You got a new card... now what?

Good morning and welcome back to Daily Drop, the Sam to your Frodo on our epic quest of learning about points and miles.

Here’s what today’s adventure has in store:

• 🤔 You’ve got the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card — now what?

• 🏨 Stack these two Hilton deals this summer

• 🌱 Quick points: IHG’s “green stay” offer

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🤔 You’ve got the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card — now what?

If you recently picked up the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, then you already know why it’s one of the best all-around travel cards.

You’ve got 2x points per dollar on travel purchases, a modest $95 annual fee, and the flexibility to transfer your points to top hotel and airline partners.

…oh wait, did I just tell you about it again? 🙃

So now that you have our most popular travel card, what’s next?

Allow me to introduce you to the Chase Freedom Unlimited®. When paired with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, you have a killer combo for both beginners and experts.

Here’s why we love the Chase Freedom Unlimited®:

• 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel^SM

• 3% cash back on dining and drugstores

• 1.5% cash back on everything else

• No annual fee

While the card technically earns cash back in the form of Chase Ultimate Rewards points, if you also hold the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, you can convert your rewards into fully transferrable points. 🎉

Using these two cards strategically puts you in a great position to earn and redeem points for maximum value.

Booking a flight or hotel? Use the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card to earn 2x points per dollar. Grabbing something from the drugstore or going out to eat? Earn 3% cash back (or 3x points per dollar) with the Chase Freedom Unlimited®.

Buying literally anything else that doesn’t fall into a specific spending category? Use the Chase Freedom Unlimited® once again to earn 1.5% cash back (or 1.5x points per dollar). 😏

If you’re looking for that next step in building your credit card portfolio, the Chase Freedom Unlimited® is a no-brainer. Use one card for travel, one for everyday spending, and earn plenty of points along the way.

✨ Learn More About Why We Love It ✨

🏨 Stack these two Hilton deals this summer

Hilton is back at it with some stackable deals, some of which are better than others…

For starters, it is currently offering discounted rates at hotels all over the world with its summer sale.

While I’d like to tell you that this is a straightforward sale, it’s not… They have multiple concurrent sales, and most of the details overlap, but they’re all a bit different.

Generally speaking, you can get a 15-25% discount on cash rates at hotels in North America, Asia Pacific, the Middle East, Africa, and Europe.

Or, as normal people say, Earth. 🌎

The specific details of each sale vary, but you can read all of the fine print here.

Most regions have discounted rates for stays between now and early-mid September, but North American stays must be on or after June 3.

My recommendation? Just cruise around the Hilton site and see if you find good rates for your destinations between June and September.

There are some other restrictions and perks to be aware of:

• Reservations must be booked at least seven days in advance.

• Most brands require a minimum two-night stay, and all-inclusives require a minimum five-night stay.

• Cancellation policies vary, but are generally more restrictive than normal rates, so read the policy carefully before booking.

• Certain luxury hotels also include a $100 property credit.

This is great news for those of you looking to save some cash on your summer travels in some of the most popular destinations around the globe.

For example, I’ll be in Japan in a few days. With Japan tourism at an all-time high, finding good deals is getting harder and harder.

But Hilton has a bunch of properties like these two in Kyoto that are super cheap this summer, thanks to this sale:

Even if you’re planning on enjoying your summer in the U.S. or Canada, there are plenty of good deals to be found right at home.

This recently renovated property in the heart of downtown Chicago only costs $182 a night. Pricier than Kyoto, but still much cheaper than similar hotels from other programs.

It’s also worth noting that Hilton currently has another global promotion going on to earn some bonus Hilton points.

Specifically, both cash and award stays completed before August 15 will earn 1,000 bonus points per stay (not per night).

If you think that sounds pretty lame, you’re right…

You can regularly buy Hilton points for half a cent each, meaning this promo will earn you a maximum of $5 in value even if your stay costs $1,000.

Still, 1,000 bonus points are better than no bonus points — so make sure you register for this offer now and stack some Hilton deals this summer.

🌱 Quick points: IHG’s “green stay” offer

I want to share a quick points deal that I’ve been seeing pop up more and more around the world, specifically at IHG hotels.

IHG has this new initiative called “green stay.”

Basically, how it works is that you can choose not to get housekeeping services and earn 500 points per night instead.

If your hotel participates in this, you’ll see a sign like this one that I just had at my hotel in Auckland last week:

You can do this every night, or pick and choose which days you want housekeeping.

Personally, I learned how to clean my own room decades ago, so I’ll always take those free points…

After all, 500 points per night could add up quickly and get me a cheap stay at a hotel like this one in Jakarta:

Anyway, if you don’t care about housekeeping and your hotel wants to give you free points, this is an easy (though small) win.

That’s gonna finish things off for today, my friends. I hope you enjoyed today’s credit card-y, stacktastic content as we gear up for the busy summer travel season.

Until tomorrow, take care and have a lovely day. ❤️

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