My 2025 card strategy

Gooooood morning and welcome back to Daily Drop, the newsletter that could’ve helped Sam and Frodo get to Mordor a LOT faster - and with complimentary snacks.

Enough nerdy LOTR references - let’s talk turkey. 🦃

• 💳 My 2025 card strategy

• 🤓 Travel Trivia Tuesday

• 🏆 Win from the Daily Drop Lounge

💳 My 2025 card strategy

In this year’s first newsletter, I told you about how I was going into my “replenishing” phase of points and miles after burning between two to three million points in 2024.

Today, I want to tell you exactly how I plan to do that - and why.

Just the other day, I told you about how I earned Alaska Airlines MVP Gold 75k status in one day…

So, as you’d imagine, my airline strategy for this year is largely focused on earning Alaska miles and other Oneworld miles that I can leverage my elite benefits with.

So, my first card of the year is none other than this co-branded Alaska Airlines card.

I just signed up for it last week and have already met the required spend for the welcome offer.

If that sounds crazy, then tell me:

Anyway, I did it for two reasons:

1. Earning a huge batch of Alaska miles from the welcome offer

2. Earning Alaska EQMs (Elite Qualifying Miles) from spending on the card

But the card actually has terrible earning rates… so my larger strategy involves MR Points.

Specifically, I’m going to divert as much spending as I can to cards that earn MR Points and, ideally, apply for one or two new cards.

My reasoning for this is that I can transfer those points to Hawaiian and then onward to Alaska, thanks to their online transfer tool.

I use this card for all of my dining around the globe and earn 4x MR Points per dollar on all of that spend - which means 4x Alaska miles.

It’s a GREAT way to rack up a lot of points quickly.

The other reason I want MR Points is that they also transfer to programs like British Airways Avios (which you can then transfer to Qatar, Iberia, or Finnair).

They also transfer to Cathay Pacific and even have transfer bonuses to both of these programs fairly regularly.

This means I have three super valuable points programs at my disposal, all of which I can use to travel basically anywhere in the world at solid rates (while taking advantage of my oneworld elite benefits).

For reference, my flight tomorrow to New York only costs 4,500 Alaska miles to fly on AA.

Because I have Alaska status, I can even get upgraded to business class on American Airlines, too.

It just goes to show how one good welcome bonus combined with regular spending on a card with great earning rates can really pay off - especially when used with programs with such excellent redemption rates.

But what about hotels?

Well, I have two main strategies for that:

1. Hyatt, Hyatt, Hyatt

2. Buying IHG points

So, how do credit cards come into play?

Well, first of all, I hold this co-branded hotel credit card.

By simply keeping it open each year, I get every fourth night free when using points on IHG hotels.

So for a hotel like this one in Seattle that costs 22,000 points per night, you’ll save 22,000 points by booking a 4-night stay, which is significant.

Multiply that by a few stays per year, and the card pays for itself with this perk alone (not to mention the free night award that it gives you each year).

Anyway, I like to combine that perk with buying IHG Points for half a cent each, which generally offers lower overall prices than paying cash for a hotel (read more about that here).

When I do buy points, I usually use the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, so I earn two miles per dollar (buying points doesn’t count as a “hotel” or “travel” purchase).

Actually, I use that card for any purchase that doesn’t have a normal category, like gas, dining, groceries, travel, etc., where most cards would only offer one point per dollar.

Over time, that 2x earning rate really adds up.

Finally, let’s talk about Hyatt…

I generally use this card for my travel purchases (which is definitely a large part of my spending since I live in hotels, fly often, take trains, etc.).

By earning 3x UR Points on all of those purchases, I can transfer tons of points to Hyatt and book hotels at great rates compared to other programs.

In fact, by simply signing up for this card and getting the welcome offer, you’d be able to book 18 nights at Hyatt hotels like this one in Nashville, which costs just 3,500 Hyatt points:

Combine that with regular spending on the card, and you can see how if you strategize around cheaper hotels, this card (and UR Points on the whole) can take you VERY far.

And that’s basically it.

I do have some other strategies around cards as they pertain to perks and lounge access, but I’ll save that for another newsletter. 😉

🤓 Travel Trivia Tuesday

The correct answer is…Charlotte, North Carolina!

Here is a list of some of the cheapest destinations around the country (and their average flight prices)…

1. Charlotte, North Carolina – $95

2. Aguadilla, Puerto Rico – $122

3. Denver, Colorado – $158

4. Big Island, Hawaii – $172

And all the trip planners said, “Thank youuuuu, Skyscanner!”

According to them, Charlotte takes the top spot, with flights starting at just $95. Whether you’re in it for the city vibes, NASCAR history, or bomb-ass barbecue, it’s a steal of a getaway (and pretty underrated IMO).

But maybe you’re looking for somewhere warmer? Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, is a solid runner-up, with fares as low as $122—a perfect excuse to trade winter coats for some sand.

Denver, Colorado, is also an incredible deal at $158, just in time for peak powder season. And if island-hopping is on your 2025 wishlist, flights to Hawaii’s Big Island are (shockingly) affordable at $172.

In addition to this list, other wallet-friendly picks include Calgary, Canada ($271), Madeira, Portugal ($273), and Marsh Harbour, Bahamas ($295).

Of course, just because these deals exist doesn’t mean booking a trip is easy. In fact, Skyscanner says over half of American travelers feel pretty overwhelmed when planning. Our advice? Daily Drop Pro (obvi!).

This way, you can find new, cheap destinations that might not be on your radar, or search by the cheapest month if your plans are flexible.

Soooo my question is: which trip are you booking first? 🌍 Read more here.

I think we’ve all been there… You spend hours scouring the internet to find a decent deal…

But those days could be a thing of the past. Check out this Daily Drop Lounge member’s recent win! 👇

First of all… YAY that Daily Drop Pro is doing what it’s supposed to do!

And secondly, if you want to share your own travel wins or just vibe with a bunch of other cool travelers, come check out our exclusive Facebook group, the Lounge 🙌

That’s all for today, folks! I hope you enjoyed today’s peek into where my mind is at credit card-wise. Hopefully, it will inspire you to come up with a strategy of your own!

Until tomorrow,

52°22'35.4"N 52°15'17.4"W