🦄 New unicorn transfer bonus

Estimated read time: 4 minutes and 40 seconds

Good morning from freezing Northwood, New Hampshire – my original hometown! ☃️

There are some really exciting updates to tell you about, so I hope you’re ready:

• 🦄 New unicorn transfer bonus

• ✈️ Earn a massive pile of Delta SkyMiles

• 🇺🇸 Join us this week to talk about domestic travel

• 🚗 Rental car showdown: AAA vs. Hertz status

🦄 New unicorn transfer bonus

Until last year, Japan Airlines’ loyalty program (Mileage Bank) wasn’t really on many travelers’ radars.

Then, multiple programs added them as a transfer partner, which opened up some unique opportunities, especially with the ability to transfer Capital One miles.

Sadly, Capital One transfers to JAL at a depressing 4:3 ratio…. except for right now.

They just launched a new 30% transfer bonus, putting that up to a 1:0.975 ratio (we’ll call it roughly 1:1 for simplicity).

If you’ve recently signed up for a Capital One miles-earning card, this is a unicorn moment to scoop up JAL miles at full value before the bonus ends.

And let me tell you exactly why this is such a good deal, even at a simple 1:1 conversion.

Emirates business class for less than Emirates itself

One of the most mind-blowing uses of JAL miles is on Emirates flights.

For example, JAL charges just 60,000 miles + $102 in taxes and fees to fly Emirates business class between Athens (ATH) and Newark (EWR) on the airline’s fifth-freedom route.

Not only that, but availability is actually quite good… I picked a bunch of random dates over the next couple of months, and JAL had availability on this route every single time.

For reference, Emirates itself charges 87,000 miles + $434 for the exact same flight on the exact same day. 👇

That’s insane. Even on other routes (like Dubai (DXB) to Bangkok (BKK) for 42,500 miles in business), JAL beats almost everyone else’s pricing.

Japan Airlines international business class

Using JAL miles to fly on JAL itself is also a fantastic use of these miles.

You can snag business class from any U.S. city to Japan for as little as 55,000 miles (or economy for just 27,000 miles) — and the taxes are super reasonable.

I found seats far in advance, like San Diego (SAN) to Tokyo (NRT) for 55,000 miles + $142 in fees, later in the summer and fall of 2026.

That’s 11 hours in a full business-class suite for close to what some programs charge for the same route in economy.

LATAM’s fancy new Dreamliner suites

This one’s especially exciting because Atmos Rewards just axed its partnership with LATAM late last year.

But now, thanks to JAL, you can still book LATAM’s business-class suites (complete with closing doors and lie-flats on the 787 Dreamliner) for just 60,000 miles one-way from cities like New York (JFK) or Miami (MIA) to Santiago, Chile (SCL).

LATAM has an extensive route network around South America, so this is an excellent way to book an entire trip around the continent with your transferable points.

…and a whole network beyond Oneworld

Unlike most airline programs, JAL partners with a wild mix of airlines outside its alliance — Air France, Korean Air, JetBlue, Emirates, LATAM, and more.

So if none of the above routes are your jam, there’s probably still a killer sweet spot hiding somewhere.

With the current transfer bonus expiring on February 28, now’s the time to:

1. Scope out routes (Emirates, JAL, LATAM, etc.).

2. Create a JAL account if you don’t have one.

3. Transfer miles while the 1:1 (ish) window is open.

This could easily be one of the best ways to fly some of the world’s most luxurious business-class cabins for pennies on the dollar.

JAL’s award rates are always great. The fact that this transfer bonus unlocks them at a 1:1 ratio (from miles that are easy to rack up) is what makes this a unicorn deal. 🦄

✈️ Earn a massive pile of Delta SkyMiles

We’ve got more good news for Delta fans (which seems to be an early trend in 2026).

Delta’s co-branded card collection has a bunch of elevated welcome offers right now, which is the easiest way to rack up a ton of Delta SkyMiles for cheap.

Both the personal cards AND business cards have increased offers, and I’ll tell you a little secret:

I’d go for the business cards, and here’s why 👇

The business cards are basically one-to-one copies of the personal counterparts: same annual fees, same perks, etc.

However, the business versions have a weird quirk: Despite having the same annual fee as the personal cards, the credit values are higher…

Last year, I signed up for this Delta business card for this exact reason.

Right now, the same card is offering up to 100,000 miles for signing up and meeting the spending requirements, and it has some very useful annual credits and perks, including a $200 credit toward Delta Stays, which easily knocks out most of the annual fee.

It’s also worth noting that holding any Delta co-branded card unlocks Delta’s TakeOff15 benefit, which alone could make these cards worth holding year after year for loyal Delta flyers.

I haven’t flown Delta in years, and even I signed up for one of these cards just so I could have a stash of SkyMiles.

I used 80,000 Delta SkyMiles recently to fly in KLM’s business-class suites for almost 20 hours, which otherwise would’ve cost around $4,000.

So here’s the bottom line:

Whether you’re in it for the Delta perks or just the miles, now is a good time to consider getting a Delta card, thanks to these new elevated offers.

🇺🇸 Join us this week to talk about domestic travel

Using points and miles to travel around the world in luxury is cool and all. But many of you also look for simple tips and advice for booking domestic hops around the U.S.

So this week, we’re hosting a live masterclass to cover the topic of domestic flights.

The class will take place on Thursday, February 5, at 3:00 PM Eastern Time.

I’ll be there along with other lovely Daily Drop points and miles experts. You can register directly through Zoom, or feel free to drop by the Daily Drop Lounge if you have any questions.

🚗 Rental car showdown: AAA vs. Hertz status

We’ve got some exciting content from the world of rental cars (I know, thrilling).

Having elite status perks with major rental car companies might seem like the most obvious way to save money… but sometimes, simple underrated programs like AAA actually beat those perks out.

So today, we’ve got a fun article breaking down some key points:

• When Hertz status makes sense

• When AAA demolishes Hertz on price

• Why young drivers and families should especially care

So if you’re a serial car renter (or just curious about how this stuff works), check out the article now:

That’s it for this Monday edition of Daily Drop. Before you go, do me a quick favor and tell me something:

See you next time,

43.1942° N, 71.1509° W

With contributions by McKay Moffitt