We wanted sunshine, clear blue water, an easy travel experience, and a trip that did not require spending thousands of dollars on flights alone. Roatán delivered all of that and more. One of the biggest reasons this trip worked so beautifully is because we flew our family of four using points, which kept our out-of-pocket costs low and made the trip truly doable.

Why Roatán Is Such an Easy Destination
Roatán is a smaller Caribbean island with incredible snorkeling, beautiful beaches, and a more relaxed atmosphere than some of the heavily commercialized destinations most families think of first. Travel time is reasonable, airport experience is manageable, and it feels like a hidden gem in many ways.

One of the biggest advantages for families is that Roatán is in the Central Time Zone. There is no jet lag. Kids’ sleep schedules are not disrupted. You do not return home exhausted and off rhythm. For school-year or long-weekend trips, that matters a lot.

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Our Flights to Roatán
For our outbound flights, we flew Kansas City to Miami to Roatán on American Airlines. We used points to book and paid just $25 total for all four passengers. Travel day felt smooth, manageable, and shockingly easy for an international beach trip. We left winter weather behind and were standing on a Caribbean beach shortly after arriving.

How to Earn American Airlines Miles

You can absolutely earn American Airlines miles by flying American or one of its partner airlines, and those miles are awarded based on the price of your ticket and your frequent flyer status. But like most families, the majority of our American miles did not come from flying—they came from credit card welcome offers. Bonuses from cards like the CitiBusiness AAdvantage card can give you a huge jumpstart in miles, often more than you’d earn from months or even years of paid flights.

From there, everyday spending on eligible cards, the American Airlines shopping portal, dining rewards, hotel partners, car rentals, and occasional promos help keep miles growing. When you focus on welcome offers first and then layer in everyday earning, American Airlines miles become an incredibly powerful tool for making family travel more affordable.

How to Book Flights Using American Airlines Miles

Once you have miles, booking flights with American Airlines is actually pretty simple. You’ll search for flights directly on the American Airlines website just like you would if you were paying cash—but instead of selecting a dollar price, you’ll choose the option to pay with miles. You’ll see the number of miles required for each flight, plus any taxes or fees due at checkout. In many cases, you can also use your miles to book flights on partner airlines, which opens up even more routes and international destinations. This is one of the biggest advantages of American’s program—you are not limited to only flying American metal.

When booking, it helps to be flexible if you can. Being open to different dates, airports, or flight times can significantly lower the number of miles required. Booking early, watching for award sales, and checking partner availability can also help you stretch your miles farther and get even better value.

Our Flights Home
For our return flight, we flew Roatán to Houston and then home to Kansas City on United. We also booked those flights using points and paid $70 per person out of pocket. Again, the experience was straightforward and efficient. It did not feel like a draining travel day.

How to Earn United Miles

Earning United miles is easier than most people realize, even if you’re not someone who flies constantly. Yes, you can earn miles by flying United Airlines or any of its Star Alliance partner airlines, where miles are awarded based on the price of your ticket and your frequent flyer status. But for most families (including ours), the fastest way to build a meaningful mileage balance is through credit card welcome offers. Bonuses from cards like the United Business Card can earn more miles in one approval than many people would earn from months or even years of flying.

From there, everyday spending on United co-branded cards, online shopping portals, dining rewards programs, hotel partners, car rentals, and occasional promotions help keep miles growing. With a little strategy and intention, United miles can build quietly in the background—making family travel far more affordable and realistic.

How to Book Flights Using United Miles

Once you’ve earned miles, booking flights with United is very straightforward. You’ll search flights on United’s website just like you would if you were paying cash, but you’ll choose the option to show prices in miles.

United will list available flights along with how many miles each one costs, plus any taxes and fees due at checkout. One of the biggest perks of United’s program is that you can also use your miles to book flights on partner airlines within the Star Alliance network, which gives you access to tons of international routes and smaller destinations that United doesn’t fly directly.

Flexibility is your friend when booking with miles. Being open to different dates, flight times, nearby airports, or even partner airline options can dramatically reduce the number of miles required. Booking early, checking regularly, and being willing to adjust slightly can help your miles go much farther and unlock some really incredible travel opportunities.

Why Using Points Made This Trip Possible
Points significantly reduced the cash cost of this vacation. Instead of looking at flights and feeling discouraged, we were able to confidently say yes to a beach trip that felt financially reasonable. Points allowed us to enjoy incredible travel without guilt or financial stress.

If this post was helpful and you’re thinking about opening a new credit card to help your family travel for less, I’m always grateful when readers use my affiliate links. It costs you nothing extra and truly helps support my business and the time I put into creating resources like this. If you ever have questions about choosing a card or want help deciding what might be a good fit for your travel goals, I’m always happy to talk and help you think through it.

If you also want to understand how we paired flights on points with a resort stay on points, my IHG strategy guide walks through how to build that side of the trip: Complete Guide to IHG Stays with Points and my Grand Roatán Kimpton Resort Review

Why Roatán Works So Well for Families
Between the short travel time, Central Time Zone, family-friendly atmosphere, and beautiful natural environment, Roatán works incredibly well for families who want warmth, water, and rest without chaos. You can realistically do this as a long weekend or a school-friendly break.

We would absolutely do this trip again. It was the perfect blend of affordable, easy, beautiful, and meaningful.