Attending Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, has been on my bucket listing since I first visited the nation greater than a decade in the past. So, whereas planning a three-month journey via South America earlier this yr, I questioned if this may lastly be the yr I may make it occur.
I anticipated it might be very costly to attend official occasions and ebook a resort keep within the metropolis throughout Carnival. Nevertheless, I used to be optimistic that I may leverage my bank card rewards to assist lower prices. Fortunately, I am completely satisfied to report I made my dream journey occur for an inexpensive value — this is how I did it.
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How I secured a reduced Carnival ticket
Carnival has each official and unofficial occasions. You’ll be able to attend “blocos” (avenue events) without spending a dime. However I needed to go to the Sambadrome, as I would been wowed by the pictures and movies of the processions.
I missed out on the primary spherical of tickets that went on sale in August, however secured one in November at a better value of $148, together with charges, via a third-party reseller throughout a 30% off Black Friday sale. That appeared like an inexpensive quantity to pay for this expertise.
Then got here the step of determining the place to remain and evaluating my reserving choices.
Award Resort choices in Brazil
As it’s possible you’ll think about, money costs for lodges and trip leases have been fairly excessive throughout these dates, particularly within the standard neighborhoods of Copacabana, Ipanema and Leblon.
However I did discover resort award availability with a property that had been a part of the Hilton portfolio for a yr. The Tapestry Assortment’s Yoo2 Rio de Janeiro is conveniently situated in Botafogo (between Copacabana and downtown, the place the Sambadrome is). And it was priced at an inexpensive 40,000 Hilton factors per night time.
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With complimentary Hilton Diamond elite standing that comes with the Hilton Honors American Categorical Aspire Card, I’d get free breakfast for 2 (masking my good friend and me) in addition to the possibility at a room improve (which we did not get as a result of the resort was full).
Nevertheless, my Hilton Honors steadiness was zero, on condition that I undertake the method of incomes factors and utilizing them as quickly as attainable, since loyalty packages are susceptible to devaluations. In addition to, life is brief.
Although I had some American Categorical Membership Rewards factors in my account, which switch to Hilton Honors at a 1:2 price — even once they run a switch bonus — the conversion price is so low that it virtually by no means is sensible. So, I made a decision to look into shopping for factors as an alternative.
The knowledge for the Hilton Amex Aspire Card has been collected independently by The Factors Man. The cardboard particulars on this web page haven’t been reviewed or supplied by the cardboard issuer.
Ought to I pay Money or redeem Hilton factors?
Utilizing money:
A five-night keep at this resort was retailing for about $1,778 (or 10,325 Brazilian reais).
Based on TPG’s April 2025 valuations, these factors can be price $363, giving me an efficient 20% return on my buy. So the efficient price of a money keep would drop from $1,778 to $1,415, making an allowance for the factors earned.
Associated: Which bank card do you have to use for Hilton stays?
Shopping for Hilton factors:
Alternatively, I may purchase factors for this Hilton redemption. I had a hunch this may work out advantageously for me, however I wanted to do the mathematics to ensure it made sense.
The resort was priced at 40,000 Hilton factors per night time, which might make the price of a five-night keep 200,000 factors.
Nevertheless, when you’ve got at the least Silver elite standing with the resort loyalty program — which Hilton Amex cobranded cardmembers do — you get your fifth night time free on award redemptions. So, which means I would solely should pay for 4 nights for my five-night keep, paying 160,000 factors as an alternative of 200,000 factors.
Hilton Honors continuously affords purchase factors promotions, throughout which they provide a bonus or low cost when buying factors. Fortunately, Hilton was operating a promotion on the time I had bought my Carnival ticket, providing factors on the supreme price of 0.5 cents per level.
Shopping for 160,000 factors at 0.5 cents every would price me $800, lower than half of the $1,778 money price.
I made a decision to go this route and used my Capital One Enterprise X Rewards Credit score Card — my go-to card for on a regular basis spending — to buy the factors. This might earn me 1,600 Capital One miles, price $30, in response to our April 2025 valuations. That decreased the efficient price of shopping for the factors required for this redemption to $770.
Technique | Use money | Purchase factors | Financial savings |
---|---|---|---|
Value of keep | $1,778 | $800 | $978 (55%) |
Worth of factors earned | $363 | $30 | – |
Efficient price | $1,415 | $770 | $645 (46%) |
Associated: When does it make sense to purchase factors and miles?
Backside line
By leveraging the ability of shopping for factors, I used to be in a position to save over $600 on the price of a five-night resort keep in Rio throughout Carnival.
Whereas my first calculations confirmed 55% in financial savings, it was vital for me to calculate the worth of the factors I would earn if I had booked with money. Once I factored the earnings via each strategies, the financial savings went right down to 46%, which continues to be an excellent deal.
And I made a decision to place half of these financial savings ($320) towards one other factor I had on my bucket listing — going skydiving for the primary time, on my final day in Rio.
These two experiences — Carnival and skydiving — made my week in Rio probably the greatest journey experiences I’ve ever had — and it was all thanks to purchasing Hilton factors.