Get Ready for Travel Deals With the Daily Getaways 2014: Week 1 & 2 Review

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Daily Getaways is selling a limited number of discounted US travel getaways on a 1st come, 1st serve basis through June 20, 2014.

And you get 10% off when you purchase using your American Express card.

Daily Getaways

Link:   Daily Getaways

The Daily Getaways website will have a new deal every weekday at 1:00 pm Eastern Time from May 19, 2014, until June 20, 2014.

You have to be quick to get in on these deals because they sell out within minutes!

The 1st two weeks of deals from May 19, 2014, to May 23, 2014, and from May 26, 2014, to May 30, 2014, are shown on the Daily Getaways website.  You can NOT buy them before the date they’re offered.  But I’ll tell you in advance which deals I think are the best!

You get an extra 10% off when you use an American Express issued credit or charge card.

Note:  American Express gift cards aren’t eligible for the 10% discount, but some folks have reported Bluebird cards are eligible.

First Week Deals – May 19, 2014, to May 23, 2014

For the 1st week, you can buy Wyndham points, Hertz points, Choice points, save money at Alamo, and buy Hilton points.

1.   Wyndham Points

A.   Southwest Companion Pass

If you want to earn Southwest Companion Pass points, buying 75,000 Wyndham points for $450 (or $405 with your AMEX card) on Monday, May 19, 2014 is a good deal.  These points can be transferred to certain airlines (sign-in required), including Southwest.  Transfers are in increments of 6,000 points, so you can transfer 72,000 Wyndham points to 14,400 Southwest points.

Transferring 72,000 Wyndham hotels points to Southwest gets you 14,400 points or ~$204 in Southwest travel (14,400 Southwest points X 1.42 cents is the value of a Southwest point).  Of course paying $400+ for ~$204 in Southwest points isn’t a great deal.

But the 14,400 points toward the Southwest Companion Pass!  The Southwest Companion Pass is 1 of the best miles and point perks that Emily and I have.

Why? Because it allows a companion to fly for almost free wherever you travel on Southwest – on paid and award tickets.

Note:   If you aren’t trying to earn the Southwest Companion Pass, it might not be worth buying Wyndham points for the purpose of getting Southwest points.

That’s because you’re paying $450 to get $204 worth of Southwest points.  But the 14,400 Southwest Companion Pass points are worth the extra $246 ($450 cost to buy Wyndham points – $204 worth of Southwest points).

Buying Choice hotel points is a cheaper way to get the points needed for the Southwest Companion Pass.

B.   Hotel Stays

You can use Wyndham points at any Wyndham brand hotel:

• Baymont Inn
• Days Inn
• Hawthorne Suites
• Howard Johnson
• Knights Inn
• Microtel
• Ramada
• Super 8
• Travelodge
• Wingate
• Wyndham Hotels & Resorts
• Wyndham Gardens
• Wyndham Grand Collection

Buying points may be worth it for award stays but only in some limited cases.

One night at the Wyndham Koloa Landing at Poipu Beach Wyndham Grand Resort in Hawaii on August 29, 2014, costs 50,000 Wyndham points or ~$513.

You could buy 54,000 Wyndham points for $324 (14,000 Wyndham points for $84 and 40,000 Wyndham points for $240) and save $189 (~$513 cash price for 1 night – $324 cost of 54,000 Wyndham points).

And you’d save an extra 10% if you buy with your AMEX card, making your savings ~$221 (~$513 cash price for 1 night – $292 cost of 54,000 Wyndham points when you buy with your AMEX card).

But the Howard Johnson Inn San Diego Hotel Circle for the night of August 29, 2014, only costs 14,000 Wyndham points or ~$62.  You would pay $22 more if you bought 14,000 Wyndham points (14,000 Wyndham points for $84 –  ~$62 cash rate).

You should check the cash price of a hotel before you buy points because in some cases it’s cheaper to pay cash than to buy points.

