Theme park vacations aren’t all fun and games. Between park tickets, hotel rooms, skip-the-line passes and souvenirs, the expenses add up quickly. In the search for savings, families can use points and miles to book trips to theme parks like Universal Orlando, Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Kids Resort, which just opened in Texas.
You can use points to cover things like hotel stays, theme park tickets and more. One thing to note, Universal Studios Hollywood does not have any on-site hotels at this time, but there are a handful of points hotels within walking distance. Universal Kids Resort has an on-site hotel, but it is currently only available through the Amex Travel portal. (It only recently opened, so it could become available through other booking portals in the near future.)
Here are some ways to save at Universal theme parks throughout the United States.
Use Chase Ultimate Rewards points
Redeem Ultimate Rewards points for Universal hotels
The Chase Ultimate Rewards program can be a jack-of-all-trades for covering the costs of a Universal Orlando vacation. Let’s consider your lodging.
Universal Orlando Resort has four Signature Collection hotels: Loews Royal Pacific Resort, the Hard Rock Hotel Orlando, Loews Portofino Bay Hotel and Universal Helios Grand Hotel.
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, allowing you 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.
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Related: Roller coasters and room service: How hotels made Universal Orlando a top vacation destination
Universal Orlando’s hotels can often 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 up to 2 cents each toward booking travel, depending on the specific redemption (see your rewards program agreement for full details).
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees) and the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (see rates and fees) both offer slightly less (up to 1.5 cents per point on select hotels, depending on the specific redemption) in value per Ultimate Rewards point redeemed for travel.
Lastly, 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 up to 2 cents each, depending on the specific redemption. See your rewards program agreement for full details.
Points prices and cash prices vary by date. On a test date in mid-September, the Universal Orlando hotels ranged from 21,038 to 86,962 Ultimate Rewards points per night for a user with the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card.
Buy Universal tickets with Ultimate Rewards points
You can purchase a variety of Universal Orlando and Universal Studios Hollywood park tickets through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal. When doing so, you’ll get the same redemption rates as you’d get when booking hotels through the Ultimate Rewards portal.
If tickets are available, you can find them in the “Activities” section of the travel portal. Search for “Orlando,” enter your dates and any available ticket options will populate in the search results.
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 June 2026, 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.
If you have the Citi Strata Premier® Card (see rates and fees) or Citi Prestige® Card (no longer open to new applicants), you can use your annual cardholder benefits at Universal hotels and those nearby. Premier cardholders can get $100 off a hotel reservation of $500 or more (excluding taxes and fees), available once per year. Prestige cardholders can get a fourth night free on stays of four or more nights, available twice a year. Both benefits require booking in the Citi Travel portal.
The information for the Citi Prestige has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
You can also book theme park tickets and other activities through the Citi travel portal, often with the same discounts you can get by booking directly.
Related: Best ways to redeem Citi ThankYou points
Use American Express Membership Rewards points
Redeem Amex Membership Rewards points for Universal hotels
All of Universal Orlando’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 American Express Travel® portal with American Express Platinum Card® or The Business Platinum Card® from American Express.
All Universal hotels, including the one at the new Universal Kids Resort in Frisco, Texas, are bookable through Amex Travel.
Take advantage of American Express Fine Hotels + Resorts perks
Speaking of American Express, Loews Portofino Bay Hotel, one of the three hotels that offer complimentary Universal Express Unlimited passes, is bookable through the American Express Fine Hotels + Resorts program, 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.
Plus, as an Amex Platinum Card or Amex Business Platinum Card holder, you’ll get up to $600 annually (distributed as up to $300 in biannual hotel statement credits) when paying for your stay with your Amex card. These perks go a long way toward offsetting the lower redemption value.
Use Capital One miles
There are a few different ways you can use Capital One miles to help with a trip to one of Universal’s theme parks.
First, you can book a Universal vacation package that includes lodging and pay with one of your Capital One Venture cards. That lets you use your Capital One miles to cover the charge at 1 cent per mile.
You can also book Universal Orlando hotels through Capital One Travel using cash or miles. Best of all, you can earn up to 10 miles per dollar spent (depending on the card you use) if you pay with cash and still use your miles to cover the charge after it appears on your statement.
Remember to check the rates on Capital One Travel versus other online travel agencies and booking directly, 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 Rewards Credit Card, you can also use your $300 annual travel credit to offset some of the cost of a Universal 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 codes as a travel purchase, you could also use miles to remove the transaction from your statement.
Use Universal Rewards points
There are two Universal Rewards credit cards: the no-annual-fee Universal Rewards Plus Visa Signature® Card earns 2 points per dollar on qualifying Universal purchases and 1 point per dollar on all other purchases. The $99-annual-fee Universal Rewards Plus Visa Signature® Card earns 4 points per dollar on qualifying Universal purchases, 2 points per dollar on travel, gas and dining purchases, and 1 point per dollar on all other purchases, among other perks. You can add the points you earn to a Universal FUNds prepaid card to cover eligible Universal purchases.
The real value of these cards lies in the in-park discounts and welcome offers. Both come with access to perks like 10% off select merchandise and food and beverage purchases at Universal theme parks and a welcome bonus statement credit for new cardholders.
While not the most lucrative return, if you are planning a major Universal vacation, you may find value in the welcome offer for new cardholders, bonus points on Universal purchases and in-park discounts, such as 10% off select merchandise and food and beverage purchases at Universal theme parks.
The information for the Universal Rewards Plus and Universal Rewards cards has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Use hotel points for off-site Universal hotels
Several chain hotels are located near Universal parks, giving you many opportunities to use points from all major hotel brands.
Hotel Landy is a Marriott Tribute Portfolio hotel less than a seven-minute drive from Universal Orlando. Nightly rates start as low as $95 or 25,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night.
If you want to stay even closer to the parks and redeem Hilton Honors points, check out the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel at the Entrance to Universal Orlando (yes, that is the real name). Rates start at around $117 or 34,000 Hilton Honors points per night.
Though not technically a Universal property, the Hilton Los Angeles Universal City, is within walking distance of Universal Studios Hollywood and has rooms with spectacular park views. Rates start at $209 or 70,000 Hilton Honors points per night.
And, if you want to earn or redeem points near the Universal Kids Resort in Texas, check out the Courtyard by Marriott Dallas Frisco. It’s only about a five-minute drive from the park. Rates here start at $148 or 14,800 Marriott Bonvoy points per night.
Related: The best credit cards for hotel stays
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 ice, cold Butterbeer costing about $8, you need all the help you can get.
Stacie Harris is a local resident and reporter of the Maple Grove area. Stacie reports on medicine and science for the Maple Grove Report.
