Booking a world class luxury getaway in the Maldives is expensive. Book hotels and flights on points to help reduce the costs. It is important to note that even with booking all your flights and hotels for free, there will still be a significant amount of money to be spent with the high cost of food and drink once you are on the island.
Booking hotels in the Maldives for Free
The best way to book hotels for free is directly through a major brand like Marriott or Hilton.
Remember, you should only book and use points when you are staying at hotels for at least 5 days. Book 4 nights and the 5th night is free which is HUGE savings especially in places like the Maldives where rooms can easily be over $1,000+ per night.
Booking Hilton Hotels for Free
Hilton has branded American Express Credit cards which come with huge sign up bonuses and more great perks. My most recommended credit card is the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire card which comes with 150,000 Points and the ability to earn 14x points at the resort and 7x points on flights!
The fee is $450/year but you can easily get way more value back with the card. Not only do you earn a lot of points with everyday spending but you get a FREE weekend night award certificate each year, which can easily exceed over $1,000 in value alone. You also get a $250 Hotel Credit and a $250 Airline Credit! And the best perk of the card is lifetime Hilton Diamond Status!! This is the highest tier of status which gets you upgrades at check in, free executive lounge access (drinks and food), free breakfast, and more!
This credit card got me 5 free nights at the Conrad Maldives (well over $5K in value), free daily breakfast at an amazing buffet (over $1,000 in value), but also got me upgraded to a better suite (over $2,000 in value). And Diamond Members get free daily happy hour saving hundreds on drinks. This is THE travel card to get especially when looking to book a hotel to the Maldives.
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Booking Marriott Hotels for Free
Marriott has branded Visa Credit Cards which come with huge sign up bonuses to help get you on your way to a free room.
Sign up and get the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card which comes with a 100,000 Bonus Points . Use my referral code to earn 3 Free Night Awards with the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card or 1 Free Night Award with the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card.
The card has a low $95 fee per year which is easily recovered in bonuses and perks.
You earn 17X points for every dollar spent at a Marriott. You also get a Free Night Award certificate every year! Additionally, if you use this card on a trip to the Maldives, you will earn a ton of points from the seaplane transfer costs to the expensive food/dining which will get you points for your next getaway!
I was able to book an overwater villa at the St Regis, Maldives for FREE by using Marriott Points. This experience saves thousands of dollars by booking with points instead of rates that can easily be $2,000+ per night!
Booking Hotels for Free with AMEX Travel Cards
The Amex Platinum is another great credit card to have ! You can transfer points directly to Hilton or Marriott to help top you off to get those free hotel rewards. Many times they have bonus transfers offered when transferring to these brands as well!
Use my referral code and start earning!
You can book directly with American Express travel but that is never recommended as you get a better point value by transferring to the hotel points system like Marriott or Hilton.