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šŸ¤Ø A weird 25% transfer bonus

Plus, can you guess the single BEST points program in the world?

Estimated read time: 4 minutes and 35 seconds

šŸ­ Yikesā€¦ a few days ago, an SAS flight departing from Oslo had to divert due to a passenger findingā€¦ *gulp*ā€¦ a live mouse in their food. Read more here.

Howdy from sunny and beautiful Hainan, China! šŸ‡ØšŸ‡³

In case you arenā€™t aware, this hidden gem of a destination allows Americans (and 58 other nationalities) to enter and travel anywhere in the province without a visa for a full month!

But onto the important stuff:

šŸ”„ A weird 25% transfer bonus

Weā€™ve been seeing a lot of transfer bonuses floating around recently, but one of these bonuses is not like the restā€¦

Thatā€™s because it involves a program that we rarely talk about and many of you likely havenā€™t heard of.

Iā€™m talking, of course, about Leading Hotels of the World, which currently has a 25% transfer bonus from ThankYou Points.

A screenshot from the ThankYou Points transfer page to LHW

When you first see that image above, you might want to gloss right over this opportunity.

Weā€™re used to seeing programs transfer at a 1:1 ratio or even a 1:2 ratio with some programs.

Seeing 1,000 points turn into 250 points (including the transfer bonus) might seem like a terrible idea.

But itā€™s not. Not at all. In fact, itā€™s pretty good.

I found some pretty solid options for hotel nights both in the U.S. and elsewhere in the world that would actually be worthwhile with this effective 4:1 transfer ratio, in my opinion.

For example, this nice beach hotel in Malibu, California, costs just over 8,000 LHW points per night.

An example of a hotel in Malibu for just over 8,000 LHW Points

That means that with the current bonus, youā€™d shell out 34,000 ThankYou points to book one night.

Personally, thatā€™s more points than I usually spend on a hotel night, but itā€™s also not far off from redemption rates with other programs like Marriott, IHG, and Hilton for top-tier hotels like this one.

Plus, I found even better deals in an equally exciting city like Dublin, Ireland, which has multiple properties for only around 5,000 LHW points per night, or 20,000 ThankYou Points with this bonus.

An example of a hotel in Dublin, Ireland for just over 5,000 LHW Points

20,000 points for a nice hotel right on the river in Dublin is a great deal and WELL worth that transfer ratio.

šŸ’” FYI, this card (which earns ThankYou Points) currently has a really good welcome offer and is a great way to rack up some free nights at hotels like these ones!

But the program gets even betterā€¦

You see, when you become a member of LHW (which, like most programs, is totally free to sign up for), you get some nice perks when booking hotels with them, such as:

  • Free room upgrades

  • Continental breakfast for two

  • Late checkout (when available)

  • Members-only room pricing

A screenshot of the homepage of LHW's website

This is a great way to get extra value and perks without needing any elite status, and it makes the points even more exciting and valuable.

So hereā€™s the bottom line:

The 4:1 transfer ratio might look scary, but thatā€™s just the way their currency works, and the opportunity can definitely be a worthwhile and valuable way to use your ThankYou Points.

āœˆļø Act fast: 40% off Breeze Airways Fall Sale

Breeze Airways is a low-cost carrier that often provides routes to smaller and mid-size airportsā€”typically areas that are underserved by larger airlines.

Take a peek at their (pretty decent) network šŸ‘‡

Breeze Airways network

And right now, theyā€™re offering a Fall Sale where you can get 40% off flights!

The catch? You must book by TODAY, September 24, 2024 (11:59 PM PST) šŸ„µ

Breeze Airways promo

If youā€™ve been perusing some routes and think a last-minute booking will work for you, here are some additional details:

  • Use promo code BOOKIT at checkout to score your discount

  • Discounted flights are eligible for travel between September 30, 2024 - February 4, 2025 šŸ™Œ

  • There are some blackout dates, which you can view here

I know these last-minute bookings may not work for many, but sometimes, they can be the very thing that gets you the best deal šŸ˜Ž

This is especially helpful if you do live near a smaller airport that isnā€™t serviced by other airlines and are hoping to travel sometime before February 4th next year.

Just keep in mind that these low-cost carriers will impose other fees for things like additional baggage and seat selection.

But overall, getting 40% off your flight feels pretty good if you can make it work for you.

šŸ¤“ Travel Trivia Tuesday

Hereā€™s a controversial one for youā€¦ Which airline has the best rewards program in the world, according to a study by Point.me?

Login or Subscribe to participate in polls.

A stock photo of a plane with a sunset in the background

The correct answer isā€¦ Air France and KLM Flying Blue! āœˆļø

Flying Blue takes the top spot globally for airline reward programs, according to a detailed report from Point.me. I personally love Flying Blue and think it gets better and better every year.

If you are a Daily Drop loyalist, then you know Flying Blue often offers monthly 15,000-mile reward flights between North America and Europe, which is one of the best regular sweet spots in the biz.

They also have reasonable rates with other partner airlines, of which there are many.

Point.meā€™s rankings are based on factors like redemption rates, customer service, and change fees, and they compiled data from over 55 experts to rank 62 airlines worldwide.

U.S.-based airlines, unsurprisingly, didnā€™t fare as wellā€¦ šŸ˜¬

Frontier and Spirit Airlines had some of the lowest scores, with Deltaā€™s SkyMiles also underperforming despite its large user base.

Curious to see how your favorite airline stacks up? Check out the full report and see which programs are worth your loyalty!

Well this is a fun one from the Daily Drop Lounge for all you Swifties out there.

Who would have thought that youā€™d see a deal like this come through just by holding a card that earns Capital One miles!

We love to see travel wins like this oneā€¦ especially when you can stack redemptions from multiple programs šŸ˜

The world of miles and points is a fun one, eh? If you want to see more travel wins like this or share your own, head on over and join us in our Facebook communityā€”the Daily Drop Lounge.

Thatā€™s all for today, folks!

I think this transfer bonus to LHW is a great example of why you shouldnā€™t get stuck in too small of a box with the popular programsā€¦

Booking independent hotels and using more obscure programs like this one are excellent ways to get value for your points while still getting tasty perks.

Anyway, tune in tomorrow, and Iā€™ll tell you about one of my favorite airline program sweet spots. šŸ¤˜šŸ¼

å†č§,

Mike Dodge
Head Writer, Daily Drop

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