U.S. Travel Association's Daily Getaways 2017
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: ZRH
Programs: M&M SEN (*G), HH Diamond
Posts: 2,418
U.S. Travel Association's Daily Getaways 2017
From their website:
Beginning Monday, April 10, 2017, Daily Getaways returns for another year of great savings, just in time for summer. Save up to 60 percent on loyalty points, park tickets, rental cars, vacation packages and more from America's top travel brands. Select offers will be available to preview on April 3.
2017 Participating Partners
Alamo Rent-a-Car
Avis Car Rental
Best Western International
Caesars Entertainment
Choice Hotels International
Expedia
Fairmont Hotels and Resorts
Hertz Rent-a-Car
Hilton Hotels and Resorts
Hyatt Hotels and Resorts
InterContinental Hotel Group
Las Vegas Sands Corporation
Loews Hotels and Resorts
Marriott International
MGM Resorts International
Omni Resorts and Hotels
SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment
Universal Parks and Resorts
Wyndham Hotels & Resorts
Alamo Rent-a-Car
Avis Car Rental
Best Western International
Caesars Entertainment
Choice Hotels International
Expedia
Fairmont Hotels and Resorts
Hertz Rent-a-Car
Hilton Hotels and Resorts
Hyatt Hotels and Resorts
InterContinental Hotel Group
Las Vegas Sands Corporation
Loews Hotels and Resorts
Marriott International
MGM Resorts International
Omni Resorts and Hotels
SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment
Universal Parks and Resorts
Wyndham Hotels & Resorts
Last edited by MileageAddict; Apr 15, 2017 at 2:01 pm
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2000
Posts: 17,404
Continuing the old thread, thanks GUWonder, for that tip about Choice and Scandinavia. I haven't redeemed in Scandinavia in a few years, but I have a trip planned for 2017. I guess I'll need to review the "carnage" -- which isn't necessarily so easy to do given that Choice (unlike all the other programs) doesn't let you book a stay more than a couple months in advance. Obviously, another reason to be "conservative" with Choice points buying. Of course, we don't even know yet what price they'll be selling those points for.
Frankly, in general, I doubt that Daily Getaways will have blockbuster deals this year. I might just wind up with a few Alamo certificates.
Frankly, in general, I doubt that Daily Getaways will have blockbuster deals this year. I might just wind up with a few Alamo certificates.
#3
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: FL, USA
Programs: AA Plat, Hyatt Explorist, Hilton Diamond, IHG Plat, Marriot Gold
Posts: 1,666
Continuing the old thread, thanks GUWonder, for that tip about Choice and Scandinavia. I haven't redeemed in Scandinavia in a few years, but I have a trip planned for 2017. I guess I'll need to review the "carnage" -- which isn't necessarily so easy to do given that Choice (unlike all the other programs) doesn't let you book a stay more than a couple months in advance. Obviously, another reason to be "conservative" with Choice points buying. Of course, we don't even know yet what price they'll be selling those points for.
Frankly, in general, I doubt that Daily Getaways will have blockbuster deals this year. I might just wind up with a few Alamo certificates.
Frankly, in general, I doubt that Daily Getaways will have blockbuster deals this year. I might just wind up with a few Alamo certificates.
#4
Suspended
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Watchlisted by the prejudiced, en route to purgatory
Programs: Just Say No to Fleecing and Blacklisting
Posts: 102,095
Continuing the old thread, thanks GUWonder, for that tip about Choice and Scandinavia. I haven't redeemed in Scandinavia in a few years, but I have a trip planned for 2017. I guess I'll need to review the "carnage" -- which isn't necessarily so easy to do given that Choice (unlike all the other programs) doesn't let you book a stay more than a couple months in advance. Obviously, another reason to be "conservative" with Choice points buying. Of course, we don't even know yet what price they'll be selling those points for.
Frankly, in general, I doubt that Daily Getaways will have blockbuster deals this year. I might just wind up with a few Alamo certificates.
Frankly, in general, I doubt that Daily Getaways will have blockbuster deals this year. I might just wind up with a few Alamo certificates.
