In this edition of Arts24, we meet award-winning actress Diane Kruger as she returns to French screens in HBO’s “Merteuil” or “The Seduction”, a bold reimagining of the novel “Dangerous Liaisons”. The German actress conquered Hollywood with “Troy” and “Inglorious Basterds”; now she returns to screens to explore a different kind of power, one that plays out in whispers, strategies and seduction in a candlelit 18th-century Paris. This new series sees Kruger play Madame De Rosemonde, a woman navigating the perilous games of patriarchy with cunning and elegance. The actress also tells us about returning to German cinema to explore some of the more complex questions surrounding World War II in Fatih Akin’s critically-acclaimed “Amrum”.
Los Angeles county officials are set to pull kratom and its synthetic extract, sometimes called 7-OH, from shelves immediately.
Inspectors will be sent to retailers next week to begin red-tagging illegal products containing the compounds, the L.A. County Department of Public Health said in a release Friday morning. Shops that don’t comply could be hit with fines or other penalties.
Kratom is an herbal extract from the leaves of Mitragyna speciosa, a tree native to Southeast Asia. It is sold in shops and online in a variety of forms, including powders, pills and liquid extracts. Brands selling kratom often make claims that it can address pain, anxiety and mood disorders.
Matthew Lowe, executive director of the Global Kratom Coalition, said natural kratom has been used in the U.S. for over 50 years to alleviate anxiety and treat chronic pain.
In the last few years, a more potent, synthetic version of kratom refined into its psychoactive compound 7-Hydroxymitragynine, or 7-OH, hit shelves across the U.S.
7-OH products are often marketed as “plant alkaloids,” drawing criticism from some, including Lowe, who argue the labeling is misleading, confusing consumers into thinking it’s the same as natural kratom.
When mixed with alcohol, medications or illicit drugs, the county health department warns, 7-OH products can “cause severe respiratory depression and death. Importantly, these products are unregulated and may contain unknown concentrations of 7-OH, increasing the risk of unintentional overdose.”
“Given that this is new and emerging substance, this is also since the medical examiner started tracking 7-OH data,” the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health told The Times via email. Since the county only just began tracking 7-OH in deaths in April of this year, it is unclear how many other overdoses could have occurred previously.
Alcohol was also found in all six individuals, so kratom and 7-OH’s exact role in their deaths remains unclear. The Times first requested the coroner’s report for the kratom-related deaths on Oct. 24, but the county has yet to release them.
“Kratom and 7-OH products are sold as natural remedies, but they are illegal and unsafe,” Dr. Muntu Davis, the county health officer said in the release. “They are sold in gas stations, smoke shops, online, and other retailers. People should avoid using these products, and store owners/operators must remove them immediately to prevent harm.”
Right now, consumers have no clarity on kratom, 7-OH, or any other metabolites, said Yaël Ossowski, deputy director of Consumer Choice Center, a nonprofit consumer advocacy group. “At any gas station or smoke shop, there’s the powder, the liquid extracts, and pills all offered at different doses, with different brands,” Ossowski said. “This obviously leads to consumer confusion and uninformed choices, incorrect dosing and likely bad experiences that smart regulation would avoid.”
The kratom and 7-OH market has grown largely because people want targeted pain relief and remedies for their ailments, “but don’t necessarily want to have the full effects of more powerful opioids that have a fuller effect on the body,” he said.
“Kratom has been successfully used for generations in other countries as an opioid alternative,” Ossowski said. But highly concentrated 7-OH products are a different beast altogether.
According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, kratom and 7-OH are not lawfully marketed in the U.S. as a drug product, a dietary supplement or an approved food additive.
California adopts federal law concerning food and dietary supplements, the California Department of Public Health told The Times via email.
“Until kratom and its pharmacologically active key ingredients mitragynine and 7-OH are approved for use, they will remain classified as adulterants in drugs, dietary supplements and foods,” a department spokesperson said.
The spokesperson added that the department has been conducting investigative work associated with kratom for the last two years and “continues to take appropriate action to protect the public against adulterated products containing kratom or 7-OH.”
“CDPH embargoes or destroys foods and dietary supplements within the state that are adulterated with kratom or 7-OH once they are identified during investigations; however, we do not comment on the specifics of ongoing investigations,” the spokesperson said.
7-OH producers have publicly defended their products in the face of lawsuits and FDA crackdowns, arguing it is a safer alternative to illicit opioids like fentanyl and has saved lives, not taken them.
Vince Sanders, founder and CEO of CBD American Shaman who helped develop an early 7-OH product, has said the attack on 7-OH is being led by companies selling natural kratom, who have had their market share overtaken by what he says is “a vastly superior product.”
The Kansas City businessman said a ban anywhere in the country would hurt people who have used 7-OH to treat substance abuse disorders or chronic pain and now rely on the product as an alternative to costly prescription medication.
“People that have changed their life using it are extremely concerned,” Sanders said. “They’re scared to death. I mean, there are people that … plan to pull money out of their 401K, or load up their credit cards, or whatever they’ve got to do to buy years and years of supply.”
