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🎤 Early access to concert tickets by holding a travel credit card
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I'm going to paint a picture for you.
You're sitting around at home, pondering the meaning of life, wondering what this all means. I mean, what even is the universe? Life can just be so confusing.
But then you turn on your local A.M. radio station (since that's something we all do) and hear that Taylor Swift has announced a new concert tour.
Suddenly, everything becomes clear. It all makes sense. THIS is what you've needed all this time, the answer to all of your existential questions.
You feel a flicker of hope, a spark of joy.
But then you realize the sad reality: Everyone on earth is going to want tickets to this thing, there's no chance you'll ever get your hands on one before they sell out. You sink back into your ponderous state.
Aaaaaaaand, scene.
If this sounds like you, keep reading. If you can't relate to a single word of that, don't run away. I promise this will go somewhere. You can trust me, I'm a professional.
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You see, artists like Taylor (we're on a first-name basis) have special partnerships that we travel hackers can take advantage of to skip the line and get concert tickets before everyone else.
In this specific example, Taylor Swift announced her new "The Eras Tour" which is presented by Capital One and will take place across the U.S. beginning in March of 2023, and continue on to a series of international locations as well.
Look, I'm no Swiftie myself, but people are going CRAZY for these tickets, which go on sale on November 18th.
The good news for you (assuming you care about this) is that holders of Capital One credit cards can get early access to tickets for this tour, as early as November 15th - a full three days before anyone else.
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All you need to do is enter the first 6 digits of your card number on Ticketmaster when you select your seats and dates, beginning at 2:00 P.M. Eastern Time on November 15th.
Here's the other fun part, though:
Let's say you live in Detroit, where T-Swift only has one concert date. When you go to buy tickets, maybe they're sold out. But maybe there are TONS of tickets still available for the concert in Denver.
That's perfectly okay, because you, my friend, are now the proud owner of a travel credit card. You now have a huge stash of points to take you to whichever city you happen to find tickets in. Heck, you can even turn it into a fun vacation!
For example, you could fly from Detroit to Denver for $376 round trip, requiring 37,600 Capital One miles. You could then transfer 45,000 miles to Wyndham hotels and book 3 nights at a hotel in downtown Denver.
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The best part is that you could do ALL of the above just for opening a lower-tier card with Capital One and reaching the minimum spending requirements. Hypothetically, if a card has a welcome bonus of 75,000 miles but requires $4,000 of spending, you could earn an additional 8,000 miles (since some Capital One cards earn at least 2x miles on everything)
That means you'll rack up 83,000 miles from signing up, and only need 82,600 miles to do exactly what I outlined above.
Okay, so maybe you aren't a die-hard Taylor Swift fan. But this example PERFECTLY illustrates how you can use travel credit cards to think outside the box, unlock amazing opportunities, and use the rewards to make those opportunities a reality.
If this sounds like something that you'd enjoy, make sure you act... swiftly. 😉
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✈️ Qatar Airways continues to seduce us with free points
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Now, let's move on from niche musical artists to something that appeals to a different demographic: sports... sort of.
You probably know that in just a few short weeks, the World Cup will be in full swing over in Qatar. If you're not a sports person, the World Cup is a massive competition where hockey teams compete against each other on the world stage.
Wait, no... basketball? No, it's definitely hockey.
Nailed it. I totally know sports.
Anyway, to celebrate, Qatar Airways has been showering us with gifts of excellent promos, discounts, and now, free points.
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If you book a trip on Qatar Airways before the end of this year, you'll get a flat chunk of bonus points, depending on where you live and which fare type you book (more on that in a minute).
Here's the fine print for those who live in the U.S.:
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Book a flight on Qatar Airways by December 22nd and get 6,000 bonus points in economy or 10,000 points in a premium cabin
- Travel must take place between January 15th and March 31st, 2023
- You must use promo code AVIOS when booking
- You must have a Qatar Airways Privilege Club membership (free to sign up)
- You must pay using a Visa card
While this is already exciting, it's even MORE exciting for those of you who live outside the U.S.
The promo works the same way for residents of other countries, but with different amounts of bonus points. The highest bonus is 100,000 points for those of you who reside in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Maldives or Pakistan.
For reference, 100,000 Avios are worth roughly $1,500 in free flights, so this deal is nothing to scoff at, especially because there's no minimum purchase requirement.
Residents of other countries and regions also have elevated bonuses, which you can find on the deal page (scroll to the terms and conditions to see the bonus amounts by region).
So it's certainly easy to find good value if you live in Asia or the Middle East. But even for residents of the U.S. and Canada, there is value to be had here.
Let's say you want to travel from New York to Dubai in February. You could book this ticket in economy for $572 and get 6,000 bonus Avios worth roughly $90.
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That's a 16% return plus the normal Avios you'll earn and any credit card points you might earn. In my opinion, that's a pretty sweet deal.
If you have a trip planned in Europe and want to make a hop over to the Middle East during your travels, you could book this ticket from Warsaw to Doha, a flight that I just took a few weeks ago, for only 1,761 Polish złoty, or about $377.
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Since you're still getting the flat bonus of 6,000 Avios worth $90, you're now reaping a 24% return on that purchase.
Overall, this deal is definitely worth looking into if you want to travel to the Middle East anytime soon, or if you have a trip planned in Asia and can find good tickets via Qatar.
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🖼️ Cute travel photo (adorable animal involved)
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Okay, I've made you read enough today, so I'll leave you with one final thing: a picture of an adorable kitty trying to tag along on a trip by plopping itself in a suitcase. No reading required. |
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I'm not gonna lie, I was a little reluctant to go this hard on the Taylor Swift content. But once I got going, I couldn't stop. What can I say, we like to mix things up over here at The Daily Drop. Plus, I think it's pretty cool that owning a travel credit card can unlock access to concert tickets that otherwise sell out in a matter of hours.
What's your favorite T-Swift song? If the answer is none, then who's your favorite musical artist? Are you planning on going to the world cup in Qatar? Let me know by replying to this email or reaching out on social media.
धन्यवाद र अलविदा,
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