How I Used 200,000 Amex Points to Book a $2,000 Caribbean Vacation — for Free
The Goal: A Luxury Escape with Zero Out-of-Pocket Cost
I set out to plan a quick 3-day, 2-night Caribbean getaway, and I wanted it to be completely covered by points—100%. No partial payments, no hidden fees. Just sun, sand, and stress-free travel, all funded by my Amex points.
With 200,000 points in my account, I needed to stretch every one of them to reach a $2,000 total value. The secret? Not using the Amex travel portal—but transferring points strategically to partners for maximum value.
Flights: Using Avios for Easy Caribbean Access
Booking flights with points can be hit or miss—unless you know where to look. Instead of using Amex’s travel portal (which typically gives you just 0.7 to 1 cent per point), I transferred 15,000 Membership Rewards points to British Airways Avios.
Why Avios? Because they unlock American Airlines flights, and short-haul flights from the U.S. to the Caribbean are often a sweet spot.
My Flight Redemption:
Route: Miami (or NYC) to Punta Cana (round-trip)
Points Used: 15,000 Avios
Cash Value: ~$400
Out-of-Pocket: $0
Value per Point: ~2.6 cents
In just a few clicks, I had my flight locked in—and hadn’t spent a dime.
Hotel: Two Nights of All-Inclusive Luxury
Next, I turned to hotel partners. Amex lets you transfer points to Hilton Honors at a 1:2 ratio, so 160,000 Amex points became 320,000 Hilton Points. That opened the door to Hilton La Romana, an all-inclusive beachfront resort in the Dominican Republic.
My Hotel Redemption:
Hotel: Hilton La Romana All-Inclusive Resort
Nights: 2
Hilton Points Used: 320,000 (equivalent to 160,000 Amex points)
Cash Value: ~$1,600
What’s Included: Oceanview room, all meals, drinks, resort activities
Out-of-Pocket: $0
From arrival to checkout, everything—yes, everything—was included. No resort fees, no taxes, no surprise bills at check-out. As a Brief Sidenote: If you have Hilton Diamond Status this gets even better. As a Diamond, you're eligible for complimentary room upgrades—potentially to Enclave or Preferred Club categories, which include perks like private lounge access, VIP pool and beach areas and Diamond status includes a 15% spa discount at Hilton all‑inclusive resorts—including La Romana.
The Full Breakdown
For my Caribbean getaway, I used 200,000 American Express Membership Rewards points to cover 100% of the trip. I booked round-trip flights using 15,000 points transferred to British Airways Avios, which secured an American Airlines flight valued at $400. For the hotel, I transferred 160,000 points to Hilton Honors and booked two nights at an all-inclusive Hilton resort, valued at $1,600. In total, I redeemed 175,000 points for $2,000 worth of travel—and paid absolutely nothing out of pocket.
And yes—I still have 25,000 points left over.
What You Can Learn From This
This trip was proof that with a little strategy, you can unlock serious value from your points:
Transfer your Amex points to airline and hotel partners—not the travel portal
Use Avios for short-haul Caribbean flights on American Airlines
Book Hilton all-inclusive resorts for incredible point value
Watch for transfer bonuses to squeeze even more value
It took me a few hours of research—but the results were worth it.
✈️ Ready to Travel on Points Like This?
You don’t need to be a travel hacker or spend hours searching award charts to travel for free—you just need the right strategy. I turned 200,000 Amex points into a 100% paid Caribbean vacation, and you can do the same.
But here’s the best part:
You don’t have to figure it out alone.
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