2.  Hertz Points

You can buy Hertz points for 20 cents per point which is expensive.  But with the Daily Getaways you can buy Hertz points for ~3.6 to ~5.1 cents per points in 3 different packages:

• 1 Week Hertz Standard Vehicle Rental (5,500 Hertz points) for $280 ($252 With AMEX Card)
• 1 Weekend Hertz Prestige Collection Vehicle (13,200 Hertz Points) for $475 (~$428 With AMEX Card)
• 1 Week Hertz Prestige Collection Vehicle (16,500 Hertz Points) for $775 (~$698 With AMEX Card)

You don’t have to use the points as specified.  So you don’t have to rent a Hertz Prestige car if you bought 13,200 Hertz points.  You can just use the points to book a standard car rental.  But not all rental locations let you use points so call before you buy points.

So be sure to check to see if you can use the points for your car rental.  You might be better off paying cash with cheap car rentals or by using your Barclays Arrival card and getting 2.2% cash back.

Or you can use your Chase Ultimate Rewards points to save money on car rentals!

3.  Choice Points

You can buy Choice points for .41 to .54 cents per point in 4 different packages:

• 2 Nights at Cambria Suites for $165 (~$149 With AMEX Card) (40,000 Points)
• 3 Nights at Comfort Inn for $175 (~$158 With AMEX Card) (36,000 Points)
• 2 Nights at Comfort Suites for $132 (~$119 With AMEX Card) (32,000 Points)
• 2 Nights at Sleep Inn for $108 (~$97 With AMEX Card) (20,000 Points)

Choice normally sells points for 1.1 cents per point, which isn’t so great.  But with this deal, you’re buying Choice points for 0.41 to 0.54 cents per point.

For example, in the Cambria Suites deal, it costs $165 for 40,000 Choice points, which works out to 0.41 cents per point ($165 cost to buy points / 40,000 points).  And for 2 nights at the Sleep Inn, it costs $108 for 20,000 Choice points, or 0.54 cents per point ($108 cost to buy points / 20,000 points).

A.   Southwest Companion Pass

If you want to earn the the Southwest Companion Pass points, buying 20,000 Choice points for $108 is a good deal.  Choice points can be transferred to certain airlines, including Southwest.

Transferring 6,000 Choice points gets you 1,800 Southwest points.

Transfers are in increments of 6,000 Choice points, so you can transfer 18,000 Choice points to 5,400 Southwest points.  

Transferring 18,000 Choice points to Southwest gets you 5,400 points or ~$77 in Southwest travel (5,400 Southwest points X cents is the value of Southwest point).

And 5,400 points towards the Southwest Companion Pass!

This is cheaper than buying 75,000 Wyndham points for $450.

If you’re aren’t trying to earn the Southwest Companion Pass, you can use Choice points for hotel stays.

B. Hotel Stays

You can use Choice points at any Choice brand hotel:

• Ascend Collection
• Cambria Suites
• Clarion
• Comfort Inn
• Comfort Suites
• EconoLodge
• MainStay Suites
• Quality Inn
• Rodeway Inn
• Sleep Inn
• Suburban brand hotels

Buying points may be worth it for award stays, especially in high priced European cities!

One night at the Comfort Inn Times Square South Area in New York on August 29, 2014, costs 30,000 Choice points or ~$250.

You could buy 32,000 Choice points for $132 and save ~$118 (~$250 cash price for 1 night – $132 cost of 32,000 Choice points).

But the Rodeway Inn in Fallbrook, California for the night of September 12, 2014, only costs 16,000 Choice points or ~$50. You would pay $58 more if you bought 20,000 Choice points (20,000 Choice points for $108 – ~$50 cash rate).

4.   Save $25 on Car Rentals at Alamo

Link:   Daily Getaways Calendar

Link:   Save $25 on Alamo Car Rentals

You can buy a $50 gift certificate to Alamo car rental for $25.  And if you use your American Express card, you’ll get an additional 10% discount.

You can use the certificate on any Alamo car rental in the US.  But the booking has to be made directly through Alamo, not a 3rd party travel website.

You can buy as many as 3 gift certificates to get a total of $75 in savings.  The certificates can be used towards 1 rental, if you prefer.

If you use your American Express card, you’ll save 10% and pay ~$23.

Saving $25 on an Alamo car rental seems great deal, especially if you planned on renting from Alamo anyway.  But the discount is on the the rate BEFORE tax, so you’re not going to get the full $50 discount!

