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Today starts the third week of Daily Getaways — an assortment of daily discounts and deals with various travel brands and loyalty programs, sponsored by the US Travel Association. It’s been an interesting two weeks so far. Some deals have sold out in seconds — like the Choice hotel points packages — while other offers are still available more than a week after going live.
Let’s take a look at the deals for this week:
Monday, April 18 — Diamond Resorts International
(1) 5 Night Stay at a Diamond Resorts Property for $525 (200 available)
Purchase a certificate for five consecutive nights at a Diamond Resorts International property. Not all Diamond Resorts properties are participating, but you do have 71 hotels across North America and Europe from which to choose. You’d have just over a year to claim your free nights, as the certificate expires May 13, 2017.
Warning: This certificate is “subject to high season, holiday and other blackout periods depending on destination.” As these blackout periods are undefined in the voucher T&C, you should make sure you have plenty of flexibility before making a pricey commitment to this deal — especially as the certificate is non-transferable.
Verdict: Pass. The broad and undefined blackout dates make this offer a “Pass” for most travelers.
Tuesday, April 19 — Vegas Getaways
(1) A Luxurious Getaway in Las Vegas at The Cromwell for $590 (5 available)
- Two nights in a Luxury King Room at The Cromwell
- $100 breakfast credit
- Round-trip limo transfer between airport and hotel
- Blackout dates: New Year’s weekend and Super Bowl weekend
- 30-day advance notice required and travel must be completed by July 1, 2017
(2) Be a Harrah’s Las Vegas VIP for $299 (10 available)
- Two nights in a 500 square-foot Mini-Suite at Harrah’s Las Vegas
- Two “Buffet of Buffets” passes — each good for a 24-hour all-you-can-eat period at various buffets
- Round-trip limo transfer between airport and hotel
- Blackout dates: New Year’s weekend and Super Bowl weekend
- 30-day advance notice required and travel must be completed by July 1, 2017
(3) Caesars Palace VIP Getaway Las Vegas for $450 (15 available)
- Two nights at Caesars Palace Las Vegas
- Two “Buffet of Buffets” passes — each good for a 24-hour all-you-can-eat period at various buffets
- Round-trip transportation between airport and hotel
- Blackout dates: New Year’s weekend and Super Bowl weekend
- 30-day advance notice required and travel must be completed by July 1, 2017
(4) Experience Las Vegas at the Resort of your choice for $425 (10 available)
- Two nights in a “Premier room” at your choice of eight Caesars Entertainment Las Vegas resorts
- Up to $100 dining credit and $150 spa credit (applied to room bill at check-out)
- Round-trip transportation between airport and hotel
- No blackout dates listed, but the Terms & Conditions note: “It is recommended that you call to book your travel early to avoid possible blackout dates and availability issues.”
- 30-day advance notice required and travel must be completed by July 1, 2017
(5) See Vegas at New Heights at the LINQ Hotel for $350 (20 available)
- Two nights in a Deluxe King room at the LINQ Hotel
- Two tickets for a ride on the High Roller
- Two tickets to the show of your choice at one of the Caesars Entertainment properties
- Round-trip limo transfer between airport and hotel
- 30-day advance notice required and travel must be completed by July 1, 2017
(6) The Spirit of Classic Las Vegas at Bally’s for $315 (5 available)
- Two nights in a Jubliee King Room at Bally’s Las Vegas
- Two tickets to the show of your choice at one of the Caesars Entertainment properties
- Dinner for two at a Bally’s restaurant (up to $150)
- Two “Buffet of Buffets” passes — each good for a 24-hour all-you-can-eat period at various buffets
- Round-trip limo transfer between airport and hotel
- 30-day advance notice required and travel must be completed by July 1 2017
Maximum purchase: 1 package per purchase
Verdict: Pass, unless you’re planning to head to Vegas anyways and these packages compare favorably to what you were going to spend. There’s no reason to make a special trip to Vegas for these deals.
Wednesday, April 20 — Hilton HHonors points
(1) 100,000 Hilton HHonors Points for $500 (160 available)
(2) 150,000 Hilton HHonors Points for $750 (200 available)
(3) 250,000 Hilton HHonors Points for $1,250 (200 available)
All three of these packages offer you the chance to buy Hilton HHonors points at 0.5 cents per point. This happens to be exactly TPG’s valuation of Hilton points, so these offers deserve a closer look to see if they make sense for your situation.
