Southwest pilots don’t follow instructions, pay the price

YouTube channel You can see ATC has the air traffic control audio and a visualization of an incident that happened shortly after 7PM local time on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, at New York LaGuardia Airport.

A Southwest Boeing 737-800 was getting ready to depart to Dallas Love Field (DAL), and was just getting permission to taxi to the runway, which is when the issues started:

Air traffic controller: “Southwest 4541, runway 13, give way to an E170 off the left, taxi via L, B, G, hold short of runway 22.”
Southwest pilot: “Taxi runway 13 via L, B, G, hold short of runway 22, give way to E170 off our left, Southwest 4541.”

The Southwest plane then started taxiing, but immediately cut off the Embraer E170 it was supposed to give way to on the taxiway. That was probably a dumb error (more on that in a bit), but that’s when the air traffic controller really got excited:

Air traffic controller: “Southwest 4541.”
Southwest pilot: “Southwest 4541, go ahead.”
Air traffic controller: “Did you give way to the 175 we told you about?”
Southwest pilot: “Uh, sorry, we were looking at a different one. We’ll still be on B. Are we clear?”
Air traffic controller: “Southwest 4541, hold there. Show me the 175 that you were looking out for.”
Southwest pilot: “We’re looking at the Delta colors to the left, Southwest 4541.”
Air traffic controller: “So that’s the one we told you to give way to and you cut them off, right?”
Southwest pilot: “Affirmative, Southwest 4541. Where would you like us to go?”
Air traffic controller: “Southwest 4541, possible pilot deviation, advise ready to copy a phone number.”

The Southwest pilot then copied down the number, and then the air traffic controller broadcast on frequency that “Southwest looks like just decided to do whatever they want.”

The air traffic controller really was a jerk about this

There are two issues here — the mistake on the part of the Southwest pilots, and how the air traffic controller responded.

Obviously the Southwest pilots screwed up here, as they did cut off the Embraer. As much as Southwest pilots are known for their speedy taxis, I’d be willing to bet this wasn’t intentional, because if you try to fight a NYC-area air traffic controller, you’ll lose every time. 😉

My guess is that the pilots were genuinely confused by the word order of the instructions, and didn’t fully process the instructions until it was too late (which isn’t to excuse it, but just to try to make sense of how this happened).

The instructions were to taxi to “runway 13, give way to an E170 off the left, taxi via L, B, G, hold short of runway 22.” Based purely on those instructions, it wasn’t entirely clear where the Embraer would be, since the instruction to give way was given after the runway assignment.

It seems like a clearer way to describe that would be to give the taxi instructions, and then explicitly say where the plane is that they should be giving way to. So something like “runway 13, taxi via L, B, G, hold short of runway 22, give way to the Delta colors E170 off on your left on A.”

But the real issue was the laser focus that the controller had on just talking down to these pilots and proving a point. He literally stopped traffic so that he could win an argument. By all means give the pilots a number for a possible pilot deviation, and discuss this stuff off frequency. But to stop traffic, argue with the pilots, give them a number, and then throw in another insulting comment, is just uncalled for and incredibly unprofessional.

Compare this to an incident at Boston Logan (BOS) a few weeks back, which I’d argue was more serious. An Etihad Boeing 787 entered a runway without permission and caused a go around. Shocking as it might be to some New York area controllers, the Boston controller didn’t take it as an opportunity to insult someone on frequency, and stop traffic. Instead, he handled it professionally, kept planes moving, and then they got a number for a pilot deviation. That’s how it should be handled.

Bottom line

The pilots of a Southwest Boeing 737 chose the wrong airport to make a mistake at, as it quickly turned into the highlight of the air traffic controller’s day. The air traffic controller stopped traffic so that he could school pilots and give them a number for a possible pilot deviation, rather than keeping planes moving and then discussing this off frequency.

What do you make of this LaGuardia ATC interaction?

Qatar Airways partners with Hans Zimmer on new music

Qatar Airways has partnered with Oscar and Grammy award-winning composer Hans Zimmer for a new sonic identity for the airline, featuring a signature sound “that will elevate the passenger experience onboard and beyond.” This collaboration was first announced back in July 2025, but the music has now been released, as of November 2026.

You’re almost certainly familiar with Zimmer’s work, even if the name doesn’t ring a bell, as his music has been featured in everything from The Lion King, to Gladiator, to Pirates of the Caribbean, to The Da Vinci Code.

This new music will be played as the boarding and landing music on Qatar Airways flights, and will also be released as a full musical album on major streaming platforms, and across the carrier’s social channels.

The music is described as being “inspired by Qatar and its culture,” and it features a “Burgundy Symphony” album, which is a five-track album that encapsulates the airline’s wider sound identity and signature sound elements.

The album is intended to capture the rhythm of travel through five original tracks, each reflecting a different stage of the journey:

• “Dawn opens the collection with a sense of anticipation and possibility experienced when stepping beyond the daily routine and discovering new horizons”
• “Dusk reflects the tranquillity of flight as daylight fades and travellers are carried above the clouds beneath a sky illuminated by stars”
• “The Orchard introduces a restorative pause, inspired by moments of calm and reflection amidst the pace of everyday life,” and “the inspiration for the composition is drawn from the sense of escape offered by the ORCHARD – one of Hamad International Airport’s most distinctive passenger experiences”
• “Homecoming reflects the quiet gift of returning home and the small but lasting ways travel enriches life,” and “the track encapsulates the adventure continues beyond touchdown, with memories of places and skies keeping moments of wonder alive long after the journey ends
• “An Ode to Qatar concludes the album with a tribute to the nation’s rich heritage and forward-looking vision,” and “the piece brings together a sense of history, culture, and ambition, reflecting a country where tradition and progress exist in harmony”

You can hear the entire album below, with all five tracks (in order). The music is no doubt beautiful, don’t get me wrong — Zimmer is a generational talent, who has arguably revolutionized the sound of modern cinema.

But I just somehow don’t find it to be as distinctive as the previous track. But maybe my feelings about that will change over time. I will say, the music is incredibly relaxing, and I’ll definitely be listening to this in the background while working.

I’m both happy and sad to see this development

As someone who loves airline boarding music, I’m of course delighted when airlines invest money into that aspect of the passenger experience (and my gosh, I can’t imagine how much money Qatar Airways is spending to get a whole album of Hans Zimmer music). It shows such an attention to detail that you don’t find on many airlines.

That being said, I adore Qatar Airways’ old boarding music, created by local Qatari composer Dana Al Fardan, and I just find it to be so incredibly calming and relaxing. The initial track was “The Awakening,” the second track was “The Dawn,” and the third track was “The Ascent.”

So I’m sad to hear that these will no longer be played, though at the same time, the new tracks are lovely as well. I can’t help but wonder if this development is almost a competitive response to airline startup Riyadh Air, which revealed its high profile brand sonic before even launching operations.

We know the two carriers are sort of going at one another, with Riyadh Air CEO Tony Douglas having stated that it’s “haram” that “the number one premium passenger for Qatar Airways, are Saudi nationals,” and Qatar Airways has responded with some pretty shady ads.

Bottom line

Qatar Airways has partnered with Hans Zimmer on its new sonic identity, including the introduction of a new boarding music track. As a self proclaimed connoisseur of boarding music, I’m very excited to see this collaboration, though I’ll miss Dana Al Fardan’s trilogy. Oh well, I guess I can always still listen to it at home!

What do you make of Qatar Airways partnering with Hans Zimmer?

That being said, I have to give Singapore Airlines some tough love on the new business class seats. Let me acknowledge that I’m a huge fan of Singapore Airlines as a brand. Any list I keep of the best airlines in the world (whether it’s the best airline brand, best first class, best business class, best inflight service, best inflight entertainment, etc.) has Singapore Airlines on it… that’s how highly I think of the brand!

But I’m also honest, regardless of how it fits my preconceived notions of a brand. I feel like I’m saying what everyone else is thinking, seemingly except for most influencers who are in Singapore for the launch event, who are just casually glossing over this… so much for attention to detail!

Singapore Airlines’ botched business class finishes

When I think of Singapore Airlines, the first thing that comes to mind for me is how deliberate the airline is. I don’t think there’s an airline that’s more intentional with every aspect of its guest experience, from the tone of voice with which staff speak, to warm and elegant design.

I’d say Singapore Airlines’ new first class actually looks really on brand. It’s a nice evolution of what the carrier has historically offered — it’s warm and elegant without being outdated.

And then you move to business class, and it looks like Scoot and Spirit Airlines had a baby. The gray and black is generic, the yellow accents look cheap, and then there’s so much going on with the blue and white bulkheads (if that’s actually how they’ll look).

And the Scoot reference isn’t even sarcastic. For those not familiar, Scoot is Singapore Airlines’ low cost carrier, and look at the seat finishes you’ll find there!

Usually there’s some consistency between seat finishes and wider branding, including the livery, flight attendant uniforms, etc. In this case, it’s not only not aligned, but they seem at odds with one another. There’s otherwise not a hint of yellow (or neon green, or whatever that is) in Singapore Airlines’ branding.

What so bizarre to me is how the first and business class finishes are completely mismatched, and you wouldn’t assume they belonged to the same airline. That’s because Singapore Airlines worked with different design firms (separate from the seating manufacturers as such) for the two cabins.

BMW Designworks was behind the business class seats, while PriestmanGoode was behind the first class seats. I think it’s safe to say there was no coordination between the two. I guess the argument from executives is that they want the cabin to look more modern and high tech, and go after a younger crowd, but I just don’t follow the logic.

It’s clear that Singapore Airlines put many years of effort into this product, and frankly I’m just surprised that Singapore Airlines executives signed off on this. Am I just in the minority in thinking this isn’t a good look for the airline? Did some marketer assure Singapore Airlines executives this was great branding, and they were wrong? Or did everyone just independently decide that this looks great?

If they at least eliminated the yellow stripes, it would no longer look cheap, but would instead look generic. I’m just surprised that this is the conclusion they came to.

Many influencers are conveniently glossing over this

Singapore Airlines of course had a big media event in Singapore to celebrate the launch of this product. I don’t attend media events, just as a general policy, because I don’t find them to be a great use of time. But I certainly do enjoy seeing the coverage from others.

What I find fascinating is the inherent bias that exists when someone is invited to something. For example, if you look at the comments on my post about the new cabins, the single thing most commented on by OMAAT community members is how bad the business class colors look.

If you watched the videos on social media about this, there’s oddly no commentary on that. Admittedly I haven’t seen all the coverage, but the worst coverage I’ve seen is someone saying they “don’t mind” the colors, and that it’s a “big departure” from the old look. Okay, that’s not exactly an endorsement.

I also haven’t found a single person who attended the event who said “I love the new colors,” which probably tells you everything you need to know. For that matter, it’s one thing if people acknowledged “I realize the colors might not look good in pictures, but in person, it’s a different story.” But I haven’t heard that either.

To me this gets at the rather complicated relationship between so many brands and influencer types. If you can say all the things you love about the product, shouldn’t you also feel totally comfortable criticizing the parts of the experience you don’t like, though?

While we’re on this topic, let me add one more point. Being able to sit in seats at media events like this is of course cool, but it really doesn’t actually give you an impression of what it’s like to fly in a product, and that’s why it’s not something I particularly value, as an experience.

Of course a big business class seat is comfortable when you sit in it for a minute, and you’re filming content. But the real test of a product is when you spend hours in the seat, when you recline the seat into a bed, when you try to move your laptop around while you’re being served a meal, etc.

I once had the opportunity to spend a night in an aircraft seat on the ground (I can’t really say more, since I signed an NDA, but it was to provide feedback to a seating manufacturer). To me that was fascinating, because it really gives you an understanding of what the experience is like. My feeling about the seat was very different after being in the seat for many hours vs. when I sat down.

Bottom line

Singapore Airlines has unveiled its new cabins, and there’s a lot to be excited about, as the hard products look very nice. However, Singapore Airlines’ new business class cabin finishes are a real mystery to me, because the yellow stripe looks cheap (I mean, it seems to be inspired by the carrier’s low cost subsidiary), and completely mismatched with first class.

The airline used different design firms for first class and business class. For an airline so focused on attention to detail and being very deliberate in terms of design, this strikes me as a misstep. Anyway, Singapore Airlines, I still love you and think you’re one of the best airlines in the world…

Where do you stand on Singapore Airlines’ new business class seat finishes? Does anyone love them?

Fake bomb threats hit European airlines hard

The concept of bomb threats being called in on flights is nothing new. Sometimes people are dumb enough to call in a bomb threat because they’re running late for a flight, and think that’s the best way not to miss it. Other times people will call in bomb threats as a prank.

Rarely is a bomb threat actually called in on a flight where there’s a bomb. That comes down to two reasons — it’s exceedingly rare for flights to be bombed (thank goodness), and if someone actually wants to take down a plane, they wouldn’t issue a warning, since that kind of defeats the purpose.

So that brings us to what has gone on in Europe this week, particularly on Tuesday, Thursday, and again today (Friday). Dozens of flights across airlines have had bomb threats called in on them, and airlines generally have to take these seriously. This has now happened to over 50 flights, departing from roughly a dozen countries.

In some cases the bomb threats were called in before takeoff, so passengers could be deplaned, allowing a search to happen before departure. In other cases, the threats came in mid-flight, leading to diversions, and even fighter jet escorts, in some situations.

In no case were any credible threats found, though. It goes without saying that this is incredibly frustrating for all parties. This is a massive waste of time and resources, given that these kinds of threats are consistently fake. At the same time, governments and airlines have to take these threats seriously, because imagine what would happen if a threat were proven to be real, and it was ignored (personally I think they should just be ignored, but that’s neither here nor there).

Who is behind these European airline bomb threats?

It’s not known for sure who is behind this attack, or just how centrally coordinated it is, rather than there being a copycat element to this.

Some emails taking credit for these attacks were signed as being from “the fighters of the Male State,” referencing a Russian far right, ultra nationalist movement that was founded in 2016. However, in a Telegram post today, the group’s founder denied involvement in this, and said the group hasn’t even existed since 2021.

Another email sent to media outlets regarding these attacks said that “this is only the beginning,” and threatened further attacks (or at least threats of attacks) across European transport.

The timing of this is likely not a coincidence, as Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky is currently visiting Europe for a series of meetings regarding the war with Russia.

It goes without saying that this could get messy. If this is really coming out of Russia, it’ll be hard for European authorities to hold them accountable. And it’s also easy enough for the culprits to try to mask where their threats come from.

If the threats keep coming, then one wonders how this will be handled — will this all just continue, or will the threats be ignored at some point?

Bottom line

Dozens of flights across Europe have been impacted by bomb threats this week, which is obviously incredibly frustrating. None were found to be credible, but they’ve all been taken seriously, with everything from aircraft evacuations, to diversions, to fighter jet escorts.

It can be hard to track down the source of these threats, especially if it’s some tech-savvy, foreign operation. An email claiming to be associated with the group behind these threats suggest that this is only the beginning. Only time will tell how this plays out, because if the threats continue and authorities have no way to take action against the foreign culprits, their options might be limited.

What do you make of this Europe airplane bomb threat situation?

Swissport Lounge Chicago O’Hare Terminal 5 closes

Historically, Chicago O’Hare Terminal 5 has been a pretty lousy facility, though it has started to get better in recent years, thanks to an expansion to the terminal, and also thanks to the opening of new lounges.

Arguably the single most disappointing thing about Terminal 5 was the Swissport Lounge, which I’ve labeled the worst lounge in the United States — clearly many people agreed with me, since my review of the lounge had over 200 comments. It’s just truly one of those facilities that makes you wonder why we even bother using lounges.

The lounge had no windows, the most random collection of furniture, and a very limited selection of drinks and snacks. Unless you wanted to just guzzle alcohol, you’d be better off sitting in the terminal, in my opinion. Unfortunately for all too long, many premium airlines sent their customers here, given the lack of other lounge options. It’s quite underwhelming to be flying business class on a carrier like Etihad Airways or Qatar Airways, and then be sent here.

That brings us to the interesting update — the Swissport Lounge Chicago has closed as of October 31, 2026, so passengers are no longer being subjected to this facility.

It remains to be seen what happens with this lounge space, as that hasn’t been announced one way or another. In April 2025, Swissport’s head of North America lounges said that the company had “submitted a proposal to the Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) for a multi-million-dollar renovation and expansion of our current Terminal 5 lounge at O’Hare International Airport.” However, I haven’t been able to find any updates on that, so I’m not sure what the latest is there.

Chicago O’Hare Terminal 5 lounges are improving

It’s worth acknowledging just how much better the lounge situation at Chicago O’Hare Terminal 5 has gotten in recent years:

• In 2022, we saw Delta’s new Sky Club open, which immediately became the best lounge in the terminal
• In 2024, we saw LOT Polish Airlines’ new lounge open, which also looks beautiful, and is used by Star Alliance carriers, as well as some other airlines
• In 2025, we saw Air France’s new lounge open, which is another great option with lots of natural light, and it’s also open to Priority Pass members over select hours
• On top of that, there used to be the Scandinavian Airlines Lounge, which has since been rebranded as the Wingtips Lounge, and the good news is that it’s now open to Priority Pass members

If we get another lounge at Terminal 5, that would of course be awesome, so I’m curious to see how this evolves. Chicago O’Hare is the biggest airport in the country to not have any sort of a credit card branded lounge, so I hope that eventually changes. The issue is the extent to which the terminals are dominated by their primary tenants (American and United), combined with the lack of airside connections to Terminal 5.

Bottom line

The Swissport Lounge Chicago O’Hare Terminal 5 has suddenly closed. I’m not sad to see the United States’ worst airport lounge close, though I am curious to see what is next for this space. Fortunately the Terminal 5 lounge situation has improved nicely in recent years, and there are now several solid new options. I do wish we’d still see a proper credit card lounge, though.

What do you make of the Swissport Lounge Chicago closing? Are you happy or elated?

No disrespect to Egypt, but of all the business ideas in the world, is this really the one that makes the most sense? Maybe next we’ll see Beond partner with Ryanair to offer all-business class service between Leeds and Agadir?

Beond & Air Cairo bring all-premium travel to Egypt

Beond Airlines and Air Cairo have announced a partnership to bring Beond’s all-business class travel experience to Egypt. The two airlines signed a memorandum of understanding for the concept.

For the summer of 2027, Air Cairo will operate Beond-branded flights with all-business class configurations, connecting Egypt with Europe and the Gulf region. This is clearly targeted at inbound tourism to Egypt, so “travellers reach Egypt’s coast, its history and its cities rested and at ease.”

Routes and schedules will be announced in the coming months, with bookings expected to open in the first half of 2027. Just so we’re on the same page here, Air Cairo operates a fleet of planes exclusively in an all-economy configuration, so the airline hasn’t seen merit to offering even a small business class cabin. But now they’ve decided “hey, what we really need is a plane that exclusively has business class?”

Here’s what Beond CEO Tero Taskila had to say about this concept:

“Egypt has some of the most remarkable places on earth, and many travellers who want to reach them in comfort. Air Cairo knows this market better than anyone. Together we can start the holiday from home, not at the hotel. Our cabin gives us the luxurious surroundings. Our people give us the experience. Both have to match the places we fly to.”

Meanwhile here’s what Egypt’s Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Sherif Fathy, had to say about this:

“Encouraging this partnership is an integral part of the Ministry’s strategy to promote Egypt’s unparalleled tourism diversity and expand its range of distinctive tourism products and experiences. We highly value the role of Air Cairo as one of the key supporters of the tourism industry, whose efforts contribute to enhancing connectivity, supporting tourism growth, and strengthening Egypt’s position as a leading global tourism destination. Such partnerships reflect our commitment to fostering closer cooperation with our partners in the aviation sector to achieve sustainable growth and further enhance the competitiveness of the Egyptian tourism destination.”

What can we even make of Beond Airlines at this point?

Beond Airlines was initially formed as an airline intended to transport people to and from the Maldives. I’ve flown the airline, and the onboard experience was actually quite lovely (with two caveats — the lack of Wi-Fi, plus the limited range of the planes requiring a refueling stop, which limits the ability to get rest).

This airline obviously has funding, and the company’s CEO is a really nice guy who has a fair bit of experience. But nothing about the past few years gives me any faith in the future of the company.

When Beond Airlines launched in 2023, management claimed the airline would have 32 planes and serve 60 destinations within five years, which would be by 2028. Currently, the airline still has two planes, with no additional firm orders, at least as far as I know.

It has just been announcement after announcement from Beond, with little substance to anything:

• In April 2025, the company announced huge growth plans, suggesting it would add 18 new destinations “through 2025 and into 2026,” and it named specific destinations; that just didn’t happen, and I think we’ve maybe gotten a couple of new destinations, in theory
• The airline has now repeatedly suspended operations altogether, and going back a few months, the company had to postpone payment to staff
• In November 2025, the company announced it planned a global expansion, including setting up a subsidiary in the United States; the company was going to partner with New Pacific Airlines, which ended up liquidating a couple of weeks later
• Now Beond Airlines is focusing on the Red Sea, and is having most of its routes serve both the Red Sea and Maldives

I have no clue what’s going on here anymore, though I’d assume it’s one of two things:

• I’m not sure if Beond is now chasing government subsidies and service guarantees, since I imagine Saudi Arabia is paying for the Red Sea service; maybe the same is true in Egypt?
• Everything feels like a rather desperate fundraising pitch, intended to raise money from investors, rather than a realistic announcement of what’s to come

But I have to say, of everything we’ve seen from Beond, I find this to possibly be the most bizarre development yet. Egypt is generally a budget vacation destination, and not a premium vacation destination. So if an all-business class experience to the Maldives didn’t prove successful, I can’t imagine that Egypt is the key to unlocking prosperity for the airline.

Bottom line

Beond Airlines and Air Cairo are partnering to launch an all-business class airline that will serve Egypt. Egypt is generally a budget travel destination, and there’s an irony to an all-economy airline getting involved in an all-business class operation.

What can anyone really say at this point, though? Beond is all over the place in terms of its strategy. Initially it was going to fly to dozens of destinations out of the Maldives. Then it promised to set up subsidiaries all over the place, including partnering with an airline that liquidated just weeks later. Then the airline suspended commercial operations altogether. And now the airline is planning all-business class service in Egypt.

What do you make of Beond’s latest Egypt play?

Let’s first talk briefly about which planes will be getting this product, and then we’ll cover the details of the cabins. Keep in mind these changes will also include an updated soft product, including a new dining concept as well as new amenities across cabins.

New cabins coming to Airbus A350 & Boeing 777-9

Singapore Airlines’ new cabin products will be coming to all of the carrier’s upcoming Boeing 777-9s, as well as to select Airbus A350-900s. This includes a new first class, business class, premium economy, and economy, along with updated inflight entertainment and the installation of Starlink Wi-Fi.

Singapore Airlines has 31 Boeing 777-9s on order, which are expected to eventually be the carrier’s flagship aircraft. These will come delivered with the new cabins. As a matter of fact, Singapore Airlines had initially planned to debut the new cabins on these 777-9s all the way back in 2020. However, delivery of those planes has now been pushed back to late 2027 at the earliest.

More immediately, Singapore Airlines also plans to invest 1.1 billion SGD (~835 million USD) to update the interiors of its entire long haul Airbus A350-900 fleet. This consists of a total of 41 jets, and includes the carrier’s seven A350-900ULRs, with the “ULR” standing for “ultra long range,” as these planes operate the world’s longest flights.

The only A350-900s that won’t be reconfigured are the ones that are specifically designed for regional flights, featuring the same cabin products you’ll find onboard Boeing 787-10s.

How will the layouts of A350s change, once reconfigured? Singapore Airlines’ standard long haul A350-900s:

• Currently have 253 seats, including 42 business class seats, 24 premium economy seats, and 187 economy seats
• Will have 258 seats, including 42 business class seats, 24 premium economy seats, and 192 economy seats
• The business class and premium economy capacity will remain unchanged, while economy will get five more seats

Singapore Airlines’ ultra long range A350-900s:

• Currently have 161 seats, including 67 business class seats and 94 premium economy seats
• Will have 132 seats, including four first class seats, 70 business class seats, and 58 premium economy seats
• There will be four new first class seats, three more business class seats, and 36 fewer premium economy seats

Singapore Airlines’ new first & business class products

With the above out of the way, let’s take a look at Singapore Airlines’ new first class and business class seats. Let me say upfront that:

• In terms of the quality of the product, this is roughly what I expected; there’s not a huge “wow” factor to either cabin, but instead, the airline chose what feels like a safe product
• I’m really surprised by the business class design choices, which feel very un-Singapore Airlines to me

Singapore Airlines’ new first class seat

Below is a chart with the basics of Singapore Airlines’ new first class product.

Singapore Airlines’ new first class seat is designed by PriestmanGoode, and manufactured by Collins Aerospace, and it’ll be available exclusively on Boeing 777-9s and Airbus A350-900ULRS (so not on standard A350-900s, and it won’t be retrofitted on existing aircraft).

I’d describe this product as being a pretty traditional first class product in a 1-2-1 configuration, with large seats that turn into beds that are 80″ long and 30″ wide, each with a privacy door. Each first class seat also supports face-to-face dining, with a large table that provides ample space for two people to enjoy a meal together.

Entertainment will be available on a 32″ 4K monitor. As you’d expect, tech will be cutting edge beyond that, with bluetooth audio, wireless, AC, and USB-C charging, etc. There will also be a touchscreen handset that provides easy access to KrisWorld, plus a panel with seat controls and flight information.

One of the nice things is that the center suites have a retractable divider, potentially creating a large, expansive space, so that guests in the center seats can dine and relax together. Singapore Airlines claims that when combined, the double bed becomes the biggest bed in commercial aviation, as it measures 80″ long and 60″ wide.

There won’t be overhead bins in first class, so bags can be stored in a cabin baggage compartment underneath the seat. There will also be a personal wardrobe, and a leather-lined vanity drawer.

What’s my take on Singapore Airlines’ new first class? Quite honestly, this is almost exactly what I was expecting from the airline:

• The product is elegant, and looks on-brand for Singapore Airlines
• This is nothing over-the-top or that’s going to suddenly be ranked the best first class in the world, at least in terms of hard product, but it’s also not going to disappoint anyone; it’s obviously not to the level of what we’re anticipating from Cathay Pacific’s new first class
• This is a very functional use of space, and I love the concept of the center seats being able to turn into a double suite, because the concept of people traveling together is often forgotten in newer first class products, like Emirates’ new 777 first class
• Honestly, this is what Lufthansa Allegris and SWISS Senses first class should look like, in terms of functionality 😉

Singapore Airlines’ new business class seat

Below is a chart with the basics of Singapore Airlines’ new business class product.

Singapore Airlines’ new business class seat is designed by BMW Designworks, and manufactured by RECARO, and it’ll be available exclusively on Boeing 777-9s and Airbus A350-900s (both long haul and ultra long haul).

This business class product will be in a staggered 1-2-1 configuration, with seats that turn into beds that are 79″ long and 24″ wide, each with a privacy door.

Entertainment will be available on a 20-22″ 4K monitor. As you’d expect, tech will be cutting edge beyond that, with bluetooth audio, wireless, AC, and USB-C charging, etc. The airline also highlights how the seat has multiple storage options, which is appreciated.

Perhaps what’s most interesting is how in every other row, the center seats will be very close together, with the ability to form a double bed, which is a feature that customers always appreciate.

What’s my take on Singapore Airlines’ new business class? In some ways it’s what I expected, but there are some real surprises here:

• It’s hard to draw too much of a conclusion on the quality of the seat in terms of comfort, since this is a product from RECARO that’s not yet otherwise in service
• In terms of comfort, this seems to check all the boxes, and I like how a double bed can be formed in every other row
• This isn’t anything that’s revolutionary, but that’s not surprising, because ever since Qatar Airways Qsuites was introduced almost a decade ago, there just wasn’t much opportunity to up the ante
• My biggest takeaway is that the new design motif is just totally tripping me out; I guess Singapore Airlines is trying to modernize a bit, but I don’t at all like the colors of the new cabin, and it feels to me like what you’d expect on a low cost carrier, rather than an airline that has historically been known for such warmth

Maybe it’ll look different in person, but am I the only one who is genuinely confused by the color choices? Those yellow accents just feel very… Spirit Airlines or Scoot, no?

Timeline for debut of new Singapore Airlines cabins

When can we expect Singapore Airlines’ new premium products to debut? The expectation is that we’ll see a long haul Airbus A350-900 reconfigured first, and the first of those planes should now enter service in the second quarter of 2027. We don’t yet have any details beyond that.

The expectation is that the first retrofitted A350-900ULR (the ultra long range plane, operating the world’s longest flight) will debut at some point later in 2027, though that’s still up in the air. Meanwhile the 777-9s should start to join the fleet in late 2027 or early 2028 — only time will tell, given never-ending delays with Boeing.

Singapore Airlines should finish retrofitting its 41 A350s with the new cabins by either 2030 or 2031, though that timeline also remains subject to change. The delays with these new products reflects industry-wide supply chain constraints, as well as delays in the certification of the new seats (a common industry problem). The aircraft will be retrofitted by SIA Engineering Company in Singapore.

Which routes are likely to get the new cabins first? While we’ll see how this plays out, based on historical precedent, it’s likely that Sydney (SYD) and London (LHR) will be the first two destinations, since those are the first destinations where the airline has sent all of its new long haul products.

Bottom line

Singapore Airlines has just unveiled all-new cabins, which includes a new first class and business class. These cabins will be retrofitted on select Airbus A350-900s, and installed on all factory fresh Boeing 777-9s. These new products are long overdue, and I can’t wait to see them in service.

In first class, Singapore Airlines opted for a product that feels on brand, with warm colors, and a functional design that even allows for a double suite in the center seats. Meanwhile in business class, the airline chose a staggered product that looks solid, but I just can’t get over the cabin finishes… maybe it’s just me.

What do you make of Singapore Airlines’ new long haul cabins?

While these changes went “live” as of September 15, 2026, there’s now an additional update, as a third Flagship Dining facility has just opened, so you can now enjoy this experience in Dallas (DFW), Los Angeles (LAX), and Miami (MIA). Let’s cover all the details.

Modified American Flagship Dining concept launched

For years, American had Flagship First Dining, which are facilities inside select Flagship Lounges. The idea was that this offers an a la carte dining experience for those traveling in international or premium transcontinental first class.

American is currently in the process of eliminating “premium” first class — Boeing 777-300ERs are being reconfigured without first class, while Airbus A321XLRs (without first class) are replacing A321Ts. First class is no longer being sold on the wide bodies as of November 19, 2026, or on the narrow bodies as of March 28, 2027. So there has been a big question as to what American would do with these facilities in the future. Would they just close, or what? Well, it’s much better than that.

As of September 15, 2026, Flagship First Dining has simply become Flagship Dining, and the idea is that this is now open to all Flagship Business passengers traveling on qualifying long haul international, transcontinental, and Hawaii flights.

In other words, if you have access to a Flagship Lounge on account of your American business class ticket, you’re also eligible for Flagship Dining, on a space available basis. However, if you have Flagship Lounge access on account of elite status, or through traveling in a premium cabin on a partner airline, you wouldn’t have access to this facility.

American notes how guests interested in dining should check in with the host team inside the Flagship Lounge upon arrival. If a table is immediately available, guests will be seated at that time. If all tables are occupied, guests may be added to an electronic waitlist and will be notified when their table is ready. Tables will be offered on a first come, first served basis, and as I understand it, there’s no priority for first class passengers, Concierge Key members, etc.

So, where is Flagship Dining located?

• There’s Flagship Dining inside the Flagship Lounge Dallas (DFW), located near gate D23; it’s open daily from 12PM until 10PM, with the last seating at 9:30PM
• There’s Flagship Dining inside the Flagship Lounge Los Angeles (LAX), located near gate 40; it’s open daily from 12PM until 10PM, with the last seating at 9:30PM
• There’s Flagship Dining inside the Flagship Lounge Miami (MIA), located near gate D30; it’s open daily from 12PM until 10:30PM, with the last seating at 9:45PM
• In the interest of being thorough, there are no plans to introduce Flagship Dining in New York (JFK), as that airport continues to have the unique three-tiered lounge situation in partnership with British Airways, including the Greenwich Lounge, Soho Lounge, and Chelsea Lounge

I would expect that demand will greatly exceed supply, especially during peak hours. However, the same is true for the a la carte dining in United Polaris Lounges and (to a lesser extent) at some Delta One Lounges. This is really a great way for American to become more competitive with Delta and United. I’m really, really impressed, and this seems like a sincere effort to improve the premium experience.