He acknowledged that both kratom and 7-OH are frequently taken in higher doses than he recommends, but argued manufacturers and retailers should not be held accountable for those decisions. He compared it to alcohol: “You buy a 750-milliliter bottle, and if you go home and drink that entire bottle, and you do that every single night, is that your fault, or is that Jim Beams’ fault?”
Communities across the state have taken it upon themselves to act in the absence of state and federal regulation. Orange County and the cities of Newport Beach, San Diego and Oceanside have all prohibited the sale, distribution or possession of kratom. Riverside County is looking to deter the sale and marketing of kratom and 7-OH products to people under the age of 21.
Los Angeles County does not have its own regulatory ordinance for the products.
“I think that the local action is signaling intent. It’s saying to the state and [federal authorities], you need to do something about this,” Lowe said.
But outright prohibition bans could bring another host of issues including whether local enforcement of the ban will even happen, and the possibility that a black market for the products may arise, he said.
“You leave people without any options, so they either find alternative options or they just drive across city lines or county lines and and go get it themselves,” Lowe said. Indeed, kratom and 7-OH are widely available on online marketplaces.
A woman who attributed her brain fog to menopause and long working hours was diagnosed with two brain tumours. Elizabeth Murphy, 60, began having difficulty finding words, typing fluently, and spelling correctly – issues she had never experienced before.
Believing it was just menopausal brain fog and fatigue from lengthy court sessions through her work as a clerk, Elizabeth carried on. However, when she developed severe headaches and facial drooping, she sought help at Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton, Somerset, where doctors initially suspected a brain haemorrhage.
A late-night MRI revealed a meningioma, a type of brain tumour, and five months later, after waiting for specialists to respond, she was informed she had two brain tumours. The tumours are now being monitored with regular MRIs.
Elizabeth, from Taunton, said: “I thought it was the menopause. I was stuttering, struggling to find words and couldn’t type as fluently as I used to.
“But when my face dropped, my colleagues noticed and I went back. That’s when everything changed.
“When they said it was a tumour, I was in shock. We’d been told it was a bleed on the brain, so it came completely out of the blue.”
Elizabeth started experiencing symptoms in early 2025, but initially dismissed them. The crown court clerk was accustomed to long hours in court and attributed her brain fog to menopausal symptoms.
Elizabeth began questioning herself when she found it increasingly difficult to locate her words, type smoothly and spell correctly. However, when Elizabeth’s face began to sag on one side and the headache intensified, she opted to have it examined once more.
She was stunned when doctors discovered a tumour and even more astonished when she was informed it was actually two in March 2025.
Elizabeth said: “I went home and waited five months to hear from neurology. It was terrifying, I kept thinking, what if it’s growing?
“Then when I finally saw the specialist, they told me not only did I have one tumour, but actually two.”
Medical professionals recommended Elizabeth to “watch and wait,” as both tumours were non-cancerous and developing slowly, though she will now require frequent MRI scans to track the progression. This November, Brain Tumour Research is encouraging individuals to participate in the 99 Miles in November challenge, a fitness fundraising initiative to help discover a cure for brain tumours. Elizabeth is undertaking the challenge to support the charity funding the research that will eventually save lives.
“I’m grateful to be here and to be celebrating my 60th birthday,” she said. “I’ll be in Sri Lanka doing the first two weeks of Brain Tumour Research’s 99 Miles in November challenge, walking to raise vital money for research. I want others to have hope, but we need more funding and support for people like me who are left waiting and worrying.”
Letty Greenfield, community development manager at Brain Tumour Research, said: “Elizabeth’s story highlights how easily brain tumour symptoms can be mistaken for something else, from stress to menopause. Her experience shows why it’s so important to listen to your body and push for answers. We’re incredibly grateful to Elizabeth for sharing her story and taking part in our 99 Miles in November challenge.”
In Soviet times, Western observers would scrutinise video footage of state occasions, like military parades on Red Square, to try to learn more about Kremlin hierarchy.
Who was positioned closest to the leader? What did the body language say? Which officials were in and out of favour?
In some ways, not much has changed.
The footage present-day Kremlinologists are currently pouring over is from Wednesday’s landmark meeting of Russia’s Security Council, in which Vladimir Putin told his top officials to start drafting proposals for a possible nuclear weapons test.
It was an important moment. Not one you’d expect a trusted lieutenant to miss. But Sergei Lavrov, Russia’s veteran foreign minister, was conspicuously absent – the only permanent member of the Council not present.
According to the Russian business daily, Kommersant, his absence was “coordinated”.
Image: US President Donald Trump meets with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin in Alaska. Pic: AP
Image: Sergey Lavrov and Marco Rubio in Alaska. Pic: AP
That episode alone would have been enough to raise eyebrows.
But coupled with the selection of a more junior official to lead the Russian delegation at the upcoming G20 summit (a role Lavrov has filled in recent years) – well, that’s when questions get asked, namely: Has Moscow’s top diplomat been sidelined?
The question has grown loud enough to force the Kremlin into a denial, but it’s done little to quell speculation that Lavrov has fallen out of favour.
Image: Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov. File pic: Reuters
Rumours of a rift have been mounting since Donald Trump called off a planned summit with Putin in Budapest last month, following a phone call between Lavrov and US secretary of state Marco Rubio.
