Fly to Europe for 4,200 points (maybe)

Good morning from Kuala Lumpur, the durian capital of the world… unfortunately. 🤮

Durian might stink like 💩, but today’s travel tips don’t:

• ✈️ Earn 15,000 bonus Southwest points (targeted)

• 💳 40% transfer bonus to Virgin Atlantic (wooh!)

• 🏨 Earn $150 back for staying with Hyatt in Hawaii (targeted)

✈️ Earn 15,000 bonus Southwest points (targeted)

Southwest has done it again!

No need to waste your precious transferrable points, because Southwest has just launched a targeted promotion offering some flyers up to 15,000 bonus points with relative ease.

Here is the deal:

If you’ve been targeted (you can log into your Southwest account and check your “Offers” page), you can earn 5,000 bonus points for each round-trip you book.

The offer allows you to do this up to three times (for a maximum of 15,000 points) and has some other parameters:

• You must register for the offer

• Only cash flights qualify

• Two separate one-way flights count as a round-trip

• Travel must be completed by November 20th, 2024

• Only travel booked AFTER registering will count toward this promo

Overall, this is pretty sweet.

Southwest offers plenty of cheap flights, so being able to earn such a big lump of points could mean serious outsized value on minimal spending.

For example, this flight from Denver to Seattle costs $75 each way.

This $150 round-trip would earn you 5,000 points (in addition to the points you already earn from flying and using a credit card).

That’s pretty incredible value, considering that 5,000 points is enough to book an entire other flight with Southwest. 👇

So here’s the bottom line:

Go head over to your account and register for the offer (if you have it).

If you end up flying Southwest a couple of times (or more) in the next month, this is an easy way to rack up extra points.

By the way - if you have a co-branded credit card, you can maximize your Southwest purchases even further!

💳 40% transfer bonus to Virgin Atlantic (wooh!)

Okay, this is getting exhausting… But worth it.

Just when I thought the storm of transfer bonuses was winding down, this happens.

Until November 30th, you can transfer UR Points to Virgin Atlantic with a 40% bonus!

This is certainly the best transfer bonus to Virgin that we’ve seen in a while, and it could be an excellent opportunity to book some VERY cheap award flights.

But make no mistake; there is a reason this is happening…

I recently told you about how Virgin will be moving to a dynamic pricing model, which likely means more expensive awards.

These changes are set to take effect in just two weeks, on October 30th.

Until that time, you can still book some really nice sweet spots like flying from the U.S. to Europe for just 10,000 points in economy.

However, after October, these exact awards could be double the cost. We just don’t know.

So, while a 40% bonus from UR Points is great if you have a specific redemption in mind, it’s simply too risky to send over a bunch of points without any trip in mind.

Now, you’re probably wondering where today’s subject line came from… well that brings us to the other side of Virgin’s dynamic pricing… 😏

Virgin has specified that some of their awards from the U.S. to Europe will cost as few as as 6,000 miles one-way. 👇

So if you DID transfer points over now, wait a few weeks, and book one of those awards for 6,000 points, you’d theoretically be getting to Europe for just 4,200 UR Points… which is pretty insane…

Oh, and remember the card we told you about last week? The one with the insane welcome offer?

That card could get you 90,000 Virgin miles with this bonus, or as many as TWENTY flights to Europe with Virgin’s lowest pricing (and you’ll still have a $300 travel credit to play with from the welcome offer).

Another possible use case for these points is with Virgin Voyages cruises.

Right now, Virgin is selling some of these cruises for just 140,000 Virgin Points, or just 100,000 UR Points - not too shabby for two people!

Anyway, here’s the bottom line:

If you have a huge stash of UR Points and are a frequent flyer of Virgin Atlantic, you might want to send some points over.

If you have a specific booking in mind and can lock in that booking before the end of October, you should DEFINITELY send points over.

🏨 Earn $150 back for staying with Hyatt in Hawaii (targeted)

Come on—who doesn’t love Hawaii?? And who doesn’t love Hyatt? 😎

Right now, we’re seeing this new merchant offer come through from the bank that dishes out MR points:

Get a $150 statement credit back after spending at least $700 at Hyatt properties in Hawaii 👇

I’m personally seeing this offer on my premium card, but you could also see this come through if you have this mid-tiered card (plus there are other cards in this family where you might see this offer).

Remember, these merchant offers are targeted, so you never know what you’ll find in the Offers tab of your account.

Here are the details:

• You must spend $700 or more at participating Hyatt properties in Hawaii

• You must book directly with Hyatt online, via their app, or by calling (as a millennial, no thanks to that last option 🙄)

• This deal is valid until December 31, 2024

• It’s not valid for purchases of gift cards

Now there are plenty of luxuriously-priced resorts in Hawaii where you could ball out and hit that $700 spending requirement in just one night, but…

Not many of us are going to do that lolz.

I found a couple of nice properties that are on the lower end for Hawaii’s standards with availability in November and December 👇

With these properties, you would hit that $700 spend in 3-4 nights and would be on your way to receiving $150 back… Which is almost enough to cover the cost of one night.

So in my mind, it comes pretty close to essentially getting one night free from your stay.

This could be a great option if you don’t have any Hyatt points, or would rather not use them for a stay in Hawaii.

Prices can be high in this dreamy destination, so saving $150 feels like a nice win and is better than nothing!

Just remember to check your accounts, and if you see it in there, be sure to add the offer to your card before it’s gone!

That’s all for today, folks! I hope you enjoyed today’s newsletter, and I look forward to finishing off the week strong tomorrow. 💪

Love you,

3.1319° N, 101.6841° E