• You'll need 200,000-400,000 total points for two people covering flights and hotels during Super Bowl weekend.
• Book flights 11 months out when award space opens and transfer hotel points 2-3 months before to lock in rates before spikes.
• Chase Ultimate Rewards and Amex Membership Rewards offer the most flexibility through multiple airline and hotel transfer partners.

Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara is going to be expensive. Cash flights from major cities are already pushing $800-1,200 round-trip, and hotels within 20 miles of Levi's Stadium are running $500-800 per night for that weekend in February 2026.

But here's what most people don't realize: if you've been collecting credit card points, you can cover most or all of your travel costs. I'm talking about saving $2,000-3,000 per person on what would otherwise be one of the most expensive weekends of the year.

Let me show you exactly how to do this with real numbers, specific strategies, and honest timelines. This isn't theory or vague advice. These are the actual redemption values and booking strategies that work.

Quick Answer: What You'll Actually Need

For two people attending Super Bowl LX, budget for:

Flights: 25,000-50,000 points per person (50,000-100,000 total) depending on your departure city and flexibility. Expect to use United, Southwest, or American miles.

Hotels: 50,000-150,000 points per night for 2-3 nights (100,000-450,000 total). Marriott, Hyatt, and Hilton all have properties within reasonable distance of the stadium.

Total points needed: 200,000-400,000 points for flights and hotels combined. Game tickets? You're paying cash or using stubhub. Points won't help there.

Best Credit Cards to Earn Points for Super Bowl Travel

If you're starting from scratch or building your points balance, these cards give you the fastest path to Super Bowl travel:

Chase Sapphire Preferred

The Chase Sapphire Preferred offers 60,000 Ultimate Rewards points after spending $4,000 in three months. That's enough for round-trip domestic flights for one person or 2-3 hotel nights at a mid-tier property.

What makes this card perfect for Super Bowl planning: Chase points transfer to United (for flights to San Francisco/San Jose), Hyatt (hotels near the stadium), and Southwest (if you need flexibility). The 3x points on dining and 2x on all travel means you're earning toward your goal on everyday spending.

Chase Sapphire Reserve

For serious Super Bowl planners, the Chase Sapphire Reserve brings 60,000 points plus benefits that matter for this trip: Priority Pass lounge access (you'll appreciate this during crowded Super Bowl weekend travel), trip delay protection, and 3x points on all travel and dining.

The $300 annual travel credit effectively reduces the $550 fee to $250, and for a Super Bowl trip, the travel protections alone justify the cost.

Capital One Venture X

The Capital One Venture X gives you 75,000 miles after $4,000 spend. Capital One miles work differently: you can transfer to 15+ airline partners or use them to erase travel purchases at 1 cent per point.

For Super Bowl weekend when award flights might be scarce, having the option to book any flight and erase the purchase with points is valuable insurance.

American Express Platinum

If you're targeting specific premium experiences, the Platinum Card from American Express earns 80,000 points after $8,000 spend. Amex points transfer to Delta (useful for Bay Area flights) and Hilton (multiple properties near Levi's Stadium).

The real value here: 5x points on flights booked directly with airlines means your Super Bowl flight earns you points toward your next trip.

Step-by-Step Strategy for Booking Super Bowl Travel with Points

Step 1: Build Your Points Balance (Start 6-12 Months Out)

You need points in your account before you can book anything. Here's the realistic timeline:

12 months before Super Bowl: Apply for the Chase Sapphire Preferred or your primary earning card. Hit the minimum spend in 3 months to get your welcome bonus.

9 months before: If you're traveling with a partner or need more points, consider adding a second card. The Chase Ink Business Preferred adds another 100,000 points if you qualify for business cards.

6 months before: Stockpile points through everyday spending. With the Sapphire Preferred earning 3x on dining, a couple spending $500/month on restaurants adds 9,000 points over six months.

Step 2: Book Your Flights (11 Months Out)

Award flights to San Francisco or San Jose for Super Bowl weekend will be competitive. Airlines release award space 11 months in advance, and you want to book as soon as that window opens.

United Airlines: If you're flying from a United hub (Chicago, Denver, Houston, Newark), you'll find the best availability. Transfer Chase points to United at 1:1 and book saver awards at 12,500-25,000 miles each way depending on distance.

Example: Chicago to San Francisco typically runs 12,500 United miles each way in economy, 25,000 miles round-trip per person. For two people, that's 50,000 Chase points total for flights worth $800-1,000 in cash.