American Flagship Dining offers four-course menus

Launching alongside the expanded dining facility access is an all-new four-course Flagship Dining menu. The airline promotes that “the seasonal offerings blend regional flavors, thoughtfully sourced ingredients and refined culinary techniques to create an elevated dining experience inspired by some of the world’s most celebrated restaurants.”

American is sharing some of the dishes that will be on offer, including a Texas pear and burrata salad…

…roasted purple cauliflower steak…

…mesquite-grilled beef filet…

…the Flagship Burger…

…a California artisan board…

…and churro bread pudding.

In addition to that, American is introducing a wine and chocolate pairing, featuring KHK Wines and K+M Extravirgin Chocolate. Chef Thomas Keller, who co-founded K+M Extravirgin Chocolate with Italian olive oil producer Armando Manni, curated the pairing.

Bottom line

American has launched Flagship Dining, essentially a rebranding and repurposing of the Flagship First Dining facilities. This is being done because American is eliminating “premium” first class in the coming months.

This means American is now offering proper a la carte dining in its business class lounges, increasingly matching the competition. What an awesome change from American! You can find these facilities in Dallas, Los Angeles, and Miami.

What do you make of the evolved Flagship Dining concept? If you visit a Flagship Dining facility, please report back with your experience (food quality, wait times, etc.)!

That’s a sensible change, but it always just feels like Lufthansa is a step behind when it comes to acting logically and catching onto trends, no?

Lufthansa 787s could get more business class seats

Lufthansa currently has a fleet of 20 Boeing 787-9s. Four of these were acquired secondhand (they were former Hainan Airlines jets), while 16 are brand new, and feature Allegris interiors. Not only that, but Lufthansa has at least another 22 of these planes on order, which will be delivered in the coming years.

In the long run, the Dreamliner is supposed to be the carrier’s primary long haul aircraft based in Frankfurt, complementing the Boeing 747-8s and Boeing 777-9s. Meanwhile Munich (MUC) is primarily getting Airbus A350s (including the A350-900 and A350-1000).

Lufthansa’s 787s are configured with 287 seats, including 28 business class seats, 28 premium economy seats, and 231 economy seats. Keep in mind that three of those seats aren’t even certified yet (but should be certified before the end of 2026), so actual business class capacity is currently just 25 seats.

Anyway, even with all seats certified, Lufthansa Group management has decided that the capacity doesn’t actually match demand on many routes, with CEO Carsten Spohr indicating that the airline is working on installing more business class and premium economy seats on upcoming Dreamliners.

Reportedly nothing has been finalized yet, as this is still in negotiations with suppliers, but the idea remains that the current configuration doesn’t offer enough premium seats.

Given the eventual size of Lufthansa’s Dreamliner fleet, it would also be reasonable to think the airline may have two configurations in the long run, to reflect the demand of different destinations. For example, one would assume that the potential customer demand profile would be different to New York (JFK) than to Columbus (CMH), both of which are going to be Dreamliner routes in the coming months.

Lufthansa seems to be one step behind the competition

I know ragging on Lufthansa is just too easy, from its challenging labor relations, to its botched Allegris rollout, and more. However, I can’t help but feel like the airline is a little behind on trends.

I mean, for how long have we been talking about the surge in premium travel demand? American is taking delivery of 787-9s with 51 business class seats, United is taking delivery of 787-9s with 64 business class seats, and British Airways is reconfiguring 787-9s with eight first class seats and 38 business class seats.

So Lufthansa just taking delivery of dozens of factory fresh 787s with just 28 business class seats seems a little off, especially since Lufthansa only recently started adding these planes to its fleet.

I get that demand differs between markets, and the 787 is actually supposed to be the less premium plane in the fleet, in the long run (with the Boeing 747s and 777Xs being the most premium Frankfurt-based planes), but still, 28 seats just doesn’t seem like a lot by any metric. Heck, the Airbus A330s that are slowly being retired have 42 business class seats, and that’s an overall smaller plane.

Of course the whole Lufthansa Allegris and SWISS Senses situation is just sort of messy, from the 3.5-seat first class cabin that makes no sense, to the need to install a weight on SWISS A330s to balance out the weight of first class, to the new Allegris seats delaying entry into service for planes by years, despite it not actually being that cutting edge at this point.

Bottom line

Lufthansa Group CEO Carsten Spohr has indicated that the airline is considering a new configuration for many upcoming Boeing 787s. Management has decided that 28 business class seats and 28 premium economy seats isn’t sufficient, which strikes me as a rather obvious, when you look at trends. Heck, these Dreamliners are partly replacing planes with 50% more business class seats.

I’m curious to see what Lufthansa eventually settles on for a premium Dreamliner configuration, because I agree, 28 business class seats isn’t a lot!

What do you make of Lufthansa reconsidering its 787 layout?

Lufthansa will require registration for online check-in

Lufthansa Group has the concept of a Travel ID, whereby customers have an account they can use to log-in across digital platforms belonging to all carriers, including Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian, Brussels Airlines, Edelweiss, Discover Airlines, etc. This is separate from the Miles & More program, as the idea is that it simply creates a unified log-in for digital services across the airlines.

So along those lines, Lufthansa Group is progressively rolling out an initiative whereby customers need to have a Travel ID account in order to check-in online via the website or app.

Lufthansa Group is rolling out this requirement gradually. The Travel ID is required to check-in online as follows:

• From October 20, 2026, departures from the Schengen Area except for departures from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland
• From November 2, 2026, departures from the European non-Schengen area, departures from Germany (excluding Frankfurt and Munich), Austria, and Switzerland (excluding Zurich)
• From November 16, 2026, departures from the USA, Canada, and Mexico, as well as from Munich and Zurich
• From November 30, 2026, departures from all other regions, as well as from Frankfurt

There are a limited number of exceptions for the Travel ID requirement. Specifically, you don’t need a Travel ID if you’re a traveler checking in at the airport counter or machine, if you’re traveling on a ticket issued by another airline, or if you’re on a flight operated by another airline with a ticket issued by Lufthansa Group.

I guess I understand the intent behind this, but…

Airlines love data and being able to market to customers. It’s one of the reasons that airlines create such strong incentives to sign-up for their loyalty programs (or in this case, a log-in that allows the airline to market to you). We’ve seen countless airlines roll out free Wi-Fi for those who are loyalty program members, and the logic is easy enough to follow.

However, in this case we’re talking about online check-in, which is something that arguably helps the airline more than it helps the customer. I can understand an airline wanting to add a step for something that entirely benefits the customer (like free Wi-Fi), but doing it for a basic function that saves the airline money? Well, that’s quite the approach to take.

In fairness to Lufthansa, I’m not sure this is actually a bad idea, or will backfire that much. Yes, it’s a minor annoyance, but:

• This will likely be a very compelling reason for people to register for a Lufthansa Group Travel ID
• I doubt many people will avoid online check-in or book away from Lufthansa Group because of this initiative

Now, it’s still rather customer unfriendly, in my opinion, but that’s not exactly the first time we’ve seen something like that in the airline industry…

Bottom line

Lufthansa Group will start requiring passengers to sign-up for a Travel ID in order to check-in online. This is progressively being rolled out through November 30, 2026. Making it more complicated to check-in online seems counterproductive.

At the same time, clearly this is intended to encourage travelers to register for a Travel ID, so that Lufthansa can better track customer data and market to travelers. Usually we see incentives created to encourage this kind of registration, but in the case of Lufthansa Group, the airline is instead threatening to take something away if you don’t register.

What do you make of Lufthansa Group’s new online check-in requirement?

That’s why I think it’s interesting to note that Emirates has just released its financial results for the first half of the fiscal year (April 1 through September 30, 2026). Yes, Emirates’ profits decreased massively, but surprisingly, the airline still turned a healthy profit, and the numbers look much better than I would’ve guessed.

Emirates reports $1 billion profit, down 66%

Prior to this year, Emirates was the world’s most profitable airline for two years in a row, as the carrier really is incredibly well run.

That’s why I think it’s interesting to note how the airline performed over the first six months of the current fiscal year, which coincides entirely with the current Iran conflict. While there are results for the overall Emirates Group (which also includes dnata, etc.), I’m focusing on the airline specifically, since I find that to be most telling.

Emirates reported a half-year profit of $1 billion, down 68% compared to the previous year. Interestingly, revenue was $15.5 billion, down “only” 13% compared to the same period the previous year. The airline didn’t actually cut back its total capacity that much — available seat kilometers (ASKM) decreased by 17% compared to the previous year, while the passenger load factor decreased to 72%, from 79.5% the previous year. Emirates carried 21.8 million passengers over the six months, down 22% from the same period last year.

As of September 30, 2026, Emirates is operating 91% of its pre-disruption network, with the passenger and cargo network spanning 150 airports in 78 countries. However, that reflects the number of destinations, rather than the total actual capacity (in other words, many destinations are being operated with reduced frequencies).

Emirates CEO Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum reflected on this as “a demanding six months,” and said that “once again our business model and our people stood up to the test.” He explained that the company is entering the second half of the fiscal year “with measured optimism,” “while keeping a close watch on costs and geopolitical developments.”

These are impressive financial results, all things considered

One would think that Gulf carriers are in the toughest spot of any airline, given that they’ve been so reliant on connecting people traveling between other regions, and at least among some people, their willingness to travel through the region has decreased, assuming it can be avoided.

Admittedly many people also just live in this region, so it’s not like there are endless options. But when you consider all factors, I’d say these are very encouraging results, much better than I would’ve expected.

I know there’s often a lot of skepticism when it comes to the reported financials of Gulf carriers. I do think at some Gulf carriers, there’s reason to be skeptical about the math, based on what is and isn’t reported.

In the case of Emirates, though, the airline is legitimately very profitable and well run. The airline has managed to efficiently scale its operation in a way that no other airline really has, and that’s where credit goes for the carrier’s success.

Of course we have to acknowledge that there’s a difference in underlying economics. Dubai (DXB) is much lower cost to operate out of than somewhere like London Heathrow (LHR) or New York Kennedy (JFK), and Emirates Group owns both the airline and the ground handling company. Furthermore, the cost of jet fuel is lower in Dubai than it is in somewhere like London, and I imagine the airline also has access to more attractive financing opportunities, given that it’s owned by the government.

However, that’s hardly anything that’s super hidden or secret. I mean, economics in US aviation are also sort of lopsided. Airline profits are largely reliant on everything except actually flying, which is a privilege and upside that most foreign carriers can’t fully unlock.

I think it’s also interesting to note how well Emirates’ yields have held up during this time. For example, just based on looking at fares through Google Flights, it seems like Etihad’s strategy has just been to publish incredibly low fares to fill seats, including in premium cabins. I haven’t found that to be the case with Emirates, though, as the airline has managed to maintain pricing power despite reduced demand.

Bottom line

Emirates has reported its financial results for the first half of the 2026-2027 fiscal year. As you’d expect, this was a generally tough time for a Gulf carrier, given the current war with Iran. While Emirates’ profits were cut by around two-thirds, the airline still turned a healthy profit of around $1 billion.

Honestly, the actual operating figures don’t at all reflect what you’d expect during a crisis, so it seems like the airline is weathering this story pretty well, all things considered. I do feel like Emirates is uniquely positioned among its competitive set, and I’d be shocked if the story is similar at Etihad or Qatar Airways.

What do you make of Emirates’ financial results?

In recent years, we’ve seen KLM introduce initiatives intended to improve economics. The airline is now taking that to the next level, and has just announced an absolutely massive project intended to improve economics by €1 billion per year.

KLM sets out to improve economics by €1 billion per year

KLM has unveiled the details of a project that it expects will contribute to annual earnings improvements of €1 billion per year, which it hopes will allow the company to invest in fleet, customer experience, and people.

KLM’s plan is to focus on its core strengths, which it describes as a global network of 160 destinations served nonstop from Schiphol, and reliable operations supported by a modern fleet. The company wants to become a smaller, simpler, and more agile organization, through restructuring, outsourcing, and closer collaboration with Air France-KLM.

Here’s how KLM CEO Marjan Rintel describes this initiative:

“Every day, we all work with incredible dedication, commitment, and pride. But KLM’s future is not guaranteed. The environment we operate in is becoming increasingly complex, with global instability, high fuel prices, and growing pressure on the aviation industry. That’s why, at this pivotal moment for KLM, we’re taking far-reaching, sometimes painful measures. Every department and every division will be asked to contribute.”

“We’re doing this with a clear vision for the future: one where KLM remains a great airline that connects customers to the world, a company people want to work for, and one the Netherlands can be proud of.”

KLM will cut jobs, simplify fleet, and more

How does KLM plan on improving economics by so much over the coming years? For one, the airline will simplify its fleet.

The long term plan is to have a fleet of 185 Airbus, Boeing, and Embraer aircraft. The latest changes particularly center around the European network, where just about all network carriers in Europe struggle to make money, given the costs and competitive landscape.

KLM plans to change the balance between larger and smaller aircraft on European routes. In the long run, the airline will fly a mix of 227-seat Airbus A321neos and 132-seat Embraer E195-E2s. The company no longer plans to acquire Airbus A320neos, which were part of a larger Air France-KLM order, as those planes are instead going to Transavia. Furthermore, in the coming years, we’ll see Boeing 737s and Embraer E190s retired.

Next, the airline hopes to achieve greater flexibility, higher productive, and lower costs, with its labor agreements. As you’d expect, this will be the most painful change. For one, KLM plans to reduce its workforce by around 15%, meaning that around 5,000 positions will be “reorganized.”

This follows the company’s number of staff already declining in recent years. The good news is that there aren’t expected to be mass layoffs — KLM expects to limit the impact on employees through natural attrition, voluntary arrangements, and transfers to other positions.

The airline also emphasizes that employment terms and conditions need to become simpler and more competitive, noting that “continuing on the current path is not sustainable.” KLM wants to work with unions to establish new collective labor agreements, and the company aims to achieve a structural productivity increase of at least 8% by 2028.

This decrease in headcount will come through a combination of Air France and KLM cooperating more closely, outsourcing catering and maintenance, and reducing planned growth of the fleet.

KLM is in a tough spot in European aviation

The airline industry is tough in the first place, and among the major network carriers, KLM is perhaps in the toughest spot, when you consider the overall industry dynamics:

• The Netherlands has a single major airport, so KLM is entirely reliant on those airport

Bottom line

KLM is planning to majorly cut costs and simplify things, which is probably necessary in light of how the situation has evolved.

As part of this, the carrier’s short haul fleet will eventually consist of just Airbus A321neos and Embraer E195-E2s. On top of that, we’ll see the airline reduce its workforce by around 15%, through a combination of increasing efficiency, outsourcing jobs, and more. The company will also be looking for some concessions from existing employees.

In total, the company hopes that these changes will contribute €1 billion per year. While aviation is tough across the board, it’s especially tough to be KLM, where you’re reliant on one hub (which regulators keep trying to shrink) with very high costs, and that hub isn’t a market that’s as lucrative as somewhere like London, Paris, etc. I’m a fan of KLM, and I hope these changes don’t do too much to change the quirky spirit of the airline.

What do you make of these major KLM changes?

American Airlines has updated the gate monitors for flights to West Palm Beach, and they no longer mention President Trump. This seems like a sensible change (unrelated to politics), and the timing sure is… interesting.

American changes “Pres DJT, W Palm Beach” monitors

Over the summer, we saw Palm Beach International Airport (PBI) renamed President Donald J. Trump International Airport. We knew that Trump wanted an airport named after him, and some conservative politicians in Florida came together to make it happen.

It’s interesting to see how airlines handled this. At the time, American updated its gate monitors for flights to West Palm Beach. The monitors initially read “West Palm Beach, FL.” American then updated the monitors to say “Pres DJT, W Palm Beach.” Now JonNYC reports that as of this week, the airport name listed on the monitors has been changed again, and is back to the original name, with no mention of Trump.

JonNYC specifically emphasizes that he’s not claiming there’s any connection between this and the election results, though the timing of it happening this week sure is interesting.

Politics aside, this seems like a sensible change

Personally I’m not a fan of airports being named after even semi-controversial figures, and particularly politicians. It’s something I’ve said over and over, regardless of the party affiliation of the person. Unless a city has multiple airports, I think it’s also stupid to identify the airport based on the name rather than the place.

Like, it makes sense to clarify London Heathrow (LHR) vs. London Gatwick (LGW), but it’s not like there are multiple airports in West Palm Beach. For that matter, saying you’re “flying to President Trump” just sounds a little weird, in my opinion.

JonNYC notes that he’s not suggesting that this had anything to do with the recent election, though everything about the timing here is interesting:

• American’s decision in the first place to label the airport as “Pres DJT” broke the carrier’s historical naming mechanism, because in the past the airline would only put the airport name for cities with multiple commercial airports, and would list the place and then the name (so if West Palm Beach had multiple airports — which it doesn’t — it would be “West Palm Beach – Pres DJT”)
• One can’t help but wonder if this was an attempt to suck up to Trump, given, you know, *gestures broadly*
• The reversal of this is now timed interestingly, because, well, Trump doesn’t have a whole lot of power anymore (except for his promise of using “tremendous” executive powers)

Bottom line

American Airlines seems to have quietly reversed course on how it refers to West Palm Beach’s airport on its gate monitors. In recent months, the airline has referred to the airport as “Pres DJT, W Palm Beach,” while now it seems to be back to “West Palm Beach, FL.”

This change comes the same week as the midterm elections, though everyone can decide for themselves to what extent these points are related…

What do you make of this American gate monitor change?

Ritz-Carlton Singapore joins Bonvoy as of December 2026

The 608-key Ritz-Carlton Millenia Singapore will be joining the Marriott Bonvoy program as of December 1, 2026. So as of that date, Bonvoy members will be able to earn and redeem points, and take advantage of Bonvoy elite perks, when staying at the hotel (admittedly Bonvoy elite perks at Ritz-Carlton properties are fairly limited, as breakfast isn’t a benefit for any elite tier).

As I covered in late 2025, this property is the only Ritz-Carlton in the world that doesn’t participate in the Bonvoy program. The backstory here is that the hotel opened back in 1996, and at the time, Ritz-Carlton didn’t have any sort of a loyalty program that awarded points.

In 2010, the Ritz-Carlton Rewards program started awarding points for hotel stays, as a parallel program to Marriott Rewards. The ability to earn and redeem points came at a cost to individual hotels, but it was intended to boost occupancy and average daily rates.

Initially, hotels had the option of whether they wanted to opt in or out of the program. Most hotels bought into the concept, though the Ritz-Carlton Osaka and Ritz-Carlton Singapore were the two hotels that opted out. The Ritz-Carlton Osaka eventually decided to participate, leaving the Ritz-Carlton Singapore as the only hotel that’s not participating.

Ultimately when the Marriott Bonvoy program formed as the combination of Marriott Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest, the hotel could still stick to its legacy contract of not having to participate in the program. Clearly the owners of the hotel have now had a change of heart… or something!

Why are the Ritz-Carlton Singapore owners backtracking?

Obviously we don’t have any sort of an official explanation for the reason that this Ritz-Carlton property is finally backtracking. I can’t imagine that Marriott gave the owners an ultimatum, given that Marriott is known for letting hotel owners get away with anything, as long as they get paid.

My guess is that the competitive realities just finally caught up with this hotel — Singapore is an increasingly competitive hotel market, this is a massive hotel with 600+ rooms to fill every night, and the hotel is also a bit past its prime.

The truth is that loyalty programs exist for a reason, as they’re a great tool for getting heads into beds. Obviously the hotel will be on the hook for some additional loyalty fees, but I imagine this will make the hotel more appealing to people who otherwise wouldn’t have considered it.

I also have to imagine that even though the hotel did a decent job communicating its lack of participation in Marriott Bonvoy, I still suspect many guests didn’t realize this, and ended up being disappointed.

Bottom line

As of December 1, 2026, the Ritz-Carlton Singapore will be joining the Marriott Bonvoy program. This is the only Ritz-Carlton hotel in the world that hasn’t participated in Bonvoy, so this is great to see.

The backstory is that the hotel opened before Ritz-Carlton had a loyalty program, and then when a program was finally formed, participation was optional. Literally every other Ritz-Carlton in the world saw value in this… except this one, apparently.

Fortunately they’ve now come to their senses, or something, so it’s great to see that this will be changing.

What do you make of the Ritz-Carlton Singapore joining Bonvoy?

In late 2023, Hyatt and Parks Hospitality Holdings announced a collaboration that will expand Hyatt’s footprint in Mexico, with the development of four new properties. If you ask me, the most interesting of these is the new Park Hyatt Riviera Maya, which will also be the brand’s first all-inclusive property.

There’s now an update, as the hotel’s opening date has just been moved forward by a couple of months, and it’s now expected to open in the coming weeks.

148-key all-inclusive Park Hyatt Cancun basics

The Park Hyatt Riviera Maya, located in Cancun, Mexico, is now accepting reservations for stays as of December 3, 2026. The hotel was initially supposed to open in 2025, then it started accepting reservations for stays as of February 2027, and now it’s accepting reservations for stays as of late 2026.

Hopefully the current opening date sticks, but if you book in the first several months the hotel is open, don’t be surprised if we see an additional delay, or at least don’t be surprised if not everything is ready.

The 148-key property will have a first-ever concept for the Park Hyatt brand, as it will be all-inclusive. Admittedly this is pretty normal for the Cancun area, but still, it’s noteworthy for a brand like Park Hyatt.

Hyatt has been leaning heavily into the all-inclusive space in recent times, particularly through acquisitions. So while Hyatt has grown massively in terms of its number of all-inclusive brands, it’s surprising to see even a traditionally non all-inclusive brand get this kind of an experience.

I’m generally not a fan of all-inclusives, or at least historically haven’t chosen to vacation at them. However, after my recent Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection cruise, there is something I really enjoyed about not being nickel-and-dimed for everything, given how expensive luxury hospitality has become in so many places.

When it comes to the dining outlets, they’ll include Beach Grill IK’AL (the beachfront restaurant with seafood and Yucatecan flavors), Bruma (the steakhouse), Nutre Kitchen (the all-day dining restaurant), Pool Bar Brisa (the pool bar serving drinks & light snacks), Patisserie Market & Cafe (the coffee shop), Living Room (the lobby bar).

Accommodations will range in size from 559 square feet (52 square meters) to 2,303 square feet (214 square meters), so they’re generously sized, as you’d expect. The decor looks nice enough, but not like anything special.

As you’d expect, the resort will have amenities including several pools, a full-service spa, a gym, and more.

Once open, this adds to a growing number of luxury points hotels in the Cancun area. Just recently we saw the opening of the St. Regis Kanai and Waldorf Astoria Cancun, so it’s nice to see Hyatt’s most luxurious brand also expand to the Cancun area. As a matter of fact, the Park Hyatt will be immediately next to the Waldorf Astoria (which also recently became all-inclusive, as it wasn’t initially).

The Park Hyatt brand is really growing in Mexico right now. We’ve seen the recent opening of the Park Hyatt Los Cabos at Cabo Del Sol, while the Park Hyatt Mexico City is expected to open in early 2027. Beyond that, we also saw the recent opening of the Alila Mayakoba, another good luxury option in the Cancun area.

Park Hyatt Riviera Maya all-inclusive rates & points requirements

With the Park Hyatt Riviera Maya now bookable, what are rates like? If paying cash, rooms seem to generally start at around $1,500 per night, but that does include taxes & fees. So it’s obviously very expensive, but given Mexico’s high taxes & fees, it’s actually not quite as crazy as some may have expected.

Then again, I’m not necessarily expecting this to be typical Park Hyatt quality, given the extent to which this is outside the typical Park Hyatt wheelhouse. Oddly, at least as of now, rates seem to be the same whether one or two people are staying, which is unusual for an all-inclusive.

If you are looking to book a cash stay here, I’d recommend doing so through the Hyatt Privé program, which offers extra perks like room upgrades, a hotel credit, and more.

When redeeming points, the hotel follows World of Hyatt’s Category F all-inclusive award chart, which is the most expensive award pricing for all-inclusive properties.

Under Hyatt’s current award chart, the cost is typically 45,000 to 85,000 points per night, and that’s the same whether the room has single or double occupancy.

Bottom line

The Park Hyatt Riviera Maya is now accepting reservations for stays as of December 2026. The hotel is expected to be an all-inclusive, making it the first Park Hyatt property in the world where that’s the case.

It’s awesome to see Hyatt’s luxury expansion in Mexico, as this will be the third Park Hyatt to open in a fairly short time period. However, the Park Hyatt brand is becoming increasingly inconsistent, and I find the all-inclusive pivot to be a bit strange, especially given how many all-inclusive brands Hyatt already has.

What do you make of plans for the Park Hyatt Riviera Maya?

Air Serbia flight returns to Belgrade over “security” concern

This incident happened on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, and involves Air Serbia flight JU134, scheduled to fly from Belgrade (BEG) to Moscow (SVO). The 1,074-mile flight was operated by an Airbus A320 with the registration code YU-APH. The flight was scheduled to depart at 6:25PM and land at 11:40PM, with a two hour time change, so it was blocked at 3hr15min.

The plane took off at 6:48PM, basically on schedule, and it started flying north, over Hungary, Slovakia, Poland, and then Lithuania. However, around 90 minutes after takeoff, while more than halfway, the plane u-turned, and flew back toward Belgrade.

The plane ended up landing in Belgrade at 9:57PM local time, a little over three hours after it first departed. The plane ended up once again taking off in the early morning hours of November 4, departing at 1:56AM, and landing at 6:43AM, over seven hours behind schedule.

Diversions happen, though it’s definitely unusual for a flight to turn around to the origin when it’s already more than halfway to its destination, especially when maintenance wasn’t to blame. Officially, the airline has shared that the decision to divert was made “in accordance with the instructions received and all applicable security rules.” That’s obviously really vague, though… so what really happened?

Was this Air Serbia diversion politically motivated, or…?

Here’s where the story gets really interesting. Onboard this Air Serbia flight were a few associates of former Serbian president Aleksandar Vucic, who just recently lost an election. One of the people onboard was Aleksandar Vulin, who served as deputy prime minister until 2025, and is viewed as being very pro-Russia. The US had even imposed sanctions on him due to his close ties with Russia.

Media reports in Serbia suggest that the reason for the diversion was that security camera footage at Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport had been reviewed, and it was determined that someone had helped him avoid security checks. Now, I understand the need to carry out security checks, though I’m also not sure the point of diverting when you’re already more than halfway to your destination.

Vulin denies that he was the reason that the plane diverted, claiming that it was instead a political showdown. After the diversion, he went on national TV in Serbia, to say the following:

“It’s all a lie, an act of violence and an attempt to prove to these new authorities how ready they are here at the airport, how much they are on the defensive of their ideology. So, of course it’s all a lie, of course it’s all utter nonsense. I’m really sorry and uncomfortable, so many people have returned, their lives are being ruined, their obligations are being ruined because of the attempt to politically deal with me.”

“I am completely calm, I know that I am in the right. And you know, I did not go to Moscow as a tourist, I went on business. I am going there to fight for the extension of the gas agreement. Not for me and you, but for all citizens of Serbia.”

He also said he was asleep at the time of the diversion, and had no clue what was going on until the plane landed back in Belgrade:

“We just woke up, to be honest, I fell asleep. I was sleeping on the plane, I wake up, they say: You are in Belgrade. How are you in Belgrade? When we went outside, I see the police, the special forces gathered. I say: ‘Colleagues, have you come for me?’ They laugh. They say: ‘We are not, Minister.’ I go down with all the other passengers. I go through the procedure with all the other passengers again. I go through another procedure by myself. And now, I am standing and waiting for them to let us get on the plane again.”

Bottom line

An Air Serbia flight from Belgrade to Moscow turned around while over halfway to its destination. The decision to divert was made in accordance with “applicable security rules,” and all passengers were screened when the plane landed back in Serbia.

While it’s believed that a pro-Russia Serbian politician who was onboard may have avoided security checks at the airport, the politician denies that, and claims this was a political move.

What do you make of this unusual Air Serbia diversion?

Ex- China Eastern chairman sentenced over bribery

A court in China’s Liaoning Province has sentenced former China Eastern chairman Liu Shaoyong to prison. The court ruled that he accepted over $10 million in bribes in his official capacity as chairman of one of China’s largest airlines.

The court found that between 2002 and 2023, Liu abused his position at the airline to provide assistance to companies and individuals in business operations, project contracts, and flight route management. Liu has been sentenced to 14 years in prison, and has been ordered to pay a fine of $600K, plus his illicit gains and related proceeds have to be recovered.

While the court ruled that his conduct constituted bribery “in an exceedingly large amount,” the sentence he got was actually lighter than it could’ve been, due to mitigating circumstances. These include his confession, voluntary disclosure of previously unknown offenses, and expression of remorse and cooperation in recovering illicit gains.

Liu had been expelled from the Communist Party of China

Make of this what you will, but it’s interesting to note that this is all part of China’s “anti-corruption campaign,” targeting officials at various levels, including executives of state-owned enterprises.

In June 2025, Liu had been placed under investigation by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) and the National Commission of Supervision, for violations of party discipline and state laws. In January 2026, he was expelled from the Communist Party of China (CPC), after investigators found that he had abused his authority for personal gain, and he was formally charged in May 2026.

Bottom line

China Eastern’s former chairman has been sentenced to 14 years in prison, after he admitted to taking over $10 million in bribes in his official role. This came as part of a larger crackdown by the government, which also saw the executive expelled from the Communist Party of China.

Over the years we’ve seen a decent number of airline executives charged with corruption — after all, they control a lot of spending, and in some cases, might get influenced for the wrong reasons.

What do you make of this punishment for China Eastern’s former chairman?

A couple of days ago I covered how seemingly overnight, the Flying Blue program drastically decreased status qualification through these methods, requiring 50% larger contributions to earn the same number of XPs (experience points, the method by which one earns status). There’s now an update, and I’m pleased to see the way this is being handled.

Flying Blue pauses changes to XP earning from SAF

Flying Blue has announced that it’s delaying the changes it’s making to the ability to earn XPs through SAF and mileage donations, and this will now be implemented as of December 1, 2026. Tiffany Funk, Head of Flying Blue, shared the following with me:

On Monday, we updated how many XP you earn on Sustainable Aviation Fuel and charitable contributions. We didn’t handle the rollout well, and the new rate went live with unclear messaging and without notice. While this affects a small share of our members, we recognize for those members it matters a great deal.

The update was part of a continuous review of our elite program. We want to ensure we can keep delivering the benefits and service you expect.

For now, we’re pressing pause. From tomorrow (4 November), SAF and charitable contributions will earn XP at the previous rate, and any contribution made since 2 November will be credited at the prior rate as well. The new rate of €15 per XP begins on 1 December 2026; even at the new rate, no program in the market will recognize SAF contributions more generously than Flying Blue, including on award tickets.

We want Flying Blue to be a program you build your life around. Many of you put a lot of care into planning your flights and status qualification, and we understand your need to have time to make adjustments.

And to everyone who told us why this matters to you: thank you for caring this much about Flying Blue.

This is the right way to handle this situation

I am happy to see how Flying Blue leadership is handling this situation. Let me share my take on this situation, broadly.

I don’t necessarily think Flying Blue had to make some big, public announcement about the change in advance. After all, this isn’t an official part of the program, and there has really never been any member communication about these opportunities.

I think what was frustrating is that the change was implemented before the website was even updated. So you had the higher pricing already showing, while the page about SAF and mileage donations still reflected the old cost, leaving many people wondering if the change was a glitch or intentional.

At a minimum, I think it’s appropriate to update the webpage before the changes go live, and ideally even give a little notice on the page dedicated to this, just so members aren’t caught off guard.

