How I Saved $1,700 in Los Cabos | Expense Report

This post may contain affiliate links, which means I'll receive a commission if you purchase/sign up through my link, at no extra cost to you. You can find the full disclosure here.

There are many luxurious beachfront resorts to choose from in Los Cabos. However, you don’t always have to pay the full cash price if you use credit cards responsibly and strategically. In this Los Cabos expense report, I’ll show you how I saved $1,700 on my hotel costs and how you can too.

My Los Cabos Expense Report

Here’s how I saved some money on my Los Cabos trip:

Table of Contents

Redeeming intro bonuses

I had recently achieved the intro bonus for getting the Chase Marriott Boundless card, which granted me 3 free night certificates. These certificates could be used on nights worth up to 50k points, with the ability to top off with an additional 15k points from your account.

Thanks to the Boundless card’s intro bonus, I enjoyed 3 wonderful nights at the JW Marriott Los Cabos. I only had to pay $5.10 and 7k Marriott points!

Full price out of pocket for the same dates in the same room type would have been $1,371.21. Subtracting the nominal fees, I saved $1,366.11 at the JW Marriott Los Cabos.

It’s so nice being able to stay in a luxurious place just by putting the money you were going to spend anyway on a credit card. (Of course, don’t put yourself in debt for a “free” vacation. That will do the opposite of saving you money).

Utilizing travel portal discounts

The second credit card that helped me this trip is the Citi Strata Premier, which gave me access to the Citi travel portal.

Now typically the Citi portal doesn’t offer lower rates compared with booking directly. However, I lucked out this time! Through the Citi portal, the subtotal for my stay at the Garza Blanca Los Cabos was $758.03. Direct via the hotel’s website, the total for the same dates would have been $1,002.

While that’s amazing by itself, that’s not where the serendipity ends. The Citi Strata Premier has an annual $100 credit that you can use on hotel stays over $500 (before taxes and fees) booked via Citi’s travel portal. If you can use the credit, you effectively null the card’s annual fee and net $5.

After applying the credit to my booking, my total came to $658.03 for two nights at the Garza Blanca Los Cabos. I therefore saved $343.97!

Other ways you can save money in Los Cabos

Here are some additional things you can take advantage of to save money on your Los Cabos trip:

Use annual free night certificates from a credit card

One feature of the Marriott Boundless card that I didn’t use during this trip is its annual free night certificate. Many hotel brand credit cards offer a certificate worth up to a specific point amount, where you can redeem it for one night at a property under the brand umbrella.

The Marriott Boundless card’s certificate can be used on nights worth up to 35k points. The American Express Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant and the Chase Ritz-Carlton card both have free night certificates worth up to 85k points. All Marriott free night certificates can be topped off with up to 15k additional points from your Marriott Bonvoy account.

As of this writing, here are some Marriott properties where you can use a free night certificate (some may require topping off with additional points from your Bonvoy account):

Chase Marriott Boundless (35k night + max. 15k topoff)

Fairfield by Marriott Los Cabos
City Express Plus by Marriott Cabo San Lucas
Drift San Jose del Cabo, a Member of Design Hotels

American Express Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant / Chase The Ritz-Carlton (85k night + max. 15k topoff)

Hacienda del Mar Los Cabos, Autograph Collection
Solaz, a Luxury Collection Resort, Los Cabos
JW Marriott Los Cabos Beach Resort & Spa
Casa Maat at JW Marriott Los Cabos Beach Resort & Spa

Outside of Marriott, other hotel chains offer their own branded credit cards as well. For instance, Hilton, Hyatt, and IHG have cards that come with annual free night certificates.

Visit in September or October

Another element you can use to your advantage is timing. If you’re willing to risk a few rainy days, September and October will yield lower flight and hotel prices compared to the high season. I’d personally recommend October, as that’s when I visited and the weather was marvelous.

While I used points and certificates at JW Marriott Los Cabos, the points required were also lower during this time period.

The staff at the Garza Blanca Los Cabos echoed my sentiments in recommending October as the best time to visit. Since the majority of the rainy season is over, the desert plants are in full bloom and Los Cabos is lush with greenery.

Overall

My Los Cabos trip was for five nights split between two hotels, paid for using a combination of cash, points, and free night certificates. Had I paid for my accommodation in cash, the total would have been $2,373.21.

After accounting for the Marriott Boundless card’s intro bonus and the Citi Strata Premier’s travel portal credit, I only paid $663.13 and 7k Marriott points.

In total, I saved $1,710.08 on this trip with two credit cards!

Stunning beach and spring break energy: Garza Blanca Los Cabos | Review

16 Fun Things to Do at Flora Farms Los Cabos

How I Saved $850 in Boston With ONE Credit Card