How I used credit card points for an all-inclusive Mexico trip at the Hilton Tulum Riviera Maya Resort #CashNews.co

It’s become a family tradition for us to head to the beach at the beginning of each year — partly because we like the ocean and partly because we want to escape the frigid winter weather.

As I started researching possibilities with the available points and miles from our travel credit cards, I found an opportunity to experience an all-inclusive Hilton resort in Mexico without paying extra for our kids, something my inner penny-pinching self couldn’t pass up.

This was our first all-inclusive resort experience — booked at the beautiful Hilton Tulum Riviera Maya All-Inclusive Resort — and it easily convinced us to consider more in the future.

This was a fairly simple itinerary compared to our Japan and South Korea trip, with flights between Salt Lake City (SLC) and Cancun (CUN).

We spent six nights at an Airbnb in Playa del Carmen and six nights at the Hilton Tulum Riviera Maya All-Inclusive Resort in Tulum. Different family members joined us for separate parts of the trip.

Here are some trip stats, including flights we booked for family members:

• Total trip time: Nearly two weeks (13 days)

• Number of flights: 3

• Number of hotels: 1

• Number of vacation rentals: 1

• Total number of points and miles used: 724,000 mixed rewards (224,000 Virgin points + 500,000 Hilton points)

• Approximate cash value of rewards used*: $10,710.90

*Note: I checked the cash prices of our flights and hotel stays with the exact or similar dates, fare classes, and room types on our bookings before they were completed. I also included the higher cash price of the room upgrade we received at the Hilton resort. Keep in mind that certain factors can cause some variance, such as exchange rates on specific days, but this is a good ballpark total figure of the cash prices of the flights and hotel stay.

We used the American Express® Gold Card to make food and grocery purchases, including a few dinner orders on Uber Eats when we didn’t feel like venturing out again after long days. This is typically our go-to grocery credit card at home and it helped fund our flights through Membership Rewards points transferred to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club.

We used the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card to make various purchases when merchants didn’t accept American Express cards. As a credit card with no foreign transaction fees, the Venture X always has a place in my wallet when traveling abroad.

A family member traveling with us used the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card to make various purchases with no foreign transaction fees. We didn’t use Chase Ultimate Rewards points or transfer points from Chase for this trip, but they remain one of our favorite travel rewards currencies among major card issuers.

Check out our review of the Chase Sapphire Preferred card

A family member traveling with us used the Chase Sapphire Reserve® to make various purchases with no foreign transaction fees.

Read more about the Chase Sapphire Reserve card

We used the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Credit Card at the Hilton Tulum Riviera Maya to make various on-property purchases using the up to $400 Hilton resort credit ($200 in statement credits semi-annually). The complimentary Hilton Honors Diamond status benefit got us a free room upgrade to an ocean-view roomOcean View Room. We also used this card to earn Hilton Honors points that were redeemed for our resort stay.

We used the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card for various purchases as we worked toward the $15,000 spending requirement for the Free Night Reward benefit. We also used this card to earn Hilton Honors points, which we redeemed for our resort stay.

Learn more about the Hilton Honors Surpass card

The Platinum Card® from American Express was used to earn Membership Rewards points that we transferred to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club for our flights. This card was also used to access multiple airport lounges, including a Delta Sky Club in SLC since we were flying Delta.

American Express Platinum Card review: An elite travel card with first-class benefits

A family member traveling with us used the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business Card to get a free checked bag for other family members on their same Delta reservation.

We used our Charles Schwab Debit Card several times to withdraw Mexican pesos (MXN) from an ATM. The Charles Schwab Debit Card provides unlimited ATM fee rebates for cash withdrawals worldwide, making it our preferred choice to access local currency when traveling internationally.

Learn more about the Delta SkyMiles Platinum Business card

We have multiple Hilton Honors credit cards, which provided many of the points we used (through everyday earnings and welcome offers) to book the resort stay.

