I just booked a stay worth $4,400 at the luxe Conrad Fort Lauderdale Beach resort, and thanks to my Hilton credit card it will be completely free

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• The Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card is one of the most valuable credit cards I own.
• Using free nights and points from this card, I booked a four-night resort stay worth nearly $4,400.
• I'll save an additional $450 thanks to resort credits I'll receive from having the card.
• Read Insider's guide to the best hotel credit cards.

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Since the start of the pandemic, my family hasn't traveled much. Except for a handful of road trips, we've stuck pretty close to home — and haven't been on a plane in over two years.

We're finally ready to travel again, and because it's been so long, I wanted to book something a little extravagant using the stash of points, miles, and hotel free night certificates I've accumulated with travel rewards credit cards. Thankfully, many hotel chains have extended the expiration of rewards — and that's partly how I managed to book an epic stay at a stunning luxury resort for nothing out-of-pocket.

Read more: Hotel credit cards that offer free nights after each account anniversary

I've had the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card for several years, and despite its Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card annual fee Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card - Rates & Fees, I've managed to squeeze at least that much in value from the card each year.

By having this card, I was able to book a four-night stay worth nearly $4,400 at the luxurious Conrad Fort Lauderdale Beach for the upcoming spring break — and it will be free of charge, thanks to a combination of Hilton points and free night certificates. Here's how I did it.

How I got a $4,400 stay with rewards from the Amex Hilton Aspire 

The Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card comes with a free weekend night certificate each year after your account anniversary, which you can redeem at just about any Hilton hotel worldwide, including the priciest resorts. If you're a new cardholder, you'll receive a free weekend night certificate after opening your account and again each card anniversary (the card also offers a welcome bonus of Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card).

 You can also earn a second free weekend night certificate by spending $60,000 on your Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card in a calendar year.

Read more: Amex Hilton Aspire card review

You can also earn free night certificates as part of the limited-time intro offers on the following Hilton cards:

• Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card — Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card
• The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card — The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card
• Hilton Honors American Express Card — Hilton Honors American Express Card

These cards don't normally include a free night with their welcome bonuses, so even if you're not willing to commit to a premium card like the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card, there's still an opportunity to earn these lucrative certificates. With the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card and The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card, you can also earn additional free nights for meeting spending thresholds.

Hilton's made customer-friendly updates to these certificates as a result of the pandemic, including extending their expiration dates (normally, they expire after a year) and making them redeemable on any day of the week, instead of just Friday, Saturday, or Sunday nights.

Thanks to these changes (and a promotion I took advantage of earlier this year), I ended up with three free night certificates in my account:

• One from 2021 that would have expired, but got extended
• One from 2022
• One from spending $8,000 on my Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card as part of this now-expired promotion

Standard award nights at the Conrad Fort Lauderdale Beach cost 95,000 Hilton points, which is the most expensive points rate (with a few exceptions) Hilton charges for its hotels. This makes the hotel a fantastic candidate for a free night certificate redemption, especially since paid rates here can approach $1,000 per night.

Read more: The best ways to use a Hilton free night certificate

I wanted to stay four nights, though, so turned to my Hilton points balance. By combining three free night certificates and 95,000 points, I was able to book four nights — but to do so, I had to call Hilton Honors and have them make the booking.

Here's what our stay would cost if paid in cash:

You'll notice a resort fee ($160 for four nights) listed in the stay breakdown. Unlike some chains, like Marriott, Hilton Honors does not add resort fees to stays booked with points or free night certificates. The taxes are also included, so our stay will be completely free.

Elite status and other Hilton card perks will make the stay even sweeter

One of the reasons I chose the Conrad Fort Lauderdale Beach is the fact that every room in this hotel is a suite with a kitchen and living area. Feeding three kids on vacation can get pricey pretty fast, so having the ability to cook meals in our room will help keep expenses down on this trip. Add to that its prime beachfront location and five-star amenities, and it's the perfect spot for a family getaway.

The hotel is also classified as a Hilton resort, which means it's eligible for the Hilton resort credit on the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card. Each year, cardholders receive up to $250 in statement credits toward purchases charged to the room at participating Hilton resorts — including restaurant, spa, and other incidental charges. That means our first $250 in extras — whether it's a dinner, poolside lunch, or massage at the hotel spa — are essentially free.

Read more: 5 luxury resorts where you can get great value from the Amex Hilton Aspire free night certificate — plus use up to $250 in credits

I'll also save money from having Hilton Diamond elite status, which comes automatically with the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card. Hilton Gold and Diamond elite members get free breakfast, currently awarded as a food and beverage credit, and the amount depends on the brand. At Conrad hotels, you'll get a $25 daily credit for yourself and up to one other guest in the room, so we'll get a total of $50 per day to use on meals, snacks, and drinks at the hotel.

All told, between $50 a day in food and beverage credits ($200 total for four nights) and $250 in Hilton resort credits from the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card, my family will get an additional $450 in food and activities on top of this free stay.

I've already got my eye on a spa massage — and the kids are positively thrilled about going on a big vacation again. I'm grateful that, using credit card rewards, I'm able to splurge on this extra-special trip without blowing my budget.