Three weekend getaways with points

👻 Good morning and Happy Halloween from Switzerland, where the scariest thing is the $40 price tag of the burger I ate last night (worth it).

Today’s content is a lot of fun:

• 🚗 Three weekend getaways with points

• ✈️ Mike on the Move: first-class fun times

• 👻 The app that keeps your rewards from ghosting you

• 💳 Current Transfer Bonuses

🚗 Three weekend getaways with points

If you live in New York, you already know: sometimes you just need to touch grass. Or at least go somewhere that doesn’t smell like hot garbage and broken dreams.

That’s where McKay comes in.

She put together three weekend getaways from NYC – one by car, one by train, and one by plane – each with hotels (and other fun accommodations) you can book using points.

Think cozy cabins in the Catskills, riverside strolls in the Hudson Highlands, and lakeside views in Vermont. Basically, free therapy – but with elite night credit.

And if you’re looking to get a little… further… away, I’ve got some fun travel tips on deck for you:

✈️ Mike on the Move: first-class fun times

As you know, I’m currently in Zurich, where I just parted ways with my Daily Drop colleagues Tiffany and McKay.

And now that I have a gaping void in my life, it’s time to initiate Mike’s three-step plan to achieving happiness™️:

• Step 1: Walk around aimlessly and wallow in my loneliness.

• Step 2: Listen to my favorite death metal album at full volume and bury the emotions. Deep. 🪏

• Step 3: Book some luxury flights.

Let’s talk about Step 3.

Royal Jordanian business class

I’m starting with a nonstop, business-class flight on Royal Jordanian from Zurich to Amman, which I booked for just 30,000 Qatar Avios and $46.

There’s a 30% transfer bonus from Ultimate Rewards points to British Airways, Iberia, and Aer Lingus (which ends later today), so I was able to transfer just 23,000 points to book this.

This was a good deal for a 4-hour flight, especially since the cash cost of the same flight on the same day was over $2,000.

Plus, I’ve never been to Jordan and I couldn’t resist a few days in Amman… especially given where I’m staying. 😏

I booked three nights at the Grand Hyatt, a Category 1 property which runs just 3,500-6,500 points per night.

With a cash cost of $186 per night after taxes, each night here is yielding me 3.7 cents per point, even at a rate of 5,000 points per night.

I recently signed up for the Ink Business Cash® Credit Card to earn 90,000 UR points, so this 3-night stay barely made a dent in my balance.

And I’m glad I used points for this, because the next flight was booked with cold, hard cash, baby.

Kuwait Airways first class

From Amman, I’ll head to Bangkok (BKK) via Kuwait City (KWI) on Kuwait Airways’ luxurious-ass 777 first-class suite, which I’ll enjoy on both segments:

Here’s the fun thing about Kuwait Airways…

They have a pretty impressive first-class cabin with fully closing doors, wifi, and incredible food.

But they also have insanely cheap fares, and even fly to cities like New York. For example, flying my route (AMM-BKK) in business class would cost you just $775. 👇

First class is a little more expensive, but it’s still the cheapest way to buy happiness (take that, therapy).

Anyway, I’m getting a nice return on my spend with 5x Membership Rewards points from booking the flight with the American Express Platinum Card®, in addition to the Kuwait Airways miles I earn (which I may or may not ever use 😅).

But the real purpose of this flight is to position me in Bangkok before an even more luxurious flight…

Hyatt Brand Explorer

For my overnight layover in Bangkok, I’m staying at this Hyatt hotel right in Sukhumvit:

At $93 per night, it’s the cheapest Hyatt property in Bangkok (crazy, considering it’s a Mr. & Mrs. Smith hotel) – but it also serves the purpose of checking off a new Hyatt brand.

And thanks to Hyatt’s Brand Explorer (which gives a free night certificate for every five brands you stay at), this one night will unlock a Category 1-4 Free Night for me.

And if all that wasn’t enough, prepare for the pièce de résistance (pardon my French): 👇

Emirates first class

I already flew Emirates first class once this year… but I couldn’t help myself. I had to do it again.

But since I’m such a stingy bastard, I had to do it in the cheapest. Possible. Way.

Here’s the deal:

You can fly on Emirates’ fifth-freedom route between Bangkok (BKK) and Hong Kong (HKG) in business class, then use Emirates miles to instantly upgrade to first class.

You could use points to book business class, but it’s a terrible deal at 39,000 Emirates miles and $253 in taxes and fees. 🤮

Instead, you can pay just $321 and ZERO miles for the same flight most days:

And if you pay a bit more (around $400 in my case) for a flexible business fare, you’ll be able to upgrade to first class instantly, for just 11,500 miles.

I transferred miles to Emirates from my Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card; they hit my Emirates account instantly, and one minute later, I was confirmed in first class. 😎

Now I’ll have three hours to enjoy my private suite, shower, complimentary pajamas, Dom Perignon champagne, and all of the other wonderful things about Emirates first class.

Was this trip expensive? Yeah, for sure.

But balancing out points flights and hotels with solid cash sweet spots is unlocking a once-in-a-lifetime luxury getaway on some cool airlines and to some cool countries – and it set me up for my next adventure.

But more on that another time. 😉

That was a bit of a long one, eh? (that’s what she said)

In all seriousness, I hope you enjoyed this mix of hands-on travel tips for both local getaways and international adventures.

Have a great weekend, and I’ll see you bright and early on Monday. ❤️

47.3769° N, 8.5417° E

With help from Tiffany and McKay – the team that makes this newsletter what it is. ❤️