According to the Financial Times, it was Lavrov’s uncompromising stance that prompted the White House to put the summit on ice.
Conversations I had with diplomatic sources here at the time revealed a belief that Lavrov had either dropped the ball or gone off-script. Whether it was by accident or by design, his diplomacy (or lack of it) torpedoed the summit and seemingly set back a US-Russia rapprochement.
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September: Anyone downing aircraft in Russian airspace will ‘regret it’
That would’ve angered Putin, who is keen to engage with Washington, not only on Ukraine but on other issues, like nuclear arms control.
More importantly, perhaps, it made the Russian president appear weak – unable to control his foreign minister. And Putin is not a man who likes to be undermined.
Football fans will be familiar with Sir Alex Ferguson’s golden rule of management: Never let a player grow bigger than the club. Putin operates in a similar fashion. Loyalty is valued extremely highly.
Image: Lavrov meets with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif in 2015. Pic: Reuters
Image: North Korea’s Kim Jong Un and Lavrov meet in Pyongyang in 2023. Pic: AP
Image: Lavrov and Chinese counterpart Wang Yi meet in Indonesia in 2022. Pic: Reuters
If Lavrov has indeed been sidelined, it would be a very significant moment indeed. The 75-year-old has been the face of Russian diplomacy for more than two decades and effectively Putin’s right-hand man for most of the Kremlin leader’s rule.
Known for his abrasive style and acerbic putdowns, Lavrov has also been a vociferous cheerleader for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
And in the melee that immediately followed the presidents’ press statements at the summit, I remember racing over to Lavrov as he was leaving and yelling a question to him through the line of security guards.
He didn’t even turn. Instead, he just shouted back: “Who are you?”
It was typical of a diplomatic heavyweight, who’s known for not pulling his punches. But has that uncompromising approach finally taken its toll?
Julie Miller helps deliver frozen turkeys ahead of Thanksgiving. She is one of several volunteers helping the ABCD Allston/Brighton Neighborhood Opportunity Center in Boston. Demand there has spiked since SNAP benefits have lapsed, and some people looking for food assistance have to wait two weeks for help.
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Tovia Smith/NPR
BOSTON — November is peak season for food banks and pantries — in a normal year. But this year, since SNAP food assistance has lapsed for 42 million Americans, the pressure on pantries is next-level.
“Welcome to the madness,” says Operations Manager Elaina Schreckenberger, at the ABCD Allston/Brighton Neighborhood Opportunity Center Food Pantry, where staff are scrambling to keep up with the steady flow of people at the front door.
“It’s Turkey Day, so it’s chaotic,” she says. Staff at the Action for Boston Community Development pantry are handing out scores of frozen turkeys for Thanksgiving, though some of the people lined up here say they’re stretched so thin on food, they might end up eating their holiday dinner before the holiday.
“Maybe,” says Yenifer Burgos. “I have four kids.”
Wanda Concepcion, who can’t work because of a disability, is also worried about her next meal.
“I don’t know how to survive,” she says. “I don’t know how I’m going to do it. I’m trying my best.”
A neighborhood resident collects a turkey and a bag of food for the holiday from the ABCD Allston/Brighton Neighborhood Opportunity Center in Boston.
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As anxiety and demand have been mounting, staff at the ABCD pantry are already having to tell some people it’s a two-week wait to get food.
“It’s painful when someone comes in and we have to say, ‘I just don’t have anything for you today,’ ” says the pantry’s client advocate, Juliet Smith. “We’ve never had to do that before. Never.”
Food banks had already taken a hit earlier this year when the U.S. Department of Agriculture halted some $500 million in food deliveries. Pantries took another hit when the federal government shut down last month and many unpaid federal workers added to the demand for assistance. Now, on top of it all, the lapse in SNAP benefits this month is driving some to the breaking point.
“This is a totally different curveball,” says Andrea Cook, executive director of the Johnston Partnership, which runs a small pantry outside Des Moines, Iowa.
Every November, Cook says, her whole office is stacked high with cans and boxes of food. But this year, food is moving out at least as fast as it’s coming in.
“We’ve broken records every day we’ve been open so far in November, and yesterday was again our highest day we ever had,” she says.
To help manage the rush, they’re counting on volunteers, including board members. “They’re unloading food, sorting donations, they’re answering phones, making deliveries and doing the things that our staff just doesn’t have time to do right now.” Cook says.
“I would say the whole system is on the brink right now,” says Erin McAleer, who is president and CEO of Project Bread, a Massachusetts-based anti-hunger organization that also provides direct assistance programs.
The ABCD Allston/Brighton Neighborhood Opportunity Center in Boston gave away turkeys for Thanksgiving this year. Some recipients say they are so stretched on food, they might need to eat theirs before the holiday.
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Project Bread’s FoodSource Hotline, which refers people to places offering free food, has been getting four times its usual calls, McAleer says. And sometimes, there are no good answers.
“Just yesterday, some pantries reached out and said, ‘We can’t take any more people, so please slow down referrals. We can’t feed everybody.’ So I would say the levees are already starting to break,” McAleer says.
Several state and local governments have been stepping in to help fill funding shortfalls for food banks and pantries. New York, for example, declared a state of emergency and is sending $65 million to food banks and pantries. And California committed $80 million, plus National Guard resources to help with distribution.
