✈️ This stopover program could be your next mini vacay

Estimated read time: 4 minutes and 35 seconds

Good morning lovely people, and welcome back to Daily Drop!

Let’s get right into what you’re all really here for:

• ✈️ Award Drop: Fly to Europe in business class for just 34,000 points

• 🌎 The Turkish Airlines stopover program

• ✏️ Travel hacking poem

✈️ Award Drop: Lie-flat business-class to Europe for 34,000 points

Today, we’re going to try out a little something new. We’re calling it Award Drop, and it’s basically like FareDrop, but with award flights (flights you can book with points) as opposed to cheap cash flights.

Rather than blabber on about the details, this section is meant to give you a bullet-point list of the deal and how to book it. It’s like the Sparknotes of travel hacking… except you won’t get in trouble for using it. 🤫

Today, we’re going to talk about Iberia’s transatlantic business-class flights between New York and Madrid which currently have a number of seats available to book in early 2024.

The Deal:

Travel on Iberia business class from New York City (JFK) to Madrid (MAD). Flights on this route include Iberia’s signature lie-flat seats and can be booked for as few as 34,000 points each way.

Dates:

Many dates throughout January, February, and March of 2024.

How to book:

There are a number of obscure programs out there that allow you to book Iberia flights, but here are the highlights and most accessible ones:

• Iberia (Avios): 34,000 points + $117 (⭐️ Best Deal)

• British Airways (Avios): 34,000 points + $156

• Qatar Airways (Avios): 34,000 points + $156

• American Airlines: 57,500 miles + $117

Transfer Partners:

As a quick reminder, points from Iberia, British Airways, and Qatar can be transferred interchangeably, so all you need to do is get points into one of these programs to book the best deal directly with Iberia.

• Iberia/British Airways/Qatar Avios:

  • [[ citi-aadvantage-executive-world-elite-mastercard.issuer.name ]] (with a 30% transfer bonus to Qatar)

  • [[ american-express-gold-card.issuer.name ]]

  • [[ chase-sapphire-preferred-card.issuer.name ]]

  • Bilt Rewards

  • Marriott Bonvoy

• American Airlines

  • Bilt Rewards

  • Marriott Bonvoy

Positioning flights:

I you don’t live in New York or don’t want to go to Madrid, you can book some cheap flights before/after this leg, including the following:

To New York:

• Chicago: ~$80-100

• Miami: ~$69-89

• Washington, D.C.: ~$84

• Los Angeles: ~$129-143

From Madrid:

• Lisbon: ~$32

• Barcelona: ~$22

• Paris: ~$38

• Berlin: ~$38

• Rome: ~$53

• Malta: ~$37

• Marrakech: ~$32

• Tenerife: ~$42

Is this a good deal?

It sure is. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be telling you about it. 😉 

But in all seriousness, 34,000 points to fly in a lie-flat bed across the ocean is an incredible deal.

Iberia’s business-class seats are better than many other airlines out there, which makes this deal especially appealing.

Given the wide range of European destinations you can get to from Madrid for under $50, this is a great chance to fly in comfort across the pond regardless of what your final destination is.

Also, quick question…

🌎 The Turkish Airlines stopover program

It’s no secret that travel is freaking expensive right now (thanks inflation). And it’s especially expensive since we’re entering the summer travel season that already has murderously high prices…

Fortunately, Turkish Airlines wants to help you create a complimentary mini vacay to combat some of those high travel costs!

Turkish has two options for travelers: Stopover Istanbul and TourIstanbul.

Stopover Istanbul is for transit passengers who have a stopover exceeding 20 hours, and to help you be a true Turkish tourist for that period, they’ll offer you free accommodation with their partner hotels.

Economy passengers will be awarded one free night in a 4-star hotel, and business-class passengers will get TWO free nights at a 5-star hotel.

However, buried deep within the tiny text of Turkish Airlines’ terms and conditions is an interesting bullet point 👇

So it seems if you have a flight originating from the U.S. with a qualifying stopover in Istanbul, you should be able to get an extra complimentary night’s stay, no matter what travel class you book!

To secure this, send an email at least 72 hours before your first flight with your name, reservation code, ticket number, accommodation dates, and phone number to the email on their list that corresponds to your country of departure.

You’ll receive a voucher once everything is confirmed, and this is what you’ll show to the hotel when you arrive.

Here are some other terms and conditions to be aware of:

• You must be connecting through Istanbul Airport (IST) and have a ticket number issued through Turkish Airlines.

• Stopover accommodations are not offered to passengers connecting to domestic flights within Türkiye.

• There are other terms, and I’d recommend you read through them to ensure your flight qualifies for this program.

Their second option, TourIstanbul, is offered to passengers who have a layover between six and 24 hours. The overlap in hours with Stopover Istanbul is a bit weird, but nonetheless, there are perks to be had.

It’s also important to note that if your layover/stopover is between 20 and 24 hours, you can’t opt into both programs… but you do have the unique luxury of choosing one or the other.

Do you value a hot shower and a bed for a power nap? Or do you want a catered tour of the city? 😏

So if you’re in Istanbul for under 24 hours, you can select one of eight free tours offered by TourisIstanbul in order to get out and explore on your layover.

Once you land, simply sign up for a tour that corresponds with your layover timeframe at the Hotel Desk in the International Arrivals Terminal.

From there, everything will be planned for you, including pick-up and drop-off at the airport in time for your departing flight.

The complimentary accommodation is a no-brainer perk, but even a planned tour around the city could be quite fun. And if you’ve got a long enough layover, it certainly beats sitting in the airport 🤗

✏️ A Travel Hacking Poem

Today I wanted to finish things off with a travel-hacking poem written by yours truly… and strongly influenced by ChatGPT…

Ahem…

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That’s all for today, my friends. Actually, that’s all for the whole WEEK! Woah, that flew by, huh?

I hope you enjoyed our new Award Drop today, and I encourage you all to reach out with any thoughts and/or feedback for what you’d like to see this segment turn into or airlines/destinations you’d like to see broken down.

Take care and have a fantastic weekend.

Love,

27.3184° N, 75.9028° E 🇮🇳