🇨🇦 Air Canada "choose your own adventure" promo
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Most of the content here at the Daily Drop is focused on the big U.S. airlines, but today I thought I'd show y'all Canadians some love.
That's because Air Canada is currently offering a fun "choose your bonus" Black Friday promotion, giving people the chance to rack up tens of thousands of potential points.
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Here are the three options:
- Earn 50% bonus points on Economy flights and vacation packages
- Earn 100% bonus points on Premium Economy or Business class flights and vacation packages
- Earn a 5% rebate on flights booked with Aeroplan points
Overall, there are definitely options for almost anyone who will find themselves booking flights with Air Canada in the near future. However, there are some pretty important details to be aware of as well:
- You must register for the promotion with your Aeroplan number
- Flights must be booked by November 27th
- Flights can take place until June 30th
- All promos ONLY apply to Air Canada flights (not code-share flights or partner bookings)
- For the third option, you'll receive a minimum of 1,000 points back and a maximum of 25,000 points back
Here's my take on this:
Obviously, if you were already planning on booking flights with Air Canada, then this is perfect for you. If you have flights booked with Air Canada already during the promo period, you might consider canceling them and rebooking them to take advantage of the promo. Of course, only do this if you've booked flexible flights and the price hasn't changed at all.
If you're on the fence about a potential trip down the road and don't want to commit entirely, you could also book a flight with flexible changes/cancellations. If you end up taking the flight, great! You'll get tons of points. If not, you can simply cancel for free at any time. No harm done.
I personally have a couple of small points booking to make over the next few days, so I've registered for the third option. I'll only get about 1,500 points back, but hey, free points are free points.
Even if you aren't based in Canada, this could still be worth looking into. Air Canada has nonstop flights to cities all over the world from its major hubs in Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. If you live in the U.S., Air Canada might have the best prices out there for flights to Europe or Asia... or, you know, Canada.
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✈️ Frontier offers an "all you can fly" pass
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Frontier Airlines has been doing some interesting things lately. You may remember a few months ago when they offered a 100% discount on flights.
If you thought that was crazy, then strap in.
Frontier has launched an "all you can fly" pass that will offer unlimited flights for a full one-year period. Until the end of the day today, the pass will only cost $599 for the first year but will renew in future years at $1,999.
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There has been a LOT of hype around this announcement. On the surface, it sounds like an incredible opportunity. But before you go drop 600 bucks on this, let me tell you... there are MANY caveats that might make you think twice.
Here is the fine print:
- The one-year period begins May 2nd, 2023
- You can only confirm seats on domestic flights one day prior to the flight
- International flights can be confirmed 10 days prior to flying
- You will be charged $0.01 plus all taxes and fees for each segment
- There are many blackout dates (you can see the dates listed out here)
- Flights do not include any add-ons
- You cannot earn miles or status from these flights
- You must be a resident of the U.S.
- The annual price increases to $1,999 after the first year
So, yea... it's a lot of fine print. Here is why I find this concerning:
First of all, only being able to confirm flights one day in advance is dangerous. If you have plans at your destination and the flight is full, you'll be stuck paying for a last-minute flight on another airline, likely at a sky-high price. You're basically rolling the dice every time you want to use this pass.
Second, Frontier flights are already pretty cheap. It's not uncommon to find flights for as little as $20 or $30, including taxes and fees (which you have to pay anyway if you buy this pass).
For example, take this flight from Philadelphia to Orlando. The total cost of the flight is $29, which is amazing.
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But if you look closely, that $29 price tag includes $25 of taxes and fees.
So if you were to book this flight with your unlimited flight pass, you'd still end up paying that $25, and would end up saving just $4 - assuming there's space on this flight one day in advance.
If you're looking at flying routes like this, you'd need to book similar flights hundreds of times over the course of a year just to break even on your investment with this pass. And this is with the one-time discounted price of $599, which more than triples in subsequent years.
I think it's very important that you understand these details before taking the pass into consideration.
However, this pass could definitely be worthwhile if you fly very frequently with Frontier on longer, more expensive routes and have the flexibility to work around potentially full flights at the last minute.
For example, this flight from Denver to Boston costs about $280 total, with taxes and fees comprising only $84 of that price.
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With just one flight on this route, you could be getting $195 in savings toward your $599 purchase. You'd only need to fly routes like this a handful of times in a year to see a great return on your investment.
So, as you can see, there is a huge range of prices and potential savings when it comes to flying with Frontier. Depending on who you are, how much you fly, and where you're based, this could be a great deal or a terrible deal. I encourage you to crunch the numbers and weigh out the pros and cons to see if this might be worthwhile for you.
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🌱 Sponsored by BetterHelp
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We like to have fun at The Daily Drop, but I’m going to get real with you for a sec.
Traveling the world is awesome. But being alone for so long can get really... well... lonely. In addition to all of the amazing days and experiences I have, there are plenty of difficult days and experiences.
Taking care of your mental health is as important as taking care of your physical health. Personally, I find that my mental health has a huge impact on how I experience my best days and how I cope with the tough ones.
That’s why I am really excited to be partnering with BetterHelp, the world’s largest therapy service, to bring you today’s newsletter.
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BetterHelp makes finding a therapist as easy as booking a trip on miles and points (which, if you read the Daily Drop, is very easy 😉).
With BetterHelp, you can tap into a network of more than 25,000 licensed and experienced therapists who can help you with a wide range of issues.
The best part? It’s 100% online.
That means you can chat with your therapist in whichever way is most comfortable, whether it be via text, chat, phone, or video call.
All you need to do to get started is sign up, answer a few questions, and you’ll be paired with a therapist best suited to your needs. If your therapist isn’t the right fit, you can simply switch to a new therapist for no additional charge.
I personally go to online therapy EVERY week. I find that it helps me work through things I’m going through (whether they be big life challenges or minor issues) and it has taught me a lot about myself over the years.
BetterHelp is offering Daily Drop readers 10% off your first month of therapy. If you're remotely curious about learning more or want to be matched with a therapist who will listen and help, check out the link below. 👇
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Getting started with therapy can really stretch your comfort zone. I know many people who are interested struggle to get over that initial hump of booking their first session, but there’s no shame in reaching out to ask for help.
Hopefully, this will make that step just a little easier for you.
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😁 Feel-good travel stories to boost your mood
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We're going to finish off the week with something a bit different.
I read this great article the other day which put a big smile on my face. It's basically 25 short blurbs of people telling stories of meaningful and memorable travel experiences.
Anyway, if you're bored at work or just want a little boost before you go into the weekend, check it out and read a few of them. I guarantee there is at least one story in there that will put a smile on your face.
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That's all I got for you this week, friends. Next time you hear from me I'll be at my final stop on this world tour - Kyoto, Japan. I've been looking forward to this destination for a very long time, so I couldn't be more excited.
Do you have any travel plans in the coming week? Are you going to take advantage of Frontier's unlimited flight pass? If so, how are you justifying the cost? Let me know by replying to this email or reaching out on social media.
I hope you all have a happy, healthy weekend 💜
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