Private donations are also up, says David Finke, CEO of Jewish Family and Career Services, an organization in Louisville, Ky., that serves people of all religions and backgrounds.
It’s enormously helpful, Finke says, but SNAP provides roughly nine times the volume of food assistance as the entire network of the nation’s nonprofit food banks, and even the most generous gifts cannot make up for SNAP reductions or delays.
“I’ll just give you a quick example. On Monday, almost 600 pounds of food was donated to us. … And that sounds great, except that we gave out almost 1,000 pounds of food,” Finke says. “This is not sustainable.”
Finke says he knows three nonprofits that expect to soon be unable to make payroll.
Jewish Family and Career Services is more financially stable, but Finke says he does worry that directing so much of his agency’s resources to the food crisis might end up jeopardizing some of the other important services they offer, like helping people get jobs or providing family and individual therapy.
“What services are we able to provide? What are we not able to provide? I don’t have an answer to that yet,” he says. “So that sort of adds to the fear and anxiety.”
And the frustration, which is already starting to show.
“At some point, you cannot count on the community to take over for what should be a government program,” says Judith Ingram, director of NW Community Food in Washington, D.C.
“We are nowhere close to shutting down, but at some point when the rubber meets the road, how much longer can a [private nonprofit organization] fill this need.”
Sarah Saadian, a senior vice president with the National Council of Nonprofits, put it more bluntly.
“Food banks are part of the puzzle,” she said, adding, “But they couldn’t possibly make up for the failure of the federal government.”
As a value and income investor, I’m always seeking under-valued shares offering generous dividend yields. For me, the UK stock market looks cheap, hence the FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 are my core hunting grounds for finding good businesses at fair prices.
Within the mid-cap FTSE 250, I found seven stocks offering dividend yields above 10% a year. However, I tend to steer clear of stocks with double-digit cash yields, as history teaches me that such high payouts often get slashed in troubled times.
Delightful dividends
I’m aware of two other problems when hunting for dividend shares. First, not all listed stocks pay dividends, though most FTSE 100 shares do. Second, future dividends are not guaranteed, so they can be cut or cancelled at short notice. This happened widely during the 2020/21 Covid-19 crisis.
Nevertheless, my family portfolio contains around two dozen FTSE 350 shares held for their lowly valuations and/or market-beating dividends. One of these is ITV (LSE: ITV) stock, bought in June 2022 for 68.7p a share. Alas, the price performance since then has been somewhat disappointing.
ITV shares slide
As I write, the ITV share price stands at 67p, valuing the UK’s leading terrestrial commercial broadcaster at £2.5bn. This is well below the 52-week high of 88.9p, hit on 25 July. Over one year, this stock is down 7.2%, while it has dropped by 14.7% over five years.
However, the above returns exclude dividends, which are very generous from this FTSE 250 firm. After recent price drops, ITV shares offer a juicy cash yield nearing 7.5% a year — one of the highest in the London market.
Now for the catch: this share trades on 14 times trailing earnings, delivering an earnings yield of 7.1% a year. In other words, the current cash payout is not covered by historic earnings, perhaps hinting at potential dividend cuts to come.
A recovery play?
From the above numbers, some investors might view ITV stock as a classic value trap. I can see why, but hope that it could be a long-term recovery play instead.
On Thursday, 6 November, ITV released a trading update for the first nine months of this year. For late 2025, the broadcaster expects advertising revenues to fall 9% year on year, hit by companies reining in spending before the UK Budget on 26 November. Christmas marketing campaigns usually make the fourth quarter ITV’s most profitable.
As a result, the group intends to cut costs by £35m to offset lower revenues. On a more positive note, total revenues rose 2% to £2.8bn in the first nine months of 2025. This was aided by digital advertising up 15% and an 11% hike at ITV Studios, its production arm.
Although ITV is a linear broadcaster in an on-demand and streaming world, its digital and studio arms are booming. Indeed, ITV Studios might attract takeover interest from a global media group seeking cheap content and distribution. Also, the FIFA World Cup finals in 2026 should deliver a big boost to revenues, as the Euros tournament did in 2024.
In summary, I have no interest in selling this FTSE 250 share at current price levels. That’s because my optimistic two-year price target is over 100p a share!
“Mad Men” alum Jon Hamm jumped at the opportunity to work with Taylor Sheridan and Billy Bob Thornton on “Landman,” with the actor playing the M-Tex oil tycoon Monty Miller throughout Season 1. Despite being excited to be part of a Sheridan ensemble, however, the experience wasn’t without minor drawbacks for the “Mad Men” star, as Hamm recalled in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
Hamm’s character had to contend with heart difficulties during “Landman” Season 1, and the emotional nature of the storyline was tough for the actor to deal with. Hamm said he was sad about having to say goodbye to his colleagues after Monty’s death, but he admitted that he wasn’t the biggest fan of what he had to go through to bring his character’s final scenes to life.
“Obviously, the particulars of the job in that case are a little difficult, given that you’ve got tubes and a bunch of gunk all up in you, but the rest of it is fun,” he said. “Who gets to be present at their own death, you know?”
