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How this scam used credit card benefits and other hacks to make Universal theme park rides more affordable

I have never gone on a theme park vacation with my family because it is too expensive.

Some families go into debt to go to Disney World, but I don’t like Mouse enough to risk my financial security. And while I’m privileged to have a vacation budget, most of our trips involve driving to an Airbnb on the beach or in the mountains and doing cheap activities like hiking, swimming and cooking dinner at a rental.

Then my daughter fell in love with Harry Potter. And I knew it would rock his world if we went to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando Resort.

Now, when I’m budget conscious, my husband is very frugal. We weren’t going on a park vacation in Florida unless I cut costs.

I may be a hack, but I pulled out all the money-saving magic I know and relied on my knowledge of credit card benefits and points and miles to come up with an affordable Universal theme park plan.

Here’s what I did to save money – and get my husband on board – for three nights of Florida fun with our favorite Hogwarts wannabes.

I booked a flight with miles

Southwest Airlines at the gate. ERICA SILVERSTEIN/THE POINTS GUY

Remember Southwest Airlines’ famous Christmas 2022 crash? We got caught up in it and our flights to Savannah were canceled at the last minute. We were able to save our vacation with a long flight to Georgia, but Southwest still apologizes for 25,000 fast reward miles for each of us.

One canceled flight is worth another redeemed, so I used 82,000 miles to fly my family of four from Washington, DC, to Orlando. The only catch was that Southwest allowed me to put the kids’ miles into my account, but my husband’s had to go into his. So we had to book our flights and check in separately to go, it wasn’t a problem until somehow he ended up in group B boarding and we were in group C on the flight home.

I get that most people don’t get miles for redemption from airlines, but you have many ways to earn points and miles for free flights. Besides saving the miles you earn on other airlines, you can apply for an airline credit card if it has a significant sign-up bonus that can accelerate your mileage earnings.

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Similarly, a card that earns transferable points will allow you to transfer points to several airlines. Make sure you earn more miles for your purchases by using shopping sites or signing up for programs that earn you miles for dining out.

If you can, book your flights early to get the best availability of award seats or look for transfer bonuses and award flight discounts to stretch your points and miles further.

I used credit card benefits to reduce hotel expenses

Loews Royal Pacific Resort resort. ERICA SILVERSTEIN/THE POINTS GUY

Maybe I would have transferred Chase Ultimate Rewards points to a hotel partner like Marriott or Hyatt to get a free hotel night. But after researching local hotels, I was convinced that we would have a much better experience if we stayed on-site at a Universal hotel and got into the park early. Staying at Loews Royal Pacific Resort will also give us a free Express Unlimited Pass and free transportation to the park, saving us money on expensive passes and renting a car or Uber.

Since I wasn’t going to earn Loews hotel miles, I booked the stay through the Chase Travelâ„  portal, which meant I could use my $50 Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card hotel credit to save a little on my stay and earn 5. points per dollar in balance (for a total of 6,000 points) that I can use for free travel on our next trip.

We booked two nights at the Royal Pacific, but to save money on our last night (when we wouldn’t be going to the park the next day), I used the $300 travel credit that was available to me. Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card to book a night at Homewood Suites by Hilton Orlando-Near Univ Studios through the Capital One Travel portal. We got a two-room suite that included breakfast and they didn’t give my travel credit.

Save me with a military pass

Hogwarts Castle at Universal Studios Florida. ERICA SILVERSTEIN/THE POINTS GUY

My husband is a regular employee of the US Navy, and his Department of Defense ID allows us to get various travel discounts. It also qualifies him for a Universal Military Freedom Pass.

Active duty members of the military, veterans and other DOD employees can purchase a special pass that gives them unlimited access to the parks from January through mid-December – about the cost of one day in the parks. The more you use this pass, the more you save. We will only visit Universal once this year, but we went to the park three days during our trip, saving hundreds.

Related: Best military discounts and benefits for service members

Universal often releases special offers available to all guests, including hotel and ticket discounts and packages that include dining cards that you can use to pay for dining expenses during your stay.

I had groceries delivered to save on food costs

Send groceries. ERICA SILVERSTEIN/THE POINTS GUY

Everyone knows that theme park food is overpriced, and hotel breakfasts aren’t cheap, either. I wouldn’t deny my kids Butterbeer and pub food at the Leaky Cauldron or ice cream at Florean Fortescue’s Ice-Cream Parlor in Diagon Alley, but we couldn’t eat out of every meal and snack.

I always take snacks with me from home, but this situation required grocery shopping to the next level.

That’s when my theme park expert Tarah Chieffi pointed me to the Shirt application available to Visa cardholders. If I sign up with an eligible card, I can get a free three-month membership and free delivery on orders over $35.

My Chase Sapphire Preferred card was definitely worth it, so I signed up (I quickly made a calendar reminder to cancel before Shipt started charging). I downloaded the app, and while we were waiting for our flight at the airport, I placed an order at the Publix supermarket for breakfast staples like Cheerios, cookies and milk and lunches like bread, jam and apples. I scheduled the delivery when I knew it would be at the hotel and left a note for my buyer that we were flying.

The app was easy to use; when it occurred to me that I would need some dishes, I was able to update the order easily. My client was talking about text; when he didn’t get the scones I ordered, I was able to swap muffins. When he finished at Publix, I met him in front of the hotel, and the handoff was seamless.

In the end, we ate three times (dinner at the hotel, lunch at the Leaky Cauldron and dinner at Finnegan’s Bar & Grill at Universal Studios) and bought a few snacks and more Butterbeer. But we were able to get two breakfasts and three extra meals out of our $60 grocery haul. We could have easily spent the same amount for one breakfast for four inside the park.

I borrowed some crutches from another mother

Doing magic with wands in Diagon Alley. ERICA SILVERSTEIN/THE POINTS GUY

When we go somewhere special with our kids, we usually give them a souvenir budget (usually around $20 or $25) to spend however they want. This works surprisingly well, and my kids accepted that they will not buy the $60 million animatronic owls that we have seen on the shoulders of many children.

Related: Real family travel tips that actually work

Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade both have designated “wand zones” where, if you wave the right wand in the right direction, you can make something magical happen. I knew my kids would love this, but the interactive wands cost $65. That’s a lot of toys we won’t use after this park visit. (If you just want a costume accessory, you can buy non-functional wands for very little money.)

So I called my local Buy Anything group, and a mom I know from our school responded. We borrowed Harry Potter and Hermione’s wand from him so that each child would have their own to use. The magic wasn’t strong on one of the wands, so we took it to Ollivanders Wand Shop (there is one in each park), where they will “re-enchant” it for free.

Bottom line

A vacation to a major theme park like Disney or Universal won’t be cheap — but you can find ways to cut costs by using credit cards, points and miles, and being smart about where to save.

I could lower our goal by staying at a cheap hotel with free breakfast (or redeeming hotel or credit card points for the stay) and not buying an Express Pass, but I would have trouble getting in and out. park and spend more time waiting in line than enjoying the ride.

At the end of the day, my kids loved their first park vacation and this muggle mom didn’t have to take out a loan from Gringotts to cover the cost. That is a magical combination.

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