Estimated read time: 4 minutes and 52 seconds

Good morning, amigos.

I’ve got an exciting deal to share with you today, but it requires you to act NOW. So let’s stop wasting time and get down to business (class).

Here’s what I’ve got:

• ✈️ Fly to Europe for 28k points (but hurry)

• 💕 The perfect 2-card combo

• 🏨 Earn 46x points at IHG

✈️ Fly to Europe for 28k points (but hurry)

So, Iberia (the Spanish airline) has a new award sale on flights in economy, premium economy, and business class.

And if you play your cards right and act fast, you could get your butt to Europe in a lie-flat seat for just 28,000 points.

The catch? You need to do it like…. Right now. The sale ends today.

The sale includes up to 20% off award flights to a variety of cities, including 10% off business class from places like Boston, New York, Chicago, Orlando, Toronto, San Juan, and more.

The real sweet spot is flying from the East Coast to Madrid, which can run as few as 40,500 Iberia Avios in business class.

But with this award sale, those same seats can now cost just 36,450 Avios. 👇

The best part is that this sale is valid through mid-March, so the travel window is huge (and includes the holiday season).

But here’s where things get spicy. 🌶️

There’s still a 30% transfer bonus from MR points to Iberia (and British Airways and Aer Lingus).

So, if you combine everything together, you can get to Europe in business class for around just 28,000 MR points. 🤯

That’s the same as a long-haul domestic flight in economy with some programs, so this is a huge opportunity.

Plus, if you’re traveling with a family, those 12,800 Avios economy flights are also good.

With the transfer bonus, that’s less than 10,000 MR points per person, or around 40,000 MR points for a family of 4.

So here’s what I recommend:

If you want to go to Europe between now and March 18, go to Iberia’s site, run an Avios search, and see if you can get yourself (and any others) to Spain on the cheap.

If you book those long flights now, you can always book some positioning flights on either end to get to/from your final destination.

And, as always, make sure you rack up some MR points now so you can jump on deals like this in the future.

💕 The perfect 2-card combo

Some credit cards are just…. awesome. They stand on their own and are great to have.

Others work best when they have a companion card.

Today, we want to tell you about two of these cards that, when paired together, increase the value of each one immensely.

And instead of saying “this card” a million times, we decided to turn this section into a YouTube video to break down the details.

Check it out here. 👇

🏨 Earn 46x points at IHG

We kicked off this newsletter strong with an amazing airline deal, then followed it up with some credit card talk. So it’s only natural to close things out with a new hotel promo that could earn you a whopping 46 points per dollar.

IHG has just announced a new global promotion (meaning everyone is eligible for it) to earn up to 3x points on paid stays.

Here’s how it works:

• You must register for the promotion

• Earn 2x points starting on your second eligible stay

• Earn 3x points if you book through the app

• Valid on paid stays between October 1 and December 31

So, let’s start with the obvious:

Book stays through the app… I know not everyone is tech-savvy here. But don’t lose out on an extra 10 points per dollar because you don’t have the app or know how to use it.

Plus, the IHG app is awesome. I already book all of my stays through the app. 🤷🏼‍♂️

Let’s talk about the math

As an IHG member, you always earn 10x points per dollar on paid stays.

So earning “3x” means earning 30 points per dollar total, or an additional 20x.

That’s already pretty good, but there is a super easy way to “kick it up a notch,” so to speak.

Side note: Wow, making that Emeril gif took me back to my childhood… anyone else remember those days?

Okay, okay, back to IHG.

If you hold this IHG co-branded credit card (which I’ve told you on multiple occasions is my FAVORITE card), you earn an additional 10x points per dollar by paying with the card.

But also…

The card comes with IHG Platinum status as a perk, which earns you another 6x points per dollar.

Just in case you are on the math struggle bus, let’s summarize:

• 10x points for being an IHG member

• 20x additional points from the promo (if you book through the app)

• 10x more points for spending on this card

• 6x more points from Platinum status (also from that card)

In total, you can earn 46 points per dollar at IHG by stacking these elements.

One more annoying thing

As I mentioned earlier, the 2x or 3x points only start from your second stay. That means your first cash stay doesn’t earn any bonus points.

So here’s my tip:

If you have some expensive IHG stays between October and December, book a cheap one-night stay somewhere first to knock out that requirement.

For example, if you live in Chicago, you could book a one-night staycation at this hotel outside of the city for $84 on October 1st. 👇

BAM! (sorry)

Now, on the first day of the promo period, you’ve already gotten that first stay out of the way, and all stays for the following three months will earn 3x (if you book through the app).

How I’m using this promo

Later this year, I’ll be spending 5 nights in downtown Vancouver at an IHG hotel that was very cheap (by Vancouver standards) at just $95 per night.

I definitely want to earn 3x on that stay, but I didn’t have any other cash stays booked.

So here’s what I’ll do:

In November, I’ll be back in Indonesia for a couple of weeks. Since I need to crash for a night in Jakarta anyway, I booked a night at the cheapest Holiday Inn I could find before I fly out.

By spending $31 on this hotel, I unlock the 3x points on my $500 stay in Vancouver, which will earn me 21,850 IHG points.

Anyway, here’s the bottom line:

Of all of the various hotel promos going on right now, this one is the best. If you combine it with the co-branded credit card, it’s even better.

Just make sure you strategize a little. 🫵

That’s it for today, friends. I hope you enjoyed today’s fun, well-rounded newsletter.

See you next time,

43.6532° N, 79.3832° W

With contributions by Sam Anthony and Katie Begnoche.