Monty dies in the “Landman” Season 1 finale, so he won’t be back when the oil drama returns to Paramount+ for Season 2 on Sunday, Nov. 16. (Watch a trailer.) With the character out of the picture, his M-Tex oil company will be run by his wife, Cami Miller (played by Demi Moore), and closest associate, Tommy Norris (Thornton) — and Hamm said he believes that Monty’s absence from the series could lead to other characters getting better storylines moving forward.
Jon Hamm’s departure is good for Demi Moore’s Landman future
Paramount Network
Cami Miller’s lack of impact in “Landman” Season 1 can be chalked up to the writers not having any major storylines for the character — but that looks set to change in Season 2.
Now that she is the owner of M-Tex, Monty’s widow will feature in a more meaningful capacity in upcoming episodes. Hamm told THR that he expects Moore’s role will be upgraded, and he has some ideas regarding the creative direction Taylor Sheridan and series co-creator Christian Wallace might explore with her character.
“I think she probably has a lot of thoughts going through her head right now, and a lot of them have to do with how this life really hurt her family,” Hamm suggested. “You’ll get a grudge from things like that, for sure; you’ll hold a real grudge. I think that’s probably going to be what happens for her, but I’m not the guy who writes this. I think she’s probably pretty p***ed that her husband is gone and that her family is devastated.”
Each of the three main hotel loyalty programs – Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honors, and World of Hyatt – have their own version of a free night award certificate, which go by different names.
While free night certificates are not technically free since each one comes with an acquisition cost, they remain one of the most valuable benefits offered by hotel loyalty programs through co-branded credit card membership and/or completing stays at properties.
In this article, we’ll pit the free night certificates available through Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honors, and World of Hyatt against each other to determine which are the most powerful, as well as the opportunities and limitations that come with each one.
Which Hotel Free Night Certificates Are There?
Prior to diving into the analysis, let’s revisit the different types of certificates that are available in each program, and how to earn them in the first place.
Marriott Bonvoy
Marriott Bonvoy offers a few versions of Free Night Awards, which range in value depending on which avenue was used to acquire it.
Marriott Free Night Awards can be earned each year either by holding a Marriott Bonvoy co-branded credit card issued in Canada or the United States, or as an Annual Choice Benefit for earning Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Elite status.
In the US, there are five co-branded credit cards that offer Free Night Awards just for being a cardholder. These certificates are issued each year on the cardholder anniversary date, with the following values:
Furthermore, you can earn more Free Night Awards of various values by reaching an annual minimum spending threshold on the following US-issued co-branded credit cards:
As mentioned above, if you reach Titanium elite status in the Marriott Bonvoy program, you can choose a Free Night Award worth 40,000 points as your Marriott Bonvoy Annual Choice Benefit.
To put all this information together more clearly, we’ve created this chart to show the available Marriott Bonvoy Free Night Awards.
It’s worth noting that there are sometimes additional ways to earn Free Night Awards, such as through credit card welcome bonuses or promotions.
As with the Bonvoy program, Hilton’s Free Night Reward certificates can be earned through co-branded US-issued American Express credit cards; however, there is only one card that offers a certificate just for being a cardholder.
Earn Free Night Awards with Hilton Honors credit cards
You may also find Free Night Rewards included as part of a card’s welcome bonus, or through the occasional promotion.
World of Hyatt
As with the Marriott Bonvoy program and the Hilton Honors programs, a World of HyattFree Night Award can also be earned by signing up for a US-issued co-branded credit card.
The World of Hyatt Visa from Chase offers cardholders a Free Night Award valid at any Category 1–4 hotel or resort every year after their cardmember anniversary. The card also lets members earn a second Free Night Award of equivalent value upon spending $15,000 (USD) in a calendar year.
Redeem World of Hyatt Free Night Awards for free hotel stays
Once you’ve earned 30 qualifying nights or 50,000 base points, you’ll reach Explorist status within the World of Hyatt loyalty program, and you’ll also receive a Milestone Reward of one Free Night Award certificate valid at any Category 1–4 Hyatt hotel or resort.
If you make it to 60 qualifying nights or 100,000 base points, as well as at 100 nights, you’ll receive a Category 1–7 Free Night Award, and you’ll have earned Globalist status.
Upon reaching 150 nights in a calendar year, you’ll be bestowed with an Ultimate Free Night Award, which is valid at any Category 1–8 hotel, Category A–F all-inclusive resort, or Miraval resort.
Value of Each Free Night Certificate
Now that we’ve laid out the free night certificates that can be earned, let’s take a look at some estimated values for each of them.
The Marriott Bonvoy program offers four different Free Night Awards, worth 35,000, 40,000, 50,000, and 85,000 points, respectively.
We value Marriott Bonvoy points at 0.8 cents (CAD) or 0.6 cents (USD) apiece, which would give the above Free Night Awards the following values:
35,000 points = $280 (CAD) or $210 (USD)
40,000 points = $320 (CAD) or $240 (USD)
50,000 points = $400 (CAD) or $300 (USD)
85,000 points = $680 (CAD) or $510 (USD)
The Hilton HonorsFree Night Rewards are unique in that they have no limitation on the point/cash value for which they can be redeemed, as long as there’s Standard Room Reward availability. Standard Room Rewards cap out at 150,000 points per night, so you can use a Free Night Reward for a hotel that costs 5,000 points, or for one that costs 150,000 points per night.
