☀️ Your summer hotel plans, covered

It's been over 72 hours since this newsletter was published, so some info and links might be out of date or expired.

And a very merry weekend to you, my friend. 😌

I’m en route to the Rockies as we speak, which happens to be my happy place!

For the next few weeks, I’ll be driving through the park, searching tirelessly for elk, and eating my weight in cherry ice cream (don’t knock it till you’ve tried it!).

Yeah… it’s a good time.

Speaking of good, there was lots of that in the travel world this week.

Let’s get right into it, shall we?

💙 Delta fans — don’t miss these three solid promotions going on right now.

✈️ Earn 2,000 Southwest points when you spend at least $200 in their shopping portal (ends June 29!).

💳 Learn all about the secret credit card you’ve never heard of…

🌟 Get a 15% bonus when transferring MR points to Avianca Lifemiles (through July 15!).

😎 The card I’d recommend to my mom? This bad boy.

🏆 Our Favorite Pick: Hyatt keeps handing out bonus points

I don't know who at Hyatt is responsible for approving all of these promotions, buuuuut MUAH… thank you. 😙

Just when I thought I was finally done registering for Hyatt promotions, bam!

They dropped another one…

The newest offer is pretty simple:

👉 Register, stay between July 1 and September 7, and earn 2,000 bonus points for every two nights you stay.

There are a few catches:

You need to register first
Bonus points don't start until your second stay during the promotion period
You'll max out at 8,000 bonus points

On the surface, that might not sound particularly exciting.

But Hyatt promos become a lot more interesting when you remember one important thing… most of them stack (yay!).

And Hyatt seems pretty bullish about running multiple promotions at once.

For example, Hyatt is still offering 5,000 bonus points after a five-night stay at Hyatt House and Hyatt Studios properties through the end of the year.

That works out to another 1,000 points back per night.

So if you stay five nights at an eligible Hyatt House during the new promotion period, you're effectively earning:

5,000 points from the Hyatt House promo
Up to 4,000 points from the new global promo
Your normal points earnings
Any elite bonuses you qualify for

So, let’s look at some quick examples, ‘kay?

There are several Hyatt House properties in the U.S. this summer, priced at around $100 to $140 per night, like this one in Nashville 👇

Or if you’re feeling beachy, here’s another one in Charleston 👇

A five-night stay could easily generate 10,000+ bonus points before accounting for normal earnings, elite bonuses, or credit card rewards.

That's enough for multiple free nights at some of Hyatt's lower-category hotels (like this one in Krakow that I’ve stayed at… SOLID autumn-pumpkin-spice-gilmore-girls-fall vibes, if you’re in the market).👇

Yes, Hyatt has been making some changes. No way around it.

👀 ICYMI: Here’s the latest on the Hyatt situation (and how to navigate the new transfer ratio).

But they also keep throwing out stackable promos that can really lower the cost of future travel.

So if you have any hotel stays planned this summer, here's a quick homework assignment for you: Take two minutes to register for every Hyatt promotion you're eligible for before you book anything.

💡 Pro Tip: With the Hyatt transfer ratio now sitting at 4:3 for cardholders of this popular card, earning Hyatt points directly through promotions can be more valuable than ever. That said, the card is still one of the fastest ways to earn transferable points (and has a limited-time offer of 100,000 UR points right now!).

Even if you weren't planning to stay at a Hyatt, the combination of bonus points, elite earnings, and award rebates can make the math surprisingly sweet.

And if you're already a diehard Hyatt loyalist?

Well, congratulations. You're about to get rewarded for being… you! 🤠

Speaking of hotels — a few other fun tidbits:

On July 1 (only!), you can transfer your Bilt points to Hilton Honors with a 200% bonus (but read more here to see if it’s worth it).
On the Bilt topic, they just added Preferred Hotels to their list of transfer partners at a 1:2 ratio.
IHG is letting us buy points with a 100% bonus again (valid until July 16!).

Ok now, I’m really done (pinky promise).

👀 This Week’s Must-Reads

The City of Good Neighbors is More Than Wings, the Buffalo Bills, and Snow

The Daily Drop YouTube team visits Sam, our Content Editor, for our Points Pursuit competition. How many points will she rack up in Buffalo, New York?

What Happens When Travel Experts Have a Really, Really Messy Travel Day

The Daily Drop Team went to Costa Rica. Chaos ensued. Here's what everyone did to get back on track - and how to protect yourself from similar mishaps.

Welcome, Roadtrippers!

In the first edition of Roadtripper, Katie shares how to earn points on gas and Airbnb stays along Highway 1, along with the best two-card combo for the road.