I’ve been fortunate to do Umrah travel for the last 3 years (2022, 2023, & 2024).  Each of those years, I booked Umrah travel differently – cash (mostly), group travel, and then points and miles, respectively.  I don’t take those opportunities lightly, and while I’m sad I don’t have plans to go this year, I’m focusing my energy on planning our next trip.  Our fall 2024 Umrah trip cost me just $500 out-of-pocket, all thanks to points and miles earned strategically over the span of a year.

There is no reason to spend thousands of dollars on Umrah travel (when booking yourself, outside of group travel).  As I plan our next trip, Insha’Allah (God-Willing), I’m looking back at our previous stays.  Here are my favorite properties for Umrah travel, that yes, you can book using points.

*When applying through my referral link, please use a new browser window.  Don’t log in, if prompted and apply as a guest.  That’s how it credits it back to me, appreciate the support!*

 

A Stop In Istanbul, Turkey

I’m based in Dallas, Texas – an American Airlines hub.  And each of those years, we flew through Istanbul.  So our route looked like this: Dallas > Istanbul > Jeddah.  (From Jeddah, you can catch a short ride into Makkah, as you can’t fly directly into the city.)  I’d love to be able to fly directly from Dallas to Doha (on American Airlines), but last year when I was booking for 4 people – stopping in Istanbul worked best.  (Booking family award travel y’all…..the struggle is real!)

In November of 2024, we stayed at Grand Hyatt Istanbul.  Can I just say, I will happily stay here again just for the breakfast buffet?  As a Globalist, my family & I received free breakfast each morning for our short and sweet, 2-night stay.  Nothing beats a Turkish breakfast – yum!

Not us 4, enjoying a meal in Istanbul with a little more peace and quiet. 

(I kid you not, all we talked about was how much we missed our little boss!)

 

I booked two rooms, for 2 nights and it cost me $0 out-of-pocket because World of Hyatt doesn’t charge taxes and fees on award stays.  The maximum room capacity was 3/room.  (Our older kids were 15 & 11 at the time of travel.)  Our king bed room was upgraded to a suite, that connected to our kids room with two twin beds.  I can’t say that this propertly is central to tourist attractions and areas, but for a shorter stay it worked well for us.

Our Stay In Makkah

We spent two nights in Makkah, and I booked Jabal Omar Hyatt Regency Makkah for two nights.  Again, I had to get two rooms due to room capacity.  (I always confirm room capacity prior to any trip, with the hotel directly.)  I used Chase points that I transferred to World of Hyatt to book this stay, again for $0.  Our king bed room was upgraded to a suite again, this time with a living room, an additional bathroom, and a dining area.  Unfortunately, our kids’ room with 2 beds was not connecting and rather, a couple doors down the hall from us.

Using Chase points to book free World of Hyatt stays is my favorite use of these points, and I’d definitely do this again when it comes to Umrah travel.

As a Globalist, my family had free breakfast each morning at The Oasis Restuarant on property.  This hotel has a great breakfast spread, is walkable to the Haram, and an all-around, beautiful property.  Not to mention, I can easily book it with Chase points!  (Remember, World of Hyatt is a hotel partner of Chase bank, and points transfer at a 1:1 ratio.)

[You can check out a more detailed breakdown here of our hotel stays for our 2024 Umrah travel.]

Jabal Omar road is a great location in Makkah.  There are properties from all major hotel brands – Hyatt, Marriott, & Hilton – on this street.  Just note that Hyatt award stays will cost you the least amount of points/night/room.  In 2022, we stayed at DoubleTree by Hilton Jabal Omar Makkah.  This was a stay booked on cash.  While also another great property, just be prepared to shell out more points:

This is the points rate/night/room!  Note that this is a seach for availability for November 2025.

 

[Related: How to book hotel stays for Umrah on points]

How To Book This Stay

There are multiple Chase Cards that can help you earn points for a stay at Jabal Omar Hyatt Regency Makkah.

First of all, there are two co-branded Hyatt cards – the World of Hyatt Credit Card and World of Hyatt Business Credit Card.

Then there’s the Chase personal card collection, including Sapphire products, along with the suite of Chase business cards.

