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After a year of hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Mardi Gras Celebrations are returning to New Orleans. Although there will be changes to some celebrations, the event is ahead in 2022.
This year, Fat Tuesday falls on March 1. While most celebrations take place last week, if you’re considering a trip to New Orleans, you’ll probably want to be there later in the day. last week Fat Tuesday – of course, the big day itself.
If you feel comfortable enough traveling to Big Easy for Mardi Gras, there are still travel deals there. We’ve rounded up some of the best flight and hotel deals you can close to New Orleans this year.
New Orleans hotels can raise their nightly rates significantly to take advantage of the Mardi Gras crowds. And so you can take advantage of some good deals by using your hotel loyalty points for a free stay. Here are some of the best deals we’ve found.
This boutique hotel, located two blocks from the French Quarter and three blocks from the Warehouse Art District, offers a stylish stay. The hotel itself is built in nine warehouses that look different from the outside, but inside, made into a uniform hotel. For a four-night stay at Mardi Gras, the hotel costs 15,000 World of Hyatt points per night – or 60,000 points for the entire stay. Additionally, the hotel is charging $1,716 for the same four-night stay. That gives you great value for your Hyatt points at 0.28 cents each, much higher than what the site offers for frequent flyers. The Points Guy show their value at .
You can completely manage your free stay score from a single credit card sign-up bonus. In fact, you can get up to 60,000 Hyatt points from Hyatt World Credit Card. You will earn 30,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 in the first three months of holding the card. Plus, you can get an extra 30,000 points by earning 2 bonus points for every dollar spent for the first six months, up to $15,000 spent. If you can make the most of the sign-up bonus offer, you can get a free four-night stay at Eliza Jane for Mardi Gras weekend.
The Troubadour Hotel New Orleans is a member of the Hilton Honors program. It is located a few blocks from the French Quarter in the Central Business District. A three-night stay at Mardi Gras over the weekend, including fat Tuesday night, costs 150,000 Hilton Honors points — or 50,000 points per night. The hotel is charging $1,254.47 for the same three nights, giving you a value of 0.83 cents per Hilton Honors point when redeeming this. That’s more than Honor points are usually worth, according to the frequent flyer website The Points Guy.
While you probably won’t have time to sign up and meet the minimum spending requirements for Mardi Gras, the welcome bonus offer is currently available with Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card can almost get you a vacation like this for free. Welcome Bonus Offer on Pass card allows you to earn 130,000 Hilton Honors points after spending $2,000 in the first three months of card retention. Plus, you’ll earn a Free night reward certificateyou can use to cover a free night at virtually any Hilton hotel.
If you want to spend on a luxurious five-star hotel for a getaway during the Mardi Gras celebrations over the weekend, go for it. Ritz-Carlton, New Orleans is a solid choice. It is located in the French Quarter, just a short walk from many attractions, including Bourbon Street. On a weekend in Mardi Gras, the hotel costs 70,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night. For a four-night stay, you’ll pay 280,000 Bonvoy points, which will save you from paying $1,968 for the same stay.
You can earn Marriott points quickly by reviewing one of the chain’s credit cards. The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express® Card currently having a welcome bonus offer of 75,000 Bonvoy points after spending $3,000 in the first three months. Plus, you can earn up to $200 in statement credits on qualifying purchases at U.S. restaurants within the first six months of having the card.
This boutique hotel in the Banks Recreation Area offers 84 guestrooms with typical New Orleans Creole-Caribbean influences. For a three-night weekend stay in Mardi Gras, including Fat Tuesday, the hotel will charge 46,000 IHG Rewards Points per night. Alternatively, you can pay cash for the same three nights, which will cost you $1,012.79.
You can earn IHG Rewards points through the chain’s credit card. The IHG® Rewards Club premium credit card now comes with a signup bonus of 125,000 points plus a free night after you spend $3,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening. The bonus points are almost enough to cover the entire cost of a three-night stay at this hotel.
The Hyatt Regency New Orleans will help you have a comfortable stay in Mardi Gras at the weekend. In fact, it has seven on-site dining options, as well as an outdoor saltwater pool, in-room massages and more. On weekends in Mardi Gras, the hotel will charge 12,000 World of Hyatt points per night. If you choose to stay three nights, you will have to pay 36,000 points. Plus, for the same three nights, you’ll expect to pay $813 for your stay. Finally, by using points to cover your stay, you can save that cash to spend on the delicious food New Orleans has to offer.
Hyatt World Credit Card is your best option to earn points to cover the cost of your stay quickly. Currently, it comes with a signup bonus of up to 60,000 bonus points. You will earn 30,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 in the first three months of holding the card. Plus, you can get an extra 30,000 points by earning 2 bonus points for every dollar spent for the first six months, up to $15,000 spent.
If you have to travel by plane, you’ll want to book your flight tickets early. The good news is that there are still deals out there. Here are some of the best deals we’ve found from gateway cities around the country to New Orleans for Mardi Gras.
This JetBlue journey is non-stop in both directions. For less than $100 round-trip, you can get from Fort Lauderdale to New Orleans.
Round-trip fares of just over $200 from New York City are a good deal. You will depart from LaGuardia but return to New York’s JFK Airport.
Fly low-cost airline Spirit from Los Angeles to New Orleans. While the outgoing flight does not stop, the return flight requires a stop.
You can fly non-stop with American Airlines from Dallas to New Orleans for a quick trip to Mardi Gras – Monday through Thursday – for just over $200 round-trip.
This round-trip deal from Baltimore for under $100 is a steal. You will fly non-stop with Spirit in both directions.
Boston (BOS) to New Orleans (MSY) for $183.20 round-trip with JetBlue Airways and American Airlines
This cruise is operated by JetBlue for the outbound and by the US for the return trip. But for less than $200 round-trip from Boston to New Orleans for Mardi Gras, it’s a good deal.
United is offering round-trip airfare from its Chicago facility to New Orleans for as little as $187.20 for Mardi Gras. Fly straight both ways.
If your mind is currently on the idea of going to Big Easy to celebrate Mardi Gras, make sure you book your flights the right way to maximize what you get for your purchase. For example, there are some credit cards that earn extra rewards or perks when you book travel with them.
Considered by many to be the best card to book flight tickets is Platinum Card® from American Express. You’ll earn a whopping 5 points for every dollar you spend on flights booked directly with an airline or through Amex Travel when you use Platinum Amex. So if you book a $205.20 round-trip ticket from Dallas to New Orleans directly with American Airlines, you’ll earn 1,026 points from Amex, plus miles on American’s AAdvantage program.
Alternatively, you can book these flights with cards like Chase Sapphire Reserve®earn 3 points for every dollar on travel, including flights, and a total of 5 points on air travel if you purchase through Chase Ultimate Rewards.
And if you plan to book with an online travel agent like Price path, remember to book flights with a credit card that accumulates for all travel, not just flights booked directly with airlines or through an issuer’s booking portal. Eg, Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card earn 2 points in common for every dollar on travel purchases.
Editor’s Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here are the author’s own, not those of any bank, credit card company, airline or hotel chain and has not been reviewed, approved, or endorsed by any of these organizations.
Note: While the offers mentioned above were accurate at the time of publication, they are subject to change at any time and may or may not be available anymore.
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