You can stretch your hotel points further than you might think. Marriott Bonvoy and Hilton Honors can both give you a free fifth night when you book five consecutive nights with points. The one caveat is that Hilton requires elite status to unlock the perk, but that’s pretty easy to get. IHG takes a slightly different approach, giving eligible cardholders a free fourth night.

If you’re under 25, there’s another easy way to save. Rental car companies often charge young-driver fees, but AAA members ages 20 to 24 can have that fee waived on qualifying Hertz rentals. We’ll explain how to get the benefit and a couple of other ways to save on your next rental.

And to round things out, a popular cash-back card just got some useful new travel benefits, including no foreign transaction fees, elevated value on select hotel bookings and a limited-time welcome offer.

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The fifth night of your hotel stay might be the cheapest one you book. And if you’re under 25, you could be wasting money on extra fees when renting a car.

This is your Wednesday travel update from Departure Digest. We’ve got a few easy ways to save on hotels and rental cars, plus a popular cash back card that just got a travel glow-up.

Let’s start with hotel points, because some of these free-night benefits are way less complicated than they sound.

A few major hotel programs will basically give you an extra night when you book enough consecutive nights with points.

With Marriott Bonvoy, everyone gets the benefit. Book five consecutive nights with points in one reservation, and the cheapest night in that stay is automatically free.

Hilton works similarly, with one small difference. You need Hilton Silver status or higher. Once you have that, book five or more consecutive nights entirely with points at a standard room reward rate, and every fifth night is free.

Luckily, getting Hilton Silver status is super easy. For example, the no-annual-fee Hilton Honors card comes with Silver status automatically.

IHG takes it one step further. With one of its co-branded credit cards, you can get your fourth night free when you book four or more consecutive nights with points.

The important thing across these programs is that you must be using points for the stay. These benefits don’t apply to regular paid nights, and they aren’t free-night certificates you can save for later.

So if you’re booking a hotel with points, check whether you qualify for one of these benefits before you book. I’m all for getting the extra night when it costs me nothing.

I’ve definitely had trips where I only needed four nights, but if I’m booking with points, I’ll still check the price for five.

If that fifth night doesn’t cost me any extra points, I’m booking it.

I basically think of it as buying myself more time at the hotel. Maybe I use the room for the extra night, or it gives me more flexibility with check-in and checkout. Either way, if the hotel wants to give me another night for zero points, I’m not turning it down.

Speaking of fees I refuse to pay, let’s talk about renting a car when you’re under 25.

Rental car companies often charge an extra fee for younger drivers, and it can add up quickly.

For example, Hertz can charge up to $25 a day for drivers under 25. On a five-day rental, that’s around $125 just for being young.

But AAA members between 20 and 24 can have that fee waived when renting with Hertz.

This was my go-to move in college. I had AAA, I’d book Hertz, and I didn’t have to worry about the young-driver fee. It’s a pretty easy win if you qualify.

And before you pay for a AAA membership, see if you already get it through something else. T-Mobile, for example, offers a free year of AAA with eligible plans. Alternatively, your parents might be able to add you to their membership.

Even if you don’t get it for free, you don’t need to own a car to get value from AAA. In addition to the Hertz benefits, you can get some nice discounts at hotels through your membership.

So even if you’re not a car owner, AAA can still be worth considering.

Once you’ve dealt with the young-driver fee, see if your credit card gives you rental car elite status.

Several premium travel cards offer automatic status with rental companies like Hertz, National and Avis. Depending on the program, that can mean things like skipping the counter or getting a better car when available.

You usually have to enroll first, so check your card’s benefits before your next rental.

I’ve gotten some pretty fun rental car upgrades through credit card status, so this is definitely worth looking into.

And one more rental car pro tip: if you have a credit card that offers primary rental car insurance, use that card to pay for the rental.

It could mean you don’t need to buy the rental company’s coverage, depending on the card’s terms.

Okay, before I let you go, a quick piece of credit card news.

A popular cash back card just got a travel glow-up.

[The card] now has no foreign transaction fees, so you can use it abroad without that extra charge.

[Its cardmembers] can also access [points bonus offers] on select hotel bookings through [the bank’s travel portal], which means your points can be worth more when redeemed at eligible hotels.

And new cardmembers are getting an elevated welcome offer, too.

That fifth hotel night might cost you zero points. Your rental car fee might already be waived. And the credit card sitting in your wallet might have benefits you haven’t even enrolled in yet.

It sounds simple, but check what you already have before you start paying for more.

Talk to you later.