Why I love milestone rewards

Good morning, and welcome back to Daily Drop!

If newsletters were gym memberships, we’d be the one you actually use—mostly because we do all the heavy lifting for you. 💪

Enough gym talk. Let’s get into the good stuff:

• 🏨 Why I love IHG’s milestone program

• ☀️ 30% off Wyndham hotels in Latin America & the Caribbean

• 🤓 Travel Trivia Tuesday

🏨 Why I love IHG’s milestone program

Over the years, we have seen certain trends emerge in the world of loyalty programs. When an airline or hotel program sees success, other programs tend to go in the same direction.

One of those trends has been milestone rewards.

American Airlines nailed it in the airline world, and Hyatt is famous for their milestones in the hotel world.

But I think IHG has one of the more underrated milestone reward programs… so let’s talk about it.

Here’s the basic gist:

Starting at 20 nights per year, you’ll be able to choose from various reward options every 10 nights, all the way up to 100 nights per year.

The fact that you can start unlocking benefits at just 20 nights is awesome.

As you can see, if the occasional traveler funnels their hotel stays into IHG, they could get some nice benefits without ever needing to unlock elite status.

This milestone map also has one of the best “sweet spots,” which is the ability to unlock an Annual Lounge Membership at 40 nights.

Lounge access is a benefit that every other program has higher requirements for:

• Marriott: 50 nights

• Hyatt: 60 nights

• Hilton: 60 nights

Since many lounges at hotels like Intercontinental have food and beverage services, this could be super valuable for many people.

At the 40 and 70-night thresholds, you also get to choose two benefits rather than just one.

This means you can rack up quite a few bonus points from these milestones…

If you simply chose the bonus points at every milestone, you’d earn a maximum of 100,000 points per year, which is pretty solid.

100,000 IHG Points is enough to book a nice 4-night stay in downtown New York City… and you’d still have a bunch left over!

Four nights in the Big Apple is not a bad return on your loyalty over the course of a year.

But aside from just the points, there are lots of ways to get value from these milestones.

One of the reasons I love having elite status is the benefits like free breakfast, welcome amenities, and room upgrades.

With these milestones, you could also rack up credits for food and beverage and even suite upgrade awards, eliminating the need for elite status altogether!

Even at the lowest milestone of 20 nights, you could get $20 of food and beverage awards, which is great.

So here’s the bottom line:

If you want to enjoy elite-like benefits without staying 50, 60, or 70 nights a year at hotels, IHG has one of the best programs for less-frequent travelers, thanks to their milestone awards.

☀️ 30% off Wyndham hotels in Latin America & the Caribbean

If you’re dreading the cold and are craving some warmth, Wyndham Hotels has just released a pretty nice sale for its members!

Members will receive 30% off their stays at participating properties in Latin America and the Caribbean if booked by December 4th, with that stay being between now and December 15, 2024.

Non-members will receive a 20% discount, but it’s free to sign up… So there’s absolutely no reason you shouldn’t get the better discount! 🙃

The specific countries included in the sale are Argentina, the Bahamas, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela.

So yeah, there’s a destination for everyone on that list.

Here are some additional details:

• The discount will exclude taxes and fees

• There are some blackout dates and room type exclusions that vary by property

• Not all Wyndham brands are participating, but you can see which ones are in their Terms & Conditions

• Stays must be booked directly with Wyndham

For example, here’s a lovely adults-only, all-inclusive property in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, that’s displaying a great discounted rate 👇

You may have to spend a little time sifting through properties to find the best rates, and even though the timeframe for this isn’t long, it’s a great chance to save some cash if you’ve been hoping for a quick getaway to this part of the world before the end of the year!

🤓 Travel Trivia Tuesday

The correct answer is... Dura-Europos Church (Syria)!

Who knew ancient history could lead to such fascinating travel destinations? Dura-Europos, dating back to the 3rd century CE, is recognized as the oldest church still in existence.

Discovered in the 1930s, it was originally a “house church” where early Christians gathered secretly, using their home as a safe space for worship and baptisms.

This incredible site was located in the ancient city of Dura-Europos, on the banks of the Euphrates River, and was later abandoned in the 3rd century after invasions. Its walls were adorned with biblical artwork—some of the earliest Christian art—now preserved at Yale University.

But don't stop there! Other ancient churches are equally awe-inspiring, like the Aqaba Church in Jordan, which earned the title of the world’s oldest purpose-built church. Built between 293 and 303 CE, it was designed as a place of Christian worship before Christianity was even legalized!

So, whether you’re an architecture enthusiast or a history buff, these churches are worth adding to your travel bucket list.

From Dura-Europos to Vatican City, they’re living reminders of Christianity’s early days. Safe travels, and may your next adventure take you to one of these epic locations!

Learn more about these ancient churches here!

Check out this epic itinerary full of travel wins—all thanks to credit card perks and miles and points! 👇

If you’d like to see other wins like this or share your very own, head over to our exclusive Facebook group, the Daily Drop Lounge, to join the best online community.

That’s all for today, folks! I hope you enjoyed this Tuesday's installment of Daily Drop, and I look forward to seeing you bright and early tomorrow.

Take care,

6.1944° S, 106.8229° E