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🌟 Get $1,000 travel value for under $100

Plus, three of our favorite points currencies

Author

McKay Moffitt
January 24, 2026

Happy weekend, my friends! 😌

If you’re reading this from under approximately 14 blankets, same.

Idk where you are in the world, but in New York… it is cold out there.

Like… really, really cold. 

Before we fully enter hibernation mode, let’s run through the biggest travel and points news from the week.

🏨 Here’s how you can turn your hotel status into airline status.

🌟 Speaking of status, this airline is currently offering a status match to elites from both airline and hotel programs.

💸 Should you buy IHG points with a 100% bonus? The truth is… it depends.

🎥 Hard shell or soft luggage? We’ll help you pick in this week’s Daily Drop YouTube video.

🏆 Our Favorite Pick: One card, a $250 credit, and a ton of options

We know her. And we love her (a lot).

And right now, the Venture Card is back with a limited-time offer that gives you 75,000 miles PLUS a $250 Capital One Travel credit (after spending $4,000 in three months).

Mind you… this is all for a small $95 annual fee, which the credit basically takes care of on its own.

Let’s talk about that $250 credit for a second. It shows up right after approval and can be used on flights, hotels, or rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. One decent booking and you’ve already come out ahead.

Then there are the miles.

The Venture Card earns 2x miles on everything, which makes it very hard to mess up, and you can transfer them to some excellent airline and hotel partners.

You could fly to places like Europe, Japan, South America, even Iceland, or just use these miles like cash to cover your travel purchases retroactively.

Here’s what you could legitimately book with this limited-time offer:

  • Italy: Transfer miles for flights to Rome or Milan, then use the $250 credit for hotels, trains, or a rental car

  • Japan: Use miles for flights or cover a good cash fare, then apply the credit toward hotels or airport transfers

  • Patagonia: Miles get you to Chile or Argentina, and the credit helps cover regional flights or lodging

  • Iceland: Cover flights with miles and use the credit for rental cars or hotels (which add up fast there)

  • Domestic getaways: Book a cheap cash flight, cover with miles, and use the credit for a boutique hotel or car rental

💡 Pro Tip: If award space is bad or cash fares are cheap, you could skip transfers entirely. Book the flight normally, then use Capital One miles to cover the charge after the fact, which is one of the simple pleasures of holding this card.

There really is no single “right” way to use this card, but plenty of options.

That’s why I love it, personally.

You don’t have to find the perfect redemption for it to be worth it, and you don’t need a complicated setup to get really good value. 

This card is perfect if you’re new to points or if you’ve been doing this for a while.

Bottom line: This is one of those rare offers where it makes sense to grab the card now and figure out the details later. It’s flexible and genuinely useful, which is exactly what we want in a travel card.

👀 Planning Mode: Want more details about how to book those five trips we were just talking about? Check out this deep dive.

👀 One section I keep thinking about

Mike never ceases to amaze me, but this section really stood out.

His take on his three favorite airline points is one of the most practical, beginner-friendly explanations of miles and points I’ve seen in a long time. 😌

If you’ve ever wondered which airline points are actually worth focusing on (and why), this is a great place to start.

When it comes to booking flights with points, the key is using the program that fits the trip… and a few currencies consistently stand out:

  1. Avios (especially via Qatar Airways) are flexible and easy to use, with strong value on everything from Qsuites to the U.S. to long-haul and regional routes across Africa and Asia, especially when there is a transfer bonus.

  2. Flying Blue miles are consistently useful and work well for Delta One flights, short-haul business class in Asia, along with a range of SkyTeam redemptions when other programs price higher.

  3. Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan offers some of the strongest value overall. The points are harder to earn, but they unlock low-cost domestic flights and niche international routes that are often expensive elsewhere.

None of these are one-size-fits-all, but they’re always worth having on hand.

🌍 Week in Review

Alrighty, that’s all I’ve got for you today.

Thanks for spending a little piece of your weekend with me. Stay warm out there, and I’ll talk to you soon. 💙

Byeeeeee, 

With contributions by Mike Dodge