💳 The Chase Trifecta for Beginners: Travel Hacks Made Simple
- AlboApproved
- Jul 9
- 4 min read
Updated: Sep 8
Traveling with kids isn’t optional — it’s strategic. When daycare is closed, preschool takes a week off for "conference prep," or your kindergartener’s school decides Friday is an “asynchronous enrichment day” (whatever that means)... you’re not asking for a vacation — you’re fighting for your sanity.
But here’s the catch: Family travel is expensive. You’re not looking to drop $4,000 on a resort just so your toddler can eat mac & cheese in a new zip code.
That’s where the Chase Trifecta comes in — a setup that lets regular humans (aka, tired parents) use everyday spending to earn real travel rewards. We’re talking free Hyatt stays, family-friendly flights, and not having to sleep in a roadside LaQuinta with a broken mini fridge.
🔺 What Is the Chase Trifecta?
It’s three Chase cards that tag-team your spending:
Freedom Flex® – 5% cash back on rotating categories like groceries, gas, and Target.
Freedom Unlimited® – 1.5% back on everything else (because kids = infinite purchases).
Sapphire Preferred® (or Reserve®) – unlocks the Chase travel portal and the power to transfer points to Hyatt and other travel partners.
💡 Tip: Points earned on Freedom cards must be combined into Sapphire to be transferred to partners. Otherwise, they’re just sad cash back.
💳 Why This Works for Parents
Because your monthly expenses basically are a rewards generator:
Diapers from Amazon = points
Emergency pizza nights = points
$312 Target run for “just a few things” = glorious points
Swim class, soccer gear, birthday party chaos = more points
Combine those points into a Sapphire card and now you're booking:
✅ Hyatt Place for 5,000 points/night in Durham, NC✅ Hyatt House in Harrisonburg for 8,000✅ Family-friendly resorts in Hawaii or Cancun from 20K–35K points/night
🛑 Meanwhile, Marriott wants 50K+ points for a Fairfield Inn next to a Denny’s. No thanks.
🔁 The Trifecta in Action (No Math Degree Needed)
Use Flex® for whatever’s in the 5% bonus category this quarter (groceries, gas, etc.)
Use Unlimited® for everything else (hello, Amazon and Instacart)
Use Sapphire to book travel or transfer points to Hyatt
Profit. Or at least, don’t spend $900 for a long weekend in Jersey.
🏨 Why I’m All-In on Hyatt
I’ve done Marriott. I’ve stayed loyal. I’ve even suffered the Vacation Club guilt. But let me be blunt:
Hyatt gives you real value for your points
No ridiculous resort fees
Redemptions start at 5,000 points
Hotels are family-friendly and modern
You can actually find award availability during school breaks
Cancun’s Hyatt Ziva? ~35K points/night for a legit all-inclusive
💥 Translation: A week of beach, buffet, and babysitting — paid for by groceries and gas.
🏨 World of Hyatt Points Chart (With All-Inclusive Examples)
Standard redemption rates shown. Hyatt has off-peak and peak variations, but this keeps it simple and usable.
🔹 Hotel + Resort Awards (Standard Hyatt Properties)
Category | Points per Night | Example Hotels |
1 | 5,000 | Hyatt Place Durham / Southpoint (NC), Hyatt Place Salt Lake City |
2 | 8,000 | Hyatt House Harrisonburg (VA), Hyatt Place Denver Airport |
3 | 12,000 | Hyatt Place Moab, Hyatt Regency Green Bay |
4 | 15,000 | Hyatt Centric Chicago Magnificent Mile, Andaz San Diego |
5 | 20,000 | Hyatt Regency Maui (HI), Hyatt Centric Key West |
6 | 25,000 | Grand Hyatt Kauai, Andaz Napa |
7 | 30,000 | Park Hyatt New York, Alila Ventana Big Sur |
8 | 40,000 | Alila Napa Valley, Calala Island Nicaragua |
🔸 All-Inclusive Resorts (Hyatt Ziva, Zilara, etc.)
Points per Night | Example Resorts |
15,000 | Dreams Jade Resort & Spa, Sunscape Akumal |
20,000 | Secrets Playa Mujeres Golf & Spa Resort |
25,000 | Hyatt Zilara Cap Cana, Dreams Tulum |
30,000 | Hyatt Ziva Puerto Vallarta, Secrets St. James Montego Bay |
35,000 | Hyatt Ziva Cancun, Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos, Zilara Cancun |
🛎️ Note: All-inclusives cover food, drinks, activities — no surprise bills from that 3rd round of poolside chicken tenders your toddler only took 2 bites of.
💰 Sign-Up Bonuses = Fast Wins
If you're starting from scratch, these are the current offers:
Sapphire Preferred®: 75,000 bonus points
Sapphire Reserve®: 100,000 bonus points👉 Apply with my referral link – I’ll earn some points if you’re approved (thanks in advance, fellow parent).
Freedom Flex® or Unlimited®:👉 Apply here – same deal, I get a cut of the chaos
🎯 TL;DR for Busy Parents
You’re already spending money on diapers, groceries, swim lessons, and car seats. Why not turn that into free nights at a Hyatt, where someone else cooks, and you don’t have to scrub ketchup off a high chair?
🔑 Final Thoughts
The Chase Trifecta isn’t for spreadsheet junkies or points geeks. It’s for parents who want to hack family travel using what they’re already spending money on.
This strategy won’t get you to the Maldives in first class. But it might get you and your kids out of the house, into a hotel with a working A/C and a pool — without lighting your bank account on fire.
You deserve that.
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