Daily Getaways Preview: First 3 Weeks of Deals Include Cheap Points, Hotel Stays, Theme Parks
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
There is a set of travel deals that only comes around once per year, and that time is just around the corner.
Monday, May 6, marks the beginning of the 10th annual Daily Getaways -- a multiweek promotion offering a new travel deal each Monday – Friday, starting at 1pm ET until June 4. For 2019, the US Travel Association has partnered with 20 travel providers to provide discounts up to 63% off the retail price.
Some of these offers are excellent and will sell out in a matter of seconds. However, other deals will likely linger unsold until the end of the promotion, just like in previous years. Some will fall in the middle of those two extremes.
To celebrate the 10th year of Daily Getaways, the US Travel Association is running a sweepstakes for "a $10,000 custom trip to a US destination of their choice." You'll get an entry for each deal you purchase -- or manual entry you mail in.
Daily Getaways has given TPG an early sneak peek of the first three weeks of deals a week before the deals actually go live. Let's see what's on offer this year during the first three weeks of the sale:
Points, Points, Points
Again this year, there are many points packages available. Some offer great value, others are mediocre. But, one thing's for sure: There are a ton of points for sale. In just the first two weeks, more than 789 million points are on the market. Here are the details:
- May 6: IHG Rewards Club points packages are priced at 0.5 cents each, which is the same number as the TPG valuation. This isn't as good of a deal as it's been in the past as IHG has devalued its points over the past few years and you can buy points for just 0.6 cents each through Points.com without having to go through Daily Getaways. However, it can be a good deal in some cases.
- May 8: 15,000 Wyndham points for $175. While this used to be good enough for one free night at any Wyndham property, Wyndham recently shifted from having a flat rate for all hotels to having three award tiers. Since there's not as much value in the program, we reduced our valuation of the program to 1.1 cents per point TPG valuation, and this deal is selling points at 1.17 cents each. So, this is only a good value if you can use these points for an especially good property.
- May 15: Choice Privileges points ranging from 0.48 to 0.57 cents per point versus 0.6 cents per point TPG valuation. A good deal that's likely to sell out quickly as in prior years.
- May 21: Best Western Rewards points for 0.55 cents per point versus 0.7 cents per point TPG valuation. A decent deal for those who know how to use these points.
Daily Getaways teased that Hilton is participating again this year, so we will likely see a Hilton buy points promotion in Week 4 or beyond. The typical offer is Hilton points for 0.5 cents each, but you can already buy Hilton points for 0.5 cents each through May 28.
Hotel Nights and Gift Cards
If you're looking for a discounted hotel stay or a discount on a gift card toward a future hotel stay, here are your options in the first three weeks of Daily Getaways:
- May 17: Two nights at select Loews properties from $275 with two nights in suites starting at $950
- May 22: Two nights at select Omni Hotels & Resorts from $160
- May 24: $1,000 Orbitz hotel promo code for $650. This offer is attention-grabbing and likely to sell out quickly, but always comes with severe restrictions.
Package Getaways
One major category of Daily Getaways again this year are hotel packages. These won't appeal to everyone, but for those looking for a getaway with minimal planning, these packages could be a good deal. Beware that these packages typically have blackout dates that cover most holidays. These packages are being offered on:
- May 7:
- $475 for a two-night getaway at New York-New York
- $500 for a four-night stay at the Luxor Hotel & Casino with a $400 dining credit and tickets to the Blue Man Group
- $1,545 for two nights in a Skyline Marquee Suite at MGM Grand
- $1,700 for three nights at Mandalay Bay with dinner, Michael Jackson ONE, a Cirque Du Soleil Show and more
- $1,750 for three nights at The Mirage, dinner for two, VIP seating to two shows and more
- May 14:
- $299 for two nights at Harrah's Las Vegas with airport limo transfers, buffet passes and more
- $400 for two nights at the Rio All-Suites Las Vegas Hotel & Casino with dining credits
- $450 for two nights at Harrah's Atlantic City with dinner and round-trip limo transfers
- $500 for two nights at Bally's
- $500 for a two-night Parisian Escape with Caesars Entertainment
- $1,400 for three nights in a suite at Caesars Palace with two show tickets, $200 dining credit, limo service and more
- May 20:
- $650 for three nights in a Piazza Suite at The Venetian Las Vegas
- $850 for three nights in a Siena Suite at The Palazzo at The Venetian Las Vegas
- May 23:
- $200 for a three-night stay at Circus Circus Hotel Casino and Theme Park with dining and Adventure Dome Day Pass for two people
- $500 for a four-night stay at Excalibur and see Tournament of Kings with a $400 dining credit
- $1,700 for a three-night stay at Aria with dinner for two and spa treatments
- $1,750 for a three-night stay at Park MGM with dinner, Cirque Du Soleil "O" Show and more
- $2,000 for a three-night stay in a Bellagio Suite with two tickets to "O" by Cirque Du Soleil, dinner and spa
Discounted Theme Park Tickets
Another staple of Daily Getaways are discounted tickets and vacation packages to theme parks. Here are the offers for 2019:
- May 10: $55 for any SeaWorld or Busch Gardens single-day admission
- May 10: $75 for Florida 2-Park Ticket (SeaWorld, Aquatica, Busch Gardens or Adventure Island)
- May 10: $195 for Discovery Cove Dolphin Swim Package
- May 13: $149 Universal Express Pass ticket (admission and express access to each ride and attraction and priority seating at select shows to Universal Studios Hollywood in California)
Rental Car Discounts
As in prior years, Avis and Alamo are participating in Daily Getaways, bringing what's become the standard offer for each:
- May 9: $50 Alamo certificate for $25
- May 16: $30 Avis one-day car rental
- May 16: $750 Avis President's Club Membership
As you consider whether or not to jump in this year's deals, know that in previous years, the purchases have coded as travel for the purposes of earning bonus points on your credit cards. This means 3 points per dollar on the Chase Sapphire Reserve or Citi Premier® Card. (We'll be sure to test this again next year and report back.) Stay tuned to TPG for detailed dives on the best deals in the 2019 Daily Getaways.
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