Prices will be different depending upon the date and location, so I can’t guarantee using this will always be a better deal.  So be careful!

4.   Hilton Points

The Hilton points offer could make sense if you need to top off your account or you’ll be using the points at inexpensive Hilton hotels.

You can buy Hilton points for 0.55 cents per point ($550 cost of points / 100,000 Hilton points) in 3 different packages:

• 100,000 Hilton Points for $550
• 150,000 Hilton Points for $825
• 250,000 Hilton Points for $1,375

You can transfer Hilton points to 40+ airlines, including Air New Zealand, Alaska, Cathay Pacific, Ethiad, Hawaiian, Lufthansa, Qantas, Singapore, and Thai.

However, Hilton points generally transfer to airline partners at a rate of 1,000 miles for every 10,000 Hilton points.  So you are paying 5.5 cents per mile which is a TERRIBLE value.

Unless you are topping off your account for an award, transferring Hilton points to airline miles is NOT a good deal.

However, you can get some value out of Hilton points – particularly at the lower tier Hilton hotels, like the Category 2 Doubletree by Hilton Hotel Beijing.  You can check how much 1 night at a Hilton hotel costs with the Hilton Search Tool.

There are Hilton hotels almost everywhere so it’s easy to use them at hotels like the Grand Wailea and the Hilton Bora Bora. 

Hilton reward nights start at 5,000 points a night, and the highest category costs up to 95,000 points per night. Here’s a link to the Hilton award chart.

But buying Hilton points instead of paying cash may cost you more for a top-tier hotel like the Conrad Hong Kong.  One night at the Conrad Hong Kong on November 8, 2014, costs 80,000 Hilton points or ~$458.

You would pay $92 more if you bought 100,000 Hilton points (100,000 Hilton points for $550 – ~$458 cash rate).

But do the math to see if buying points is cheaper than paying cash for a room.

Second Week Deals – May 26, 2014, to May 30, 2014

Here’s the list of offers for the second week.

1.   IHG Points

You can purchase IHG points at a discount on Monday, May 26, 2014.  You can buy up to 3 packages of IHG points, for a maximum of 300,000 points.

Rates vary from .63 to ~.67 cents per point, with the best rate for purchasing 100,000 IHG points.

• 15,000 Points for $100 at ~.67 cents per point ($100 cost of IHG points / 15,000 IHG points)
• 25,000 Points for $167 at ~.67 cents per point ($167 cost of IHG points / 25,000 IHG points)
• 50,000 Points for $325 at .65 cents per point ($325 cost of IHG points ÷ 50,000 IHG points)
• 100,000 Points for $630 at .63 cents per point ($630 cost of IHG points ÷ 100,00 IHG points)

IHG Rewards (formerly Priority Club) – includes Candlewood Suites, Crowne Plaza,  Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Hotel Indigo, Intercontinental Hotels & Resorts, and Staybridge Suites brand hotels.

IHG points can be transferred to certain airlines at a 1:5 ratio, but this is expensive and not a good deal.

Buying points could make sense if you use them for:

• PointBreaks where hotel nights start at 5,000 points
• In expensive cities such as New York, Paris, or Rome where hotels are expensive

For example, you could stay the night of October 11, 2014, at the InterContinental New York Times Square for 50,000 points or ~$576.

Buying 50,000 points for $325 and booking the same room with IHG points will save you ~$251 (~$576 hotel cost – $325 IHG point purchase cost).

And if you use an American Express card, you’ll save an extra 10% on the cost of the IHG points.  So you would save ~$283 (~$576 hotel cost – $325 IHG point purchase cost – ~$33 discount for using an American Express card that gets a 10% discount).

This is just 1 example, so do the math for your specific situation to see if buying points makes sense.

2.   Caesar’s Hotels Las Vegas

You can buy discounted Las Vegas travel packages from Caesar’s hotels.

A.   Harrah’s Las Vegas

You can buy a Harrah’s Las Vegas VIP package for $299.

If you were planning on staying in a mini-suite at Harrah’s Las Vegas, the $299 VIP package is a great value.

If you stayed at 2 nights on July 4, 2014, to July 6, 2014, you would save ~$546 (~$845 cost of room – $299 package) just on the room costs!  Plus you get 2 buffet passes, free internet, and roundtrip limo transfers.

