👖 This card looks good on everyone

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☀️ Haaapppy weekend, y’all!

Hope the work week treated you well, and if not, well, we’re here now to make up for it!

Personally, I’m in the middle of an overnight layover in NYC before I catch a flight later to go explore the Alps in Switzerland. Eeeek!

While I’m excited… I’ll also have a toddler in tow, so maybe pray for us. 😅 

Before I head off on this extremely ambitious trip, let’s recap some of the big travel news from the week — with a couple of fun Daily Drop announcements. 😉 

🏨 Your Hyatt transfer ratio woes are no more thanks to these tips.

✈️ Is buying airline miles to book business class a good deal? With this deal, it might be.

🥞 Don’t miss this IHG points stack worth digging into. 

💰️ Did someone say free money?? Get in on the fun here.

‼️ Up for grabs: 500 points a night at these new hotels this summer.

🎥 Watch the full breakdown of exactly why this card is just so good in this week’s Daily Drop YouTube video. 

🏆 Our Favorite Pick: The first card I recommend to everyone

ICYMI, the points travel world has been abuzz about this card for the last week.

And for good reasons.

First, it got a sweet little update with no increase to its annual fee. 😎 

But that’s OLD news.

This week, they sweetened the deal with a limited-time welcome offer of 100,000 UR points after you meet the minimum spend.

This is like when you get your hair cut, it looks amazing, and you happen to have plans to go out with friends that night — perfect timing. 💁‍♀️ 

And like that favorite pair of jeans you’d throw on for said night out, this card is an absolute must-have — and I’ll tell you why.

Why this card is my go-to pick

#1 Reason: It breaks even

If you’ve never had a card with an annual fee before, this card’s $95 annual fee can feel like a commitment — spending money to spend more money??

But in the world of travel cards, a $95 annual fee is pretty standard, and low even when compared to some cards.

And this card offers one key credit that offsets that entire fee in one fell swoop: a $100 hotel credit to use in their travel portal.

So before you ever swipe the card, you’ve got that credit to use and earn your investment back — that alone helps me feel comfortable agreeing to a $95 fee.

#2 Reason: It comes with a LOT of really great points

Right now, this card is sporting a welcome offer of a whopping 100,000 points.

These points are some of our favorites, because they’re easy to earn and even easier to use.

They can be transferred to 14 different airline and hotel loyalty programs to book flights or hotel nights for points instead of cash. 👀 

Just a few examples

You could transfer points to Virgin Atlantic and book a flight from Washington D.C. to London for 6,000 points one-way in economy.

Or transfer them to Flying Blue, the loyalty program for Air France and KLM, and take advantage of their monthly promos and fly in economy from Houston to Paris for 18,750 miles one-way.

At those redemption rates, with 100,000 UR points, you could pay for a round trip for multiple people, or maybe flights for two and a few nights in a hotel in Europe. 🤷‍♀️ 

Orrrr go big and transfer them to Air Canada and book a business class ticket from the East Coast to Europe for 60,000 points one-way.

Coincidentally, ALL things that I have actually done using points from this card. 🙈 

And these are widely available and easily bookable redemptions… we haven’t even touched the more advanced redemptions à la Mike on the Move. 😂

In short, these points are ridiculously easy to use in a variety of easily accessible ways.

#3 Reason: It’s got ALL sorts of benefits

It’s honestly easy to lose track of the long list of credit card benefits these days, and this card is a prime example, thanks to its recent update.

But I’ll attempt a rapid-fire run-through of its many perks, just for y’all. 😉

The skip-the-line credit

If you don’t have TSA PreCheck, this card basically hands it to you with the $120 statement credit for TSA PreCheck/Global Entry (every four years). So you can wave at all the poor souls stuck in the security line as you breeze by.

Free subscriptions I actually use

This card comes with a complimentary DashPass, which unlocks $0 delivery fees & lower service fees for a minimum of 1 year when you activate by 12/31/27.

And a complimentary Apple TV subscription for one year — when activated by December 31, 2026 (terms apply).

Sounds like Friday movie nights at home for a discount ALL year long, babe. 😬

Travel protections for peace of mind

Because this card also comes with travel insurance that includes things like:

• primary rental car coverage

• trip delay and cancellation insurance

• baggage delay insurance

• lost luggage reimbursement

• (newly added) emergency evacuation and transportation coverage — up to $100,000 when you’re traveling more than 100 miles from home

Thankfully, I haven’t really had to use these much, but I have comfortably booked trips knowing that when I use this card, they’ve got me covered.

Bottom line

This card is the launching point to a world of travel that can often seem out of reach until you have 100,000 points to unlock loads of opportunities.

And the annual fee feels pretty minor when you’re getting waaaay more back in travel, benefits, and coverage.

Just take it from someone who used this exact card for her very first award travel booking — it’s a great place to start. 😊 

👀 A Look At The Week Ahead

🌍 Week in Review

• Monday: 🧅 My 7-layer hotel stack

• Tuesday: 💳️ The best starter card

• Wednesday: 🏨 Book hotels for 1,400 points

• Thursday: 🏨 How to navigate the Hyatt problem

• Friday: ☀️ Three things we're excited about this summer 

It’s been a full week, and next week is shaping up to be just as action-packed, so with that, I think I’ll bid y’all adieu.

Till next weekend, friends!

40.7128° N, -74.0060° W

With contributions by Mike Dodge, Sam Anthony, and McKay Moffitt

Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.