Estimated read time: 5 minutes

☀️ Hi y’all,

Me again. Sam here.

Today is a somber day in the travel world – actually, for the entire nation. 9/11 goes down as one of the worst tragedies in modern history that our country has ever seen.

As a New Yorker, almost everyone I know had a personal connection to that dark day. My grandma remembers the chaos of getting out of her downtown Manhattan office. My dad was a floor trader who worked at the World Trade Center (he even brought kid me into work once) – though thankfully he no longer did in 2001. My uncle was a first responder who sustained lifelong lung damage from the smoke and debris.

Damn, I’m tearing up in this coffee shop, so I’ll stop there. Just know that if you know anyone whose life was lost or altered on that day, my heart goes out to you.🫂

I've always believed the best way to honor the people we lost is to remember them, and then go live a big life on their behalf. For me, that’s exploring the world.

So with that, let's get into today's drop.

• 🤨 The most underrated credit card benefit

• 1️⃣ One (unofficial) rule to rule them all

• 🐭 How to visit Disney for (almost) free

🤨 The most underrated credit card benefit

We talk a lot about flashy credit card perks. Lounge access. Elite status. Travel credits.

There’s an obvious reason – they make travel easier, more fun, and (let’s be real) just a lil more glamorous. 💅

But there’s one benefit that doesn’t get enough airtime imho. And it’s the one you’re going to miss most if you don’t have it when you need it.

Travel insurance.

I get it. At first glance, it’s not exactly the sexiest topic. But I think that’s why I’m so weirdly passionate about it (I got unreasonably excited when this card added emergency evacuation and transportation coverage up to $100,000 earlier this year… that’s huge).

I need y’all to know about how it’s saved me sooo many times, and how it could do the same for you. Travel insurance paid for when:

• I dropped my phone on cobblestones in Brazil – this card’s cell phone protection bought me a new one

• I got overnight delayed in Atlanta on the same trip – that same card covered my hotel, Ubers, and dinner

• A rock hit and cracked the windshield of a rental car – this card’s primary rental car insurance paid for the repairs

• My baggage got delayed – the same card paid for essentials for a couple days til I got it back (and that was the last time I checked a bag – 10 years ago)

Credit card insurance has saved me literally thousands of dollars over the years. But it’s one of those benefits that’s hard to value. You might go years without using it… then suddenly get reimbursed hundreds of dollars when something goes wrong. 🤷‍♀️

I personally wouldn’t travel without some kind of backup, whether that’s coverage from a credit card or a separate travel insurance policy. It’s one of the reasons I’m hanging onto this premium card – it has the best travel insurance in the game. It’s one of the only cards that offers some medical coverage, along with primary rental car insurance. And yes, I’ve read the fine print on all the policies. 🙃

So here’s my advice to you:

• If you already have a credit card, go read the fine print. You’ll be glad you know what’s covered before frantically trying to figure it out mid-trip.

• If you’re shopping for a new card, make travel insurance part of your decision, especially if you’re a one-card kinda person.

• Remember: you need to put your travel purchases on that card to trigger coverage. Yes, that usually includes paying the taxes and fees on an award ticket.

• If something goes wrong, save everything. Receipts. Screenshots of delay notifications. Photos of airport screens showing cancellations. There’s no such thing as too much documentation when you’re filing a claim. Make it as easy as possible for them to say yes (I’ve yet to have a claim denied).

There’s sooo much more to travel insurance, so if I’ve sparked some questions, head to our comprehensive guide to learn more.

1️⃣ One (unofficial) rule to rule them all

5/24.

If you’ve poked around any internet forums (like the Daily Drop Facebook lounge), chances are you’ve come across these numbers.

No, they’re not some secret password that unlocks first class on every flight (wouldn’t that be nice).

It’s a bit less exciting – but no less important. 5/24 is one bank’s (unofficial yet reliably consistent) guiding light of approvals.

The short version: if you’ve opened more than five personal credit cards in 24 months, you’re pretty much almost certainly going to be denied a new card from this bank.

Fewer than five personal cards in 24 months? You’ve passed this level of scrutiny, onto the next one (that’s what your whole credit history is all about).

This week’s article is a deep dive into 5/24, what it means, what counts (personal credit cards), what doesn’t (your mortgage, shockingly enough), and all the other nitty gritty details that are actually weirdly fascinating once you get into it.

🐭 How to visit Disney for (almost) free

Phew! This has gotten to be a bit dry of a newsletter… let’s bring back the fun.

For many of y’all, Disney = ultimate fun.

And in case you didn’t know, Brendan is quiiite the Disney fan. Like… “visited Disney parks over 20 times (in multiple countries)” and “books a trip to Disney with his daughter before she’s even born” kind of fan. 🤯

So in this week’s YouTube video, he shares his years of experience on how to visit Mickey with miles and points, including:

• Finding the best award flights to get to the parks

• Booking Disney hotels on points

• Booking Disney park tickets on points (but also…whether you should)

• Using park expenses to strategically earn more points

• Visiting Disneyland Paris & Tokyo (it’s cheaper than you think)

Without giving away the whole video (don’t you hate when movie previews do that?), I’ll just drop the link here so you can watch it yourself. 👇

Alright, that’ll do it for today! I gotta get out of this coffee shop. The couple next to me – like one foot away from me – is breaking up, and I can’t concentrate anymore. Wait maybe they’re not? Idk y’all… sitting here with my espresso tonic has been a wild ride. 😶

One thing’s for sure – Daily Drop is here to stay, and we’ll be back with ya on Monday morning. Have a delightful weekend until then. ✌️

42°53′11″N 78°52′41″W

With contributions by April Wilson.