Award Sale - 31.5k pts business-class - US to Europe, Africa, & More

📣 WHAT EVERYONE’S TALKING ABOUT

• Choice Hotels International is attempting a hostile takeover of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts at $90 per share in a mix of cash and stock.

• The Senate passed a new law giving New York credit card customers 90 days to redeem their points if their accounts are closed.

• Starting 01/01/25, Capital One Venture Rewards & Spark Miles lose lounge access. It was only 2 comped visits anyway, though 2 is still more than 0.

• Marriott’s promo gives 5k points on 2+ nights in upgraded rooms or suites. Use promo “M41” on stays between 11/30 - 02/19/24. Details here.

• Marriott also has a status match with Singapore KrisFlyer. Link your accounts here.

• If you hold a Hyatt credit card, get 5k points per 3 qualifying nights at an Inclusive Collection brand between 01/08 to 03/03/24. Register here.

🧠 CREDIT CARD STRATS/HACKS/TRICKS
Never Use Points on Credit Card Travel Portals - Always Transfer to Partner Programs

I get this question enough to warrant a short breakdown on it. Let’s put it in stone:

You should almost never use credit card points directly in their travel portals.

There are two exceptions:

• When you’re using Capital One travel credit which must be used in the C1 travel portal

• When you have so many points you don’t know what to do with them, in which case you go redeem whatever you want

Points can be 2x-10x more valuable when you transfer them out to partner programs. Hotel and airline programs are partnered for a reason.

Let’s look at examples for each.

Here’s a randomly selected night, Jan 10th, at the Park Hyatt Paris-Vendome found via Chase’s travel portal.

You can pay cash or use your Chase Ultimate rewards to cover the cost. Points are worth 1.25 cents per point on the travel portal, or 1.5 cents if you have the Chase Sapphire Reserve.

Cash rates will run you for $1,638 including fees or an absurd 131,076 chase points at 1.25 cents per point.

That’s like buying a Costco hot dog for $10.

Here’s the same room found directly on Hyatt for the same date:

By transferring your Chase points to Hyatt to book directly through Hyatt’s program, you get the same base room, Park Room King, for only 35k points per night.

35k / 131.k = 26.7%, or 73.3% cheaper.

The same applies for flights. Let’s say you made last-minute plans to fly to Vancouver to celebrate New Year’s. Here’s a flight from San Francisco to Vancouver on Dec 30th:

Chase travel portal shows $363 (29.0k Chase points) or $470 (37.6k Chase points) for one-way business class on Air Canada.

However, transferring Chase points to Air Canada and booking directly via their program allows you to do this:

Same exact flight, but instead of 29.0k to 37.6k points, you’re only paying 12.2k Chase points for one-way business. Yes, the economy flight is cheaper directly on Air Canada as well.

Always transfer credit card points to travel partners.

There are a lot of them and each program has its own quirks and learning curve. However, it’s worth learning every single one if you want to maximize value and stretch your points as far as they go.

☁️ ON POINTS
Turkish Airlines Award Sale - 31.5k points from US to Europe, Africa, & More

Turkish Airlines has a 30% sale on award tickets issued between 12/18 and 12/27 for travel between 12/18/23 to 05/31/24. Blackout dates are 03/27/24 to 04/15/24.

If you can find “saver” or “promotional” pricing, awards from US to Europe & Africa are as low as 31.5k points one-way in business class.

Unfortunately, Chase and AMEX aren’t transfer partners so you’ll have to rely on Capital One, Citi, or Bilt to transfer points to Turkish.

If you’re traveling to any of these destinations, book your flights ASAP. Turkish is already a stellar program with some amazing sweet-spot routes. This promo only makes it better.

Here’s some inspiration:

New York (JFK) to Bordeaux, France (BOD) for 31.5k miles in one-way business.

New York (JFK) to Nairobi, Kenya (NBO) for 50.8k miles in one-way business.

San Francisco (SFO) to Athens, Greece (ATH) for 21.0k miles in one-way economy.

To search, you’ll need to head directly to the Turkish Airlines site and log in to search for award availability.

Unfortunately, the best they’ve got is a weekly calendar view but it’s better than nothing. You’ll also get temporarily blocked if you search too many dates too quickly so keep that in mind.

🛍️ CREDIT CARD MERCHANT OFFERS + MORE

Automatically add, favorite, and search all merchant offers on every credit card with a single click via CardPointers+ (FEP readers get 30% off).

AMEX (login at americanexpress.com to check)

• Hard Rock Hotel New York: $100 back on $500+ spend | Stays between 12/18/23 to 06/18/24 | Expires 06/18/24
• Vail Resorts: $100 back on $500+ spend | Expires 03/05/24 
• Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts: $150 back on $750+ spend | Expires 12/22/23
• Viator: $40 back on $200+ spend | Expires 01/15/24
• Marriott Bonvoy: $100 back on $250+ spend | Properties in US, Caribbean, Canada, and Mexico from 10/03/23 to 12/31/23 | Expires 12/31/23
• Marriott International Luxury Brands: $200 back on $500+ spend | The Ritz-Carlton®, St. Regis®, EDITION®, The Luxury Collection®, W Hotels® & JW Marriott® from 09/05/23 to 12/31/23 | Expires 12/31/23
• Princess Cruises: $175 back on $700+ spend | Expires 02/15/24

Chase (login at chase.com to check)

• IHG Hotels & Resorts: 10% off up to $57 max on $100+ spend | Expires 12/19/23
• Turo: $10 back on $100+ spend | Expires 01/21/24
• Shell: 10% off up to $3 max | Expires 12/31/23
• InterContinental Hotels & Resorts: 10% off up to $57 back on $100+ spend | Expires 12/31/23
• Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants: 10% off up to $57 back on $100+ spend | Expires 12/31/23
• Walmart.com: 5% off up to $5 | Expires 01/01/24
• IKEA: 10% off up to $27 max | Expires 12/31/23

Other

• Amazon: Save $30 on $100+ in pet products

🤡 MEME

& you’re too shy to ask them to come back ☹️ 

Some travel experiences are so profound we can’t help but want to share them with those closest to us. Traveling on points enabled me to create these lifelong memories with loved ones, and it can do the same for you.

Share Fly EnPoints with friends and family so they can join your next life-changing adventure. It may be the experience you all reminisce on together for years to come!