✈️ Travel Hacking Acronyms: SUB = Sign Up Bonus, there are a ton of acronyms that make travel hacking seem like a new language. Join November Newbie week in the lounge to learn how to maximize SUBs on your travel hacking journey.
Howdy, fine folk. Welcome back to Daily Drop, the newsletter that’s been described as a “gift from the travel hacking gods.”
Described by my mom, that is.
We’ve got some GOOD stuff today, so strap in:
✈️ JetBlue gets into bed with… Qatar?
💳 30% transfer bonus to…
🤓 Travel Trivia Tuesday
✈️ JetBlue gets into bed with… Qatar?
There’s a new romance hitting the hot goss of the day, and it’s a STEAMY one.
And no, I’m not talking about T-Swift and T-Kelce. Although… Damn, I’m so happy for them.
No, no, friends.
I’m talking about Qatar Airways and… JetBlue?
Yes, it’s the weirdest pairing since peanut butter and tacos.
But this is GREAT news for us travel hackers, and I’ll tell you why.
You can now redeem Qatar Airways Avios for flights on JetBlue, including for their luxurious Mint business class seats.
The cost of flights will depend on the distance as outlined in Qatar Airways’ partner award chart:
So as you can see, you’re able to book flights for as few as 6,000 miles in economy, which isn’t half bad.
Even if you wanted to fly across the U.S. in a tasty lie-flat seat, you’d only need to shell out 38,750 Avios one-way!
The reason I’m so excited about this, however, is because Avios are freely transferrable between Qatar, British Airways, Iberia, and Aer Lingus.
That means that as long as you can get points in one of these programs, you can then transfer them to Qatar and book your JetBlue flights.
Overall, this is an awesome development for U.S.-based travelers.
JetBlue has an awesome product, and Avios are extremely easy to earn, which is a fantastic combo in my book.
Whether you’re flying economy or business class, the award chart offered by Qatar will get you pretty amazing value from your points and miles.
The final perk to this news is that when there’s a transfer bonus to British Airways or Qatar, it’s essentially a transfer bonus to JetBlue if you want it to be.
Speaking of which…
💳 30% transfer bonus to Qatar
Woah… What are the odds? A 30% transfer bonus to Qatar Airways right when they announce the earlier news?
Gotta love coincidences.
Right now, you can transfer Thank You points to Qatar with a 30% bonus. But you’re gonna want to hurry, there isn’t much time.
This offer expires in just a few days, on November 10th, so there isn’t much time to pull the trigger on this…
Still, Avios are such a flexible currency that you might want to send over a fat batch of points.
Here are some of the ways you can use Avios between Qatar and the other Avios airlines:
JetBlue from New York to Los Angeles for 13,000 Avios in economy (only 10,000 with the bonus)
American Airlines from New York to Trinidad for 22,000 Avios in economy (17,000 with this bonus)
British Airways from New York to London for 25,000 Avios (19,000 with the bonus)
So yeah. There is no shortage of great ways to put these Avios to use, especially if you have 30% more of them to play around with.
There aren’t many ways to get outsize value from your Thank You points, so I’d hop on this opportunity if you think you’ll have a use for the Avios in the near-ish future.
🤓 Travel Trivia Tuesday
This is a fun one…
Can you name the traditional Inuit game that tests pain endurance by having people use their ears to pull on a loop of leather cord?
Correct answer: the Ear Pulling Game
I know what you’re thinking… ouch!
But, ear pulling is deeply embedded in Inuit culture, so much so that it’s one of the games played at the Eskimo-Indian Olympics.
In this game, two players sit on the floor, facing each other, with a loop of leather cord strung between their ears. They use their ears to pull on the cord until it either comes free or one of the players quits due to the pain.
It is a fascinating example of the diverse cultural traditions and sports that exist around the world, showcasing the resilience and endurance of the participants in a unique and physically demanding way.
Ear pulling is also a direct reflection of the Inuit's’ connectivity to nature and commitment to teaching their children to learn lifelong survival skills.
Due to safety concerns, some Arctic competitions have removed this event from their programs, but the game is still being played in other places!
Click here to read more about the history of ear pulling in Inuit culture.
That’s all for today, folks! Man, that was a super Qatar-heavy newsletter. But when the stars align like this, I don’t ask questions…
I hope you JetBlue fans are excited about this and book some sweet flights with you Avios.
Take care, have a great day, and I’ll see you tomorrow morning.
Love you, byeeee ❤️
