It's time to party with perks

Happy Friday, everyone! 🙋🏻‍♀️

We’ve almost made it to the weekend, so cheers to that. But before you head off into the sunset…

Here’s what’s happening in the travel world today:

• 🥳 This premium card is celebrating its 40th birthday (with plenty of perks!)

• ☀️ United Vacations launches semi-annual sale

• 🔀 Current transfer bonuses

🥳 This premium card is celebrating its 40th birthday (with plenty of perks!)

Because the banks will get mad if we say bank terms in this newsletter… let’s get this out of the way: The shiny card in question is this one.

It’s consistently listed on our Top Cards page month after month because of its high earning rates, lounge access (including the Centurion Lounge!), and other perks that easily outweigh its high annual fee.

It’s true, this shiny card was born back in 1984, and it wants to celebrate its 40th birthday with all of us 😎

In fact, it almost needs its own iconic album cover to celebrate in style… which definitely isn’t a rip-off on anyone else’s iconic album cover… 👀

Anyway… Let’s highlight the best perks that you can take advantage of as a cardholder.

Third night free at over 200 participating luxury properties

If you’re looking for a deal on a luxurious place to stay, you can now score a limited-time, complimentary third night when booking eligible Fine Hotels + Resorts and The Hotel Collection properties.

This is in addition to the other benefits already included when you book via their travel portal (e.g. the $200 prepaid hotel credit!).

Last year, I used this exact credit to book a fancy hotel in Dubai, but this time around, I’ll be searching for a three-night getaway somewhere to take advantage of this extra free night.

To see which hotels are participating, simply log into the travel portal to find the list with the Special Offer tag attached 👇

Special “40th anniversary” offers

These offers that come through can actually hold some nice value. But remember, you must be a cardholder of the birthday gal to get these particular ones.

I’m personally eye-balling the Hilton and Delta offers, but I know a lot of you are cruise people and might find the Oceana Cruises offer interesting 👀

Honestly, getting 10x MR points per dollar is FANTASTIC if a cruise is something you’ve been wanting to pursue anyway.

While these are fresh, go check your accounts to see if you have them! Plus, you’ll need to add them to your card to activate them before you book.

40% transfer bonus to Hilton 

Normally, you can transfer MR points to Hilton at a 1:2 ratio meaning you’ll get two Hilton Honors points for every one MR point you move over.

Even with a 40% bonus, transferring your MR points to Hilton isn’t the greatest option.

With this bonus (valid through May 31, 2024), for every 1,000 MR points you transfer, you’ll now get 2,800 Hilton points.

It’s important to note that this is only for members who have held the birthday card since April 20th of this year (this is specific to this perk).

So you may not see it in your account if you have another card from this issuer or signed up after that date.

MR points are one of the most valuable and flexible point currencies, so I’d only transfer some to Hilton if I needed to top off my account or just had a really good redemption coming up that wouldn’t burn through a ton of my points.

Fun U.S. Centurion Lounge treats and drinks

This is exactly as it sounds—fun! If you happen to be passing through one of these lounges soon, you’ll see a new, themed cocktail and special 40th birthday treats on offer. 🥂

I certainly won’t pass up some good food and bev!

There are a few additional benefits that I don’t feel are as fun or lucrative—namely the Global Access by Resy Restaurants across the U.S. or the exclusive access to specially curated events (whether that’s a sporting, fashion, art, or other dining event).

If you want to view all the perks and all additional details, you can do that here.

But dang, apparently 40 is the new 30, and I’m loving it 😍

☀️ United Vacations launches semi-annual sale

Dreaming of a beachy getaway? The sand, the water, the sun…

Well, you’re in luck! Because United Vacations just launched their semi-annual sale to a ton of dreamy destinations 😎

The deets:

• You must book by May 30, 2024

• Your travel can take place through February 28, 2025

• Use promo code UVMAY24 to get up to $300 per reservation (three-night minimum required)

• Use promo code UVMAY24A to save up to $75 per reservation (when booking at least two nights)

• *It appears the appropriate promo code is applied automatically at checkout

After clicking through the deals and doing a few mock bookings, here are some of my results to give you an idea of what to expect.

I always opt to toggle on the search filter to sort from lowest price to highest, and for a three-day getaway to the Dominican Republic that includes round-trip flights from Chicago, I’m seeing this 👇

$525 per person for three all-inclusive nights is not half bad, especially when your flights are included in that price!

This price, however, includes the basic economy fares. When I upgraded to standard economy, it added about $70 to the cost.

If you still want the sun and the water (in pool form 🙃), Vegas appears to be the cheapest option on the list.

Here’s a couple examples of a three nights + flights combo from San Francisco 👇

These are just a few trips I looked into, but there are plenty of others to places to choose from like Hawaii, Mexico, Orlando, the Caribbean, and beyond. 

Prices will vary widely based on which destination and property you choose, but I think there are some solid deals to be had overall.

And if you don’t already have a card that earns rewards on travel purchases, I’d capitalize on this deal even more by using either this popular one that’ll get you 2X per dollar on travel, or this more premium one that offers 5X per dollar 😎

We’re sharing another travel win from one of the members in our lovely Facebook group—the Daily Drop Lounge!

Check it out👇

If you’ve been looking for a space that celebrates travel and encourages people to ask questions and learn, then the Lounge is for you.

Come on over and join us there!

What a week, eh? I hope you had as much fun as I did 🙂 

Have a lovely weekend, and we’ll see you bright and early in your inbox on Monday!

Ciao for now,

52°22'35.4"N 52°15'17.4"W