🏨 How to get a "soft landing" in 2024

Estimated read time: 3 minutes and 54 seconds

Good morning and welcome back to Daily Drop, the pecan brownie of newsletters. We’re a little nuts, but mostly? We’re just sweet.

And we’ve got some sweet updates for you today, so let’s jump in:

• 🏨 Marriott offers a “soft landing” policy for 2024

• 💳 IHG: Earn up to 4,000 points per 2 nights

• 🤓 Travel Trivia Tuesday

🏨 Marriott offers a “soft landing” policy for 2024

Hard landings are scary. I don’t know about you, but I’m never a fan of planes plopping onto the runway like the wheels are about to collapse.

And apparently, Marriott feels the same about hard landings. Because they’ve announced another year of “soft landing” for current elite members.

Allow me to explain…

A “soft landing” is when a loyalty program allows you to downgrade your previous elite status rather than lose it altogether.

For example, if you currently have Marriott Platinum status but aren’t on track to re-qualify for Platinum this year, you won’t just lose all of your status—rather, you’ll be downgraded by one status level to Gold Elite status.

This is actually great news for anybody who hasn’t racked up enough hotel nights this year to maintain status and is worried about going into 2024 with no status.

I understand… it’s terrifying to think about… 😱

So, if you’ve been looking for ways to rack up a few extra nights this year, take another look at your options—you may not need to do anything to come out of the year with some meaningful benefits for another year.

Of course, if you’re only a few nights away from renewing your status, Marriott does have a decent promo going on right now that could get you some extra points if you want to mattress run your way there.

Having more options is never a bad thing in my opinion!

💳 IHG: Earn up to 4,000 points per two nights

That last piece of news is great and all, but it doesn’t really accomplish what I know you all love the most—racking up boatloads of points.

Thankfully, that’s where IHG comes in.

Right now, you can earn up to 4,000 bonus points per two nights with their latest promotion, which is awesome.

Here’s the deal:

• Earn 2,000 points per two nights stayed at IHG hotels

• Earn an additional 2,000 points per two nights if you have an IHG cobranded card

• Valid for cash stays only between October 12th and December 31st

• You must register for the offer

When you register, you’ll notice that the offer only discusses 2,000 points per two nights and not the credit card element.

Don’t worry, if you have the cobranded credit card, you’ll receive an email like this:

Sorry to ruin the “surprise” for you… 😉

Anyway, this is definitely a good deal and a solid bonus.

You may remember earlier this year when I raved about how much I loved the IHG cobranded credit card, and offers like this only make it more valuable than it already is on its own.

4,000 points per two nights is great since properties around the world cost as few as 5,000 points per night.

Keep in mind, that this is in addition to the points you’re already earning as a member. If you have the credit card, you also earn even more points.

So let’s look at a very quick example:

Let’s say you’re craving some schnitzel and hop over to the lovely Geman town of Nuremberg, and stay at this hotel for close to a week:

It costs $78 per night, for a total cost of $468 for a six-night stay.

I’ve actually stayed at this property before, and $78 per night is ridiculous. It’s a LOVELY property…

Anyway, here’s how many points you’d earn with this promo:

• 10x points for being a member: 4,680

• 10x points for credit card spend: 4,680

• 6x for being Platinum Elite (which comes with the card): 2,880

• 4,000 points per two nights: 12,000

• Total points: 24,240

If we conservatively value IHG points at about ½ of a cent each, you’re getting a return of $121 in value, or about a 26% return on your spend.

That’s VERY GOOD.

So, here’s my recommendation:

If you have any trips coming up, I’d sign up for the IHG card before October 12th, register for the promo, and max out this promo as much as you can.

You might find that you rack up some free stays for 2024 if you play your cards right. 😉

🤓 Travel Trivia Tuesday

Correct answer: Blue Zones

The five Blue Zones are Okinawa, Japan, Ikaria, Greece, Sardinia, Italy, Nicoya, Costa Rica, and Loma Linda, California.

People in Blue Zones have the highest concentrations of centenarians in the world, meaning people there live to be over 100 — which is crazy.

They are also known to experience lower rates of age-related diseases.

Researchers have found that these people tend to eat more plant-based foods and fewer processed foods. But, this “Blue Zone” concept is not just about diet.

Other common factors that may contribute to their overall health are less time spent on devices and more body movement. Plus, they’re also known to value family, faith, and community.

Want to learn more? Or possibly visit one of these spots? You can read more about Blue Zones here.

Did you know that Daily Drop has a YouTube channel? Check out our latest video where Kara and Nate walk through how they saved $6,000 on a luxurious overwater villa in Bora Bora 👇

That’s all for today, friends! I’m about to embark on a ridiculous, three-day journey back home to Toronto now, with almost 30 hours of flying between today and Thursday…

Thank goodness for points and business class!

What’s the longest flight you’ve ever taken? Was it in economy, premium, business, or first class? Let me know by replying to this email or reaching out on social media.

See you tomorrow,

24.6282° S, 25.9231° E