Southwest Airlines: Southwest doesn't release schedules as far out, but they're often your best bet for flexibility. Southwest points don't transfer from Chase, but you can earn them directly with the Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card.

Southwest pricing is dynamic, but expect 30,000-50,000 points round-trip from most major cities during peak Super Bowl weekend. The advantage: no award chart restrictions and you can cancel for free if plans change.

American Airlines: Good for East Coast travelers. Transfer Citi ThankYou Points or use American miles directly. Expect similar pricing to United: 12,500-25,000 miles each way depending on your origin city.

Pro tip: Set calendar reminders for exactly 11 months before your travel dates. Award space at saver levels gets grabbed fast for Super Bowl weekend. Book at midnight Eastern when the schedule opens.

Step 3: Book Your Hotel (2-3 Months Before)

Unlike flights, hotels you should wait on. Here's why: hotel award charts are dynamic, and properties near Levi's Stadium won't spike their point requirements until closer to the event when they know demand.

Hyatt Strategy: If you have Chase points, this is often your best hotel play. Transfer Chase points to World of Hyatt at 1:1. The Hyatt Regency Santa Clara is 2 miles from the stadium and typically runs 25,000-35,000 points per night during normal periods.

For Super Bowl weekend, expect that to jump to 40,000-50,000 points per night. Book 2 months out when you see availability but before the final spike. Three nights would cost 120,000-150,000 Hyatt points (transferred from Chase).

Our complete guide to World of Hyatt explains transfer strategies and booking tactics in detail.

Marriott Strategy: Marriott has more properties in the South Bay, but their dynamic pricing can be unpredictable. The Marriott San Jose or Courtyard properties typically run 35,000-50,000 points per night normally.

For Super Bowl weekend, budget 60,000-80,000 points per night. If you have the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Card, you earn a free night certificate annually at properties up to 50,000 points, which could cover one night.

Check our Marriott Bonvoy guide for maximizing value from this program.

Hilton Strategy: Hilton properties tend to be farther from the stadium (15-20 miles) but offer better point value. The Hilton Santa Clara runs 60,000-80,000 points normally, possibly 100,000-120,000 for Super Bowl weekend.

The advantage: Hilton points are easier to earn in bulk. The Hilton Honors Aspire Card offers 185,000 points after $6,000 spend, which could cover your entire hotel stay.

Real Example: What This Looks Like in Practice

Let's walk through a complete booking for two people from Denver attending Super Bowl LX:

Flights (United): Denver to San Francisco, February 6-9, 2026. Booked 11 months in advance at saver rates.

• Person 1: 25,000 United miles (12,500 each way)
• Person 2: 25,000 United miles (12,500 each way)
• Total: 50,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points transferred to United
• Cash value saved: $1,000 (flights were pricing at $500 per person)

Hotel (Hyatt Regency Santa Clara): 3 nights, booked 2 months out.

• Friday night: 45,000 Hyatt points
• Saturday night: 50,000 Hyatt points
• Sunday night: 40,000 Hyatt points
• Total: 135,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points transferred to Hyatt
• Cash value saved: $1,800 (hotel was $600/night for Super Bowl weekend)

Total points used: 185,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points
Total cash value: $2,800 in travel costs covered
How they earned it: Chase Sapphire Preferred welcome bonus (60,000) + Chase Freedom Unlimited welcome bonus (20,000) + 6 months of 3x dining spending (30,000) + general spending (75,000) = 185,000 points

Common Mistakes That Cost You Points

Waiting too long to book flights: I see this constantly. People wait to "see if they can get tickets first" before booking flights. By then, award space is gone and you're paying 75,000 miles for flights that would've cost 25,000.

Book your flights first at the 11-month mark. Most airlines allow free cancellation on award tickets, so if your plans change, you get your miles back.

Transferring points too early for hotels: The opposite problem with hotels. Don't transfer Chase or Amex points to hotel programs until you're ready to book. Points are worth more in Chase or Amex because you have flexibility. Once they're in Hyatt or Marriott, they're stuck there.

Ignoring positioning flights: Sometimes flying into Oakland instead of San Francisco saves 10,000-15,000 points per person. It's 30 minutes farther to the stadium but if you're driving anyway, who cares? You just saved 30,000 points.

Not having backup hotel dates: Hotels near the stadium for Friday-Sunday will be most expensive. Consider arriving Thursday or staying through Monday. You'll often find significantly better award availability and lower point costs for those nights.

