The best starter card

Good morning from Nashville, Tennessee (or at least the airport here). After a day of flying yesterday, I’m ready for… well… another even longer day of flying. 🫠

And today, I’m gonna give you some travel tips so you, too, can have some days of flying:

• 💳 The best starter card

• 🏨 New Marriott promo

• 😂 Meme

💳 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) bullsh*t. 🫢

The fact is, I can answer BOTH of those questions with the same card — the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, to be specific.

Here’s why:

It earns the most valuable points currency

This card earns what we call Ultimate Rewards 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. 👀

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

Even Aeroplan alone can be used to book flights on Emirates, Etihad, Lufthansa, Ethiopian, ANA, and dozens of other airlines.

The sheer number of different flights you can book with the Sapphire Preferred is staggering.

But the real value of the points is with Hyatt. Of the big banks, this is the only program that transfers to them.

So why is Hyatt so valuable?

Well, for starters, you can book hotel nights for as few as 3,500 points, including this hotel in Cape Town, where I’ll be spending five nights next month:

Even if you want to book obscure airlines or independent hotels, you can redeem your points at a rate of 1.25 cents per point right in the bank’s travel portal.

And they have hotels in every little corner of the world.

Last year, I booked this hotel in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, for around 5,000 Ultimate Rewards points per night:

This is a great example of how even in parts of the world where there are no chain hotels or major airlines, you can STILL use your points to book travel.

But that’s just the beginning…

You can earn LOTS of points VERY quickly

Despite having a low annual fee, the Sapphire Preferred has really solid earning rates.

In fact, if you book travel through the bank’s portal and pay for it with your card, you’ll earn 5x points… 🤯

For example, if you book this hotel in downtown San Diego, you’d earn almost 1,000 UR points per night ($190 × 5x points per dollar).

And in addition to the normal everyday spending, you’ll also earn a FAT welcome offer when you first sign up for the card. 👀

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

And on top of that, you have the ability to earn between 1x to 3x points per dollar on other categories that range from dining to streaming services to travel.

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 the Sapphire Preferred to points veterans and newbies alike.

But it gets even better…

You see, the Sapphire Preferred also comes with an annual hotel credit that effectively cuts that annual fee in half.

You could book a night at this hotel in Tokyo and pretty much get it for free because of the credit…

So here’s the bottom line:

This 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 the Sapphire Preferred and doesn’t plan on letting it go.

So whether you’re new to the game or you’ve been around for a while, everyone should have the Sapphire Preferred in their wallet. 👇

🏨 New Marriott promo

Y’all know me — I’m a hotel guy through and through. But I know many of you love the homey feeling of a vacation rental.

So today, I thought I’d share a fun way to book vacation rentals while still earning points and elite nights toward a big hotel program.

I’m talking about Marriott Homes & Villas, which is currently offering double points on paid stays.

If you aren’t familiar, here is how things normally work with Marriott H&V:

• Earn 5x Marriott points per dollar

• Earn one elite night credit per night stayed

• You are able to redeem Marriott points for stays

With this new promo, you’ll earn ten points per dollar, which is awesome for a vacation rental…

And no matter where you’re traveling, Marriott has these vacation rental properties dotted all over the world — especially in North America, Central America, and even South America:

Let’s say you want to book a long weekend in Colorado Springs.

You could book some pretty cheap properties that fit a TON of people, like this three-bedroom property for just $94 per night.

A three-night stay here would run you a little over $500 (including all of the fees) but could fit as many as eight people.

Once you complete your stay, you’ll earn over 5,000 points, which can already almost get you another free night at a cheap Marriott hotel like this one, where I spent a couple of weeks last year:

Before you run and book your vacation rental, there are a few terms to be aware of:

• A minimum three-night stay is required

• You need to register for the offer with your Marriott account

• You must book your stay by May 4, 2025

• Stays must be completed by September 30, 2025

Anyway, this is a great deal for people who travel with larger groups or families or who want to maximize their earnings on vacation rentals.

😂 Meme

You guuuuuys 💀

Well, that’s all for today, folks! I’m heading across the ocean now, only to turn around abruptly and fly back over the ocean again.

But don’t worry, it’s for a good cause. You’ll find out later.

Anyway, see you tomorrow morning! 🍀

36.1627° N, 86.7816° W