No-Passport Points Travel: Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Hawaii, Guam, and Beyond (2026)

Six destinations with palm trees, ocean, and a different pace fly as domestic trips from the mainland: Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa. No passport, no customs on arrival, no currency exchange, no roaming — and, because they are domestic, award flights and hotel points price them like Denver, not like Bali. We took one of these trips ourselves for 70,000 points and about $500. This guide covers all six: the points hotels, the flights, the ID rules that still apply, and which one fits which traveler.

Quick answer

For a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, Saipan, and American Samoa all require only a REAL ID-compliant license or state ID to fly — with one exception: American Samoa asks for proof of citizenship, so bring a passport or a birth certificate plus photo ID. The easiest on points are Puerto Rico (Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve at 17,000-23,000 World of Hyatt points, Southwest and every major carrier from the East Coast) and Hawaii (the deepest award inventory in the group). The U.S. Virgin Islands are Marriott territory — Westin Frenchman's Reef from about 62,000-70,000 points, the Ritz-Carlton St. Thomas from 74,000-100,000 — with Southwest, JetBlue, American, Delta, and United flying to St. Thomas. Guam and Saipan are Hyatt and Hilton stays reached on United from Honolulu; American Samoa has no chain hotels and one airline.

• Easiest first trip: Puerto Rico — our real trip cost 70,000 points and about $500
• Deepest award inventory: Hawaii
• Best for Marriott points and certificates: the U.S. Virgin Islands
• Farthest and quietest: Guam, Saipan, and American Samoa via Honolulu
• ID rule: REAL ID for all six; proof of citizenship for American Samoa

💡 Pro tip — The U.S. Virgin Islands are outside the U.S. customs zone: no passport is needed, but you clear U.S. Customs at the St. Thomas or St. Croix airport before boarding your flight home, and the duty-free allowance is $1,600 per person. Build 30 extra minutes into the departure.

The six destinations at a glance

Key takeaway: Hawaii and Puerto Rico cover most travelers; the Virgin Islands are the Marriott play; Guam and beyond are for the traveler who has done the first three.

Puerto Rico — our real trip

Two people, three days, 70,000 points and about $500: two nights at the Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve for 40,000 World of Hyatt points transferred 1:1 from a Sapphire Reserve, two Southwest round-trip seats from the East Coast for 30,000 Rapid Rewards, breakfast free through a Hyatt Guest of Honor booking, and about $350 in restaurants plus $150 for a three-day rental car. Retail value avoided: about $1,800. The full receipt is in the Puerto Rico trip breakdown, and every points hotel on the island — Hyatt, Marriott, Hilton, Wyndham, Choice — is priced in best hotels in Puerto Rico on points.

Why it is the right first no-passport trip: three to four hours from the East Coast, every hotel program present, the widest choice of airlines (Southwest's two free bags matter for a beach trip), and an island that splits neatly into a resort half and a city half.

The U.S. Virgin Islands — the Marriott play

St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Croix are almost entirely Marriott on points:

The math favors certificates: an 85,000-point free night from a Bonvoy Brilliant covers the Ritz-Carlton or the Westin outright, the 35,000-point award from a Bonvoy Boundless topped up with 25,000 points reaches Carambola with room to spare, and the fifth night free applies to any five-night points stay — Marriott Bonvoy sweet spots covers both levers. Flights: American, Delta, and United fly daily; JetBlue from New York and Boston; Southwest flies nonstop to St. Thomas from about twenty cities including Baltimore, Orlando, Nashville, Chicago Midway, Denver, and Los Angeles, which makes a Companion Pass the cheapest way to bring a second person. St. John is a 20-minute ferry from Red Hook, no hotel needed.

Hawaii — the deepest inventory

Hawaii is the no-passport destination with the most award seats and the most points hotels, and it has its own guides: flights to Hawaii on points, booking Hawaii hotels with points, and a family case study. The short version: the West Coast to Honolulu or Maui is a domestic award on every carrier, Hyatt and Marriott both have resorts priced honestly, and the only rule that changes versus the mainland is the resort fee, which award nights waive at Hyatt and most Marriott and Hilton properties.