This lack of an upper limitation means that a Hilton Free Night Reward can be used to book some very aspirational properties, such as the Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi (more on this later).
Hilton Honors Free Night Awards can be redeemed for exceptional value
We value Hilton Honors points at 0.7 cents (CAD) and 0.5 cents (USD) each, and at its maximum, we’d estimate that a Free Night Reward is worth $1,050 (CAD) or $750 (USD).
World of Hyatt has three types of Free Night Awards. The first is valid for Category 1–4 hotels, which has a value of up to 18,000 points, the second is valid for Category 1–7 hotels, which has a value of up to 35,000 points, and the third is valid for Category 1–8 hotels, Category A–F all-inclusive resorts, and Miraval resorts, which has a value of up to 72,000 points.
We value World of Hyatt points at 2 cents (CAD) or 1.5 cents (USD) each, giving the Free Night Award certificates the following maximum values when used at various properties:
Category 1–4, up to 18,000 points = $360 (CAD) or $270 (USD)
Category 1–7, up to 35,000 points = $700 (CAD) or $525 (USD)
Ultimate Night Award at Category 1–8 hotels, up to 45,000 points = $900 (CAD) or $675 (USD)
Ultimate Night Award at Category A–F all-inclusive resorts, up to 58,000 points = $1,160 (CAD) or $870 (USD)
Ultimate Night Award at Miraval resorts, up to 72,000 points = $1,440 (CAD) or $1,080 (USD)
In previous articles, when determining the value of a free night certificate, we’ve looked at the cost of acquiring the certificates in the first place, such as the cost of the annual fee or the required credit card/hotel spend.
Of the free night certificates being discussed, some are earned by simply holding a specific credit card and paying the annual fee for a year or two; however, some of the free night certificates can only be acquired through credit card spending or by reaching different loyalty program status levels and milestones.
In the latter cases, it’s much more difficult to determine the dollar value cost of acquiring the certificates.
Given that trying to nail down a dollar value comparison for the cost of acquiring each certificate is like comparing apples and oranges, we won’t try to do that here.
Instead, looking only at the points value of each certificate, we can see that the most valuable free night certificate based on our valuations is the Ultimate Night Award from World of Hyatt. However, it’s also extremely difficult to obtain, since you have to earn 150 elite qualifying nights each year to earn one.
If we put the Ultimate Night Award aside, then the Hilton Honors Free Night Reward comes out on top in terms of estimated value based on the maximum amount of points it can be used for.
The different certificates from Marriott Bonvoy and World of Hyatt represent fairly similar value in terms of straight valuations, with both programs offering lower-value certificates worth $280–400 (CAD) or $210–300 (USD), and higher-value certificates worth $680 (CAD)/$510 (USD) and $700 (CAD)/$525 (USD), respectively.
Limitations with Hotel Free Night Award Certificates
One of the most significant limitations that exists for earning hotel free night award certificates is the ability to access each one in the first place.
As mentioned above, most free night certificates can only be accessed by holding a co-branded credit card or by spending a significant amount of money on an annual fee and/or with the hotel brand.
Furthermore, the Hilton Honors and World of Hyatt co-branded credit cards are only available in the United States, making it more difficult for Canadians and other global citizens to access these certificates in the first place.
Another limitation is that most of the free night certificates from each of the three hotel loyalty programs expire 12 months after they’re issued, with some of the World of Hyatt Free Night Awards expiring six months after issue.
In terms of making an award booking, both Marriott Bonvoy and World of Hyatt let you use their online reservation systems for booking with Free Night Awards.
Comparatively, reservations using the Hilton Honors Free Night Reward can only be booked over the phone, making it more difficult to confirm redemption availability ahead of time.
In terms of value, the Hilton Honors certificate has no upper bound on Standard Room Rewards, making it very flexible and opening up access to some very impressive properties worldwide.
World of Hyatt uses fixed pricing that varies within a range based on whether the date of the booking falls within peak, standard, or off-peak times.
This is a straightforward structure, and has potential to be quite valuable if you’re looking to book a room during a peak time (e.g., New Year’s Eve, Mardi Gras), and you’re able to find an available standard room.
World of Hyatt uses fixed pricing for award bookings
The most limited program in this area is Marriott Bonvoy, which uses a dynamic pricing structure.
With dynamic pricing, the cost in points of a night’s stay can fluctuate considerably depending on the demand, but the upper limit value of the Free Night Award certificate doesn’t change to accommodate this.
This means that you may be able to book a room one night with a Free Night Award, but not the next if demand is high and the price has risen.
Keep in mind that Marriott Bonvoy lets you top up your Free Night Award with up to 15,000 points, meaning that a Free Night Award worth 35,000 points can be topped up to book a stay that costs up to 50,000 points, assuming you have the extra 15,000 points necessary to do so.
This option allows for some additional flexibility in terms of using a Free Night Award for a desired booking within the dynamic pricing structure.
