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There's more to points and miles than just using them for free flights and hotel nights. You also can redeem them for nights at vacation rental properties worldwide.
And there are lots of reasons why a vacation rental might be appealing. More space, a kitchen, privacy — plus, there's generally great value to be had by making these redemptions.
Here's how to use points and miles for vacation home rentals.
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Use Wyndham Points for Vacasa Stays
Vacasa's relationship with Wyndham Rewards stems from 2019, when North America's largest vacation rental management company acquired Wyndham Vacation Rentals. And ever since the brands integrated, opportunities have existed for Wyndham Rewards members to redeem points for stays at thousands of Vacasa rental properties.
Wyndham Rewards members can book stays at Vacasa properties with a points cost based on the average nightly cash rate:
- 15,000 points: Average nightly cash price of $250 or less
- 30,000 points: Average nightly cash price greater than $250
Note that these amounts are points per night per bedroom. Thus, if you book a two-bedroom property with an average cash price of $300 per night, you'd pay 60,000 points per night (30k rate based on price x 2 rooms).
Reserving a Vacasa property with Wyndham points requires two steps: browsing rental properties and calling Wyndham Rewards at 800-441-1034 to redeem.
Unfortunately, not every Vacasa property participates in Wyndham Rewards, so finding a property you can use points for might take some trial and error. It makes sense to jot a few property names down before calling in, just to be on the safe side.
But a word of caution: If you cancel a reservation 30 or fewer days before you're due to check in, you won't see your points refunded. Full refunds are granted for all other cancellations made before that 30-day cutoff.
Get a 10% discount with a Wyndham credit card
Just by holding one of the three Wyndham co-branded cards, you'll get a 10% discount on all Wyndham redemptions — including nights at Vacasa properties:
- Wyndham Rewards Earner® Card
- Wyndham Rewards Earner® Plus Card
- Wyndham Rewards® Earner℠ Business Card
Effectively, you'll pay 13,500 points per bedroom per night when you carry a Wyndham card for the sub-$250 properties — making an already sweet deal even sweeter.
How to earn Wyndham points
Outside of co-branded credit cards and staying at Wyndham properties, there are a few ways to grow your balance of Wyndham Rewards points, which include transferring points to the program and buying Wyndham points — sometimes with a bonus or discount.
Use Points for Homes & Villas by Marriott Bonvoy
If you have a stash of Marriott Bonvoy points or carry a credit card allowing point transfers to Marriott, another option for using points to book vacation homes worldwide comes through Homes & Villas by Marriott Bonvoy.
Marriott uses dynamic pricing where you get a value of 0.56 cents per Marriott Bonvoy point. That may require you to be flexible with dates to find a deal that works for you.
Booking through the program is easy: Visit the dedicated website and sign in, and you can book with your Bonvoy points. But note that once your reservation is confirmed, your booking will be turned over to a professional property management company that'll handle it from there.
Cancellation policies are convoluted and vary depending on how far in advance you make a reservation. The complete policies are outlined on the Homes & Villas FAQ page.
Related: Current Marriott Homes & Villas promotions
How to earn Marriott Bonvoy points
Marriott Bonvoy points are easy to earn, courtesy of a bevy of co-branded Marriott credit cards and three credit card point transfer partners. You can also buy Marriott points outright — sometimes with a quality bonus.
Use Hyatt Points for Vacation Home Rentals
Hyatt has some of the most diverse vacation rental home options. World of Hyatt features three programs that allow you to redeem points for stays, including Homes & Hideaways by World of Hyatt, Destination by Hyatt, and Hyatt Vacation Club.
Homes & Hideaways by World of Hyatt
At first glance, the Homes & Hideaways program looks a lot like Homes & Villas by Marriott Bonvoy. However, point redemptions are denominated in World of Hyatt points — not Bonvoy points.
With the program, you can redeem your points for studios and full homes in a handful of states. Homes & Hideaways is still a young program, given it debuted just this past September. Over time, the offerings will expand, but they're currently minimal.
The rates you'll pay for award nights are also extremely high, which might make you think twice before emptying your World of Hyatt point balance on a vacation home rental.
