It’s official: Transfer points to AA

☀️ Good morning from 39,000 feet in the sky over Australia! 🦘

We’ve got some exciting news and other fun goodies today, so let’s get into it:

• 🤘🏼 It’s official: You can transfer points to AA

• 🎄 Christmas in July points party

• 💳 My mom’s first credit card

• 🤓 Travel Trivia Tuesday

🤘🏼 It’s official: You can transfer points to AA

One of the biggest missing pieces in the points world just fell into place — and if you’re sitting on any ThankYou points, this is your moment.

For the first time ever, you can now transfer ThankYou points directly to American Airlines (AA).

This is massive news because no major transferable currency has had a consistent relationship with AA.

Now? Things just got a whole lot simpler — and the value is ridiculous.

For example, you could book a quick hop from Miami (MIA) to Charlotte (CLT) for just 7,500 AA miles in economy, or stretch it to 17,500 miles for domestic first class. 👀

Heading to Europe? A one-way flight from New York (JFK) to Helsinki (HEL) in economy on Finnair, a Oneworld partner, is only 22,500 miles.

But the real treasure lies in the weird, wonderful corners of AA’s award chart. For example, I found a business-class flight from Jakarta (CGK) to Almaty (ALA) via Doha (DOH) — yes, on Qatar Airways — for just 40,000 miles. 🤯

That’s an ultra-comfy, long-haul seat on one of the world’s best airlines for the price of what some programs charge to fly from L.A. to Chicago.

This update also comes on the heels of the new Citi Strata Elite Card that earns ThankYou points — making it easier than ever to rack them up.

The card itself isn’t especially groundbreaking, but the fact that those points now unlock AA redemptions makes the timing very interesting.

We broke down the new card and what it offers in our full review, so go check it out. 👇

🎄 Christmas in July points party

We know it’s still summer, but now is the perfect time to start planning your dream Christmas market trip using points and miles.

On July 31, we’re hosting a live group call all about how to book flights and hotels to Europe’s best Christmas markets — with real-life recommendations from the Daily Drop team!

We’ll cover award availability, hotel sweet spots, train routes, and pro tips for making your holiday trip magical (and affordable).

It’s free, live, and packed with festive info. 👇

💳 My mom’s first credit card

My mom recently took her very first flight at the age of 65 — a huge deal for someone afraid of flying her whole life (pause for applause 👏👏👏).

She lives in a tiny town in New Hampshire, and now that she’s dating a guy in Montana (go mom!), she wants to fly out to see him more often.

There’s just one problem…

The only major airport near her is Boston (BOS), and the only airline that flies nonstop to Montana is JetBlue. 

That route is only seasonal, though — and with JetBlue constantly shuffling its network, there’s no guarantee it’ll stick around long-term.

So… how do we get my mom to Montana every couple of months without breaking the bank (or locking her into a single airline that might ghost her come winter)?

Credit cards, of course. Oh — did I mention she’s never had a credit card in her life? 👀

We started with a simple question that I think everyone should ask when picking their first (or any) card:

What do I actually need it to do?

In her case:

• JetBlue is her preferred option for now because of its nonstop flight to Bozeman

• She doesn’t live in a major city, so she won’t use things like Uber credits or fancy lounge access

• She wants a low annual fee

• She wants a high-value welcome offer to stretch across multiple trips

• I want her to have flexible points in case JetBlue devalues, cancels the route, or another airline swoops in with a better deal

The answer

A card that earns points that transfer to JetBlue — but are also flexible enough to use with other programs if and when her travel patterns change.

The obvious choice was the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, and I’ll tell you why:

• It earns Ultimate Rewards points, which transfer 1:1 to JetBlue — unlike similar programs that give a lower ratio when transferring

• The annual fee is under $100, and the card has a hotel credit that essentially cuts that in half

• The current welcome offer gives enough points to book nine cross-country JetBlue flights like this one:

But best of all, she’ll earn 3x Ultimate Rewards points on things like dining — including her favorite Friday night pizza from Northwood House of Pizza (where I personally used to sling pies during high school for five bucks an hour 🍕🤌).

Plus, if the $45 “net” annual fee is too much, she can downgrade to the Chase Freedom Unlimited® next year. And if she becomes a travel maniac like her son, she can keep it or upgrade to the Chase Sapphire Reserve®.

🤓 Travel Trivia Tuesday

This isn’t that shocking, to be honest.

Delta’s most lucrative U.S. route in 2025 was an ultra-competitive transcontinental route that has everything… cross-country demand, premium cabins, people traveling for business, and a whole lot of loyalty perks going on.

The answer is, of course, JFK-LAX!

But there are plenty of surprises hidden in the data, like which route took the top spot for Alaska Airlines (it’s not what you think), or which super short-haul raked in the cash for Southwest.

If you want to nerd out on airline route data and find out which markets quietly make the most money, you can check out the full study here.

What a jam-packed way to kick off your Tuesday, right? I hope you enjoyed the news, anecdotes, tips, and trivia today.

See you again bright and early tomorrow ❤️

6.1944° S, 106.8229° E

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