šŸ‘€ This card is making moves

It's quite an underrated card you'll want to know more about. Plus, we dive into all the other travel news and deals from this past week.

Alas, weā€™ve made it to the weekend! If youā€™re hoping for some stellar travel news this morningā€¦ Youā€™ve come to the right place šŸ˜Ž

Letā€™s get to it.

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

āœ… If you want to learn the ins and outs of hotel Free Night Awards (and how to maximize them), tune into this weekā€™s YouTube video.

āœ… Double dip in this Marriott and United cross-promotion.

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

šŸ† 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.

A fanned out group of credit cards on a yellow background

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

And with July being one of those quieter months, we wanted to highlight a rad card that, frankly, doesnā€™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 šŸ˜Ž

This card CONSISTENTLY has a high welcome offer (75,000 miles to be exact), and itā€™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 šŸŽ‰

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 eachā€¦ even retroactively.

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

If youā€™d like to learn about some more reasons why this card deserves to be in your wallet, weā€™ve got a fun article with all the highlights šŸ˜Š

šŸƒšŸ»ā€ā™€ļø Runner-Ups

šŸ„‡Flying Blueā€™s July Promo Rewards

This is an oldie but a goodieā€”a promo you can always count on. Iā€™m talking about Flying Blueā€™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, weā€™re seeing routes from a handful of U.S. cities (plus Montreal!) over to Europe starting at just 15,000 miles for economyā€¦ thatā€™s crazy šŸ¤—

Screenshot of destinations featured for Flying Blue July Promo

Better yet, these special promo rates work in both directionsā€”so to and from Europe šŸŽ‰

Additionally, you should check out ALL of this monthā€™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 youā€™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 youā€™re working with, youā€™ll be all set šŸ˜Ž

šŸ„ˆ YOU get to celebrate Aeroplanā€™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 šŸ™„

In fact, turning 40 is cool, and Aeroplan also feels that way because theyā€™re offering a ton of deals as part of their bday celebrationā€”Canadians rejoice!

Screenshot of Aeroplan's 40th birthday promo

Hereā€™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 areā€¦ okayā€¦ I guessā€¦

But the last oneā€”buying points with that whopping 125% bonus is actually amazing.

By purchasing points now with this bonus, youā€™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).

Itā€™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.

Thereā€™s one last thingā€¦ Aeroplan is also giving away 40 million points! šŸ¤Æ

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.

šŸ‘‹ Aeroplanā€™s site mentions in the terms and conditions that this is available for Canadian residents, butā€¦ I, a U.S. citizen, was able to successfully register for the giveaway (TBD on whether Iā€™d actually be eligible to win). So be warned that this bday celebration may only be accessible to Canadians.

šŸ“£ Quick Callouts

  • āŒ Expired: BOGO award flights with Avianca LifeMiles

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

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

Thatā€™s all for this week! If youā€™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 šŸ˜

See you all next weekend!

Tiffany Eastham
Weekend Warrior

52Ā°22'35.4"N 52Ā°15'17.4"W