How buying Hilton points saved me over $600 on my hotel stay during Carnival

Attending Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, has been on my bucket list since I first visited the country more than a decade ago. So, while planning a three-month trip through South America earlier this year, I wondered if this would finally be the year I could make it happen.

I expected it would be very expensive to attend official events and book a hotel stay in the city during Carnival. However, I was optimistic that I could leverage my credit card rewards to help cut costs. Luckily, I’m…