How to Travel to Baha Mar Using Points and Miles (Our Exact Strategy + Savings)
If you have checked out Baha Mar in the Bahamas, then you already know…it is not a cheap place to stay.
In fact, it costs more per night than we have ever spent on lodging for a vacation…by far.
But what made this trip feel doable for our family was using points. And after experiencing it, I can confidently say, it was absolutely worth it! This ended up being one of our favorite family vacations, and it is one we would 100% do again (we are actually already booked for next year!).
If you are still in the early planning phase, you might want to start with our full Baha Mar guide where we break down what it is actually like staying on the property as a family.
So here is exactly how we traveled to Baha Mar using points and miles: how we earned the points, how many we used, and how much money we saved.
Where We Stayed: Why We Chose the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar
We chose to stay at the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar because Hyatt points are typically one of the easiest hotel currencies to earn and use.
Hyatt uses an award chart, which means pricing is more predictable compared to other hotel brands. That predictability made planning this trip much easier.
If you are trying to decide if this resort is worth it overall, I go into more detail in my full Baha Mar review, including what we loved and what we would do differently.
Grand Hyatt Baha Mar
View from the pier - great place to take pictures!
How We Earned Points for Baha Mar
To earn enough points for our stay, we opened Chase travel credit cards because Hyatt is a transfer partner with Chase.
This means you can transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to your World of Hyatt rewards account (think free hotel rewards program) at a 1:1 ratio. These points now become Hyatt points and you can use those points to book hotel stays.
One of us opened the Chase Sapphire Reserve and, we met the minimum spend and we earned the welcome bonus. Then, one of us opened the Chase Sapphire Preferred and did the same.
Tip:The Sapphire Reserve has a higher annual fee but comes with strong travel benefits that can easily offset the cost. If you prefer lower fees, you could absolutely do this with two Sapphire Preferred cards or even mix in Chase Ink business cards.
Between the welcome offers and our everyday spending to meet the minimum requirements, we earned enough points to book four nights at the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar. Later, we added a fifth night using points from a Chase Ink card.
If you are interested in opening a Chase Sapphire Preferred or Reserve card, this is our referral link (not an affiliate link), we get points for the referral and would greatly appreciate it!
How We Booked Flights Using Miles
For flights, we researched options from nearby airports (RDU, GSO, and CLT) and found the best option was a nonstop flight from Charlotte to Nassau on American Airlines.
There were multiple nonstop options each day, which gave us flexibility and indicated that we would have a better chance at finding low cost award flights.
To cover flights, we opened an American Airlines Citi Business card, met the minimum spend, and earned the welcome bonus and transfered those points to our personal American Airlines points program. That gave us enough miles to book flights for our family of four if we could find lower cost points flights.
How Many Points We Used
At the time of booking, the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar cost 35,000 Hyatt points per night during peak season (we traveled over spring break leading into Easter…definitely peak season).
We transferred over 140,000 Chase points to Hyatt and booked a standard two queen room for four nights.
One of the biggest perks of booking with Hyatt points is that resort fees are waived, and at Baha Mar, those fees are significant because they include access to the water park. That alone added up to major savings.
If you are trying to keep costs low while you are there, I share exactly what we spent on food and how we saved money in my Baha Mar budget and money-saving tips post.
Later, we added a fifth night using additional points, but honestly, this trip can absolutely be done in four nights (and even three nights if needed).
For flights, we were able to find award availability for just 8,000 miles per person each way.
That meant we spent 64,000 miles total for four round-trip tickets. The catch? We needed a little flexibility. We pulled our kids out of school two days early to take advantage of those lower point rates, and for us, it was completely worth it.
Baha Mar Baha Bay Water Park
The fees at this resort are higher because you get access to the water park. These fees are waived when you book a room using points.
What We Paid vs. What We Saved
Let’s talk numbers, because this is where it really gets fun.
Hotel:
Our five-night stay at the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar would have cost $5,540 including resort fees (and that is not even factoring in taxes).
We paid $0 out of pocket.
Yes, zero dollars.
Flights:
The cash price for our nonstop flights from Charlotte to Nassau was $2,160.
Using miles, we only paid taxes and fees:
$5.60 per person on the outbound flight
$119.21 per person on the return flight
After factoring in those costs, our total flight savings came to $1,683.16.
Total Savings:
When you combine hotel and flight savings, this trip saved us $6,723.16.
Baha Mar Baha Bay Beach Club
When you book with points and miles you may have a little more spending cash for something like lounge rentals at Baha Bay Beach Club which we would 10/10 recommend!
Final Thoughts: Is Baha Mar Worth It on Points?
This is not a trip we would have paid cash for. But using points and miles made it accessible in a way that felt realistic for our family.
And the result? An unforgettable vacation, so many core memories, and a trip we are already hoping to repeat.
If you are planning your trip, I recommend pairing this strategy with our full Baha Mar guide and our money-saving tips post so you can go in with a clear plan and realistic expectations.
If you have been eyeing Baha Mar but feel like it is out of reach, learning how to use points and miles can completely change the game. It did for us.
Other Blogs You May Want To Read:
Our Guide To Baha Mar For Families
