s nature reserve. Between them, the two resorts have more than 10 dining options to choose from, with everything from fine to casual dining.

Stays at the Signia by Hilton Orlando start at around 60,000 to 70,000 points per night, while stays at the Waldorf Astoria start at around 90,000 points per night. You can save up to 20% of your points by taking advantage of Hilton’s free fifth-night offer. Specifically, if you book an award stay of five nights or longer, you’ll have the fifth night free. This can significantly reduce the cost of your Disney vacation.

Top Hotels Near Disney Property

If price is your number one priority, you can get a lot of value by staying a little further outside of Disney. The complex of hotels next to Disney Springs offers a range of affordable options when it comes to staying at non-Disney resorts in Orlando on points.

Let’s look at some of the best non-Disney hotels and what they have to offer.

Keep in mind that just because a hotel is marketed as an official Walt Disney World hotel or Disney Gateway (formerly Good Neighbor) hotel, it doesn’t mean the hotel belongs to Disney. Rather, it simply means that the hotel offers certain Disney-specific perks, such as free transportation to the parks, extended park hours and Disney planning centers.

Holiday Inn Orlando – Disney Springs Area

The Holiday Inn Orlando offers affordability and convenience. It’s situated just outside of Disney Springs and is an official Walt Disney World hotel, opening up an array of benefits for its guests.

Namely, you’ll enjoy an extra 30 minutes of park time per day with the Early Entry benefit. Likewise, you can take advantage of a complimentary shuttle service every hour (reservations required) for all Disney parks.

The resort itself is rated as one of the top 25 Holiday Inns in the United States and allows kids to eat for free—a massive savings benefit for parents. It also offers a pool, fitness center and on-site restaurant. Alternatively, a 15-minute stroll will take you to Disney Springs where you can wine and dine to your heart’s content.

Award nights tend to start at a budget-friendly 20,000 points per night, depending on the season and room type.

Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace

The Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace is an official Walt Disney World hotel that you can book using points.

It’s located near the Disney Springs area, with its very own skybridge connecting the property to Disney Springs, making for easy access.

Guests will enjoy Early Entry privileges at all four Disney parks, as well as a complimentary shuttle bus service.

The resort keeps all members of the family entertained with five on-property dining options, a wide float lagoon pool with private poolside cabanas, a kid’s splash pad and its very own lazy river. Families can also take advantage of connecting rooms for a more intimate, fun-filled stay.

The price of award nights varies depending on your dates and room types, but you can expect to pay around at least 50,000 points per night at the Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace.

DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Orlando

The DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Orlando offers an affordable stay for families looking for some extra space, and is conveniently located next to Disney Springs.

It’s an official Walt Disney World Resort, meaning you can enjoy a complimentary shuttle service to all parks as well as Early Entry privileges. Disney Springs is also a short walk away, covering you for all your shopping and dining needs.

The hotel itself has an on-site restaurant, fitness center, splash pad and a pool, offering all the amenities you need for a successful Disney vacation.

Award night pricing varies by season and room type but starts at around 40,000 points per night.

Hyatt Place Orlando Lake Buena Vista

The Hyatt Place Orlando Lake Buena Vista hotel offers those with Hyatt points the chance to stay at Disney on the cheap.

The hotel offers comfortable, modern rooms with a pool, fitness center and on-site restaurant. It also offers a complimentary shuttle bus service to all Disney parks, as well as Universal Studios and Seaworld for an additional fee.

It’s situated about 1.5 miles northeast of Disney Springs, making it easy enough to commute there in the evenings.

The Hyatt Place Orlando Lake Buena Vista is a Category 2 property, meaning that award rates range from 6,500 to 9,500 points per night.

Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress Resort

The Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress Resort offers a luxurious stay for families and couples alike.

You can take advantage of the property’s private golf course, full-service spa, private cabanas, Peloton bikes, three on-site restaurants and lagoon-style pool. From standard rooms to executive suites, you’ll have a wide range of choices if it’s luxury you’re after.