When it comes to the change as such, Flying Blue does indeed have the most generous opportunities to qualify for elite status through these types of contributions. Selfishly I love this option, but it’s not like members are “entitled” to a certain rate of qualification through this method, since there’s not actually any objectively “fair” way to reward elite qualification for contributions.

So for Flying Blue, it’s presumably about balancing environmental goals with elite ranks. I know with the 50% price hike, I’ll be much less likely to buy SAF, and that’s fine.

Bottom line

As of December 1, 2026, the Air France-KLM Flying Blue program will be decreasing the number of XPs that members earn for contributing toward sustainable aviation fuel and environmental causes. This was initially supposed to be implemented a couple of days ago, but members were caught off guard, so I appreciate that the implementation of this has been delayed.

Air Tahiti signs up for SpaceX’s Starlink Wi-Fi

Air Tahiti Nui has revealed that it plans to install Starlink Wi-Fi on its entire fleet, which consists of four Boeing 787-9s. The airline plans to offer this service for free to passengers in all travel classes.

Starlink will be introduced in 2027, though no timeline beyond that is known yet, so it could be early or late in the year. Presumably once installation starts, it’ll be completed very quickly — four planes could easily be fitted with Starlink in a single week.

Air Tahiti Nui operates some very long flights — including from Papeete (PPT) to Paris (CDG) via Los Angeles (LAX) so having fast and free connectivity is super valuable. While so many airlines market their Wi-Fi as being high speed, Starlink is the only product currently in service where you can consistently stream videos, etc.

Air Tahiti Nui’s Wi-Fi pricing is currently outrageous

Currently, Air Tahiti Nui’s Dreamliners are equipped with Panasonic Wi-Fi, which actually has relatively decent speeds. The catch is that Air Tahiti Nui chooses to have insanely high pricing based primarily on data usage, rather than just offering a full flight pass for a fixed amount.

Below is Air Tahiti Nui’s current pricing chart for Wi-Fi… could they make this any more complicated? $28 for 100 MB of data is absurd, and $98 for unlimited data is even more ridiculous.

This kind of pricing just strikes me as being so stupid. All you end up doing is frustrating passengers, and I also have to imagine this isn’t actually the system that maximizes usage. It’s weird to have a provider with speeds that are actually semi-usable (Panasonic is better than OnAir), and to then do this with it.

So anyway, Starlink will simply be a massive upgrade for Air Tahiti Nui in every way. Speaking of which, I’d sure love to return to French Polynesia at some point (and fly that all-business class Air Tahiti turboprop, while I’m at it).

Bottom line

In 2027, Air Tahiti Nui intends to install Starlink Wi-Fi on its fleet of four Dreamliners. It remains to be seen exactly when in 2027 it’ll happen, but this represents a huge upgrade to the passenger experience. The airline currently offers Panasonic Wi-Fi with awful data-based pricing (or an unlimited package that will run you close to $100).

What do you make of Air Tahiti Nui introducing Starlink?

JetBlue tries to boost revenue with higher checked bag fees

Effective immediately (for tickets purchased as of November 3, 2026), JetBlue has increased checked bag fees. JetBlue has a rather complicated fee structure for checked bags, with both off-peak and peak pricing, plus different pricing based on whether you pay for the bag 24 hours or more in advance.

Below is a chart with JetBlue’s new checked bag fees.

As you can see, an off-peak first checked bag on a domestic flight will now cost you $50-60 (depending on whether you pay in advance), while a peak first checked bag on a domestic flight will now cost you $55-70 (depending on whether you pay in advance). For context, below are the dates that are considered peak for the purposes of bag fees.

It goes without saying that paying $50-70 for a first checked bag is a pretty substantial cost, especially when you consider how little checked bags used to cost. On a one-way, you’re looking at $100-140. For a family of four, you’d be looking at $400-560.

Raising checked bag fees is easy money for airlines

When JetBlue raised checked bag fees earlier this year, the airline released a statement claiming it was increasing checked bag fees to be “more competitive,” and that “while we recognize that fee increases are never ideal, we take careful consideration to ensure these changes are implemented only when necessary.” I imagine this time around, the logic is much of the same.

The simple reality is that oil prices are way up. Airlines have actually done a solid job of being able to make fare increases stick. But that’s not enough to fully offset the increase in the cost of jet fuel.

JetBlue is in a rough financial spot, and it hasn’t turned a profit since before the pandemic. The airline is hoping to turn an operating profit in 2027, though that strikes me as being particularly optimistic. So the logic for raising checked bags is threefold:

• The airline expects competitors to match, so when every airline is charging more, it doesn’t become a reason to book away from JetBlue
• JetBlue hopes that raising checked bag fees will drive more people to apply for a co-branded JetBlue credit card, which obviously has a lot of financial upside for the carrier
• A lot of consumers might be put off by a higher fare, but might not notice very high checked bag fees, since it’s not necessarily the first thing someone checks

Bottom line

JetBlue has just increased checked bag fees once again, and you’ll now pay $50-70 for a first checked bag on a domestic flight. This is JetBlue’s second price increase on checked bags so far this year. When airlines are trying to increase revenue, checked bag fees are often low hanging fruit.

When competitors match, it also becomes something that’s unavoidable for consumers, other than getting a credit card… which also has upside for the airline! I’d be shocked if other airlines don’t match this move from JetBlue.

What do you make of JetBlue increasing checked bag fees?

The much delayed Andaz Turks & Caicos is getting closer to opening. The hotel has now moved forward the date as of which it’s accepting reservations, and we’ve also learned more details about the on-property amenities. Let’s cover all the details, as we’re potentially under five months from the opening…

Andaz Turks & Caicos at Grace Bay details

The Andaz Turks & Caicos at Grace Bay is accepting reservations for stays as of April 1, 2027. This will mark Hyatt’s first hotel in Turks & Caicos, and the first Andaz property in the Caribbean. For that matter, it’s one of the only Andaz properties that’s currently in the pipeline outside of Asia, as the brand has really lost steam.

The 5.5-acre resort will offer four restaurants and bars, three outdoor pools, a spa, a kids club, a fitness center, tennis and pickleball courts, and more. The Andaz will be comprised of 59 rooms and 73 branded residences, so at least the hotel portion of the property will be boutique. It’ll be located directly on Grace Bay, known for offering one of the most beautiful stretches of beach in the Caribbean.

As far as the culinary concepts go, the Andaz Turks & Caicos will feature the following:

• Tamarà will be the all-day dining restaurant, described as blending global bistro classics with Caribbean influence, and it’s also going to be an indoor-outdoor oceanfront concept
• Baie will be the poolside restaurant, bar, and lounge, set across two levels, with a casual vibe
• Palmette will be the coffee shop, serving coffee, non-alcoholic drinks, and snacks, throughout the day
• The lobby bar will feature cocktails and light bites, and will be open for most of the day

Runa Spa & Wellness, the spa at the Andaz, will be around 7,000 square feet. It will have five treatment rooms, along with a sauna, cold plunge, relaxation area, and more.

The opening of this resort has been majorly delayed. It was initially announced in 2018 with a 2021 opening, but the timeline slipped by six years, presumably due to a combination of the pandemic, plus… well, how hotel construction projects often work out. Hopefully there are no additional delays beyond the current planned spring 2027 opening.

Andaz Turks & Caicos rates & points requirements

With the Andaz Turks & Caicos at Grace Bay bookable, what are rates like? For those redeeming points, this is a Category 8 World of Hyatt property, meaning a free night redemption in a standard room costs 35,000-75,000 points per night.

World of Hyatt’s new award chart sure makes top end redemptions expensive, unfortunately! As of now the hotel is primarily bookable between April and November of 2027, so this doesn’t really cover peak season. For most dates, I currently see rates of either 35,000 points, 45,000 points, or 55,000 points per night. So value here is highly dependent on which of those rates you can find.

When it comes to cash rates, those currently start at around $900-1,300 per night, and that depends on when you’re staying. That’s inclusive of the service charge, but exclusive of the taxes.

If you are looking to book a cash stay here, I’d recommend doing so through the Hyatt Privé program, which offers extra perks like room upgrades, complimentary breakfast, and a hotel credit. Ford and his team are happy to help with these requests, and can be reached at ford@fordbtravel.com.

I suppose good options on Grace Bay are limited, and this hotel is boutique. But at these rates, they better offer something significantly better than the typical Andaz experience, in my opinion.

I’m looking forward to this new Turks & Caicos property!

Turks & Caicos is absolutely beautiful, and it’s an easy getaway from the United States, given how close it is to Florida. Historically, the country hasn’t had that many points hotels, though that’s slowly starting to change.

Several years back, we saw the opening of the Ritz-Carlton Turks & Caicos. It has an amazing location on Grace Bay and the grounds of the property are beautiful, but it otherwise doesn’t feel very luxurious, and lacks personality.

So it’ll be nice to have another points property, and I look forward to learning more about the Andaz. Maybe I’m overly optimistic, but I think the Andaz might just end up offering a better experience than the Ritz-Carlton, at least based on the design renderings, and also the more boutique scale of the property. Andaz really is quite an inconsistent brand.

I of course should acknowledge that many people are understandably frustrated by the way that Grace Bay has developed over the years, given all the huge concrete towers that have taken shape along the beach. It has definitely lost its charm a bit, though the beach is still gorgeous.

Even beyond Grace Bay, we’re seeing some other great new options in Turks & Caicos. In 2025, we saw the opening of Salterra Turks & Caicos, a Marriott Luxury Collection property. This is great for those who want a bit more secluded of a trip, since South Caicos Island is a bit less crowded than the area around Providenciales. This is also where Sailrock Resort is located, which is an independent hotel affiliated with Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH).

There’s also a Waldorf Astoria Turks & Caicos planned for a 2028 opening, located on Dellis Cay, a nearby island that’s not as developed, which can be reached by a 25-minute boat transfer from Providenciales. That should also be a great option, especially with how the Waldorf Astoria portfolio is developing. However, don’t count on that timeline sticking either.

Bottom line

The Andaz Turks & Caicos is accepting reservations for stays as of April 2027, and it will be located on the famous Grace Bay. The property will have just 59 hotel rooms, in addition to residences, so I like how it’s on a smaller scale than some other properties.

This should be a very nice addition to the Caribbean points hotel market. Hopefully we don’t see any additional delays with the opening…

What do you make of the upcoming Andaz Turks & Caicos?

Back in 2019, plans were announced for an exciting new Park Hyatt resort in Vietnam. The property has been massively behind schedule on its planned 2022 opening. Several months ago, the hotel started accepting reservations for stays as of March 2027. There’s now a positive update, as the timeline has been moved forward to December 2026, so it’s just weeks away.

Basics of the new Park Hyatt Phu Quoc, Vietnam

The Park Hyatt Phu Quoc is now accepting reservations for stays as of December 8, 2026. The delays on this property have been endless, so it’s nice to see the timeline moved forward for once. Here’s to hoping that there are no last minute delays.

For those not familiar with Phu Quoc, it’s Vietnam’s largest island, and half of the island is in a national park and UNESCO site. The Park Hyatt Phu Quoc is expected to feature a total of 168 keys, including 114 rooms and suites, and 54 private pool villas. This is Park Hyatt’s first resort in Vietnam, and second property in the country, after the Park Hyatt Saigon.

The resort is located on the southwestern tip of Phu Quoc Island, and is developed on 160 acres of land, bordered by a mile-long white sand beach on one side, and lush hills on the other side. The Park Hyatt is a 30-minute drive from Phu Quoc International Airport (PQC).

Details about the property are fairly limited, though here are some things we do know:

• In terms of accommodations, entry level rooms are 861 square feet (80 square meters), suites start at 1,776 square feet (165 square meters), and villas start at 3,013 square feet (280 square meters); while I suspect these sizes include outdoor space, they’re absolutely massive across the board
• The resort features a variety of dining outlets, including Fisherman’s (offering a Vietnamese seafood experience), Pepper Grill (an open fire cooking restaurant), Herbs & Spices (serving Vietnamese comfort cuisine), La Maisonette (serving Vietnamese food with a French influence), Pool House & Bar (serving Italian food), the Living Room (the lobby bar), and more
• The property has two swimming pools, a lakeside spa, a gym house with a lap pool, a kids club, event space, and more
• The Park Hyatt Phu Quoc also has The Manor, which is an eight bedroom oceanfront villa, designed for up to 24 guests; this retails for $25,000+ per night

Below are some renderings of the Park Hyatt Phu Quoc. Given that we’ve had the same renderings for years and the property has been delayed year after year, I can’t help but wonder if the actual property looks anything like the renderings.

Park Hyatt Phu Quoc cash & points rates

With the Park Hyatt Phu Quoc bookable, what are rates like? If you’re looking to redeem World of Hyatt points, this is a Category 7 property, meaning that a free night redemption will cost anywhere from 25,000 to 55,000 points per night, assuming a standard room is available. I value World of Hyatt points at around 1.4 cents each, so that puts the “cost” of a redemption at $350-770 per night.

When it comes to cash rates, they seem to start at just over $700 per night, and that’s before the 13.4% in taxes and service charges, so we’re talking about entry level rates of over $800 per night all-in.

If you are looking to book a cash stay here, I’d recommend doing so through the Hyatt Privé program, which offers extra perks like room upgrades, a hotel credit, and more. Ford and his team are happy to help with these requests, and can be reached at ford@fordbtravel.com.

Depending on the award pricing for the nights you’re looking at, redeeming points here could potentially be a very good value.

Is Phu Quoc, Vietnam, worth a visit?

While I’ve visited major cities in Vietnam several times before, I’ve never gone there for a beach vacation, so I’m intrigued by this property, especially given the value of World of Hyatt points, plus of World of Hyatt Globalist status.

Based on what I’ve heard, currently the top properties on the island are the JW Marriott Phu Quoc, the InterContinental Phu Quoc, and the Regent Phu Quoc. Many people have told me that these properties are among the best of their respective portfolios.

I’m curious, though, for those who have been to Phu Quoc, is it worth a trek from the United States? I’m sure it’s gorgeous and I’ll certainly take Vietnamese food over Caribbean food, but is it otherwise worth traveling that far out of the way?

It’s funny how my preferences in that regard have changed over the years. 15 years ago, I’d almost exclusively take beach vacations in Southeast Asia, given the generally higher standard of everything (service, hotels, etc.), plus the more reasonable prices.

However, as I’ve gotten older, my opinion has changed. For one, the jet lag becomes more challenging the older I get, and can take away from relaxation. Furthermore, flight award options just aren’t as exciting as they were over a decade ago. Like, easily being able to always snag Cathay Pacific first class awards was a great reason to vacation in Asia, as far as I’m concerned. 😉 But that’s no longer so easy.

But I also have another motive here. I’m intrigued by airline startup Sun PhuQuoc Airways, which is just taking delivery of some Airbus A330s. So if I can fly an ex-American A330 directly to here, I’d sure find that to be amusing! For that matter, I really love the Capella hotel brand, and I’ve heard the Capella Hanoi is among the best in the portfolio, so I’d really love to visit that, and pair it with a visit here.

Bottom line

A Park Hyatt property is expected to open in Phu Quoc, Vietnam, and it’s now accepting reservations for stays as of December 2026. This property has been under development for eons, and it’s over four years behind schedule on opening. With the opening being just weeks away, here’s to hoping that the timeline finally actually sticks.

Do you plan on checking out the Park Hyatt Phu Quoc?

Condor moving to Frankfurt Terminal 3, plans its own lounges

Earlier this year, we saw Frankfurt Airport (FRA) open its new Terminal 3, which is the airport’s first new terminal in decades. We’ve already seen all airlines that previously occupied Terminal 2 move to Terminal 3.

The long term plan is that Terminal 1 will be exclusively for Lufthansa and its Star Alliance partners, while Terminal 3 will be for all other airlines. Meanwhile Terminal 2 may eventually be rebuilt, as Lufthansa hopes to take it over as well, but that’s a very long term vision.

As of now, the only airline that hasn’t yet completed the move to Terminal 3 is Condor, which is Germany’s second largest airline. The carrier still operates out of Terminal 1, and uses Lufthansa lounges for its customers, despite Lufthansa’s disdain for the carrier.

The expectation is that Condor will make the move to Frankfurt Terminal 3 in the spring of 2027. As part of that, the airline also plans to open two lounges in the terminal, as reported by aeroTELEGRAPH. The expectation is that one will be a Schengen lounge, while the other will be a non-Schengen lounge.

The catch is that the lounges will only open later in 2027, due to the pace of construction. While the company’s CEO confirmed these plans in a meeting with employees, publicly the airline has only confirmed that “we are currently in discussions with our partners at Terminal 3 of Frankfurt Airport to explore the possibilities for Condor’s own lounge offering.”

No details are yet known about what kind of amenities the lounges will offer… I’m definitely curious to see what they come up with, as it’s always interesting when an airline opens a lounge for the first time!

Frankfurt Terminal 3 is getting a nice selection of lounges

Frankfurt Airport Terminal 3 is getting quite a nice selection of lounges. As things currently stand:

• There’s the SkyTeam Lounge, which is located in the non-Schengen area, so it’s intended for passengers flying on China Airlines, China Eastern, Delta, Korean Air, MEA, Saudia, and Vietnam Airlines
• There’s the Emirates Lounge, which is in the non-Schengen area, and open exclusively to Emirates passengers
• There’s the Priority Lounge, which is located in the non-Schengen area, and it’s the Priority Pass and contract lounge used by most other airlines
• There’s the Air France Lounge, which is located in the Schengen area, and it’s intended for passengers on Air France and KLM

On top of that, we know that Qatar Airways is opening two lounges in the non-Schengen area of the terminal, which will be for passengers traveling on oneworld airlines.

Bottom line

Condor is expected to move to Frankfurt Airport Terminal 3 in the spring of 2027, as it’s the last (and largest) airline to make the move to the terminal. We now officially know that Condor is planning on opening two lounges in the terminal, though they’ll likely only open in late 2027.

It’s exciting to see the airline open lounges for the first time, and only time will tell how this plays out…

What do you make of Condor opening lounges for the first time?

In light of everything going on — the introduction of Cathay Pacific’s new business class, the delays to the Boeing 777X, the products being introduced by competitors, etc. — I’d like to cover the latest when it comes to Cathay Pacific’s new first class.

New Cathay Pacific first class coming to 777-9 in 2027+

We’ve known for years that Cathay Pacific plans to introduce new first and business class products on its Boeing 777-9s. The airline has 35 of these aircraft on order, and they’re expected to become the carrier’s flagship aircraft.

Note that not all Cathay Pacific 777-9s are expected to get first class. The expectation is that somewhere around 20 of them will feature the cabin, while the remaining will feature business class, premium economy, and economy.

Initially the aircraft was supposed to enter service as of 2020, though due to delays stemming from a variety of reasons, the plane is now slated to be delivered in 2027 at the earliest.

Many airlines were planning on introducing new “flagship” products on their 777-9s, though the seven year delay has obviously not been ideal for that, and has caused many airlines to fall behind with their premium products. I would imagine that Cathay Pacific was planning on debuting its new business class on 777-9s, but now decided to install it on 777-300ERs.

While Cathay Pacific has moved forward with introducing its new business class, the airline only plans to introduce a new first class as of 2027, on Boeing 777-9s. Understandably, one major concern here is when 777-9s will actually enter service for Cathay Pacific.

At this point, the aircraft will enter commercial service in the second half of 2027 at the absolute earliest, and Cathay Pacific isn’t even the launch customer. So it could very well be 2028 before we see the first Cathay Pacific 777-9.

Cathay Pacific’s new first class will be called “Halo Suites”

In 2023, Cathay Pacific applied for a trademark for “The Aria Suites,” which is the carrier’s new business class. The airline also applied for a trademark for “The Halo Suites,” and this is specifically intended to cover “luxury and first class air transportation services.”

For what it’s worth, the two patents were filed just a few weeks apart. While we can’t say anything with certainty, I’d be willing to bet with that this will in fact be the name of Cathay Pacific’s new first class product.

Cathay Pacific’s possible new first class product

We know that Cathay Pacific has been working on developing its new first class product for many years (it was supposed to be ready in 2020, based on the initial Boeing 777-9 delivery timeline). We also know that Cathay Pacific is planning something truly spectacular. However, there hasn’t been any official indication as to what we can expect (though rumor has it that we could get a “tease” in the coming months).

Back in 2019, Cathay Pacific applied for a patent for a new first class product, and… wow! Let me emphasize that I can’t guarantee this will be Cathay Pacific’s new first class, though I think it’s very possible. I’d highly recommend reading the whole application, as it actually contains a couple of different concepts.

Below is the diagram that’s displayed, and if I’m understanding this correctly, the plan is that figures five through eight reflect what Cathay Pacific is hoping to offer.

A few things that stand out the most:

• Cathay Pacific is focused on having a single aisle in first class, noting that this would allow first class suites to be wider
• Cathay Pacific plans to have four first class seats on its Boeing 777-9s
• Cathay Pacific wants to create a double suite, whereby a pair of seats can be converted into a shared space
• Cathay Pacific even proposes having a ladder leading to a bunk bed, so that a module could be used for a family to travel together in a first class suite; this would just be an additional sleeping space, and not part of the standard offering for passenger
• As you can see in figure eight, the intent is that a double suite could feature a private bathroom on the right side of the aircraft, simply by moving partitions around

This appears to be based on Paperclip Design’s Peacock Suites concept. The below pictures should give you a sense of just how spectacular this product might be (though I’d expect Cathay Pacific to have a customized version of this, so don’t expect it to be exactly like this).

This product looks absolutely wild, and I’m in disbelief that we could see anything like this introduced. It almost looks more like The Etihad Residence than a standard first class product. Heck, it almost looks more like what you’d expect on a private jet.

A couple of years back, former Cathay Pacific Chairman Patrick Healy has called the new product “mindblowing,” and “a really, really special product and very impressive.”

This would likely blow away the best first class products in the world, like Air France’s 777 first class, Emirates’ 777 first class, and Japan Airlines’ A350 first class. In terms of other first class products on the horizon, we know that Singapore Airlines will be unveiling a new first class shortly, and Qatar Airways is working on a new first class, but it’s not a sure bet yet.

Cathay Pacific’s fleet transition is getting complicated

Due to ongoing delivery delays with the Boeing 777-9, the carrier’s plan to transition its fleet is proving to be anything but straightforward.

Cathay Pacific is currently retrofitting its 777-300ER fleet with the new Aria Suites business class. As the airline retrofits its 777-300ERs, it’s also removing first class from those planes (assuming they have them). We’re seeing a combination of three-cabin aircraft reconfigured (with business class, premium economy, and economy), along with some four-cabin aircraft (with first class).

At this point, Cathay Pacific has just six planes remaining with first class. In the past, the airline has acknowledged that it may hold off on reconfiguring some jets, so that it can maintain even a small fleet with first class seats, for markets where it’s really needed. However, with the extent of the delays, one wonders if Cathay Pacific really wants to put the fleet retrofit project on hold, just to preserve a few dozen first class seats.

Cathay Pacific’s first class is an excellent, spacious product. While this isn’t the world’s most private first class, it is one of my favorites. On top of that, the soft product is very good.

Bottom line

Cathay Pacific plans to introduce a new first class product, though only on the 777-9, and not on the 777-300ER. You can expect this product to be introduced as of late 2027 at the earliest, assuming the Boeing 777X actually gets certified (that’s a big “if”).

Based on some filings, it would appear that Cathay Pacific will name its new first class “The Halo Suites,” and some diagrams suggest that this will be an unbelievably good product. I can’t wait to learn more. Rumor has it that we could get our first official tease of this product in the coming months, though who knows, that may be delayed yet again.

What do you make of what we know about Cathay Pacific’s new first class?

US reportedly lifts sanctions on Belarusian carrier Belavia

Belarusian state owned national news agency BelTA is reporting that the United States Department of Commerce has granted Boeing a license to resume full cooperation with Belavia. This was announced by Valentin Rybakov, the Belarusian representative to the United Nations. If true, this means that Belavia can once again purchase planes and parts directly from Boeing.

This all seems to be related to a visit to Belarus by an American delegation in September, where the country’s president, Alexander Lukashenko, met with US Special Envoy John Cole. This meeting included a larger lifting of sanctions. It also comes at a time when we’re seeing the Trump administration increasingly lifting sanctions on Russia in relation to the invasion of Ukraine.

Sanctions being lifted makes life easier for Belavia

In 2021, the United States imposed sanctions on Belarus, after the country engaged in what was referred to as a state sponsored hijacking. A Ryanair Boeing 737 was flying between Greece and Lithuania, and as the plane approached Belarusian airspace, an air traffic controller claimed there was a bomb onboard, and that the plane needed to divert to Belarus.

As it turned out, an opponent of the Belarusian government was onboard, so the real motive with this was to have him arrested. Obviously this violates all sorts of international laws and aviation treaties, which is why action was taken against the country. Then in 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine, additional sanctions were imposed against Belarus, given its support for Russia.

Obviously having sanctions imposed on you by both the United States and European Union makes it challenging to buy new aircraft, given the aircraft manufacturing duopoly we have (unless you consider the aircraft manufacturers in China and Russia to be competitors).

So most of Belavia’s aircraft acquisitions in recent times have been smuggled into the country using shady middlemen. For example, in 2025, Belavia acquired Airbus A330s through an imaginary Gambian airline, as one does.

Bottom line

Belavia can reportedly once again buy aircraft and parts from Boeing, after the United States lifted sanctions that were imposed around five years ago, when the country hijacked a Ryanair plane. This easing of sanctions comes as part of a larger reversal by the Trump administration, as it takes less of a stance against Russia and Belarus.

It’ll be interesting to see what comes of this, and if Belarus places some big Boeing aircraft order in the near future…

What do you make of the US lifting sanctions on Belarus on the airline front?

Offsetting Air France-KLM flights now more expensive

Personally I consider Air France-KLM Flying Blue elite status to be valuable, not just for the SkyTeam Elite Plus perks, but also for the more Air France- KLM specific benefits, like access to more award availability.

Earning Flying Blue elite status is based on the concept of XPs (“experience points”), and how many of those you rack up. One really innovative thing that Flying Blue has done is that it has been possible to earn XPs through environmental contributions:

• You can earn one XP per 2,000 miles contributed toward a variety of environmental projects
• You can buy sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to offset the emissions from your flight, and up until now, it has been possible to earn one XP per €10 contributed toward this

As I see it, this is a win-win — this program can genuinely help you earn status, while doing something that’s good for the environment, and also contributing to Air France-KLM’s long term environmental goals.

Well, seemingly overnight, Flying Blue has increased the cost to purchase SAF, and in turn, earn XPs. With these changes, you earn one XP for every €15 contributed toward SAF, compared to the previous amount of €10.

A 50% overnight increase is rough. It gets even worse than that, though. There’s no longer any “rounding” with this, so for short haul economy flights you might find that you’re not offered any XPs if the contribution amount is €14, and you’re offered one XP if the amount is €28.

Flying Blue status is getting more useful, but only punitively

The past year or so has definitely been rough for the overall value of the Flying Blue program, including for elite members:

• Flying Blue Platinum members can no longer assign the front row business class suites at no extra cost, but instead, have to pay for them
• We saw a significant devaluation to Flying Blue miles, whereby the introduction of “Light” fares essentially means that customers have to pay more to get the same inclusions
• We’ve seen the cost of La Premiere first class awards increase massively, even though they’re limited to Platinum members and above
• Now we’re seeing the cost to earn XPs through SAF increased by 50% overnight

This is of course all frustrating, though I guess the other side of the equation is that Flying Blue Platinum status has become more valuable over time, but primarily through punitive measures:

• Flying Blue Platinum members get access to more long haul business class award space, which is useful, given how much worse saver level award availability has otherwise become
• Flying Blue Platinum members are largely spared from the latest devaluation, since they can still book “Light” award tickets, while having flexibility, getting lounge access, and more

How do we make sense of increasing the cost to contribute to SAF, and in turn, earn XPs? I wonder if Flying Blue management thinks that people will still buy SAF at the same rate as before? I know I certainly won’t, though maybe I’m in the minority (I’ll instead increasingly earn XPs through Flying Blue’s co-branded credit card in the US, since that opportunity was recently improved).

For that matter, I’m curious to what extent the number of people buying SAF matters to Air France-KLM? Does this materially contribute to any environmental initiatives, or is it not a priority?

I still get value from my Flying Blue Platinum status, and don’t have plans to change my strategy. Honestly, that partly comes down to how hard it has become to find award availability in business class on long haul flights through other programs.

But I’m definitely slowly becoming less enthused by the program. Then again, I guess that sums up the reality of miles & points more broadly — this isn’t what it once was, and it’s getting harder and harder to make the case for being loyal. It’s no different than World of Hyatt, where they’re clearly trying to cash in. I guess that is the goal of any for-profit business, eh?

Bottom line

Flying Blue has just devalued the rate at which you earn XPs for SAF contributions. You used to earn one XP for every €10 contributed, while you now earn one XP for every €15 contributed. A 50% increase in cost overnight is huge.

I always thought this was a unique aspect of the Flying Blue program, since it’s a win-win for consumers, the airline group, and the environment. Obviously they’ve decided on a different equation now, and for us members, this isn’t good news.

What do you make of this change to Flying Blue when it comes to earning XPs for SAF?

In 2027, we’re going to see the launch of a new ultra-luxury cruise line, as hotel group Aman is getting into the cruising industry, with the Aman at Sea concept, and its Amangati “superyacht,” as it’s called.

I’d like to provide an update about this concept, as sailings are now bookable well into 2028, so we have a sense of both the summer sailings in Europe and winter sailings in the Caribbean. If you think the recent entrants into the market are expensive, wait until you learn the details of this one.

It’s interesting to see the increasing trend of luxury hotel groups launching cruise lines, or perhaps more accurately, licensing out their names to partner on new cruising concepts. For example, in 2022 we saw the launch of Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, and in 2026, we’ve seen the launch of Four Seasons Yachts and Orient Express Sailing Yachts.

Aman gets into ultra-luxury cruising industry

Amangati (“peaceful motion” in Sanskrit) is expected to set sail in the spring of 2027, as Aman’s first superyacht. Yes, this marks the Aman brand getting into the luxury cruising industry, on a ship that’s being described as a “floating sanctuary.”

The 600-foot ship will be around 23,000 gross tons, and will have a hybrid propulsion system, using battery power to reduce emissions and improve efficiency. It’s currently being built in Italy’s T. Mariotti shipyard, and it will be delivered to Neptune Co., which is a joint venture between hotel group Aman and Cruise Saudi.

The ship is expected to feature a total of 47 suites, each with a balcony and floor-to-ceiling windows. The suites will be among the largest at sea.

When it comes to amenities, the ship will have four restaurants, a jazz club, a 52-foot pool, a beach club and marina, a spa with a Japanese garden, two helipads, and much more. Sinot Yacht Architecture & Design is behind the design, and the intent is to take cues from traditional ryokan architecture.

For those not familiar, Cruise Saudi is owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, and is intended to promote the cruise and tourism industry in Saudi Arabia. However, it doesn’t appear that the plan is actually for the ship to cruise in Saudi Arabia, at least for the foreseeable future. So it seems to primarily be part of the country’s larger investment in the cruising industry.

Here’s how Aman CEO Vlad Doronin describes the idea behind the ship:

“The vessel will embody the very essence of our brand’s DNA, providing exceptional privacy, best-in-class amenities, now synonymous with Aman, and our signature unparalleled service not yet experienced on the water. As construction progresses behind the scenes, our vision remains clear: to create a vessel that not only represents the highest standards of maritime engineering and design but that mirrors the tranquility of our land-based sanctuaries.”

Aman at Sea itineraries & destinations

Aman has published the inaugural voyages for Amangati, for sailings between May 7, 2027, and March 31, 2028. Unsurprisingly, the ship will spend summers in Europe and winters in the Caribbean, with transatlantic sailings in November and March.

In both summer in Europe and winter in the Caribbean, sailings will be five to eight nights each, and they’re roughly what you’d expect in terms of itineraries. You can either book directly through Aman at Sea, or through a travel advisor.

An eligible travel advisor will be able to add a minimum of a $500 shipboard credit, while paying the standard rate. You can generally expect pricing parity between all booking sources, so you won’t find discounted sailing prices anywhere. Ford and his team are happy to help with these requests, and can be reached at ford@fordbtravel.com.