We also signed up for a Hilton Grand Vacations timeshare presentation during a trip to Gatlinburg, Tennessee, which netted 200,000 Hilton points. The initial offer was 100,000 points plus the discounted 3-night stay in Gatlinburg, which seemed like a pretty sweet deal. However, we received 200,000 points because I had to hound Hilton for months after they had never deposited the initial points amount.

We transferred Amex Membership Rewards to our Virgin Atlantic Flying Club account with a 30% transfer bonus to book our flights. That means we received 30% more points on top of the points we were transferring. For example, 100,000 Amex points would equal 130,000 Virgin points during a 30% transfer bonus.

Other than saving money, the main objective for our flights was not having any connections. Nonstop flights are a top priority for most people, especially if you’re traveling with kids.

Fortunately, Delta has direct flights to Cancun from our home airport, and we already had a small stockpile of Virgin points ready to go from a recent transfer bonus that we took advantage of. However, not all Delta flights show up on the Virgin website, so I had to play around with the availability to book flights that worked for us. As a side note, I love that you can add lap infants straight from the Virgin online booking process, a perk not available with every award chart or award ticket.

We flew out on a Wednesday and back on a Friday, which wasn’t ideal for work purposes, but the times were much better for our family.

I always watch for sales on Airbnb gift cards, which I add to our Airbnb account. This is a low-risk strategy because we travel frequently enough and almost always use Airbnb, whether for all our lodging needs or mixed in with hotel stays. If you don’t travel often or don’t have an upcoming trip, keeping a large sum of gift cards in your account might not make sense.

While planning this trip, I noticed we had enough credit in our Airbnb account to cover a large vacation rental for the needed nights. We ended up paying about $1,200 for the Airbnb, which wasn’t bad for six nights in a three-bedroom condo with three and a half bathrooms.

We loved having a huge open space in our Airbnb.

I knew we had a decent bank of Hilton points, and I wanted to see if we could use them for more than a few nights at an all-inclusive resort. Mexico is known for its all-inclusive properties, so that was one of the areas I searched, though I also looked around the Caribbean region.

I was surprised to find places with standard room availability for two adults and two kids at normal award prices, including the Hilton Tulum Riviera Maya. Considering we could cancel for free, we booked fairly quickly after discussing it with family and friends.

Hilton Honors members with elite status get the 5th Night Free benefit, which gets you a fifth night for free on award bookings of five nights or more. Since we had booked six nights with points, we received one night for free, saving us 100,000 points or a Free Night Reward. Note that this benefit only applies to standard rooms booked on consecutive nights.

Enjoying the amazing view from our room at the Hilton Tulum Riviera Maya.

If you plan on staying at the Hilton Tulum Riviera Maya All-Inclusive Resort, here’s some information we can share from our experience:

• Arriving: I booked a van transfer with USA Transfers to pick up some family in Cancun, pick us up in Playa del Carmen, and then continue to the resort. I also booked this for the return trip to the airport, and everything went smoothly. You can also book different options through the hotel or use several other reputable companies. The hotel is a bit isolated, so there aren’t many cheap options for arriving or departing.

• Hilton Honors Diamond: With our Hilton Honors Diamond status, we were upgraded multiple times to an Ocean View Room in the family area at Casa 6. We loved being in this area as a family, and we were super happy with the third-floor Ocean View Room. We could always see and hear the ocean when we opened the sliding balcony door, and it was also nice to see the pool and kids’ area from our room so we could tell if it was busy.

• Rooms: We were initially booked in a Nature View Room, which is the same size as an Ocean View Room, but has a view of the jungle rather than the ocean. There’s not much variety among the rooms, as most are the same size, with a choice between one king bed or two queen beds. The higher-priced Enclave rooms are the same size, too, unless you get a suite. We liked our room other than the less-private frosted glass doors for the bathroom and shower. There are no key cards. Instead, you receive a wristband with a chip that acts as your room key.

