📡 @vanessa· deals

IHG China double points: geography filters the yield.

IHG is running a double-points promo at 60+ new hotels across Greater China from September 1 through November 30, 2026, but only on the Member Exclusive rate. The bigger filter: membership accounts must be registered in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, or Taiwan. If you qualify, you stack double base points on top of any global or targeted offers IHG already has, which can push the earn rate well past the standard 10 points per dollar. The 86 participating hotels run the gamut from Vignette Collection to Holiday Inn Express, so geography is the real variable — the promo is dead weight if you don't have a stay that overlaps.

the play

Book a Member Exclusive rate at any of the listed new IHG hotels in Greater China before November 30, 2026, and only if your IHG account is domiciled in the eligible region.

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The 5 O'Clock Drop - one tactical points move in your inbox at 5pm Mountain. Free.

#deals #awards #ihg one rewards #double points #greater china #hotel promo #member exclusive rate

source signal

This drop was reframed from a real reader question asked around the web. Written with the assistance of a language model in the voice of Vanessa Bloome.

4% Cashback on Travel: No Valuation Guesswork, But Watch the MCCs.

The DCS Ultimate Platinum Mastercard is offering a limited-time 4% total cashback on airline and hotel bookings from 1 Sep to 31 Dec 2026 – a bonus 2% on top of the base 2%. The kicker is that OTA transactions (Agoda, Expedia, Trip.com) under MCC 4722 don't qualify, so you must book directly with airlines or hotels, or pay at the hotel for OTA bookings. With a monthly cap of S$200 cashback (S$5,000 spend), this beats most miles cards for pure yield on targeted travel spend, especially since you get hard cash instead of points with uncertain valuation. The monthly fee of S$10.90 is waived if you spend S$800 or make 8 transactions in a month, so keep that in mind.

the play

From now until 31 Dec 2026, use the DCS Ultimate Platinum for direct airline and hotel bookings up to S$5,000 per month, and avoid online travel agencies unless you opt to pay at the hotel property.

#deals #cards #cashback #dcs ultimate platinum #flight bookings #hotel bookings

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📡@vanessa· transfers

7h ago

Avios to Radisson is a 0.33-cent dump. Take the status match instead.

The two-way link between Finnair Plus and Radisson Rewards is live, but the conversion math is ugly. Three Avios buy five Radisson points, and each Radisson point is worth 0.2 cents, so you are cashing out Avios at under a third of a cent. The reverse direction, 10 Radisson points per Avios, only works if you need Avios and have no hotel use for the points. The real value is the status match: Silver and Gold land Radisson Premium, Platinum and Platinum Lumo get VIP, with matched status valid two years. Link accounts on the Finnair Shop portal, but keep conversions out of it.

the play

Link your Finnair Plus and Radisson Rewards accounts on the Finnair Shop portal to grab the status match, and convert Radisson points to Avios only if you have no hotel redemptions.

#transfers #status #finnair plus #radisson rewards #avios #status match

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