👀 This card is making moves

Alas, we’ve made it to the weekend! If you’re hoping for some stellar travel news this morning… You’ve come to the right place 😎

Let’s get to it.

✅ Take advantage of this colossal 80% transfer bonus from UR points to IHG (until July 31st)!

✅ If you want to learn the ins and outs of hotel Free Night Awards (and how to maximize them), tune into this week’s YouTube video.

✅ Double dip in this Marriott and United cross-promotion.

✅ Right now there are CHEAP round-trip, premium economy tickets to Europe on Scandinavian Airlines.

🏆 Favorite pick of the week: July Top Cards update

One of my favorite times of the month is at the very beginning where the DD team gets together and holds a pow-wow to discuss updating our current Top Cards page.

Some months are obvious because of increased welcome offers that come through, but then some months are quiet… with not much change happening.

And with July being one of those quieter months, we wanted to highlight a rad card that, frankly, doesn’t get the attention it deserves.

The card I speak of is the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, and it has officially made its move up the list 😎

This card CONSISTENTLY has a high welcome offer (75,000 miles to be exact), and it’s sitting pretty with an annual fee under $100. WHAT.

I also freaking love Capital One miles because they have one of the most extensive transfer partner lists where you can shuttle those miles over to programs like:

• Air Canada

• Air France/KLM

• British Airways

• Cathay Pacific

• Emirates

• Virgin Atlantic

• WAY more

I also think that any card that maximizes on everyday spending is a card with increased value for most people. So for the Venture Rewards card to offer 2X miles per dollar on everything is fantastic 🎉

Additionally, one of the most unique features about Capital One miles is the ability to offset ANY travel purchase at a rate of one cent each… even retroactively.

Overall, the Venture Rewards card is an excellent card, and is pretty dang comparable to the [[ chase-sapphire-preferred-card.name ]].

If you’d like to learn about some more reasons why this card deserves to be in your wallet, we’ve got a fun article with all the highlights 😊

🏃🏻‍♀️ Runner-Ups

🥇Flying Blue’s July Promo Rewards

This is an oldie but a goodie—a promo you can always count on. I’m talking about Flying Blue’s monthly Promo Rewards!

Each month, the joint loyalty program of KLM and Air France launches discounted award flights to destinations all over the world, and this month is no different!

Here are the deets:

• You must book your flights between now and July 31 to receive up to 25% off award tickets

• Eligible travel dates are now through December 31, 2024

This month, we’re seeing routes from a handful of U.S. cities (plus Montreal!) over to Europe starting at just 15,000 miles for economy… that’s crazy 🤗

Better yet, these special promo rates work in both directions—so to and from Europe 🎉

Additionally, you should check out ALL of this month’s featured destinations which include some short and medium-haul flights throughout Europe, plus destinations outside of Europe (e.g. Dubai, Beijing, Osaka, etc.).

And if you’re in need of some Flying Blue miles? Not to worry!

All major banks transfer to this program. So no matter what miles and points currency you’re working with, you’ll be all set 😎

🥈 YOU get to celebrate Aeroplan’s 40th birthday

Ah, the big 4-0.

And no, 40 is NOT old. I also apologize to all the people I called old at 40 when I was 18 🙄

In fact, turning 40 is cool, and Aeroplan also feels that way because they’re offering a ton of deals as part of their bday celebration—Canadians rejoice!

Here’s a list of some of the things on offer starting July 8th:

• Get 4,000 bonus points on select Flight Passes

• Status embers get 400 bonus SQM on eligible flights

• Get 40% bonus points when converting Accord points

• Earn 10x points when you shop via the eStore

• Buy points and get up to a 125% bonus (July 8th - July 11th)

Those first few bullet points are… okay… I guess…

But the last one—buying points with that whopping 125% bonus is actually amazing.

By purchasing points now with this bonus, you’ll end up saving a ton of cash when you then go to use those points to make future award bookings on flights (when you compare the cash value of those flights).

It’s a great travel trick that initially requires some upfront costs but ultimately puts you ahead (and gets you better value) in the end.

If you want some specific examples of buying Aeroplan points and suggestions for routes you could book, check out this newsletter.

OH, WAIT.

There’s one last thing… Aeroplan is also giving away 40 million points! 🤯

Anyone who has a free Aeroplan account can register to be entered, and forty of those lucky peeps will each win one million points.

WILD. Life-changing, in fact.

It takes four seconds to register, and I highly recommend you do so HERE.

📣 Quick Callouts

• ❌ Expired: BOGO award flights with Avianca LifeMiles

• 😎 Cool: Check if you received this targeted IHG promo to earn 7x points per dollar for everyday spending

• 🤓 Travel Trivia: Which international city is the most expensive in the world for expats to move to in 2024?

That’s all for this week! If you’re American and you celebrated the 4th, I hope you had a fantastic day resting and/or playing.

I spent mine very much not resting, but instead, spent the day on my bike as I continue to prepare for a cycling trip through the Italian Dolomites later this summer 😍

See you all next weekend!

52°22'35.4"N 52°15'17.4"W