Is a Cheap Miami Honeymoon right for us?
Miami has long been referred to as the Capital of Latin America. The city is a melting pot of cultures. Miami has many charms, roaring nightlife, livery arts scene and delectable restaurants. Miami beach is an Art Deco masterpiece with gorgeous 1930s hotels that line Ocean Drive. Stroll in the evenings down the sidewalk and weave through the outdoor seating areas cast in neon lights and the thumping of Latin music as a backdrop.
Miami isn’t just the wonderful nightlife. Miami also has miles of beautiful beaches perfect for walks along the water or laying in the sun. A terrific destination to let loose, relax, eat some great food, and have fun.
Fort Lauderdale (FLL) and Miami (MIA) airports serve the Miami-Fort Lauderdale region. Miami is a hub of American Airlines and Fort Lauderdale is a hub for Southwest Airlines and Spirit Airlines.
Honeymoon Hacker Method
Miami is a fantastic destination for a domestic US honeymoon. Warm weather and beautiful beaches and hopping nightlife make Miami a great choice for a fun honeymoon. I’ll show you how to put this trip together for nearly free. To make this trip happen you and your future spouse will need to open a few new credit cards and use them for your regular spending and wedding expenses in order to earn the significant signup bonuses that were offered with those cards.
Miami Itinerary Overview
Two Roundtrip Flights from the United States to Miami area (Fort Lauderdale or Miami)
8 Hotel nights at Kimpton Angler’s Hotel South Beach
Retail Honeymoon Price: $3,900
Honeymoon Hacker Price: $350
Pieces of the Puzzle
5 Credit Cards
- 2x IHG Premier Credit Cards
- 1x Chase Sapphire Preferred
- 1x Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Plus
- 1x Capital One Venture Card
Where will we stay in Miami?
Kimpton Angler’s Hotel South Beach
Kimpton Angler’s Hotel South Beach provides a great hotel to venture off an enjoy the fun of Miami’s South Beach area. Walking distance to the beach, chic restaurants, and clubs. The hotel is a beautiful and stylish landing spot to relax and recharge during your honeymoon vacation.
The Honeymoon Hacking game plan is to spend 8 nights at the Kimpton Angler’s Hotel, an IHG property for 55,000 points per night. The stay will require 330,000 IHG points which you will earn through the welcome bonus from two IHG Premier credit cards and transferring some Chase Ultimate Rewards Points.
IHG Premier Credit Card details:
- Earn Limited Time 140,000 IHG Points after making $3,000 in purchases within the first 3 months
- $89 annual fee is not waived the first 12 months
- The 140,000 miles plus the 3,000 points you earn for the $3,000 in spending times two credit cards = 292,000 miles
330,000 IHG Points will be needed to book your eight nights at this hotel. For more in-depth review of the IHG Premier credit card, click here.
Click Here to Apply for the IHG Premier Credit Card
The Miami Honeymoon Hacker itinerary requires supplementing IHG Points and Southwest Airlines miles with Chase Ultimate reward points. Typically, IHG points aren’t a valuable enough use case to transfer the very valuable Chase Ultimate Rewards points. But, the transfer allows each member of the couple to supplement their IHG points to reach enough points for 3 nights at the Kimpton Anglers Hotel South Beach.
When booking reward stays with IHG points, the 4th night is free with the IHG Premier credit card. So, in this case, the value you receive from the Ultimate Rewards points is satisfactory.
Chase Sapphire Preferred
- Earn 60,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points after making $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months
- $95 annual fee is not waived the first 12 months
- The 60,000 points plus the 4,000 points you earn for the $4,000 in spending = 64,000 Ultimate Rewards Points worth at least $800 in travel expenses.
IHG is a transfer partner of Chase Ultimate Rewards. Transfers from 1:1, 1 and transfers are available almost instantly.
For a more in-depth review of the Chase Sapphire Preferred, click here
Click Here to apply for the Chase Sapphire Preferred Credit Card
Hacking the Flights
There are multiple options for hacking the flights between the your home airport and Miami (MIA) or Fort Lauderdale (FLL). This example will use Southwest Airlines due to their strong point value, less expensive credit card and strong service to their hub in Fort Lauderdale. Southwest’s extensive network and fixed value points make this an easy redemption as there are no black-out dates.
My test bookings came up with around $12 in taxes per person.
Booking Summary
Below is the sample itinerary and the points necessary to book this honeymoon.
Person 1: Chase Sapphire Preferred ($95), IHG Premier Credit Card ($89), Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Plus ($69)
Person 2: IHG Premier Credit Card ($95), Capital One Venture
