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July 17, 2026 | View Online
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Considering I’m writing this from Qatar’s Airways' lauded business class seat, the Qsuite, it would be a shame not to actually do some business-like stuff from my seat.
So here we are somewhere over Canada, five cocktails, three champers, one bad movie, a lovely sleep, seventeen dinners in.
Let’s get to the points:
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Another Delta option
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How did I book this?
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My initial thoughts
Cheers,
Steven
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| CARD OF THE
WEEK
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Another Delta Option For The Masses
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I feel like I’ve been honing in on the beginner cards for a while, and that trend seems to be continuing. With that said, if you are a beginner, read the next two sections to see where the potential for you.
For now though, let’s check out a different Delta co-branded card.
The card’s introductory offer is modest, with 10,000 bonus miles available after spending $1,000 within the first six months. It’s not going to fund a luxurious international redemption, but the spending requirement is exceptionally manageable and gives beginners plenty of breathing room to earn their first bonus without changing their usual habits.
Beyond that, the card keeps things simple. There’s no annual fee to justify, and it comes with a small array of Delta-focused benefits and everyday earning opportunities. None of them are spectacular, but they add a wee bit of extra value for anyone who flies with the airline occasionally.
This isn’t a card for the pros. It’s not even a card for someone You can earn the bonus, learn how the SkyMiles program works, and start building your credit card strategy without immediately committing to a more expensive product.
But…if you’re just getting started, this could be a really solid way to dip your toes in the SkyMiles-scented waters.
Learn more about the card here.
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| TECH NEWS
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7 Space Stocks Wall Street Is Watching for 2026
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Space just stopped being a moonshot bet and started being a business. Launch costs are falling, government contracts are flowing, and satellite constellations and orbital AI are turning what was once experimental into a scalable, revenue-generating industry.
This free report breaks down 7 companies sitting at the center of that shift, from launch providers to satellite makers to the data platforms running the show, with a clear look at how each one actually makes money. It also tackles the question on every investor's mind: what the SpaceX IPO means for the space economy. Get the full analysis below.
Get the report.
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| STEVEN'S TIPS
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How Did I Book the Qsuite?
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I’ll preface this by saying I did not use my own points for this. Jesse, DFC’s head honcho, very kindly suggested* I find a cool redemption to get me to the team retreat in Salt Lake City using company points. I’m eternally grateful for the opportunities this job grants me, and this is one of the best yet. Plus, I’m traveling the furthest, and I’m obviously the most valuable member of the team, so it’s only fair.
But with that in mind, I set to work trying to find any and every possible route to get me from Kuala Lumpur to Salt Lake City.
First things first: I broadened my horizons. Sure, I did a quick search for KL to SLC, but the only loose options were horrific connections and abysmal rates. I figured this would be the case, but had a look to be sure. From there, I drew a circle around both destinations, hitting airports within two or three hours of flight at most to see what I could find. That included airports like Singapore, Bangkok, Jakarta, and even as far as Tokyo on the Asian side, and Dallas, Houston, LAX, San Fran, and Seattle on the American front.
That’s a lot of individual searches, so I logged into seats.aero (again, we don’t have an affiliation; I just like them) and did a large search including all of those airports. As I was giving myself some flexibility, I spread the dates a bit, so the parameters looked something like this:
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From: Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Jakarta, Tokyo, or Singapore
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To: Salt Lake City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas, Houston, or Seattle
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Dates: I needed to be in Salt Lake City by Monday at the latest, but was fine coming earlier, as it’s a long way to go for a short trip, so I put Friday 17th +/- 2 days each way
The site then found as many possible flights as it could within those parameters. The bulk of the decent value options routed through Singapore and San Fran, but I just had this feeling in my gut that I could do better. And do better I did.
I remembered that Kuala Lumpur is a hub in Southeast Asia for Qatar and has daily flights. Sure enough, routing a flight through Doha and on to either the East Coast or Dallas…which isn’t too much further to the West Coast.
I found a solid flight that went there on the Wednesday, decided I’d make a little LA trip out of it, and then booked the flight from Dallas to LAX, and LAX to Salt Lake separately.
The flight was 190,000 points, which feels insane, especially when you consider the $360 in taxes and fees. But the cash price of the flight when I booked those tickets was….wait for it, $8,300.
That adds up to 4 cents per point redeemed. And I don’t feel bad about that.
For example, if Jesse had opened this card and used the bonus to cover my flight, he was technically getting $8,300 of value back on $30,000 of business expenses. That’s pretty solid.
And like I said, I’m worth far more than that anyway.
*Read: I begged, harassed, blackmailed, and threatened to quit until he let me.
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Pay Yourself First: The Simple Habit That Builds Savings
I’m using this article because, as I write this section in Dallas Airport, I just spent $60 on two beers and a burger and brain, heart, and wallet collectively groaned, spluttered a little, died, and came back to life. I am not obeying this advice, obviously. But I should. And you should, too.
Get to grips with it here
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| BIZ CLASS
REVIEWS
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Is The Qsuite Worth It?
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I’ll do a full write-up on my experience soon, but I thought I’d do a high-level overview of what it was like, and whether or not it deserves the title of “best business class in the world”. I’ll split it into basic experiential aspects.
The Check-In
This was the primary underwhelming aspect, but I’ll put it down to being in Malaysia at the start. I’ve heard the check-in in Doha is amazing, so getting stuck behind all the oversized luggage people was annoying, and I didn’t even get to stand on the purple carpet. I did hold back so I could walk past everyone in economy, though. 5/10.
The Seat Itself
Damn, Qatar has crushed it. The space, the privacy, the detailing, is all brilliant. It feels high-end in all the best ways without being gaudy. The seat is comfy, reclines fully, and is made with super breathable material instead of those stuffy cushions. I am 6’4, sweat like crazy, and don’t like confined spaces. I lay straight back, had at least an inch or two of space on both ends, could curl up on my side, and felt cool the entire time. That’s insane for me.
The entertainment system is brilliant. The Onyx screen is massive, which makes watching movies a delight, and Qatar had a solid haul of stuff to watch. I tried to play my Nintendo Switch 2, but I wrongly read that you didn’t need the dock, but I did. So that was the only disappointment. Zero complaints. 10/10
The Food
The food was banging. I tried about 70% of the menu (which changes) and didn’t really have a bum note aside from the amuse-bouches. My pumpkin ravioli was brilliant on the first flight, and my beef short rib was a class above anything in economy. Interestingly, though, it was the more casual stuff that shone. The nachos and chicken sandwich, while not as “fancy”, translated better to the limitations of the airplane kitchen.
I tried almost every cocktail, had a great time. Tried all the champagne. Had a great time. What’s not to like about this?
I’ll leave it there for now.
But it was damn good. $8,000 good?
I mean, if I had the money, yeah, for sure. I have never disembarked a full day’s flying feeling better before. This two-hour flight in economy is going to suck.
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