🎥 TRENDING TRAVEL NEWS 🎥
• ICYMI: One of our favorite cards just dropped a $1,000+ welcome offer, and this video breaks down all the details.
• Don’t Miss: The best ways to cover Airbnb and non-hotel stays with points.
• Good to Know: Popular destinations are adding new entry and lodging fees, so here’s what to know before you book.
• Valentine’s Day Ideas: Check out 16 of the world’s most romantic stays.
Good morning and Happy Friday!! 🤩
To celebrate surviving the week, I’ve got a beefy, jam-packed newsletter for you today – so let’s dive right in:
🌎 Save $50 on Daily Drop Pro (but hurry)
I like to tell you about good deals and points opportunities here in the newsletter.
But sometimes, you need to look for super-specific flight deals on your own. Or maybe you want more customized points deals based on where you live.
Or maybe you need help with a booking and want to consult points experts or fellow travelers.
Daily Drop Pro, our in-house award search tool, does literally ALL of those things.
And for the next few days, you can get $50 off your first year of Daily Drop Pro.
As I said, you’ll get personalized points (and cash) flight deals, access to our pro community, and more.
But most importantly, you can search for flights and hotels for your specific trip and see which programs are offering the best deals, with instructions on exactly how to transfer points and make the booking.
This sale is good through February 3 (Tuesday), so you’ll want to hop on this sooner rather than later.
✈️ Award Drop: 65,000 points to Istanbul (in business class)
Turkish Airlines tanked their loyalty program (Miles&Smiles) a couple of years ago. And since then, they’ve continued to devalue awards, including partner awards on United.
In other words, there are very few sweet spots left.
But one sweet spot that has remained intact is flying Turkish Airlines from the U.S. to Istanbul for 65,000 miles in business class.
Right now, there is solid availability from all over North America (including Canada and Mexico) at this tasty rate.
I’m seeing most availability from cities like Vancouver, Cancun, Mexico City, and Dallas, though there are other options available depending on your dates:
Dallas to Istanbul for 65,000 Turkish miles in business class
Turkish’s business class varies pretty widely. But generally speaking, it’s a top-notch business-class product.
I recently spent 16 hours flying Turkish’s “bad” business class from Kabul to Toronto via Istanbul, and it was still just fine.
Of course, if you can snag a seat on an Airbus A350 or Boeing 787 (which is the case for the Dallas flight I just showed you), you’ll get Turkish’s newer business product, which is much more private:
So… how do you get Turkish miles to book this in the first place?
Turkish miles are some of the easiest to come by, as you can transfer at a 1:1 ratio from the following programs:
Even if you don’t want Istanbul to be your final destination, this could be a good way to position yourself in that part of the world and then book a cheap cash flight somewhere else.
For example, you could fly across the pond in comfort, spend a couple of nights enjoying Istanbul, then book a cheap cash flight to Greece:
Istanbul to Athens for $40
The biggest caveat
I mentioned earlier that flying on Turkish Airlines is generally a good experience. Dealing with Turkish customer service is… let’s just say… not like that.
One day, I can tell you of the horrors I’ve faced with Turkish Airlines… so just understand that if something goes wrong with your flight and you need to cancel, rebook, etc., it could end up being a huge headache.
⚔️ Credit card showdown: Low annual fee edition
If you read Daily Drop every day, you probably get a little confused. We see tons of amazing card offers, and I’m always shouting at you to “get this card and get that card.”
And that’s because at any given time, one card might be the best option. For a different kind of traveler, a different card might be.
But the two cards that are basically always good options are this card and this card.
So… if they’re both amazing… which one should you get…?
We wrote an article that answers this very question. So check it out, read it, and by the time you’re done, you’ll have the answers that you seek. 😉
PRESENTED BY THE COLORADO TOURISM OFFICE
❄️ Add Colorado to Your 2026 Plans
Here’s the thing about winter travel: sometimes you want palm trees, and sometimes you want to just fully commit to the season — snow, fireplaces, hot springs, all of it.
Colorado is the place where that version of winter is highly achievable.
Fly into Denver (easy to book with whatever points you’ve got), then build your trip around whatever pace you want.
If you like having options, Denver, Boulder, and Golden give you great food, coffee, music, and quick access to the mountains — plus a seasonal train straight to Winter Park if you’d prefer not to practice your “icy-pass driving face.”
Photo by Colorado Tourism Office
If you want more of a true mountain-town vibe, Breckenridge, Steamboat Springs, and Winter Park all bring you great skiing and plenty to do off the slopes. And if you’re in the mood for something quieter and more scenic, the southwest corner — places like Durango, Ouray, Pagosa Springs — can feel like stepping into a different state entirely.
Colorado’s also surprisingly points-friendly, with plenty of hotel options across the state and lots of travel expenses that earn bonus categories.
If you want a deeper breakdown of the best bases, sample itineraries, and how to use points to make the whole thing cheaper, we put it all in one place for ya.
Up to 125% bonus from Bilt Rewards to Accor (February 1 only)
15% bonus from MR points to Avianca LifeMiles until February 11
PLUS, there are 16 cards with elevated offers right now! 🔥
That does it for today, friends. Go sign up for Daily Drop Pro, book your flights to Europe, daydream about Colorado, and have yourself a fantastic weekend.
See you soon ✌️
With contributions by McKay Moffitt