The hotel also offers a complimentary shuttle bus service to all Disney parks as well as Universal Studios and Disney Springs, making it easy for you to get around.

You can expect to pay between 12,500 and 18,000 points per night for a standard room, depending on when you book.

How to Book Disney Area Hotels With Rewards

Staying at Disney cheaply might sound like rocket science, but it’s a straightforward process.

Leveraging hotel loyalty points to pay for your stay is an easy way to radically cut the cost of your Disney vacation.

You can earn hotel loyalty points by staying with a specific hotel chain regularly or by opening a co-branded credit card. If you’re on the road frequently, you might end up staying with the same hotel chain often, enabling you to rack up thousands of points every year. However, for most people, it’s easier to earn hotel points through spending with a co-branded hotel credit card.

Some examples of co-branded hotel cards include the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card and the World of Hyatt Credit Card from Chase. These cards are issued in partnership with a bank/card issuer and hotel chain, and enable you to earn points with the respective hotel chain on everyday expenditure. They also often come with a wide array of hotel specific perks, including free night certificates and complimentary elite status.

Through regular spending with these cards and earning their welcome bonuses, you can rack up enough points to cover your entire stay at Disney.

That said, if you tend not to stay with a specific hotel chain, a better option than opening a co-branded credit card is to open a general travel rewards card with a range of hotel transfer partners.

By doing so, you can earn a flexible rewards currency—such as American Express Membership Rewards points or Chase Ultimate Rewards—which you can then transfer to multiple airline and hotel partners. This prevents you from being locked into booking with a single hotel chain, giving you more flexibility when it comes time to redeem your hard-earned points.

Choosing a Credit Card With Disney Area Hotel Perks

Choosing a credit card to cut the costs of your next Disney vacation begins by analyzing your goals and spending habits.

You can start by considering whether a co-branded hotel card is better suited to you than a general travel rewards card.

If you stay with a certain brand, such as Marriott, Wyndham, Hilton or IHG fairly often, opening a co-branded card with one of these hotel chains could well be worth it. Depending on the card you hold, you can enjoy status perks, free night certificates and complimentary upgrades. You’ll also earn points with the respective hotel chain on every dollar spent using your card.

If a co-branded card doesn’t fit with your travel strategy, you’ll want to focus on opening a general travel rewards card.

You can transfer your Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Marriott Bonvoy, IHG Rewards and World of Hyatt at a 1:1 ratio if you hold a fully transferable Ultimate Rewards earning card. Likewise, you can transfer your American Express Membership Rewards points to Marriott Bonvoy and Choice Privileges at a 1:1 ratio and to Hilton Honors at a 1:2 ratio.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve® is a heavyweight travel rewards card that could be the perfect complement to a Disney vacation, for an annual fee of $550.

You can use its competitive point multipliers to earn points on everyday purchases as well as earn its lucrative welcome bonus. It also has a $300 travel credit which you could put toward reducing the cash cost of your Disney vacation. With your hard-earned Chase Ultimate Rewards points, you’ll be able to fund your stays at Hyatt, Marriott Bonvoy and IHG hotels entirely with points.

Alternatively, you can enjoy a scaled-down version of the Sapphire Reserve card by opening the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card instead. It offers competitive point multipliers and the exact same transfer partners for a lower annual fee of $95.

If you’d prefer to have Hilton Honors as a transfer partner, you’d be better off with an Amex card.

The Platinum Card® from American Express is the go-to choice for those wanting the best of the best in luxury travel perks.

For an annual fee of $695 (see rates and fees), you’ll enjoy more than $1,500 worth of statement credit and cardholder perks, including access to The American Express Global Lounge Collection and complimentary Gold Elite status with Marriott Bonvoy and Hilton Honors. You can use your Membership Rewards points for transfers to a wide range of Hilton properties across Orlando or for Marriott properties such as the Swan and Dolphin Resort.

If you can’t stomach $695 in annual fees, you could check out alternative Amex cards, such as the American Express® Gold Card.