Aman at Sea voyage inclusions

Before we talk about the pricing for Aman at Sea, what’s included with journeys? It’s an interesting topic, because historically ultra luxury cruises have been all-inclusive. However, Four Seasons Yachts is countering that trend, by not including lunch, dinner, or alcoholic drinks.

With that in mind, Aman at Sea will include the following with the cost of sailings:

• Luxury suite accommodation
• In-suite breakfast
• On-demand Suite Host
• Unpacking and packing assistance
• Daily laundry and pressing
• Twice daily housekeeping
• All-day dining at Alira
• Light bites available throughout yacht
• Gelato Bar
• Soft drinks, coffees, and beer
• Fitness Studio access
• Marina platform and water sports
• Pools, sun loungers and cabanas
• Onboard entertainment and enrichment programming
• Cinema
• Youth Lounge
• Starlink Wi-Fi for reliable connectivity
• All onboard gratuities

As you can see, Aman is sort of taking a middle ground approach here. Alcohol aside from beer isn’t included, and neither is dining at the specialty restaurants.

Aman at Sea per-suite pricing

How much are Aman at Sea rates? Pricing is per suite rather than per guest. As it currently stands, I see five-night journeys starting at $32,500, while I see seven-night journeys priced as high as $54,600. So we’re looking at somewhere around $6,000-8,000 per night for an entry level suite. You’ll generally find that Caribbean sailings are a little cheaper than European sailings.

Admittedly these suites are massive by ship standards, but that’s definitely on the very high end of the market, and easily 50%+ more than Four Seasons Yachts is charging (though with some more inclusions).

How does the Aman cruise concept compare to the competition?

Prior to 2026, I hadn’t taken a cruise since I was a kid. However, this year I’ve given all three of the luxury cruise lines associated with hotels a try, and I’ve shared my thoughts on Four Seasons Yachts, Orient Express Sailing Yachts, and Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection. I’ve even done a direct comparison of the three concepts, based on my firsthand experience.

Let me of course acknowledge that these cruise lines are all at the very top end of the market, so I’m not claiming or suggesting that they’re the best value options out there. Instead, I’ve taken such an interest in them because I find the crossover between hotels and cruise lines to be so interesting, and also find it noteworthy how these are all cruise lines targeted at people who historically haven’t considered cruising.

With that in mind, here’s how I’d broadly sum up the experiences offered by the three existing players:

• Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection is the all-around best value of the three, given all that it includes, and it also has some interesting itineraries beyond just Europe and the Caribbean; admittedly this isn’t as exclusive as the other cruise lines, as the ships are the largest, the standard suites are the smallest, etc.
• Four Seasons Yachts definitely takes design to the next level, and the ship is gorgeous, with large suites, an incredible pool, and a very family friendly experience; however, compared to its two competitors, the lack of inclusions is a bit disappointing, especially given that there’s room for improvement with food quality
• Orient-Express Sailing Yachts is really the current top end of the market, with unbelievable design, amazing service, and the most inclusions of any of the existing player; if you can swing it, this is definitely the concept to go with

In general, I’d expect Aman at Sea will probably be closest to Orient-Express Sailing Yachts in terms of exclusivity, while probably being more like Four Seasons Yachts in terms of design (since it’s not a sailboat). I will say, given the price point, I do find the lack of inclusions to be a bit frustrating. Then again, the standard suites will be absolutely massive.

Is the demand there for this amount of luxury cruising?

The concept of luxury cruising is nothing new. However, there’s no denying that the industry is evolving a bit:

• We’re seeing luxury pushed to new levels in terms of the exclusivity of ships, the pricing, etc.
• We’re seeing cruising positioned differently; these luxury cruise lines are no longer just for rich retirees, but these cruise lines are also now targeting a younger crowd that might not typically consider cruising

Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection is the only one of the concepts that has now been in service for some time, and based on what we know, the financial performance has left a bit to be desired. And that was before the cruise line expanded to three ships, and it’s before three competitors entered the industry.

Ultimately the success of these ventures comes down to whether they can convince people that cruising is “cool.” I don’t think these cruise lines will be cannibalizing brands like Silversea, but instead, I think they’re going after those who would otherwise vacation on land.

The other thing worth keeping in mind is that at some point, these cruise lines are competing with the concept of just chartering a yacht, which is a concept that will have more appeal for many people.

Obviously $6K+ per night is a massive amount to spend on a cruise. But the reality is that people easily pay that kind of money for peak season rooms in place like Saint-Tropez. Can these hotel-branded cruise lines convince people who want to “see and be seen” that it’s as cool to be on a ship as it is to be in the South of France? It seems like a tall order, but I guess time will tell.

Ironically, I think the volume of new entrants into the market is actually quite helpful in building demand, since cruises are finally being talked about more among non-cruisers. While they’re all competing for the same types of guests, I know a fair number of people have tried one of these cruise lines, then rebooked on another cruise line, etc.

Bottom line

Aman will be getting into the luxury cruising space in the spring of 2027, with the launch of its 600-foot Amangati superyacht. The ship looks incredible, and it seems like we’re seeing the luxury hotel groups all one-up each other.

The pricing is at the very top end of the market, which doesn’t come as much of a surprise. Will there be enough people willing to pay $6K+ per night for Aman’s cruising concept to keep these ships full, especially without most alcohol included? Only time will tell.

What do you make of Aman getting into the luxury cruise industry?

You can expect reviews of Air Algerie and Royal Air Maroc business class, as well as a review of Orient Express Sailing Yachts, which is Orient Express’ new cruising venture. In this post I’d like to share a basic outline of the trip, and then I’ll have individual review installments in the near future.

The reason for this trip was to take a cruise

The primary reason for this trip was simple, and it was to take a cruise with Orient Express Sailing Yachts. It’s a fascinating time for the luxury cruising industry, and in particular, the increasing number of new lines associated with existing luxury hospitality brands.

Prior to this year, I hadn’t taken a cruise with any cruise line since I was a child, so I’ve been curious to check this all out. At the beginning of the year, I reviewed Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, which was surprisingly lovely, and a very nice reintroduction to cruising.

Then over the summer, I reviewed Four Seasons Yachts, which was definitely upmarket, but had some growing pains.

The newest entrant into this market is Orient Express Sailing Yachts, and arguably it takes luxury cruising to a new level, so you can expect a full review of the experience. Full disclosure — Ford was invited on the sailing (so traveled as a guest of Orient Express) and I tagged along. I’ll still review the experience objectively, of course, but I’ll say upfront that Orient Express simply nailed it, and this matched the feedback Ford has received from clients who have sailed with the company.

Anyway, we sailed with Orient Express Sailing Yachts on a four night journey that started in Marseille, France, and ended in Malaga, Spain, so we needed to position to and from there.

The airlines I flew on this trip

I’m of course always looking for an interesting airline angle when I travel long haul, since my goal is always to try as many new airline products as possible. So rather than flying to Marseille and from Malaga on the “typical” airlines (Air France, British Airways, Lufthansa, etc.), I tried to see if I could instead check some airlines off my list that I’ve been wanting to try. I accomplished that, and below is what my routing looked like.

While I sent Ford direct, I booked a four segment routing for myself, spread across three different tickets.

I had heard a lot about Air Algerie over the years (and not in a good way!), so I decided I finally had to give the carrier a try. Air Algerie typically has very high business class fares, despite the carrier’s lackluster product.

However, I found one decent fare on the carrier’s only route from North America, from Montreal (YUL) to Algiers (ALG) to Tunis (TUN). Okay, that doesn’t start where I’d like to start, and it doesn’t end where I’d like to end, but that has never stopped me if the price is right. 😉

This included a flight in Air Algerie’s Airbus A330-900neo business class across the Atlantic, and then a connecting flight in Avion Express’ Airbus A320neo business class for the short hop in Africa (this was a wet leased flight operated on behalf of Air Algerie). So I booked the following in business class for $1,171 in cash:

10/03 AH2701 Montreal to Algiers departing 4:10PM arriving 5:00AM (+1 day)
10/04 AH4000 Algiers to Tunis departing 7:10AM arriving 8:30AM

From there, I of course had to get from Tunis to Marseille (MRS), so I had booked Tunisair’s A320 business class for $270, with the following schedule:

10/04 TU902 Tunis to Marseille departing 1:05PM arriving 3:40PM

Unfortunately I ended up being downgraded shortly before departure due to an aircraft swap. That’s because the flight was swapped to a wet leased Fly2Sky Airbus A320, and I guess they don’t offer business class on those planes. I’m still waiting on any sort of a refund.

Suffice it to say that the outbound wasn’t that smooth, between Air Algerie just royally sucking, and Tunisair downgrading me. I’m happy I had the experience, though!

I should also mention that I had to position to Montreal, so I did that in Air Canada Rouge economy, and flew the following for 11,500 avianca lifemiles plus $54 in taxes & fees:

10/04 AC1651 Miami to Montreal departing 7:55AM arriving 11:28AM

The return portion of our trip was a little more straightforward. Our priority was to get home the same day as our cruise arrived, since we wanted to minimize time away from our kids, and had a family event the next day. So we booked the one routing that would best get us home the same day, which was on Royal Air Maroc, from Malaga (AGP) to Casablanca (CMN) to Miami (MIA), with the first flight in Royal Air Maroc’s Boeing 737-800 business class, and the second flight in Royal Air Maroc’s Boeing 787-8 business class.

I booked one ticket using 57,500 American AAdvantage miles plus $85.72 in taxes & fees, while the other ticket was booked with cash, at the cost of $1,620, with the following itinerary:

10/09 AT989 Malaga to Casablanca departing 2:15PM arriving 1:30PM
10/09 AT204 Casablanca to Miami departing 3:00PM arriving 7:45PM

Obviously paying cash for a ticket wasn’t ideal, but that still ended up being less out of pocket than flying British Airways business class through London on awards, factoring in the carrier surcharges.

The hotel we stayed at on this trip

On this trip, we just had a single hotel night ahead of our cruise in Marseille (in order to build in a buffer), and we decided to stay at the Hôtel Dieu Intercontinental Marseille. I booked this using an IHG free night award, and it cost 60,000 points before applying the award, so I just had to redeem the difference in points.

I had intended to review the hotel, but I have to apologize, it just didn’t end up working out (since I pride myself in thoroughly reviewing hotels). To be honest, I was dead tired from the journey over, and then we had some drama to deal with back at home most of the afternoon. Then the next morning I prioritized sleeping in, as I was just getting over a cold, rather than getting up at 5AM so I could photograph all parts of the hotel.

So I’m sorry about that. My conclusion is that the hotel has a central location, and from the outside you’d think it’s super charming, but the interior feels mismatched and rather uninspiring and generic.

Bottom line

We had an absolutely amazing time cruising with Orient Express Sailing Yachts, and I was blown away by the experience. What I was less impressed by was my flights to and from Europe, which I routed via Africa in both directions. Air Algerie was downright terrible, while Royal Air Maroc was just unnecessarily bad.

Stay tuned, and thanks for reading!

There are lots of reasons to get this card, from a huge welcome bonus, to a great return on spending, to valuable perks just for being a cardmember, like free points sharing and waived partner award booking fees. It’s a card I’ve already applied for.

In this post, I’d like to talk about what might just be the most interesting aspect to spending on the Atmos Rewards Summit Card, which borders on seeming too good to be true. Specifically, I’m talking about how the card earns 3x points on all foreign purchases, with no caps, which is a pretty unheard of bonus category.

Link: Learn more about the Atmos™ Rewards Summit Visa Infinite^® Credit Card

The best one-size-fits-all card for foreign purchases

The Atmos Rewards Summit Card offers 3x points on eligible foreign transactions, with no caps. This applies to both the primary cardmember and to any authorized users (authorized users can be added to the card at no extra cost). Specifically, eligible foreign purchases include:

• Purchases made in a foreign currency
• Purchases made in US dollars if the transaction is made or processed outside the United States

In the interest of being thorough, let me copy and paste the portion of the terms addressing this:

3 Points for eligible Foreign Transactions: Earn 3 points for every $1 spent on eligible foreign transaction Net Purchases (1) made in a foreign currency, or (2) made in U.S. dollars if the transaction is made or processed outside of the United States and US Territories. Bank of America is not responsible for how foreign transactions are billed to the card.

Let me emphasize that the card has no foreign transaction fees, so not only are you not paying those fees, but you’re being rewarded very handsomely. The exchange rates used by the card are also totally fair, and competitive.

Personally, I value Atmos Rewards points at 1.5 cents each, so I’d consider that to be a 4.5% return on all foreign purchases, which is unrivaled. If you have an eligible Bank of America account, you can even get a 10% relationship bonus, meaning you could net 3.3x points per dollar spent.

While there are some cards that might be slightly more rewarding for specific categories of foreign spending — like dining, airfare, or hotels — there’s not another card that’s broadly this rewarding for all foreign spending.

Keep in mind that this is only the start of the rewards you get for spending on the card:

• You earn one status point for every $2 spent on the Atmos Rewards Summit Card, so if you’re trying to earn elite status, that will help you greatly
• If you have the Atmos Rewards Summit Card, you can earn a 100,000-point Global Companion Award if you spend $60,000 on the card in an anniversary year; if you can get full value from that certificate, that’s the equivalent of an incremental 1.67 points per dollar spent

Admittedly this is a very specific situation, but if you were to spend $60,000 abroad, you’d earn 180,000 Atmos Rewards points, 30,000 Atmos Rewards status points (not including the 10,000 status points boost the card offers annually), and a 100,000-point Global Companion Award.

If you want to take it a step further, those 40,000 Atmos Rewards status points are enough to earn Atmos Rewards Gold status, which gets you oneworld Sapphire, offering perks like priority services and lounge access. That’s a pretty incredible setup, eh?

Is 3x points on foreign spending too good to be true?

As you’d expect, there are a lot of questions about the Atmos Rewards Summit Card 3x points on foreign spending:

“I’ve looked but I couldn’t find what the terms are for the 3x points on foreign purchases. Is there an annual limit? Does it need to be combined with domestic spend?”

“Let me get this straight – any transaction outside the US will be in the 3x category? Is this capped? As someone living in Europe, that could make this card extremely valuable for me…”

Officially, there are no limits on how much you can spend abroad. Of course to get this card, you need to be eligible for credit cards in the United States, which requires having an address in the country, among other things.

As I look at the terms, there’s nothing there stating any limits as to how much you can spend abroad, both in absolute and relative (to domestic spending) terms. In practice, there are plenty of Americans living abroad who use US credit cards (given how much more lucrative they are than most foreign cards) without any issues.

So I don’t think there’s a catch here, but I will say this (and I’m not trying to fear monger, but am just trying to address the only potential concern) — banks can shut down your credit cards at will, and decide they no longer want to do business with you.

In the past, I’ve read reports where credit card issuers have shut down accounts because too big of a percentage of spending was consistently abroad. That’s far from consistent, though, and I’ve also heard of people using their card living abroad for a decade without an issue.

My point is to say that based on how things currently stand, I think this benefit is as good as it sounds, and I wouldn’t expect any major changes (though who knows, maybe at some point down the road we’ll see a cap on how much foreign spending can earn bonus points).

Many people may wonder if this is sustainable in the long run, so let me point out a few things:

• Outside the United States, interchange fees are often capped much lower than in the United States, meaning card issuers are typically getting less in interchange fees, making the math on this even more challenging
• Nonetheless, plenty of competing cards offer bonus points on things like travel, dining, hotels, airfare, etc., which for many people, make up a large percentage of their spending while abroad
• I figure the logic here is that they assume that since a majority of spending on many other cards qualifies for bonus points while abroad, they might as well make a very special, all encompassing bonus category for foreign purchases, so that it’s less important to bonus things like gas and groceries
• Ultimately the profitability of a credit card isn’t as straightforward as whether money is made directly on interchange fees in comparison to rewards, but it also factors in the annual fee, financing of charges, etc.

My point is simply to say that this doesn’t strike me anywhere near the top of the list of unsustainable credit card benefits, though we’ll see how this plays out.

Atmos Rewards Summit Card foreign purchase FAQs

Bottom line

The Atmos Rewards Summit Card offers 3x points on foreign spending, with no foreign transaction fees and no caps. This is an unheard of bonus category, and makes this by far the best card for foreign spending.

What makes this even better is that beyond the 3x points, you also earn one status point for every $2 spent, and if you spend $60,000 in an anniversary year, you can receive a 100,000-point Global Companion Award. This return on spending is every bit as great as it sounds, and this is the card to have in your wallet if you travel abroad a lot.

What do you make of the Atmos Rewards Summit Card 3x points on foreign purchases?

This is my in-depth Amex Platinum Card review, so let me talk about the card’s value proposition, and the perks that make the Amex Platinum worthwhile. This is a card you should get for the rich benefits that it offers, including the lounge access, credits, and elite status, and not necessarily a card you should spend a lot of money on under normal circumstances, since there are more rewarding cards for that.

Link: Learn more about the American Express Platinum Card®

Amex Platinum Card summary & key details for November 2026

Before I get into my full Amex Platinum Card review, I want to go over the card’s key details at a glance. The card has such a long list of statement credits that it’s impossible to cover those briefly, so keep reading below to see those, as they could be worth up to thousands of dollars annually. To keep the list to non-statement credit details, here’s what you can expect:

• Amex Platinum Card annual fee: $895 (Rates & Fees)
• Amex Platinum Card welcome offer: You may be eligible for as high as 175,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $12,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.
• Amex Platinum Card rewards earning rates: Get more for your travels with 5X Membership Rewards® points on all flights and prepaid hotel bookings through American Express Travel®, including Fine Hotels + Resorts® and The Hotel Collection bookings. You earn 5X points on flights purchased directly from airlines or through American Express Travel® on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year. Earn 1x points on everything else.
• Amex Platinum Card airport lounge access: Enjoy the benefits of the Global Lounge Collection®, over $850 of annual value, with access to Centurion Lounges, 10 Delta Sky Club® visits when flying on an eligible Delta flight, Priority Pass™ membership (enrollment required), and other select partner lounges.
• Amex Platinum Card elite status benefits: Complimentary Hilton Honors™ Gold and Marriott Bonvoy® Gold status, Leading Hotels of the World Sterling status, Hertz Gold Plus Rewards President’s Circle status, National Emerald Club Executive status, Avis Preferred Plus status (Enrollment is required for select benefits)
• Amex Platinum Card foreign transaction fee: None (Rates & Fees)
• Best for: Frequent travelers looking for as many perks as possible both on the road and at home

I also put together my pros and cons of the Amex Platinum Card:

Amex Platinum Card bonus, eligibility, & fees

The Amex Platinum Card potentially has a huge welcome offer, though the card also has a high annual fee. So let’s cover all those details first, including card eligibility, since these are major factors cardmembers consider when applying for a card.

Amex Platinum welcome offer as high as 175K points

The Amex Platinum Card currently has the following lucrative welcome bonus offer: You may be eligible for as high as 175,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $12,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.

Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer, so you’ll want to start the application, and then you’ll see what kind of an offer is available to you.

Based on my latest miles & points valuations, Membership Rewards points are worth 1.7 cents each, so depending on the offer you’re eligible for, this could be worth almost $3,000 in value. That’s pretty stellar, especially for a card that offers so much ongoing value after your first year.

Amex Platinum application restrictions & rules

The welcome bonus on the Amex Platinum Card isn’t available to those who currently have the card, or those who have had the card in the past (so the card has a “once in a lifetime” rule). If you’ve had the card in the past you’re still eligible to be approved, you just won’t get the bonus.

Note that this is a hybrid card and not a credit card, meaning that having this card won’t count toward Amex’s limit of five credit cards per person. Make sure you consider all of Amex’s standard application restrictions before applying.

Eligibility for this card is otherwise unrelated to having any other type of card that’s not an Amex Platinum, so lots of people should be eligible for the offer.

Amex Platinum $895 annual fee & $195 authorized user fee

The Amex Platinum Card has a $895 annual fee. Even among premium cards, this is among the highest annual fees out there, though for many people, the perks will more than offset the fee.

If you want to add authorized users to the card, you’ll pay $195 each (Rates & Fees). Fortunately there are some solid perks for authorized users, including lounge access, so some people might find that adding them is worthwhile.

Amex Platinum no foreign transaction fees

As you’d expect of a premium travel card, the Amex Platinum has no foreign transaction fees (Rates & Fees). This means you can use it abroad without racking up fees, though it’s not usually the best card for maximizing everyday spending on categories like dining.

Amex Platinum Card points earning structure

Personally, I think the Amex Platinum Card is worth having for the benefits it offers, though it’s not a card that I think is worth spending much money on, with limited exceptions.

Some other Amex cards offer big bonus categories. For example, the American Express® Gold Card (learn more) offers 4x Membership Rewards points at restaurants worldwide (on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, and then 1x points) and at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 of spending per calendar year, and then 1x points), which is extremely lucrative.

Unfortunately, the Amex Platinum Card isn’t as generous in that regard. However, there are still some useful bonus categories…

Amex Platinum 5x points on select flight bookings

The best bonus category on the Amex Platinum Card is 5x points on airfare purchased directly from airlines or through American Express Travel® (on up to $500,000 of flight purchases per calendar year, and then 1x points). This is spectacular, and it makes it the best card for airfare purchases, in my opinion.

Officially booking through online travel agencies (except amextravel.com) wouldn’t earn you bonus points, though in practice it may still sometimes code for 5x points. That’s because often online travel agencies still have the airline bill you directly when you book flights through them.

I value Membership Rewards points at 1.7 cents each, so to me, that’s the equivalent of an 8.5% return on airfare spending, which is incredible.

Amex Platinum 5x points on prepaid Amex Travel hotels

The Amex Platinum Card also offers 5x Membership Rewards points on prepaid hotels that are booked through Amex Travel. As a general rule of thumb, this isn’t worth it. That’s because you’re usually not earning loyalty points with your preferred hotel program when you book through Amex Travel, so that’s quite an opportunity cost.

The exception is Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts®, where prepaid reservations earn 5x points. That can be a good deal because of the perks you get, and also because you still earn points with your preferred hotel loyalty program. You can also combine this with the card’s annual hotel credit to really maximize value. I’ll talk more about that in a bit.

Amex Platinum 1x points on other purchases

The above are the only bonus categories — otherwise, the Amex Platinum Card offers 1x points per dollar spent, which isn’t especially good. There are other cards offering 1.5x-2x points per dollar spent, so I would much rather put my spending on those cards, or on another card that’s best for everyday spending.

Amex Platinum Card points redemption options

The Amex Platinum Card earns Membership Rewards points. This is one of the major transferable points currencies, and is a favorite points currency for many. While I love Membership Rewards, I’d say that not everyone should be earning these points.

The best way to redeem your Amex points is to transfer them to one of the Membership Rewards airline or hotel partners. Points can be transferred to the below airline partners and hotel partners.

The reason this represents such a good option is that you can get outsized value toward premium airfare, especially for travel in first and business class. These tickets are often super expensive if paying cash, while they can be a good deal with points.

For example, I frequently transfer my Amex Membership Rewards points to Air France-KLM, and then redeem 60,000 points for business class across the Atlantic. Best of all, there are sometimes transfer bonuses of up to 25-30%, which lowers my real “out of pocket” in terms of Amex points even further.

I’d note that while you can redeem Membership Rewards points toward the cost of merchandise or gift cards, or to pay off your statement, these aren’t good uses of your points. You’ll typically get less than one cent of value per point, so that’s not how I’d redeem them.

I’d recommend earning Membership Rewards points if your primary interest is transferring points to partner programs.

Amex Platinum Card credits

The Amex Platinum Card really shines when it comes to its credits, as the card potentially offers thousands of dollars in annual credits. As you can imagine, for some people this alone will more than justify the annual fee. The catch is that there are some hurdles to using all of these, so don’t consider most of these credits to be worth face value.

However, I’d argue that it’s quite easy to recoup your entire annual fee on these credits alone. So let’s take a look at what you need to know about these credits, and how you can maximize them. (Enrollment is required for select benefits)

Up to $600 annual hotel credit

The Amex Platinum Card offers up to $600 per year in hotel credits. This is a semi-annual credit, so you get a $300 credit in January through June, and a $300 credit in July through December.

This is actually a pretty easy perk to use — just book a prepaid hotel through Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts® (no minimum stay) or The Hotel Collection (two night minimum stay) through American Express Travel®, and you can receive up to a $300 credit semi-annually. Effective January 1, 2027, Fine Hotels + Resorts® bookings will require a minimum two-night stay to be eligible for the Hotel Credit.

If you ask me, this perk alone can help recoup most of the card’s annual fee. So a major point in deciding whether this card makes sense is crunching the numbers as to whether you can get full value from this.

Up to $400 in annual Resy credits

The Amex Platinum Card offers up to $400 per year in Resy credits, and enrollment is required. This is a quarterly credit, so the idea is that you receive up to $100 worth of statement credits each calendar quarter toward dining at eligible U.S. Resy restaurants.

There are no hoops you have to jump through, so as long as you dine at an eligible Resy restaurant and pay with your card, you can receive the statement credit. Personally, I’d consider this benefit to be worth close to face value.

Up to $300 annual digital entertainment credit

The Amex Platinum Card offers up to $300 per year in digital entertainment credits, with enrollment being required. This comes in the form of a $25 monthly statement credit on eligible purchases or subscriptions with any of the following:

• Disney+
• Disney+ Bundle
• ESPN
• Hulu
• Paramount+ Essential plan only, separate registration required
• Peacock
• The New York Times
• The Wall Street Journal
• YouTube Premium
• YouTube TV

I’d consider this to be quite valuable, since there’s an impressive variety of partners with which you can maximize this perk.

Up to $300 annual Lululemon shopping credit

The Amex Platinum Card offers up to $300 per year in Lululemon credits, with enrollment being required. This is a quarterly credit, so the idea is that you receive up to $75 worth of statement credits each calendar quarter toward purchases at Lululemon stores in the U.S. If you’re in the market for some athleisure wear, this is a great option.

Up to $300 annual Equinox credit

The Amex Platinum Card offers up to $300 per year in Equinox credits, and enrollment is required. This comes in the form of up to $300 in statement credits each year on a digital or club membership at Equinox. If you’d otherwise pay for an Equinox membership, this is a great perk, while otherwise, it’s probably of limited value.

Up to $300 SoulCycle credit

The Amex Platinum Card offers a $300 credit when purchasing a SoulCycle bike. This credit can be used toward the purchase of a SoulCycle at-home bike, and it can be used for the purchase of up to 15 bikes per year.

You need to make the entire purchase of a bike in one transaction on your Amex Platinum Card in order to qualify for these savings. Suffice to say that this will be of limited value to most cardmembers.

Up to $219 annual CLEAR+ credit

The Amex Platinum Card offers up to $219 per year in CLEAR credits. When using your card to pay for a CLEAR membership, you’ll receive statement credits of up to $219 per calendar year. For those not familiar with CLEAR, this company can save you time at security, by allowing you to use your biometric data to skip the ID check.

Up to $200 annual airline fee credit

The Amex Platinum Card offers up to $200 per year in airline fee credits, which can be used toward airline incidentals and fees. The credit is offered every calendar year, so it follows a strict January 1 through December 31 calendar.

Every year you can designate on which airline you want to receive the credit, of the following:

• Alaska Airlines
• American Airlines
• Delta Air Lines
• Hawaiian Airlines
• JetBlue Airways
• Southwest Airlines
• United Airlines

You can change your airline selection in January of each year. If you don’t change your selection, then you automatically keep the same airline choice as the previous year.

Unfortunately, you can’t use your credit toward the following:

Airline tickets, upgrades, mileage points purchases, mileage points transfer fees, gift cards, duty free purchases, and award tickets are not deemed to be incidental fees.

This is particularly useful for airline ticket change fees (of which there are few nowadays), baggage fees, and other costs you may incur with an airline. Personally, this is something I have no trouble maxing out.

Up to $200 annual Oura Ring credit

The Amex Platinum Card offers up to $200 per year in Oura Ring credits. This is valid if you use your card to purchase an Oura Ring through ouraring.com, and enrollment is required. I’d say this is very niche, but if you’re in the market for this product, it has the potential to be valuable.

Up to $200 annual Uber credit

The Amex Platinum Card offers up to $200 per year in Uber credits. The way this is broken up, you get a $15 credit per month, and then in December, you get a total of $35 in credits. You can use this either for rides with Uber in the US, or for food with Uber Eats in the US.

To activate this benefit, you need to enter your Amex Platinum Card card number on your Uber account, and then you should see the benefit unlocked. You’ll see an amount added to your Uber Cash balance every month, and the discount will automatically be applied to the first eligible ride or food delivery.

An Amex Card must be selected as the payment method for your Uber or Uber Eats transaction to redeem the Amex Uber Cash benefit

Up to $120 annual Uber One credit

The Amex Platinum Card offers up to $120 in statement credits each calendar year after purchasing an auto-renewing Uber One membership with the card. This is separate from the card’s $200 annual Uber Cash benefit.

An Uber One membership offers all kinds of benefits for rides with Uber and deliveries with Uber Eats, so if you use the platform with any frequency, this is pretty valuable.

Monthly Walmart+ credit benefit

The Amex Platinum Card offers up to $12.95 per month in credits toward a Walmart+ membership, which covers the full membership cost. Enrollment is required. (Up to $12.95 plus applicable local sales tax. Plus Ups not eligible.) With Walmart+, you can receive free deliveries on groceries or get savings at gas stations or on video streaming.

TSA PreCheck or Global Entry credit

The Amex Platinum Card offers a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck statement credit every four years. Simply charge the membership fee to your card, and it will be automatically reimbursed. It’s worth getting Global Entry, which has a $120 application fee compared to PreCheck’s $85, because it includes TSA PreCheck membership too.

It doesn’t matter who the fee is being paid for, as long as you charge it to your eligible card.

Amex Platinum Card airport lounge access

The Amex Platinum Card offers one of the most comprehensive lounge access benefits of any card. This is called the Global Lounge Collection, and it offers access to over 1,550 airport lounges across 140 countries for eligible cardmembers. This includes proprietary Amex lounges, as well as access to lounges run by other airlines and companies.

Before I go through the details, let me mention that Lufthansa lounge access has been cut as of October 1, 2026, which is why I’m not including it in the list, though that used to be a benefit.

Amex Centurion Lounge access

Amex is well known for its Centurion Lounges, and the Amex Platinum Card can get you into these lounges. These are significantly better than what you’ll find in most U.S. airline lounges, with a solid selection of hot food and cocktails.

Currently, U.S. locations include Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York JFK, New York LaGuardia, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington, with more to come. There are also Centurion Lounges in Amsterdam, Hong Kong, London, and Tokyo, among other international destinations.

You can access these lounges up to three hours before your flight’s departure (if you’re connecting, then the three-hour limit doesn’t apply). Please note that you’re only eligible to bring in guests on a complimentary basis if you spend at least $75,000 per calendar year on the card.

Delta Sky Club access

The Amex Platinum Card also offers access to the Delta Sky Club, with some limitations. Card members can receive access within three hours of a departing or arriving flight, and must present their card, a boarding pass showing a confirmed reservation for an eligible Delta flight, and a government-issued ID.

Eligible cards issued in the United States receive 10 visits to the Delta Sky Club each year, to be used from February 1 until January 31 of the next calendar year, with all visits within a 24-hour period counting as a single visit. It’s also possible to earn an unlimited number of visits by spending $75,000 in eligible purchases on a card account in a calendar year.

Priority Pass™ membership

The Amex Platinum Card offers a Priority Pass™ membership, which gives you access to lounges around the world. You can bring up to two guests into these lounges. While these aren’t the most exciting and high quality lounges, there’s no denying that this gives you access to a comprehensive collection of lounges.

Plaza Premium Lounge access

The Amex Platinum Card offers access to Plaza Premium Lounges. Just present your Amex Platinum Card, and you’ll be admitted, and you can even bring one guest with you at no additional cost. This is hugely valuable, as Plaza Premium has dozens of lounges around the world, which are among the highest quality contract lounges you’ll find.