If you’re taking advantage of the Hilton HHonors elite status match, this might be a great time for you to pick-up some points to use in conjunction with your newly-upgraded Hilton status.
Check out our post about how you can get up to 3.8 cents per point of value at some Hilton hotels. While top-tier hotels typically provide the best value per point for most hotel programs, some of Hilton’s best redemption rates can be found at lower-tier hotels. Budget-minded travelers can get an award night at Category 1 hotels (5,000 points) for just $25 when you buy points at 0.5 cents per point.
Luxury redemptions — like the Category 10 Conrad Maldives — are going to set you back 95,000 points per night. So, even a purchase of 250,000 Hilton points for $1,250 will only get you two full nights there.
Want to get 100,000 HHonors points without paying $500? Sign-up for the Hilton HHonors Surpass Card to earn 100,000 Hilton points after spending $3,000 — while also earning HHonors Gold status. But hurry, this offer is only good for applications approved by May 4.
Maximum purchase: 1 purchase of each package, for 3 total packages per HHonors member
Verdict: Purchasing these packages might make sense for your personal travel situation. I would be tempted to purchase one of the 100,000-point packages. However, I’m personally choosing the Hilton HHonors Surpass Card route to pick up 100,000 Hilton points rather than purchase points through this deal.
Thursday, April 21 — Las Vegas Suites
(1) Spend Two Nights in a Siena Suite at The Palazzo for $608 (21 available)
- Two consecutive nights in a 1,280 square-foot Sienta Suite at The Palazzo in Las Vegas
(2) Stay Two Nights in a Piazza View Suite at The Venetian for $495 (25 available)
- Two consecutive nights in a 1,400 square-foot Piazza View Suite at The Venetian in Las Vegas
Both deals:
Maximum purchase: 1 per purchase
Verdict: Pass. Unlike the other Vegas getaways, these packages include nothing but the room itself. These offers may have niche appeal, but generally earn a “Pass” rating.
Friday, April 22 — Hertz
(1) 1-Week Hertz Standard Vehicle — 5,500 Hertz points for $250 (45 available)
(2) 1-Week Hertz Prestige Collection — 16,500 Hertz points for $698 (50 available)
(3) Hertz Prestige Collection Weekend — 13,200 Hertz points for $560 (35 available)
| Deal | Points | Cost | Cents per Point | Available Deals |
| Prestige Collection 1-Week | 16,500 | $ 698 | 4.23 | 50 |
| Prestige Collection Weekend | 13,200 | $ 560 | 4.24 | 35 |
| Standard Vehicle 1-Week | 5,500 | $ 250 | 4.55 | 45 |
While these packages are promoted as specific packages, all three of these deals are actually a purchase of Hertz Rewards Points. Point purchase rates vary between 4.23 and 4.55 cents per point.
TPG doesn’t maintain a valuation for Hertz points, but — as a reference — Hertz typically sells points for 20 cents each. Hertz Gold Plus Rewards guru Jason Steele doesn’t find Hertz points to be worth 20 cents each, tough one TPG reader reports regularly gets 20-22 cents per point in value from Hertz points.
How far can these points take you? Here are some redemption options from Hertz’s award chart (at standard rates for which blackout dates apply; using 4.23 cents per point for the reference cost):
- 550 points ($23) = 1 weekend rental day
- 2,750 points ($116) = 5-7 day rental of Compact to Premium cars
- 3,300 points ($140) = 2-day weekend rental of an “Adrenaline Collection” vehicle (i.e. Chevy Camaro SS, Ford Mustang 5.0 GT Premium and Dodge Challenger R/T)
- 4,400 points ($186) = 1 week rental of a full-size car or minivan for the family — or a convertible for a getaway with someone special
Remember, for rentals booked with points, you won’t be covered by a credit card’s primary rental car insurance. So, check into your individual car insurance coverage and consider opting for the rental car’s coverage — especially if you’re splurging on an luxury vehicle.
Maximum purchase: 1 purchase of each package, for 3 total packages per Hertz member number
Verdict: Good deal! Due to the very limited amount, these packages will likely go quickly. If you’re hoping to purchase more than one package, you’ll likely want to coordinate purchases with your significant other or a friend.
Stay Tuned for Next Week’s Getaways
Be on the lookout for my assessment of the Daily Getaways for April 25-29, including Universal Studios tickets, Loews hotels, Alamo, Fairmont and Hyatt packages.
Source: thepointsguy.com