For $325 per year (see rates and fees) with the American Express® Gold Card, you’ll enjoy some of the most competitive point multipliers on dining and supermarket spending, as well as a range of cardholder perks geared toward the foodie crowd. You’ll benefit from the same list of transfer partners and can even earn 4x points on dining at restaurants worldwide (up to $50,000 in spending per calendar year, then 1x points thereafter), which of course means while at Disney too!

For more card suggestions, check out the best credit card for Disney rewards.

Strategies for Fast-Tracking Your Rewards Earnings

Just about anyone can open a credit card, but there’s an art to maximizing your rewards. Maximizing your rewards begins with selecting the card best suited to your travel and spending habits and goals.

Specifically, you want to select a card that offers the highest point multipliers on purchases you make the most as well as the highest number of perks that you can utilize. For instance, a card that earns a great return on select streaming service purchases and offers monthly credits for Lyft is no good if you normally don’t make these types of purchases. Instead, the card should reward you where you spend the most.

This makes it easy to earn rewards as well as to offset the card’s annual fee.

Once you have the card that’s best suited to you, your first priority should be earning its welcome bonus. These introductory offers are the most lucrative aspect of travel rewards cards and can easily cover the cost of hotels and flights for a Disney vacation. If you’re having trouble meeting the minimum spending threshold, check out some ways you can get creative and hit the minimum spend.

With your card’s welcome bonus secured, you want to ensure that you charge your card for regular daily expenses and always pay your balance on time. That way, you’ll gradually build up a large stock of points while improving your credit score by never missing a balance payment.

Take the American Express Gold Card as an example.

Beyond the Hotel: Maximizing Your Entire Disney Vacation With Points

Aside from the cost of a hotel, getting the whole family to Disney can also take a significant chunk out of your bank account. With this in mind, it’s best to select a credit card that also earns points you can transfer to a wide range of airlines—that way, your entire vacation can remain point-funded.

Soaring to the Magic Kingdom: Flying to Orlando on Miles

When it comes to booking domestic award flights, Chase is one of your best bets. While Amex also offers domestic U.S. airline transfer partners, it charges $0.0006 per point transferred, with a maximum fee cap of $99—to offset federal excise tax. That makes Chase the most cost-effective option when booking domestic flights with U.S. airlines.

You can transfer your points to Southwest Airlines to book low-cost award fares to Orlando. You can take advantage of Southwest’s Low Fare Calendar to find the cheapest fares, assuming your dates are flexible. Depending on where you’re flying from, you can often find fares for well under 5,000 points one-way. You can even secure flights from the West Coast for under 10,000 points one-way.

Southwest allows you to take two checked bags free of charge, which can save families a significant amount of money.

Similarly, if you have the Southwest Companion Pass, your significant other could fly with you for just $5.60 in taxes. If both you and your companion each had Southwest Companion Passes, you could fly two of your children for just $11.20 in total—assuming you had two kids.

Another option to consider is United Airlines. You can find reasonably priced award flights off-peak as well as take advantage of United Saver Award flights. When searching for award flights with United, make sure you log into your United MileagePlus account, as United typically displays more availability and better rates to its members.

And if neither United nor Southwest cut it, you can try searching JetBlue for award flights. You can typically find affordable JetBlue award fares from across the major cities of the U.S. to Orlando using its Best Fare Finder.

When redeeming your points for flights, you could either fly the family out on the lowest priced fares and leave some points for your next vacation or indulge in business- or first-class award fares to make it an even more memorable trip.

Planning Your Happily Ever After

Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to break the bank every time you take a trip to Disney. By holding the right credit cards, collecting points on everyday purchases and utilizing your card’s welcome bonus, you can build up thousands of points to redeem for hotels and flights at Disney.

By staying at non-Disney hotels, you can fund your stay entirely with points. And if it’s an official Walt Disney World hotel or a Disney Gateway hotel, you can still take advantage of Disney-related hotel perks, from Early Entry privileges to free transportation to and from the parks. Likewise, don’t forget to leave some points over to cover your flights to Orlando.

If you pursue this strategy, your next Disney holiday might just be the cheapest vacation you’ve ever taken.