An easy way to access Delta lounges

☀️ Good morning and welcome back to Daily Drop — the newsletter that treats your points balance like a houseplant: We water it, watch it grow, and help you get a new one when it inevitably dies.

Speaking of points:

• ✈️ The easiest way to access Delta lounges

• 🖤 Wednesday-inspired travel

• 💳 Save 15% on Star Alliance award flights

✈️ The easiest way to access Delta lounges

Yesterday, I told you about how to get United status from Marriott Bonvoy.

If you prefer Delta to United, I’ve got a REALLY cool trick for you, and it’s much easier than the United one.

Kenya Airways just dropped one of the most interesting status match promos we’ve seen all year — and you don’t even need to be a frequent flyer to take advantage of it.

Here’s the gist

• You match your airline or hotel status to Kenya Airways Asante Rewards

• Kenya is part of SkyTeam (with Delta, Virgin Atlantic, KLM, Air France, Aeromexico, Korean Air, etc.)

• Your matched Kenya status instantly gives you SkyTeam Elite or Elite Plus status

• That means lounge access, free checked bags, priority boarding, and more on partner airlines — including Delta.

Here’s why SkyTeam Elite Plus is the sweet spot:

• Lounge access: On long‑haul international SkyTeam flights (or domestic flights connecting to one), you and a guest can access Delta Sky Clubs

• Extra baggage: At least one free checked bag on most SkyTeam partners

• Priority airport treatment: Check‑in, security, boarding — all in the fast lane

• Global coverage: On KLM, Air France, Aeromexico, Virgin Atlantic, and more, you’ll get all of the above perks (without the restrictions of Delta).

Which airline programs can match?

If you already have elite status with one of these, you can match straight into Asante Rewards and get SkyTeam perks:

Hotel programs are the easy win

Many U.S. hotel credit cards grant you complimentary elite status high enough to match to Kenya Gold (SkyTeam Elite Plus).

Just by holding any of the cards below means you already have high enough status to get Kenya Gold automatically (and therefore SkyTeam Elite Plus):

• This IHG card 

• This Hilton card 

• This Marriott card 

Fees & fine print

Okay, so… The major catch is that there are fees to match to any tier of status:

• Kenya Silver: $99 USD

• Kenya Gold / Platinum: $299 USD

Status is valid for 12 months from the approval date, processing time can take one to three business days after approval, and you must hold a current, active status to match.

Bottom line

If you’ve got airline status — great. But if you don’t, this is one of the rare times when hotel status is just as valuable for airline benefits.

A hotel credit card could be your ticket to a year of Delta Sky Club access on long‑haul itineraries, fast‑track everything, and free checked bags across SkyTeam — no Kenya Airways flights required.

🖤 Wednesday-inspired travel

There’s nothing quite as thrilling as a vacation drenched in curious morbidity…

So imagine my delight when I discovered that Booking.com and Netflix teamed up to conjure real-world travel experiences inspired by The Addams Family themselves — and just in time for the Season 2 premiere of Wednesday!

A getaway where the décor matches my soul? Bleak, eerie, and devastatingly chic? Yes, please.

With Morticia Addams (the queen of elegant darkness) leading the way, you’re free to pick your poison — err, next destination… 👀

🐦‍⬛ Bucharest, Romania

The gothic backdrop of Season 1 is a dream for those in favor of lantern-lit dinners, shadowy castles, and mysteriously romantic Old Town strolls.

Where to stay: Cozy Green House

• Medieval ✔️

• Birthplace of Vlad the Impaler ✔️ 

• Peak Addams aesthetic ✔️✔️

🕷️ Charleston, South Carolina, USA

Need a quick escape? Charleston offers the perfect amount of Southern shadow and haunted moonlit tours.

Where to stay: Meeting Street Inn

🐈‍⬛ Oxford, United Kingdom

Nevermore was Wednesday’s ninth school, and depending on how Season 2 goes, maybe Oxford should go on the list. With forbidden library corners and dark legends, the Addams and you will feel right at home.

Where to stay: Malmaison Oxford (a converted Victorian prison… obviously)

💳 Save 15% on Star Alliance award flights

Through September 1, you’ll get a 15% bonus when transferring Capital One miles to Avianca LifeMiles — a program that’s famous for offering some of the best deals in the game for both long‑haul premium cabins and short‑haul economy hops.

Here’s what that means in practice…

If you’ve been dreaming about flying to Europe in a lie‑flat seat, LifeMiles can make that happen for just 69,000 miles one‑way on airlines like Lufthansa, TAP Air Portugal, or even United.

With the transfer bonus, you only need to move 60,000 Capital One miles to your LifeMiles account to book it. It’s not the best rate around, but availability is great since there are so many European airlines in the Star Alliance.

But it’s not all about long‑haul luxury — LifeMiles can also unlock cheap domestic flights on United.

For example, short routes like Newark (EWR) to Washington D.C. (IAD) start at 10,000 miles — or just 8,700 Capital One miles with the bonus.

That’s often cheaper than using United’s own program, and there are no pesky booking fees.

A few quick notes before you transfer:

• The bonus is applied instantly when you move Capital One miles to LifeMiles

• Transfers are final, so make sure the award space is available before moving points.

• LifeMiles doesn’t pass along fuel surcharges, so taxes and fees are usually reasonable.

If you’ve got Capital One miles sitting around, this is a great way to stretch them — whether you’re finally pulling the trigger on that bucket‑list business‑class flight or just booking a quick hop to visit family.

That’s all for today, folks! It’s already been such a jam-packed week of deals and tips, but we’ve still got a couple more days to go — so make sure you tune in again tomorrow.

Adios,

6.9175° S, 107.6191° E

With contributions by Tiffany Eastham, McKay Moffitt, Benji Stawski, and Megan Johnston