✈️ A travel king is dethroned

Estimated read time: 4 minutes and 23 seconds

Good morning and welcome to this exciting rendition of Daily Drop… but not as exciting as tomorrow’s rendition, because I have a verrrrrry special announcement to share with you all…

But until then, here’s what we got cookin’ in the DD kitchen today:

• 💳 Top cards update: a king is dethroned (the end of an era)

• 🍪 Tiny travel tidbits

• ✈️ Delta offers a new way to hit elite status qualifications

💳 Top cards update: a king is dethroned at last

There are moments in history that shape the very fabric of our being.

From the discovery of fire to the building of the pyramids and the eradication of smallpox, these momentous events define us, our culture, and the world we live in.

Today I’m going to share one of these very moments with you.

I’m talking, of course, about the king of our top credit cards list finally being dethroned by an ambitious usurper bent on offering the single. Best. Travel Deal. Ever.

Let me provide some background for those of you wondering what the hell is going on right now.

You see, for months now, a single credit card has sat in the number one slot in our top cards list, a page we update regularly to feature the best credit cards, perks, and welcome offers.

Many tried to steal the top slot; and many failed. The sheer raw power of the [[ capital-one-venture-x-rewards-credit-card.name ]] was unrivaled.

It was like a really boring episode of Game of Thrones.

While that card remains one of the best out there, the [[ southwest-rapid-rewards-plus-credit-card.name ]] recently came out with an incredible offer, potentially yielding hundreds or even thousands of dollars in value with an annual fee under $100.

It was epic, and there was much rejoicing among points nerds like myself.

In addition to a decent points offer, the [[ southwest-rapid-rewards-plus-credit-card.casual-card-name ]] will also allow you to bring a guest with you on all flights with the airline partner of the card; for no charge. It also comes with a nice set of perks for frequent fliers of the airline.

Check out our deep dive into why this card an offer are so amazing.

But the story doesn’t end there…

You see, our former king didn’t just get knocked down one peg… it got knocked down TWO pegs.

I know. You’re on the edge of your seat right now. Gosh, you must be so excited.

But it’s true, folks. Another underdog, the [[ ihg-rewards-premier-credit-card.name ]], clawed its way into our number two slot on the list.

This card is the one that I’m personally super stoked on right now, which is why I wrote up an article on it that I shared in Friday’s newsletter. Here is a link for those of you who missed it.

Warning: you will get so much free travel from these two cards that you probably won’t see your friends and family for months, so go ahead and say goodbye now.

There hasn’t been much else to update you on in the credit card space, but do you really need anything else? I mean, these two cards are pretty nuts. 

If you’re interested, make sure you hop on the new Companion Pass offer and/or the [[ ihg-rewards-premier-credit-card.casual-card-name ]]’s offer ASAP; neither will be around much longer.

🍪 Tiny travel tidbits

• ✈️ Alaska Airlines has two tail strikes at the same airport… 6 minutes apart

• 🏨 A decent Hilton deal for those of you heading to Mexico or Hawaii

• 😮 Wow: JFK breaks ground on a new $4.2 billion terminal

✈️ Delta offers a new way to reach elite status for next year

Every airline has a different set of requirements for earning elite status. Generally, you need to earn a certain amount of the qualifying currency and/or spend a certain amount of money with the airline.

Delta has three main currencies: MQMs (qualifying miles), MQSs (qualifying segments), and MQDs (qualifying dollars).

Here is the breakdown of how many of each of these you need to earn a given tier of Medallion status with Delta:

Normally, the hardest part of elite status is MQDs. Even with my airline elite status of choice, Air Canada Aeroplan, hitting that dollar requirement is usually more challenging than the mileage aspect.

That’s because while airlines (including Delta) offer multiple ways to earn qualifying miles, you can usually only earn MQDs by spending cash on Delta-operated flights.

That is, until now.

For a limited time, Delta is awarding MQDs when booking hotels and car rentals through their dedicated travel portal.

Here are the details:

• Earn one MQD per dollar spent on hotels and car rentals before any taxes and fees

• You must book your travel before March 31st, 2023

• Travel must take place before September 4th, 2023

• It can take up to eight weeks for the MQDs to post to your account

Overall, this is definitely an enticing offer. Given the decent booking window and massive travel window, many people could take advantage of this offer to eliminate a chunk of those pesky MQDs.

For example, the lowest tier of status, Silver Medallion, only requires $3,000 of MQDs. If you had a couple of hotel stays and a car rental, you could easily fast-track your way to Silver status or even higher.

In addition to this new perk for booking travel through Delta, you also earn two Delta SkyMiles per dollar spent (or more if you already have status) when purchasing travel through the portal, which can potentially make this a game-changer for you Delta frequent fliers.

Other airlines have long been dabbling in offering new ways to achieve elite status, and it’s nice to see Delta doing the same.

Overall, I’d consider checking out their travel portal if you want to shoot for the stars for 2024 elite status. Click here to learn more about qualifying for Delta elite status and the benefits that come with it.

That’s all for now, friends. I know we’ve been talking about credit cards a lot lately. Some people aren’t big fans of credit cards, but the truth is that they are the foundation of travel hacking, points and miles, and great travel perks.

So when there are offers this good, it’s our moral obligation to make sure you know about them and how to maximize them.

While we’re on the topic, I’m curious to know:

From our Top Cards List,

Thanks for joining me today, and I’ll see you in our very exciting newsletter tomorrow 😏

52°22'35.4"N 52°15'17.4"W