Opportunities with Hotel Free Night Certificates
To best illustrate the value available with each of program’s free night certificates, let’s look at some examples of properties that are accessible with each.
Marriott Bonvoy
The best way to use a Marriott BonvoyFree Night Award is for a stay that has a high cash value and a redemption cost within the range of your certificate.
Based on our points valuations, we’d value a Free Night Award worth 35,000 points at $280. However, you can certainly get more value than that, perhaps for a night’s stay at the The Pearle Hotel & Spa, Autograph Collection, which could have a cash value of $400.
With a Marriott Bonvoy Free Night Award, you can also look at booking rooms that cost up to 15,000 points more than the certificate’s value by using the program’s option to top up the value using your own points balance.
For example, you could book the Moxy Halifax Downtown using a Free Night Award worth 35,000 points, and then add 2,000 points from your account, allowing to essentially exchange 37,000 points for a stay priced at $450 (CAD).
As previously mentioned, the Hilton Honors program has no upper limit in terms of the redemption value of Free Night Rewards, as long as you can find Standard Room Rewards.
This means that you can use a Free Night Reward to book some incredible experiences, including one of Hilton’s most expensive properties, the Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi.
Hilton’s Free Night Rewards are very powerful
Although it can take a fair bit of dedication to find Standard Room Rewards at this property and other top-tier hotels, if you’re able to be flexible and plan far enough ahead, a Free Night Reward can offset what would otherwise be a significant cost, especially if you can snag multiple nights in a row.
Hilton Free Night Rewards have great application closer to home, too. For example, you can use it to book a winter getaway at the Hilton Whistler Resort & Spa, which can have cash rates of over $800 (CAD) per night.
World of Hyatt
Since World of Hyatt uses fixed pricing for its award redemptions, a Free Night Award can come in handy for booking in peak seasons and during events when the cash price of rooms is elevated.
For example, a Category 1–4 World of Hyatt Free Night Award could be used to book a night at the Hyatt Centric French Quarter during Mardi Gras, which would otherwise cost $382 (USD).
The World of Hyatt certificates are also valuable for hotels that are generally more expensive due to their location. Since the certificate is based on categories, as long as you can find a standard room in a hotel of the right category, you should be able to book using a Free Night Award.
For example, a Free Night Award could be used to book a night at the Hyatt Place Anchorage-Midtown in Anchorage, Alaska on July long weekend.
In this case, the Free Night Award could be redeemed against a standard room cash cost of $444 (USD), which is considerably higher than our $270 (USD) valuation of the 18,000 World of Hyatt points that the redemption is listed at.
Of course, the Category 1–7 Free Night Award and Ultimate Night Award can unlock even more valuable stays at higher-end properties, which could bump up the value even higher.
Which Free Night Certificate is the Most Powerful?
The question of which free night certificate is the most powerful is a bit complicated to answer.
Given that accessing each free night certificate comes with a different set of requirements, and each certificate has different limitations and opportunities, it’s difficult to suggest that there is an unquestionable winner in this arena.
In terms of dollar value, the World of Hyatt Ultimate Night Award has the most potential; however, it also has the highest barrier to acquisition, and is far out of reach for most people.
On the other hand, the Hilton HonorsFree Night Reward is easily accessible and has the potential to unlock excellent value. For many, it’s a good enough reason to pay the $550 (USD) annual fee on the Hilton Honors Aspire Card every year, since you can use it to book hotels that cost much more.
It also has the added benefit of being earned as soon as you become a cardholder, whereas the Free Night Awards acquired through the other co-branded credit cards are not earned until the second year of card membership.
As potential runner-up for the most powerful certificate, the Marriott BonvoyFree Night Award worth 85,000 points also strikes a nice balance of a high redemption value and ease of acquisition through a co-branded credit card; however, it’s not awarded until the second year of card membership, meaning you’ll have to pay the annual fee twice before enjoying the perk.
Redeem a Marriott Bonvoy Free Night Award at aspirational properties
The World of Hyatt Category 1–7 Free Night Reward has a high redemption value, but it’s only acquired after earning 60 qualifying nights or 100,000 base points at Hyatt properties, making it out of reach for many.
On the whole, Marriott Bonvoy has the most Free Night Awards, and they’re also the easiest to access, so there’s value to be found there, too.
In an ideal world, you’d be able to leverage as many free nights through credit cards and status each year across multiple programs, maximizing at every step along the way.
Conclusion
Free night certificates are excellent perks offered through co-branded credit cards and through completing qualifying stays at major hotel chains. Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honors, and World of Hyatt offer their own versions, each with their respective strengths and weaknesses.
The most powerful free night certificate is ultimately the one that you’re able to access and make use of, and this can differ quite a bit from person to person depending on your spending habits, your loyalty to a specific hotel brand, and where in the world you’re based.
With a bit of planning and strategic use, you should be able to squeeze outsized value out of any free night certificate, which often justifies the effort or cost required to earn it in the first place.
Even during the government shutdown, some student loan borrowers have been notified that they are eligible for debt cancellation – and there are several steps they should take to safeguard their finances.
It was part of an agreement with the American Federation of Teachers – which represents 1.8 million members including teachers, healthcare employees and public workers – after the union sued the White House.