Escape Lounge access

The Amex Platinum Card offers access to the growing network of Escape Lounges. Just present your Amex Platinum Card and you’ll be admitted, and you can even bring in guests.

Amex Platinum Card benefits & perks

Beyond the annual credits that potentially more than justify the annual fee, as well as an incredible lounge access program, the Amex Platinum Card also offers status with three hotel loyalty programs, status with three rental car loyalty programs, access to a program that gets you valuable hotel perks, and discounts on many premium cabin airline tickets. (Enrollment is required for select benefits)

Hilton Honors™ Gold status

Those with the Amex Platinum Card receive complimentary Hilton Gold elite status for as long as they have the card. This status is useful, and offers the following perks:

• Free breakfast (or a food & beverage credit at properties in the United States)
• Late check-out, subject to availability
• Preferred rooms
• 80% points bonus
• Fifth night free on award stays

Marriott Bonvoy® Gold status

Those with the Amex Platinum Card receive complimentary Marriott Gold status for as long as they have the card, which offers the following perks, among other things:

• 25% bonus points on hotel stays
• 2PM late check-out
• A room upgrade

Leading Hotels of the World Sterling status

Those with the Amex Platinum Card receive Leaders Club Sterling status from Leading Hotels of the World. Leading Hotels of the World is a collection of independent, luxury properties, so this offers perks at some properties that don’t otherwise participate in major global hotel groups.

This status typically requires $5,000 in annual spending at these hotels and offers perks such as five pre-arrival upgrades per year.

Hertz Gold Plus Rewards President’s Circle status

The Amex Platinum Card offers Hertz President’s Circle elite status, which is Hertz’s top-tier status. Your status is valid as long as you remain a cardmember; you just need to enroll. This should take the pain out of renting cars and offers the following perks:

• Guaranteed car upgrades, a minimum of one-class, at participating locations
• Freedom to choose any vehicle in the President’s Circle section of the Hertz Ultimate Choice lot on the spot at no extra charge
• No additional driver fee for a spouse or domestic partner in the United States
• 50% bonus on Gold Plus Rewards points on all qualified rentals
• Expedited vehicle pick-up at over 1,000 locations worldwide
• No stopping at the counter at over 50 airports
• eReturn, whereby you don’t have to wait when returning your car
• Hertz Valet, whereby you can take advantage of a terminal drive-back service at participating locations up to four times per year
• A dedicated President’s Circle call center line

National Emerald Club Executive status

The Amex Platinum Card offers National Emerald Club Executive status. You have to enroll to take advantage of this, and it’s valid for as long as you have your card. National is my favorite rental car company, and Executive status lets you pick out your car from the lot, and skip the counter altogether.

Avis Preferred Plus status

The Amex Platinum also offers Avis Preferred Plus status. Once you enroll, you’ll get this mid-tier status level with the rental car company and qualify for complimentary upgrades when available, a 25% points bonus, and a dedicated reservation and customer service line. You also get access to a discount code that can save you up to 25% off qualifying rentals.

Platinum Member Airfares program access

With the Platinum Member Airfares program (formerly known as the International Airline Program), you can save on the cost of international first class, business class, and premium economy airfare, on around two dozen airlines. This typically provides discounts even on already discounted tickets, so is a spectacular value.

If you book paid international premium cabin travel with any frequency, this could cover the card’s annual fee over and over.

Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts® access

With the Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts® program, you can receive extra perks for stays at over 1,900 luxury hotels around the world. These benefits include the following:

• Daily breakfast for two people
• Room upgrade upon arrival, when available
• A unique property amenity (usually a $100 property credit, free massage, car transfer, etc.)
• Guaranteed 4PM check-out
• Noon check-in, subject to availability
• Complimentary in-room Wi-Fi (exclusions apply)

Best of all, the rate is typically in line with the best available rate. Having the Amex Platinum Card gets you access to this, and if you prepay your reservation, you even earn 5x points. You can even stack this with the card’s up to $600 annual hotel credit.

Travel and purchase coverage

The Amex Platinum Card offers several travel insurance benefits that can add extra peace of mind. You’ll want to consult the card’s benefits guide for the exact terms and any caps and exclusions, but here’s a quick overview:

• Car rental loss and damage insurance
• Trip delay insurance
• Trip cancellation and interruption insurance

Up to $500 per Covered Trip that is delayed for more than 6 hours; and 2 claims per Eligible Card per 12 consecutive month period. Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions, and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company. Baggage insurance plan: Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions, and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Car rental loss and damage insurance: Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions, and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Car Rental Loss or Damage Coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.

The card also offers an extended warranty protection benefit as well as purchase, return, and cell phone protection.

Extended warranty and purchase protection: Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions, and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company.

Amex Platinum Card authorized user benefits

What benefits do authorized users on the Amex Platinum Card get? They receive most of the same perks as primary cardmembers.

This includes all the lounge access perks, access to Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts®, Hilton and Marriott Gold status, Leading Hotels of the World Sterling status, access to the Amex International Airline Program, additional Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credits, and more.

The main thing that authorized users aren’t getting is incremental credits, so they’re not receiving extra airline fee credits, digital entertainment credits, Uber credits, etc.

Is the Amex Platinum Card worth it?

Of course there’s never going to be any “one size fits all” answer as to whether a card makes sense, since we all value perks differently. However, speaking only for myself, I’d argue that the Amex Platinum Card is rather easy to justify.

To start, let’s just take a look at the credits. Personally, I’m able to get full value out of the $600 annual hotel credit, $400 annual Resy credit, $300 annual digital entertainment credit, $200 annual airline fee credit, and $200 annual Uber credit. That’s $1,700 in value right there, and it actually doesn’t take much effort for me to maximize that.

That also says nothing of all the other perks offered by the card, from the bonus points on airfare, to the lounge access, and more. So yeah, I’m really finding this card to be pretty great. Let me emphasize that in 2027 the hotel credit will be harder to maximize, so I’ll need to assess how much value I get out of that. But even if you drop that benefit entirely, I’m still getting $1,100 in value from the other credits.

Who should skip the Amex Platinum Card?

Everyone has to crunch the numbers for themselves, but I think the math works out very nicely on this product. But that’s not the case for everyone. So who should skip the Amex Platinum Card?

If it won’t be easy for you to get full value out of the card’s many travel and statement credits — or even if you just don’t want to be troubled with keeping track of so many credits to prevent leaving value on the table — the Amex Platinum may not be the card for you. Credit card fatigue is a real problem!

It’s also not a great card for everyday spending, since it doesn’t earn bonus rewards on categories like dining. I’ve written a more detailed post specifically addressing the question of whether the Amex Platinum is worth it, so I recommend checking that out.

This also brings me to the next section, which is the best Amex Platinum alternatives.

Amex Platinum Card alternatives

There are several premium cards to choose from nowadays, so it always makes sense to look at what the competition is offering. Let’s look at a few popular alternatives to the Amex Platinum.

Amex Platinum vs. Chase Sapphire Reserve comparison

The Chase Sapphire Reserve® (learn more) is the other premium card heavy hitter, with a slightly lower annual fee of $795. I have a full post comparing the Amex Platinum and Chase Sapphire Reserve — my verdict is that both cards are worth having, but if you can only pick one, the Sapphire Reserve is better for lazy optimizers while the Amex Platinum is better for those willing to put some real work into optimizing all the card’s benefits.

Here’s an overview of the Chase Sapphire Reserve’s standout features. It’s no slouch when it comes to perks, but its list of benefits and statement credits is considerably shorter than the Amex Platinum Card’s. Specifically:

• The Chase Sapphire Reserve has a strong welcome bonus: Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
• The Chase Sapphire Reserve has a lucrative rewards structure, with 8x points on Chase Travel℠ bookings, 4x points on direct airfare and hotel bookings, 3x points on dining spending, and more
• The Chase Sapphire Reserve comes with a variety of annual credits, including up to $300 in annual travel credits, up to $300 in annual dining credits, up to $500 in annual hotel credits with The Edit (minimum two-night stay), up to $300 in annual StubHub credits, up to $324 in annual Apple TV & Apple Music benefits, and more
• The Chase Sapphire Reserve offers lounge access, including access to Chase Sapphire Lounges, select Air Canada Lounges, and a Priority Pass™ membership
• The Chase Sapphire Reserve offers excellent travel coverage, including primary rental car insurance

If you take full advantage of the Amex Platinum’s main statement credits for travel and dining, it has the potential to offer more value than the Chase Sapphire Reserve. But the Chase Sapphire Reserve’s earning rates are better for maximizing everyday purchases, and you might prefer having fewer “coupon book” style benefits to keep track of.

Amex Platinum vs. Amex Gold comparison

In my opinion, the Amex Gold Card (learn more) is one of the most rewarding cards out there. At $325 (Rates & Fees), its annual fee is significantly lower than the Amex Platinum Card’s, and while it doesn’t have as many benefits, it’s a better choice for everyday spending, especially if you eat out frequently.

Here are the highlights of the Amex Gold:

• The Amex Gold Card earns 4x Membership Rewards points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1x points for the rest of the year. It also earns 4x Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at U.S. supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1x points for the rest of the year.
• The Amex Gold Card includes up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year at over 10,000 qualifying U.S. Resy restaurants after you pay for eligible purchases with the American Express® Gold Card. That’s up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
• The Amex Gold Card also offers a $120 Dining Credit, where you earn up to a total of $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the Gold Card at Grubhub (including Seamless), Buffalo Wild Wings, Five Guys, The Cheesecake Factory, and Wonder. This can be an annual savings of up to $120. Enrollment required.

The Amex Gold Card can’t beat the Platinum when it comes to travel perks, but if your main goal is earning as many Amex points as possible on your spending, it could be a more useful everyday pick.

Amex Platinum vs. Capital One Venture X comparison

The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card (learn more) is another premium card with an annual fee that’s one step down from the Amex Platinum — in this case, it’s $395. I find this card to offer strong value, and it’s much simpler than the Amex Platinum Card:

• The Capital One Venture X earns 10x miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, 5x miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Travel, and 2x miles on all other eligible purchases
• The Capital One Venture X offers Capital One Lounge access, Capital One Landing access, and Priority Pass membership
• The Capital One Venture X also includes a $300 annual Capital One Travel credit, 10,000 anniversary bonus miles, Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit once every four years, Hertz Gold Plus Rewards President’s Circle status, and rental car coverage

The travel credit and anniversary bonus miles help justify the annual fee, and while 2x miles isn’t the highest everyday spending rate, it’s a better base than 1x points with the Amex Platinum. It’s also worth comparing Amex points with Capital One miles to see which currency you prefer before making a final decision.

Amex Platinum Card FAQs

Bottom line

The Amex Platinum Card has a $895 annual fee and a much longer list of credits than it used to. This isn’t a card that you should get for the return on spending it offers, but instead, it’s a card to get for all of the perks and credits that it offers.

While the $895 annual fee is obviously steep, personally I’m able to get outsized value thanks to all the credits offered, which offer significant value. And that says nothing of the bonus points on airfare, the lounge access, and more.

So even if you haven’t been able to make the math on this card work in the past, it might be time to give it another look.

If you want to learn more about the Amex Platinum Card, follow this link.

The following links will direct you to the rates and fees for mentioned American Express Cards. These include: American Express® Gold Card (Rates & Fees), and American Express Platinum Card® (Rates & Fees).

Upon enrollment, accessible through the Capital One website or mobile app, eligible cardholders will remain at upgraded status level through the duration of the offer. Please note, enrolling through the normal Hertz Gold Plus Rewards enrollment process (e.g. at Hertz.com) will not automatically detect a cardholder as being eligible for the program and cardholders will not be automatically upgraded to the applicable status tier. Additional terms apply.

For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the above benefits are provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.

We only saw this bonus return a couple of weeks ago, and I’d like to provide an update, as I’ve received word that this offer is ending soon (though I don’t have an exact date to share). Obviously this was a very short term limited time offer, so you’ll want to apply ASAP, if interested.

This is one of the most lucrative airline credit cards on the market — it’s a card that I have, and it’s also one that I spend a lot of money on. If you don’t yet have the card, you really can’t go wrong with this, and this is the time to apply.

Link: Learn about the Atmos Rewards Summit Card bonus offer

Atmos Rewards Summit Card limited time welcome bonus

The Atmos Rewards Summit Card is currently offering a limited time welcome bonus that consists of 100,000 bonus points and a 25,000-point Global Companion Award. To qualify, you need to spend $6,000 or more on purchases within the first 90 days of opening your account.

Based on my latest miles & points valuations, Atmos Rewards points are worth 1.5 cents each. I consider the offer to be worth 125,000 points, putting the value of this at a staggering $1,875. Even if you’re not convinced on the long term value proposition of the card, I absolutely think it’s worth giving a try, given all the uses of Atmos Rewards points.

Atmos Rewards Summit Card eligibility requirements

If you’re interested in applying for the Atmos Rewards Summit Card, the good news is that the application restrictions are pretty limited. Specifically, you are eligible for this card if you have any of the other Atmos Rewards cards, whether personal or business. So you’re eligible for this card even if you have the Atmos™ Rewards Ascent Visa Signature® credit card (learn more) or Atmos™ Rewards Visa Signature® Business Card (learn more).

Personally, I find Bank of America to be one of the most straightforward and easier card issuers to get approvals from, though that’s anecdotal, and I’ve had good luck with these cards.

Read my guide to getting approved for Atmos Rewards cards.

Why the Atmos Rewards Summit Card is worth it

The Atmos Rewards Summit Card has a $395 annual fee, though it has to be one of the most interesting and rewarding airline credit cards we’ve ever seen. As I see it, here are the main reasons to consider getting this card, beyond the welcome bonus:

• A lucrative rewards structure, including 3x points on all foreign purchases, plus 3x points on dining
• The fastest pathway to Atmos Rewards elite status — receive an anniversary boost of 10,000 status points, plus earn one status point for every $2 spent
• The ability to earn Global Companion Awards — an anniversary 25,000-point Global Companion Award just for having the card, plus a 100,000-point Global Companion Award for spending $60,000 on the card per anniversary year
• Up to eight Alaska Lounge passes and up to eight Alaska inflight Wi-Fi passes per year, in the form of two of each pass per quarter
• A first checked bag free and 20% savings on inflight purchases on Alaska & Hawaiian flights
• Preferred boarding on Alaska flights
• Waived fees, including waived $20 partner award booking fees, and waived same day change fees on Alaska flights
• Upgrade priority on Alaska & Hawaiian flights, so that comes in handy for anyone with elite status
• The ability to share points with up to 10 other members at no cost (and vice versa)
• Primary rental car coverage, plus valuable travel protection for delayed flights, lost bags, and more

Read a detailed review of the Atmos Rewards Summit Card.

Atmos Rewards Summit Card eligibility & bonus FAQs

Bottom line

The Atmos Rewards Summit Card is currently offering its best-ever publicly available welcome offer that can earn you 100,000 Atmos Rewards bonus points, and a 25,000-point Global Companion Award. It’s great to see a return of the best-ever offer on the card, so I absolutely think this is worth applying for, if eligible, and you’ll want to act fast, as the offer is ending soon.

This card is worth getting for the offer alone, given the huge value for travel on partner airlines, even if it’s “just” for domestic flights on American. But I think the card also offers good long term value, from the annual Global Companion Award, to all the other perks. For that matter, there’s an argument to be made for spending on the card to earn oneworld status.

This is a card that I and everyone else in my family have, so I would seriously recommend considering it, if you haven’t applied already.

Anyone plan to pick up the Atmos Rewards Summit Card with this great offer?

The Amex Gold Card is an absolute powerhouse if you spend a lot on food, whether it’s at restaurants or supermarkets (or a combination of both). While the card has a somewhat steep annual fee, the good news is that it offers credits that can largely help offset it. We’re also currently seeing an exceptional welcome offer, making it the ideal time to pick up this card. Anyway, enough of an intro, let’s get into my in-depth Amex Gold Card review.

Link: Learn more about the American Express® Gold Card

Amex Gold Card summary & key details for November 2026

Before I get into my full Amex Gold Card review, let me summarize some of the most important features:

• Amex Gold Card annual fee: $325 (Rates & Fees)
• Amex Gold Card welcome offer: You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.
• Amex Gold Card rewards earning rates: 5x points on prepaid hotels booked through American Express Travel®, 4x points at restaurants worldwide (on up to $50K in purchases per calendar year, then 1x points), 4x points on groceries at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25K per calendar year, then 1x points), 3x points on flights, 2x points on prepaid rental cars and cruises booked through Amex Travel, 1x points on everything else
• Amex Gold Card credits: Up to $120 in dining credits per year after you enroll, up to $120 in Uber Cash per year after you enroll, up to $100 in annual Resy credits after you enroll, up to $84 in annual Dunkin’ credits after you enroll, and $100 credit on eligible stays of two nights or more booked with The Hotel Collection through Amex Travel
• Amex Gold Card benefits: Hertz Five Star status upon enrollment, trip delay insurance, coverage for lost, damaged, or stolen baggage
• Amex Gold Card foreign transaction fees: None (Rates & Fees)
• Best for: Those who make frequent dining purchases and who want to maximize their Amex point earnings on spending

Here are my thoughts on the major pros and cons of the Amex Gold Card:

Amex Gold Card bonus, eligibility, & fees

For someone looking to earn Membership Rewards points, the Amex Gold Card is one of the most rewarding cards out there. To start, let’s take a look at the welcome offer on the card, along with the eligibility requirements and fees. After all, these are important factors people consider when applying for a card.

Welcome bonus as high as 100K Amex points

The Amex Gold Card has an improved welcome offer: You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.

The way this works, you can apply for the card, and then find out your offer amount. Then you can decide whether you want to accept the offer or not. That’s an unconventional approach for a welcome offer. At least Amex has the “apply with confidence” feature, so there won’t be a hard credit pull unless you accept the offer.

Based on my latest miles & points valuations, Membership Rewards points are worth 1.7 cents each. So if you are eligible for a bonus of 100,000 points, those are worth $1,700, by my valuation.

This is a huge bonus, and on top of that, you have a full six months to complete the minimum spending requirement, which should be easy enough for many people to accomplish, as that translates to roughly $1,333 per month in required spending. Personally I’d only apply for the card if I got a welcome offer of at least 60,000 points (or ideally 80,000 points), but everyone has to decide for themselves what they’re willing to “settle” for.

Amex Gold Card eligibility restrictions & rules

The welcome bonus on the Amex Gold Card isn’t available to those who have or have had the card, or those who have had the Premier Rewards Gold Card in the past. Furthermore, those who have or have had an American Express Platinum Card® (learn more) may also not be eligible for the welcome offer on the card.

However, if you have had one of these cards before, you’re still eligible for the card, but you’re just not eligible for the welcome offer (which is “once in a lifetime”). In some circumstances, it could still be worth getting the card in those situations, if you’d benefit from it on an ongoing basis.

Let me emphasize that you’ll want to apply for the Amex Gold before you apply for the Amex Platinum. That’s because if you have the Amex Gold, you’re still eligible for the Amex Platinum offer, while the inverse isn’t true.

See this post for all the rules on applying for Amex cards, and see this post for details on getting approved for the Amex Gold Card.

Amex Gold Card annual fee & authorized user fee

The Amex Gold Card has a $325 annual fee. There is no annual fee for up to five additional cards. Meanwhile, the annual fee for six or more additional cards is $35 for each card (Rates & Fees).

Note that Amex Gold Card authorized users don’t receive some of the same benefits as the primary cardmember, but their spending does count toward the rewards that the primary cardmember earns.

Amex Gold Card no foreign transaction fees

The Amex Gold Card has no foreign transaction fees (Rates & Fees), so you can use it for purchases globally. That’s especially useful when you consider that you can earn 4x points on dining abroad, all with no foreign transaction fees.

Amex Gold Card rewards structure

What makes the Amex Gold Card so valuable is the bonus categories it offers, in the form of Membership Rewards points. The bonus categories include the following:

• 5x points on prepaid hotel stays booked through Amex Travel
• 4x points at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases annually
• 4x points at U.S. supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases annually
• 3x points on flights booked directly with airlines or through amextravel.com

This is an outstanding return on spending. Based on my valuation of Amex points at 1.7 cents each, that’s like an 8.5% return on eligible prepaid hotel stays, a 6.8% return at restaurants and at U.S. supermarkets, and a 5.1% return on eligible flights.

Now let’s take a closer look at just how those bonus categories are defined.

Amex Gold Card 5x points on prepaid hotels

The Amex Gold Card offers 5x Membership Rewards points on prepaid hotels that are booked through Amex Travel. As a general rule of thumb, this isn’t worth it. That’s because you’re usually not earning loyalty points with your preferred hotel program when you book through Amex Travel, so that’s quite an opportunity cost.

Amex Gold Card 4x points at restaurants

With the Amex Gold Card you’ll earn 4x points on the first $50,000 spent every calendar year at restaurants worldwide, and after that you’ll earn a single point per dollar spent.

Generally speaking, restaurants are defined pretty broadly, and the category includes everything from fast food to cafes to fine dining. This even includes delivery and takeout, given the popularity of that nowadays.

Just note that convenience stores, nightclubs, and restaurants located within other establishments won’t typically qualify for bonus points. Furthermore, eligibility for bonus points is determined based on how the merchant chooses to be categorized. There’s a chance that some merchants may not be categorized as a restaurant, even though you might consider them a restaurant.

For dining, this card even beats the 3x points that the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (learn more) and Chase Sapphire Reserve® (learn more) offer — this is one of the best rewards cards for dining purchases.

Amex Gold Card 4x points at U.S. supermarkets

The Amex Gold Card offers 4x points on the first $25,000 spent every calendar year at U.S. supermarkets, and after that you’ll earn a single point per dollar. This excludes superstores and warehouse clubs, so don’t expect you’ll be able to earn those bonus points at Sam’s Club, for example. This is one of the best rewards cards for grocery store purchases.

Amex Gold Card 3x points on flights

The Amex Gold Card offers 3x points on airfare, with no limits on how many bonus points you can earn. This only applies when booking directly with an airline, through the Amex Travel App™ or through amextravel.com. Furthermore, charter flights and private jet flights are excluded.

Officially, booking through online travel agencies (except Amex Travel) wouldn’t earn you bonus points, though in practice, it may still sometimes code for 3x points. That’s because often online travel agencies still have the airline bill you directly when you book flights through them. This is one of the best rewards cards for airfare purchases.

Amex Gold Card 2x points on prepaid car rentals & cruises

The Amex Gold Card also offers 2x points on prepaid car rentals and cruises booked through Amex Travel. This bonus category doesn’t make or break the card, but it’s a nice extra, especially if you already make these bookings occasionally.

Amex Gold Card points redemptions

The Amex Gold Card earns Membership Rewards points. This is one of the major transferable points currencies, and is a favorite points currency for many.

The best way to redeem your Amex points is to transfer them to one of the Membership Rewards airline or hotel partners. Points can be transferred to about 20 partners, consisting primarily of airline loyalty programs, but also of some hotel loyalty programs.

The reason this represents such a good deal is that you can get outsized value toward first and business class travel. These tickets are often disproportionately expensive if paying cash, while they can be a good deal on points. On top of that, Amex often has transfer bonuses, which can stretch your points even further.

While you can redeem Membership Rewards points toward the cost of merchandise or gift cards, or to pay off your statement, these aren’t good uses of your points. You’ll typically get less than 1.0 cent of value per point, so that’s not how I’d redeem them.

In general, I’d recommend earning Membership Rewards points if your primary interest is transferring points to partner programs.

Amex Gold Card benefits & credits

The Amex Gold Card offers a variety of benefits that can help offset the annual fee of the card. In particular, the Amex Gold offers statement credits for eligible purchases, which could save you up to $424 per year, more than offsetting the annual fee. Let’s take a closer look at how these work (Enrollment is required for select benefits).

Amex Gold Card up to $120 dining credit

The first perk is that the Amex Gold Card offers a dining credit of up to $120 per year. There are some restrictions to be aware of with this credit:

• This comes in the form of a $10 monthly credit, for a total of up to a $120 credit each year
• This credit is valid for purchases with Grubhub (including Seamless), Buffalo Wild Wings, Five Guys, The Cheesecake Factory, and Wonder. Amex recently switched up the eligible retailers for this perk; the list used to include Goldbelly and Wine.com.
• Purchases by both the primary card member and authorized users are eligible, but you’re limited to a single credit no matter how many authorized users you have
• The terms state that this isn’t valid for gift card or merchandise purchases, though it’s anyone’s guess if that is enforced
• Only purchases in the United States qualify
• The terms state that the credit should post within two to four weeks, though in my experience, it posts much faster than that

Amex Gold Card up to $120 Uber Cash

The Amex Gold Card offers up to $120 in Uber Cash annually:

• Cardmembers receive a $10 credit every calendar month
• The credit is valid toward Uber and Uber Eats purchases in the United States
• An Amex Card must be selected as the payment method for your Uber or Uber Eats transaction to redeem the Amex Uber Cash benefit

This is a fantastic benefit and should be worth face value for anyone who uses Uber at least once a month. Even if you don’t use Uber, this can be useful for getting food delivery through Uber Eats.

Amex Gold Card up to $100 Resy credit

The Amex Gold Card offers up to $100 in Resy credits annually:

• This is a semi-annual credit, so you receive a $50 credit in January through June, and a $50 credit in July through December
• This applies for eligible U.S. Resy restaurants, Resy.com, and in the mobile Resy app

Amex Gold Card up to $84 Dunkin’ credit

The Amex Gold Card offers up to $84 in Dunkin’ credits annually:

• This is a monthly credit, so you receive a $7 credit each month
• You receive the statement credit after using your enrolled card to pay at more than 9,000 Dunkin’ locations nationwide

One thing I’d mention is that anecdotally this also works for Dunkin’ reloads, so you can always get the Dunkin’ app, and then load $7 onto your account each month, and that should trigger the credit. That’s a great way to use this to “bank” credit with Dunkin’ toward a future purchase.

Amex Gold Card Amex Offers program access

One of the great features of Amex cards is access to Amex Offers, which offers savings or bonus points on purchases with all kinds of retailers. There’s huge value to be had in getting as many Amex cards as possible, so that you can get these offers on multiple cards. Amex Offers could save you hundreds of dollars per year — just note that enrollment is required to take advantage of individual offers.

Amex Gold Card The Hotel Collection access

For staying two or more nights at select luxury hotels, you can receive extra benefits through The Hotel Collection. Benefits include a $100 hotel credit and a room upgrade, if available. This is different than Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts®, which requires having the Amex Platinum Card.

Amex Gold CardHertz Five Star status

Holding the Amex Gold Card entitles you to a complimentary upgrade to Hertz Five Star status (enrollment required). This gets you an upgrade to a higher car class on rentals when available as well as a 25% bonus on all Hertz rentals. If you already rent cars through Hertz, this is a nice extra. It’s one of the more recently added benefits on the Amex Gold Card, too, since it was introduced in celebration of the card’s 60th anniversary.

Amex Gold Card travel & rental car coverage

The Amex Gold Card comes with a handful of travel insurance benefits that can protect your trip when you pay with your card. Check the card’s benefits guide for exact exclusions and limits, but here’s a quick overview:

• Trip delay insurance for trips delayed by more than 12 hours
• Baggage insurance for lost, damaged, or stolen luggage
• Car rental loss and damage insurance, which is secondary to your main car insurance

Up to $300 per Covered Trip that is delayed for more than 12 hours; and 2 claims per Eligible Card per 12 consecutive month period. Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions, and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company. Baggage insurance plan: Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions, and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Car rental loss and damage insurance: Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions, and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by AMEX Assurance Company. Car Rental Loss or Damage Coverage is offered through American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc.

Is the Amex Gold Card worth it?

The Amex Gold Card is a great card for anyone who spends a lot of money on food (whether at restaurants or supermarkets), and who is looking to earn Membership Rewards points. Furthermore, the card potentially offers over $400 in annual credits, between the dining credit, Resy credit, Dunkin’ credit, and Uber Cash.

I’d argue that if you value earning Membership Rewards points, if you spend a lot on dining, and if you can use a decent number of the card’s credits, then picking up this card is a slam dunk. It’s hard to beat this kind of return on dining and supermarket spending, and it’s a great complement to some other Amex cards.

The great welcome offer that’s available is the icing on the cake, and makes applying for the card all the more tempting. I’d recommend confirming you’re eligible for a welcome bonus on the higher end of the spectrum with the current offer of as high as 100,000 points, especially because you can only get an Amex Gold Card welcome bonus once.

I will say, the Amex Gold Card might not be for you if you don’t spend a lot on dining, if you don’t live in a major city where you can easily use the credits, if you value airport lounge access as a card perk, or if you’d rather earn cash back than travel rewards, since those are all potential considerations with the card.

It’s also worth comparing the Amex Gold Card to other options. Here’s how the Amex Gold Card stacks up against some of the most popular alternatives.

Amex Gold vs. Amex Platinum comparison

The Amex Platinum Card (learn more) has a higher annual fee than the Amex Gold and comes with many more perks and annual credits. Here are the biggest differences to know about:

• The Amex Platinum Card has a $895 annual fee (Rates & Fees)
• The Amex Platinum gets you access to various airport lounge networks, including Amex Centurion Lounges, Delta Sky Club® lounges (up to 10 visits when flying Delta per year), and Priority Pass™ lounges
• The Amex Platinum Card earns 5x points on flights booked directly with airlines or through Amex Travel on up to $500,000 on purchases per calendar year (and then 1x points), so it’s a better option for booking flights than the Amex Gold Card
• The Amex Platinum Card offers several annual credits, including $200 in Uber Cash, a $300 digital entertainment, a $200 airline fee credit with your selected qualifying airline, up to $100 in Resy statement credits each quarter after enrollment, up to $219 in CLEAR+ statement credits per calendar year after you sign up for a CLEAR+ membership and pay with your eligible card, and more (enrollment required for benefits and credits)

If you travel many times a year and want as many benefits as possible, the Amex Platinum Card is hard to beat. That said, the Amex Gold Card still offers a better return on spending when it comes to dining out and shopping at U.S. supermarkets. As I see it, the cards serve different purposes — one is about the perks, and the other is about the return on spending.

Amex Gold vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred comparison

If you’re looking for a rewards card with a lower annual fee, the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card (learn more) is worth comparing against the Amex Gold Card as well. It has a much lower annual fee of $95 and fewer perks, but it still earns very strong rewards:

• The Chase Sapphire Preferred earns 3x points on dining, on online grocery purchases (excluding Walmart, Target, and wholesale clubs), on top streaming services, and on vacation homes at top brands like Airbnb, Vrbo, and more. This is less than you’ll earn with the Amex Gold Card, but there’s no spending cap on these bonus categories.
• The Chase Sapphire Preferred offers primary rental car insurance, whereas the Amex Gold Card’s coverage is secondary (meaning it only kicks in after your other car insurance)
• The Chase Sapphire Preferred includes a statement credit to reimburse the application fee for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS once every four years, as well as a $100 annual hotel credit

Between the Amex Gold Card and the Chase Sapphire Preferred, the best option for you could come down to whether you prefer Amex Membership Rewards points or Chase Ultimate Rewards points. Make sure to compare your welcome bonus offers between both cards before making a final decision as well.

Amex Gold vs. Citi Strata Premier comparison

The Citi Strata Premier® Card (learn more) is another great rewards card with useful bonus categories at the $95 annual fee level:

• The Citi Strata Premier Card earns 3x points on air travel and non-Citi Travel hotel purchases, at restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, and EV charging stations
• The Citi Strata Premier also earns 10x points on qualifying Citi Travel bookings and 1x points on everything else
• The Citi Strata Premier has fewer perks and credits than the Amex Gold, but it does include a $100 annual hotel benefit with some stay and spend conditions attached

If you want just one rewards card in your wallet, the Citi Strata Premier makes a strong case for itself with its bonus categories. I value both Amex points and Citi ThankYou points at 1.7 cents apiece, but some travelers might prefer one rewards program over the other depending on their favorite airline and hotel partners.

Amex Gold vs. Capital One Venture comparison

The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card (learn more) is one of my favorite cards for those looking for a simple strategy, and who don’t want to focus on a bunch of credits, maximizing bonus categories, etc.

