Best points program merge ever?

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Welcome back, and happy first weekend of fall! It’s officially acceptable to embrace pumpkin EVERYTHING 🎃

If you’re as basic as me, start sipping that PSL, light a spiced candle, and cuddle up in a cozy flannel while we look back on this past week of travel.

✅ Airalo is one of our favorite travel apps. I never leave for a trip without being ready to go on my phone for seamless data use while abroad. Check it out!

✅ Here’s how you could earn 200k points using one of our favorite cards with an elevated offer right now.

✅ Check out this 50% transfer bonus to Marriott (through November 15th!) and this 25% transfer bonus to Avianca (through October 19th!).

✅ Brendan is at it again in this week’s video! He’s showing us whether or not flying Air France’s business class is worth the extra points compared to economy.

✅ If you’ve ever pondered how to justify keeping a card because of its annual fee… this week’s podcast is for you.

🏆 Favorite pick of the week: Alaska and Hawaiian merger details are revealed

It seemed FOREVER ago that Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines announced their plans to merge.

Since then, we the people have been twiddling our thumbs, patiently (ish) waiting to see if 1) the merger would actually happen, and 2) what the details would be.

Well, they FINALLY dropped a press release with many of the details we’ve been waiting to hear 🙌

Here’s a quick summary:

Changes effective now

Miles earned in either program will retain their full value (HECK yeah). Plus, Alaska Lounge members will still be able to access lounges even when flying with Hawaiian (versus with just Alaska).

Changes coming soon

By the end of September, we will be able to transfer miles in both programs to one another at a 1:1 ratio 🎉

Getting Alaska miles has notoriously been difficult in the past, but because we can transfer MR points to Hawaiian, we will, in theory, be able to transfer to Alaska because of this!

We will also be able to book flights with both airlines on each other’s websites, opening up a much larger network of routes.

Plus, we should soon see reciprocal mileage earnings and elite benefits for both (e.g. earn Hawaiian miles when flying Alaska or vice versa; and use elite benefits from either program when flying on either airline).

And this is just scraping the surface of what this partnership will look like in the future!

If you want more of a summary, check out our full newsletter. If you want ALL the details, check out the original press release.

🏃🏻‍♀️ Runner-Ups

🥇Hotel deals and promos from the week

There were actually quite a few hotel highlights from this past week that we featured in our newsletters… So I figured I’d make things easy for you and compile them all together right here—tidbit style 😎👇

🟢 Marriott launched a new “Points Multiplier” feature that could help you boost your points on past stays by up to 4x. Just crunch the numbers and the cost first to make sure it’s working in your favor.

🔵 If you’re new to the hotel world and don’t have an IHG account yet, the hotel brand is offering new members a bonus of 5,000 points for completing your first stay. There’s no better time to sign up than now!

🟣 There’s an interesting “sweet spot” with Choice Hotels, a brand we don’t talk about often enough—you can DOUBLE your ThankYou points when transferring them to the brand if you have a card that earns these points (like this solid one).

🔴 IHG also has a new global promotion going on where you can earn 3,000 bonus IHG points for every two nights you stay… Until December 31, 2024! The amount of bonus points they’re throwing around in all these promos is cray.

🟡 Save up to 20% with Marriott’s Fall Flash Sale if you book between September 25 - 29, 2024 (no, the booking window isn’t open yet) for travel between September 30 - November 10/11, 2024, depending on what destinations you’re looking at.

📣 Quick Callouts

❌ Expired: Virgin Atlantic’s 25% Award Sale
👀 Good to know: We’ve got 25 cards with elevated offers right now
🤓 Travel trivia: Which country has the highest percentage of its citizens who have visited at least ten other countries?
🌎 Inspirational: Where in the World Wednesday: London