The best starter card

Howdy, friends, and welcome back to Daily Drop!

We’ve been getting a lot of questions about travel credit cards lately – which is the best for beginners, which is the best low-fee card, which is the best for everyday spend, etc.

And today, we’re gonna address those questions. 👇

• 🤓 Travel Trivia Tuesday

• 💳 The best starter card

• 💚 Maximize your day like a Pro

• 🌎 Travel Trivia Reveal

🤓 Travel Trivia Tuesday

💳 The best starter card

There’s been a lot going on in the credit card world. Like a LOT.

If you’re newer to the points and miles game and feel overwhelmed, I totally get it. And there’s probably one question that you want to ask:

The blogosphere has trained me to respond with things like, “Well, it all depends on your travel habits and spending patterns, and different cards work well for different people.”

But that’s (sort of) BS. 🫢

The fact is, I can answer BOTH of those questions with the same card – this low-fee card, to be specific.

Here’s why:

It earns the most valuable points currency

This card earns what we call UR points – some of the most valuable and flexible points currencies out there.

Not only can you use points to book travel in the bank’s dedicated travel portal, but you can also transfer them to a ton of different airline and hotel programs, sometimes even with a bonus – like the two bonuses going on right now. 👇

The list also includes programs like Virgin Atlantic, JetBlue, World of Hyatt, and more.

The sheer number of different flights you can book with this one card is staggering.

Want to fly domestically on Delta? Transfer 5,000 UR points to Flying Blue and book flights on the cheap:

What to fly on United? Transfer points to Aeroplan and book a flight to Hawaii. Want to fly American Airlines? Transfer points to British Airways and use them to book AA flights.

You get the idea. 😉

But that’s just the beginning… because the real magic of this card is in earning points.

You can earn LOTS of points VERY quickly

Despite having a low annual fee, the card in question has really solid earning rates.

In fact, just yesterday, the card INCREASED its earning rates on categories like gas, EV charging, and vacation rentals like Airbnb.

For example, you could book this Airbnb in New Hampshire for leaf peeping season for $297 per night – which is right down the street from where I went to college. 😉

Yes, it’s expensive, but it sleeps four people, so you can bring the whole family (or split it between friends).

Anyway, if you use this card to pay, you’d earn almost 1,000 UR points per night, which is fantastic.

The card also has solid earning rates on gas, dining, and even general travel. So it’s a great “use it everywhere” card.

Earn 100,000 points right off the bat

In addition to the normal everyday spending, you can also earn a FAT welcome offer. 👀

Right now, the card is offering 100,000 UR points after spending $5,000 in the first three months, the single highest offer we’ve seen in a long, long time.

That’s pretty solid, considering the low annual fee. Oh, and speaking of the low annual fee… 😏

Low annual fee and good perks

Considering the valuable points, great welcome offer, and excellent earning rates, you’d think this card should have a hefty annual fee.

Well, you’re wrong. It doesn’t.

In fact, the annual fee is less than $100, which is why we recommend this card to points veterans and newbies alike.

But it gets even better…

You see, this magical card also comes with an annual hotel credit that is worth MORE than the annual fee.

You need to book through the bank’s portal to use the credit, but still.

You could book a night at this hotel in Naples, Italy, and pay just $15 out of pocket thanks to this credit:

On top of that, there are other credits for things like streaming and TSA PreCheck to make you feel even better about the annual fee.

So here’s the bottom line:

This credit card has a great welcome offer, a low annual fee, valuable points, a long list of ways to use those points, and even an annual hotel credit.

Just about everyone on the Daily Drop team holds it and doesn’t plan on letting it go.

So whether you’re new to the game or you’ve been around for a while, it’s worth giving this universally solid card a home in your wallet. 👇

✨ Learn more about the best starter card ✨

🌎 Travel Trivia Reveal

A few minutes ago, we asked which city was named the Best Hiking City in the country…

If you guessed San Francisco, CA, you were right! 🥳 

The footwear site SportsShoes analyzed data from AllTrails from over 180 cities worldwide, looking at reviews, the number of trails in a city, and how popular they are to determine the most hiking-friendly city.

With its impressive mix of cityscapes and landscapes, San Francisco beat out the competition at home to take 1st place in the U.S. The city held its own internationally too, ranking 3rd overall.

Hiking may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of San Francisco, but the Bay Area is home to at least 119 hikes. 

Hike numerous trails in Golden Gate Park, each with its own epic postcard views, or head outside the city for an impressive but accessible walk through the Muir Woods.

If you’re looking for a destination that’s a mix of culture, city sights, dramatic coastline, and hiking, with relatively steady temps pretty much all year round, it’s hard to top what San Francisco has to offer.

That’s all for today, friends!

I hope you enjoyed this in-depth look at what I think is the best card on the market right now and the easiest way to start earning and redeeming points.

Take care and see you tomorrow,

4.6827° S, 55.4804° E

With contributions by Sam Anthony and Katie Begnoche.