The card has a $95 annual fee, and offers a minimum of 2x miles per dollar spent, making this one of the best cards for everyday spending. The reasonable annual fee plus the flat 2x miles is ideal for someone who doesn’t maybe spend a huge amount in categories that are otherwise eligible for bonus points.

Amex Gold Card FAQs

Bottom line

The Amex Gold Card is one of American Express’ best rewards cards for earning points. With 4x points on dining and supermarkets, earning Membership Rewards points is easy.

The card also offers some credits that are potentially useful, which for many will help offset the annual fee. The card offers up to $120 dining credits, up to $120 in Uber Cash annually, up to $100 in Resy credits annually, and up to $84 in Dunkin’ credits annually — a total of $424 in annual credits if you take advantage of all of them. If you don’t yet have the card, it’s seriously worth considering.

If you want to learn more about the Amex Gold Card, follow this link.

The following links will direct you to the rates and fees for mentioned American Express Cards. These include: American Express® Gold Card (Rates & Fees), and American Express Platinum Card® (Rates & Fees).

If you fly Southwest at least a few times a year and you qualify for a small business credit card, the Southwest Premier Business Card is worth considering. It’s worth an extra close look right now, because now is your last chance to earn a Southwest credit card welcome bonus that counts toward the airline’s valuable Companion Pass benefit. I’ll get into all that and more below in my comprehensive Southwest Premier Business Card review.

Link: Learn more about the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card

Southwest Premier Business Card summary & key details for November 2026

Before getting into the Southwest Premier Business Card in detail, let’s take a broader look at the card’s main features:

• Southwest Premier Business Card annual fee: $149
• Southwest Premier Business Card welcome offer: 60,000 points after you spend $3,000 in the first three months from account opening
• Southwest Premier Business Card earning rate: 3x points on Southwest purchases, 2x points at gas stations and restaurants (on the first $8,000 in combined purchases per anniversary year, then 1x points), and 1x points on all other purchases
• Southwest Premier Business Card foreign transaction fee: None
• Southwest Premier Business Card benefits with Southwest: First checked bag for free, complimentary Preferred seat within 48 hours prior to departure, board no later than Group 5, 15% flight discount each year on your cardmember anniversary, 25% back on inflight purchases, earn 2,000 Tier Qualifying Points toward status for every $5,000 spent on the card (through 2026), get 6,000 points every year on your cardmember anniversary
• Best for: Those who fly Southwest several times a year, can qualify for a business credit card, and want perks like early boarding and the ability to spend towards status

I also put together my pros and cons for the Southwest Premier Business Card:

Southwest Premier Business Card bonus, eligibility, & fees

The Southwest Premier Business Card is Southwest’s entry-level business credit card. Let’s take a look at the welcome bonus, eligibility rules, and annual fee, given that these are factors that many people consider when applying for a card.

Southwest Premier Business Card welcome bonus

The Southwest Premier Business Card currently has a welcome bonus where you can earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 within the first three months.

Southwest Rapid Rewards is a revenue-based frequent flyer program. Based on my latest miles & points valuations, I consider Rapid Rewards points to be worth 1.2 cents each, as that’s roughly the rate at which you can redeem points toward flights. So by my valuation, 60,000 Rapid Rewards points are worth ~$720.

While this is a decent welcome offer, let me note that we’ve seen bigger limited time welcome offers in the past. So if you’re primarily after the best welcome offer, it could make sense to wait to apply.

Southwest Premier Business Card eligibility restrictions & rules

The welcome bonus on the Southwest Premier Business Card isn’t available to those who currently have this card, or those who have received a new cardmember bonus on this card in the past 24 months. However, you are eligible for this card (including the welcome bonus) if you have the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card (learn more), or any personal Southwest credit card.

Also remember Chase’s general application rules, including the 5/24 rule, apply. With the 5/24 rule, you typically won’t be approved for a Chase card if you’ve opened five or more new card accounts in the last 24 months. However, business credit cards aren’t always included on your credit report, so they often don’t count toward 5/24.

Southwest Premier Business Card annual fee & authorized user fee

The Southwest Premier Business Card has a $149 annual fee. There’s no cost to add additional users to the card. You can set individual spending limits for additional cards, and you can earn points on their spending.

Southwest Premier Business Card foreign transaction fee

The Southwest Premier Business Card doesn’t charge any foreign transaction fees, so you can use it abroad without worrying about racking up extra charges.

Southwest Premier Business Card rewards structure

Obviously the rewards structure is an important factor to consider when applying for a credit card. So how does the Southwest Premier Business Card do on that front? In addition to offering bonus points in select spending categories, the card also offers the ability to earn status through spending, so let’s cover those details.

Southwest Premier Business Card points earning

As far as the rewards structure goes, the Southwest Premier Business Card offers:

• 3x points per dollar spent on Southwest Airlines purchases
• 2x points per dollar spent at gas stations and restaurants on the first $8,000 in combined purchases per anniversary year
• 1x points per dollar spent on all other purchases

While these are some good bonus categories, I wouldn’t consider this to be an industry-leading rewards structure — there are better cards for airfare spending, and better cards for everyday spending.

Based on my valuation of Southwest points at 1.2 cents each, using the Southwest Premier Business Card to book Southwest flights gets you a 3.6% return on spending, while the 2x and 1x categories get you 2.4% and 1.2% returns on spending, respectively.

Southwest Premier Business Card status earning

Spending on the Southwest Premier Business Card can count toward A-List elite status. Specifically, through the end of 2026 you can earn 2,000 Tier Qualifying Points (TQPs) toward A-List for every $5,000 you spend on the card. Starting in 2027, every dollar spent on the card will earn one TQP.

A-List status ordinarily requires 35,000 TQPs per year, and offers perks like priority boarding, a 25% points bonus, same-day standby, priority check-in and security lane access, and a dedicated phone number.

However, Southwest has announced some big changes to its loyalty program, including new status level names and the introduction of a third tier called Platinum. Starting in 2027, A-List status will become Silver status. Earning it will require 35,000 TQPs (unchanged) or 25 qualifying flights (up from 20 today).

Personally I probably wouldn’t spend that much money on a credit card to earn A-List status, but for some people this could prove to be worthwhile, especially if you’re close to earning A-List status otherwise.

No more Companion Pass qualification through welcome bonuses starting in 2027

One of the very best values in travel is the Southwest Airlines Companion Pass. With Southwest Companion Pass, you can have someone travel with you for the entire year (whether on a cash ticket or award ticket), and just pay taxes and fees for them. This is such an incredible deal, and basically doubles the value you can get from flying Southwest. The pass is valid for the rest of the calendar year in which you earn it plus the following full year, so the earlier in the year you earn it, the more it’s worth.

Historically, you’ve been able to get the Companion Pass by earning 135,000 Rapid Rewards points in a calendar year — and Southwest credit card welcome bonuses counted toward this, along with referral bonuses, anniversary points, bonus points from spending on the card, and more. Starting January 1, 2027, though, this will no longer be the case.

Southwest is updating its elite status program to have three tiers, the highest of which is called Platinum and gets you unlimited Companion Pass trips. At that time, credit card welcome bonuses and all the other points earning mentioned above will no longer count toward qualifying for the Companion Pass (or any level of status).

To earn Platinum, and therefore the Companion Pass, you’ll instead need to earn 140,000 TQPs or take 100 qualifying flights. This change isn’t specific to the Southwest Premier Business Card; it applies to welcome bonuses across all Southwest credit cards. But the good news is that points from the current welcome bonus offer do count toward Companion Pass qualification for the rest of 2026 and through 2027, per Chase’s offer details, so now is your last chance to take advantage before this opportunity is closed.

Redeeming points from the Southwest Premier Business Card

I have an entire post on how to redeem Southwest Rapid Rewards points for maximum value, but I’ll briefly cover how redemptions work and how to get the most value out of your points here.

Rapid Rewards is a revenue-based frequent flyer program, which means that the value you’ll get from your points is tied to the cash cost of Southwest tickets. That said, there are a few different levels, ranging from Basic tickets to Choice Extra fares, with Basic awards usually offering the highest redemption value.

In my experience, the best-value Southwest point redemptions are usually for international routes to destinations like Costa Rica and Aruba. Southwest also flies to Hawaii, which can be a good use of points, but I’ve found that the redemption value is often a bit lower on these in-demand routes. And of course, if you have the Companion Pass your points become twice as valuable because a friend can travel for free minus taxes and fees.

There are no change or cancellation fees on Southwest award bookings, and rebooking a fare when the price drops gets you a refund equal to any difference in points. Just note that Basic fares can only be changed by upgrading to a higher fare bundle, so for a cheaper Basic award you’d want to cancel and rebook rather than change your existing itinerary.

Southwest Premier Business Card perks & benefits

The Southwest Premier Business Card has a solid welcome bonus that’s especially valuable now that it’s your last chance to earn it and have it count toward the Companion Pass, but that’s not the only reason to consider this card. There are also several ongoing perks that can make your experience flying Southwest a little more comfortable.

6,000 Southwest anniversary bonus points

One major ongoing perk of the Southwest Premier Business Card is that you earn 6,000 Rapid Rewards bonus points on your account anniversary every year. As mentioned above, I value Rapid Rewards points at around 1.2 cents each, so to me, that’s like $72 worth of value annually.

A free checked bag on Southwest

The Southwest Premier Business Card offers a free first checked bag for you and up to eight additional passengers on your same reservation.

If you usually check bags on Southwest — especially if you don’t have Southwest status, which gets you a free first checked bag — this benefit alone can help you recoup the annual fee. For non-elite Southwest travelers, a checked bag costs $45 one-way, so you could save $90 on a roundtrip flight. With two roundtrip flights with checked bags in a year, that already cancels out the $149 annual fee.

Complimentary Preferred seat on Southwest

As a Southwest Premier Business cardholder, you can select a Preferred or Standard seat within 48 hours prior to departure, if they’re available. This benefit also extends to eight travelers on your same reservation. The cost for a Preferred seat can vary from $28 to nearly $50 depending on the flight.

15% flight discount each year on cardmember anniversary

The Southwest Premier Business Card also gets you a 15% promo code each year on your account anniversary. You can use this to score a 15% discount on a Southwest flight, excluding Basic fares. This perk is another nice way the card can save you money when flying Southwest, especially if you book cash tickets in addition to award flights at least once a year.

Early boarding on Southwest

Southwest Premier Business cardholders can board with Group 5, or earlier if they have status or a fare that entitles them to a higher boarding group. This perk extends to eight additional travelers on the same reservation.

25% inflight savings on Southwest

The Southwest Premier Business Card offers 25% savings on inflight Wi-Fi and drink purchases on Southwest. Just charge your card, and you’ll automatically receive a statement credit for 25% of the purchase total, which should appear within two billing cycles.

Is the Southwest Premier Business Card worth it?

The Southwest Premier Business Card offers a great welcome bonus, and the $149 annual fee can be largely offset by the 6,000 anniversary bonus points and other benefits. The welcome bonus can also go a long way toward earning the Companion Pass, which is all the more reason to get the card now before this opportunity ends.

That said, I don’t necessarily think the Southwest Premier Business Card is a great pick for everyone. If you’re not loyal to Southwest or you split flying across multiple airlines, it’s probably not the best card for you. And if you want flexible points that you can redeem with a variety of airlines and hotels, it could also be best to skip this card.

First, let me compare it to the more premium Southwest Performance Business Card, then I’ll share the points currency I recommend earning instead if you’re mainly concerned with booking award flights on Southwest, not extra perks with the airline.

Southwest Premier Business vs. Southwest Performance Business card comparison

The Southwest Performance Business Card (learn more) is the more premium sibling of the Southwest Premier Business Card. Overall it comes with more benefits — and in some cases enhanced versions of the same perks on the Southwest Premier Business Card.

Here’s a quick overview of how the Southwest business credit cards compare:

• The Southwest Performance Business Card has a higher annual fee of $299
• The Southwest Performance Business Card has a higher welcome bonus of 80,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening
• The Southwest Performance Business Card earns 4x points on Southwest purchases, 2x points at gas stations and restaurants with no category cap, 2x points on hotel accommodations booked directly with the hotel, 2x points on local transit and commuting, and 1x points on all other purchases
• The Southwest Performance Business Card offers 9,000 points every year on your cardmember anniversary (vs. 6,000 on the Southwest Premier Business Card)
• The Southwest Performance Business Card gets you complimentary Preferred seating at booking and extra legroom upgrades within 48 hours prior to departure
• The Southwest Performance Business Card has extra perks including a statement credit to reimburse the application fee for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS once every four years

The extra 3,000 anniversary points are worth $36 by my valuation, so you’d need roughly $9,500 in Southwest spending for the extra point per dollar to cover the rest of the $150 fee difference, before counting the seating and Global Entry perks.

If you fly Southwest several times a year and you want as many perks and points as possible, the Southwest Performance Business Card could be worth the higher annual fee.

The better way to earn Southwest Rapid Rewards points

If your goal is to earn Southwest Rapid Rewards points, but you don’t actually plan on earning the Companion Pass or Southwest status, there’s a much faster way to earn those points.

Chase Ultimate Rewards is a transfer partner with Southwest Rapid Rewards, and points transfer at a 1:1 ratio. You can earn points at a much faster rate with the following business cards:

• The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (learn more) offers 3x points on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases annually on travel, shipping, internet, cable, and phone services, advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines; the card has a $95 annual fee
• The Ink Business Cash® Credit Card (learn more) offers 5x points on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases each anniversary year on cellular phone, landline, internet and cable TV services, plus 2x points on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases each anniversary year on gas stations and restaurants; the card has no annual fee
• The Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card (learn more) offers 1.5x points on all business purchases; the card has no annual fee

Southwest Premier Business Card FAQs

Bottom line

The Southwest Premier Business Card is a good entry-level Southwest Airlines business credit card with a nice welcome bonus. The current bonus can earn you a lot of travel on Southwest, and can even help you earn Companion Pass — but only if you earn the bonus under the current offer, before the 2027 program changes take effect.

This card is definitely worth considering, though the only other consideration is that I think it could be worth paying the premium for the Southwest Performance Business Card, which has better ongoing perks. And earning Ultimate Rewards points with a Chase credit card could also make more sense unless you really value the Southwest-specific benefits.

Which Southwest business credit card do you prefer?

If you frequently travel with Southwest and qualify for a small business credit card, this card is worth a closer look. That’s especially true now, because not only is it offering a welcome bonus of 80,000 bonus points, but now is also your last chance to earn a Southwest credit card welcome bonus that counts toward the Companion Pass. I’ll get into all of that and more below, as this is my in-depth Southwest Performance Business Card review.

Link: Learn more about the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Performance Business Credit Card

Southwest Performance Business Card summary & key details for November 2026

Before I cover the Southwest Performance Business Card perks in detail, here’s a high-level view of this business credit card’s key details:

• Southwest Performance Business Card annual fee: $299
• Southwest Performance Business Card welcome offer: 80,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening
• Southwest Performance Business Card earning rate: 4x points on Southwest purchases, 2x points at gas stations and restaurants, 2x points on hotel accommodations booked directly with the hotel, 2x points on local transit, and 1x points on all other purchases
• Southwest Performance Business Card foreign transaction fee: None
• Southwest Performance Business Card benefits with Southwest: First checked bag for free, complimentary Preferred seat when available at booking, extra legroom upgrade when available within 48 hours prior to departure, board no later than Group 5, 25% back on inflight purchases, earn 2,500 Tier Qualifying Points toward status for every $5,000 spent on the card (through 2026), get 9,000 points every year on your cardmember anniversary
• Southwest Performance Business Card travel perks: Up to $120 statement credit for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS every four years
• Best for: Frequent Southwest flyers who qualify for a business credit card and want as many perks with the airline as possible

I also put together my pros and cons for the Southwest Performance Business Card:

Southwest Performance Business Card bonus, eligibility, & fees

When applying for a credit card, major considerations include the welcome bonus, the eligibility rules, and the fees, so let’s start by taking a look at those details for the Southwest Performance Business Card.

Southwest Performance Business Card welcome bonus

The Southwest Performance Business Card currently has a welcome bonus where you can earn 80,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 within the first three months.

Southwest Rapid Rewards is a revenue-based frequent flyer program, based on my latest miles & points valuations, I consider the points to be worth 1.2 cents each. That means I consider the 80,000 points to be worth $960, which is a solid bonus for a card like this (though admittedly we’ve seen slightly better limited time offers in the past).

Southwest Performance Business Card eligibility restrictions & rules

When it comes to Southwest credit card eligibility rules, you’re potentially eligible for the Southwest Performance Business Card (including the welcome bonus) if you don’t currently have this card, and if you haven’t received a new cardmember bonus on this card in the past 24 months. You can have any of the Southwest personal cards, and/or the Southwest Premier Business Card, and they won’t impact eligibility for this card.

Beyond that, be aware of the general restrictions on applying for Chase cards. This includes the Chase 5/24 rule, whereby you generally won’t be approved for a Chase card if you’ve opened five or more cards in the last 24 months. That said, business credit cards aren’t always included on your credit report, so they often don’t count toward 5/24.

Southwest Performance Business Card annual fee & authorized user fee

The Southwest Performance Business Card has a $299 annual fee, making it the highest annual fee Southwest Airlines credit card. However, it also comes with plenty of perks that can justify it, as I’ll explain below.

There is no cost to add authorized users on the card, so you can add authorized users to your card, and be rewarded for their spending.

Southwest Performance Business Card foreign transaction fee

The Southwest Performance Business Card has no foreign transaction fees, so it’s a good card to use for purchases abroad.

Southwest Performance Business Card rewards structure

One of the main reasons you’ll want to consider picking up a card is because of its return on spending, so you’re sure it aligns with what you’re looking for. In the case of the Southwest Performance Business Card, it has a limited number of bonus categories, and spending can also help you toward earning elite status with Rapid Rewards. So let’s cover those details.

Earning points on spending

The Southwest Performance Business Card offers some potentially useful bonus categories, as follows:

• Earn 4x points per dollar spent on Southwest Airlines purchases
• Earn 2x points per dollar spent at gas stations and restaurants
• Earn 2x points per dollar spent on hotel accommodations booked directly with hotels
• Earn 2x points per dollar spent on local transit and commuting, including rideshare
• Earn 1x points per dollar spent on all other purchases

These are some pretty solid bonus categories, though in general, I would only use this card for everyday spending if trying to earn Southwest Airlines status. Based on my valuation of 1.2 cents per point, this is like earning a 4.8% return on the 4x points categories, 2.4% return on the 2x points categories, and a 1.2% return on the 1x points categories.

Earn unlimited Tier Qualifying Points toward status

The Southwest Performance Business Card lets you earn unlimited Tier Qualifying Points (TQPs) toward elite status. Specifically, you can earn 2,500 TQPs toward A-List status for every $5,000 spent on the card.

Southwest A-List status offers perks like priority boarding, a 25% points bonus, same-day standby, priority check-in and security lane access, and a dedicated phone number.

A-List status ordinarily requires earning 35,000 TQPs in a calendar year, so spending on a Southwest Performance Business Card could help you earn that. Whether or not that’s worth it depends on how much you’d otherwise fly with Southwest.

Do note that Southwest recently announced some big changes to its loyalty program, including new status level names and the introduction of a third tier called Platinum. Starting in 2027, A-List status will become Silver status, and earning it will require 35,000 TQPs or 25 qualifying flights.

According to the Southwest Performance Business Card’s terms & conditions, cardholders can earn TQPs on card spending at the current rate of 2,500 TQPs per $5,000 spent through December 31, 2026. After that date, A-List status will become Silver status, and every co-branded Southwest credit card will earn 1 TQP per dollar spent, so $35,000 in spending would get you to Silver.

No more Companion Pass qualification through welcome bonuses

One of the best values in travel is the Southwest Airlines Companion Pass. For those of you not familiar with Southwest’s Companion Pass, it allows someone else to travel with you for the entire year anywhere Southwest flies.

You still have to pay the taxes on their ticket, but the Companion Pass is valid on both award and revenue tickets. You can change your designated companion three times in a year, so you can potentially even use this for different people.

Historically, you’ve been able to get the Companion Pass by earning 135,000 Rapid Rewards points in a calendar year — and Southwest credit card welcome bonuses counted toward this, along with referral bonuses, anniversary points, bonus points from spending on the card, and more. Starting January 1, 2027, this will no longer be the case.

Southwest is updating its elite status program to have three tiers, the highest of which is called Platinum and gets you unlimited Companion Pass trips. At that time, credit card welcome bonuses and all the other points earning mentioned above will no longer count toward qualifying for the Companion Pass (or any level of status).

To earn Platinum, and therefore the Companion Pass, you’ll instead need to earn 140,000 TQPs or take 100 qualifying flights. This change isn’t specific to the Southwest Performance Business Card, as it applies to welcome bonuses across all Southwest credit cards. But the good news is that welcome bonuses earned before the end of 2026 do count toward Companion Pass qualification, so now is your last chance to take advantage before this opportunity is closed.

Redeeming points from the Southwest Performance Business Card

I have an entire post on how to redeem Southwest Rapid Rewards points for maximum value, but I’ll briefly cover how redemptions work and how to get the most value out of your points here.

Rapid Rewards is a revenue-based frequent flyer program, which means that the value you’ll get from your points is tied to the cash cost of Southwest tickets. That said, there are a few different levels, ranging from Basic tickets to Choice Extra fares, with Basic awards usually offering the highest redemption value.

In my experience, the best-value Southwest point redemptions are usually for international routes to destinations like Costa Rica and Aruba. Southwest also flies to Hawaii, which can be a good use of points, but I’ve found that the redemption value is often a bit lower on these in-demand routes. And of course, if you have the Companion Pass your points become twice as valuable because a friend can travel for free minus taxes and fees.

There are no change or cancellation fees on Southwest award bookings, and rebooking a fare when the price drops gets you a refund equal to any difference in points. Just note that Basic fares can only be changed by upgrading to a higher fare bundle, so for a cheaper Basic award you’d want to cancel and rebook rather than change your existing itinerary.

Southwest Performance Business Card perks & benefits

While the Southwest Performance Business Card has a great bonus, the main reason you want to get this card is because of the perks that it offers. For those who fly Southwest with any frequency, the perks should more than cover the annual fee. In fact, for those who are frequent Southwest flyers, this card is almost too good to be true.

9,000 anniversary Rapid Rewards bonus points

Just for having the Southwest Performance Business Card, you’ll receive 9,000 Rapid Rewards points on your account anniversary every year. As I said above, Southwest points can be redeemed for ~1.2 cents each toward airfare, so that’s the equivalent of ~$108 toward airfare annually.

Get a free first checked bag

The Southwest Performance Business Card offers a free first checked bag for you and up to eight additional passengers on your same reservation. If you usually check bags on Southwest — especially if you don’t have Southwest status, which gets you a free first checked bag — this benefit alone can quickly help you recoup the annual fee.

For non-elite Southwest travelers, a checked bag costs $45 one-way. If you maxed this benefit out with eight other travelers on a round-trip itinerary with checked bags, you’d be looking at over $800 in value.

Complimentary Preferred seat selection at booking

When you book a Southwest flight as a Performance Business cardholder, you can select a Preferred or Standard seat at the time of booking, if they’re available. This benefit also extends to eight travelers on your same reservation.

The cost for a Preferred seat can vary from $28 to nearly $50 depending on the flight, so this benefit can also save you some real money.

Unlimited upgrades to extra legroom seats

The Southwest Performance Business Card also offers unlimited upgrades to extra legroom seats for cardholders and up to eight travelers on the same reservation. These upgrades are space available and will start within 48 hours of departure. This is another nice elite-style benefit that can noticeably improve your travel experience on Southwest.

Early boarding

Southwest Performance Business cardholders can board with Group 5, or earlier if they have status or a fare that entitles them to a higher boarding group. Once again, this perk extends to eight additional travelers on the same reservation.

25% savings on inflight drinks & Wi-Fi

The Southwest Performance Business offers 25% savings on inflight purchases of Wi-Fi and drinks. To take advantage of this, simply pay with your card. You’ll automatically receive a statement credit on eligible inflight purchases.

Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS credits

For having the Southwest Performance Card you receive a credit towards TSA PreCheck, Global Entry, or NEXUS. You can take advantage of this benefit once every four years. (up to $120 as of 10/1/24)

If you are going to use this perk, I’d highly recommend registering for Global Entry over TSA PreCheck. For those of you not familiar, TSA PreCheck gets you expedited US security screening, while Global Entry gets you expedited US immigration clearance.

Why register for Global Entry and not PreCheck? Because Global Entry also comes with TSA PreCheck, while the inverse isn’t true (signing up for TSA PreCheck doesn’t get you Global Entry).

Is the Southwest Performance Business Card worth it?

If you have a small business and fly Southwest with any frequency, then the Southwest Performance Business Card is a no brainer. To start, the card has an excellent welcome bonus that could get you a lot of travel, and could even help you earn Companion Pass — at least until the end of 2026, which is coming up very fast.

On an ongoing basis, the card is worth it as well. It has a $299 annual fee but offers 9,000 points per year (which I value at ~$108) and more. This card should pay for itself for anyone who flies Southwest often.

Southwest Business Performance vs. Southwest Premier Business card comparison

In addition to the Southwest Performance Business Card, Southwest also has the Southwest® Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card (learn more). How does that card compare? Here’s a quick look:

• The Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business Card has a lucrative welcome bonus, though it’s slightly lower: 60,000 points after you spend $3,000 in the first three months
• The Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business Card has an annual fee of $149
• The Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business Card offers 6,000 points on your anniversary every year

If you fly Southwest only a handful of times a year, you might prefer this card and its lower annual fee to the more premium Southwest Performance Business.

Tip: Earn Ultimate Rewards points instead

In addition to comparing the Southwest Performance Business with other Southwest business credit cards, I want to take a minute to recommend another points strategy if you occasionally book award flights on Southwest.

Chase Ultimate Rewards is a transfer partner with Southwest Rapid Rewards, and points transfer at a 1:1 ratio. This means that you could earn points at a faster rate through Ultimate Rewards than through Rapid Rewards, and your points will be more flexible (since you can also transfer them to other airlines and hotel programs).

So, should you earn Rapid Rewards points directly with a Southwest Airlines credit card, or with a Chase Ultimate Rewards credit card?

• If you’re trying to earn Southwest status, then you have to spend on a Southwest card, since Ultimate Rewards points don’t earn TQPs
• If you don’t care about Southwest status and just want to earn as many Rapid Rewards points as possible, earn points with Ultimate Rewards, and then transfer them over

For context, some of the best cards for earning Chase Ultimate Rewards points include the following:

• The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (learn more) offers 3x points on dining, online grocery stores, gas & EV charging, select vacation rentals (including Airbnb, VRBO, and more), and select streaming services, and 2x points on travel; the card has a $95 annual fee
• The Chase Sapphire Reserve® (learn more) offers 8x points on Chase Travel℠ bookings, 4x points on direct flight & hotel bookings, 3x points on dining, plus a $300 annual travel credit; the card has a $795 annual fee
• The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (learn more) offers 3x points on the first $150,000 spent in combined purchases annually on travel, shipping purchases, internet, cable, and phone services, advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines; the card has a $95 annual fee

The Ink Business Preferred Card could be an especially strong pick, considering you’re reading a review of a business credit card — and it has a significantly lower annual fee than the Southwest Performance Business Card.

On top of that, the following four no annual fee cards earn points that can be converted into Ultimate Rewards points at a 1:1 ratio in conjunction with one of the above cards:

• The Chase Freedom Flex® (learn more) offers 5x points in rotating quarterly categories, on up to $1,500 of spending per quarter, plus 3x points at drugstores
• The Chase Freedom Unlimited® (learn more) offers 3x points at drugstores and 1.5x points on everyday spending
• The Ink Business Cash® Credit Card (learn more) offers 5x points on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases each anniversary year on cellular phone, landline, internet and cable TV services, plus 2x points on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases each anniversary year on gas stations and restaurants
• The Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card (learn more) offers 1.5x points on all business spending

Southwest Performance Business Card FAQs

Bottom line

The Southwest Performance Business Card is an exceptional option for those who frequently fly Southwest and want the best-possible experience with the airline.

In addition to the solid bonus, the card also offers 9,000 anniversary bonus points, space available Preferred and extra legroom seats, and more. The value of that should add up quickly if you fly Southwest frequently. This is especially true now that Southwest charges fees for checked bags and charges for assigned seats.

If you want to learn more about the Southwest Performance Business Card, follow this link.

While I wouldn’t recommend buying points without a specific use in mind, there are absolutely ways to get outsized value, and this is in line with the best offers that we see from the program. With the right strategy, this could be an opportunity to get a significant discount on an IHG hotel stay, and I’ll show exactly how.

Link: Buy IHG One Rewards points with this promotion with a 100% bonus

Buy IHG One Rewards points with promotion

Through 11:59PM ET on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, IHG One Rewards is offering a bonus on purchased points. Points can be purchased in increments of 1,000 points, and the bonus is tiered, as follows:

• Buy 1,000-4,000 points, receive no bonus
• Buy 5,000-10,000 points, receive an 80% bonus
• Buy 11,000-39,000 points, receive a 90% bonus
• Buy 40,000-200,000 points, receive a 100% bonus

Note that the purchase of IHG points doesn’t count toward elite status.

How much does it cost to buy IHG points?

Ordinarily you can buy IHG One Rewards points for as little as one cent each (the pricing isn’t linear), before any discounts or bonuses. With that in mind, if you were eligible for a 100% bonus and purchased 200,000 IHG One Rewards points pre-bonus, you’d receive a total of 400,000 points at a cost of $2,000, which is a rate of 0.5 cents per IHG point.

While The Brand New IHG One Rewards Premier Select Credit Card (learn more), The New IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card (learn more), The New IHG One Rewards Credit Card (learn more), and The New IHG One Rewards Business Credit Card (learn more), offer a 30% discount on purchased points, that benefit only applies when buying points at the normal cost, and wouldn’t be applicable here.

How many IHG points can you purchase?

IHG One Rewards ordinarily lets members purchase up to 150,000 points per calendar year, before any bonuses. However, during this promotion that cap has been increased to 200,000 points, pre-bonus.

How does this compare to other IHG buy points promotions?

When IHG One Rewards does offer a promotion on purchased points, the 100% bonus or 50% discount is the most common offer. A 100% bonus and 50% discount give you the same price per point, so you’ll typically pay 0.5 cents per point during a promotion.

Below is a chart with some of the recent promotions we saw from the program, before this one.

Which credit card should you buy IHG points with?

IHG One Rewards points purchases are processed by points.com, meaning they don’t count as a hotel purchase for the purposes of credit card spending. That means if you pay with an IHG credit card, you wouldn’t earn any bonus rewards, so it’s not treated as if it’s IHG spending.

Therefore I’d recommend using a card on which you’re trying to reach a minimum spending requirement, or otherwise, a credit card that maximizes your return on everyday spending. See this post for more on which credit cards are best for buying points.

Best cards for non-bonused spending:

• Citi Double Cash® Card
• Chase Freedom Unlimited®
• Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
• Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
• The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express

Citi Double Cash® Card

Learn More about Citi Double Cash® Card >Rates & Fees | Terms Apply.

• Earn 1% cash back when you make a purchase, earn 1% cash back when you pay for that purchase
• $0

Chase Freedom Unlimited®

Learn More about Chase Freedom Unlimited® >Terms Apply.

• Earn 3% Cash Back on Dining
• Earn 3% Cash Back at Drugstores
• Earn 1.5% Cash Back On All Other Purchases
• $0

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

Learn More about Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card >Terms Apply.

• Earn 2x miles per dollar on every purchase
• No Foreign Transaction Fees
• 10,000 bonus miles every account anniversary
• $395

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Learn More about Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card >Terms Apply.

• Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day
• No Foreign Transaction Fees
• Global Entry/TSA Pre-Check Credit
• $95

The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express

Learn More about The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express >Rates & Fees | Terms Apply.

• 2x points on purchases up to $50k then 1x
• Access to Amex Offers
• No annual fee

Is buying IHG One Rewards points worth it?