Last month, the Trump administration agreed to restart loan forgiveness for some borrowers. Yurii Kibalnik – stock.adobe.com
Though the government shutdown – officially the longest in US history – entered its 38th full day on Friday, some borrowers have started to receive notifications that they are eligible for student loan forgiveness.
Experts are urging borrowers to save these debt cancellation notices with the date, in case they are wrongly taxed, according to a CNBC report.
In its agreement last month, the White House confirmed that borrowers who become eligible for student loan forgiveness this year will not owe federal taxes on the relief.
Borrowers whose debt is cancelled early next year also will not be taxed on the forgiven amount, to cover any delays between when someone becomes eligible for the relief and when their balance is wiped clean.
But it’s always important to keep a dated notification of your eligibility in case you incorrectly receive an IRS tax form for the loans.
Meanwhile, if you become eligible for student loan forgiveness later in 2026, you will have to pay federal taxes. These borrowers will receive an IRS Form 1099-C showing the forgiven amount that will be taxed as if it’s regular income.
Borrowers who anticipate having their balance forgiven next year should start saving up for that tax payment, which can run up thousands of dollars.
However, they can also ask to set up a plan through the IRS, so they don’t have to make all their payments in one lump sum, or even ask to reduce or eliminate the federal tax bill due to financial hardship, experts told CNBC.
President Trump and Education Secretary Linda McMahon after signing an executive order. REUTERS
Depending on your home state, borrowers might also owe state taxes on the cancelled debt if they become eligible in 2026 or later.
Most importantly, experts advised borrowers to keep stringent records of their debt cancellation, in case your loan servicer makes a mistake and restores the debt to your name.
Information on your account status can be found at studentaid.gov or with your loan servicer.
You should also contact your loan servicer if your credit score does not reflect the cancelled debt within a few months.
Experts are urging borrowers to save debt cancellation notices, with the date, in case they are wrongly taxed. Tada Images – stock.adobe.com
Borrowers who made payments after they became eligible for debt cancellation might be owed a refund. In this case, you should check with the Department of Education or your loan servicer.
Experts also told CNBC that borrowers who receive loan forgiveness should use the new boost in discretionary income wisely, allocating that extra monthly cash to build up an emergency fund or work toward financial goals.
More than 40 million Americans hold student loans, with the outstanding debt exceeding $1.6 trillion.
The Issue: The current government shutdown in its 37th day, now the longest in American history.
What a disgrace Congress is. Sen. Chuck Schumer should be ashamed of himself, along with all the others who allow this shutdown to continue (“Democrats’ Shutdown Cruelty,” Editorial, Nov. 5).
Myself and many other Americans are all in favor of withholding salaries for members of Congress.
How dare they do this while sitting on their duffs, taking money for doing nothing?
The holiday season is upon us.
Families will suffer if these politicians don’t do their jobs.
The Democratic Party has become a joke; fix yourselves.
Maureen Sharkey
Brooklyn
What we are witnessing now is the downside of our democracy in action.
Members of Congress are deadlocked in a partisan struggle, while we face a serious threat to our lives and property.
While each side is waiting for the other to blink first, people are scrambling to put food on the table, and dealing with safety and health care concerns as well.
Meanwhile, not a member of Congress will miss a paycheck or a meal.
This is utter insanity.
Phil Serpico
Queens
Both parties, Republican and Democratic, are to blame for the government shutdown.
These politicians all care more about their cushy, perk-filled positions than the American people.
Let the American people vote for or against term limits of both House and Senate members.
These selfish politicians only vote along party lines to protect their jobs, not the citizens of this country.
The filibuster should remain.
Pundits continue to argue their case for or against a shutdown, but until term limits are implemented, the madness will continue.
Stop the stupidity.
Don Whitman
Cross River
Despite Rep. Hakeem Jeffries’ assertion that it’s President Trump and the Republicans who’ve shut down the government, anyone with half a brain knows that it’s the Democrats who have voted against the continuing resolution 14 times.
Nothing really changed with the CR, except now the Democrats seem to want the government shutdown as some form of political extortion.
Harold Fishman
Manhattan
Here we are, more than 30 days into this ridiculous government shutdown, with no end in sight.
I think the air traffic controllers who are working without pay are the key to ending this.
They should go on a nationwide sick leave.
A complete grounding of aircraft across the country would be mighty critical, after all, as US legislators fly quite frequently.
Not only that, but at this time of year, college football and NFL teams all fly for their upcoming games.
Imagine the nationwide response this would have.
This could force the re-opening of the government.
Tom Garvie
Harrisburg, Pa.
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If the rules changed and nobody working for the government, including members of Congress, collected their pay during a shutdown, Schumer and his friends would run to reopen the government.
They don’t care about the essential workers like air traffic controllers or the military.
But I bet if you stopped their incomes, there wouldn’t be a shutdown ever again.
Veronica Kwiecinski
Maspeth
The Democrats shaking down the Republicans and the American people for money is nothing less than thuggery.
These are mob tactics, but I would wager that even the Mafia has more class than to do what the Democrats are doing.
It’s time to call the government shutdown what it really is: A government “shakedown” for money by the Democratic Party.
Fred Whitney
Morris, Minn.
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