✈️ My top strategies for earning points (Part 1)

Estimated read time: 3 minutes and 58 seconds

Good morning and welcome back to the Daily Drop, the daily travel newsletter that keeps you coming back for more. It’s like the fondue station at an all-you-can-eat buffet.

I have something special for you today…

I’m going to share some of the “outside the box” strategies I use to rack up millions of points over time.

Today we’ll cover the first half of these strategies, and finish off the rest of them tomorrow.

Oh, and by the way, we have a VERY exciting announcement in tomorrow’s newsletter… in case you needed a bit more motivation to tune in… 😉

Let’s stop wasting time and get down to brass tacks, shall we?

• 💳 Strategy 1: Strategic Credit Card Signup Bonuses

• 👨‍👩‍👦‍👦 Strategy 2: Authorized Users

• 🛒 Strategy 3: Portals, portals, portals

💳 Strategy 1: Strategic Credit Card Signup Bonuses

We all know that you can earn outsize value VERY easily if you just sign up for every credit card under the sun, so I won’t dwell on this point very much.

However, being strategic about signing up for new cards can be a great way to maximize your spending.

Let me give you an example.

Let’s say you have a major purchase coming up. It could be a wedding, renovations on your home, expensive appliances, furniture, or anything else.

If you know you’re about to spend a ton of money, a great way to get outsize value is to coordinate that spending with a good credit card welcome bonus, especially one that requires a level of spending that you otherwise wouldn’t have.

I always recommend this for couples who are planning weddings. What better way to spend your honeymoon than on a FREE, luxury vacation that you paid for with points you earned from all of those expensive wedding costs?

By the way, Daily Drop has an entire article about how to leverage your wedding to maximize points, so be sure to check it out.

👨‍👩‍👦‍👦 Strategy 2: Authorized Users

In case you didn’t know, most banks allow you to add “authorized users” to your credit cards. This means that other people can have a credit card in their name, but linked to your account - meaning YOU earn all of the points from their spending.

Most people add their spouse or kids as authorized users to cards, but I have a different approach; I add my friends as authorized users on my cards. These friends fall into two categories:

1. They don’t care about travel rewards (crazy, I know) and are happy to help me pursue my travel goals.

2. They don’t have good enough credit to get a card of their own.

The second category is where things get fun for BOTH parties involved. For someone who is unable to get a credit card of their own, having an authorized user card allows them to build their credit, which can have a huge upside for them. It also gives them certain travel perks, depending on the card.

For example, if you were to add a friend as an authorized user on Daily Drop’s current favorite travel card, the [[ capital-one-venture-x-rewards-credit-card.name ]], they would have unlimited lounge access at hundreds of airport lounges around the world.

It's important to make sure you only do this with close friends or family. At the end of the day, you're on the hook for anything they spend money on. So make sure you're not giving out a card to someone who will behave recklessly...

Here is an example of who you should not add as an authorized user:

Helping friends build their credit is great, but it’s really a win-win because you earn all of the points from their spending.

After a few years of your authorized user building good credit, they can join in the fun with credit cards of their own, which is ultimately good for everyone.

Alright, I know I may be losing some of you by now, so let’s take a quick break and hear from one of the coolest Daily Drop sponsors ever:

🌎 Sponsored by Babbel

You know what they say about Independence Day… it’s the day that Will Smith saved us from the aliens.

No? 🤔

Well, while most of us drench ourselves in red, white, and blue garb for 24 hours, the rest of the world carries on as normal… speaking their two or more fluent languages.

If you want to jump on the language-learning bandwagon after all the patriotic festivities die down, Babbel is having a special 4th of July sale—probably to help us lonesome English speakers broaden our communication skills 🙃

But since we are a travel community, knowing a few local terms wherever you travel can go a long way with the locals!

Here’s why we love Babbel 🧡

• Babbel teaches bite-sized, 10-minute, real-world-use lessons

• You can also learn with Babbel’s podcasts, games, videos, content articles, and live online classes

• Learners of all levels can use Babbel with its customized approach

• You’ll learn about a country’s culture and traditions in addition to its language (we really like this meaningful focus)

• Users report being able to start having basic conversations in their target language after just three weeks of daily practice with Babbel

RIGHT NOW, their 4th of July sale can get you up to 60% off your subscription!

But hurry! The sale is ending soon, so don’t miss out on this awesome language-learning opportunity 👇

🛒 Strategy 3: Portals, portals, portals

In past newsletters, I’ve mentioned shopping portals a number of times.

Basically, portals allow you to earn points or miles for making normal, everyday purchases online.

Different portals have different businesses and rates, but it’s usually easy to find a portal that will give you points, miles, or cash back for any big brand.

I could go into my strategies surrounding portals here, but I have something even better for you… Later today, I’ll be hosting a Masterclass with our Community Manager, Megan, where we’ll talk about ALL things portals.

You can find more information and get the link by joining the Daily Drop Lounge, our lovely online community.

So I’ll leave it there for now. But make no mistake; portals are dope. And you need to come and learn about them today at 3:00 pm (Eastern).

How about we call it a day for now? Tomorrow morning we’ll pick things back up with another three strategies I use on a regular basis to rack up hundreds of thousands of points.

Quick question:

I hope to see many of you attend today’s masterclass. Otherwise, I look forward to seeing you tomorrow morning.

Love,

29.9753° N, 31.1376° E