Fly to Europe for 6,400 points

☀️ Good morning and welcome back to Daily Drop — the only place where hoarding is socially acceptable, as long as it’s points and not expired condiments in your fridge.

This is going to brighten up your Monday:

• ✈️ 60% off award flights to Europe

• 🏡 Stack points with this vacation rental trick

• 🏨 Don’t sleep on this 25% Hilton transfer bonus

• 🎥 How to travel like a pro (without spending a dime)

✈️ 60% off award flights to Europe

Iberia is running a massive award sale right now — up to 60% off Avios redemptions. Book by September 11 for travel between October 1 and December 4.

Here’s the wild part: you can fly nonstop from cities along the East Coast like Boston (BOS), New York (JFK), and Washington D.C. (IAD) to Spain for just 6,400 Avios + ~$89 in taxes/fees in economy.

That’s not a typo. And from the West Coast? Los Angeles (LAX) to Madrid (MAD) is going for just 8,000 Avios one-way. 🤯

Normally, you’d expect availability to be picked over — but economy award space at these prices is actually pretty solid, especially in October. 👇

The good, the bad, and the Iberia

• The good: This is one of the cheapest ways you’ll ever cross the Atlantic on points. Even if you book the refundable “Flexible Economy” fare for 10,000 Avios, it’s still a fantastic deal.

• The bad: Iberia’s website is a flaming trash can. You’ll almost certainly see the dreaded error page when searching. You're not doing anything wrong... but using a VPN set to Spain sometimes helps. 🤷🏼‍♂️

• The ugly: The cheapest 6,400 Avios fares are nonrefundable (though they are changeable). You can pay more Avios for flexibility, but don’t book the rock-bottom fare unless you’re 100% locked in.

• The Iberia: Iberia’s customer service is notoriously bad. Even if you do book the flexible fares, calling in to make changes or cancellations may be a headache.

Earning & transferring points

You can transfer both Ultimate Rewards points and Membership Rewards points directly to Iberia at a 1:1 ratio. Here are the transfer times:

• Ultimate Rewards points → Iberia: transfers are instant.

• Membership Rewards points → Iberia: transfers can take a few days, which is risky with the September 11 deadline looming.

So if you want to jump on this, Ultimate Rewards points are your best bet.

Bottom line

I have booked a number of Iberia flights using Avios…

The deals are great, but the website and customer service issues are so bad that I’d prefer to simply not fly them at all (at least on award flights) rather than deal with those caveats.

Still, if you’re willing to jump through some small hoops and can confidently lock in travel dates, go for it.

🏡 Stack points with this vacation rental trick

Marriott is back with another Homes & Villas offer — this time letting you earn up to 15,000 bonus Marriott Bonvoy points on longer stays.

Here’s how it works:

• Register for the offer

• Book by November 6, 2025

• Stay 3+ consecutive nights (through March 31, 2026)

• Spend at least $1,500

• Earn bonus points based on the stay length:

  • 5,000 points for 3 to 4 nights

  • 10,000 points for 5 to 6 nights

  • 15,000 points for 7+ nights

This promo stacks beautifully with the double points offer I covered last month (valid on 3+ night bookings made by September 25).

Speaking of that, let’s take a familiar example to illustrate just how powerful this offer is.

Example: a cozy Smoky Mountains cabin getaway

Take this 8-night stay in Sevierville, Tennessee — a one-bedroom cabin that sleeps up to six people.

Here is how the details break down:

• Cost: $1,519 before taxes/fees

• Triggers the $1,500 spend threshold

• Earns 15,000 bonus points from this promo

• Qualifies for the double points offer (if booked by September 25)

On top of that, Homes & Villas purchases track through online shopping portals. For example, the Alaska Atmos Rewards portal is currently offering 2x Atmos points on Homes & Villas stays.

That same $1,519 booking would earn you over 3,000 Atmos points — almost enough for a short-haul domestic flight on American Airlines.

Oh, and don’t forget: using a Marriott Bonvoy co-branded credit card will pile on even more points.

I personally use the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card, which earns 6x points at Marriott hotels and Homes & Villas properties.

Bottom line

Between the tiered bonus, the double points stack, portal rewards, and credit card multipliers, Marriott Homes & Villas bookings are more rewarding right now than they’ve been in a long time.

With a huge travel window stretching into March 2026, this is an opportunity worth jumping on if you’ve got a group trip, family getaway, or extended stay in mind.

🏨 Don’t sleep on this 25% Hilton transfer bonus

On paper, a 25% transfer bonus to Hilton Honors from Membership Rewards points doesn’t sound like much.

But here’s the thing — the standard transfer ratio is already 1:2. With this bonus, 1,000 Membership Rewards points = 2,500 Hilton points. That’s a whole different ballgame.

And when you combine it with Hilton’s fifth-night free perk on award stays, you’re suddenly looking at some eye-popping value.

Example 1: Hilton Munich City

This is one of my go-to Hilton properties in Europe — I’ve stayed multiple times, and it’s a gem.

It runs around 40,000 points per night, modern and comfy, and just across the river from Munich’s old town.

• 5-night stay = 156,000 Hilton points (with the fifth night free)

• With the 25% bonus, that’s just 63,000 Membership Rewards points total

• Which works out to 12,600 MR points per night in an expensive European city 🤯

Example 2: Conrad Jiuzhaigou, Sichuan

If you want to get a little adventurous, here’s one…

In just a few days, I’ll be staying at the Conrad Jiuzhaigou Resort in the mountains of Sichuan Province, China.

This ultra-luxury resort sits steps from famous national parks, with jaw-dropping scenery outside your window.

• Standard rate: 50,000 Hilton points per night ($400 cash after taxes)

• 5-night stay = 200,000 Hilton points

• With the 25% transfer bonus, that’s just 80,000 Membership Rewards points total

• Or 16,000 MR points per night — a redemption value of about 2.5 cents per MR point

That’s higher than what you’d often get by transferring points to airline programs, and it unlocks a truly unique luxury experience.

Bottom line

Don’t write this one off just because it’s Hilton or “only” 25%.

Between the 1:2.5 transfer ratio, the fifth-night free perk, and Hilton’s mix of city hotels and aspirational resorts, this promo can squeeze serious value out of your Membership Rewards points.

But act fast — the bonus ends September 23.

🎥 How to travel like a pro (without spending a dime)

We spend a lot of time showing you the best deals, but did you know Daily Drop also has a whole toolkit of free resources that make earning and redeeming points way easier?

This week’s Daily Drop YouTube video breaks down the hidden gems that our most savvy readers use to book free trips, track their cards, and squeeze extra value out of every single redemption.

If you’ve ever thought, “How do I actually do all this stuff?” — this video is your answer.

Thanks for tuning in! Be sure to check back tomorrow for even more fun tips and tricks.

Peace out,

6.9175° S, 107.6191° E

With contributions by Tiffany Eastham, McKay Moffitt, and Benji Stawski