Marriott did something... very good

Gooooood morning, and welcome back to Daily Drop!

We’re happy you decided to spend a few minutes with us today, and we promise to make those minutes worthwhile.

Here’s what we’ve got:

• 🤝 A quick (personal) note

• 🏨 Marriott did something… very good

• ⛺️ Earn bonus points for glamping in America

• 🔄 Current Transfer Bonuses

🤝 A quick (personal) note

Happy Friday, everyone!

Mike is out of office due to a personal situation that needs his attention, so today you get the backup crew. (He’s okay — no need to worry.)

Nice to meet you! I’m April, Mike’s manager and the Director of Content and Conversion here at Daily Drop.

I’m a Gen X mom of adult kids, a travel planner extraordinaire, and a newbie when it comes to points and miles. 🐣 

I can’t keep track of a million programs and cards, so I mostly stick to one. Though I just opened a second card because everyone here got excited about the welcome offer, and I had to jump in.

My plan? Use it to pay for a new garage door. Why not offset a crappy adult expense with enough bonus miles to fund a vacation? 😅

Before working here, there were a few things I didn’t realize as a loyal newsletter reader… and you might not know them either:

• Newsletter readers get access to the gated Facebook Lounge, a super supportive community that helps with any/all travel questions

• Newsletter readers also get a free tier of Daily Drop Pro, which curates amazing cash and points deals

• You don’t have to understand everything Mike talks about to get real value from a travel rewards card (and I’m a little annoyed I didn’t start sooner)

Now here’s Mike with the content he was able to write…

🏨 Marriott did something… very good

Okay… I’m about to say something that doesn’t happen very often:

Marriott did something good. 🤯

I know. I know. Good news from Marriott is about as rare as finding a wild Suicune in Pokémon Silver (anyone from my generation should understand).

Here’s what changed:

Until now, when you used a Marriott Free Night Award, you could only top it up with 15,000 extra points. That was helpful… but also frustratingly limiting.

Now Marriott is increasing that cap to 25,000 points.

That might sound like a small tweak, but it dramatically increases the usefulness of these certificates.

Why this matters

Let’s say you earn Marriott Titanium status, as I do.

Every year, I get a 40,000-point Free Night Award as a choice benefit. Before this change, I could only stretch that up to 55,000 points by adding the 15k top-up.

Now? That same certificate can reach 65,000 points.

That opens the door to a whole new tier of hotels that were previously just out of reach.

But the real story here is for credit card free night certificates, because tons of cards offer them every year just for holding the card.

Personally, I’ve got three of them floating around (at least U.S. ones 😉):

• A lower-tier card that gives me a 35,000-point certificate

• A business card that also comes with a 35,000-point certificate

• A premium card that gives an 85,000-point certificate

With the new 25k top-up rules, those awards can now be redeemed for 60,000 to 110,000 points, a huge jump in redemption power.

A quick example

There’s a property I’ve wanted to stay at for a while now: Rissai Valley, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve in China.

It’s one of the most expensive hotels in Asia, and one of only a handful of Ritz-Carlton Reserve hotels in the world.

This place regularly runs $1,400+ per night, and the points price usually sits just over 100,000 per night.

This meant my 85k certificate was always painfully close to working… but never quite enough when the top-up limit was only 15k.

Now, however, I can easily book this hotel as long as the price is under 110,000 points.

Same certificate. Same hotel. Completely different outcome.

So yeah – credit where credit is due.

A small tweak on paper… but a big upgrade for anyone sitting on Marriott free night certificates.

Plus, several Marriott cards just increased their welcome offers, some to their highest-ever levels.

👉 Check out our Marriott co-branded card page to learn more.

⛺️ Earn bonus points for glamping in America

If you’ve ever wanted to go camping… but with an actual bed, real bathrooms, and maybe a glass of wine instead of a headlamp, this next deal might be for you.

Hyatt just launched a new promo that lets you earn 2,000 bonus points per night when staying at Under Canvas properties.

The offer is pretty simple:

• 2,000 bonus Hyatt points per night

• Valid on stays March 13 through July 1

• Register by June 30

• Up to 60,000 bonus points total 

But the real question most of you will have is:

What the heck is “Under Canvas”?

Under Canvas properties are basically high-end glamping resorts – think safari-style tents with actual beds, wood stoves, and real hotel-level comfort.

They’re located right next to some of the most iconic outdoor destinations in the U.S., including places like:

• Zion

• Yellowstone

• Yosemite

• Bryce Canyon

• The Grand Canyon

• Glacier National Park

So instead of staying at some random roadside hotel an hour away, you’re basically sleeping in a luxury tent minutes from the park.

But it’s not just the big national parks that have properties… There are cozy locations everywhere, from Montana to New Hampshire (my home state) and even Michigan.

Which makes these perfect for things like:

• National Park trips

• U.S. road trips

• Outdoor adventure travel

• Anyone who wants to “camp”… without actually having to camp

Why this promo is actually pretty solid

Is 2,000 points per night life-changing? No. 

Especially when you’re staying in places that are so expensive.

But if you’re already planning a domestic trip, it’s an easy way to pad your points balance while having a pretty unique experience.

And the bonus even applies to award stays, which means you can think of this as a rebate if you’re redeeming Hyatt points for the stay.

If you pay cash, you could use a card like this one, which will earn 4x UR points per dollar.

If you want to redeem points, you can transfer from UR points and Bilt Rewards instantly.

And since the promo lasts for so long, you even have enough time to sign up for a low-annual fee card like this one, earn the welcome offer, transfer your hard-earned points to Hyatt, and book some of these stays.

And honestly… with the state of the world right now, sipping hot cocoa in a cabin in the White Mountains sounds pretty darn good. 🤷🏼‍♂️

That’s all for today from me and Mike!

Stay safe out there, and have a great weekend!

6.9175° S, 107.6191° E

39°57'45.9"N 82°59'46.7"W

With contributions by McKay Moffitt and Sam Anthony