Guam, Saipan, and American Samoa — the far flags

Guam is a U.S. territory 3,800 miles west of Honolulu. United flies Honolulu-Guam nonstop, with saver awards around 27,500 miles one-way in economy and 45,000 in business, and the famous Island Hopper stops through Micronesia on the way; a round trip from the mainland to two Island Hopper destinations has run about 70,000 United miles when saver space exists. On the ground, the Hyatt Regency Guam on Tumon Bay has priced around 12,000 World of Hyatt points a night in recent redemptions, the Hilton Guam Resort prices dynamically, and the Westin and Dusit Thani are cash stays. Note the routing: flights via Tokyo or Manila require a passport; via Honolulu they do not.

Saipan, in the Northern Mariana Islands, is a 45-minute United hop from Guam; the Hyatt Regency Saipan is the points hotel — confirm its current category on hyatt.com before transferring, because Hyatt reassigns categories each spring.

American Samoa is the exception in the group: it has no chain hotels, one airline link (Hawaiian from Honolulu, twice a week), and, because it is an unincorporated territory with its own entry rules, U.S. citizens must show proof of citizenship — a passport or a birth certificate with photo ID — on arrival. The National Park of American Samoa is the draw; points cover the Honolulu flight and nothing else.

The ID rules that still apply

• REAL ID. Since May 7, 2025, a REAL ID-compliant driver's license or state ID (or a passport, military ID, or Global Entry card) is required for all domestic flights, including to every destination here.
• Non-citizens. Permanent residents fly to all six on a green card plus a government ID. Visa holders should treat Guam, Saipan, and American Samoa as separate entry points and check their status, and should carry the passport regardless.
• Customs on the way back from the USVI. U.S. Customs pre-clearance at St. Thomas and St. Croix; the $1,600 duty-free allowance is double the standard one.
• Nothing else changes. Phones roam domestically, cards charge no foreign transaction fees, and the dollar is the currency in all six.

Real use case: three nights in St. Thomas on certificates

A couple holds a Bonvoy Brilliant with its 85,000-point free night, a Bonvoy Boundless with its 35,000-point award, 60,000 Marriott points, and a Southwest Companion Pass.

• Flights: Southwest nonstop from Baltimore to St. Thomas, 23,000 Rapid Rewards for one seat and $11.20 in taxes for the companion, round trip.
• Night 1: Westin Frenchman's Reef on the 85,000-point certificate — a $900 night in season.
• Night 2: the same hotel on the 35,000-point award topped up with 25,000 points.
• Night 3: 65,000 points on a low date — the couple checks five-night pricing first, because with two more nights the fifth would have been free.
• Cash: the $75 destination charge is waived on award nights; a rental car for three days and a St. John ferry day run about $350.
• Total: two certificates, 90,000 Marriott points, 23,000 Southwest points, and about $400 cash for about $3,000 of retail travel.

Decision framework

Common mistakes

1. Assuming no passport means no ID rules. REAL ID applies everywhere; American Samoa wants proof of citizenship.
2. Booking Guam via Tokyo without a passport. Route through Honolulu.
3. Forgetting customs at St. Thomas. Arrive at the airport early on the way home.
4. Paying resort fees on award nights. Most are waived; the Ritz-Carlton St. Thomas is the exception at $85.
5. Transferring to Marriott for the USVI at 1:1 without checking the fifth-night-free math. Five nights cost four; certificates plus points often beat transfers.
6. Overlooking Southwest to St. Thomas. Twenty nonstop cities, two free bags, and a refundable award.

Editor's take

The no-passport list is longer than most people think and more useful than it looks, because every entry is a domestic award: no surcharges, no partner charts, no visa. Our reading: Puerto Rico is the trip to take first — we did, for 70,000 points — Hawaii is the one to take when you have the balance for it, the Virgin Islands are the reason to hold a Marriott certificate, and Guam is for the traveler who has already stood on the other five. Bring the REAL ID, and bring the passport only for American Samoa.

Related reading

• Puerto Rico on points: the complete trip breakdown — our real 70,000-point trip
• Best hotels in Puerto Rico on points — every program's property on the island
• Marriott Bonvoy sweet spots — the certificate top-up and fifth-night-free rules behind the USVI math
• Flights to Hawaii on points — the deepest award inventory in the group
• Booking Hawaii hotels with points — Hyatt, Marriott, and Hilton by island
• Southwest Companion Pass guide — the second seat to St. Thomas or San Juan for taxes only