Good morning and welcome back to Daily Drop, the travel newsletter that gives it to you straight.

Today, we’ve got some brutally honest takes and some useful travel promos to share with you:

• 💳 30% transfer bonus to Avios

• ✈️ Earn a promotional Companion Pass from 2 flights (maybe)

• 📊 The results are in: Y’all don’t really care about lounges

💳 30% transfer bonus to Avios

Today, I woke up and was surprised to not see snow outside. That’s because Christmas has come early, folks.

Through September 27, there is a 30% transfer bonus from MR points to British Airways, Aer Lingus, or Iberia.

That means every 1,000 points becomes 1,300 Avios. 👇

And here's the part that makes this way better than it looks: you can freely transfer Avios between airlines.

So you can transfer to British Airways with the 30% bonus, then shuffle those Avios onward to programs like Qatar Airways and Finnair.

Avios are my favorite airline currency, period. 

I use them at least a few times a month, and last year I transferred hundreds of thousands of points during a bonus just like this one. They've since paid for business-class flights across North America, Asia, Africa, and Europe.

So yes, I feel strongly about this one.

That Hawaii sweet spot

Remember the Hawaii deal I mentioned last week? The one about flights from the U.S. mainland to Hawaii on American or Alaska for 16,000 Qatar Avios each way? 👇

With this bonus, those flights now cost just over 12,000 MR points each way. That's a fantastic price for a 6-hour flight over the Pacific.

Qsuites, but cheaper

Next week, I'm flying Qatar's Qsuite from my home in Indonesia to Montreal, where I'll spend a month doing some life admin in North America.

I booked that for 120,000 Qatar Avios per person (240,000 total for two), which is a great deal for 25 hours in one of the world's best business-class seats.

With this bonus, that same trip across the planet would cost about 92,000 MR points.

And if you've never seen a Qsuite, here's what those 92,000 points gets you. 👇

Don’t overlook Finnair

Here’s one more cool example I love.

Finnair has a gorgeous business-class product on its widebody planes, which I was lucky enough to fly from Helsinki to Shanghai a few months ago.

Here's the fun part: they also fly those same widebodies on short hops, like between London and Helsinki.

Booking with Avios, that route costs just 18,000 Avios in business class, or under 14,000 MR points with this bonus.

So if you're planning a Eurotrip, a 3-hour lie-flat ride to one of Europe's loveliest countries is very much within reach.

How to earn MR points

Of course, this bonus will be meaningless if you don’t have any MR points… Bonuses like this are exactly why I like to always have a stash of MR points lying around.

Personally, I think everyone should get this card.

It’s an MR points earning machine, with high earning multipliers at U.S. supermarkets and restaurants worldwide, where a lot of people spend money every day.

It also comes with tons of foodie credits that most normal people can use pretty easily.

Check out that card or feel free to explore our other favorite cards that earn MR points.

The bottom line

I usually caveat transfer bonuses by saying, “don’t transfer points unless you have a specific booking in mind.”

But it’d be pretty hypocritical of me to say that given I sent over 400,000 points to Avios last year with no plan.

So I’ll expand the caveat to say:

Only transfer points if you have a specific booking in mind or you’re an Avios power user like me. 😉

✈️ Earn a promotional Companion Pass from 2 flights (maybe)

Yesterday, Southwest announced a new promotional Companion Pass offer.

And about five minutes after I started writing about it, the offer appeared to have vanished from their site. 😭

I don't know if it was pulled on purpose or if it's just a tech glitch, so I'm keeping this one short and sweet since there’s a 50/50 chance it’ll be live when you read this.

What's a promotional Companion Pass?

Southwest’s Companion Pass allows a companion to fly with you on any flight, cash or points, and you only have to pay the taxes and fees ($5.60 each way domestically).

Normally, earning it takes 135,000 qualifying points or 100 one-way flights in a calendar year.

A few times a year, though, Southwest hands out a mini version that works exactly the same but is only valid for a couple of months.

And earning it is verrrrrry easy. Here’s how:

• Register for the offer

• Book 1 round-trip or 2 one-ways by this Thursday, August 6

• Cash, points, or Cash + Points all qualify, but existing reservations don't

• Fly by November 18, 2026

• Get a promotional Companion Pass valid January 5 through March 3, 2027

In other words, book a cheap round-trip flight now, get two months of free flights early next year.

Is the offer still alive?

Like I said… when I started writing this, it was live. Right now? It’s not. When you’re reading this? Who knows. But I at least wanted to give y’all a heads up about it. You can click this link to try registering.

If it is live, it could seriously be worth considering, especially if you live in major cities and/or Southwest hubs.

For example, if you live in Los Angeles and have a Saturday to spare, you could book this same-day round-trip flight to Vegas (just an hour away) for $112.

By spending five hours and $112 on a Saturday, you’d unlock unlimited free flights for a companion for almost two months in 2027.

Even if you and your companion only fly a couple times during that period, it could be worth the effort.

The bottom line

I hope this offer is live again by the time you read this. If it is, you only have until tomorrow to register and book flights, but travel can take place through November 18.

If you get the companion pass and want to get some extra value, let me know – I’ll come be your companion for a few trips. 😉

📊 The results are in: Y’all don’t really care about lounges

Last week, I shared my spiciest travel opinion: lounge access as a premium card perk isn't worth what it used to be.

Then I asked for your take, and thousands of you voted.

The results are in, and it turns out my hot take was... room temperature. Most of you generally agree with me. 👇

Only 16% of you are willing to defend card lounge access with your life.

Everyone else is somewhere between "it's fine, I guess" and "screw the lounge, I'll be at the cafe."

But every camp has a smart next move, so let's go through them one at a time.

If you voted "don't touch my perk" (16%)

Respect. If you're getting real value from lounges, nothing wrong with that.

But here's a thought: are you paying a $700+ annual fee for access you could get for much less? The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card runs $395 a year and still comes with fantastic lounge access.

If you currently hold this card or this card because of lounge access, you might consider making the switch.

If you voted "I like it, but it's not the best perk" (47%)

You're the biggest group, and you're also the group most likely to be kidding yourselves at card renewal time. 😬

So here's a quick math exercise for you:

• Count how many times you actually used a lounge in the past year

• Multiply that by ~$20 (or use the amount you’d spend on food/coffee normally per airport visit)

• Compare that to your card's annual fee (and obviously weigh it with the other credits/perks you use)

If lounge access is doing the heavy lifting in that equation, your card should probably survive. If it can't... well, that tells you something.

If you voted "totally overrated" (29%)

You already know what to do; you just haven't done it yet.

When your renewal comes around, downgrade to a low-annual-fee card with the same bank (to keep your points), pocket the $600+ difference, and buy yourself a very nice airport sandwich with the savings.

You'll still keep your points and your credit history by downgrading rather than closing the account altogether.

If you voted "I only go in for the free drinks" (8%)

You 330 people are the most honest members of this community, and I have no notes.

Two gin and tonics before a red-eye is a respectable strategy. 🍹

The bottom line

There’s no right or wrong answer here.

All I ask is that every year when those hefty annual fees roll around, re-evaluate, do some math, and be honest about the value you’re getting.

Don’t just hold onto a card because people like me do. 🤷🏼‍♂️

That’s all, friends. It’s been a long newsletter, so I’ll leave it here.

Peace out ✌️

6.9175° S, 107.6191° E

With contributions by Sam Anthony and Katie Begnoche.