• Daily Drop
  • Posts
  • šŸ’³ How I'm using this card to save a crap load of money

šŸ’³ How I'm using this card to save a crap load of money

Plus, this month's Promo Rewards are the best we've seen in forever!!

Estimated read time: 3 minutes and 58 seconds

šŸ‘©ā€šŸŽ“ If youā€™re a student, you should be signed up for Student Universe updates! They offer discounted flights and monthly deals that are definitely worth checking out. Find out how to sign up here.

Good morning from my cushy business-class suite on Gulf Airā€™s sexy Dreamliner!

While I sip my champagne and watch Oceanā€™s 11 for the 100th time, hereā€™s what Iā€™ve got for you:

šŸ’³ Last call for my favorite card offer

I know, I know. I sound like a broken record with how much Iā€™ve told you about the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Cardā€¦

But I have some new information that might make more of you want to hop on the card.

In case you forgot, the Venture card is currently offering 75,000 miles and a $250 travel credit after spending $4,000 in the first three months. šŸ‘€

A blue credit card on a red background

And sadly, this is your last chance to get this offer. 

And you should - itā€™s the first time in years weā€™ve seen the card increase its normal offer.

I signed up last month and have been pleasantly surprised by how much money Iā€™ve already saved on travel thanks to this card.

For example, I recently finished booking a crazy around-the-world trip, part of which will take me from Madrid to Svalbard, Norway. šŸ„¶

When looking at flights on Google, it was pretty depressingā€¦

Sample flight on Google Flights

But when I looked in the Capital One Travel portal with my Venture card, I found a combination of flights that were significantly cheaper and not bookable at the same price through any other site (including Google). šŸ‘‡

MAD-LYR for a lwer price in the Cap1 travel portal

As an avid international traveler, I was also happy to see that Capital Oneā€™s portal has hundreds of airlines that none of the other major bank portals have.

I have also been booking hotels through the portal since the Venture card earns 5x miles when booking through this method.

In fact, I found this hotel in Cordoba, Argentina, where there arenā€™t many chain hotels.

Example of a hotel in Cordoba, Argentina booked through the Cap1 portal

In fact, the price through Capital One is cheaper than booking through the hotelā€™s own site. šŸ˜¬

Earning more rewards while saving money is always a welcome conceptā€¦

But donā€™t forget that part of this cardā€™s offer includes a $250 credit that, as I can confirm, is added to your account within a day or two of being approved.

So you get a little instant gratification, which is always nice. šŸ˜‰

The Venture card currently comes with a $250 travel credit

Once youā€™ve met the minimum spending requirement, your Capital One miles are more flexible than any other transferable currency.

Thatā€™s because you can use them to offset any travel purchases at a rate of one cent each, regardless of which site or company you book your travel through.

But if you want to get more value, you can transfer them to Capital Oneā€™s 15+ transfer partners.

So hereā€™s the bottom line:

Just get the Venture cardā€¦ Itā€™s a fantastic card and a unique offer with a travel credit that easily offsets the annual fee for a couple of years.

Oh, and speaking of good ways to transfer your pointsā€¦

āœˆļø Flying Blue Promo Rewards (September 2024)

As you know by now, Flying Blue drops monthly discounted award tickets between the U.S. and Europe, which allows us to save loads of points when flying around the globe.

Last month, they got creative and offered a specific itinerary from Atlanta to Kenya.

Iā€™m pleased to tell you that this monthā€™s set of awards is the best weā€™ve seen in a long, long time.

Flying Blue Promo Rewards (September 2024)

The real meat of the deal is that you can fly from cities like New York, Washington, Phoenix, and Las Vegas to Europe for just 15,000 miles.

Donā€™t forget that Capital One is currently offering a 20% transfer bonus to Flying Blue, which brings that price down to just 12,000 miles (as if you need another reason to apply for the Venture card).

20% transfer bonus to Flying Blue

But there are some other tasty treats this month, too.

For example, there are also a couple of premium awards from North America:

  • From Montreal to Europe for 26,250 miles in premium economy

  • From Ottawa to Europe for 37,000 miles in business class

Premium Awards are also included this month

These are both excellent deals!

For example, the Capital One transfer bonus would allow you to fly from Montreal to Vienna for just under 22,000 miles, which is awesome.

<ontreal to Vienna for 26,250 miles in Premium Economy

Montreal to Vienna for 26,250 miles in Premium Economy

You could easily book a short positioning flight from the U.S. to Montreal to enjoy the longer portion of your trip in more comfort.

But wait, thereā€™s more. šŸ¤—

Like last month, Flying Blue is also offering a couple of specific itineraries from the U.S. to Africa.

Africa-specific deals from New York and Washington

Flying from New York to Algiers for 15,000 miles is an INSANELY good deal, people.

Flying to Nairobi for under 30,000 points is also an incredible deal.

I love to see Flying Blue getting creative by offering economy, premium, and business awards from a variety of cities and, now, beyond just Europe.

Keep in mind that to lock in any of the deals Iā€™ve mentioned, you need to book your flights by the end of this month and travel before the end of February 2025.

Current Transfer Bonuses

  • 20% bonus from Capital One to Flying Blue (ends September 29th)

  • 30% bonus from MR Points to British Airways (ends September 30th)

  • 30% bonus from MR Points to Iberia (ends September 30th)

  • 30% bonus from MR Points to Aer Lingus (ends September 30th

  • (Targeted) 30% bonus from MR Points to Hilton (ends September 30th)

  • PLUS, there are 11 cards with elevated offers right now!

Thatā€™s all for this week, folks!

Iā€™m really excited about these new Flying Blue Promo Rewardsā€¦ Itā€™s always nice when one of the best deals in the business gets even better!

Anyway, have a great weekend, and Iā€™ll see you again soon. ā¤ļø

Mike Dodge
Head Writer, Daily Drop

24Ā°18'58.0"N 63Ā°42'20.3"E