The Best Hotel Points Program for Families, According to the Travel Mom Squad originally appeared on Parade.
The world of travel hacking can be daunting. There are so many credit cards and loyalty programs to choose from, and so much to learn about using your points most effectively. All the information available can seem overwhelming to sort through, but who doesn’t want to learn how to travel more often while spending less? Especially if you have a family, which means more plane tickets and bigger hotel rooms.
To help with the latter, many hotel chains offer rewards programs—for the money you spend booking with them, you accrue points that can be used to book additional stays. Marriott has Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton has Hilton Honors, Wyndham has Wyndham Rewards, and many of them have associated credit cards, maximizing the amount of points you can earn on stays when booked with the card. When used right, your points can cover the cost of accommodation for family vacations (over and over again!).
But not all hotel loyalty programs are made equal; your dollar will go further at certain chains, so it’s important to join the best one. So where do you start? Learn from the pros. Travel Mom Squad is a group of three moms who have mastered the art of traveling for “free” using points and miles and have made it their mission to teach others to do the same. Their blog covers all you need to know about the best credit cards, loyalty programs and destinations for points travel, and their podcast, Points Talk with the Travel Mom Squad, inspires you to start booking those dream family vacations.
With 518K followers on Instagram, it’s clear they’ve helped many moms (and people in general) break into travel hacking. We spoke to them to get the inside scoop on some of their best travel tips. Travel Mom Squad has thoroughly researched and experienced many different hotel loyalty programs, and when it comes to which is best, their answer is clear.
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The Hotel Chain With the Best Rewards Program
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“Hyatt is hands down our favorite hotel chain for points and miles redemptions,” the Travel Mom Squad said. The World of Hyatt rewards program has four different tiers, which you can climb through qualifying activity (more nights stayed per year). What makes this program different from others? The way it awards points. “Unlike other major hotel brands that have shifted to dynamic pricing, where the number of points needed is tied to the cash rate, Hyatt still uses a fixed award chart. This means our points go much further with Hyatt than other hotel brands.” A fixed award chart means the number of points needed to book a free night is the same throughout the season you are booking in (it does differ for off-peak and peak seasons), whereas other hotels adjust the pricing and points value according to real-time market demand on any given day.
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The Hyatt chain has a multitude of hotel options and locations, ranging from luxury properties and all-inclusives to more casual, family-friendly stays. “Whether you’re looking for luxury at a Park Hyatt or space for the entire family + free breakfast at Hyatt Place or Hyatt House, we’ve gotten truly oversized value from our Hyatt points redemptions,” the group of travel experts says.
The Travel Mom’s Secret Tip for Maximizing Points Even More
And, in true Travel Mom Squad fashion, they have a “secret” tip to get even more travel bang for your buck: to ask about Hyatt’s Family Plan rate. “When you book one room with points, you may be eligible to book a second room for children at up to 50 percent off the standard cash rate.” This offer may not be available at every Hyatt property, but it’s definitely worth asking about when booking your stay.
The offer is not available through online booking, so you have to be “in the know” to cash it in. You can check if the property you are booking is eligible by calling World of Hyatt Customer Service and inquiring. If available, a representative will help you book your rooms over the phone.
Related: The Row You Should Never Sit In on a Long Flight, According To The Points Guy
The Best Hotel Points Program for Families, According to the Travel Mom Squad first appeared on Parade on Jun 12, 2025
This story was originally reported by Parade on Jun 12, 2025, where it first appeared.
