The Waldorf Astoria brand is an upper-class luxury brand of the Hilton Hotels chain. For Maldives, it would compare against the Ritz Carlton or the St. Regis.

Unfortunately for Canadian Residents, there is no way to earn Hilton HHonor Reward Points by signing up for Canadian credit cards. Fortunately, American Express USA and American Express Canada have a strong relationship between the two organizations that allow Canadian Residents to use their Canadian credit history to apply and receive cards through USA counterparts. The only requirement is that you must have a USA address, this could easily be a friend or a family member that lives down south.

In this guide, we focus on leveraging American Express USA to provide an alternative stay option in Maldives. It’s important to note that, unlike in Canada, American Express USA has a very strict policy on earning one bonus per cardmember once in your lifetime. So, when applying for American Express USA credit cards, you must have your travel goals clearly defined to ensure your earning is aligned with your redemption goals.

As a reminder, this is our complete travel guide to Maldives;

Hotels

• The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort (Marriott)
• JW Marriott Maldives Resort & Spa (Marriott)
• W Maldives (Marriott)
• Sheraton Maldives (Marriott)
• Le Meridien Maldives (Marriott)
• Ritz Carlton Maldives (Marriott)
• Which Marriott Hotel?
• Conrad Maldives Rangali Island (Hilton)
• Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi (Hilton)
• SAii Lagoon Maldives, Curio Collection by Hilton (Hilton)
• Which Hilton Hotel?
• Marriott vs Hilton in Maldives

Flights

• Air Canada (Aeroplan) and their partners to Maldives from Canada & USA
• Alaska Airlines and their partners to Maldives from Canada & USA
• Cathay Pacific and their partners to Maldives from Canada & USA
• British Airways and their partners to Maldives from Canada & USA

Discretionary Expenses

• Credit Cards for Regular Travel Expenses

Overview

Unfortunately, every Hilton hotel claims to have a variable point redemption policy, which technically allows the point requirements to change depending on the market pricing of the hotel. This creates the possibility of hotels such as the Walforf Astoria, which consistently retail for over US$1,500 per night to be so expensive with points, that it eventually becomes a worthless endeavor. Fortunately, the community has realized that the most expensive award redemption through Hilton is 120,000 points per night. This post will use that as a goal post to determine what credit cards are necessary to ensure your travel dreams become a reality.

Notes:

• Hilton has a 5th night free offer across the entire portfolio when using your points if you hold elite status. Most Hilton American Express credit cards provide the elite status as a benefit, so we will assume you will be eligible for the 5th night free award.
• Points upgrade are very expensive through Hilton, making them worthless.
• You can combine points between two accounts very easily without any charge.

Room Categories

The room category for the base room has not been consistent since the resort opened, however, as of now, the base room is the King Reef Villa. Note, there are not many villas available so you will often find the base room selling out really fast.

Credit Card Rewards

Earning up to 480,000 points to go on this dream vacation is possible if you are two working individuals.

There are two options that will enable you to make this redemption incredibly accessible:

• Hilton Honors Card (American Express USA)
• Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card (American Express USA)

or

• Hilton Honors Card (American Express USA)
• Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card (American Express USA)
• Topping up Hilton Honor points

With the strategy I will outline below, a couple stand to earn at least 480,000 Hilton Honor points by applying for the two cards for each person. That is enough for 5 nights at arguably one of the most luxurious resorts on the island.

American Express (USA)

No annual fee

US$95 that is not waived in the first year.

Topping up Hilton Honor Points

If you decide to opt for the Hilton Honors Card and the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass card, you will notice that you have a shortfall of at most 62,000 Hilton Honor points. There is one quick way you can overcome the shortfall: purchase Hilton Honor points. During a non-promotional period, a point would cost 1 cent, so the total cost will be US$620. During a promotional period, the price could decrease to as little as US$310.

How Many Points Earned

With the strategy outlined above, you will earn the following points:

Option 1

• 156,000 Hilton Honor points across two individuals through the Hilton Honors card
• 324,000 Hilton Honor points across two individuals through the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card.

Your total cost will be US$900 and a minimum spend of US$5,000.

Option 2

• 156,000 Hilton Honor points across two individuals through the Hilton Honors card
• 262,000 Hilton Honor points across two individuals through the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card.
• Buying the remaining 62,000 points

Your total cost will be between US$500 – US$810 with a minimum spend of US$3,000

In both instances, you will end up with exactly 480,000 Hilton Honor points.

What Are My Total Savings?

The Waldorf Astoria Maldives can go up to US$3,500 per night for a base room. For 5 nights that could be up to US$17,500. Getting a vacation that expensive results in a discount in excess of 95%!

Getting to Waldorf Astoria Maldives

Maldives is one of the few places in the world where you cannot land at a major international airport and just Uber it to the hotel. It is likely that this will be the only Hilton Hotel where you can take a yacht to the hotel rather than a seaplane.

Yacht Cost

US$600++ per person.

Conclusion

Walforf Astoria Maldives is one of the best redemptions in the Hilton program, however, the biggest complexity is obtaining US based American Express credit cards.

If you have any questions, feel free to add a comment below.