The price in points is tied to the cash rate of the property, and your points are worth between 1.1 and 1.2 cents each, which is near half of what AwardWallet users typically enjoy on Hyatt redemptions.
The properties are normally managed by local companies, not by World of Hyatt. And with that, cancellation policies vary by company. You'll find all the relevant details in your confirmation email.
Related: How To Earn & Redeem Hyatt Points on Homes & Hideaways Vacation Homes
Destination by Hyatt
Since 2019, Destination by Hyatt has offered another angle with which to use Hyatt points to book vacation rentals. And depending on the property you book, you can reserve yourself a lot of space (and amenities).
A good portion of the Destination properties are bookable on the main Hyatt website. Ensure you select “Use Points” when you key in your intended dates and destination. Rates will pattern after the general Hyatt award chart, and you can enjoy your World of Hyatt benefits at these properties.
It's worth comparing the points price to the cash price to make sure you're getting the best deal. But do note that “resort fees” won't apply when you book with Hyatt points, as they're waived entirely. Another bonus: These stays will count toward the Hyatt Brand Explorer perk, helping you earn free night awards along the way.
Hyatt Vacation Club
While typically known as a “flexible vacation ownership” program, or a timeshare for short, Hyatt Vacation Club properties are also bookable with Hyatt points, and they carry no long-term contract.
Depending on the property you book, it may or may not give you the vibe of a vacation rental home. In certain instances, the room you book at a property may very well look like a hotel room. In other instances, it may look like an apartment. Your mileage may vary, so it's important to pick and choose based on the space you're after.
Rooms and villas at these properties can be reserved on the general World of Hyatt website, which is incredibly convenient. The rates you'll pay align with the standard award chart that Hyatt uses for other hotels and resorts worldwide. And with this, you're bound by the general cancellation policies for normal bookings, plus your normal Hyatt benefits will apply.
How to earn Hyatt points
Like Wyndham and Marriott, World of Hyatt points are accessible via a personal and business credit card, transfers from a small selection of partners, and through buying Hyatt points.
Cover Your Vacation Rental Stays With Fixed-Value Points
Instead of using Wyndham, Marriott, or Hyatt points for award stays at vacation rental properties, it's also possible to redeem fixed-value points for vacation rentals.
Chase Ultimate Rewards points
Using the Chase Pay Yourself Back feature is an easy way to redeem points for charges and offset the price tag of a vacation rental.
Depending on the Chase cards you have and the redemption you make, you'll use points at a value between 1 and 2 cents each. This isn't the best use of Chase points, but it's still a convenient one. Plus, there's always the option of cashing out points at 1¢ apiece as a statement credit or booking a vacation rental property through the Chase travel portal, using points at up to 2¢ each, depending on which cards you have.
Capital One Miles
There are two ways you can use Capital One Miles to cover the cost of a vacation rental.
First, you can book a vacation rental through Capital One Travel and pay with Miles. On these redemptions, your Miles will be worth 1¢ apiece. Given that AwardWallet users typically redeem Capital One Miles for 2.01¢ each, this isn't the best value redemption out there. However, it's an easily accessible way to book a vacation rental. Plus, you'll earn an experience credit on every booking.
Second, you can redeem Capital One Miles for recent travel charges at a fixed value. Once you make a reservation, you'll have 90 days to apply miles to the charge — at a rate of 1¢ each.
However, not all vacation rentals will code as travel, so your mileage may vary. Ultimately, this depends on who owns or manages the property you rent, so bear this in mind before you splurge on a property, assuming you're covered with your miles and then getting disappointed later on.
Bank of America Travel Rewards points
Bank of America credit cards that earn Travel Rewards also present the opportunity to redeem points for travel bookings. When redeemed for travel, the redemption value of your points is 1¢ each. You need to have at least 2,500 points to redeem, which equates to a minimum $25 travel credit.
Again, this isn't the best way to get outsized value from your points, but it's still an easy way to offset the cost of a vacation rental and make a family vacation more affordable if you don't have points you can use through one of the direct booking methods above.
Final Thoughts
Using points and miles to reserve vacation rental properties is a creative way to avoid the status quo of a hotel on your next family vacation. There are plenty of ways to do it and dozens of ways to earn the points required to cover the entire cost of your stay — or a substantial portion of it.
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