💳 How to get 7% back on... everything

Estimated read time: 4 minutes and 51 seconds

Goooooood morning from my 123rd country, Monaco! 🇲🇨

I just arrived in Monte Carlo by helicopter from France like a bougie boy, and plan to relax here for a few days.

If you want to know how you can travel by helicopter and stay in Monte Carlo for FREE (with points), make some noise in this inbox, and I’ll tell you how I did it.

Anyway, let’s get into the travel tips of today:

• 💳 How to get 7% back on… everything

• ✈️ Southwest is handing out elite status

• 🙌 The one healthy thing I actually stick to

💳 How to get 7% back on… everything

Let’s talk about one of the simplest ways to earn serious value from everyday spending.

The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card earns 2x miles for every dollar you spend – on literally everything.

Groceries.
Gas.
Flights.
Random Amazon purchases at 1:30 a.m.

No bonus categories to track. No rotating quarterly nonsense. Just 2x Capital One miles on everything.

Now here’s where things get interesting…

Those miles aren’t just worth a flat 2% back if you use them strategically. When you transfer them to airline partners, you can often get significantly more value.

Let me show you what that actually looks like with some tasty examples.

Example #1: Domestic Delta flights

Take this flight from Detroit to Chicago, which costs $191 cash.

But instead of paying cash, you could transfer Capital One miles to Flying Blue (the loyalty program of Air France/KLM) and book the exact same Delta flight.

In this case, it’ll cost you just 5,000 miles and $12 in taxes and fees. 👇

So if we subtract those taxes from the cash price, you’re effectively getting about 3.6 cents per mile.

And remember – the Venture card earns 2x miles per dollar spent.

So if you redeem miles this way, you’re effectively getting over 7% back on your everyday spending.

Yes… seven. On everything you buy.

Example #2: Domestic American Airlines flights

If you’re more of an American Airlines traveler, there are opportunities there, too.

Let’s use a more modest example of a flight from Dallas to Seattle on AA, which costs $289. 👇

But you’re a savvy traveler, so you aren’t going to do that…

Instead, you could transfer your miles to Qatar Airways Avios and book that exact same flight.

Yes, you heard that right – you can use Qatar Avios to book domestic U.S. flights on American Airlines.

Better yet? It’ll cost you just 14,500 Avios and $4 in taxes and fees. Same flight, same day.

After subtracting the taxes, you’re getting roughly 2 cents per mile in value.

Again, the Venture card earns 2x miles per dollar, so that works out to about 4% back on everything you spend.

Again… groceries, dining, bills, random cat merchandise – everything.

Why this card is such an easy win NOW

Between the simple earning structure and the ability to transfer miles to airline partners, the Venture card is one of the easiest ways to rack up travel rewards without overthinking your spending.

Plus, right now, the card has a crazy limited-time welcome offer:

Earn a $250 travel credit to use on Capital One Travel in your first cardholder year, plus 75,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 in the first three months (equal to $1,000 in travel).

Considering that travel credit essentially offsets the annual fee for a couple of years, this offer is about as close to a no-brainer as it gets.

If you travel domestically and want a super-simple setup that earns you a LOT of value, look no further.

✈️ Southwest is handing out elite status

Normally, earning Southwest elite status requires a lot of flying…

For example, you typically need to complete 20 one-way flights or earn 35,000 qualifying points in a year just to reach their entry-level elite tier.

But right now, Southwest is offering something called a status match, which is basically the loyalty world’s version of a shortcut.

Instead of starting from zero, you can show proof that you already have elite status with another airline, and they’ll temporarily grant you similar status in their program so you can try out the perks.

How it works

If you currently hold elite status with another airline, you can submit proof of that status, and Southwest will match it to either A-List or A-List Preferred status in the Rapid Rewards program.

Here are the programs and statuses that are eligible:

Once approved, you’ll receive status for 120 days, which lets you experience the benefits right away.

This includes perks like earlier boarding positions, free checked bags, bonus points when you fly, and priority standby.

But the real opportunity comes if you decide you like those perks and want to keep them.

How to keep the status after the trial period

During that 120-day window, Southwest gives you a simple challenge to extend the status for a full year.

To keep A-List status:

• Fly three round trips (or six qualifying one-way flights) on Southwest, or

• Earn at least 11,500 tier qualifying points from flights.

To keep A-List Preferred status:

• Fly six round trips (or twelve qualifying one-way flights) on Southwest, or

• Earn at least 23,000 tier qualifying points from flights.

In other words, a few flights over a few months could unlock elite perks for the rest of the year.

There’s an easier workaround

Of course, there’s one catch with status matches… You need to already have elite status with another airline.

But if you don’t, you could simply open a Southwest co-branded credit card, which comes with plenty of benefits to make you feel like you have status. 😉

Right now, Southwest’s cobranded credit cards have huge welcome offers that include a stack of Rapid Rewards points, plus a full year of Companion Pass.

Anyway, it’s great to see Southwest giving us so many opportunities to earn points, get benefits, and travel in style.

That’s it for this Monday, folks! I hope you enjoyed today’s tips, and I look forward to sharing even more with you tomorrow.

Ciao,

43.7401° N, 7.4266° E

With contributions by McKay Moffitt, April Wilson, and Alison Carrico