Why you need this travel tool now

☀️ Gooooood morning, friend. Welcome back to Daily Drop, the newsletter that’s about to make your summer travels way less chaotic (and a lot more rewarding).

Let’s get into it:

• 🌎 Why Now Is the Time to Get Global Entry

• ✈️ Emirates transfers are back, baby

• 🥂 10k vs 100k vs 1M point vacation

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🌎 Why Now Is the Time to Get Global Entry

If you’re planning any international travel this summer, there’s one travel perk you’ll want to lock in ASAP: Global Entry.

Not only does Global Entry speed you through customs when returning to the U.S., but it also includes TSA PreCheck® — so you can breeze through security without removing shoes, laptops, liquids, or your last shred of patience.

And with the REAL ID requirement now in effect, your Global Entry card doubles as a valid ID at TSA checkpoints. So even if your state ID isn’t compliant yet, you’ll still be covered at the airport.

Normally, Global Entry costs $120 for five years, but here’s the kicker — a bunch of our favorite travel cards offer a statement credit to help cover this application fee.

Personally, I use the statement credit on my Chase Sapphire Reserve® to cover my Global Entry application (up to $120 every four years for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck®, or NEXUS).

But it’s far from the only option. Here are a few more of our favorites:

• Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card: Up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®

• Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card: Up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®

• IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card: Up to a $120 every four years as reimbursement for a Global Entry, TSA PreCheck®, or NEXUS application

• The Platinum Card® from American Express: Either a $120 statement credit every four years for a Global Entry application fee or a statement credit up to $85 every 4.5 years for a TSA PreCheck® application fee

Now, here’s the real travel tip…

Apply now to get conditionally approved — Global Entry interviews can take ages to schedule. But if you’ve got an international trip coming up, you can complete your interview on the spot when you return to the U.S. through the Enrollment on Arrival program. No appointments, no hassle. ✅

So if you’ve been meaning to apply for Global Entry but keep putting it off, this is your sign to finally check it off your list!

You’ll avoid long lines, stay compliant with REAL ID rules, and make airport travel smoother all year long. 😎

✨ Check out our list of cards with Global Entry credits ✨

✈️ Emirates transfers are back, baby

Last month, all major banks paused transfers to Emirates Skywards — cue the panic.

But good news… They’re already back and ahead of schedule. 🙌

You can once again transfer points to Emirates from basically every major bank, opening up some seriously bougie travel options for the summer.

And while Emirates has technically restricted first-class award space for non-elite members (a.k.a. most of us), there are some ways to get around that. 😏

Option 1: Upgrade at the airport

While Emirates has restricted first-class award space, business-class awards are still bookable by anyone.

For example, an Emirates fifth-freedom flight from Newark (EWR) to Athens (ATH) will run you 87,000 Emirates miles and about $100 in taxes and fees in business class.

That’s already a great deal for a luxurious seat to Europe.

But when you get to the airport, you can use Emirates miles to upgrade to first class, as long as seats are available — which there often are. No elite status required.

And Emirates has plenty of other fifth-freedom routes worth exploring, including some fun, shorter-haul ones that require even fewer miles:

• Miami (MIA) to Bogota (BOG)

• New York (JFK) to Milan (MXP)

• Christchurch (CHC) to Sydney (SYD)

• Singapore (SIN) to Melbourne (MEL)

• Bangkok (BKK) to Hong Kong (HKG)

• Bangkok to Da Nang (DAD)

• Larnaca (LCA) to Malta (MLA)

Option 2: Open an Emirates co-branded card

The other way to unlock Emirates first-class awards is by holding Emirates elite status.

And fortunately, you don’t need to fly dozens of Emirates flights to get it. You can earn low-level elite status instantly just by opening an eligible Emirates Skywards credit card (Barclays issues two co-branded Emirates cards in the U.S.). Plus, you can hop on a good welcome offer while you’re at it.

🥂 10k vs 100k vs 1M point vacation

One of the questions we get most often at Daily Drop is, “I have X points… where can I go with them?”

The truth is that you don’t need many points to book a short and fun trip. But if you have tons of points, you definitely have more options.

So in this week’s Daily Drop YouTube video, Brendan breaks down how far your points can take you, whether you have 10,000, 100,000, or even one MILLION points.

Check it out:

That’s all for today! But before I let you go… I’m curious:

Until next time ✌️

6.9175° S, 107.6191° E

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