Book domestic flights for 2,500 points

Good morning, friends, and welcome back to Daily Drop – the newsletter that’s made possible by the 24-hour coffee shop down the street that I’m single-handedly keeping in business.

I’ve got some really fun stuff for you today:

• 💳 3 ways to use this card’s $300 credit

• ✈️ You can now transfer points to Spirit Airlines

• 🛳️ Cruise beyond this holiday season

• 🔄 Current Transfer Bonuses

💳 3 ways to use this card’s $300 credit

We’ve talked a lot lately about the 100,000-point welcome offer on the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card.

But honestly? One of the biggest long-term reasons people keep this card year after year is much simpler:

The $300 annual travel credit.

It’s automatically applied when you book through Capital One Travel, and it works on flights, hotels, rental cars, and vacation rentals.

But “$300 travel credit” can feel abstract, so let’s make it very real.

Here are three actual ways that credit can be used — and why it’s genuinely worth the full $300.

1. A cheap cross-country road trip

During the pandemic, I did one of my favorite trips ever: a one-way road trip from North Carolina all the way to Los Angeles.

It was amazing, and I’ve wanted to repeat it ever since. Here’s where the Venture X credit comes in.

You can book rental cars directly through Capital One Travel, including one-way rentals (which are usually painfully expensive).

For example:

• Pick up a midsize SUV at Charlotte Airport

• Drop it off a week later at LAX

• Total cost: $477 for seven days

Apply the $300 Venture X travel credit, and suddenly that week-long, cross-country rental costs you just $177 out of pocket, which is solid value for a 7-day, one-way rental.

And there’s another little win here: when you book rental cars with the Venture X, you get excellent primary rental car coverage, which means you can skip the overpriced insurance at the counter and save even more.

2. Hotels: from Miami splurges to budget steals

The credit isn’t just for flights or cars, and this is where it really starts to feel flexible.

Let’s say you’re heading to Miami for four nights early next year. You can book four nights at the Arlo Wynwood for just $722 total. 👇

When you subtract the $300 travel credit, you’re paying $422 out of pocket for four nights in Miami at a really nice hotel.

That already feels good, but here’s the kicker:

• You’ll earn 10x Capital One miles on that $422

• Because it’s part of the Lifestyle Collection, you may also get perks like:

  • A $50 experience or property credit

  • Possible room upgrades

  • Early check-in or late checkout (when available)

So the credit doesn’t just lower the price – it stacks with perks and earns you miles back.

You can also go the opposite direction and use the credit for maximum quantity over luxury.

For example, let’s say you want to head to Athens, Greece, for five nights in the spring (which you obviously do).

This vacation rental costs $267 for FIVE nights in May. It’s two bedrooms, sleeps four people, and even comes with free cancellation. 👇

Your $300 credit would cover all five nights, and you’d still have a little leftover credit to use later in the year on another cheap stay or partial booking.

3. Flights: no markup, plus price drop protection

Flights are where people sometimes worry about portals. “Is it more expensive? Am I losing flexibility?”

Here’s a concrete example that answers both.

A round-trip Delta flight from New York to Dublin in the spring prices out at $353 in economy:

Book it through Capital One Travel, apply the $300 Venture X Credit, and you’re paying $53 out of pocket for two transatlantic flights.

And if you’re worried about it being cheaper to book elsewhere, stop worrying. Just stop it.

This flight isn’t marked up by one cent, as Delta charges the same exact price when booking directly with them. 👇

And here’s the underrated bonus: this booking is eligible for Capital One’s price drop protection.

If the price drops after you book, Capital One automatically refunds you the difference (up to a set amount).

So instead of stressing about timing the perfect fare, you can just… book it.

This example is for basic economy, and you’ll want to be aware of the restrictions for any fare you book, just FYI.

The bottom line

This is why people love the Venture X. The $300 travel credit isn’t a gimmick, and it’s not hard to use.

Considering the annual fee is just $395 to begin with, this super flexible perk alone makes it easy to justify holding the card long-term.

✈️ You can now transfer points to Spirit Airlines

Remember last weekend when Spirit Airlines was (allegedly) days away from potentially going out of business?

Well, what would you say if I told you that you can now transfer points to that very airline?

As of yesterday, you can transfer Bilt Rewards to Spirit Airlines at a 1:1 ratio.

And all jokes aside, there actually is some value to be had from Spirit’s program – along with some major caveats.

How valuable are Spirit points?

If we’re looking at dollar and cent value, it varies and probably won’t be exciting on paper.

At the same time, if you think of it in terms of “how many points will it cost me to get to my destination versus with other programs,” Spirit can actually shine.

For example, this flight from Detroit to Atlanta regularly sells for just 2,500 Spirit points in basic economy or just 14,500 to 17,500 points in “Spirit First.”

And here’s the kicker:

Spirit First (a.k.a. the “Big Front Seat”) is actually amazing. I booked this fare type earlier this year between Nashville and Boston, and was genuinely impressed with the benefits:

• Free wifi

• Free snacks and drinks

• The comfiest domestic first-class seat in the U.S. (in my opinion)

• Free carry-on and checked bag

• Expedited security in some airports

Honestly, if I lived in the U.S., I’d be flying this seat pretty often.

Especially because when you compare it to other airlines on the same route, the difference is clear.

Delta, for example, charges 6,000 Delta SkyMiles in economy or 50,000 to 90,000 miles in first class for the same Detroit to Atlanta route. 😬

And those economy prices are for basic economy, which are almost as restrictive as Spirit’s basic fares.

Should you transfer points to Spirit right now?

If you follow aviation news, you probably know that Spirit has declared bankruptcy multiple times, has eliminated tons of routes recently, and seems to be in a precarious place.

If you want my personal take, here is the situation where I would transfer points to Spirit:

• You have a specific booking in mind where the pricing is better than competitors

• The flight is departing very soon (which doesn’t leave much time for things to go wrong)

• You have a clear backup option in the event that things do go wrong

In other words, don’t hoard Spirit points. At the same time, I think there’s some real value to be had from their program.

That does it for this week, folks! I hope you got some inspiration for leveraging your credits and using Spirit’s program for good value.

Take care and have a lovely weekend,

6.9175° S, 107.6191° E

With contributions by McKay Moffitt