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✈️ Best domestic flight trick I’ve seen all year

Plus, a $30k all-suites trip around the world (with points)

Author

McKay Moffitt
December 13, 2025

Good morning, weekend crew!

Listen… Mike crushes it every. single. week.

But this week? He taught me a new trick for booking domestic flights, and I’ve already used it to justify at least three imaginary trips I’m not actually taking.

Needless to say… as your dear friend who cares about you deeply… this is vital information. Vital.

Spend five quick minutes with me? And then onto your other weekend festivities. ❤️

🗽 Here’s how you could book an NYC hotel for just 10k points per night.

🏃‍♀️ What the heck is a mattress run? Here’s everything you need to know.

🗓️ As we close out 2025, make sure you aren’t leaving any year-end credits behind.

🎥 Find everything you need to know about New Zealand travel in this week’s Daily Drop YouTube video.

🏆 Our Favorite Pick: Capital One miles for domestic flights

Capital One has this funny habit of looking super simple on the surface and then quietly outperforming everyone in the background.

Case in point: domestic flights.

They don’t partner with the big U.S. airlines… and somehow that ends up being an advantage?

Because once you transfer your miles to a partner, you’re no longer stuck dealing with the inflated, mood-swing-y award rates that American, Delta, and United like to throw around.

You’re booking the same seat, on the same flight, through a program that prices it more reasonably.

And with the current 100,000-mile offer from the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, you suddenly have enough miles to make these partner redemptions happen.

Why this works so well

Capital One transfers 1:1 to 20 programs (we love that!). Instead of getting boxed into one airline’s dynamic pricing, you’ve got options.

Here’s how good these sweet spots can be:

  1. ✈️ Avios for Alaska Airlines

You can use Avios (the British Airways/Qatar points family) to book Alaska Airlines flights, which is a sneaky little way to tap into another solid U.S. carrier.

Some routes price ridiculously low (like less than 10k Avios low) for short economy hops or about 20k for business.

Seattle to Portland for just 9,500 points

It’s not the steal that Atmos Rewards can be, but Atmos is Bilt-only transfer at the moment, so most people won’t have that option anyway.

  1. ✈️ United through Avianca LifeMiles

LifeMiles continues to play nice with domestic United flights, especially those smaller-city routes that United loves to price things stupid high.

In this example, you could fly from San Francsiso to L.A. for just 10,000 LifeMiles, which is routinely cheaper than booking with United directly.

  1. ✈️ American Airlines via Qatar Avios

Capital One transfers 1:1 to Etihad, and Etihad’s distance-based chart is lowkey a gem.

Short U.S. flights can drop as low as 6,000 miles on both American and JetBlue. And honestly? I’m always grasping for ways to use points for AA flights, so this is a win.

  1. ✈️ Delta flights via Flying Blue

This one feels somewhat criminal. Delta’s own award prices are… unhinged. Flying Blue, on the other hand, is surprisingly chill.

ATL to MCO for just 5,500 miles

For example, you take the family to Orlando for just 5,500 miles one-way, per person. For a family of four, you’re looking at 44,000 miles round-trip.

That means, if you use the miles from the current Venture X welcome offer, you’d still have over HALF of your miles left. And that’s after flying on freaking Delta…

Or skip the transfers altogether

If you spot a $29 fare on Spirit, Frontier, Southwest, or any other domestic hop, you can always charge it to your Venture X and cover it with miles at one cent each. It’s not glamorous, but it’s still a great option.

That 100k Venture X welcome offer is basically a “try a dozen domestic flights on us” coupon. Even if you only use partner programs for half your trips, you’ll still get more value than any single U.S. airline program alone could give you.

Capital One may not have U.S. partners, but weirdly…

… that’s what makes it so good.

👀 This Week’s Must-Reads

Booked: My $30,000 All-Suites Trip Around The World

Here are the exact points-and-miles moves I used to lock in some of the world’s best business-class flights for almost nothing.

How to Maximize Redemptions With Limited Points

You don’t need a huge points balance to travel well. Here’s how to maximize redemptions with smart strategies like transfer bonuses and stopovers.

How to Book 2026 Travel With Capital One miles

Learn how to turn 100k Capital One miles into a 2026 bucket list trip by timing your application, stacking rewards, and using the best airline partners.

🌍 Week in Review

Alright, I’m cutting you loose.

If you take nothing else from today, your miles can stretch waaaay farther than you think.

Now go find something cheap to book, and tell me about it next weekend. 😌

Love youuuuu,

With contributions by Mike Dodge