Earning and burning free night awards

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šŸ‡¦šŸ‡· Argentina has implemented a new ā€œopen skiesā€ policy which will allow any airline to operate domestic flights within the countryā€¦ itā€™s weird and interesting and you can read more about it here.

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šŸ‡¦šŸ‡· Argentina has implemented a new ā€œopen skiesā€ policy which will allow any airline to operate domestic flights within the countryā€¦ itā€™s weird and interesting and you can read more about it here.

Good morning from Jakarta, and welcome back to Daily Drop!

Iā€™m back in my happy place here in Indonesia, and hopefully, you will be back in YOUR happy place with some travel tips:

šŸƒšŸ¼ā€ā™‚ļø Mike on the Move: Earning and burning Hyatt FNAs

So yeah. Iā€™m back in Indonesia! I wasnā€™t planning to be here right now, but I felt like a change of scenery from China and booked a ticket at the last minute.

Thankfully, this was a great time to use one of the best parts about last-minute travel: super cheap business-class flights. šŸ˜Ž

Beijing to Bali in business class for $555

Thatā€™s right - about 12 hours before flying, I booked 10 hours in a lie-flat seat on Cathay Pacific for just $555.

Thatā€™s like flying from New York to Istanbul in business class on one of the worldā€™s best airlines for less than what some other airlines charge in taxes and fees on award flights.

Cathay doesnā€™t have the best seats in the world, but theyā€™re super comfortable and private, and the food is amazing.

Cathay Pacific business-class seat

Since I was in a bougie mood, I decided to stay in my favorite hotel in Indonesia - the ultra-luxurious Park Hyatt Jakarta.

Itā€™s by far the nicest hotel Iā€™ve ever stayed at, but since itā€™s a Hyatt Category 4, itā€™s the PERFECT spot to burn Hyatt Free Night Awards.

Park Hyatt Jakarta for $346 or 15,000 points per night

And Hyatt Category 1-4 Free Night Awards are easier to earn than you thinkā€¦

You can get TWO of them every year just by holding this credit card:

  • One is awarded annually after card renewal

  • One is earned after spending $15,000 on the card each year.

From there, you can earn the same type of award every year when you reach the 30-night milestone with Hyatt (in addition to Explorist status).

Example of Hyatt's 30-night milestone reward

One of the easiest ways to earn awards is through their brand explorer promotion.

As you know, you can earn as many as SIX awards just from this method alone, though this is only a one-time deal rather than something you can do year after yearā€¦

Hyatt's brand explorer promotion

And, finally, we have the changes to American Airlines that I told you about recently.

AA will award you a Hyatt Category 1-4 Free Night Award at some (extremely high) Loyalty Point thresholds.

Examples of various AA loyalty point thresholds that offer Hyatt free night awards as benefits

But easier than that, Gold elite members can redeem 25,000 AA miles for the same award, which isnā€™t a terrible deal.

In North America, there are some excellent ways to redeem these awards, too.

For example, you could use them at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress Resort in Orlando, which offers great value.

Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress

One of my personal favorite places to use Hyatt FNAs is the Andaz in Mexico City, where I stayed last year.

Itā€™s in the best neighborhood in the city (La Condessa) and is otherwise really expensive - so yet another way to get outsize value.

Andaz Mexico City for $399 or 18,000 points per night

And this isnā€™t even including the other types of Hyatt awards, which offer even more value.

Anyway, itā€™s easier than you think to earn Hyatt Free Night Awards, and there are endless ways to use them for outsize value, regardless of your travel habits!

āœˆļø How to book cheap business-class flights to Europe

Earlier, I mentioned my super cheap business-class cash flightā€¦ and if youā€™re feeling jealous, donā€™t worry.

You donā€™t need to travel all the way to Asia to get good deals on business-class flights.

In fact, right now, thereā€™s a way to book round-trip business class flights to Europe for much cheaper than normal.

Sale page for La Compagnie's Blue Friday Sale

La Compagnie, an all-business-class airline, is offering a sale on round-trip flights between Newark and European cities like Milan and Paris.

Here are the deets:

  • You must book by TODAY

  • Flights can take place through April 30th, 2025

  • Flights will cost $2,202, including taxes and fees

Thatā€™s it. Super simple, eh?

Lookā€¦ I know that this whole hobby is focused on using points and miles to save money on travel, but sometimes, the best way to save money on travel is justā€¦ saving money.

Some airlines charge close to $2,000 just in taxes and fees for long-haul business-class flights, so this is not a bad deal at all for people who donā€™t travel super frequently and are willing to shell out for a comfy flight across the pond, especially considering the ample availability for this deal.

Booking page showing the $2,202 pricetag for round-trip flights between Newark and Milan

I havenā€™t flown La Compagnie before, but it looks like a pretty nice product.

According to their website, you also get free wifi, enjoy optimal comfort, and experience ā€œbistonomyā€ on board, which, fun fact, is not a real word.

Various benefits of flying on La Compagnie

Anyway, whether booking for the near future or all the way out in April, this is a great chance to lock in comfy flights for people who donā€™t have access to points, canā€™t find the right award flights, or already have another use in mind for their points.

Just make sure you book by TODAY so you donā€™t miss out!

šŸ¤” Video: Ten clues, ten destinations

This is a fun oneā€¦ Etihad has released a video teasing its upcoming announcement of 10 new destinations in 2025.

The video contains ten clues to give hints about these ten destinations, which is a lot of funā€¦ I think I guessed a couple, but Iā€™m honestly not sure.

Can you guess any of them?? Theyā€™ll be announced later today, so you can find out!

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Thatā€™s all for today, folks! I hope you all had a good weekend, and I look forward to the rest of the week of travel stuff.

Cheers,

Mike Dodge
Head Writer, Daily Drop

6.1944Ā° S, 106.8229Ā° E

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