Estimated read time: 5 minutes and 14 seconds

Good morning from Jakarta, where I’m getting mentally prepared for my 30-hour journey to North America.

If you are also dreading something today, I’ve got just the distraction for you:

• 🤓 Travel Trivia Tuesday

• 🏨 How to book LHW hotels with points

• 👨‍🏫 Join us for Miles & Points 101

• 🌎 Travel Trivia reveal

🤓 Travel Trivia Tuesday

🏨 How to book LHW hotels with points

Last week I told you that Leading Hotels of the World is now a transfer partner of MR points.

This week, I did something about it.

I made my first transfer to LHW and booked my first stay with the points, and since this is a brand-new program for most of us (me very much included), I figured I'd walk you through the whole thing from start to finish.

First, the hotel

I'm headed to Trondheim, Norway, next month and I'm staying at the Britannia Hotel.

This isn't a "solid option in town" situation. It's the best hotel in Trondheim, full stop, and it has been for about 150 years.

Cash rates start at $337.58 per night with taxes and fees included, or 4,651 points per night. 👇

It opened in 1870, built to house wealthy English aristocrats who came up for the salmon fishing, which is a very “1870” reason to build a hotel.

Then it shut down for three years and reopened in 2019 after $150 million of renovations. So you get the restored 1870 fireplace and the 1920s murals without the 1870 plumbing. 😉

And honestly, that's kind of what LHW is all about.

These aren't chain properties like the other major points programs. This is the grand hotel that the city is known for, and now you can book it with points.

Today it's got 257 rooms, a Michelin-starred restaurant, a wine bar, and a spa that looks like it’s where I’ll likely spend most of my time.

Step one: link your accounts

Before you can transfer any points, you have to link your Leaders Club account to your MR points account.

Leaders Club is free to join, and linking takes about a minute.

Side note: I love how LHW is labeled as a "Frequent Flyer Program," which makes it clear nobody from the bank actually pays attention to the things they publish. 🤷🏼‍♂️

Anyway.

Step two: about that 4:1 ratio 😬

This is the part that might scare you off, so let me quell those fears…

1,000 MR points gets you 250 Leaders Club points. Transfers can be made in 1,000 point increments, with a 1,000 point minimum.

I needed 9,302 Leaders Club points for my two nights, so I sent over 38,000 MR points.

The transfer page warns it can take up to 72 hours, but mine landed in my LHW account in less than a minute. Your mileage may vary, but I think you can expect it to take far less than the advertised 72 hours.

One small thing to watch is that those 1,000 point increments mean you'll almost always overshoot. I've now got 198 Leaders Club points sitting in my account right now, doing absolutely nothing.

Step three: book the stay

Once the points arrived, the booking itself worked like any other hotel site. Search for your dates, room, and reserve.

What I appreciated most is that LHW laid out the price (including all taxes and fees), points price, and cancellation policy clearly before I transferred a single point.

And that matters more here than it does with the big chains…

Every LHW property is independently owned, which means the cancellation rules are set by each individual hotel. One might let you cancel the night before, and the next might want a week's notice with a deposit attached.

So read that part every single time.

What two nights actually cost

My 2-night stay cost me 9,302 Leaders Club points with no extra cash charges.

Two nights would have run me about $675 in cash, and I spent roughly 37,000 MR points (not including the couple hundred leftover I still have).

That works out to right around 1.8 cents per MR point, which is a totally respectable use of transferable points, in my opinion.

That last screenshot also shows the Leaders Club benefits that you’ll get (they apply on award stays too):

• Daily continental breakfast for two

• Upgrade priority at arrival

• Free wifi (still can’t believe this counts as a benefit)

You also earn Leaders Club points on paid stays, so even when a redemption isn't in play, booking through Leaders Club is building toward the next one.

The one thing that didn't work

Because I carry this premium travel card, I have LHW Sterling status, which comes with five pre-arrival upgrade certificates.

I went to use one on this booking. I could not. 😭

Pre-arrival upgrades don't apply to redemption nights, so all five of mine are still sitting there untouched.

That one stings a little, though I still have the potential to get a complimentary upgrade… so I'll just have to suite talk my way to the top. 😉

None of this happens without MR points, though.

If you want in on luxury hotels at 1.8 cents per point, check out our favorite cards that earn MR points. 👇

The bottom line

A weird new transfer partner and 4:1 transfer ratio might make you overlook this program entirely.

But if you actually run the numbers (and value the benefits), I suspect you’ll be happy with the results almost every time.

Now I just have to live with those 198 orphaned Leaders Club points for the rest of my life. 🤷🏼‍♂️

👨‍🏫 Join us for Miles & Points 101

This Thursday, we're running our free Miles & Points 101 class, live on Zoom.

It's called "The 3 Secrets to Traveling for (Almost) Free," and it's built for the people who read this newsletter every morning and still feel like everyone else got a manual they didn't.

Here’s what we'll cover:

• The simple 2-step framework for how points travel actually works

• Which points to earn, and why earning the wrong ones quietly holds you back

• How to earn faster through welcome offers and a few strategies we lean on constantly

Then we stick around for live Q&A, where you can ask Team Daily Drop anything you want and get a real answer in real time.

It's Thursday, August 13 at 3:00 pm ET, and it's completely free to attend. If you've been sitting on a pile of points and no plan, this will be an hour well spent.

🌎 Travel Trivia reveal

A few minutes ago, we asked you which U.S. airport required the longest domestic layovers…

If you guessed George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), you were right! ✈️

Passengers at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) should plan for an average layover time of at least 2 hours and 17 minutes, according to a recent study released earlier this summer.

The study took into account airport size, as well as the number of terminals, gates, restaurants, employees and passengers, in addition to other variables.

Sprawling across five different terminals, navigating IAH can require careful planning when booking tight layovers. Luckily, a Skyway tram connects some of the terminals and is available to passengers on the airside of the airport.

Pre-security, travelers can move between terminals via what could be described as a subway train, though from personal experience that feels generous for the 1980s-era people mover.

Though IAH requires the most time between flights of all the major U.S. hubs, it’s neither the biggest airport — that would be 5th place Denver International Airport — or busiest — an honor that goes to 4th place Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) followed right on IAH’s heels with a layover window of 2 hours and 16 minutes, beating out John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), which took 3rd.

I guess everything really is bigger in Texas… even the layovers. 🤷‍♀️

That’s it for today, my friends. Take care and have a lovely day,

6.9175° S, 107.6191° E

With contributions by Sam Anthony and Katie Begnoche.