IHG One Rewards has dynamic award pricing, which means there’s no minimum or maximum number of points a hotel stay can cost. Rather, the cost of an award stay generally correlates somewhat to the cost of a revenue stay.

However, that doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll get the same value with all hotel stays. There are many situations where you can get outsized value by buying points and then redeeming them. Let me just give a few examples, using stays I pulled up for random dates (again, pricing is dynamic, so this won’t reflect what you see every day).

For example, the Six Senses Kyoto is bookable for 165,000 points per night, and you could purchase those points for $825.

That represents massive savings over the cash cost, which is $1,493.

On the other end of the spectrum, the Holiday Inn Express & Suites Tampa is bookable for 33,000 points per night, and you could purchase those points for $165.

That represents massive savings over the cash cost, which is $230.

However, this won’t always be a good deal. For example, take the Kimpton Tres Rios in Playa del Carmen is bookable for 104,000 points per night, and you could purchase those points for $520.

That’s not a good deal compared to the cash cost, which is $429, so there you’d be better off just paying cash directly.

Another thing to keep in mind is that select IHG co-branded credit cards offer free night awards, and those are worth up to a certain number of points. What’s great is that these free night awards can typically be topped off with points, so there could be merit to buying IHG points so that you have points with which to top off these certificates.

Tip: Get a fourth night free with an IHG credit card

You’ll get the most value from your IHG points if you have The Brand New IHG One Rewards Premier Select Credit Card (learn more), The New IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card (learn more), and The New IHG One Rewards Business Credit Card (learn more).

That’s because the cards offer a fourth night free benefit, meaning that you can book a four night award stay for the cost of three nights. This is essentially the equivalent of 25% off in increments of four nights, since you can use this benefit an unlimited number of times.

Just to use the Six Senses Kyoto example above, if you earned 495,000 points (worth $2,475 at 0.5 cents per point), that would be enough for four nights with the fourth night free. That represents an absolutely massive discount.

At what hotels can you redeem IHG points?

IHG has over 15 hotel brands, so there are lots of options for redeeming your IHG One Rewards points. IHG points can be redeemed at the following properties, among others:

• For luxury & premium hotels, there’s Six Senses, Regent, InterContinental, Kimpton and Hotel Indigo
• For mid-range and limited service hotels, there’s Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Candlewood Suites, Staybridge Suites, voco, and EVEN

How much are IHG points worth?

Everyone will value points differently. Based on my latest miles & points valuations, I consider IHG points to be worth 0.5 cents each, and I tend to value points pretty conservatively. So the purchase price is around what I value these points.

Do IHG points expire?

For non-elite members, IHG One Rewards points expire after 12 months of inactivity. However, any sort of points earning or redemption activity would reset the expiration of your points. Furthermore, IHG One Rewards points don’t expire for elite members in the program.

Keep in mind that IHG elite status is quite easy to earn. Just for having The Brand New IHG One Rewards Premier Select Credit Card (learn more) or The New IHG One Rewards Business Credit Card (learn more), you receive Platinum status, without any sort of a spending requirement.

Does IHG have blackout dates?

IHG One Rewards doesn’t have blackout dates on award nights, but the program does have capacity controls. What this means is that some number of standard rooms will be made available for award redemptions every night, but that doesn’t mean that all standard rooms are available for award redemptions.

Bottom line

IHG One Rewards is offering a sale on purchased points. Through November 10, 2026, IHG One Rewards is offering a promotion, and members seem to be eligible for a 100% bonus, which is an opportunity to buy points for 0.5 cents each.

There are instances where buying points can save you over 50% on the cost of a luxury hotel stay. I also think there’s value in having a “reserve” of IHG points, given the brand’s global footprint. You can get even more value out of buying IHG points in conjunction with a premium IHG credit card, so you can get a fourth night free on award redemptions.

Do you plan on buying IHG points with a bonus?

Let’s take a look at the details of the card bonus and eligibility requirements, as well as the long term value.

Link: Learn more about the World of Hyatt Credit Card bonus offer

World of Hyatt Card limited time welcome bonus

The World of Hyatt Credit Card is currently offering a limited time welcome bonus that consists of four Category 1-4 free night awards after spending $5,000 within the first three months.

World of Hyatt Category 4 properties retail for up to 25,000 points per night, so the absolute maximum value of this offer is 100,000 points. However, I of course wouldn’t value it that highly. That’s because these free night awards expire 12 months after they’re issued, and you also can’t top off these awards to redeem at more expensive properties. So actually maxing out the value of these isn’t easy.

One thing I should mention is that while I don’t love the lack of flexibility of this welcome offer, it’s significantly better than the standard bonus, which tends to be lackluster. Obviously Chase and Hyatt know that this is a card people will get for the long term value, rather than just for the bonus.

For what it’s worth, based on my latest miles & points valuations, I consider World of Hyatt points to be worth 1.4 cents each.

World of Hyatt Card eligibility requirements

If you’re interested in applying for the World of Hyatt Credit Card, the eligibility rules for the bonus are pretty straightforward. This product is available to you if you don’t have this exact card, and haven’t received a new cardmember bonus on this card in the past 24 months.

So that means you could potentially earn the bonus if you’ve had the card in the past. Furthermore, eligibility is unrelated to whether you have the World of Hyatt Business Credit Card (learn more).

On top of that, Chase’s general application rules apply, including that you can typically be approved for at most two Chase cards every 30 days, and the Chase 5/24 rule is also worth considering (you may not be approved if you’ve opened five or more new card accounts in the past 24 months).

There’s not a consistent credit score you need to be approved for this card, though I’d hope to have a score in the “good” to “excellent” range, ideally 700+ points. However, people with lower scores have been approved, and people with higher scores have been rejected.

Why the World of Hyatt Card is worth it

The World of Hyatt Card is one that offers a lot of long term value, so only think of the welcome bonus as being part of the bigger picture. The World of Hyatt Card has a $95 annual fee, and offers the following perks, among other things:

• World of Hyatt Discoverist status for as long as you’re a cardmember
• Five elite nights toward status annually, with no spending requirement
• Two elite nights for every $5,000 spent, helping you earn Globalist status
• A Category 1-4 free night award on your account anniversary every year
• A second Category 1-4 free night award when you spend $15,000 annually
• 4x points on Hyatt spending, 2x on dining, airlines, fitness, and transit

This is a card I’ve had for years, and one that I spend at least $15,000 on annually, so that I earn the second free night award, plus six additional elite nights. If you stay at Hyatts with any frequency, having this card should be a no-brainer. For more details, read my full World of Hyatt Card review.

Looking for a Hyatt Business Card instead?

If you’re looking for a Hyatt co-branded credit card but want a business card instead, then the World of Hyatt Business Credit Card is for you. The card is currently offering a bonus of 70,000 points after spending $7,000 within the first three months.

At my valuation of 1.4 cents per point, that’s roughly $980 in value, which more than offsets the $199 annual fee in year one.

Eligibility is straightforward, as you can’t currently hold this specific card, and you can’t have received a welcome bonus on it within the past 24 months. Having the personal World of Hyatt Credit Card doesn’t affect your eligibility, as you can hold both cards and earn bonuses on each. Standard Chase application rules apply.

For more details, read my World of Hyatt Business Card review, as well as my World of Hyatt personal vs. business card comparison.

World of Hyatt Card bonus FAQs

Bottom line

The World of Hyatt Credit Card is currently offering a limited time welcome offer that can earn you four Category 1-4 free night awards upon completing minimum spending. Category 4 properties go for up to 25,000 points per night, so this is potentially quite a substantial welcome bonus.

However, the bonus isn’t the main reason you get this card. Instead, it’s about the long term value proposition, including elite nights toward status, an anniversary free night award, etc. Furthermore, it’s a card that’s worth spending $15,000 on per year, if you can swing it, so you can earn a second free night award and six more elite nights toward status.

If this card has been on your radar, this is a good time to apply…

Spend $300+ with Southwest, get $60 back

With a new targeted Amex Offers deal, you can earn a $60 statement credit when you spend $300 or more with Southwest Airlines by December 31, 2026. (Enrollment required)

It’s possible that there’s also a version of the offer for 6,000 bonus Membership Rewards points rather than a $60 statement credit, and if so, I’d consider that to be more valuable. That’s because based on my latest miles & points valuations, Amex points are worth 1.7 cents each, so I’d value the 6,000 points at $102.

There are some terms to be aware of:

• You need to spend a minimum of $300, but it can be across one or multiple transactions
• Purchases on Southwest’s website or app qualify, as do onboard purchases
• Flights must originate in the United States and be charged in USD
• While you need to book travel by December 31, 2026, it’s okay if you travel on subsequent dates
• The offer includes eligible ancillary purchases, like seat upgrades, baggage fees, and onboard purchases
• The offer excludes standalone hotel bookings, car rentals, cruise bookings, gift card purchases, Southwest merchandise purchases, travel insurance and trip protection, and Rapid Rewards points purchases

Use this offer to generate Southwest flight credits

Keep in mind that Southwest doesn’t charge fees to change most kinds of tickets, with the exception of the most basic fares. So you could always use this offer to book a $300+ ticket, and if your plans change, that balance would stay in your Southwest account. Just keep in mind the expiration policy, and the fares that are eligible for free changes.

Also be sure you maximize rewards by ideally finding this deal on an Amex card that offers bonus points on airfare purchases, since that will allow you to earn the statement credit and as many points as possible.

Bottom line

There’s a new targeted Amex Offers deal for a $60 statement credit when you spend $300+ with Southwest Airlines. If you’re planning travel on Southwest, this has the potential to be a solid deal. Ideally you’ll see this offer on the Amex Platinum, so that you can really maximize your points.

Were you targeted for this Amex Offers deal, and if so, do you plan on taking advantage of it?

Spend $250+ at IHG properties, get $50 back

There’s a targeted Amex Offers deal for stays at mainstream IHG brand properties over the next few months:

• Save $50 when you spend $250+ across one or more transactions (up to 20% back)
• This is valid when you pay for your stay between November 6 and December 31, 2026
• This is valid for stays at properties in the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Germany, Japan, and the UK
• This is valid for stays at all IHG Hotels & Resorts properties, with the exception of this list of excluded properties
• This isn’t valid for gift cards, reservations partially paid for with IHG One Rewards points, and the purchase of IHG One Reward points
• The terms state that you need to book directly with IHG to take advantage of this
• You can combine this with any promotion being offered directly by IHG, including any IHG One Rewards global promotion
• Registration is required

You can split your payment to maximize rewards

Hotel stays can be expensive, especially at luxury brands, so it always makes sense to use a credit card that maximizes your return on hotel spending. The truth is that there are a limited number of Amex cards with good spending multipliers on hotels.

That’s why I think it’s worth pointing out that it’s typically not an issue to split payment methods at check-out, when staying at a hotel. So you could use an Amex card on which you have the Amex Offers deal for $250, and then put the remaining amount on a card that has a better rewards structure for hotel spending.

Bottom line

With a new targeted Amex Offers deal, you can save $50 when you spend $250+ at IHG properties in select regions, including the United States. This has the potential to be a very good deal, so if you have any upcoming IHG stays, be sure to register if eligible.

Do you plan on taking advantage of this Amex Offers deal?

Let’s go over the opportunities, as you can save up to 50% on award tickets. There are some cool markets in which you can save miles, though unfortunately only economy travel qualifies.

Save on Atmos Rewards awards to select destinations

For the new Alaska Atmos Rewards Global Getaways promotion, you can save up to 50% on award travel to nine destinations, with the following restrictions:

• This is valid for bookings made between November 4 and November 7, 2026
• This is valid for travel between January 15 and May 12, 2027, in most markets, though there are some exceptions, and I’ll go over that below
• This is valid specifically for redemptions in economy, and not for travel in first class, business class, or premium economy
• You can receive discounts as long as you’re traveling to one of the eligible destinations and are originating in the United States; while discounts aren’t 100% consistent, they are generally valid for travel on Alaska, Hawaiian, and all partner airlines, when there’s saver level award availability
• These awards have the same change and cancelation policies as all other Atmos Rewards awards, so they’re refundable at no cost, minus the partner award booking fee (which it’s even possible to get waived)

The theme for this Global Getaways promotion is “lights, camera, departure,” with the idea being to “roll out the red carpet for the destinations that have starred in your favorite films and shows.” With this sale, you can save on one-way redemptions to the following destinations (these savings are up to 50%, but not always that high):

• Amman, Jordan (AMM) — one-way from 30,000 points, travel January 15 through May 12, 2027
• Catania, Italy (CTA) — one-way from 30,000 points, travel January 15 through May 12, 2027
• Honolulu, Hawaii (HNL) — one-way from 11,500 points, travel December 1, 2026, through March 10, 2027
• Kona, Hawaii (KOA) — one-way from 11,500 points, travel December 1, 2026, through March 10, 2027
• Lihue, Hawaii (LIH) — one-way from 11,500 points, travel December 1, 2026, through March 10, 2027
• Maui, Hawaii (OGG) — one-way from 11,500 points, travel December 1, 2026, through March 10, 2027
• Mumbai, India (BOM) — one-way from 30,000 points, travel January 15 through May 12, 2027
• Singapore, Singapore (SIN) — one-way from 30,000 points, travel January 15 through May 12, 2027
• Venice, Italy (VCE) — one-way from 25,000 points, travel January 15 through May 12, 2027

My take on Alaska’s Global Getaways promotion

I very much appreciate Alaska Atmos Rewards’ creativity with this promotion, as nowadays it’s pretty rare to see programs offer award sales that are also valid for travel on partner airlines. Now, admittedly I wish there weren’t quite as many restrictions in terms of the booking window, travel period, the class of service limitations, and the one-way discount, but still, there will be value here for some, and it’s better than nothing.

If you’re simply looking for the lowest cost award, some of these award prices are very tough to beat. For example, getting from the mainland to Hawaii for 11,500 points is a great deal, as is getting from the United States to India for 30,000 points. Keep in mind that with Atmos Rewards, award flights even earn status points, so could help you qualify for status.

I do hope that over time we see some first and business class award sales as well (it’s probably not happening, but we can dream, right?). Many of us have historically loved the program for the value it offers for premium cabin travel, so this promotion doesn’t help us much with that.

This is basically Alaska’s version of Air France-KLM Flying Blue Promo Rewards or Singapore KrisFlyer Spontaneous Escapes, except it applies for travel on partner airlines (rather than just for travel on the program’s airline), and is exclusive to economy (while the other promotions are mixed).

Bottom line

Alaska Atmos Rewards has launched its latest Global Getaways promotion, which is a monthly redemption deal offering up to a 50% discount on awards. This time around, you can save points on economy redemptions to select destinations. You need to book by November 7, 2026, mostly for travel in early 2027. While this won’t be useful for everyone, I imagine some people will get value from this.

What do you make of Alaska’s Global Getaways promotion?

Link: Double dip your Loyalty Points earning with the Citi® / AAdvantage Business™ World Elite Mastercard®

Best way to earn American Loyalty Points with credit cards

With the American AAdvantage Loyalty Points program, you can typically earn one Loyalty Point per dollar spent on a co-branded American credit card. However, there’s one card that’s an exception, and by far the best.

The Citi® / AAdvantage Business™ World Elite Mastercard® (learn more) is the co-branded Citi and American Airlines business card. There’s a quirk to the card, though, when it comes to authorized user rewards. On the surface, the authorized user ordinarily earns the Loyalty Points for their spending, and not the primary cardmember, which is an unusual policy for a small business card.

However, through December 31, 2028 (and it’s possible this will be extended again, as it has been in the past), both the primary cardmember and the authorized user earn Loyalty Points for authorized user spending. It basically means you earn two Loyalty Points per dollar spent, just in different accounts. Just to be abundantly clear here:

• If an authorized user spent $100K, the primary cardmember and authorized user would each earn 100K Loyalty Points
• If the primary cardmember spent $100K, only the primary cardmember would earn 100K Loyalty Points

So the key is for the spending to be on the authorized user’s card, so that this spending unlocks double Loyalty Points (spread across two accounts).

Either way, the Citi AAdvantage Business Card offers several valuable perks, and also has an excellent welcome bonus, making it a good time to apply. So if you are eligible, I’d consider applying even if the double Loyalty Points opportunity doesn’t work out (though hopefully it does).

Why this Loyalty Points double dip is a good deal

Personally, the Citi AAdvantage Business Card Loyalty Points double dip is how I qualified for AAdvantage elite status last year. I had a hard time justifying putting spending onto co-branded American cards compared to some other cards out there, when I was only earning one Loyalty Point per dollar.

But if I can qualify for elite status for two people at once, and earn the corresponding Loyalty Point Rewards perks, the math on that spending starts to look much better:

• Earning 125,000 Loyalty Points would earn you Platinum Pro status for two people, which unlocks oneworld Emerald perks
• Earning 175,000 Loyalty Points would allow each person to pick from a choice of valuable Loyalty Point Rewards perks, with each person being able to pick perks like two systemwide upgrades or up to 25,000 AAdvantage bonus miles
• Earning 200,000 Loyalty Points would earn you Executive Platinum status for two people, which unlocks the top tier status with published requirements
• Earning 250,000 Loyalty Points would allow each person to pick two Loyalty Point Rewards perks, with options including two systemwide upgrades or up to 30,000 bonus miles (so each person could choose up to four systemwide upgrades or up to 60,000 bonus miles)

For example, earning 250,000 Loyalty Points per account could potentially earn you a combined total of 12 systemwide upgrades or 170,000 bonus miles. That’s a pretty substantial reward, beyond just the miles you earn for spending and the status!

Bottom line

The Citi AAdvantage Business Card offers an easy opportunity to double dip Loyalty Points earning through authorized user spending. This opportunity is available to all cardmembers, and is currently valid through December 31, 2028 (though has the potential to be extended beyond that). This is a great opportunity, so if you’re pursuing AAdvantage elite status, I’d highly recommend this method.

Have you been taking advantage of this Loyalty Points double dip opportunity?

Transfer Citi points to Turkish Airlines with 40% bonus

Between November 1 and November 30, 2026, it’s possible to receive a 40% bonus when you move points from the Citi ThankYou program in the United States to Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles. However, there are some important terms to be aware of:

• The bonus is being offered on Turkish Airlines’ end, so you won’t see this on the Citi ThankYou website
• The bonus miles will only post after the end of the campaign, so that’s nowhere close to instant, unfortunately
• Members can earn up to 50,000 bonus miles with this offer
• There’s no registration required to take advantage of this

Ordinarily points transfer at a 1:1 ratio (in 1,000 point increments), while through this promotion you’d get 1,400 Miles&Smiles miles for every 1,000 Citi ThankYou points transferred, though only after the fact.

There are several great cards earning Citi ThankYou points, including the Citi Strata Premier® Card (learn more) and Citi Strata Elite℠ Card (learn more), and it’s easy to combine points between the cards.

Should you transfer Citi points to Turkish Airlines?

Back in the day, the Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles program offered incredible redemption values across the board, but that’s no longer really the case. At this point, I’d say the sweet spot with the Miles&Smiles program is if you’re looking to travel on Turkish Airlines specifically to or from Istanbul.

That’s because the Miles&Smiles program now charges per segment for awards on Turkish Airlines metal. You can find the cost of one-way saver awards below, just to give you a sense of pricing.

So as an example, a one-way business class award between the United States and Istanbul will cost you 65,000 miles. In other words, with a 40% transfer bonus, you’d be paying around 47,000 Citi ThankYou points for a business class award, which is a pretty great deal.

If you know what you’re doing and have specific redemption plans in mind, this could be a great deal. Just be sure you understand the complexities of the program, and read my guide to the Turkish Miles&Smiles program. Also keep in mind the Miles&Smiles expiration policy, which is that miles expire at the end of the third year after which they’re earned, regardless of activity.

The other big restriction is that the bonus miles will only post after the campaign is done, so you couldn’t transfer points and then immediately redeem all of them (including the bonus). The cap on 50,000 bonus miles is also limiting. But hey, if you value Turkish miles, this could definitely offer some value.

Bottom line

Between November 1 and November 30, 2026, it’s possible to receive a 40% bonus when you move points from Citi ThankYou to Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles. The catch is that the bonus miles only post after the end of the campaign, and you can only earn 50,000 bonus miles with this offer.

If you’re looking to travel on Turkish Airlines to or from Istanbul, there are some good deals to be had by taking advantage of this.

Do you plan on taking advantage of this transfer bonus from Citi ThankYou to Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles?

That makes this the ideal time to apply. Not only that, but this is a card that many people will want, given that it’s my favorite American card for earning AAdvantage elite status, since you can basically double dip Loyalty Points.

Link: Learn more about the Citi® / AAdvantage Business™ World Elite Mastercard®

Citi AAdvantage Business Card 75K bonus miles offer

The Citi AAdvantage Business Card currently has a limited time welcome offer of 75,000 AAdvantage bonus miles after spending $5,000 within the first five months. This is a highest-ever offer, in line with the best bonuses I recall seeing on the card.

Based on my latest miles & points valuations, I value AAdvantage miles at 1.5 cents each, so to me the bonus is worth $1,125. There are some incredible uses of American AAdvantage miles, including for travel on some world class partner airlines.

Also keep in mind that credit card spending will qualify for Loyalty Points (helping you earn elite status, including Gold, Platinum, Platinum Pro, or Executive Platinum), though the welcome bonus as such won’t. Upon completing minimum spending, you’d earn a minimum of 5,000 Loyalty Points. As I’ll explain below, you can even double dip the Loyalty Points you earn.

Citi AAdvantage Business Card eligibility requirements

If you’re interested in applying for the Citi AAdvantage Business Card, the typical Citi credit card application restrictions apply, including that you can be approved for at most one Citi card every eight days, and at most two Citi cards every 65 days.

On top of that, the bonus isn’t available to those who have received a new account bonus on this exact card in the past 48 months. Eligibility is unrelated to having any other American Airlines credit cards.

If you’re concerned about Chase’s 5/24 rule, note that applying for a Citi business card generally won’t count toward that limit. I should also mention that at least anecdotally, this card seems to be quite easy to get approved for.

Why the Citi AAdvantage Business Card is worth it

The Citi AAdvantage Business Card has an annual fee that’s waived for the first year, so you can “try” the card before you have to pay a fee. While the fee after that is technically still $99, it’s increasing to $150 as of January 24, 2027, so that’s what you’d pay on account renewal.

The Citi AAdvantage Business Card offers a variety of valuable perks, including:

• 2x AAdvantage miles per dollar spent with American Airlines, and on telecommunications, cable and satellite providers, car rentals, and gas stations; credit card spending can also help you earn Loyalty Points
• A first checked bag free on domestic American Airlines itineraries for the primary cardmember and up to four companions on the same reservation
• The ability to earn a companion certificate for domestic economy travel when you spend $30,000 or more on the card in a card membership year, and when you renew the card
• Membership in the AAdvantage Business program, potentially allowing you to rack up extra rewards for travel with American

Above I mentioned how the Citi AAdvantage Business Card is the best card for earning AAdvantage elite status. The reason is because through December 31, 2028, the card essentially lets you double dip Loyalty Points. If you add an authorized user, their spending will earn 1x Loyalty Points per dollar spent for both their own account, and for the primary cardmember’s account. So this is a way to essentially get two-for-one elite status qualification, which is awesome.

With the annual fee increasing as of January 2027, the card will also pick up several valuable new perks, including the following:

• 3x miles on eligible AAdvantage Hotels and AAdvantage Cars bookings
• 2x miles on an eligible self-select category of the cardmember’s choice, which options include U.S. shipping providers, office supply stores, or U.S. advertising services
• Up to $120 Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit every four years
• Up to $100 back in statement credits annually on inflight purchases
• 25% off a Melio subscription plan to help manage business payments
• Travel protections, including enhanced trip cancellation and trip interruption, lost or damaged luggage, MasterRental (car rental), and trip delay

Read a detailed review of the Citi AAdvantage Business Card.

Citi AAdvantage Business Card FAQs

Bottom line

The Citi AAdvantage Business Card is offering a limited time welcome bonus of 75,000 AAdvantage bonus miles after spending $5,000 within the first five months. This is a great offer on a valuable card that even has its annual fee waived for the first year.

This is also my favorite card for earning AAdvantage elite status, since you can essentially earn Loyalty Points for two members at once. Authorized user spending earns Loyalty Points for the authorized user’s AAdvantage account, and also for the primary cardmember’s AAdvantage account.

Anyone plan to pick up the Citi AAdvantage Business Card with 75K miles?

Spend $900+ on flights, earn a $200 statement credit

The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card (learn more) seems to have a new targeted Amex Offers deal whereby you can earn $200 back when you spend $900+ on airfare.

This is really straightforward — targeted members just need to register for the Amex Offers deal, and then spend $900+ across one or more transactions by February 28, 2027.

You can reach that spending threshold through one or more qualifying purchases, and the flights need to be booked directly with airlines (so not through a third party). There are no restrictions as to which airline you can book through, so you can use this both for US and foreign carriers, which is awesome.

Officially Amex Offers deals are all targeted, though this one at least seems to be pretty widely targeted. It seems that it’s specific to this card, and that most people with the card are eligible for the offer.

I love these kinds of Amex Offers deals!

The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card has a steep annual fee. Personally, it’s a card that I have, and one that I find to represent a good value, thanks to the variety of perks it offers. However, an easy $200 in savings beyond the expected value sure helps even more with making the math work!

The card ordinarily earns 3x Bonvoy points per dollar spent on airfare, and I value those points at 0.7 cents each, for a 2.1% return. So if you spent exactly $900 on a ticket, you’d get a $200 statement credit plus 2,700 Bonvoy points, which I value at an extra $19 return, for a total return of around 24%. That’s excellent.

Even if you don’t have an immediate ticket you want to book, most major US airlines let you bank credit if you buy a ticket and then decide that you no longer want to travel. So you could typically buy a $900 (non-basic) ticket, and essentially pick up that much credit with an airline for around $700. That’s a great value, assuming you can use the credit before it expires.

Bottom line

Amex Offers has a new deal that can save you $200+ on the cost of an airfare purchase of $900+. This seems to be specific to the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card, and it’s widely targeted. This is an easy opportunity to save well over 20% on the cost of an airline ticket with few strings attached, so it’s worth taking advantage of, if eligible.

Are you eligible for this Amex Offers deal, and do you plan on taking advantage of it?

Luxury hotel group Rosewood has just kicked off its best sale of the year, offering savings of up to 30%, and it’s exclusively available through Rosewood Elite travel advisors. If you’ve been considering a stay at a Rosewood, this would be a great time to book.

Rosewood’s best sale of the year returns for 2026

With the Rosewood Beyond promotion, guests can save 30% off the best available rate when booking a Rosewood property through a Rosewood Elite travel advisor. To cover the basics:

• The Rosewood Beyond sale is bookable for reservations confirmed between November 3 and November 10, 2026
• The Rosewood Beyond sale is valid for stays through June 30, 2027
• The Rosewood Beyond sale can only be booked through Rosewood Elite travel advisors, and can’t otherwise be booked directly by consumers
• The Rosewood Beyond sale excludes the following properties: Rosewood Courchevel Le Jardin Alpin, Rosewood Calistoga, The Chancery Rosewood, New Zealand Collection: Rosewood Cape Kidnappers, Rosewood Kauri Cliffs, and Rosewood Matakauri
• The Rosewood Beyond sale is subject to certain blackout dates and availability restrictions, and exclusions apply
• The Rosewood Beyond sale excludes houses, penthouses, villas, and apartments

In order to take advantage of the Rosewood Beyond sale, you need to book through a Rosewood Elite travel advisor. Ford’s team is happy to help with this, and can be reached at ford@fordbtravel.com. Other travel advisors are welcome to leave their contact details in the comments as well.

Let me emphasize that the 30% discount is off the best available rate, otherwise known as the flexible rate. So you couldn’t get this discount on an advance purchase rate, third or fourth night free rate, etc. So in some situations the savings here won’t be that significant, while in other cases they are huge.

While there are of course some restrictions and blackout dates, this is about as no strings attached as promotions get.

Stack this sale with Rosewood Elite perks

Since the Rosewood Beyond sale is specifically being offered through Rosewood Elite travel advisors, the good news is that these reservations also unlock additional benefits, including the following:

• Daily breakfast for up to two people per bedroom
• A complimentary room upgrade upon arrival (based on availability)
• A welcome amenity and note
• An additional property specific elite enhanced amenities, which vary by property; these can include a $100 credit per stay, though you’ll want to check with a Rosewood Elite travel advisor to determine the property specific amenity available for your stay

Rosewood is a really high quality hotel brand, and you can find all the hotels here. If you’re looking for a getaway from the United States, it’s tough to beat the Rosewood Mayakoba, the Rosewood Little Dix Bay, the Rosewood Kona Village, Las Ventanas al Paraiso, etc. Rosewood also has lots of great city hotels, ranging from the Rosewood Hong Kong, to the Rosewood Sao Paulo, to The Carlyle New York.

Bottom line

Rosewood has brought back its biggest promotion of the year, offering 30% off the best available rate. This is valid for bookings confirmed November 3-10, 2026, and for stays through June 30, 2027.

Aside from a small list of excluded properties, this is a pretty straightforward offer that gives you the best deal you’ll find on Rosewood stays. You can even stack this with Rosewood Elite perks, to unlock breakfast, a property credit, a room upgrade, and more.

Just keep in mind that the discount is based on the flexible rate, and not based on any promotional rate you can find.

Let’s take a look at everything you need to know about this deal, and talk about under what circumstances it makes sense to buy Choice Privileges points. I generally recommend buying points only if you have a short term use in mind, and are sure the math checks out.

Link: Buy Choice Privileges points with a bonus

Promotion on purchased Choice Privileges points

Between 12AM EDT on November 2 and 11:59PM EDT on November 26, 2026, Choice Privileges is offering a sale on purchased points. The accounts I manage show a bonus of up to 40%, which is structured as follows:

• Buy 1,000-5,000 points, get no bonus
• Buy 6,000-9,000 points, get a 30% bonus
• Buy 10,000-13,000 points, get a 35% bonus
• Buy 14,000-180,000 points, get a 40% bonus

Different accounts may very well show different offers, so you’ll want to log into your Choice Privileges account to see what you’re eligible for.

How much does it cost to buy Choice Privileges points?

Choice Privileges’ pricing when buying points isn’t linear, and you get a lower cost the more points you purchase, not even factoring in any promotional bonuses or discounts. Before factoring in any bonuses or discounts, the cost to purchase points ranges from 1.28 cents per point (if buying just 1,000 points) to 1.03 cents per point (if buying 180,000 points), and that’s inclusive of taxes and fees.

If you maxed out this promotion, you could purchase a total of 252,000 points (180,000 base points, plus 72,000 bonus points) for $1,854, which is a rate of 0.74 cents per Choice Privileges point.

Note that purchased points will post within 24 hours of completing the transaction, and the points earned don’t count toward Choice Privileges elite status.

How many Choice Privileges points can you buy?

Choice Privileges lets you purchase up to 180,000 points per account per calendar year, not factoring in any bonus points.

How does this compare to other Choice Privileges buy points promos?

When Choice offers a promotion on purchased points, it’s typically either a 30-45% discount or a 35-50% bonus. So this 40% bonus is toward the bottom end of that range. Personally, I’d decide on whether to make a purchase more based on if I had an immediate use in mind, rather than the exact cost per point.

Below is a chart with some of the recent promotions we saw from Choice Privileges on buying points, before this one, with the highest bonus amounts offered.

Which credit card should you buy Choice Privileges points with?

Choice Privileges points purchases are processed by points.com, meaning they don’t generally count as a hotel purchase for the purposes of credit card spending. There is one exception — if you use a co-branded Choice Privileges credit card, then these purchases are rewarded in the same way as hotel spending.

Otherwise, I’d recommend using a card with which you’re trying to reach a minimum spending requirement, or a credit card that maximizes your return on everyday spending. When in doubt, review which credit cards are best for buying points and miles.

Best cards for non-bonused spending:

• Citi Double Cash® Card
• Chase Freedom Unlimited®
• Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
• Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
• The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express

Citi Double Cash® Card

Learn More about Citi Double Cash® Card >Rates & Fees | Terms Apply.