The cash+points-and-then-cancel to buy Choice points on the cheap has become my strategy to balance the reduction in available Nordic Choice hotel deals using the US Choice points. So even if I were to want to buy the USTA Daily Getaway packages for Choice hotels, it would be for the minimum to intelligently play the points+cash-and-refund-for-points method to avoid stocking up a huge stash of points subject to devaluation and unlikely to be as valuable going forward as they used to be.
I still have some Universal and Seaworld tickets left from the last USTA-DG deal. Have to use those soon too. I still have leftover Choice points from prior USTA-DG deals, and that is despite being around Nordic Choice hotels a bunch each month for years now.
My suggestion for Choice points is to buy no more than one package from the USTA-DG deal and then buy the points via the cash+points method within (or near) the 30/60/75/100 day window within which award redemptions are allowed. Given Choice points can mostly not be used to book stays more than 60 days in advance, it's not a great idea to have too huge a collection of points that could be subject to yet another devaluation on rather short notice at that.
My suggestion for things like the Universal, Busch Gardens and Seaworld tickets is that they can be a great deal, if you are going to use them for sure.
#6
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Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Watchlisted by the prejudiced, en route to purgatory
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$15 for each set of 2000 points using the cash+points trick, and it works for those having at least 6k points. Buying the USTA DG packages has a substantially lower cost, but then you are also buying a bundle and facing the devaluation risk and issues with the very limited booking window to use points that messes up people who like to plan their trips well in advance of 30-60 days.
#7
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Melbourne, Florida, USA
Posts: 2,983
Most all -- perhaps now even all -- Nordic Choice hotels include breakfast for all guests. Amongst Nordic Choice hotels, only the "Clarion Collection" hotels include breakfast and the light evening meal for all guests. The Nordic Choice's regular "Clarion" hotels do not include the light evening meal. Only a small minority of Nordic Choice hotels are "Clarion Collection" hotels.
$15 for each set of 2000 points using the cash+points trick, and it works for those having at least 6k points. Buying the USTA DG packages has a substantially lower cost, but then you are also buying a bundle and facing the devaluation risk and issues with the very limited booking window to use points that messes up people who like to plan their trips well in advance of 30-60 days.
$15 for each set of 2000 points using the cash+points trick, and it works for those having at least 6k points. Buying the USTA DG packages has a substantially lower cost, but then you are also buying a bundle and facing the devaluation risk and issues with the very limited booking window to use points that messes up people who like to plan their trips well in advance of 30-60 days.
#8
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2000
Posts: 17,404
I'm quoting you since we were talking about choice points but yes for me, it doesn't matter for use in scandinavia (although I would love a trip anywhere there) choice points for me are still the best bang for the buck for my local stays as well as for my weekend getaways, i can often redeem 6k and 8k nights so i will be stocking up on these no matter what. The most I spend is 16k and even that is a good deal, considering if they sell them more or less like last year. Let's see. I am glad to see that competition will be less but I still plan on stocking up on these as these get me about 75% of my nights throughout the year.
#9
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: FL, USA
Programs: AA Plat, Hyatt Explorist, Hilton Diamond, IHG Plat, Marriot Gold
Posts: 1,666
Actually there's quite a few for me that are great value like that for quick weekend and are actually decent hotels. There is one that usually is 10k-12k that ia also nice when we do a one night staycation but I think now its up to 16 for winter.
#11
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: ORF
Programs: Amex Plat, AA, BA Silver, Marriott Plat, Choice Gold, HHonors Gold, IHG Diamond
Posts: 3,749
Like with a lot of loyalty programs, there are sweet spots, but like a lot of loyalty programs, they're getting increasingly difficult to find. I now tend to survey spots I'm likely to visit on a regular basis even if I don't have current plans to visit, like Ireland, Italy, Orlando, Myrtle Beach, NYC, the DC area, and Northern California, just to see if any properties have dropped their award redemption requirements before I invest heavily in points purchases.
#12
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2000
Posts: 17,404
I try to book lots of Choice hotel stays. I don't see many (any?) for 6,000 or 8,000 points these days. In general, you're going to get a poorly rated econolodge for that price -- if you can get anything at all. It's hard to find decent places to stay for 16,000 in the program.
#14
Join Date: May 2010
Location: WAS
Programs: Lotz
Posts: 1,534
The Clarion Prague City Center. I stay there a lot buying points for less than half what the lowest rate is for rooms. A great hotel/location.