Treat Yo Self with Expedia Points!

See our Advertiser Disclosure here

No, I didn’t misspell the title. Those of you who watched “Parks and Recreation” comedy know what I’m referring to. But if not, here is a fun/short YouTube clip to clue you in:

The idea behind it is to take one day each year and splurge on whatever your heart desires. Be a little selfish. In my case, “treat yo self” day naturally has to do with travel.

Why it can be hard to treat myself

I’m a practical gal. If I have hotel points sitting around, it’s very tough for me to justify parting with cash on a couple’s getaway. And honestly, there is a good reason for that. We are a middle-class family with limited savings.

One exception: destinations to which I’m unlikely to return to. When my husband and I went to Bora Bora, I seriously broke all of my rules. Heck, I even paid $140 per night for a better view. And I didn’t  have buyer’s remorse afterwards.

But when it comes to my state of Florida, I usually use whatever I have in my loyalty accounts at the moment. It may not be a place I would normally stay at but hey, its free-ish. By “free-ish” I mean that I’ve already sunk money into annual fees or minimum spending requirements. I might as well use the points or annual certs as long as perceived value makes sense. So what if I’m not that excited by corporate 10-story hotel with beige walls?

It’s also tricky when it comes to flexible points. Sure, I can burn Chase UR currency at 1.5 cents toward boutique properties via CSR card, but I would be giving up frequent flyer miles. And miles are quite valuable to me, considering the fact that my family lives in Europe and we have to travel there on a regular basis.

I also have a bad habit of trying to kill two birds with one stone. If there is a lucrative promotion going on, I’ll pounce on it like a dog. That usually leads to staying in two different hotels during the weekend if it means collecting a prize at the end.

For example, right now I am very close to completing “5-brand promo” in my Hyatt account. If we stay at a Grand Hyatt, we will get a free certificate valid at Category 1-4 Hyatt property. I’m hoping to take my family to DC next year, and we need that extra night.

So, when it came to planning a couple’s getaway later this year, I naturally turned to Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay. For our second night I figured we would move to Howard Johnson St. Pete Beach property.

There are several problems with this plan, however. I don’t like Tampa and would never choose it for a romantic getaway if I had to pay cash. Sure, Grand Hyatt has nice views and all, but it’s just not my cup of tea. I like low-key places with chill vibes and preferably a beach within walking distance. I did enjoy Doubletree property in a nearby Redington beach, but I don’t currently have enough Hilton points for it.

Howard Jonson hotel is located right on the gulf, but the reviews are awful. It’s supposed to go through renovations later this year, but we may or may not get an upgraded room when we are there.

So, basically, we could get an awful room in one place and stay at the other property for the sole reason of completing a promo. Not to mention, who wants to switch hotels on a 2-night trip?  That sounds like a job, not a romantic getaway. My poor husband would put up with it, but what’s the point?

I’ve decided to reshuffle my plans and see if we can complete Hyatt promo without putting ourselves through this nonsense. We will have to overnight in San Diego on the way to Hawaii, and originally I was planning to stay in Ramada close to the airport.

I used 15,000 Wyndham points on a suite and thought it was a solid deal. What appealed to me most was the fact that this property offers free airport shuttle and breakfast. Nevermind the reviews talking about sketchy individuals hanging around the property at night.

Anyway, I’ve decided to use my certificate from my Hyatt credit card and book a stay at Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego instead. No, we won’t get a suite, free (mediocre) breakfast or airport shuttle. But I also won’t have to go out of my way in order to complete 5-brand promo. Plus, Grand Hyatt looks ten times better than Ramada based on photos.

 Expedia points for the win

A few months ago I wrote a post where I mentioned applying for Citi Expedia Voyager card. I won’t rehash it, but I recommend you click on the link for more info. Non-affiliate application link

Unfortunately, I applied before the offer was temporarily increased to 70k points, and Citi wouldn’t match it. Still, I recently got 52k Expedia points deposited in my account, good towards $728 at VIP hotels.

This is the sweet spot in the program and the only reason to apply for the card in the first place. That’s because you will  get half the value at regular non-VIP hotels. I was surprised to see several all-inclusive Hyatt hotels on the VIP list. If you are going during low season and have some Expedia points to spare, it’s an option worth looking into.

My cousin-in-law just stayed at Hyatt Zilara Cancun and loved it

Before getting this card, I didn’t know a whole lot about Expedia’s program. But as a skeptic, I don’t have a good reason to believe that Expedia will preserve VIP program in its current state, especially after the recent flood of applications for the 70k offer. So, in my head I see “sell, sell, sell!” flashing signs.

I just don’t feel comfortable leaving the points for a year or two in hopes of eventually getting 1.4 cents in value on hotels. And of course, there is no guarantee that the destination I will go to will even have any VIP hotels.

So, it was a no-brainer to use points towards my couple’s getaway. And this time I would get what I really wanted.

Gasparilla island vs. Sanibel vs. Captiva

If I had to select my top three spots for a romantic Florida getaway, those islands would make the cut. One thing all of these places have in common: they require a toll to enter. This cuts back on the traffic substantially and eliminates chain hotels that don’t want to scare potential customers with an $8 fee. Folks, if you are looking for a special spot in Florida, please don’t let the $8 bridge toll scare you!

Unfortunately, Gasparilla island didn’t have any VIP properties, so it was out. I have narrowed down my choices to Sanibel Inn (in Sanibel) and South Seas Resort (Captiva). I’ve wanted to try out the latter for a long time, but there are few things I wasn’t crazy about. First, the $42 resort fee can’t be covered with Expedia points, it has to be paid separately. So, that’s an extra $84 bucks for my “free” stay.

Also, Sanibel Inn includes breakfast, while South Seas resort doesn’t. And last but not least, Sanibel property requires a shorter drive from our home. Sanibel Inn it is. Since we are going during off-season, the rates aren’t crazy like they are in the spring.

Normally, you get the worst room via hotel points. But with my fresh Expedia stash I could get any room I wanted. Treat yo self!

A gulf-front suite? Don’t mind if I do. When all was said and done, I even had 5,000 points leftover. I may or may not use them eventually, but it’s not a big deal either way.

I would probably be too cheap to spurge on this resort, and I’m certainly not saying that the unit is worth $658 all-in for two nights. But the Expedia card was definitely worth a credit pull. Plus, I was able to buy a $100 Southwest gift card and get reimbursed for it, which took the sting out of $95 annual fee.

All in all, I consider it a win, especially since I’ve been itching to go back to Sanibel for a long time. It’s my happy place, unlike Tampa. I won’t hit any promotions via this getaway, and I don’t care.

Readers, how do you intend to treat yo self this year?

CLICK HERE TO VIEW VARIOUS CREDIT CARDS AND AVAILABLE SIGN-UP BONUSES

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.