🎉 The best status match of the year

Good morning, and welcome back to the weekend!

If you’re in need of some recovery from this past week, grab a warm drink, snag a cozy spot, and keep scrolling for some easy reading ☺️

✅ The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is our top pick right now, and HERE’S WHY.

✅ If you you want to donate any Aeroplan points to Miles4Migrants, Aeroplan will actually DOUBLE your donation until July 28th.

✅ NEW 25% transfer bonus from Thank You points to Air France and KLM’s Flying Blue program.

✅ Norse Atlantic has launched a flash sale for SUPER cheap flights to Europe (book by July 29th).

✅ Catch up on our latest YouTube video about why the Venture Rewards card is SO underrated.

🏆 Favorite pick of the week: This is actually the best status match of the year (and it’s free!)

I said what I said. This is the best status match of the year, and here’s why.

Until August 19, 2024, you can match your elite status from 17 eligible airlines to ITA Airways (Italy’s flagship carrier)… And this includes your EXPIRED status 🤯

Depending which status your currently have, ITA will match you to a corresponding level of their own status 🎉

Eligible airlines include American Airlines, British Airways, WestJet, and more.

As someone who has flown and currently flies from Vancouver to London quite often, I hold British Airways status.

This current match would allow me to gain elite status with SkyTeam (since ITA is a member), and this alliance includes airlines such as Delta, KLM, Air France, and Korean Air (among others).

This is particularly lucrative for me because I’ll be taking multiple flights on Air France in August and a long-haul flight on Korean Air in September.

And better yet?

If you’re able to get SkyTeam Elite Plus status via ITA, you’ll also gain access to business and first-class lounges when flying with SkyTeam airlines… even if you’re in the back of the plane flying economy 🙌

Oh, and did I mention this status match is FREE?!

Plus, even if you hold expired status (no earlier than January of 2023), you’re still eligible.

That’s insane.

And with this match, you’ll be gifted elite status through the end of 2025.

Again, INSANE.

If you’re eligible and want to get started, create an ITA Volare account and begin the requesting process from there!

🏃🏻‍♀️ Runner-Ups

🥇FareDrop has launched a Summer Sale (limited quantity!)

For those of you who don’t know, FareDrop is our sister company who scours the web in search of amazing flight deals… All so you don’t have to.

It’s highly personalized and customizable, so you’ll only receive deal notifications to destinations that you’ve selected.

And RIGHT NOW, we’re running a FareDrop Summer Sale where new members who sign up for the Pro Plan will not only get access to unlimited FareDrop flight deals FOR 50% OFF, but you’ll also be gifted a limited-time travel day bundle 🎉

This (very) cool and limited-quantity travel bundle includes:

• Two luggage tags

• A packable travel tote

• Stickers!

• 5 AG1 travel packs

I recently got mine in the mail (as part of the DD team), and I can attest… the bundle is rad 😎

PLUS, we’re giving away a FREE five-night, all-inclusive stay for two at the gorgeous Meliá Punta Cana Beach Resort (adults only 😏). We’re even throwing in $2,000 to cover the cost of your flights.

All you need to do is sign up for the Pro Plan to automatically be entered to win!

So if you never want to overpay for a flight again (and want to rep some cool merch), consider joining the FareDrop fam before our Summer Sale ends!

🥈 Sweet Spot: ANA’s Round the World ticket

Did you know there is such a sweet spot known as the ANA Round the World ticket?

I think many of us have aspired to book a true “around the world” ticket that takes us across multiple oceans, countries, and continents.

It’s a fun thought, but the planning takes a LOT of work.

Fortunately for us, the Japanese airline offers this unique feature that will allow you to book a series of flights around the world, using a specific chart to do so, and saving a TON of miles and points in the process.

Here are the hard and fast details to know about:

• You’ll book this ticket(s) with ANA miles, but you can fly on any combo of partner Star Alliance airlines (since ANA is a Star Alliance member)

• You can have up to eight stopovers

• You must travel East to West or West to East with no backtracking

• You must cross both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans at some point

• Your journey needs to be at least ten days

Those are the rules, folks. But beyond that, the world is your literal oyster as far as crafting your own unique flight path.

If this piques your interest at all, I’d head over to this previous newsletter to read about additional details, see some examples, and learn how to easily get some ANA miles from a particular credit card family 😎

📣 Quick Callouts

• ❌ Expired: Earn double points on Virgin Atlantic flights

• 😊 Good to know: How Mike is stacking hotel points

• 😎 Sweet: Earn a little spending bonus if you have one of Marriott’s co-branded cards

• 🤓 Travel trivia: Which airport is the most sleep-friendly in the U.S.?

• 🤔 Interesting: You can now redeem Flying Blue miles with El Al, Israel’s largest airline

That’ll do for another week of travel news, tips, and deals. Have a great rest of your weekend!

Bye 😘

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