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September 11, 2026 | View Online
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Unbelievably, this week marks four years since we started trying to guide you down the righteous path to free travel by way of credit cards, loyalty programs, and points and miles.
Whether I’m a mere footnote in your inbox or (more likely) the highlight of your week, thanks for coming along on this little journey with us.
With that in mind, I’d love to hear from you. I want to know the best redemption you’ve made in the last four years, whether it was an epic business class flight, tons of economy ones, or a belter of a hotel stay at good value. Let me know here — bonus points if one of the 379 editions helped you directly.
Let’s get to the points:
Cheers,
Steven
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| CARD OF THE WEEK
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Pound-for-Pound, This Might Be The Best Card On The Market
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I’ve always been a fan of Capital One. Primarily, it’s because it’s the only issuer that lets me talk openly about its products, but also because its cards are damn efficient in almost every way.
This is never truer than with the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card. In my ridiculously humble opinion, it might be the best pound-for-pound card on the market, and that valuation has gone up with the addition of its limited-time introductory offer.
What’s the offer?
It’s kept its usual points bonus of 75,000 miles earned by spending $4,000 within three months of opening the card, but thrown in a solid one-time $300 credit for Capital One Travel. It’s valid for a year and can be used on hotels and vacation rentals booked via the portal.
And look, that bonus is nice — the points bonus has always been good — but I like this card for a far simpler reason: it earns on absolute autopilot.
The card, as with most Capital One products, uses a flat-rate earning system, grabbing 2x miles per dollar on all purchases. It does have an elevated rate of 5x miles per dollar on travel portal purchases, but we’ll not focus on that.
That 2x miles per dollar rate makes it an incredible choice for almost anyone. If you only want one card and aren’t interested in premium perks, this is your best return in almost any scenario. Just $4,000 in spending a month means you’ll end the first year with 170,000 miles, and about 96,000 each year after that.
For those with a few cards in their lineup, it works perfectly as a sweeper. For example, I use this card for dinners and grocery stores, this card for travel purchases, and then put everything else on the Venture. That way I’m getting 4x points per dollar for eating out and grocery shopping, 3x points per dollar on every train, bus, plane, and hotel I use, and 2x miles per dollar on everything else — even something as small as a pack of gum.
In fact, the only scenario when I wouldn’t recommend opening this card is if you already have its premium product, the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, or intend to open it soon — because it shares the same earning rate.
It’s not often I say a card is perfect for everyone, but this is about as close to a no-brainer as you can get.
Back to Capital One School
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| AI NEWS
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| REDEMPTION OF THE DAY
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KLM Shows Its Value for Delta On
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I’m often trying to tell you why opting for a general travel card with access to Virgin or KLM/Air France is better than a Delta card when you want to fly Delta. Today’s redemption of the day shows exactly why.
I found this excellent Delta One redemption using Air France/KLM Flying Blue. You can grab a delightful night’s sleep on the way to Barcelona from Atlanta for 84,000 miles plus $33 in October 22nd of this month.
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That exact flight can be purchased or redeemed in other ways, like so:
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In cash, it would cost you $7,184
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On Delta’s portal, it would cost you 499,900 SkyMiles — yes, half a million SkyMiles
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If your tactic to fly Delta One revolved around opening its credit cards, you’d have needed about four introductory offers to get anywhere near it. Instead, you’ve paid 84,000 miles. The card I mentioned up top almost gets you there.
With Flying Blue, you’re getting 8.5 cents per mile. With Delta, you’re getting 1.4. cents per mile
Stop opening your favorite airline’s cards for the sake of it.
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| HOTEL LOYALTY
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Hyatt Ditches American Falls Straight Into Delta’s Arms
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We’ve all had a rebound, haven’t we? Turns out hotel programs are no different.
Within hours of ditching American Airlines, World of Hyatt announced a new partnership with Delta. The whole “friends with benefits” set-up is very similar to the previous one, offering a number of reciprocal perks and earning opportunities for both sides.
We don’t have all the precise details yet, but here’s a rough list of everything we know:
World of Hyatt elite members can earn Hyatt points on Delta flights
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Applies to qualifying Delta airfare
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Only certain qualifying fare classes will count
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You’ll earn Hyatt points in addition to the SkyMiles you’d normally earn
Delta Medallion members can earn SkyMiles on Hyatt stays
True double-dipping
Reciprocal elite perks are coming
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Delta and Hyatt have explicitly said the initial benefits will focus on elite members
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Exact benefits haven’t been announced yet.
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TPG speculates these could resemble the old AA/Hyatt partnership, such as hotel status, certificates, or airline perks, but none of that is confirmed yet.
It’s an exclusive, long-term partnership.
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Launching in the coming months
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Hyatt and Delta say more eligibility rules, earning rates, and benefits will be announced before launch.
Get up to speed on Hyatt:
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