• Staff: All the staff we interacted with were nice and friendly, and most everyone spoke decent English. The concierges I interacted with via email and in person spoke very good English, and were nice and helpful.

• Entertainment: From what I’ve seen online and heard about, entertainment can be a big to-do at all-inclusive resorts and on cruises. We attended a few nightly entertainment performances in front of the main building, which were decent but nothing to plan your night around. The circus show was better than what we saw at a retro dance show, and the Michael Jackson tribute show was actually quite good.

• Dining: The resort has 24/7 café and room service, five a la carte dinner restaurants, two breakfast and lunch buffets, a lunch restaurant, a dinner buffet, a churro bar, multiple drink bars, and poolside ordering. You have to make reservations at the a la carte restaurants by scanning a code on your wristband or talking to a concierge staff member. The food was more than adequate, but I especially enjoyed the room service Baja tacos and dining at La Luce, the Italian restaurant.

• Pools: We only used the pool and kids’ splash area by Casa 6, but there are seven other pools spread out across the resort. Two of them are reserved for guests in the Enclave area (Casa 1), and one of the pools by the main building is for adults only.

• Beach: The entire resort is right next to the ocean. There’s a nice stretch of beach to walk along or lounge on. However, it is a bit rocky, so water shoes are recommended. Still, I thought it was beautiful, and the kids loved playing there. If the water conditions are fine, you can go out in kayaks (mandatory life jackets are provided).

• Chairs and cabanas: There are plenty of lounge chairs around that you can use free of charge at the pools and on the beach, and many of them come with a large shade umbrella. You have to make a paid reservation to use a cabana.

• Internet: The resort has great Wi-Fi just about everywhere, even the beach. I had no issues getting internet everywhere I wandered, including areas of buildings where I had no cell service.

• Shuttles: The resort is set up to follow the coastline, so it’s fairly expansive, and walking isn’t always the most convenient option to get between buildings. Fortunately, shuttles run frequently all day and night. However, it only took me about 10 minutes of brisk walking to get from one end of the beach to the other, so that’s also an option.

• Kids Club: Our kids were unfortunately too young to fully experience the Kids Club at the resort on this recent trip, as the age cutoff is four. We still went and checked it out, and the staff graciously let them participate in getting their faces painted. However, they were quite strict about joining activities for older kids, even if we were there with them. For example, they weren’t allowed to play in the main play area at the club, even if no older kids were around. It was a bit of a letdown since the outdoor playground was under maintenance, and the baby room at the club was small and underwhelming.

Despite limited experience traveling to Mexico, I’ve found these tips and tricks useful.

Google Maps works, and it works well. I’ve used it for driving directions, walking directions, and general research to find restaurants and attractions. It’s all I’ve used in Mexico (maybe Yelp a little), so I can’t comment on other apps or tools.

I’ve rented a vehicle on my trips to the Yucatan Peninsula and a scooter in Puerto Vallarta. I don’t think it’s difficult for a competent driver to get around, though you should be aware of low-rated rental companies and rental car insurance requirements and do your research beforehand.

Driving in touristy areas is similar to driving in the U.S. — you drive on the same side of the road and the traffic laws are all generally the same, though you can expect a bit of chaos in busy areas, such as Cancun. There are potholes, sometimes cars are all over the place, and construction can occur. If that sounds similar to driving conditions where you live, you’ll probably be fine.

We love having the freedom of driving wherever we want, whenever we want, but driving in other countries isn’t for everyone. If you don’t want to rent a car, no worries. The Cancun area has plenty of buses, taxis, and even Uber.

If you speak Spanish and/or want to brave local transportation, you can use affordable options like colectivos, cheap buses and vans that many residents use. There’s also a new option with the Maya Train (Tren Maya), which opened in December 2024. Not all train routes are finished, but you can travel around the Yucatan Peninsula.

