How to use points and miles to save money at Universal Orlando

Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers.

Any first-timer planning a vacation to major U.S. theme parks is in for sticker shock. Between park tickets, themed hotel rooms, skip-the-line passes and souvenirs, the expenses add up quickly. In the search for savings, families may find it easier right now to use points and miles to save money on trips to theme parks like Universal Orlando.

Here are some ways to save.

Use Chase Ultimate Rewards points

Redeem Ultimate Rewards points for Universal hotels

The Chase Ultimate Rewards program can be a jack of all trades in covering the costs of a Universal Orlando vacation. Let’s consider your lodging.

Universal Orlando Resort has three Signature Collection hotels: Loews Royal Pacific Resort at Universal Orlando Resort, the Hard Rock Hotel Orlando, Loews Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal Orlando Resort and Universal Helios Grand Hotel, a Loews Hotel (opening May 22). Reservations at Royal Pacific, Hard Rock and Portofino Bay include Universal Express Unlimited, Universal Orlando’s skip-the-line pass. So, if you want Universal Express Unlimited, it’s worth doing the math to see if you can save (or at least break even) by staying at one of these properties. Helios Grand is Universal’s newest hotel and is located inside the new Universal Epic Universe theme park. While it doesn’t come with Universal Express, staying here is worth it for the theme park views and proximity alone.

The lower tiers of Universal Orlando hotels don’t include Universal Express Unlimited passes but do offer early access to select Universal theme parks each day, making it possible to get into popular areas like The Wizarding World of Harry Potter before they become super crowded. Some of the Universal hotel options can also be really family-friendly. For example, Universal Endless Summer Resort’s Dockside and Surfside properties and Universal Cabana Bay Beach Resort have roomy two-bedroom suites at budget-friendly prices.

Related: Roller coasters and room service: How hotels made Universal Orlando a top vacation destination

All of Universal’s Orlando hotels can be booked through the Chase Travel℠ portal. The value of your Chase points will vary depending on your card. You’ll get the highest value if you have the Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see rates and fees), as your points are worth 1.5 cents each toward booking travel.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees) and the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (see rates and fees) both offer slightly less (1.25 cents) in value per Ultimate Rewards point redeemed for travel, while the Chase Freedom Flex® (see rates and fees) will provide you with a value of just 1 cent per point. However, if you have the Sapphire Reserve, you can transfer the points you have earned on your other Chase Ultimate Rewards cards, like the Freedom Flex, to your Sapphire Reserve account and then redeem them at 1.5 cents each.

Points prices and cash prices vary by date. On a test date in mid-September, the Universal Orlando hotels ranged from 13,303 to 52,020 Ultimate Rewards points per night for a user with the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card.

Buy Universal tickets with Ultimate Rewards points

Historically, you could purchase a variety of Universal Orlando park tickets through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal. When doing so, you’d get the same redemption rates as you’d get when booking hotels through the Ultimate Rewards portal.

However, as of the most recent update of this story, we could not find any Universal Orlando park tickets available through the Ultimate Rewards travel portal. So, although you should check the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal to see whether Universal Orlando tickets have been added again, you may need to purchase tickets through another method.

Related: The best credit cards for Universal vacations

One method you might look into is a reputable third-party ticket seller. If you pay with your Chase Sapphire Reserve, you’ll earn 3 points per dollar spent on the travel charge via Undercover Tourist.

Use Citi ThankYou Rewards points

Just as you can use Chase Ultimate Rewards points at a fixed value to book an official Universal Orlando hotel room, you can use your Citi ThankYou Rewards points to do the same via the Citi travel portal. You can also purchase Universal Orlando tickets through the Citi travel portal and even take advantage of some of the limited-time offers that Universal frequently advertises to save money on multiday trips.

While you can book most Universal Orlando hotels through the Citi travel portal, you’ll only get 1 cent per point in value. As of April 2025, TPG values ThankYou Rewards points much higher than that, so you’ll want to consider if there are other ways to get better value for your Citi points.

Additionally, those with the Citi Prestige® Card can book up to two stays each year using the card’s fourth-night-free benefit. To use this perk, eligible cardholders must book a stay of four nights or longer through the Citi travel portal and opt in to using the fourth-night-free benefit.

You can also book theme park tickets and other activities through the Citi travel portal. As of the time of this update, the Citi travel portal not only offers Universal Orlando tickets but also includes some of the limited-time offers that can really save you some money.

