The Daily Getaways is sponsored by the US Travel Association and offers a number of travel related deals each year. Week 3 of the 2018 Daily Getaways offers Best Western Rewards points,  Loews and Caesars hotel packages and discounts for Alamo Car Rentals and Universal Orlando. Find out my take on these deals and whether you should strike or pass!

As every year, the deals are released on a daily schedule and some of the best deals sell out very quickly, so it pays to mark your calendar for the deals you are interested in. Week 3 looks like this:

On Monday, you can score a 50% discount on Alamo Car Rentals. You can purchase up to 3 $50 certificates for $25 each, valid at participating rental locations in the US against the base rate of any rental category, not including taxes and fees. This is a good deal as it has few restrictions! As long as Alamo has competitive rates for your dates & destination, this is a winner!

Loews Hotels returns in 2018 with 6 hotel packages similar to last year, offering to purchase vouchers for 2 nights in one of their hotels with varying prices depending on location and category, valid for 1 year. The vouchers have limited availability and there are blackout-dates by property that are not published, so it’s a bit of a gamble to purchase these packages and hope to get a room at the property and dates you want. If you travel to these destinations frequently and have more than one chance to use the voucher, it can be a good idea, otherwise I recommend caution!

On April 25, 2018 you can purchase various hotel packages from Caesars Entertainment for their casinos, like the Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. The packages include rooms or suites and various add-ons, like show tickets or airport transportation, so make sure you need all that and it’s good value for the days you are traveling – prices in Las Vegas vary greatly!

Thursday brings the probably best deal of the week, with 10,000 Best Western Rewards points for $55. I value Best Western points at 0.6 cents/point, so you get about a 10% discount on average. But you can get much better redemptions, if you are flexible and willing to look. I stayed at the Cartwright Hotel San Francisco for 10,000 points – about a 50% discount at this point price! As with other point purchases, I don’t recommend to buy points without a specific redemption (and value!) in mind – points are likely to be worth less next year than they are today!

 

 

The week ends with packages for Universal Orlando theme park tickets and packages with various values and inclusions. Tickets are valid through May 24, 2019 and you need to schedule your dates at least 2 weeks in advance. 

Bottomline: The Best Western Rewards points are on my list, but likely to sell out quickly, so I recommend to set an alert for them. I’m also contemplating the Loews Resort packages, but am hesitating due to the restriction and lack of transparency about blackout dates and availability! If any of the tickets or packages work for you, make sure to check regular prices for your dates and destinations to ensure you do get a good deal in return for the restrictions! You can find all the details and buy the Daily Getaways Deals here!

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