💥 The easiest way to start traveling with points

Well hellooooo, friend.

Happy weekend to you and yours. 😌 

I’m back in my parents’ very cozy (and very Christmas-y) cabin in Tennessee, so the holiday spirit is… spiriting.

While I attempt to write this newsletter with my mom’s cat fully parked on my arm, let’s hit the travel deals so I can get back to rearranging my life around him.

✈️ Last chance for the 30% award sale on Turkish Airlines (book by 12/22).

🏨 IHG is rolling straight into a new global promotion starting January 2026.

💳 Don’t sleep on this super underrated portal.

🎥 Ever wonder how people actually travel to Antarctica? Brendan and Erin take us inside an Antarctica cruise in this week’s Daily Drop YouTube video.

🏆 Our Favorite Pick: The $95 card that can take you to Europe

Every year, the travel card world gets a little louder.

Higher annual fees. More “premium” perks. More math than your girl has the time (or energy) for… 🙃 

And yet… the most popular card among our readers is still this big hitter with a very low annual fee.

For under $100 a year (and realistically closer to $45 once you factor in the annual hotel credit), you’re getting access to UR points… which are still the most useful transferable currency out there.

Right now, this card’s welcome offer alone can realistically get you two round-trip flights to Europe (and sometimes more) if you know where to send the points.

Virgin Atlantic, Flying Blue, Avios… this card is BFFs with all of them, often with transfer bonuses that can stretch your points even further.

We’re talking:

• Two round-trip economy flights to Europe

• Or a couple flying together with points left over

• Or flights and a few Hyatt nights along the way

And honestly, you don’t need to lock yourself into anything crazy here.

That’s what makes this card such a good entry point: you earn UR points first, then decide later whether they become flights to London, Paris, Amsterdam, or something else entirely.

If a transfer bonus pops up? Even better. If plans change? Your points stay flexible until you’re ready.

Here’s what I’d do if I didn’t already have this card:

• Open the card (obvi… )

• Hit the minimum spend using expenses you already have

• End up with roughly 80,000 UR points

• Transfer to the airline or hotel program that makes the most sense for your trip

For example, Avios are sneakily powerful for East Coast trips to Europe, especially when you book partners like Aer Lingus and stack transfer bonuses to fly for even fewer points. 👇

Two people to Europe? And back? With one card? And a small fee? Done.

Add in solid earnings on dining and travel, strong travel protections, and that annual hotel credit.

That’s why this card keeps earning its spot in so many wallets, including mine.

If you’ve been reading Daily Drop for a while and think, “Okay… where do I actually start?”

… this is still my answer.

And yes… we’ve got a full breakdown of exactly how you could use this one card to get across the Atlantic if you want to go deeper. 😉

👀 This Week’s Must-Reads

🎄 Before you check out… read this

Quick little holiday reminder for you…

If you’ve got the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, that $300 annual travel credit is just sitting there begging you… on its hands and knees… to be used.

It automatically kicks in when you book through Capital One Travel and works on flights, hotels, rental cars, and vacation rentals.

This sucker is truly stress-free. 💅

Whether it’s knocking $300 off a rental car, covering a cheap hotel stay, or turning a $353 transatlantic flight into a $53 one, this perk alone goes a long way toward justifying this card year after year.

If you’ve been eyeing a trip for early 2026, this is your sign to use it.

Oh, and those examples? They’re real.

🌍 Week in Review

• Monday: ✈️ 30% off award flights to Europe

• Tuesday: ✈️ My best Delta SkyMiles redemption

• Wednesday: 🇬🇧 Business class to London for 21k points

• Thursday: ✈️ One airline, two very good deals

• Friday: 🤯 Book domestic flights for 2,500 points

And that’s gonna do it for this weekend, y’all.

I’m signing off and returning to my most important responsibility of the day…

… not moving the cat.

40°39'41.4"N 73°56'22.0"W

With contributions by Mike Dodge and Alison Carrico