🎉 Transfer bonuses are having a moment

Ayoooo, welcome to the weekend!

In case you missed it, Bruno Mars AND Harry Styles dropped new albums… which means we all have some very important listening to do.

So pretty please give me just five quick minutes to recap the week…

… and then we can all go have a (virtual) listening party, deal? 🕺

Ok, here’s what you might’ve missed.

💸 Here’s exactly how to get compensated when your travel plans get derailed.

🏨 Don’t miss out on the easiest way to earn Hilton Free Night Awards right now.

🇪🇺 This month’s Flying Blue Promo Rewards are actually… really good.

👀 You can credit flights to other airlines (and here’s why you should). 

🎥 Find out how World of Hyatt works, how to maximize your points, and what changes are coming in this week’s Daily Drop YouTube video.

🏆 Our Favorite Pick: Let’s talk about transfer bonuses

This week felt like a mini festival in the world of transfer partners.

If you’re newer here, transfer partners are airline and hotel programs you can move flexible credit card points into (like UR points, Capital One miles, MR points, and so on).

This is going to unlock some of the best redemptions, and when there’s a transfer bonus… hallelujah!

Here are three worth knowing about from this week:

✈️ A new JAL transfer partner (with a 50% bonus!)

One of the biggest surprises this week was Rove Miles announcing Japan Airlines Mileage Bank as a new 1:1 transfer partner.

And to get the party started, they’re offering a 50% transfer bonus through March 31.

JAL’s award chart has some pretty awesome sweet spots, especially for long-haul premium cabins.

For example, Emirates business class to Europe prices at 60,000 JAL miles, which drops to 40,000 Rove Miles with the bonus.

JAL’s own long-haul business class to Asia starts around 55,000 miles one-way, which converts to roughly 37,000 Rove Miles with the bonus.

Y’all. Not bad for some of the best business-class products in the sky.

If you’re not familiar with Rove Miles, it’s a newer program on the up-and-up because it's so easy to earn miles.

You can earn them through travel bookings and partner offers, and the platform often offers very high earning rates compared to traditional loyalty programs.

Between the strong transfer partners and promos like this, it’s quickly becoming one of those programs that’s harder and harder to ignore.

✈️ 20% transfer bonus from UR points to Avios

Another nice opportunity this week: a 20% transfer bonus from UR points to Avios.

This applies to the entire Avios gang:

• British Airways

• Iberia

• Aer Lingus

And since Avios can be freely moved between programs (including Qatar Airways), a bonus to one is effectively a bonus to all.

Avios are one of the most flexible airline currencies out there.

You can use them for short domestic flights on American Airlines, flights to Europe, or long-haul premium cabins on partners like Qatar Airways.

With this 20% bonus, those redemptions become even cheaper.

🏨 30% transfer bonus to Preferred Hotels

There was also a 30% transfer bonus this week from Capital One miles to Preferred Hotels’ I Prefer program.

Normally, the transfer ratio is 1:2, but with the bonus, it jumps to 1:2.6.

That means transferring 1,000 Capital One miles yields 2,600 I Prefer points, which can help you find some surprisingly good boutique hotel stays.

For example, the Bahia Hotel & Beach House in Cabo San Lucas (oooh, aaah) can price around 50,000 I Prefer points per night, which works out to fewer than 20,000 Capital One miles with the bonus.

Just note that Citi ThankYou points transfer at a 1:4 ratio (all the time), which can sometimes be an even better option.

The moral of the story is… flexible points + transfer bonuses = very good things.

🌟 Come Join Our Team 🌟 

Want to help us build Daily Drop from the inside?

We’re hiring two new roles that sit at the center of how we grow. If either sounds like you (or someone you know), check them out:

• Partnerships Manager to help scale our sponsorship engine and turn signed deals into repeatable revenue

• Product Manager to own our roadmap and turn strategy into shipped features that drive subscription growth

🌍 Week in Review

• Monday: 🏨 Book ultra-premium hotels for $0... and 0 points

• Tuesday: ✈️ A new transfer partner (and transfer bonus)

• Wednesday: 🍝 How I booked a last-minute trip in Italy

• Thursday: 💸 Get compensated when travel goes wrong

• Friday: ✈️ How (and why) to credit flights to other airlines

That’s all for this week, friends! 😌

Now go enjoy your weekend, and we’ll chat real soon!

See yaaaaaaaa,

40°39'41.4"N 73°56'22.0"W

With contributions by Mike Dodge