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My family loves going to theme parks. And now that our son is finally tall enough for most of the rides at Universal Studios Florida, it was time to plan that big trip we've been looking at for a few years. But Universal isn't cheap. And while I know how to save money on a Disney trip, Universal was brand new to me.
But I had some tricks up my sleeve to knock these high costs down for hotels and tickets. Here's how I tackled this trip.
Our Hotel Hopping Strategy
Our top priority when we visit any theme park is being able to walk there in the morning. We are used to hotel hopping and would prefer not to rent a car or deal with unreliable or crowded transportation in the morning.
I figured we would need three hotels. One near Volcano Bay, another near Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios, and a third near Epic Universe. But if we wanted to take advantage of Universal's perks, like early entry or express passes, my stash of miles and points wouldn't do us much good. So I came up with a different plan.
American Express Fine Hotels + Resorts® credits
The first hotel that I knew I wanted to book was Loews Portofino Bay, which is within walking distance of Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios. The property participates in the American Express Fine Hotels + Resorts® program.
I’d earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on the eligible prepaid hotel booking made through American Express Travel®, plus receive daily breakfast for two, a $100 credit toward eligible charges, and guaranteed 4 p.m. late checkout.
But the kicker is that Portofino Bay guests receive Universal Express Unlimited at participating attractions in Universal Studios Florida and Universal Islands of Adventure. Based on the standalone prices for our dates, that benefit would have cost our family of three almost $900 per day.
You get the Express Pass for your check-in and checkout day, so a one-night stay could really save you a ton of money if you wanted to go to both parks for a day or two.
While the value of the Express Pass is reflected in the inflated room cost, I used the card's up to $300 semiannual Hotel Credit by making an eligible prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® booking through American Express Travel® with our American Express Platinum Card®.
We had three separate Platinum Card® accounts in our family, each with an available Hotel Credit, letting us offset $900 across the eligible bookings.
(Terms apply)
- You may be eligible for as high as 175,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $12,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you're approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount - all with no credit score impact. If you're approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Get more for your travels with 5X Membership Rewards® points on all flights and prepaid hotel bookings through American Express Travel®, including Fine Hotels + Resorts® and The Hotel Collection bookings. You earn 5X points on flights purchased directly from airlines or through American Express Travel® on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year.
- With over 1,550 airport lounges - more than any other credit card company on the market* - enjoy the benefits of the Global Lounge Collection, over $850 of annual value, with access to Centurion Lounges, 10 Delta Sky Club visits (subject to visit limitations) when flying on an eligible Delta flight, Priority Pass™ membership (enrollment required), and other select partner lounges. *As of 01/2026
- $200 Uber Cash + $120 Uber One Credit: With the Platinum Card® you can receive $15 in Uber Cash each month plus a bonus $20 in December when you add your Platinum Card® to your Uber account to use on rides and orders in the U.S when you select an Amex Card for your transaction. Plus, when you use the Platinum Card® to pay for an auto-renewing Uber One membership, you can get up to $120 in statement credits each calendar year. Terms apply.
- $300 Digital Entertainment Credit: Experience the latest shows, news and recipes. Get up to $25 in statement credits each month when you use your Platinum Card® for eligible purchases on Disney+, a Disney+ bundle, ESPN streaming services, Hulu, The New York Times, Paramount+, Peacock, The Wall Street Journal, YouTube Premium, and YouTube TV when you purchase directly from one or more of the providers. Enrollment required.
- $600 Hotel Credit: Get up to $300 in statement credits semi-annually on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts® or The Hotel Collection* bookings through American Express Travel® using the Platinum Card®. *The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay.
- $400 Resy Credit + Platinum Nights™ by Resy: Get up to $100 in statement credits each quarter when you use the Platinum Card® to pay for eligible purchases with Resy, including dining purchases at over 10,000 qualifying U.S. Resy restaurants. Enrollment required. As a Platinum Card® Member you have special access to reservations on select nights at participating sought after Resy restaurants in select cities through Platinum Nights™ by Resy. Simply add your Platinum Card® to your Resy profile to book your reservation.
- $219 CLEAR+ Credit: CLEAR+ helps get you to your gate faster by using your face to verify you are you at 55+ airports nationwide. You can cover the cost of a CLEAR+ Membership* with up to $219 in statement credits per calendar year after you pay for CLEAR+ with your Platinum Card®. *Excluding any applicable taxes and fees. Subject to auto-renewal.
- $200 Airline Fee Credit: Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees, such as checked bags and in-flight refreshments, are charged by the airline to the Platinum Card® Account. American Express relies on airlines to submit the correct information on airline transactions to identify incidental fee purchases. If you do not see a credit for a qualifying incidental purchase on your eligible Card after 8 weeks, simply call the number on the back of your Card. Qualifying airlines are subject to change. See terms & conditions for more details.
