Business class to Europe for 15k points

Good morning and welcome to Daily Drop, the newsletter that I couldn’t send yesterday due to a gnarly case of food poisoning. Gotta love Mexican street food, eh?

Thankfully, Tiffany stepped in to give you some nice travel hacks (round of applause, please 👏👏👏).

Here’s what I’ve got for you this Tuesday, friends:

• ✈️ 115% transfer bonus to Avianca Lifemiles

• 🏨 How to transfer IHG points for free

• 🤓 Travel Trivia Tuesday

✈️ 115% transfer bonus to Avianca Lifemiles

There’s a weird stack of deals going on with Avianca right now that could yield some amazing value. But to understand it, we need to use our noggins and crunch some serious numbers, so prepare yourselves.

Here is the gist of what’s going on:

There are TWO transfer bonuses going on right now:

1. A 15% bonus from MR Points to Avianca LifeMiles

2. A 115% bonus (yes, you read that right) when you transfer points between LifeMiles accounts

We talked about the first one recently in this newsletter, so check that out if you need a recap.

The second one, however, is where things get interesting.

Essentially, Avianca is offering a 115% bonus when one member transfers miles to another member.

The most important thing to know about this method of transferring miles with Avianca is that they charge $15 per 1,000 miles you transfer to another account.

But before you run for the hills screaming at the idea of having to spend money on points or miles, let me ease your mind with an example of why this could be a great deal…

Let’s say you transfer 23,000 miles from your account to another account.

You’ll be charged $345 for the transaction, but end up with a total of 49,450 miles.

Essentially, you’re buying 26,450 miles for $345. 

But what does that really mean?

Well, for starters, you can fly between the U.S. and Europe for just 24,000 LifeMiles.

So essentially, by transferring 23,000 miles and paying $345, you can fly round-trip to Europe.

Is that a good deal? Well… Yeah, I’d say it’s pretty good.

But this is Daily Drop. “Pretty good” is not good enough. So let’s kick it up a notch.

Remember the first deal I told you about in this section? The 15% transfer bonus from MR Points to Avianca Lifemiles?

That means that in order to get those 23,000 miles for the deal that I just told you about, you’d only need to transfer 20,000 MR Points.

So essentially, you can combine these two deals to fly round-trip to Europe for a total of 20,000 MR Points and $345.

Personally, I think that’s a darn good deal.

But it’s still not good enough. Not for me. So now let’s get to the “mind-blowing” example, shall we?

Avianca has a lesser-known sweet spot that allows you to fly from New York City to Lisbon, Portugal, for 35,000 miles… in BUSINESS CLASS.

So, using the two transfer bonuses we’ve been discussing, you’d be able to do the following:

1. Transfer 15,000 MR Points to Avianca to end up with 17,250 LifeMiles

2. Transfer those 17,000 miles to another account for a total charge of $255

3. End up with 36,550 Avianca miles

So for a total of 15,000 MR Points and $255, you can fly nonstop to Europe in business class.

Now THAT is a truly fantastic deal, considering the cash rate for this exact flight is almost always close to $2,500.

One quick side note, because I know some of you will ask about it: You can book flights in anybody’s name with miles and points. 

Even if you transfer your points to a friend or spouse to take advantage of the 115% transfer bonus, you can just have them book the flight in your name since the miles will no longer be in your account.

So yeah… this is a tedious travel hack. But if you crunch the numbers and get creative, you could reap some SERIOUS value from these deals.

🏨 How to transfer IHG points for free

Speaking of transferring points between accounts…

Most hotel programs allow you to transfer points for free between member accounts. Marriott and Hilton have simple online tools, and Hyatt has a less simple form you can email to do the same.

IHG has long been the standout on this front, charging $5 for every 1,000 points transferred.

Now, however, that fee is waived… well, for some people…

If you have Diamond Elite Status with IHG or a business account, you can transfer up to 500,000 points for free every calendar year.

Here’s why this is exciting…

There are multiple ways to earn IHG Diamond status, including:

• Staying 70 nights a year

• Earning 120,000 qualifying points per year

• Spending a certain amount on their credit card

Personally, I’m a huge fan of IHG’s new and improved rewards program. 

I think their milestone rewards, high earning rates, amazing credit cards, and elite perks are really appealing.

The fact that their highest elite tier comes with such a valuable new perk like free points transfers makes chasing IHG elite status even more appealing, too.

So, if you’re like me and have been itching for a way to transfer IHG points around freely, some Diamond status might be in your future in 2024. 💎

🤓 Travel Trivia Tuesday

Alright, kids. Ready for this week’s trivia?

In the John Frum religion practiced on the island of Tanna in Vanuatu, believers await the return of a messianic figure named John Frum.

The John Frum movement is believed to have originated in the early 20th century, likely influenced by the presence of Westerners and their cargo on the islands.

So yes, the answer is… Cargo Ships. And yes, this is a real thing.

You may have heard this movement referred to as a "cargo cult," a phenomenon where indigenous people in the Pacific islands developed beliefs around obtaining material wealth (cargo) through rituals and practices.

John Frum is often associated with the colors red, white, and blue, which are considered sacred in the movement. Followers paint these colors on their bodies and clothing during ceremonies.

March 15th is a significant date in the John Frum calendar, and followers celebrate it as John Frum Day with elaborate rituals and festivities.

Cargo ships play a symbolic role in the movement, as believers associate them with the arrival of prosperity and abundance. Rituals often involve mimicking activities associated with the unloading of cargo from ships.

Pretty fascinating, huh? If you're interested, you can read more about the John Frum religion here.

Did you know that Daily Drop has a YouTube channel?

This week’s video will break down the “credit card ladder.” Specifically, we’ll tell you what it is and how you can climb it. 👇

That’s all for today, friends! I’m heading home from Mexico tomorrow, and definitely not looking forward to the Toronto weather… 😭🥶

Do you have any travel plans for the rest of the year? Let me know by replying to this email or reaching out on social media.

Take care and see you tomorrow morning ❤️

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