✈️ TRENDING TRAVEL NEWS ✈️
• Last Call: Our Daily Drop Pro Labor Sale is going, going, almost gone — save $50 off your first year and try the new and improved points search for yourself.
• Class in Session: Join us this Thursday, Sept. 10th for Miles and Points 101 at 3 pm ET — register and get the recording after the webinar is over too!
• Upgraded: This airline just upped the game with new world-class premium economy seats for improved comfort for middle-tier passengers.
• Offer Ending Soon: If you’ve been eyeing this business card (or its cousin), now’s the time — and we’ll update you when we get the official end date too.
Good morning! Mike’s on vacation this week, so the team is subbing in. This morning, you’ve got April again. Aren’t you lucky?
If you’ve got a little hitch in your giddy-up after a long holiday weekend, welcome to the club. I’m having a hard time getting going this morning, but here goes nothing!
🤓 Travel Trivia
What continent is home to the only place where four countries meet at a single point? |
Keep reading for the answer down below! 👇
👶 Atmos Rewards just made flying with a baby dramatically cheaper
If you have ever priced an award ticket with a baby on your lap, you know exactly where it falls apart. You find the business class seat for 45,000 points, you feel like a genius, and then the airline mentions that your fourteen-month-old owes ten percent of the cash fare. On a $3,000 one-way, that’s $300 for a passenger who gets no seat, eats nothing, and will spend the flight chewing on their binky. 🤦♀️
But Atmos Rewards, the combined program for Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines, just changed the game. 👇
On long-haul international award bookings through Atmos Rewards, lap infants now pay only the applicable government taxes. No points, no percentage of anyone's fare. 👏
(A lap infant is a passenger under two years old on every travel date of the trip who is not occupying a seat. They already flew free on Alaska-operated domestic awards.)
The requirement is that the ticket be issued by Alaska or Hawaiian Airlines, and that includes partner-operated flights. British Airways, Japan Airlines, American, Icelandair and Starlux are all in play.
Two important notes. You must call to add the infant (you can’t add them online). And if you pay cash instead of redeeming, the ten percent is still there, which is a pretty… odd… incentive structure that happens to work in your favor.
Where the points come from: Atmos Rewards transfers from very few programs. Bilt Points transfer at 1:1, and among the major transferable partners that is essentially the only route in. So if a family trip abroad with infants is anywhere on your 2027 calendar, I’d start earning Atmos rewards now.
🏠 Double elite nights on Homes & Villas, Thanksgiving included
Marriott Bonvoy is running double elite night credits on Homes & Villas bookings, which is the kind of promotion that either does nothing for you or solves your entire status year.
Book by September 30, complete the stay between September 3 and December 15, and every eligible paid night earns a bonus elite night credit on top of the standard one. A four-night stay becomes eight nights toward status.
The fine print is real. You need two or more consecutive nights at the same property, at least $1,750 in cash spend, and you have to register on the promotion page before you book. Award stays are excluded.
The Thanksgiving window is where this gets interesting. Stays during November 21 through 30 (my writing team’s new favorite week ever) earn the double elite nights and 2x bonus points on cash spend.
Which might come in handy if you don’t want to host everyone at your house, and you want them to help with all the cooking! 😏
For example, I might drag my extended family here so we could shop at Jungle Jim’s for the ultimate Thanksgiving Feast.
If you’d like to up your Marriott status, this is the card I'd read up on first (it automatically comes with Silver elite status); our review has the full breakdown before you commit to anything.
🛳️ Semi-annual Virgin cruise sale
I’m going on my first cruise later this year, so I’m not sure if I’m a cruise girlie or not. But if YOU love cruises, Virgin is having their semi-annual sale right now.
Daniel and I were just chatting about wanting to do a transatlantic cruise, and I am absolutely going to share this amazing deal with him:
This price is for a cruise departing in April 2027; other dates may be more.
As you can see, that’s for an inside cabin, the cheapest fare type. However, even sea view and terrace rooms are also incredibly cheap:
So if a cruise has been on your wishlist for 2027… time to lock it in. 💪
Virgin Red is one of the only transferable points programs that allows you to book cruises directly with points, however not all cruises are eligible, and the points pricing can get pretty crazy. You’re generally better off grabbing sale fares with cash.
If you want to pay for your cruise with miles, you’re not out of luck though. Just use a card like the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, which allows you to use your miles to reimburse yourself for travel purchases made 90 days after the fact.
Anyway, we know that y’all are interested in hearing more about how to save money on your cruise journeys (a lot of you have cruises booked!) so watch this space for more info. 👀
🌐 Travel Trivia Reveal
Earlier in the newsletter, we asked you to guess where four countries meet.
If you guessed Africa… you’re right! 🏅
Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Namibia meet at the Kazungula Quadripoint AKA the “Four Corners of Africa.” The point is located in the Zambezi River, and unsurprisingly, it’s been a somewhat disputed border. Building a common bridge took a hot minute to agree on, apparently. 🤷♀️
Geopolitics aside, the area is best known for one of the seven natural wonders of the world, the spectacular Victoria Falls (just 46 miles away):
Photo by Sammy Wong on Unsplash
The region has so much natural beauty to offer, including national parks with plenty of epic landscapes and safari opportunities. Herds of elephants. Hippos and crocs splashing in the water. All the birds (over 450 species, to be exact). They’re all here. 🐊
If you’re looking to visit this corner of the world on points and miles, there aren’t a ton of options. Actually, there’s just one option nearby: the Protea Hotel Livingstone, a Marriott property just 7 miles away from Victoria Falls.
Although, some good news: Hyatt is set to open a Grand Hyatt in Victoria Falls in 2027, so keep an eye on that if you’re interested. 👁️
Alright guys, those are three pretty cool things that made travel cheaper instead of worse. And after a three-day weekend, I'll take it.
I need more coffee.
See you tomorrow!
- April
With contributions by Sam Anthony and Katie Begnoche.
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