Don't lose that expiring Free Night Award

Haaaappy Monday, Daily Droppers! Today, you’re stuck with Mike’s #1 writing sidekick (aka me, Tiffany).

But fear not, I’ve got some solid news and hacks to jumpstart your week:

• 🏨 Don’t lose that expiring Free Night Award

• 🥂Get 30% off No1 Lounge visits

• 😜 Meme

🏨 Don’t lose that expiring Free Night Award

Nothing feels better than slappin’ down one of your Marriott free night awards (FNAs) for an upcoming stay, only to find out that it’s going to expire before you can use it 😭

Psst… if you want to learn more about how you can get a free night, read my ultimate guide on Marriott Bonvoy to learn more about ‘em.

In general, most of these FNAs will last one year from the date of issue.

But the kicker here is that not only do you have to book your stay before it expires… you also need to complete your stay before it expires.

Which adds more drama to the whole situation.

I’m painting a picture here of an exact scenario that I found myself in while planning for an upcoming stay in Amsterdam.

My first thought was:

I almost let that precious FNA slip right through my tiny fingers. But then I thought:

I SHALL NOT. I WILL NOT.

So here’s what I did, and what you should do if you ever find yourself with an FNA about to expire…

Plead your case to Marriott to get it extended (and seriously, pester the crap out of them).

So that’s what I did, using the number 1 (800) 535-4028.

Now it seems that most call center reps are taught to say something like, “I’m sorry, but unfortunately (yeah, right) certificates cannot be extended.”

But… sometimes… they all of a sudden can extend your FNA if you really, really plead your case.

Now you don’t need to give them a sob story, especially if you’re flat-out lying about it, but it certainly helps if you have a legitimate reason why you couldn’t use your FNA within its original timeframe.

If they’re completely cold-hearted and still say no after your compelling story, consider asking to speak to a supervisor.

Sometimes they will have the power to extend an FNA. But for me, I still struck out on round one.

Okay, fine. I’m just going to call back 😤

Again, and again, and again.

And guess what? The fourth time worked.

For whatever reason, I got on the phone with a call rep who was perfectly fine extending my FNA for another 12 months 🤷🏻‍♀️

💡A few things to remember:

• If the call rep tells you it’s impossible, it’s not. Maybe they genuinely think it is, but another rep somewhere else will likely be able to extend it.

• Keep calling until you’re successful. Persistence truly pays off in the travel hacking world.

🥂 Get 30% off No1 Lounge visits

If you’ll be traveling through the United Kingdom during the month of November and don’t already have lounge access via airline status or through a credit card (e.g. like this one or this one), this could be an interesting deal for you.

I’m very aware of the frustration y’all have voiced around overcrowded lounges and getting turned away at the door 🙅🏻‍♀️

The lounge situation gets better abroad for sure, but it’s not always guaranteed.

I’ve been turned away at a Priority Pass Lounge in London before… which was really lame… so it still happens.

But if you’ve never heard of No1 Lounges, they’re actually quite nice and are sprinkled around the UK at London Heathrow (LHR), London Gatwick (LGW), and Birmingham (BHX) airports.

I even booked a No1 Lounge day room to shower and sleep for a few hours during a gnarly layover once. And it was great 👌

This lounge network is interesting in that they’re dynamically priced based on how busy a given location is at the time of booking.

I’ve seen reservations as low as $32, but they can also swell upwards to $55.

But if you use the code WINTER23 with your November reservation, you’ll see that 30% discount applied to your booking for guaranteed entry.

And because November is generally not considered peak travel, I’m betting you’ll find prices closer to the lower end 👇

Takeaways and considerations:

• You must use code WINTER23 at checkout, book between now and November 30th, and visit the lounge between November 1st - 30th

• Applies to No1 Lounges and partner lounges in the UK (including Clubrooms, My Lounge, and Club Aspire)

• 30% is a generous discount, and it may be well worth it if you don’t already get lounge access by other means… and really want to get in somewhere

😜 Meme

Is this a meme? I dunno. But I saw it last week on the interwebs and thought, weird, but also… 👀😅

Anyone else want to visit Ipeland? How about Ifeland?

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And just like that, another Monday is in the books! I’m curious though…

See you all tomorrow, and ttyl 😘