How to earn Delta miles from car rentals

Good morning from Antananarivo, the incredibly hard-to-pronounce capital city of Madagascar.

What a wild time it is here in this unique place. Sub-Saharan Africa takes a lot of energy (especially as a solo traveler), but I’m already feeling the excitement for the next few weeks boppin’ around the continent.

While I get my bearings here, I’ve got some travel-hacking content for y’all to consume:

• 🏨 Hyatt Bonus Journeys is BACK, baby!

• ✈️ How to earn Delta miles from car rentals

• 🌎 When to visit every country in the world

🏨 Hyatt Bonus Journeys is BACK, baby!

Wooh! It’s only been a few months since the last Bonus Journeys promo ended, and Hyatt is already back with another, less “good” iteration. I’m still pumped though.

Here’s the deal this time around:

• Earn 3,000 bonus points for every three nights

• Earn an extra 1,000 points per three nights if you hold a Hyatt co-branded credit card and stay at participating properties

• Valid for stays between October 6th and November 30th, 2023

• Award stays (booked with points, free nights, etc.) count toward the promotion

• You can earn a maximum of 28,000 bonus points

• You need to register for the promotion

You may remember that the previous promotion earned 3,000 bonus points for every TWO nights, which is obviously better than this time around…

Still, this is great and something I’m keeping in mind as I plan my upcoming stays.

For example, I’m heading to Krakow, Poland, next month before I head back to Ukraine and will be staying at the Hyatt Place.

As a Category 1 hotel, this place can cost as few as 3,500 points per night.

So, if I stay three nights here, it would cost as few as 10,500 points total and I’d earn a return of 3,000 points from the promo, which is almost enough for another free night at a Category 1 property somewhere else.

Even for more expensive Hyatt hotels or stays booked with cash, 3,000 points is no joke, especially if you can do it multiple times during the promo period.

For example, I’m planning a trip to Montenegro with one of my best friends and stumbled upon this gorgeous-looking, brand-new Hyatt Regency in Kotor Bay.

At a cash rate of just $130 per night (after taxes), this comes out to just $65 per person split between my friend and I. Because my friend is such a mensch, he’s even letting me be the one to earn these Hyatt bonus points (he might not know it yet, though).

In the end, I’ll get a ridiculous return on my spend here.

*TRIGGER ALERT: math ahead*

So with a three-night stay, I’ll earn:

• 1,950 points for being a Hyatt member

• 585 points with Globalist status

• 780 points from my credit card

• 3,000 points from this promo

I’m paying $195 out of pocket in exchange for 6,315 Hyatt points. Since Hyatt points are worth about 2.4 cents each, I’m getting a return of $152 on my $195 purchase.

Bonkers. Absolutely bonkers.

So here’s the bottom line:

Hyatt’s promos are always great, especially since award nights count. Since Hyatt points are so valuable, each batch of 3,000 points you earn is meaningful and can go a long way.

✈️ How to earn Delta miles from car rentals

I’m not really one to preach the value of Delta SkyMiles. Mainly because there isn’t really any value. Oops, did I say that out loud? 🫢

But I know a LOT of you have Delta miles, fly Delta, and LOVE Delta.

If you fit into this category, you’re gonna love this next part:

Turo, the car rental company, has a partnership with Delta. By linking your Delta and Turo accounts, you’ll earn the following:

• 2,000 Delta SkyMiles on your first rental

• 500 Delta miles for every rental after

Overall, this is definitely something worth doing if you regularly rent Turo cars, or even just one.

Bonus points and miles through methods like this can definitely add up quickly.

I don’t have experience renting with Turo, but whenever I search for rental cars online, Turo tends to be the lowest price point of all rentals.

So basically, you can save money while racking up some bonus airline miles, which is always welcome!

Sadly, the cost of flying with Delta SkyMiles is pretty wild these days, with many flights costing tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of miles, many times more than with other points programs out there.

So at the end of the day, I don’t think this deal will move the needle much. But for Delta fans, why not rack up the extra miles when you can, right?

🌎 When to visit every country in the world

I stumbled upon a wicked cool article from our friends over at Frequent Miler the other day. Basically, it’s a massive chart that tells you the ideal time to visit every country in the world.

This is based on things like weather, peak tourism vs. low tourism, and more. It’s a great way to get a headstart on your research when considering a trip to a new country, so I highly recommend you check it out! 👇

One of my favorite ways to learn about new travel hacks is in our very own Daily Drop Lounge, an online community of DD fans and travel hackers.

And unlike your local airport lounge, you won’t have any trouble getting into the Daily Drop Lounge. 😉

See you there!

That’s gonna do it for today, folks. It’s pretty crazy how much stuff Hyatt has going on (as you’ll see tomorrow). The other programs could really learn a thing or two from the constant value they offer, in my opinion.

What’s a hotel or airline promotion that you’ve enjoyed recently? Let me know by replying to this email or reaching out on social media.

As always, have a GREAT day. And I’ll see you tomorrow. ❤️

18.8792° S, 47.5079° E