My mom's first trip abroad

☀️ Good morning and welcome back to Daily Drop — because someone has to enable your next spontaneous trip, and it might as well be us.

We’re gonna start off the day with a super fun story from McKay:

• ✈️ I took my mom on her first international trip at age 60

• 💳 Merchant offers: the hidden way to earn back your annual fee

• 🏨 New Hilton promo: earn 1,500 points per stay

• 👔 Last chance to win a free Daily Drop hoodie!

• 🔄 Current transfer bonuses

✈️ I took my mom on her first trip abroad at age 60

Hey friends, McKay here! 👋

This section doesn’t necessarily include any crazy miles and points tricks, but it could still encourage many of you. 

I recently had the chance to take my mom across the pond for the first time. She’s always had pretty intense flight anxiety, so the thought of flying over the ocean for several hours was… well… nightmarish. 

But, back when Chase was running a transfer bonus from Ultimate Rewards points to Virgin Atlantic, I was able to book us BOTH round-trip flights from New York (JFK) to London (LHR) for just 17,500 points, plus some taxes and fees.

The deal was just too good, and it was the perfect push for her to finally take the jump!

And y’all… she crushed it. 🥹 But I’ll just let her tell you.

So yeah… while this section doesn’t involve any crazy tricks, I hope it’s a sign that there’s no right or wrong “timeline” for traveling in life. 

It’s not for younger people. It’s not just for older people, and it’s not just for families — it’s for everyone in their own time, when they have the urge, the resources, the determination (and sometimes extra push), to take that flight. 

Y’all will be so proud… she already has two more international flights booked for next year. Some would say she’s a pro already! 💛 

If you have any heart-warming travel stories like this, we’d love to see them in our Facebook group, the Daily Drop Lounge!

💳 Merchant offers: the hidden way to earn back your annual fee

If you’ve ever scrolled past those little “card offers” in your account, it’s time to stop sleeping on them. Merchant offers (like those found on most major cards) are an underrated way to erase a big chunk of your annual fee — one purchase at a time.

Here’s the deal:

• These offers are targeted, so what you see might differ from what your friends get.

• You need to add or activate them before making a purchase.

• Savings stack with points earning and promos, which is where things get fun.

Let’s look at a few recent examples currently floating around 👇

🛫 Frontier Airlines — Spend $200, get $50 back

I’m seeing this one on multiple cards from American Express (including the American Express Platinum Card®, the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card, and the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card).

Domestic travelers can easily cycle through different cards and effectively get 25% off multiple bookings — just make sure to register first.

And since Frontier is a budget airline, $200 can easily get you multiple flights, allowing you to stretch your dollars and this credit.

🏨 Hilton luxury properties — Spend $1,000, get $200 back

This Hilton offer covers Waldorf Astoria, Conrad, LXR, Signia, and Nomad, and is also offered on cards from American Express.

And it can stretch surprisingly far — for instance, the Waldorf Astoria Panama City runs just under $200 per night:

You could book five nights for $965, toss in some cocktails or spa visit, and you’ll trigger the $200 credit, effectively paying $160 per night, earning Hilton points and triggering any Hilton promotions (more on that in a minute 😉).

🏠 Hyatt House & Hyatt Place — 7% cash back

I’ve got two separate 7%-back offers for Hyatt House and Hyatt Place properties in the U.S. right now, which is a great return for Hyatt hotels.

Both offers are on the Ink Business Cash® Credit Card, which I signed up for a couple of weeks ago because of an ongoing elevated offer.

Sadly, the Hyatt Place I’m writing to you from in Europe doesn’t qualify. 🙃 

But it’s still a strong play if you’re stateside.

Bottom line

I could list examples for days… there are just so many good ones out there right now.

Merchant offers are basically rebates hiding in plain sight. Check your card dashboards monthly, register early, and stack them with points earning. 👍

🏨 New Hilton promo: earn 1,500 points per stay

Hilton Honors just dropped a new global promo running through December 31, and… let’s just say it’s not exactly a game-changer.

After registering for the offer, you’ll earn 1,500 bonus points per stay — no minimum nights, no brand restrictions, no gimmicks. Just a flat 1,500 points every time you check in.

At face value, that sounds nice… until you realize it’s the same bonus whether your stay costs $50 or $1,000.

So your roadside Hampton earns the same as your beachfront Conrad.

This means the promo heavily favors frequent short stays rather than longer ones.

If you’re hopping around on a road trip or stringing together a bunch of quick work trips, those 1,500-point hits can start to add up.

If you’ve got a Hilton stay coming up, you can stack this with other ongoing promos — including that “spend $1,000, get $200 back” merchant offer from earlier.

That combo means you could:

• Earn your regular Hilton points and elite bonuses

• Trigger the 1,500-point promo

• Pocket a $200 statement credit

Of course, if you’re booking multiple cash stays at Hilton, using a Hilton co-branded card (all of which currently have elevated offers) can earn you a ton of points, even on Hilton’s no-annual-fee card, the Hilton Honors American Express Card.

👔 Last chance to win a free Daily Drop hoodie!

Alright friends, this is your gentle nudge with love — our reader survey giveaway closes Monday, October 13, and we still want to hear from you.

It takes just a few minutes, helps us make Daily Drop even better, and enters you to win a cozy Daily Drop hoodie (perfect for your next red-eye nap).

• ✈️ Three winners chosen at random

• ⏰ Submit by Monday, October 13

• 🎉 Winners announced Tuesday, October 14 (we’ll reach out directly)

And that’s gonna finish off the week, folks. I hope you enjoyed this jam-packed week of travel content.

See you first thing Monday,

59.4370° N, 24.7536° E

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