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šŸ¤‘ This airline is selling $1 flights

Plus, now is your last chance to buy easy elite status with this popular program (and they've just launched a nice little promo).

Estimated read time: 4 minutes and 32 seconds

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Good morning from Chișinău, the capital of Europeā€™s least visited country, Moldova.

While I enjoy this lovely gem of a city, hereā€™s what Iā€™ve got for you today:

šŸØ Last chance to buy IHG elite status

Iā€™ve written in the past about the elite status you can buy called ā€œIntercontinental Ambassador.ā€

This has always been an excellent deal in the hotel loyalty space, but sadly, the price will be increasing on October 2nd of this year.

So before that happens, I want to break down this deal and give you one last chance to lock it in at a low rate.

Intercontinental Ambassador

Hereā€™s the deal:

Intercontinental, one of the major premium brands of IHG, has its own mini-loyalty program on top of IHG's loyalty program.

It's like a loyalty program within a loyalty program, if you will.

Itā€™s called Intercontinental Ambassador, and earning it is pretty simple: pay $200 cash or 40,000 IHG points per year.

That's right; No need to spend dozens of nights at hotels to try and earn status; you just sign up on their website, pay a fee, and reap the benefits.

But what are the benefits?

Well, there are a fewā€¦

But the highlight is a Free Weekend Night Certificate for every year that you have this status.

If you play your cards right, using this free night can completely offset the cost of holding the status.

For example, if you wanted a quick weekend getaway to Chicago and booked this Intercontinental Hotel, youā€™re already coming out $177 ahead on this deal since you only paid $200 to get the status and certificate.

Intercontinental Chicago for $377

Thatā€™s all well and good, but who the heck stays at only Intercontinentals, am I right?

Well, that doesnā€™t matter at all because Intercontinental Ambassador status also gives you IHG Platinum Elite status.

Having this status will earn you the following benefits at ALL IHG hotels worldwide:

  • 60% Bonus Points on paid stays

  • Complementary Upgrades (including suites)

  • Points or Drink/Snack Welcome Amenity

  • Reward Night Discounts

  • Early Check-In (based on availability)

IHG Platinum Benefits

Overall, itā€™s not difficult to justify the cost of this status if you stay (or want to stay) at some IHG hotels throughout the year.

However, if you already have Platinum status (like many of you do from signing up for this credit card), then make sure the Intercontinental-specific perks (like the free night certificate) can justify the $200 price tag.

As I mentioned, I received an email from IHG earlier this month with the following language:

Email from IHG about upcoming changes to Ambassador status

I donā€™t know how expensive it will be after early October, so crunch the numbers and decide if this easy-to-earn status is worth it for you.

If you want some easy and cheap elite status without any of the hassle of earning it, this is your best option!

šŸ‡ØšŸ‡¦ Book flights to Canada for $1

Canada is dope. I love Canada.

But if thereā€™s one thing I love more than Canada, itā€™s saving MONEYYYYYYY. šŸ¤‘šŸ¤‘šŸ¤‘

Thankfully, Flair Airlines has just launched a way to help you achieve both of those things with base fares to (and within) Canada for just $1.

Flair's new $1 flight deal

If youā€™ve never heard of Flair, itā€™s one of Canadaā€™s most successful ultra-low-cost carriers and has expanded rapidly in recent years.

In my experience, theyā€™re a perfectly fine airline to fly and get you from point A to B on a budget. šŸ¤·šŸ¼ā€ā™‚ļø

In addition to connecting Canadian cities, theyā€™ve also expanded to many U.S. cities.

A map of Flair's route network

A map of where Flair flies

There really isnā€™t a lot of information or details with this deal: no promo code, no advertised end date, etc.

The one thing to know upfront is that only the base fare is $1. There are, of course, taxes and feesā€¦

Still, there are some CRAZY good deals. šŸ‘‡

Various examples of flights with current $1 base fares

For example, one of the flights above is from Las Vegas to Calgary, Alberta, for $21 CAD or $15 USD.

Surprisingly, there is actually quite a bit of availability for this route at the advertised price.

LAS-YYC for $15

For anybody looking to see the stunning snow-capped peaks of Banff National Park, Calgary is the closest gateway and a very popular destination.

The $1 base fares only apply to specific origin and destination cities, so be sure to check out the sale page for all the details.

And enjoy my beautiful country. šŸ‡ØšŸ‡¦

šŸ„ž Get free breakfast and 20% off with new IHG promo

Speaking of IHG againā€¦

This is as simple and straightforward as it seems. IHGā€™s latest promo will offer you free breakfast and a 20% discount when you book three or more nights at eligible resorts.

Hereā€™s what to know:

  • Eligible resorts are located in Australia, Japan, Micronesia, French Polynesia, the South Pacific Islands, Southwest Asia, Hong Kong, and Taiwan

  • Offer is valid only for resorts listed on the offer page

  • Offer is also valid for stays between September 11, 2024, and June 30, 2025 (nice!)

  • Free breakfast is included for each guest

  • You must be an IHG One Rewards member (itā€™s free to sign up)

  • Thereā€™s no need to register

All of the eligible destinations are fantastic places to travel to. Plus, this offer incudes a variety of resorts that are both high-end and moderately priced.

For example, take this InterContinental resort in Bali. Just by selecting an eligible property and searching between the eligible dates, the promo appears under Rate Preference and the discount is applied to the price of the room šŸ‘‡

Screenshot of a booking using IHG's newest promo

Saving some cash is always a great idea, and with breakfast on them each morning? Even better šŸ˜

Even though this is a pretty decent promo, youā€™ll still always want to weigh the cost of cash to using points (that you can get from one of the best hotel cards).

In the end, Iā€™d be happy to stuff my face full of free breakfast using this promo. If this is something you can take advantage of, Iā€™d certainly go for it!

Check out our weekly Daily Drop Podcast, where Mike and Megan give us a deep dive on all things miles and points, credit cards, and more!

And if youā€™d rather follow along on YouTube, weā€™ve also got you covered.

Thatā€™s all for today, amigos. Have a lovely day, and Iā€™ll see you first thing tomorrow. ā¤ļø

Mike Dodge
Head Writer, Daily Drop

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