✈️ New JetBlue sweet spot: Europe for 19k

Estimated read time: 4 minutes and 36 seconds

☀️ Good morning and welcome back to Daily Drop — the Costco sample tray of newsletters:

You didn’t plan to be here, but suddenly you’re holding three free trips and wondering if you should circle back for more:

• ✈️ New JetBlue Sweet Spot: Europe for 19k

• 🛳️ Windstar’s picking up the tab on your favorite extras

• 💳 There’s a new Capital One card — but should you care?

✈️ New JetBlue sweet spot: Europe for 19k

Big news in the points world: JetBlue and Condor just expanded their partnership, and you can now redeem JetBlue TrueBlue points for Condor flights to and from the U.S.

In case you’re not familiar, Condor is a German leisure airline based in Frankfurt with a surprisingly big U.S. footprint — we’re talking everything from New York (JFK) and Boston (BOS) to Portland (PDX), Las Vegas (LAS), and even Anchorage (ANC). 👇

So what does this mean for us? A mix of sweet spots and “meh” spots. Let’s start with the sweet stuff.

The East Coast sweet spot

If you’re flying from the Northeast (New York, Boston, Toronto), you can now book nonstop Condor flights to Frankfurt (FRA) for just 19,000 JetBlue points + $14 in economy:

That’s right — basically the same price you’d pay with programs like KLM/Air France Flying Blue (with its Promo Rewards), but with significantly lower taxes and fees.

Business class clocks in at 54,000 JetBlue points + $14, which is right in line with Alaska’s 55,000 points but with one major advantage: you can transfer points to JetBlue from four different bank programs (whereas Alaska only partners with Bilt Rewards).

But… the caveats

Here’s where things get tricky:

You can transfer from Ultimate Rewards points, ThankYou points, Membership Rewards points, and Capital One miles to JetBlue — but only the first two transfer at a 1:1 ratio.

MR points and Capital One miles transfer at worse ratios, cutting into the value.

West Coast pricing

If you’re flying from places like Portland (PDX) or Las Vegas (LAS), the numbers aren’t as friendly. For example, Portland to Frankfurt runs about 39,000 JetBlue points in economy or around 80,000 in business.

Compare that to Alaska, which charges 35,000 or 70,000 points, respectively. Not a huge difference, but the edge tilts back to Alaska.

Limited routes

You can’t use JetBlue points to book Condor’s fun long-hauls beyond Frankfurt — think Zanzibar, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur. But Alaska’s Atmos Rewards still has those routes covered.

One more perk: earning JetBlue points on Condor

Redemptions aren’t the only win here. You can also earn JetBlue points when flying Condor on cash fares.

For example, nonstop flights from Las Vegas to Frankfurt can often be found for around $641 round-trip — not bad for two 11-hour nonstop flights across the Atlantic.

If you don’t feel like burning points, you can book this fare, plug in your JetBlue TrueBlue number, and still rack up points toward your next trip — maybe even for a free JetBlue flight closer to home.

Bottom line

This new partnership expansion gives JetBlue members a legit new way to cross the Atlantic on points — especially from the East Coast, where 19k in economy and 54k in business are as close to a sweet spot as you’ll find right now.

It’s not perfect — West Coast flyers are still better off with Alaska, and transfer ratios can be a buzzkill, but more options to use transferable points for U.S. to Europe flights are always a win.

💳 There’s a new Capital One card — but should you care?

Capital One recently relaunched the Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Card, aimed at people with fair credit.

On paper, it looks a lot like the existing Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card — but when you dig in, the differences are pretty obvious.

The SavorOne Card earns:

• 3% cash back on dining, grocery stores, entertainment, and popular streaming services

• 1% back on all other purchases

• Comes with a $39 annual fee

• No welcome offer (womp womp)

Compare that to the Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card, which earns all of the above plus:

• 5% back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel

• 8% back on Capital One Entertainment purchases

• No annual fee

• $200 cash bonus after you spend $500 in the first 3 months from account opening (plus a $100 credit for Capital One Travel)

So while the new SavorOne relaunch is interesting, it’s pretty clear which card gives you more value right now.

Why this matters

The SavorOne Card is designed as a gateway for those who might not qualify for a more premium card yet, as it’s being marketed toward those with “fair” credit.

It gets you into the Capital One ecosystem, and with responsible use, it can set you up for bigger opportunities down the line.

For example, you could eventually move on to something like the [[ capital-one-venture-x-rewards-credit-card.name ]].

At that point, you can actually convert your Savor cashback into Capital One miles.

For example, that $200 welcome offer from the Savor card can turn into 20,000 Capital One miles if you already hold a miles-earning card — enough for a one-way economy flight to Europe on Condor. 😉

In other words, the SavorOne is a stepping stone, but the Savor Cash Rewards card is the clear winner if you already qualify for it.

That’s all for today, folks! I hope you’re as excited as I am to have yet another great airline partnership.

Take care and tune in tomorrow,

6.9175° S, 107.6191° E

With contributions by Tiffany Eastham, McKay Moffitt, and Benji Stawski