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Monday begins the second week of five weeks of discounted travel packages from the US Travel Association called Daily Getaways. Every weekday at 1 PM ET, a discounted travel package or packages will go on sale and will often sell out in a few minutes. Every weekend I’ll preview the deals for the next week, and the morning of interesting deals, I’ll have a full write up.
Here’s that overview of the second week of deals that start Monday. I plan to purchase only Friday’s deal, though I see great value Tuesday and Wednesday also.
Monday March 30: $55 for 10,000 Best Western Points (can purchase up to five packages of 10,000), 0.55 cents per point
As with all points purchasing offers, this could be a good deal, and you need to do the math for redemptions you have in mind. But I don’t think it will be a great deal for many people.
There are a lot of ways to redeem Best Western Points, but transferring to airlines miles at a 5:1 rate or buying gift cards for less than 0.55 cents each will leave you coming out behind.
The only reasonable redemption is free nights at Best Westerns that cost 8,000 to 36,000 points per night. At 0.55 cents each, that’s $44 to $198 per night.
There are some properties that will cost more with cash than by purchasing points for 0.55 cents each. For instance, this property in Paris costs $305 on June 10.
You can book it for 36,000 points, which is $198 at 0.55 cents each.
But you can only purchase 50,000 points maximum in 10,000 point increments, so that greatly reduces the value of the superficially valuable uses of this Daily Getaway.
Plus not every night is available for a redemption at every property.
I can’t find any comprehensive list of hotels by category, so it’s hard to find under-priced properties. If you find some, share them in the comments.
For now, I’ll pass on this deal and won’t write more about it on Monday. The properties that are good deals only offer moderate savings, and I generally prefer airbnb to hotels, so I’d need massive savings to get involved.
Purchase Link: 10,000 Best Western Points for $55
Tuesday March 31: Two Nights in a Venetian Suite ($495) or Palazzo Suite ($608)
These are legit, fancy suites at very nice on-Strip properties for about half their normal price for a Summer weekend.
Here are the layouts for the 1,200 square foot suites. I would love to stay in either for a weekend.
The Siena Suite at the Palazzo is going for over $1,270 after the resort fee for a weekend. The Daily Getaway price is $608, and the terms and conditions indicate that purchasers will not have to pay the resort fee.
The Piazza Suite at the Venetian goes for over $930 after resort fee for a weekend. Through Daily Getaways, you pay $495.
These two night stays need to be redeemed by March 31, 2016, and there are a lot of blackout dates, but they are clearly listed in the terms and conditions.
Purchase Link: Palazzo Suite for two nights for $608
Purchase Link: Venetian Suite for two nights for $495
Wednesday April 1: Stays at Caesars in Las Vegas and Atlantic City
Wednesday, there are a variety of packages at Caesars properties in Las Vegas and Atlantic City from $315 to $1,400. These packages include 2-3 night stays and often have extras like free meals, free limo rides from the airport, show tickets, or in room champagne.
Read each package carefully.
I used one of these packages to stay at Harrah’s in Las Vegas last year, and I got good value. These are all good values if you stay over a summer weekend. There are blackout dates, but they are listed in the terms and conditions.
Purchase Link: Daily Getaways Caesars Packages
Thursday April 2: 4 pack of 2-day park tickets at Universal Studios Hollywood for $313
Your family of four can go to Universal Studios for two days for $78 each.
Purchase Link: 4 pack of 2-day park tickets at Universal Studios Hollywood for $313
Friday April 3: Choice Privileges Points for 0.4 to 0.48 Cents Each
I’ve bought Choice Privileges points the last two years, and they’ve been some of my best purchases. I’ve used $39 worth of points purchased during Daily Getaways to stay in a $325 room in Stockholm.
There are great values from 8,000 points per night ($32) in America and Europe.
I’ve drawn down my Choice Privileges points with recent bookings in Charlotte and Charlottesville, so I want to stock up for my trip to Europe this summer.
As with several Daily Getaways, these are advertised as stays like “Comfort Inn®: Stay 3 Nights for $155,” but you are really buying points that can be used at any Choice Privileges property as the terms and conditions make clear.
The price of the points varies over 10% based on the package you buy.
- 20,000 points for $90, 0.45 cents each
- 32,000 points for $132, 0.41 cents each
- 36,000 points for $155, 0.43 cents
- 40,000 points for $160, 0.4 cents each
You can buy up to two of each package. I’ll buy two of the 40,000 point package if I can.
Bottom Line for Week 2
The star is Choice Privileges points for 0.4 cents each. I’ve used them for huge savings in Munich during Oktoberfest and Stockholm as well as $32 per night stays at hotels in the United States.
Best Western Points for 0.55 cents don’t offer nearly the value.
Venetian/Palazzo and Caesars are offering Vegas and Atlantic City packages on Tuesday and Wednesday. Venetian/Palazzo’s offerings are about 50% discounts on really nice suites. Caesars’ offerings fit a variety of price ranges. Consider how much you value each package and its blackout dates before booking.
Look for full posts on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday from me by 9 AM ET, and mark your calendar for any deal that piques your interest.
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[…] of Daily Getaways packages–see my rundown of the best deals this coming week–are coded as purchases from a travel agency. That […]
Thanks for the overview! Do you know of any reason that the Choice Privileges points purchased through this promo couldn’t be converted to Rapid Rewards miles that count toward the Companion Pass just like the more commonly mentioned Hyatt and Marriott points can? If not, this seems like a fast way to get the additional 6K.
That would work.