Good morning and welcome back to The Daily Drop!
Today is a day many of you have been waiting for, so I won't waste any of your time. Let's jump right into things:
- ✈️ Maldives giveaway winner
- ✌️ Delta says "peace out" to change fees
- 🏨 Get up to 35% off IHG hotels through 2023
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✈️ The winner of our Maldives giveaway
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The moment you've all been waiting for has finally arrived... We will now unveil the winner of a luxurious trip to the Ayada Maldives resort.
It is my pleasure to award this trip of a lifetime to...
*drum roll*
Sean C. from Iowa! Congratulations!
As always with these giveaways, I realize there may be multiple people with this name. If you are indeed the winner, you will have received a separate email from us, so be sure to check your spam box if you think it might be you!
If you aren't our lucky winner, fret not, my dear friends. All is not lost.
You may not realize that going to the Maldives is easier than you think. In fact, there are many ways you could book an entire trip there for a fraction of the cash price using miles and points.
Want to know how to do it?
We'll cover that in a future newsletter, so make sure to keep reading The Daily Drop. 😉 |
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✌️ Delta says "peace out" to change fees
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I've paid my fair share in change and cancellation fees over the years. I try to book flexible fares when I can, but sometimes I just can't resist the allure of a nice, dirt cheap, non-refundable fare.
But I've often dreamt of a world where one could make a hundred changes, nay, a THOUSAND changes on a single ticket without paying a cent in change fees.
Well, Delta recently made one step toward making that dream a reality. Okay, it's not exactly a step. But it's close.
Last month, Glen Hauenstein (Delta's president) said the following at a presentation to investors:
"Change fees? Never again. We've crossed that bridge. Look at how well we're doing without them."
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I know. It's a bold statement. Like this one. Get it?
But let's back up for a hot sec.
During the peak pandemic days, most airlines offered flexible change and cancellation policies on all tickets, even basic economy in most cases.
Some airlines even offered a full open-ended refund policy, while others (like Qatar Airways) offered a full refund with a 10% bonus on a voucher. It was a great perk during an otherwise very stressful and uncertain time.
Of course, when travel rebounded, most airlines were quick to ditch these policies and continue raking in cash with every type of fee under the sun.
But not Delta.
They decided to keep their free change policy somewhat in place, only requiring change fees on basic economy flights, which is incredibly generous.
Delta is positioning itself as the flexible option for U.S. airlines. This decision not to follow in the steps of other airlines indicates that its passengers are willing to pay a little more to fly with Delta in exchange for that extra flexibility.
If Delta keeps these policies in place long-term (which it sounds like they will), other airlines could be close behind.
Anyway, it's really cool to see an example of a pandemic-era travel policy that has carried over and turned into a net positive for passengers and, apparently, airlines.
Depending on how things shake out, you might want to consider sending some of your loyalty Delta's way. |
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🏨 35% discount on IHG hotels
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It's a new year, and we all know what that means; another time to watch hotels duke it out gladiator-style to win our business. |
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Last week I shared Hilton's latest Double Points promo and their attempt to beat everyone to the punch. But today, IHG has entered the ring with their newest "Winter Escape" promotion offering up to 35% off hotels in the UK, Ireland, and Europe.
I don't know why they specify the UK and Ireland... Most promos assume both of those to be part of "Europe," especially Ireland as an EU member state... just saying...
Anyway, here are the details:
- Discounts range from 10% to 25%
- IHG members get an additional 10% off
- Valid for stays through December 31st, 2023
- You must book your stay by January 16th
- No registration required
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As you can see, the offer is structured as "up to 25% off, plus 10% if you're a member."
Since IHG One Rewards is free to sign up for, we can basically treat this as up to 35% off.
I'm pretty pumped about this promo since I'll be spending quite a bit of time in Europe over the next few months. From a quick search, I found decent discounts at hotels in Paris, Istanbul, Malmö, and Bucharest. |
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I have yet to find a property offering the full 35% discount, even after experimenting with different cities, dates, and lengths of stay.
Still, getting $20 or $30 a night off of a 5-night stay, for example, can definitely add up to a meaningful chunk of change should you have an upcoming trip to Europe in 2023. |
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That's all I got for you today! I'm going to attempt to pack one bag for a trip with climates spanning from sub-Saharan African heat to Northern Kazakhstan's Siberia-esque weather... wish me luck...
Would you spend a little extra on a flight for the flexibility of no change fees? If you could win a giveaway to any destination in the world, what would it be? Let me know by replying to this email or reaching out on social media.
Have a lovely day 💜 |
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