150% transfer bonus to Emirates

Good morning and welcome back to Dail-

You know what? Today is crazy and we don’t have time for pleasantries, so here you go:

• ✈️ The best Southwest offer of the year

• 💳 Bilt: Up to 150% transfer bonus to Emirates

• 🥂 First Class Friday: United’s Polaris business class gets dreamier

✈️ The best Southwest offer of the year

It is a crazy time to be alive.

I don’t know how programs keep pulling out offers like this, but I’m a big fan. Right now, Southwest co-branded credit cards have the best offer of the year.

And this next phrase is going to be controversial, but I stand by it:

I think this offer is even better than the Companion Pass offer from earlier this year… 🫢

Check it out:

Right now, you can earn 75,000 Southwest Rapid Rewards Points when you sign up for ANY of the co-branded credit cards and meet the minimum spending requirements.

That’s a LOT of Southwest points, people…

Here’s why I’m freakin’ out about the offer:

I didn’t give two poops about the Companion Pass offer earlier this year because I travel solo.

So unless you’re a family traveler or always traveling with someone else, this offer is superior. Even if you fit into those categories, this might be a better deal than Companion Pass if you only travel a few times per year.

And here’s why:

Southwest frequently sells award flights for next to no points…

Remember a few weeks ago when I showed you this screenshot for booking a flight from Boston to Orlando for just over 2,000 Southwest points?

With the current signup offer, you’d be able to book this flight almost 40 times.

Keep in mind that two of the co-branded credit cards have annual fees under $100, and ALL of them have benefits and perks when flying Southwest.

Still not convinced?

I thought you might not be. So I came prepared.

If you sign up for ANY of the co-branded cards right now, you’ll have enough Southwest points to book this ridiculous itinerary:

I mapped this whole thing out and found a way to swing it for a total of 73,881 Southwest points.

So you could literally fly from Boston to Orlando, Montego Bay (Jamaica), Houston, San Jose (Costa Rica), Denver, Seattle, Phoenix, Kahului (Hawaii), and Oakland by signing up for a credit card with an annual fee of less than $70.

So check out our pages dedicated to Southwest co-branded cards where we break down even more details about the benefits from each card.

Here are links to each of them:

1. This is the baby card (aka lowest annual fee)

2. This card is also cool

3. This is the big boy card (and the best value, in my opinion)

But if you want to unlock a ton of free travel and get an awesome keeper card in the process, I HIGHLY recommend you hop on this opportunity before it disappears.

💳 Bilt: Up to 150% transfer bonus to Emirates

I know we just talked about Bilt yesterday, but I got some great news today regarding their upcoming Rent Day, so I need to tell you about this…

The last Rent Day was rather “meh,” hence why we didn’t tell you about it here in the newsletter.

But on November 1st, you’ll have the chance to transfer points to Emirates Skywards Miles with a bonus of up to 150%… 🤯

Here’s the deal:

Based on your level of Bilt elite status (or lack thereof), you’ll have a certain transfer bonus for your Bilt points.

If you’re just a normal Bilt member (which is free to sign up for), you’ll already have a 75% transfer bonus.

And the bonus only gets bigger from there…

This is a similar structure to the Virgin Atlantic bonus Bilt did a few months back, and I think it’s great.

Even normal Bilt members get a bonus that’s far higher than the typical transfer bonus.

While Emirates miles are not as valuable or easy to use as some other programs, they offer one of the best experiences in the sky whether you’re in first class or economy.

Emirates even operates flights from the U.S. to Europe, like this flight from NYC to Milan:

By simply being a Bilt member, you’d be able to book this economy flight for only 22,000 Bilt points, which is great.

If you have top-tier Bilt status and want to fly in business class, you’d only need to shell out 35,000 Bilt points.

Considering you’re flying one of the best seats in the sky across the ocean on one of the world’s best airlines, I’d say that’s a steal…

So here’s that bottom line:

I wouldn’t transfer points without a specific booking in mind here. 

The only reason I say that is because Bilt might have other solid Rent Day bonuses in the future, and Emirates isn’t as flexible of a program as some others.

However, if you have a bunch of Bilt points and want to travel to Europe, the Middle East, or beyond in style, this is a FANTASTIC way to do so.

🥂 First Class Friday: United’s Polaris business class gets dreamier

No seriously, they want to help you sleep better and set the stage for those sweet, sweet dreams 😴

United recently announced that they’ll be reimagining their international Polaris experience—from lounge to landing.

This isn’t a massive upgrade to their cabins, but rather, some finer touches to improve that rest and relaxation while you’re in the skies.

They recently partnered with Saks Fifth Avenue to introduce new bedding that includes getting an actual duvet and TWO pillows for extra comfort 🤗

Anytime I’m flying business class and I don’t get a duvet, I’m just kind of like, what… are we doing here…? So it’s nice to see this little upgrade to an already killer Polaris product.

Additionally, United also partnered with wellness technology brand Therabody to improve its amenity kit—hoping to make it more “sleep-themed.”

Your body will now be blessed with items such as eye serum to reduce puffiness, a hydrating face spray, special hand cream, and a cleansing towelette (among other things).

This partnership with Therabody even goes beyond the inflight experience. The wellness brand will be featuring some of his wellness-tech products in a handful of Polaris lounges.

Its aptly named “Reset Suite” will have opened this month in Newark and San Francisco Polaris lounges, and extended to Chicago, Houston, LA, and Washington Dulles by the end of the month.

Here’s a few things you’ll find being featured in these Reset Suites:

• Therabody Loungers (sound and vibration therapy chairs)

• Theraguns (their renowned massage guns)

• RecoveryAir JetBoots (for compression)

• Therabody SmartGoggles (luxury eye masks)

• Plus additional Therabody skincare products

I think these are some fun additions to the Polaris experience, starting from the lounge, and I’d love to try out some of the products in Therabody’s Reset Suites.

Have any of you encountered these new lounge and inflight products yet?? Let me know!

One of my favorite ways to learn about new travel hacks is in our very own Daily Drop Lounge, an online community of DD fans and travel hackers.

Here’s a look at a post from this past week if you want a taste of what you’re missing. If you want the full redemption details, I guess you’ll have to come join the lounge… 😏

And unlike your local airport lounge, you won’t have any trouble getting into the Daily Drop Lounge. 😉

Wow, what a great way to finish off the week, eh? I love when these “too good to be true” offers come out - they’re such good ways to ramp up your travel hacking game and get outsize value from your money, cards, time, and points.

But after that, I think we all need a break, so I hope you enjoy your weekend, and I’ll see you first thing Monday Morning.

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