✈️ 3 mini trip ideas using points - Daily Drop Nov 14, 2026

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Hiya friends and welcome back to another Weekend Round-Up,

Not gonna lie, I thought next week was Thanksgiving and was real bummed when I realized it was not…

But I already dragged out my stretchy pants, so might as well break them in.

You know what’s not a stretch, though? The little mini trip ideas I threw together for y’all down below.

Clearly, this gal is reeeeaady for a vacay, so let’s hurry up and get down to them! 👇

🌲 Early Christmas gift: Wyndham is giving away free elite status through Dec. 31st.

✈️ This Finnair points deal is legit — it could be used across 7 different airlines.

🤝 When paying for a hotel night pays for my next set of flights… yes, please!

🏈 You can now transfer your MR points to buy fan gear, but should you?

🎅🏼 “Dear Santa, I’m a size Ready to Fly from Parcel Air.” — my toddler, if she could talk.

💳 Bank of America account holders can earn a little extra of these super valuable points.

🏆 Our Favorite Pick: 2 elevated offers = mini trips

To borrow from the great Hannibal (from The A-Team, not the Carthaginian general or fictional serial killer), “I love it when a plan comes together.”

And there are two co-branded cards that are basically doing the trip planning for me with their current welcome offers.

So, like a good former teacher, I’m going to show you the offers, then give you some examples! (Except example trips are way better than example math problems).

Let’s start with the welcome offers. 👇

The card for discounted award flights

First up, this United co-branded card.

We’ve talked about the United co-branded cards a few times recently, thanks to their generous, elevated welcome offers and cardholder perks.

And yes, give me ALL the miles, please. But what really has me clutching my United card tighter than ever is the 10% cardholder discount on award flights.

Cause I just realized it’s not just 10% savings... it’s 10% or more on United flights booked with miles.

And that’s frequently some substantial savings.

For example, I debated a vvvvvery last-minute flight to go see my parents… tomorrow.

And usually, booking a last-minute flight means paying out the nose and crying while you do so, because it’s exorbitantly expensive. 😭

But multiple times now, I’ve opened the United app just to shop around and see what I can find, and I’m stunned to see flights leaving in less than 24 hours that, with the cardholder discount, are marked down a crazy amount– like 72%. 🤯

72% savings for a next-day flight is crazy.

The ability as a cardholder to easily use my miles at the drop of the hat is just one more reason I’m quickly turning into a Team United fan. (Sorry, Southwest… 😬).

The card for the free nights

Second, this Hyatt card. Because we’ve gotta have somewhere to stay, duh.

Love it or hate it, whether you think World of Hyatt is dead or not, Hyatt’s award nights are still a deal in my book. And hot off the press is their new limited-time offer: earn FOUR Category 1-4 Free Night Certificates after spending $5,000 in the first three months.

Hyatt makes it almost fool-proof to use these FNAs because you can look up a list of Hyatt locations on their website, filter by category, and see an entire list of properties where you could use these credits.

From there, it’s just a matter of securing award space availability, and since these aren’t top-tier bougie luxury stays, there’s almost always decent availability.

Mike talked more about the card offer earlier this week, and how you could potentially play it into 6(!!) Free Night Awards – read it here for the full scoop.

But time is short, and I wanna get to the examples for my favorite students. 😉

So what does that mean for you?

As a reward for your patience, here are 3 mini trips you can book with these cards.

Domestic Christmas market trip

Headed to Chicago for the 30th anniversary of one of the biggest Christkindlmarkts in the U.S.?

This United flight can make that happen on the busiest (and frequently most expensive) travel day of the year.

53% off a direct flight on the busiest travel day of the year.

You’re spoiled for choice in Chicago with Hyatts where you could put those FNAs to good use. This Hyatt Centric is just one of the maaany options.

Winter getaway

Want a break from the cold in February? Head down to Cancun thanks to this United flight.

And stay at the Hyatt Centric Playa del Carmen for a boutique stay with an infinity pool and rooftop bar.

Mid-March madness

Spring Break in Hawaii? This United flight can help get you there.

Cardholders can save 63% on that economy flight!

And the welcome offer on this Hyatt card could cover 4 nights at Hyatt Place Waikiki Beach, a category 4 property in Honolulu.

These little mini trip ideas were all available and ready to book with just a quick 20-minute search, if that proves how easy these two cards make planning a trip.

Treat yourself to a little pre-holiday trip planning and jump on these offers while they’re here (maybe put any of your upcoming shopping towards the minimum spend 🤔)

✈️ Deep cardholder discounts ✈️

🏨 4 free hotel nights 🏨