[Related: Why you need business cards in your award travel strategy]

Our Stay In Madinah

We stayed at Madinah Hilton in 2022.  This was a mostly cash stay (very little points were used).  While the property does seem a bit dated, I’d happily stay here again because I love the proximity to the Prophet’s Mosque, and location overall.

It was priceless to be just footsteps away from the entrance, Alhamdhulillah.

 

We had booked a “Junior Suite Three Beds City room” – a room that wasn’t bookable with points.  It came with 3 single beds, and one roll-down bed.  Note that this is common, and often times larger rooms with more beds are not availble to book in points.

In the fall of 2024, we stayed at Anwar Al Madinah Movenpick Hotel.  In sum, I didn’t like our stay here, and will not be considering a stay here again.  I was able to use Capital One miles to cover our 4-night stay completely, in full.

[Related: How Capital One miles saved me just under $3,000 for our Umrah trip]

I’m eyeing a different Hilton property in Madinah for our next Umrah trip, Insha’Allah (God-Willing).  I’m considering the new Diyar Ajwa, Tapestry Collection by Hilton property coming November 2025.  While I always love to stay at nicer properties, proximity to the Harams will generally always be a higher priority for me when it comes to Umrah travel.  There’s not too much on this upcoming property right now, so I’ll need to keep checking back once rooms are available to book.

How To Book This Stay In Madinah

There’s a suite of Hilton cards that can help you earn points for Hilton stays in Madinah.  Often times, depending on the offer, you can receive Free Night Certificates. Note that they do expire after a year, so for any Hilton stay you are eyeing, it’s good to have a redemption plan.

There’s 3 co-branded Hilton card options.  It’s also always a good idea to do searches prior to getting a card so you have an idea of how far the (current) offer will get you.  You may need to refer  your spouse or another eligible family member to earn more points, especially if you need to book multiple rooms.

You can also transfer American Express Membership Rewards to Hilton at a 1:2 ratio.  Popular American Express cards for travel rewards include:

American Express Green Card®

American Express® Gold Card

The Platinum Card® from American Express

There are also business versions of these cards that you can consider.

Some things to note about American Express cards:

• Higher offers tend to be found through referral links.
• There is “lifetime” language that often means you only get a card bonus offer once.
• If you would like to get all AMEX card bonus offers, it’s best to start with the bottom and work your way up.  This means, start with the green, then gold, then platinum.

Another easy way to earn AMEX points is by opening a business checking account.  While this doesn’t require a card, you do need to make qualifying transactions.  This offer tends to change from time to time.  I opened a business checking account and received 60,000 points; when I had my husband apply, it was for 50,000 points.  I generally see it linger around 30,000 points.  Nevertheless, it’s an easy way to earn AMEX points without opening a new card if you have an eligible business.  *Do note terms of the offer and eligibility.*

In Sum

You can always check more details of our 2024 Umrah trip on point and miles here as well!  I’m looking forward to repeating our Istanbul and Makkah stays as need be, and trying out a new stay in Madinah!  Make sure to follow along on Instagram as I share all the details on planning for our next family Umrah trip, Insha’Allah!

 

Umrah Travel Doesn’t Need To Cost Thousands of Dollars

It’s possible to book an Umrah trip on points and miles, as you would any other trip.  Yes, it can be a bit more challenging but it’s certainly possible.  And I’m here to show you how it’s done!

You can check out more blog posts here on how to save money on booking Umrah travel.

Umrah is achievable for thousands of dollars less!

For more in-depth information, check out A Guide to Umrah on Points & Miles that I’ve created that walks you through:

• How to search for award flight availability (economy seats) from the U.S., on popular routes to Jeddah & Madinah
• How to search for award flight availability on partner airlines for airlines in the same airline alliance, with video walkthroughs on both
• How to book hotel stays on points, in the 4 major hotel loyalty programs
• What cards are best for hotel stays & flights, as well as thinking through card lifecycles
• How to cover other travel-related costs (such as transportation between the 2 holy cities) that isn’t booked directly using points/miles (like airfare & hotel stays)
• What “free breakfast” means in each of the major hotel loyalty programs, and how to get that perk
• How to stay organized in award travel with the TravelFreely App

I’ve also spent thousands of dollars to go to Umrah with my family, and I know the feeling of planning and saving up.  With points and miles, the journey is closer and more attainable than you think.