The information for the Citi Prestige Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Related: Best ways to redeem Citi ThankYou points

Use American Express Membership Rewards points

Redeem Amex Membership Rewards points for Universal hotels

All eight of Universal’s on-site hotels are available for booking through the American Express Travel portal using either cash or points. Cash pricing is typically the same as what you’ll find by booking directly with Universal, but you can earn 5 Membership Rewards points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels booked through the Amex Travel portal with The Platinum Card® from American Express or The Business Platinum Card® from American Express.

The redemption value when paying with points through the Amex Travel portal isn’t great. For example, a one-night stay at Universal’s Loews Portofino Bay Hotel in September 2025 has a cash price of $508 and a points price of 50,850 Membership Rewards points. As of April 2025, TPG values Membership Rewards points at 2 cents each, and this redemption clocks in at half that value.

Take advantage of American Express Fine Hotels + Resorts perks

Speaking of American Express, Loews Portofino Bay Hotel, one of the three hotels that provide complimentary Universal Express Unlimited passes, is bookable via the American Express Fine Hotels + Resorts program that’s available to those with the Amex Platinum or the Amex Business Platinum.

When booking a stay at this property via the Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts program, you get Universal Express Unlimited passes for everyone staying in the room, a room upgrade (based on availability), daily complimentary breakfast for two, free Wi-Fi, early check-in (if available), late checkout and a $100 food-and-beverage credit per stay. These perks go a long way toward making up for the lower redemption value.

Use Capital One miles

Capital One has really upped its game in the past few years when it comes to adding versatility to Capital One miles, the currency you earn when you hold one of the Capital One Venture cards. There are a few different ways you can use Capital One miles to help with a trip to Universal Orlando.

First, you can book a Universal Orlando vacation package that includes lodging and pay with one of your Capital One Venture cards. That allows you to use your Capital One miles to erase the charge at a rate of 1 cent per mile.

You can also book through Capital One Travel, which, in the example of the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, would earn you 10 miles per dollar spent. Best of all, you could still use your miles to cover the charge after it hits your statement. Remember to check the rates on Capital One Travel versus other online travel agencies and Universal Orlando, though, as there can be price disparities.

This can be especially helpful for hotels that offer Universal Express Unlimited passes. While you’ll still need park tickets, Universal Express Unlimited passes can be very pricey. Getting these included with your hotel room can be a great way to save money on your Universal Orlando vacation.

For folks who hold a premium card such as the Capital One Venture X, you can also use your $300 annual travel credit to offset some of the cost of a Universal Orlando hotel booked through Capital One Travel.

Lastly, some third-party theme park ticket sites like Undercover Tourist code as travel. If you purchase your tickets through one of these companies and it does indeed code as a travel purchase, you could also use miles to erase the transaction from your statement.

Use hotel points for off-site Universal hotels

Several chain hotels are located near Universal Orlando Resort, giving you many opportunities to use hotel points.

The Hampton Inn Closest to Universal Orlando (as it’s literally named) is less than 2 miles from Universal and offers a complimentary shuttle to the parks. Room rates start at 28,000 points (or just under $100) per night, and, as is true of all standard Hilton Honors reward stays, your fifth night is free. With welcome offers upward of 100,000 points on certain Hilton cobranded credit cards, you could cover your entire stay with points by opening a card and hitting the minimum spending requirement before booking your stay.

The Hyatt Place Across from Universal Orlando Resort and the Holiday Inn & Suites Across from Universal Orlando (again, two aptly named properties) are even closer — just 1 mile away — and also operate complimentary theme park shuttles. Standard rooms at the Hyatt Place start at 6,500 World of Hyatt points (or about $120) per night, and rooms at the Holiday Inn start at 15,000 IHG One Rewards points (or just under $100) per night.

All three of these are Universal Partner Hotels, which means you’ll get certain discounts on merchandise, food and nonalcoholic beverages inside the parks and at CityWalk on top of saving money on your hotel room by redeeming rewards points.

Bottom line

The cost of a Universal vacation (well, any vacation) can quickly surpass your budget if you aren’t careful. Leveraging points and miles to lessen the cash cost of your stay can make a big difference. Beyond that, just having the right credit card in your wallet can make a difference when it comes to discounts and maximizing points for your next vacation. With each cold Butterbeer setting you back about $8, you need all the help you can get.