☝️ The most valuable point you'll ever spend

Estimated read time: 4 minutes and 44 seconds

☀️ Good morning and welcome back to Daily Drop — the only newsletter that considers “transiting in Doha for 16 hours” a wellness activity.

Here’s what I got today:

• 🏃🏼‍♂️ Mike on the Move: Australia & New Zealand

• ✈️ An underrated partnership just got better

• 😏 Redeem 1 point, get 50% off (seriously)

• 💳 Five credit card myths busted

🏃🏼‍♂️ Mike on the Move: Australia & New Zealand

Well, after a dry month (no flights for 30 days) at home in my apartment, I’m ready for my next adventure — this time to Australia and New Zealand.

I’m kicking things off with Garuda Indonesia business-class flights from Jakarta (CGK) to Sydney (SYD), which I booked for just 63,000 SAS miles each way (thank you, million-mile challenge 🙏🏼).

Stop 1: Tasmania

My first stop in Australia will take me to Hobart, Tasmania, for some snowy winter fun.

I opted to book four nights at the Crowne Plaza Hobart, which cost me just 15,500 IHG points per night.

That means I can simply buy $75 worth of IHG points, combine them with the [[ ihg-rewards-premier-credit-card.name ]]’s 4th-night free perk, and save a ton of cash compared to the standard $150 per night rate.

Since I have lounge access (from IHG’s 40-night milestone), I also get free breakfast, drinks, and evening food in the hotel lounge. 🍽️

Stop 2: Melbourne

From Hobart, I booked a quick hop to Melbourne (MEL) on Qantas using just 5,500 Flying Blue miles:

I have four nights in Melbourne, and opted to pay cash this time because IHG currently has a crap load of promos that I stacked together for insane value:

• I booked the Voco Melbourne for $120 per night, or $480 total.

• IHG has a promo to earn 8k points for every four paid nights

• It ALSO has a promo to earn 3x points at certain brands… including Voco 😎

• My Diamond status and the [[ ihg-rewards-premier-credit-card.casual-card-name ]] get me another 20x points

• I booked through Capital One Offers for 4x miles on IHG stays

In summary: My $480 stay will earn me 32,000 IHG points and around 2,000 Capital One miles.

That’s the power of stacking, folks.

Onward to New Zealand

From Melbourne, I’ll hop on a nonstop Air New Zealand flight to Queenstown, NZ (ZQN), which I booked for 12,500 Aeroplan points and an annoying $138 in taxes and fees.

Since the cash rate was around $350, I’m still getting great value for my Aeroplan points (especially considering the current 20% transfer bonus from Ultimate Rewards points).

And now, the most exciting part of the trip… 😏

Luxury in Queenstown

Remember when I told you about all of the ways to justify the annual fee on the [[ hilton-honors-american-express-aspire-card.name ]]?

Well, I used two Free Night Certificates from the [[ hilton-honors-american-express-aspire-card.casual-card-name ]] to book a two-night stay at Eichardt’s Private Hotel in Queenstown, an SLH property that costs 170,000 points or over $1,800 per night.

And if this wasn’t already an insane amount of value, I’ll also get:

• $50 property credit

• Free Breakfast

• Evening drinks and snacks

This is why, even though I spend fewer than 10 nights per year with Hilton, holding the [[ hilton-honors-american-express-aspire-card.casual-card-name ]] makes sense for me personally.

But that’s just the start of my New Zealand adventure… Next week, I’ll tell you how I’m using points and miles to see even more of the country. 🇳🇿

✈️ An underrated partnership just got better

If you’re an elite with either Marriott or United (or both), there’s a long-standing partnership between them — and it just got a fresh boost.

Personally, I love that by holding Marriott Titanium status, I automatically get United Silver status every year. That means:

• Complimentary preferred seating

• Free same-day flight changes

• One free checked bag

• Better upgrade odds (well… slightly better)

And on the flip side, if you’re a United elite, you can earn bonus points with Marriott just for linking your accounts.

What’s the deal?

• Earn 750 Marriott points per paid United itinerary

• Earn 500 United miles per paid Marriott stay

• Do both, get a one-time bonus: 1,500 Marriott points + 1,000 United miles

• Register by August 31, and travel/stays must start by then, too

Who’s eligible?

• Marriott: Titanium or Ambassador elite

• United: Premier Gold, Platinum, or 1K elites

You also need to be enrolled in their loyalty partnership AND register for this specific offer.

Why it’s worth it

• No limit on how many times you earn the ongoing bonuses

• The extra bonus is easy — just one flight and one stay

• These rewards stack with whatever else you’re earning

My take

This promo isn’t life-changing… but if you’re already planning to fly United or stay at a Marriott hotel this summer, it’s free value. Just link your accounts, register, and start stacking. 💪

😏 Redeem 1 point, get 50% off (seriously)

If you have a card that earns Membership Rewards points, you might have access to a cool little Amazon trick that turns a single point into real cash savings.

It’s called Shop with Points — and while the name sounds boring, the savings are very real.

How it works:

• Amazon occasionally rolls out targeted offers that provide a discount just for using points at checkout.

• But here’s the catch — you don’t need to actually use a lot of points.

• You can literally apply 1 point (like, $0.01 worth) to trigger the discount… and pay the rest with your card.

Some people are even seeing offers as high as 50% off certain products with this offer:

For an expensive item, this could be the best value for point(s) known to man.

Of course, there are a few caveats:

• These offers are targeted, so not everyone will be eligible (check this link to see if you’ve been targeted)

• You need to link your Membership Rewards points-earning card to your Amazon account (don’t worry, it takes 30 seconds)

• You can check if you’re eligible at this link

So if you’ve got the [[ american-express-gold-card.name ]], which earns a lot of points on dining, or [[ the-platinum-card-from-american-express.name ]] that gets you insane lounge access — this is just one more reason it’s quietly valuable beyond travel.

💳 Five credit card myths busted

I love mythology.

Zeus? Icon. Medusa? Relatable. The Odyssey? A classic mileage run gone terribly wrong.

But what I don’t love are credit card myths — especially those that deter people from earning easy points and perks.

That’s why in this week’s Daily Drop YouTube video, we’re busting five of the biggest credit card myths once and for all (no ambrosia required). 👇

Well, I hope you have some pep in your Monday step after today’s newsletter.

Now go out and conquer the rest of the day,

6.9175° S, 107.6191° E

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