Southwest Road Trip: Spring Break on a Budget: From Phoenix to Moab on Points and Miles
We live in the Northeast, so when it’s time for spring break, it does not actually feel like spring yet, and we are longing for summer. So, we usually travel to someplace warmer for break when we can. This year, we decided to have a road trip from Phoenix to Salt Lake City, fueled by a pile of Hyatt and Southwest points. Our total cost for flights and hotels for this
Before we get started, here’s every place we visited on our 8 day road trip through Arizona and Utah.
Scottsdale, Arizona (2 nights)
Sedona (drive through)
Page, Arizona (2 nights)
Grand Canyon (South Rim), Arizona (1 night)
Monument Valley (drive through)
Moab, Utah (3 nights)
Disclosure: This post includes affiliate links and links to credit cards that we use. For all affiliates, we earn a small percentage of any purchases. When we share links to credit card applications, if you click on that link and are approved, we will be compensated with points at no additional cost to you. We will never share any products or credit cards that we do not use ourselves.
Flight from Philadelphia to Phoenix
We flew from Philadelphia to Phoenix using Southwest points. Philly and Phoenix are both Southwest hubs, so it’s easy to find flights connecting these two places. However, we could not get a direct flight. We had a layover in Nashville. (Pro-tip- always pick an airport with music and good friend chicken when possible.)
Total miles used: 19,500 per person/ 39,000 miles total
We used one companion pass here for our daughter. We earned this at the start of 2026.
Cash paid: $5.60 per person/ $16.80 total
Credits card used: Chase Southwest Premier
You can also use ANY Chase business card, as long as you can transfer points using a Chase Sapphire Preferred
We have opened both the Chase Ink Unlimited (business card) and Chase Ink Preferred (business card) in order to help fund our travel in the past year.
Lounge Access in Philly
We spent 2 hours in the Chase Sapphire Lounge in Philadelphia; I was able to access this and bring in 2 guests thanks to my Ritz Carton Card.
You can no longer apply for this card, but you can upgrade any regular Chase Marriott card to this. It’s worth the annual fee for us because Philadelphia is our home airport and this lounge allows us to get a free meal every time we visit. (We don’t particularly enjoy airline food, so we try to eat before we depart.)
Hotel #1: Grand Hyatt in Scottsdale, Arizona
We stayed at the Grand Hyatt Scottsdale Resort, which is just north of Phoenix. We decided after a long day of traveling that our daughter deserved some time playing on the water slides. We stayed for two nights, which was the perfect amount of time for our family.
Total miles used: 29,000 points per night/ 58,000 points total
Cash paid: $0 for the hotel; $32/ night for parking
Points transferred from: Chase to Hyatt
Credits cards you could use for any Hyatt stays: Chase Sapphire Preferred, Chase Ink Unlimited (business card), Chase Ink Preferred (business card) Chase World of Hyatt
The pool at the Grand Hyatt Scottsdale
Outside turf- room for kids to run around near two of the hotel’s restaurants
Hotel #2: Bright Angel Lodge at the Grand Canyon
When we’re in the national parks, we often pay cash for our stays. We stayed at the Bright Angel Lodge, which is just steps from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Being this close to the Grand Canyon meant that we could watch both sunset and sunrise with only a 1 minute walk from our room.
For lodges and hotels inside the national parks, you will usually book with Xanterra. This was the perfect spot for us; the room offered two beds, a bathroom, and easy access to on site restaurants.
We booked this 1 year in advance; I would recommend doing the same for any Xanterra properties you want to stay at.
Total points used: 0
Cash paid: $166
If you are traveling on a strict budget, you could use Capital One points to erase your purchase.
Grand Canyon National Park
Room at the Bright Angel Lodge in Grand Canyon NP
Hotel #3: Hyatt Place in Page, Arizona
Page is a small town, but there are hotels from every major chain here. We chose the Hyatt Place, because it sits up on the hill above town, includes free breakfast, and because we are working on Hyatt status. This hotel also offers a great view and a heated pool, and is less than 15 minutes away from Lower Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend.
We were running low on points when we booked this hotel, so we paid cash instead.
Total miles we used: 0
You could use: Hyatt points (15,000 per night)
Cash paid: $500 ($250 per night)
Pool and outdoor seating at Hyatt Place in Page, Arizona
Horseshoe Bend, Page Arizona
Hotel #4: Hyatt Place in Moab, Utah
Not all Hyatt Places are created equal, and we really love this Hyatt in Moab. This is our second stay in 5 years; the price and the Hyatt category have increased since our first stay in 2022, and the hotel is very popular during spring break thanks to all the events in Moab during Easter week.
Total miles used: 23,000 per night/ 69,000 total
Cash paid: $0
Credit Cards: Any Hyatt or Chase cards will work
The pool and playground at Hyatt Place Moab
Arches National Park (just 5 miles from the Hyatt Place)
Flight home: Salt Lake City to Philadelphia
We flew from Salt Lake City to Philadelphia on a direct flight with Delta airlines. The flight is just over 4 hours and they offer a few flights a day. However, we did not book with Delta. We used our Flying Blue Points (which were credit to our account from a cancellation). With Flying Blue, you can book through Air France or KLM, which are partner airlines with Delta. Delta flights are often priced much higher, so this is a great trick to get a main strea,
Total miles used: 45,000 miles total
Cash paid: $122 per person/ $366 total
Credits card used: American Express Gold, Capital One Venture
Other cards you could use: American Express Platinum, Capital One Venture X
(These cards have higher fees, and I would not open these until you open the lower annual fee cards from these banks first.)
Lounge Access in Salt Lake City
Thanks for my American Express Platinum card, I had access to three lounges in SLC. However, I could not bring in any guests for free.
Here are the two lounges I checked out:
AMEX Centurion Lounge (terminal B)
Delta Sky Club (terminal B)
The Delta Sky Club in terminal B is big and beautiful; I highly recommend it if you have a couple hours with kids as there is lots of space to move around. The AMEX Platinum card is a great card, but it’s not one I would open right away. We have been in the points and miles game for 5 years, and this is the only card we have that has an annual fee that’s over $500 high. I would say that this is not worth it in your first couple years of points and miles.
