🛳️ Attention cruisers! Starting October 2025, Princess Cruises will return to San Juan, Puerto Rico, after more than a decade to offer week-long voyages aboard the Grand Princess with two alternating itineraries, sailing through March 2026, and stopping at various Caribbean destinations. Read more about it here.
Hello friends and welcome back to another beautiful day here at Daily Drop. The birds are chirping. The breeze is breezing. And the travel deals are absolutely dealing.
Here's what we’re working with:
✈️ Delta launches another way to earn elite status
If you’re a Delta loyalist that just can’t… let… go… and are still trying to pursue status with the airline, this one’s for you.
Right now, Delta SkyMiles is offering one Medallion Qualifying Dollar (MQD) for every dollar spent on booking a hotel or rental car through Delta’s Travel Extras site.
In addition to racking up some MQDs, you’ll also earn two Delta SkyMiles for each dollar.
Before we unpack the details of this offer, here are the terms to be aware of:
The promo is valid for hotel and rental car bookings between May 13 - June 24, 2024
Travel must take place between May 13 - September 8, 2024
The SkyMiles account must belong to and match the name of the credit card being used
Now this is the second time a promo like this has been offered… specifically for earning MQDs on hotel and car rental bookings—which feels sort of weird that it’s back 🤷🏻♀️
If Ryan Gosling is suspicious, then we ALL should be.
Especially because when Delta completely overhauled its SkyMiles program, hotel and car rental bookings initially DID count toward elite status.
But then there was the whole public uproar thing about how insane the spending requirements would be to earn some MQDs to then get you your precious elite status.
A harsh reminder below 👇
Delta then walked back on some of its new changes (e.g. lowered elite requirements), but as a result, hotel and car rental bookings were removed from being eligible ways to earn MQDs.
So yeah, confusing…
Maybe Delta is testing this and will eventually (and permanently) add back in hotel and car rental bookings as eligible ways to earn MQDs via its Travel Extras site.
Currently, the three “normal” ways to earn MQDS are:
1 MQD per dollar spent on Delta flights
1 MQD per dollar spent through Delta Vacations
1 MQD per every $10-$20 spent on an eligible Delta card
So with this promo, there is obviously money to be made by Delta in having its travelers book this way.
Be warned that it may not always be the best deal compared to if you looked elsewhere.
BUT… If you’re gunning for those MQDs and want to still work towards elite status with Delta, you’ve now got another means to do so… at least for now.
💡Have you seen?? Both this Delta card and its business counterpart are being offered as limited-time edition metal cards made from an actual Boeing 747.
The Points Guy “Protect Your Points” Initiative
Hey, y’all. We’re gonna have a heart-to-heart about something we REALLY care about…
I’m talking about miles, points, credit card perks, reward programs, and even payment security when it comes to swiping your favorite travel card.
And I’m guessing that if you read Daily Drop… you care about those things, too!
Maybe you’ve already heard about the Credit Card Competition Act (CCCA) and what it’s proposing, but here’s the SparkNotes version to get you up to speed.
Credit cards are the most secure way to make a purchase—thanks to card issuers who use large payment networks like Visa and Mastercard to ensure your secure information is protected.
And what happens in exchange for this incredibly important service?
Networks charge an interchange (or transaction) fee to the merchant.
A portion of that interchange fee then goes towards funding reward programs that we as consumers greatly benefit from.
I’ve personally only ever been able to book a bougie business-class flight thanks to the points and perks I get from being a credit card consumer.
However, if Congress passes the CCCA, a new mandate on reducing these interchange fees will be in place to shift from using larger, trusted networks to cheaper, smaller, and less secure ones.
This can increase the risk of fraud and cyber-attacks for both you as the card consumer, as well as many smaller businesses who also rely on these larger processing networks for protection.
Additionally, this change could ultimately destroy credit card rewards programs as we know them today. 😨
Reduced interchange fees = reduced funds for reward programs.
To be clear—this change will only benefit the world’s corporate mega-stores (think Walmart, Target, Amazon, etc.).
The best way you can protect your points is to reach out to your state’s congressional representative.
The Points Guy makes this process easy with the form below. I’ve already taken action to voice my opinion—and now it’s your turn👇
Please support our sponsors!
🤓 Travel Trivia
Can you guess the northernmost airport in the world?? |
Only Email Recipients can participate in polls. |
Answer: Svalbard Airport, Longyear (LYR)
Serving the town of Longyearbyen (which by the way is the northernmost town with a population over 1,000), this airport is located at Hotellneset, about five kilometers northwest of the town.
Over the years, this airport has connected such a remote community, along with a few mining settlements and research stations, to the rest of the world.
The history of aviation in Svalbard traces back to World War II when the first airfield was constructed. Pretty cool, huh?
But, it wasn't until 1973 that the current airport, with its single runway measuring 2,484 meters (8,146 feet) in length, was built and usable.
Despite its extreme location, Svalbard Airport, Longyear handles regular traffic from Norway's two largest airlines -- Norwegian Air and SAS Scandinavian Airlines.
Aside from commercial flights, the airport also runs charter services, like flights operated by Luftransport.
Though it may not be a bustling hub like many major airports, Svalbard Airport serves as a lifeline for people living in this remote Arctic region.
I'm curious – have you flown in or out of Svalbard Airport?
Want to learn more about some of the world’s most extreme airports? Check out this article by Daily Passport.
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…or you can just buy these prizes from our website if you want to keep us all to yourself. 😉
I hope you’ll take part in voicing your opinion about protecting your points and your purchase security!
And with that, I wish you all a lovely day, and we’ll chat again soon ❤️
