Daily Getaways Offers

The Just Another Points Traveler blog wrote a post about the Daily Getaway specials posted by the U.S. Travel Association and American Express. I have never heard of these yearly specials, much less the U.S. Travel Association, but now I have been enlightened. And I am super excited about them! There is one special that I am particularly excited about and I'll let you know if I get it. In the meantime, let's do some math on some of the offers.

Week 1: May 20
Hertz Offers
I really like Hertz because, unlike other rental car companies, they have a points-based program versus issuing award certificates. For me, my award certificates always expire before I can use them so I appreciate the points-based program for its flexibility. (The points are valid as long as you have program activity within the last 24 months.)

On the deals website, the Hertz offers have prices listed alongside a type of vehicle and rental period. Ignore the type of vehicle and rental period parts. These offers are really about buying points in the program. Here are the prices:

$280 for 5,500 points
$475 for 13,200 points
$775 for 16,500 points

If you pay with American Express, then you get a 10% discount on top of these deals! Here are the new prices with the discount:

$252 for 5,500 = 21.83 points per $
$427.50 for 13,200 = 30.88 points per $
$697.50 for 16,500 = 23.66 points $

I did a points per dollar analysis and found that the offers have very different values. As you can see above, the middle option for $427.50 is actually the best offer.

Week 3: June 4
Hyatt Offers
Just like the Hertz offers, the offer prices are listed with suggested experiences but you can ignore that. These offers are again about buying points in the program. Here are the prices and the points per dollar comparison (without the 10% discount):

$260 for 24,000 = 92.3 points per $
$415 for 40,000 = 96.4 points per $
$775 for 72,000 = 92.9 points per $
$330 for 30,000 = 90.9 points per $

So the $415 offer ($373.5 with 10% AMEX discount) is the best offer for your money. Of course, if you have a specific number of points in mind for a trip, then go for what works for you. In the T&Cs, you are only allowed to purchase one of each. If you plan to purchase more than one offer, some combinations are better than others. If you want to buy points for the sake of stockpiling some for the future (like me), then I'd suggest the $415 deal.

Week 5: June 17
Club Carlson Offers
You can read all about how awesome award redemptions are with the Club Carlson credit card on the Just Another Points Traveler blog but here I want to point out that the cheaper offer is the better deal.

$247 for 50,000 points
$495 for 100,000 points

If you just want 100,000 points, instead of purchasing one quantity of the $495 offer, you should try for two quantities of the $247 offer. Here is the math:

$247 * 2 = $494 for 100,000 points
$1 cheaper! Not much savings but still it's the principle. In the T&Cs, you are allowed to buy two of each.


Unfortunately, I don't have the time or desire to do the math on all the offers. But the goal of this post was to a) let you know about these awesome deals and b) help you understand that some offers are better than others. Let me know if you purchase any of the deals!