What If You Don't Have Enough Points Yet?

It's January 2026 and Super Bowl LX is February 2026. Can you still make this work? Maybe, but you'll need to move fast.

Fast-track option 1: Apply for Chase Sapphire Preferred and Chase Freedom Unlimited on the same day (if you're under 5/24). That's 80,000 points from welcome bonuses if you hit both spending requirements in 3 months.

Our guide on understanding Chase's 5/24 rule explains how to maximize your applications.

Fast-track option 2: Business cards don't count toward 5/24 and often have higher bonuses. The Ink Business Preferred offers 100,000 points after $8,000 spend. If you can hit that spending (and many small business owners can), you've got most of your trip covered from one card.

Fast-track option 3: Combine cash and points. Use points for the expensive part (hotel, probably 3 nights at $600/night = $1,800) and pay cash for flights if award space is gone. You're still saving the majority of your costs.

Alternative Strategies When Award Space Is Limited

Super Bowl weekend is competitive. Here's your backup plan when the standard strategy doesn't work:

Use Capital One miles for cash bookings: Capital One Venture miles let you book any flight as a cash ticket, then erase the purchase at 1 cent per mile. If you can't find United award space at 25,000 miles, book a $500 flight and erase it with 50,000 Capital One miles.

The Capital One Venture X is perfect for this strategy.

Book refundable hotels with points, pay with the right card: Some Hyatt properties let you book a refundable rate with points, then if something better opens up, you can cancel and rebook. Meanwhile, if you decide to pay cash instead, use a card earning strong hotel points like the World of Hyatt Credit Card earning 9x points on Hyatt stays.

Stay farther out and use the card's rental car benefit: Hotels 20-30 miles from Levi's Stadium run significantly fewer points. Book there, rent a car using your card's primary rental coverage (Sapphire Reserve and Venture X both include this), and save 50,000-100,000 points on hotels.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use points to buy Super Bowl tickets?

Not directly. Credit card points don't convert to Super Bowl tickets through any program. However, some premium cards like the Amex Platinum offer access to ticket presales or experiences through their concierge services. Your best bet: use points to cover travel costs, then buy tickets through official NFL channels or verified resale marketplaces.

How many points do I need for a Super Bowl trip?

Budget 200,000-400,000 points total for two people covering round-trip flights and 3 nights of hotels. This assumes you're flying economy from a major US city and staying at a mid-tier hotel within 20 miles of the stadium. If you want premium flights or luxury hotels, expect to need 500,000+ points.

Should I use Chase or Amex points for Super Bowl travel?

Chase Ultimate Rewards typically offer more value for domestic travel like Super Bowl trips. Chase transfers to United (for flights), Hyatt (for hotels near stadiums), and Southwest (for flexibility). Amex points work well too, especially for Hilton hotels, but Chase's domestic airline partners give you more options for cities like San Francisco, Miami, or New Orleans where Super Bowls are held.

When should I book flights and hotels for the Super Bowl?

Book flights 11 months in advance when airline award space opens. This is typically when you'll find the lowest saver award pricing. For hotels, wait until 2-3 months before the event. Hotel award charts are dynamic and you want to book after you see availability but before the final spike when casual fans start booking.

What if I can't find award availability for Super Bowl weekend?

Consider these alternatives: fly into a nearby airport (Oakland instead of San Francisco, for example), adjust your dates by one day in either direction, use Capital One miles to book cash flights and erase the purchase, or stay farther from the stadium at properties with better award availability. Super Bowl weekend is competitive, so flexibility with dates and locations significantly improves your options.

Final Thoughts: Is It Worth Using Points for the Super Bowl?

Here's my honest take after helping hundreds of readers book point trips: Super Bowl travel is one of the best uses of credit card points you can make.

Why? Because you're getting outsized value. That $2,000-3,000 in saved travel costs would require earning 200,000-300,000 points. If you're strategic about sign-up bonuses and everyday spending, you can accumulate that in 6-12 months with 2-3 credit cards.

Compare that to using 200,000 points for international business class (which sounds impressive but might only save you $1,500 over economy) and you're actually getting better pure dollar value from the Super Bowl trip.

Plus, you're going to the Super Bowl. That's the kind of experience worth using points for.

Start now, grab the right credit card, and book your flights when that 11-month window opens. Your future self watching the Super Bowl will thank you.

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