- Start your vacation sooner and keep it going longer. When you book Fine Hotels + Resorts® through American Express Travel®, enjoy noon check-in, when available, and guaranteed 4PM late check-out.
- $300 lululemon Credit: Enjoy up to $75 in statement credits each quarter when you use the Platinum Card® for eligible purchases at U.S. lululemon retail stores (excluding outlets) and lululemon.com. That's up to $300 in statement credits each calendar year. Enrollment required.
- $155 Walmart+ Credit: Get up to a $12.95* statement credit back each month after you pay for a monthly Walmart+ membership (subject to auto-renewal) with your Platinum Card®. *Up to $12.95 plus applicable taxes on one membership fee.
- Whenever you need us, we're here. Our Member Services team will ensure you are taken care of. From lost Card replacement to statement questions, we are available to help 24/7.
- $895 annual fee.
- Terms Apply.
- Earn 5X points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel® (up to $500,000 in purchases per calendar year).
- Earn 5X points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel®.
- Earn 5X points on Fine Hotels + Resorts® and The Hotel Collection bookings.
Bank portal travel credits
We wanted to start our trip at Volcano Bay. We were flying in the night before from the West Coast, so we figured we wouldn't spend the entire day, making it an ideal choice. We decided on Cabana Bay Beach Resort, which is a short walk to Volcano Bay. I found the property on Capital One's travel portal and used the up to $300 annual Capital One Travel credit from my Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card. This essentially knocked out the cost of the entire night.
We wanted to save the best, Epic Universe, for last. But that park is far from the others, so we needed a third hotel for a couple of nights. We chose Universal Stella Nova Resort, saving another $300 using the Capital One Travel credit from my wife's separate Capital One Venture X account. It was a manageable walk in the morning, though there are more expensive properties attached to the park if you want to be even closer.
- 10X miles per $1 on hotels and rental cars booked via Capital One Travel
- 5X miles per $1 on purchases through Capital One Entertainment
- 5X miles per $1 on flights when booking via Capital One Travel
- 5X miles per $1 on vacation rentals booked via Capital One Travel
- 2X miles per $1 on all other eligible purchases
Creative Thinking for Tickets
There's no way around it — park tickets are insanely expensive. Even though we had Universal Express Unlimited Passes for the two parks, we still needed them for Epic Universe, as well as a four-day park ticket for each of us. The express passes alone were almost $900 for the day.
At the time I booked, Universal tickets were available through the Chase, Capital One, and U.S. Bank travel portals. I used the $325 annual travel portal credit on the discontinued U.S. Bank Altitude™ Reserve Visa Infinite® Card to purchase one ticket, using my points at a 1-cent-per-point value to cover the cost.
I also had a large stash of Capital One miles and another $300 travel portal credit from my Capital One Venture X Business to purchase the remaining two tickets.
So that's another $625 in savings from the travel portal credit, plus roughly $1,000 in points redeemed at 1 cent per point.
- 10X miles per $1 on hotels and rental cars booked via Capital One Business Travel
- 5X miles per $1 on purchases through Capital One Entertainment
- 5X miles per $1 on flights booked via Capital One Business Travel
- 5X miles per $1 on vacation rentals booked via Capital One Business Travel
- 2X miles per $1 on other eligible purchases
How It All Stacked Together
So here's a breakdown of my savings:
- Amex FHR credits: $900 from three cards
- Capital One Travel credits: $900 from three cards
- Altitude Reserve travel credits: $325
- Three Express Unlimited Passes for two park days: around $1,800 value, included with stay at Portofino Bay
- Capital One miles and U.S. Bank points redeemed: around $1,000 value
- Total value applied: almost $5,000!
That doesn’t mean this trip was $5,000 cheaper than every possible alternative. But between card credits, points, and included Universal benefits, we offset or received nearly $5,000 in value from the specific hotels and tickets we booked.
Lessons for Readers Planning Their Own Universal Trip
Now that I've been to all of the parks, I'd change a few things for next time.
- I'd only book one or two nights at Portofino Bay and get a Park-to-Park ticket instead. With an early start and Universal Express Unlimited, we could likely cover most of what we wanted to experience in both parks.
- I'd skip Volcano Bay entirely. It was fine, but Disney's water parks are just as good and are included with Deluxe Resort stays during summer 2026. Based on the crowds during our visit, we didn’t find the Volcano Bay Express Pass necessary.
- I'd do exactly what I did at Epic Universe. I was at the front of the line to get in and rode the park's two biggest attractions during early entry. We were able to ride everything by midafternoon without waiting in the overcrowded lines (even with the Express Pass).
Bottom Line
I'm thrilled with the value I got back from my premium cards on this trip, even if I had to pull out every trick in the book to do it. I definitely won't be able to pull this off annually, but I was all too happy to put those points and credits to good use to cut down our biggest expenses. Hopefully, you can use some of these methods to reduce the cost of your own amazing trip.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: American Express Platinum Card® (Rates & Fees)
