Did you know most T-Mobile plans come with unlimited texting and data abroad? And there are more travel perks hiding in your plan too, including a free premium drink on Delta flights, a free year of AAA membership, and a 15% discount at most Hilton brands.

Meanwhile, Chase Ultimate Rewards® just launched a 20% transfer bonus to Air Canada Aeroplan through Sept. 30, 2026, or 30% with the Aeroplan® Credit Card. Aeroplan is one of the stronger programs for booking Star Alliance flights to Europe, including Lufthansa, Austrian, and Swiss, so a bonus like this can meaningfully cut the points you need for a flight.

Once you land, Uber isn't universal in Europe and is banned in a few countries, so it's worth having Bolt or FreeNow as a backup. There's bad news for KLM's cheese sandwich fans too. Free beer, wine, and the sandwich disappear from European economy flights starting in October, joining most other European full-service airlines that have already made a similar move. And Atlanta's new grab-and-go lounge, Poppin, lets Priority Pass holders grab snacks and drinks without camping out in a crowded lounge, following a concept also offered by United, American, and Air Canada.

Thanks so much for being one of our first subscribers. It means a lot. Departure Digest is still new, and while we've got plenty of exciting ideas in the works, we're also figuring things out as we go. We've got more guides, new resources, and a few surprises in the works.

If you haven't filled out our welcome survey yet, we'd love to know what you're hoping to get out of Departure Digest. Your feedback will help us build something you'll look forward to every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

As a reminder, you can always reply directly to these emails. Whether you have feedback, suggestions, a travel question, or just want to say hi, every reply goes straight to us.

Mobile Passport Control can speed you through customs at some airports, and you don't even need to apply ahead of time.

Have a travel or points question? Submit it here and it may be featured in a future episode.

Bonjour from France!

I’ve got a very European-flavored episode for you today. I’m over here putting most of this to the test in real time. So, from staying connected to getting around to what you’re eating at the airport, I’ve got a few things you should know before your next trip.

First up, my phone. Using T-Mobile abroad has made this trip so much easier. No, they’re not paying us to say that, though if anyone from T-Mobile is listening, our DMs are open.

With the right plan, you get unlimited texting and data in over 215 countries, including up to 15 gigabytes of high-speed data before it slows down. No need for a roaming add-on and no fumbling with a local SIM card at the airport.

There are also a bunch of other travel perks most people don’t even realize they have. For example, you can get a free premium drink on Delta flights, as long as your accounts are linked. A free year of AAA membership. You can also get automatic Hilton Honors Silver status, plus 15% off at most Hilton brands.

If you’re already a T-Mobile customer, most of this doesn’t cost extra, though that international roaming specifically is tied to their Experience Beyond plan, so check which plan you’re on. The Hilton status and AAA membership are available more broadly.

On that note, if Europe’s on your radar, [a major card issuer] just launched a transfer bonus worth knowing about too.

Through Sept. 30, you can transfer [points from one of our favorite travel credit cards] to Air Canada Aeroplan with a 20% bonus. Or, if you have [the airline’s co-branded credit card], you get an extra 10%, so a 30% bonus.

Aeroplan is one of the better programs for booking Star Alliance flights to Europe. Think airlines like Lufthansa, Austrian, and Swiss. So a bonus like this can meaningfully cut the number of points you’ll need for a flight.

Okay, once you land in Europe, here’s the next thing worth knowing.

Uber works in a lot of Europe, but it’s not universal, and it’s banned outright in a couple of countries. So, it’s worth having a backup app ahead of your trip.

Bolt is the big one, it covers over 50 countries and tends to be the cheapest option, especially in Eastern and Central Europe. Bolt also takes a smaller cut from drivers than Uber, which is one reason rides are often a little cheaper.

Then there’s FreeNow, which Lyft actually bought last year. FreeNow leans more toward booking licensed local taxis through the app, rather than random private drivers, so it’s a good pick if you want something that feels a bit more official, especially heading to or from the airport.

A few practical things while we’re at it. You generally don’t need to tip on these apps in Europe the way you would in the U.S. It’s not expected, though rounding up is a nice touch if you want to.

One payment tip. If you booked your ride to be paid in the app, keep it that way. If a driver asks you to switch to cash because “the app isn’t working,” that’s a major red flag.

And if a driver’s been sitting still for way too long or isn’t answering messages, don’t rush to cancel. Sometimes that’s a driver trying to bait you into eating a cancellation fee. Just contact support through the app instead.

My rule for any of these is to check that the license plate and driver photo in the app match the car before you get in. That’s true whether you’re using Uber, Bolt, or hailing a regular cab, and it’s the easiest way to avoid getting taken for a ride, literally.

Speaking of getting around Europe, here’s a quick one that’s more about what happens once you’re already on the plane.

KLM just announced they’re cutting free beer, wine, and their famous cheese sandwich in economy on European flights, starting in October. And to be clear, famous in a good way, we aren’t talking Fyre Festival levels of cheese sandwich here. People loved these sandwiches.

You’ll still get coffee, tea, water, juice, and a stroopwafel for free, but everything else becomes buy-on-board. Most European full-service airlines have already made a similar move, so this isn’t shocking, but it’s still a bummer if you’re used to KLM specifically.

On a happier note, here’s how to beat that buy-on-board trend before you even board.

Honestly, I think grab-and-go lounges are the future. Grab your own snacks and drinks for free before your flight, and it won’t matter what KLM or anyone else decides to sell you in the air. Atlanta just opened one called Poppin, accessible with Priority Pass, where you can pick up snacks, sandwiches, even a beer, and take it straight to your gate instead of camping out in a full lounge.

United’s had something similar for a while called Club Fly, American’s doing it too with Provisions by Admirals Club, and Air Canada’s had their café concept at a few Canadian airports for years now. If you’ve got a premium travel credit card, there’s a decent chance you already have Priority Pass access and just haven’t used it for this.

That’s your Friday, coming to you from somewhere in France.

I hope wherever you are this weekend is just as good.