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- š³ End of year credit card checklist
š³ End of year credit card checklist
Don't forget to check your credits! Plus, we're announcing the winner of a CRAZY trip to the Maldives, and IHG drops a pretty nice promo to kick of 2024.
Estimated read time: 4 minutes and 32 seconds
š” Want to get a summary of all of this weekās content in less than ten minutes? Check out our latest Weekly Round Up podcast episode.
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Gooood morning and welcome back to Daily Drop, the Elf of newsletters. Day after day and year after year, you'll never get tired of us, weāll always make you laugh, and sometimes ā we're even quotable.
Here's what today holds:
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š Maldives Giveaway Winner Announced
As you all know, Christmas is right around the corner. And because we love you so much, we got one of you the gift of a lifetime.
Iām talking about an all-expenses-paid trip to the MALDIVES that we announced last month.
![](https://media.beehiiv.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down,format=auto,onerror=redirect,quality=80/uploads/asset/file/943d30bf-243e-4b13-b0d0-71f4c78c4042/Maldives_Giveaway.jpeg?t=1703191471)
One lucky reader is going to win:
A 6-night stay for two at the Villa Nautica in the Maldives in a one-bedroom overwater ocean suite
All food and drinks that are a part of the all-inclusive package
Complimentary transfer to the island
Private beach dinner
Signature spa treatment
Dolphin sunset excursion
$3,000 to cover flights and other expenses
Itās the ultimate chance to experience the trip of a lifetime, and I couldnāt be more excited for whoever wins this.
So, without further ado, the official winner of the giveaway isā¦
Chonterrika S!!! CONGRATS!!! By now, youāll have received an email from us with more information.
And I know I always say this, but if you need a plus oneā¦ I know a guy who could solve that problem for you (itās me. Iām that guy).
But seriously - Congratulations and enjoy your AMAZING trip.
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š³ End of year credit card checklist
Yāallā¦ it is December 22nd š³
That means you have UNDER 10 DAYS to do all your important end of year tasks.
And Iām not talking about scheduling in your catās final glamour shots for their 2024 calendar debut. Or finishing that ādad joke master class.ā Or something else super weird and unrelated to travelā¦
You need to start thinking about your end of year credit card checklist š
ā Do my cards have annual, quarterly, or monthly credits?
ā Which of those credits havenāt I used?
ā Which ones need to be used before January 1st to not be wasted?
And because this is Daily Dropā¦ Iām gonna give you some reminders š
Many cards come with āuse it or lose itā credits meaning theyāll reset for 2024 once the big ball drops on New Yearās Eve.
Keep in mind there are other cards that will have expiring credits based on cardmember year (like the [[ capital-one-venture-x-rewards-credit-card.name ]]) and not December 31stā¦
Iām focusing on the time-sensitive, end of year ones specifically.
And, no doubt, tons of different credits exist, but letās take a look at some of our favorites to be aware of.
Annually: Up to $200 in credits for airline incidental fees, a similar credit for prepaid hotels, as well as reimbursement for a Clear Plus membership
Semi-annually: Saks Fifth credits (last-minute Christmas gift anyone?)
Monthly: Online streaming and Uber Cash credits (plus a bonus Uber credit in December!)
Annually: Also up to $200 in airline incidental fee statement credits and reimbursement for a Clear Plus membership
Annually: Clear Plus credit
Semi-annually: Several hundred dollars in Hilton resort statement credits
Quarterly: $50 flight statement credits (up to $200 annually)
Quarterly: $50 credit for Hilton purchases (up to $200 annually)
Monthly: Up to $10 each for Uber Cash and various dining statement credits
Semi-annually: $25 United Travel cash ($50 annually). You can read how I recently used this credit!
Annually: Up to $120 statement credit on eligible car rentals
Monthly: Lyft and Grubhub statement credits
HOLY SMOKES, thatās kind of a lot to keep track of.
But I hope by mentioning some of these, youāll do a thorough inventory of your own card stash and not let a super tasty, extremely useful credit go to waste as we close out 2023!
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šØ New IHG Double Points Promo
IHG has decided to kick off the new year in the best way possible: With an awesome promo to help us all rack up HEAPS of points.
During the month of January 2024, you can earn double points on IHG stays, plus an opportunity to earn 2,000 additional points.
Here are the deets:
You must register for the offer
Earn double base points on all paid stays
Valid for paid stays only between January 1 and January 31, 2024
Earn 2,000 bonus points for staying at two different IHG brands
Since IHG members earn 10x points per dollar on stays, this promo ups that number to 20x points per dollar.
Thatās already pretty goodā¦ but Iām excited about this promo for another reason.
If you own the [[ ihg-rewards-premier-credit-card.casual-card-name ]], youāll earn 10x MORE points and get automatic Platinum Elite statusā¦ which earns you 6x MORE points.
So if you have that card (which is one of my favorites), youāll now earn:
10x points for being a member
10x points from the promo
10x points from the credit card
6x points from Platinum status
So for every dollar you spend, youāll earnā¦ wait for itā¦ 36 points per dollar.
So letās say youāre eyeing a warm winter getaway in January. You could book a 5-night stay at this property in Playa del Carmen, Mexico for just $163 per night.
The 5-night stay would run you a total of $815. A little pricey, but not bad for a beach getaway.
Plus, youād earn a whopping 29,340 IHG points if you own the [[ ihg-rewards-premier-credit-card.casual-card-name ]] and register for the promo.
Thatās not bad at ALL, and could actually book you another multi-night stay.
For example, Iāll be in Jakarta in January. If you also wanted to travel to Jakarta, those 30,000 points you just earned could book you EIGHT MORE NIGHTS at another IHG hotel like this one.
So letās get this clearā¦
By booking a modestly-priced 5-night stay in Mexico, you could earn enough rewards for a separate EIGHT-NIGHT stay elsewhere in the worldā¦
And THATāS why I get excited about these promos.
So hereās the bottom line:
If you play your cards right (and play your card right š), you could stack rewards and get an amazing return on your spending at IHG hotels in January.
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One of my favorite ways to learn about new travel hacks is in our very own Daily Drop Lounge, an online community of DD fans and travel hackers.
Hereās a look at a post from this past week if you want a taste of what youāre missing:
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Thatās all for this week, folks!
Just so you know, weāll be taking the 25th and 26th off from Daily Drop. Donāt worry, Iāll miss you all dearly and will be back next Wednesday to finish off the year strong.
Have a great holiday weekend, take care, and Iāll see you next time. ā¤ļø