We have a T-Mobile plan with unlimited texts and calls in Mexico and a limited amount of high-speed data (and then unlimited data at a slower speed). It’s a huge relief to travel somewhere without having to do anything with our phones and just have everything work. Our plan even lets us call and text numbers back in the US for free, which was useful during our trip.

If your carriers or plans don’t offer service in Mexico, consider eSIM (electronic SIM) options so you can still access the internet on your phone while traveling.

You can use credit cards in many places in Mexico, especially the touristy areas I’ve visited, like Cancun and Puerto Vallarta. Visa and Mastercard are readily accepted, while American Express has been hit-or-miss in my experience.

As is my practice in most countries, I still try to have some cash on hand. I used my Charles Schwab Debit Card to withdraw Mexican pesos a few times for this recent trip. Multiple restaurants and attractions (like the actual Tulum ruins) only accepted cash. It was also nice to have some local currency for tips at the all-inclusive resort, though U.S. dollars work too.

Remember to decline the currency conversion fee at the ATM and try to use ATMs from well-known banks like Santander, Banamex, and Banorte. While not foolproof, this strategy should help you avoid unnecessary fees and find better exchange rates.

Spanish is the main language in Mexico, though many people in the tourism industry also speak English. English speakers were very common in Playa del Carmen and even more common at the Hilton Tulum all-inclusive resort.

I also speak (rusty and oft-unused) Spanish, so we had no issues getting around or interacting with people. However, I don’t think it’s necessary to speak the local language fluently in most countries you might want to visit, including Mexico.

That being said, I recommend putting in some effort to learn a few words or phrases, mainly to be a gracious visitor but also because it’s fun and satisfying to learn new things.

Our primary objective for this trip was to spend time with family and friends, essentially doing whatever people wanted. That meant a lot of time at the beach and pools and some exploring with a few first-time visitors.

Wandering the ruins of Tulum.

Apart from the delicious food and beautiful beaches, check out some cenotes, beautiful natural swimming holes, and some ruins if they fit your agenda. We drove to Merida and back from Cancun on a past trip, checking out Chichen Itza, Valladolid, Tulum, and Playa del Carmen.

Checking out the dolphins at Xel-Ha.

We also swam in many different cenotes and visited the Xel-Ha water park. This wonderfully unique attraction offers a day of water activities combined with multiple all-you-can-eat restaurants. That might sound strange, but it’s a beautiful place, and the Mexican buffet restaurant had loads of tasty dishes to sample. My son also loved having virgin piña coladas whenever he wanted.

It’s typically cheaper to fly to popular destinations in Mexico during May and September. The high season for many tourist areas in Mexico is during the colder months, including November to March, when people throughout North America want to vacation in warmer weather. However, depending on your itinerary and travel dates, you can find deals during most months.

It depends on the airline and loyalty program, but here are a few examples of how many miles you might need for an award flight to Cancun from different U.S. cities:

• American: 8,000 miles from Dallas (DFW) to Cancun (CUN).

• Delta: 20,000 miles from Atlanta (ATL) to Cancun (CUN).

• JetBlue: About 10,000 points from Fort Lauderdale (FLL) to Cancun (CUN).

• Southwest: About 12,000 points from Phoenix (PHX) to Cancun (CUN).

• United: 18,000 miles from San Francisco (SFO) to Cancun (CUN).

Yes, you need a valid U.S. passport to fly to Mexico. You will also need a tourist visa if you plan to stay for more than 180 days.

Yes, Southwest has direct routes to San Jose del Cabo, Puerto Vallarta, and Cancun from multiple U.S. cities, including Phoenix and Denver.

Major airlines that fly to Cancun (CUN) include:

• AeroMexico

• Air Canada

• Air France

• Alaska Airlines

• American Airlines

• Avianca

• British Airways

• Delta

• Frontier

• Iberia

• JetBlue

• KLM

• LATAM

• Southwest

• Turkish Airlines

• TAP Air Portugal

• United

• WestJet

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