Your exact savings will depend on your travel dates.

B.   Caesar’s Palace

You can buy a Caesars Palace Luxury Getaway for 2 for $1,540.

If you were planning on staying in a suite at Caesars Palace, the $1,540 Luxury Getaway package is a great value.  However, there are suite exclusions and the terms state the type of suite will depend on when you book.

This type of deal isn’t for me because I like to get Big Travel for Small Money.  But it could be worth it to you.  You should always do what’s comfortable for you.

C.   Caesars Palace Las Vegas

You can buy a Caesars Palace VIP Getaway for $465.

If you were planning on staying at Caesars Palace and want to take a gamble, the $465 VIP package might be worth it.  However, the terms state the type of room will depend on when you book and not all room types are included.

However, you may or may not save money depending on when you travel.

For example, if you spent 2 nights at Caesars Palace August 16, 2014, to August 18, 2014, it costs ~$317.  So you would save $148 paying cash instead of buying the package ($465 Caesars Palace VIP Getaway – $317 cash rate).

But if you stayed 2 nights at Caesars Palace on September 13, 2014 to September 15, 2014, you would pay ~$861.  So you would pay $396 more if you paid cash instead of buying the package ($861 cash rate – $465 Caesars Palace VIP Getaway).

C.   Experience Nobu Hotel at Caesars Palace

You can buy an Experience Nobu Hotel at Caesars Palace package for $590.

Like the Caesars Palace VIP Getaway, you might save money buying the package depending on when you travel.  But you could pay more.

D.   Paris Las Vegas

You can buy a Parisian Escape in Las Vegas for $350.

This could be worth buying if you wanted to stay at Paris Las Vegas.

If you stayed for 2 nights on July 4, 2014, to July 6, 2014, you would save ~$230 (~$580 cost of room – $350 package) just on the room costs!  Plus you get dinner for 2, $150 spa credit, champagne, and roundtrip limo transfers.

Your exact savings will depend on your travel dates.

3.   CityPass

You can buy discounted CityPass packages.

• Visit 4 of San Francisco’s top attractions for $86
• Visit 5 of Atlanta’s top attractions for $74
• Visit 5 of Chicago’s top attractions for $94
• Visit 5 of Seattle’s top attractions for $64
• Visit 6 top New York attractions for $109

This could be worth it if you:

• Wanted to see all the attractions in the package
• Have the time to try and buy a package.
• Are able to buy 1 of the few packages offered

Otherwise, it might not be worth it.

You should do the math and decide what’s best for you.

4.   Diamond Resorts

You can buy a 5 night stay at a Diamond Resorts International hotel for $600.

What I do NOT like is that the terms say you could end up in a motel instead.

So instead of spending 5 nights at the Kaanapali Beach Club in Maui, you might end up at the Best Western Pioneer Inn.

This probably will NOT happen but it IS in the fine print.

5.   SeaWorld and Busch Gardens

You can buy discounted admission tickets to SeaWorld and Busch Gardens.

• Visit any SeaWorld park for only $49
• Visit any Busch Gardens park for only $45

You would save money on SeaWorld Orlando, Busch Gardens Tampa, and Busch Gardens Williamsburg tickets.

However, you can buy a:

• single day SeaWorld San Antonio ticket for $50
• single day SeaWorld San Diego ticket for $64

So you can save a good amount of money if you’re buying multiple tickets.  For instance, it’s $92 for a full price ticket to SeaWorld Orlando.

But the San Antonio SeaWorld isn’t a good deal compared to the other locations.

Bottom Line

Some of the Daily Getaways over the next 2 weeks are good deals, but you’ve got to act quick because they sell out within minutes!  You get an extra 10% off when you use your American Express card.

The Wyndham points offer is a good deal if you need to earn Southwest Companion Pass points.  But it’s cheaper to buy Choice points if you want to transfer to Southwest for the Companion Pass.

And the Hilton points offer could make sense if you need to top off your account or you’ve crunched the numbers to make sure it works for you.

Buying IHG points could be cheaper than paying cash for a hotel.

But be sure to do the math to see if buying points makes sense for you.

Which Daily Getaways for weeks 1 and 2 interest you?