How We Used 47,000 Chase Points for a 4-Night Stay in San Diego (and Why the Travel Portal Won)
When traveling as a family of six, hotel costs can add up fast—especially in Southern California. For this trip to Carlsbad, we leaned on one of our favorite “simple but powerful” points strategies: booking a hotel through the Chase Travel portal instead of transferring points out.
Here’s how we used 47,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points to cover 4 nights at Courtyard by Marriott San Diego Carlsbad, saving real cash and stretching our points much further.
The Booking Breakdown
Hotel: Courtyard by Marriott San Diego Carlsbad
Length of stay: 4 nights
Cash price: $586
Points used: 47,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards
Out-of-pocket cost: $0
Value: 1.25 cents per point
Why We Booked Through the Chase Travel Portal
This is where the “travel hack” really comes into play.
Before booking, we priced this same stay two ways:
Option 1: Transfer Chase Points to Marriott
If we transferred our Chase points to Marriott Bonvoy and booked directly, the stay would have required roughly 3x the points. That’s a huge hit to your points balance for a fairly standard Courtyard stay.
Option 2: Book Through the Chase Travel Portal ✅
Because we hold Chase cards that give 1.25¢ per point when booking travel, we were able to book the exact same hotel for far fewer points—only 47k total for all four nights.
👉 Same hotel.
👉 Same room.
👉 Way fewer points.
For family travel, this is often the smarter play—especially for mid-range hotels where transfer partners don’t offer outsized value.
Why This Stay Worked Well for Our Family
Carlsbad is a great base for families, especially if you’re mixing beach time with nearby attractions. The Courtyard worked well for us because:
Comfortable rooms after long days out
Easy parking and access to major roads
Close to beaches and family-friendly activities
Predictable, reliable quality (important when traveling with kids)
It wasn’t a luxury redemption—but it was free, and that’s a win in our book.
The Takeaway: Don’t Default to Transfers
A lot of people assume transferring points is always the best option. This stay is a perfect example of why that’s not true.
✔️ Transferring to Marriott = 3x more points
✔️ Chase Travel portal = solid 1.25¢ value + fewer points used
Sometimes the best “hack” is the simplest one.
If you’re traveling with kids and want to stretch your points across more nights, more trips, or more family members, always compare:
Transfer partner pricing vs
Chase Travel portal pricing
Those quick comparisons can save you tens of thousands of points.