• Earn 1% cash back when you make a purchase, earn 1% cash back when you pay for that purchase
• $0

Chase Freedom Unlimited®

Learn More about Chase Freedom Unlimited® >Terms Apply.

• Earn 3% Cash Back on Dining
• Earn 3% Cash Back at Drugstores
• Earn 1.5% Cash Back On All Other Purchases
• $0

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

Learn More about Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card >Terms Apply.

• Earn 2x miles per dollar on every purchase
• No Foreign Transaction Fees
• 10,000 bonus miles every account anniversary
• $395

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Learn More about Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card >Terms Apply.

• Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day
• No Foreign Transaction Fees
• Global Entry/TSA Pre-Check Credit
• $95

The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express

Learn More about The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express >Rates & Fees | Terms Apply.

• 2x points on purchases up to $50k then 1x
• Access to Amex Offers
• No annual fee

Is buying Choice Privileges points worth it?

While it doesn’t get much attention in the miles & points world, Choice is a huge hotel group, with over 7,000 properties in 40 countries, representing roughly 570,000 hotel rooms. Choice hotel brands include (among others) Ascend, Cambria, Comfort Inn, Sleep Inn, Quality Inn, Clarion, Rodeway Inn, and more.

The catch is that Choice doesn’t have that many aspirational properties. In general there’s the most value outright purchasing points if you have a premium redemption in mind, given that this is the best way to get outsized value compared to the cost of a stay if paying cash.

Choice Privileges doesn’t have a formal award chart, but award pricing usually ranges from 6,000 to 45,000 points per night. In Asia-Pacific, some properties cost up to 75,000 points per night.

There are definitely some properties where you’ll get outsized value acquiring Choice Privileges points at a discount. For example, Choice has an impressive footprint in Northern Europe, where hotels can otherwise be expensive when paying cash, especially in summer.

Let me just give some examples, and let’s just keep the math easy, to show redemptions where you’re getting well over one cent of value per point (which is way higher than the acquisition cost here). Generally the key is to travel during peak periods, since that’s when you’ll get the most outsized value from your points.

For example, if you wanted to travel to Tromso, Norway, in December (to see the Northern Lights), I see two properties charging $560-620 per night, when you could book them for 40,000-45,000 points per night, getting you very nicely outsized value.

If you wanted to travel to Stockholm, Sweden, in July (summer is popular!), I see two properties charging $420-580 per night, when you could book them for 25,000-30,000 points per night, getting you excellent value.

For an example closer to home, say you wanted to go to Dunedin, Florida, in March. I see a property charging $730 per night, when you could book it for 40,000 points per night, also getting you hugely outsized value.

Let me be clear — you won’t always find outsized value in this way. For example, say you need to spend a night near LAX, where you’ll see properties charging $102-149 per night, when a points redemption requires 20,000-30,000 points per night. Paying cash is the much better value there.

The key is to travel places during peak periods, where the cash rate would be significantly higher than usual, while the points rate isn’t as elevated.

Tip: Redeem points at Preferred Hotels & Resorts

Here’s a fun redemption option with Choice Privileges points. While Choice doesn’t manage these properties, Choice Privileges has a partnership with Preferred Hotels & Resorts, which is a group of over 500 luxury independent properties around the globe.

You can redeem Choice Privileges points for stays here, and the hotels cost anywhere from 25,000 to 118,000 points per night. You can find participating hotels and award costs here, and nowadays you can even book these awards online. There are some participating hotels where you can get significant value redeeming this way, though the recent devaluation sure doesn’t help.

Does Choice Privileges have blackout dates?

Choice Privileges doesn’t have blackout dates, and points can be redeemed for stays up to 50 weeks in advance, as long as a standard room is available.

Do Choice Privileges points expire?

Choice Privileges points don’t expire as long as you have at least some account activity once every 18 months. Virtually any activity that involves earning or redeeming points would be considered qualifying for these purposes.

How much are Choice Privileges points worth?

Everyone will value points differently. Based on my latest miles & points valuations, I consider Choice Privileges points to be worth ~0.6 cents each. That’s a conservative valuation, though if you’re strategic you should be able to get lots more value out of your points than that.

How else can you earn Choice Privileges points?

Several transferable points currencies have Choice Privileges as a partner:

• Amex Membership Rewards points can be converted into Choice Privileges points at a 1:1 ratio
• Capital One miles can be converted into Choice Privileges points at a 1:1 ratio
• Citi ThankYou points can be converted into Choice Privileges points at a 1:1.5 ratio
• Wells Fargo points can be converted into Choice Privileges points at a 1:2 ratio

As you can see, of those transfer partners, Wells Fargo is going to be the most lucrative, followed by Citi, followed by Amex and Capital One.

Bottom line

Through November 26, 2026, Choice Privileges is selling points with up to a 40% bonus, which is an opportunity to buy points for as little as 0.74 cents each. While I wouldn’t recommend speculatively picking up Choice Privileges points at that cost, with a specific and short term use in mind, there could be value with this offer.

Does anyone plan on buying Choice Privileges points?

Big Amex to Virgin Atlantic transfer bonus available

Between November 2 and November 30, 2026, the American Express Membership Rewards program in the United States is offering a 30% bonus on points transfers to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club.

Ordinarily points transfer at a 1:1 ratio (in 1,000 point increments), while through this promotion you’d get 1,300 Flying Club points for every 1,000 Membership Rewards points transferred. Transfers are generally instant.

For context, Amex seems to offer a transfer bonus to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club once or twice per year. The last promotion we saw was over the summer, and this is the second offer so far in 2026. When we do see these offers, they’re typically in the range of 30-40%, so this is on the low side of that range, but could still represent a great deal.

Should you transfer Amex points to Virgin Atlantic?

Virgin Atlantic is definitely a frequent flyer program with more niche redemption opportunities. In addition to being able to redeem Flying Club points for travel on Virgin Atlantic, there’s also good value to be had for redemptions on Air New Zealand, All Nippon Airways, and Delta.

In late 2024 we saw Flying Club introduce dynamic award pricing for travel on Virgin Atlantic. While the changes are a mixed bag, what’s exciting is that on the low end, redemptions are cheaper than ever before. It’s now possible to fly one-way Virgin Atlantic Upper Class between the United States and the UK for under 30,000 points, and that’s before a transfer bonus.

Beyond that, Virgin Atlantic has several airline partners, some of which are more lucrative than others. Probably the best use of Flying Club points is for travel in ANA first & business class. You can find the redemption rates below.

Paying 45,000-47,500 Flying Club points for a one-way business class ticket between the United States and Japan is a phenomenal value to start with. Then when you consider the 30% transfer bonus, that means you could be paying significantly fewer Amex points. First class can also be a good deal.

All Nippon Airways’ new first & business class are amazing products as well. The major catch is that availability can be really tough to come by.

Bottom line

Through November 30, 2026, Amex is offering a 30% bonus when you transfer points to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club. This is definitely more of a niche program, but with a specific use in mind, there’s a lot of value to be had.

With the 30% bonus, award travel on Virgin Atlantic will be an even better value. There’s also lots of value to booking on partners, ranging from SkyTeam airlines, to Air New Zealand, to All Nippon Airways.

Do you plan on taking advantage of this Amex transfer bonus to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club?

To my knowledge, this is the first time that we’ve seen an Amex Offers deal for Etihad purchases, so it’s nice to see another airline join the Amex Offers “circuit.”

Spend $1,000+ with Etihad, get $200 back

With a new targeted Amex Offers deal, you can earn a $200 statement credit when you spend $1,000+ or more with Etihad Airways by December 31, 2026. (Enrollment required)

It’s possible that there’s also a version of the offer for 20,000 bonus points rather than a $200 statement credit, and if so, I’d consider that to be more valuable. That’s because based on my latest miles & points valuations, Amex points are worth 1.7 cents each, so I’d value the 20,000 points at $340.

There are some terms to be aware of:

• The flight needs to be booked directly through the Etihad website or app
• The flight needs to originate in the United States and be charged in USD
• While you need to book travel by December 31, 2026, it’s okay if you travel on subsequent dates
• The offer excludes ticket purchases made by phone or in-person at airport ticket offices, and purchases made onboard flights

Let me emphasize that while the terms suggest that you need to book an Etihad flight through the US website that originates in the US, I’ve had similar Amex Offers triggered in the past for flights that didn’t originate in the US, so it’s anyone’s guess how that’s actually enforced here.

Ideally you’ll see this offer on the Amex Platinum

This Amex Offers deal is targeted, though it’s possible you’ll see it on multiple of your cards. If so, I’d highly recommend registering your American Express Platinum Card® for this offer. That’s because the Amex Platinum offers 5x points on airfare purchased directly with airlines.

Based on my valuation of 1.7 cents per Membership Rewards point, the 5x points offers an incremental 8.5% return on spending. On top of that, the Amex Platinum offers valuable travel protection, should you experience irregular operations.

In other words, if you took advantage of this offer with the Amex Platinum for a $1,000 ticket, you’d receive a $200 statement credit plus 5,000 points. By my valuation, that’s a return of $285 on $1,000 of spending, which comes out to a 28.5% return.

Bottom line

There’s a new targeted Amex Offers deal for a $200 statement credit when you spend $1,000+ on an Etihad ticket. If you’re planning travel on Etihad, this has the potential to be a solid deal. Ideally you’ll see this offer on the Amex Platinum, so that you can really maximize your points.

Were you targeted for this Amex Offers deal, and if so, do you plan on taking advantage of it?

Spend $2,500+ with Air France-KLM, get $250 back

With a new targeted Amex Offers deal, you can earn a $250 statement credit when you spend $2,500 or more with Air France-KLM by December 15, 2026. (Enrollment required)

It’s possible that there’s also a version of the offer for 25,000 bonus points rather than a $250 statement credit, and if so, I’d consider that to be more valuable. That’s because based on my latest miles & points valuations, Amex points are worth 1.7 cents each, so I’d value the 25,000 points at $425.

There are some terms to be aware of:

• The flight needs to be booked directly through the Air France or KLM website or app
• The flight needs to originate in the United States and be charged in USD
• While you need to book travel by December 15, 2026, it’s okay if you travel on subsequent dates
• With Air France, the offer excludes Air France Music, Air France Saphir, Air France Shopping, convention services, baggage drop off, group reservations, La Boutique Air France, parking, Stress Free Flying workshop, flight crew training, Flying Blue Store, KLM Jet Center, and KLM Wanna Gives

For what it’s worth, in the past when I’ve purchased sustainable aviation fuel with Air France in order to earn XP (the metric by which you qualify for status), that triggered an Amex Offers deal. So at least anecdotally, that seems to work. Furthermore, taxes and carrier imposed surcharges on award tickets also seem to qualify.

I’m always happy to see this offer available, though let me note that this isn’t as lucrative as in the past. In past situations we’ve seen a $200 statement credit or 20,000 bonus points after spending $1,000+, so as a percentage return, this definitely isn’t as good.

Ideally you’ll see this offer on the Amex Platinum

This Amex Offers deal is targeted, though it’s possible you’ll see it on multiple of your cards. If so, I’d highly recommend registering your American Express Platinum Card® for this offer. That’s because the Amex Platinum offers 5x points on airfare purchased directly with airlines on up to $500,000 per calendar year and then 1x.

Based on my valuation of 1.7 cents per Membership Rewards point, the 5x points offers an incremental 8.5% return on spending. On top of that, the Amex Platinum offers valuable travel protection, should you experience irregular operations.

In other words, if you took advantage of this offer with the Amex Platinum for a $2,500 ticket, you’d receive a $250 statement credit plus 12,500 points. By my valuation, that’s a return of $462.50 on $2,500 of spending, which comes out to an 18.5% return.

Bottom line

There’s a new targeted Amex Offers deal for a $250 statement credit when you spend $2,500+ on an Air France-KLM ticket. If you’re planning travel on Air France or KLM, this has the potential to be a solid deal. Ideally you’ll see this offer on the Amex Platinum, so that you can really maximize your points.

Were you targeted for this Amex Offers deal, and if so, do you plan on taking advantage of it?

Strategically buying points for premium travel can be a great value, especially with a specific use in mind, so this is an offer I’d seriously consider.

Promotion on purchased Finnair Plus Avios

Between 12:01AM EET on November 2 and 11:59PM EET on November 16, 2026, Finnair Plus is offering a limited time promotion on purchased Avios. If you purchase Finnair Plus Avios, you can receive the following deal:

• Buy up to 4,000 Avios, receive no discount
• Buy 5,000-19,000 Avios, receive a 30% bonus
• Buy 20,000-49,000 Avios, receive a 35% discount
• Buy 50,000-84,000 Avios, receive a 40% discount
• Buy 85,000-200,000 Avios, receive a 50% discount

Beyond the discount, you can also receive tier points toward status equivalent to 10% of the Avios purchased. This is of course useful if you’re going for elite status with Finnair, but otherwise, is of limited value.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting — Finnair lets you select the currency in which you want to buy Avios (you can find the option to switch currencies at the top of the screen), and the price differs:

• If paying in JPY, Finnair ordinarily charges 3.33 JPY per Avios (2.11 cents in USD)
• If paying in USD, Finnair ordinarily charges 0.0217 USD per Avios (2.17 cents in USD)
• If paying in EUR, Finnair ordinarily charges 0.021 EUR per Avios (2.36 cents in USD)

So based on current exchange rates, you’re best off paying in JPY, followed by USD, followed by EUR. If you maxed out the promotion with a 50% bonus and paid in JPY, the best deal you could get would be to pay $2,110 for 200,000 Avios, which comes out to 1.06 cents per Avios (in USD), inclusive of all taxes and fees.

Note that this offer is only available to Finnair Plus members who joined the program before October 30, 2026, and have a minimum balance of 50 Avios in their account (though those Avios can be transferred from another “flavor” of the currency).

How does this compare to other Finnair Plus buy Avios offers?

When Finnair Plus offers a promotion on purchased Avios, it’s common to see either a 50% bonus or a 40-50% discount. The 50% discount gives you the absolute best price, so this is definitely the time to buy Avios, if interested.

Below is a chart with some of the recent promotions we saw from the program, before this one, with the highest bonus amounts offered.

Which credit card should you buy Finnair Plus Avios with?

Finnair Plus Avios purchases are processed by points.com, meaning they don’t count as an airfare purchase for the purposes of credit card spending. Therefore I’d recommend using a card on which you’re trying to reach minimum spending, or otherwise, a credit card that maximizes your return on everyday spending.

Since the purchase of Finnair Avios can potentially be billed in a foreign currency, there is one other great option. The Atmos™ Rewards Summit Visa Infinite^® Credit Card (learn more) offers 3x points on foreign purchases, so that’s a fantastic card for this kind of purchase.

Is buying Finnair Plus Avios worth it?

What should you expect from Finnair Plus award pricing, and the best ways to redeem to Finnair Plus Avios?

Below you can find the one-way Finnair Plus award redemptions rates for travel on Finnair.

Awards also have surcharges, though they’re at least mild. If you have a connecting itinerary, you’ll only be charged the surcharge correlated to the most expensive segment flown.

When your award booking includes a connecting flight, Avios are charged separately for each flight, except for flights within Finland and Northern Europe. For example, a Frankfurt to Helsinki to New York business class award would cost you 82,500 Avios (20,000 Avios plus 62,500 Avios). One awesome thing is that Finnair Plus has an award seat guarantee, meaning there’s pretty consistently award availability when booking far in advance.

Finnair Plus also allows redemptions on partner airlines, though the pricing isn’t particularly attractive, for the most part. The more important thing to keep in mind is that it’s possible to transfer Avios between the various “flavors” of the currency.

Therefore this promotion is also an opportunity to earn Avios that you can transfer 1:1 to programs like Aer Lingus AerClub, British Airways Club, Iberia Club, Qatar Airways Privilege Club, etc. That opens up more redemption opportunities.

Bottom line

Finnair Plus has launched a promotion on purchased Avios. With this, you can receive up to a 50% discount when purchasing Avios, which is an opportunity to buy them for 1.06 cents each (in USD, when paying in JPY). This is the best price of the year from Finnair Plus on purchasing Avios (and the best price for purchasing any current of Avios this year, for that matter).

There’s absolutely value to be had here, especially since this is an opportunity to earn any “flavor” of Avios, thanks to the 1:1 transfer options.

Does anyone plan on taking advantage of this promo on Finnair Plus Avios?

InKind is my favorite dining rewards app, and if you live in a market that has a good number of InKind restaurants and like dining out, there’s no reason not to use this, as you can earn bonus rewards, in addition to your credit card rewards for dining spending. Honestly, a large percentage of my dining when at home is at InKind restaurants.

Promo: If you’re new to InKind, follow this link to get $25 off your first dining experience of $50+

InKind’s generous refer a friend bonus offer

InKind has a refer a friend program. When you refer a friend to InKind and they complete their first dining purchase of $50+ (before tax, tip, etc.), you each get a $25 bonus to use toward a future dining experience.

You can find my refer a friend link here, and others are welcome to leave their link in the comments section as well.

How to use the InKind referral program

I know sometimes people get confused about the logistics of referral programs, so let me just very explicitly break down how this works for the person referring and the person being referred.

If you’re referring someone to InKind:

1. Log into the InKind app, click the three horizontal lines at the top left of the screen, and then click the “Refer a Friend” link in the menu
2. Share your referral link with a friend; you can click the “Share referral” button, and then you can text or email your referral link to a friend
3. Once your friend completes their eligible dining experience of $50+ before tax and tip, you’ll receive your referral bonus the same day
4. InKind Cash Back (the rewards currency earned for referrals) is valid for a full two additional calendar months from when it’s earned; in other words, rewards earned any time in October would be valid through the end of December

If you’re being referred to InKind:

1. Make sure you sign-up for your InKind account using a referral link, so that you can earn the reward
2. Dine at an eligible restaurant, and when you do, you’ll want to pay through the InKind app; that’s always how you pay when using InKind, so just let the server know that you’re doing that
3. You should see $25 automatically deducted from the total, assuming you’re spending $50+ before tax and tip

Why I love the InKind dining app

There are many dining rewards apps out there, though I’d argue that InKind is in a league of its own when it comes to the quality of restaurants, plus the level of rewards offered.

The major downside to InKind is that the network of restaurants isn’t that huge, at least outside of major cities. In total, InKind has thousands of participating restaurants around the United States, with many being in cities like Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco, etc.

InKind offers 10-25% back in rewards on all dining spending. It’s not like other apps, in the sense that it doesn’t matter when you dine or how you make a reservation. You just trigger the rewards by paying through the app while at the restaurant, and it couldn’t be easier.

InKind also often sells credits at a huge discount, so you can legit score massive discounts on great restaurants. Living in Miami, some of the restaurants I most frequent belong to InKind — Chug’s, Michael’s Genuine, Otto & Pepe, etc.

If you dine out and live in a city that has InKind, you’re missing out by not joining. It’s funny, I often have friends who are hesitant or put off joining, and then when they finally do join, they can’t stop telling me how much they love it, and how they can’t believe they took so long to sign-up. For more details, see my guide to the InKind dining app.

InKind referral code frequently asked questions

Bottom line

InKind is an awesome dining rewards app that I use constantly. If you’re considering signing up for InKind, make sure you use a referral link, so that you can get $25 off a dining experience of $50+. The person referring you can also get $25.

You can find my refer a friend link here, and others are welcome to leave their link in the comments section.

There are quite a few destinations bookable with this promotion, including several in the Americas, with options in business class, premium economy, and economy. This has the potential to be a great deal.

What are Flying Blue Promo Rewards?

I’m a big fan of the Air France-KLM Flying Blue program, especially for long haul premium cabin redemptions. Not only does Flying Blue largely have attractive award pricing for business class travel, but the program also has access to more Air France and KLM award space than other programs.

The Promo Rewards offer is published every month by the Flying Blue program, and offers 25% discounts off select awards for travel on Air France and KLM. The Flying Blue program has dynamic award pricing, and this promotion specifically applies for the lowest, saver level award costs.

New Flying Blue Promo Rewards now live

Flying Blue has published its November 2026 Promo Rewards, valid for bookings between November 1 and November 30, 2026. Most of these Promo Rewards have long travel windows, and can be used for flights all the way through April 30, 2027.

As a reminder, Flying Blue has standardized saver award pricing, so ordinarily you’ll pay the following amounts for one-way transatlantic awards between Europe and most of North America, when booking a “Light” fare:

• One-way economy awards cost 25,000 miles
• One-way premium economy awards cost 40,000 miles
• One-way business class awards cost 60,000 miles

Let me emphasize that with the recent Flying Blue devaluation, the entry level pricing is now for a “Light” fare rather than a Standard fare, so it comes with fewer inclusions. For example, a long haul business class “Light” fare doesn’t offer any flexibility, and also doesn’t offer lounge access.

However, if you have Flying Blue Platinum status, then you still receive most of the perks of a “Standard” fare automatically. So as an example, a Promo Rewards ticket that costs 45,000 miles in business class for a “Light” fare would now cost 56,250 miles for a “Standard” fare.

Here are the awards that are available with the Promo Rewards list this month for travel between Europe and North America, along with the pricing:

• Save 25% on Air France economy awards between Europe and Chicago (ORD), Dallas (DFW), Los Angeles (LAX), Toronto (YYZ), Vancouver (YVR), and Washington (IAD) — starting at 18,750 miles
• Save 25% on KLM economy awards between Europe and Atlanta (ATL), Las Vegas (LAS), Minneapolis (MSP), Portland (PDX), and Toronto (YYZ) — starting at 18,750 miles
• Save 25% on KLM premium economy awards between Europe and San Diego (SAN) — starting at 30,000 miles
• Save 25% on Air France business class awards between Europe and New York (JFK) — starting at 45,000 miles

On top of that, the Flying Blue Extra program was recently launched (the cost starts at €379 per year), which is essentially a paid membership program that offers extra perks. One of the perks of Flying Blue Extra is access to additional Promo Rewards, so eligible members receive access to the following extra Promo Rewards availability to North America this time around:

• Save 25% on Air France economy awards between Europe and Miami (MIA) and Ottawa (YOW) — starting at 18,750 miles
• Save 25% on Air France premium economy awards between Europe and Montreal (YUL) — starting at 30,000 miles

There are of course also Promo Rewards opportunities outside of North America, including some business class options to South America, so check out the full list.

All of the lowest priced awards in the above markets through April 30, 2027, should be bookable with the Promo Rewards pricing (though not necessarily the extra award availability that Flying Blue Platinum members receive). You can use all of these awards for travel to and from destinations across Europe, so you can travel beyond Amsterdam and Paris.

If you’re having trouble finding availability, remember to use Flying Blue’s secret award calendar. Also keep in mind that children ages two to 12 receive 25% off Flying Blue award tickets, including Promo Rewards.

Earning Flying Blue miles is easy

One of the things that’s awesome about the Flying Blue program is how easy it is to rack up miles:

• Flying Blue is transfer partners with Amex Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Capital One, Chase Ultimate Rewards, and Citi ThankYou, meaning you can transfer points earned from a variety of cards
• Flying Blue sells miles directly, often at an attractive cost, and also has a Subscribe to Miles scheme
• Flying Blue has a co-branded credit card in the United States, which is quite lucrative

Bottom line

The Air France-KLM Flying Blue program offers a Promo Rewards promotion, whereby members can book discounted award tickets in select markets. This can be a great deal, especially when you consider how easy Flying Blue miles are to come by, and also how much award space is sometimes available through Flying Blue.

With the latest Promo Rewards, you can save 25% to several destinations in the Americas, with options in economy, premium economy, and business class. This has the potential to be quite a good deal, so if you have any travel you’re interested in booking, this would be a great time to do so.

Are there any Promo Rewards you’re considering booking?

Capital One offering 20% Flying Blue transfer bonus

Capital One is offering a bonus when you transfer points to Air France-KLM Flying Blue. Between 12AM ET on November 1, 2026, and 11:59PM ET on November 30, 2026, members can receive a 20% bonus when moving points.

The transfer ratio is usually 1:1, so through this promotion you can transfer miles at a 1,000:1,200 ratio. The 20% bonus should post at the same time as the standard rewards. There’s no registration required, and no limit to how many bonus points you can earn. Transfers from Capital One to Flying Blue are generally instant.

We see bonuses from various transferable points currencies to Flying Blue every so often, in the range of 20-30%. So if you’re in the market for earning some Flying Blue miles, this is a good opportunity.

Is acquiring Flying Blue miles with a 20% bonus worth it?

Air France-KLM Flying Blue is a valuable SkyTeam frequent flyer program. The program has attractive award pricing on Air France and KLM, offering many of the best ways to cross the Atlantic. Admittedly saver award availability can be tough to come by, though if you have Flying Blue Platinum status, you get access to more award space, which is an awesome perk.

On top of that, Air France and KLM make more award seats available to members of the Flying Blue program than to members of partner programs. So even when Flying Blue’s pricing isn’t the best, there are situations where it could make sense to book through Flying Blue (though with all of the Delta SkyMiles devaluations we’ve seen, typically you will find the best pricing through Flying Blue).

I should mention that in September 2026 we saw a Flying Blue devaluation, whereby awards now followed a tiered pricing structure. This means that the cheapest awards are now “Light” fares, and if you want the same inclusions as before, you need to buy up to a “Standard” fare, which costs more miles.

There’s always value in having a stash of Flying Blue miles if you think you’ll be traveling transatlantic in the coming months. I redeem through Flying Blue every year (usually multiple times per year), and consistently get value. I find it to be one of the most useful frequent flyer programs for redeeming points.

The only other consideration here is that all major transferable points currencies partner with Air France-KLM Flying Blue, and we see transfer bonuses with some frequency. So I’d be strategic with which program you transfer points from, especially based on how you’d otherwise redeem them.

Bottom line

Through November 30, 2026, you can receive a 20% bonus when you transfer miles from Capital One to Air France-KLM Flying Blue. This bonus is being offered on Capital One’s end, so you should see the bonus right away, and can take advantage of this as often as you’d like.

This has the potential to be a good deal for redemptions on Air France-KLM as well as SkyTeam and other airline partners. If I didn’t already have a stash of Flying Blue miles, I’d take advantage of this.

Do you plan on converting Capital One miles into Flying Blue miles with this bonus?

Chase offering 30% bonus on Avios points transfers

Chase Ultimate Rewards is offering a bonus when you transfer points to British Airways Club, Iberia Club, or Aer Lingus AerClub. Between 12AM ET on November 1, 2026, and 11:59PM ET on December 1, 2026, members can receive a 30% bonus when moving points.

A transfer bonus like this seems to be offered an average of once to twice per year, and it’s typically in the range of 20-30%. So the 30% bonus is as good as it gets, and this is the biggest percentage bonus that we’ve seen so far in 2026.

Keep in mind that this bonus covers three different Avios currencies, and on top of that, you can freely transfer Avios between the various “flavors.” When you go to make a transfer, you should immediately see the 30% bonus reflected. Transfers from Ultimate Rewards to these partners are typically instant.

Keep in mind the various Avios currencies also partner with other major transferable points currencies, and we do sometimes see transfer bonuses with other programs as well.

Is acquiring Avios with a 30% bonus worth it?

I think there’s value to be had in taking advantage of a 30% bonus on points transfers from Ultimate Rewards to Avios. That’s not because of any one particular redemption opportunity, but rather because of the collective value of the Avios ecosystem.

Back in the day, the best uses of British Airways Avios were for short haul travel on partner airlines, including on Alaska and American. Unfortunately those redemption opportunities have been devalued horribly.

However, lots of great new options using Avios have emerged. For example, I love how Qatar Airways Privilege Club is now an Avios airline, as this opens up some great opportunities:

• Qatar Airways has one of the world’s best business class products, and the airline makes a vast majority of business class award space available only to those redeeming Avios
• Qatar Airways Privilege Club has some unique partner redemption opportunities, like being able to fly JetBlue Mint across the Atlantic for 78,000 Avios (so with a 30% bonus, that would be just 60,000 Chase points)

Anyway, there’s a ton of potential value here, so see my guides to maximizing Avios with British Airways Club, Iberia Club, Aer Lingus Aer Club, Qatar Airways Privilege Club, and Finnair Plus.

Bottom line

For the next several weeks, you can get a 30% bonus when you convert your Chase Ultimate Rewards points into Avios with British Airways Club, Iberia Club, and Aer Lingus AerClub.

Avios is one of the most useful points currencies out there, especially given across how many airlines you can redeem these rewards. I think for many people, this could be worth a speculative transfer.

Do you plan on taking advantage of this transfer bonus from Chase Ultimate Rewards to British Airways, Iberia, and Aer Lingus?

Chase offering 80% bonus on IHG points transfers

Chase Ultimate Rewards is offering a bonus when you transfer points to IHG One Rewards. Between 12AM ET on November 1, 2026, and 11:59PM ET on December 3, 2026, members can receive an 80% bonus when moving points.

Points ordinarily transfer at a 1,000:1,000 ratio, so with this 80% bonus offer, points transfer at a 1,000:1,800 ratio. You can take advantage of this an unlimited number of times. Transfers from Chase Ultimate Rewards to IHG One Rewards are typically instant.

For context, we typically see a transfer bonus from Chase to IHG two or three times per year, and so far the bonuses have been in the range of 50% to 100%. So this 80% bonus is roughly average as far as these bonuses go, and isn’t quite as good as the 100% bonus we saw earlier this year.

Why this promotion probably isn’t worth it

An 80% transfer bonus sounds like it could be valuable, since that’s a big percentage bonus. That being said, I still wouldn’t consider this to be a good deal under a vast majority of circumstances.

Why? Based on my latest miles & points valuations, I consider IHG One Rewards points to be worth 0.5 cents each, while I value Chase Ultimate Rewards points at ~1.7 cents each. Even when you’re getting 1.8 IHG One Rewards points per Ultimate Rewards point, you’re still only getting under one cent of value per Ultimate Rewards point.

I certainly hope that most people are able to redeem their Chase Ultimate Rewards points for well over a penny each, since that’s a really low cash out value.

Even if you value IHG One Rewards points more than I do, the reality is that IHG frequently sells points for 0.5 cents each, so I would instead buy points at that rate. It would be silly to redeem Ultimate Rewards points when you’re only getting one cent of value vs. paying cash.

Bottom line

Chase Ultimate Rewards is offering a new transfer bonus, as you can get an 80% bonus when you move points to IHG One Rewards. While I’m always happy to see a transfer bonus, I’m afraid that this simply isn’t worth it under a vast majority of circumstances.

Transfers to most of Chase’s partners are generally at a 1:1 ratio. While the simplicity of that is nice, the reality is that points have significantly different values, and this creates a few partners that I would never recommend transferring Chase points to.

Anyone have a different take, and see a reason to transfer Chase points to IHG?

In this post, I’d like to share my favorite hotel toiletry brands, and then I’m curious to hear what brands OMAAT readers prefer. To be clear, my rankings are based purely on my perception of products and brands, from the packaging, to the scent, to how it feels using them, to memories I associate with them. I’m not claiming any authority with my opinion, so please don’t ask me to defend my preferences!

Still, I’m sure I’m not alone in getting more excited about some toiletry brands than others. With that out of the way, below are some of my favorite hotel toiletry brands (let me also emphasize that not every single property belonging to these groups has the brand standard toiletries).

Le Labo at EDITION & Park Hyatt

Le Labo generally supplies toiletries for EDITION and Park Hyatt hotels, as well as select Fairmont properties, and it’s probably my single favorite toiletry brand. I love how there are different scents, and how they’re often customized for individual hotels (with the branding on the bottles even reflecting that). I enjoy the scents, and also appreciate that they seem to be fairly mild.

Bamford at Capella & Patina

Bamford toiletries are generally available at ultra-luxury hotel group Capella, and sister brand Patina. I absolutely love Bamford, and find the product scents to be pleasant, and I also like the simplicity of the branding. For airline geeks, Bamford is also nowadays the premium toiletry partner of Cathay Pacific, so don’t be surprised if you see these products in Cathay Pacific lounges, and onboard the carrier’s flights.

Diptyque at Ritz-Carlton

Within the past few years, Ritz-Carlton has started partnering with Diptyque on toiletries. What an absolutely massive upgrade this is, compared to the previous Asprey Purple Rain collection, which I personally found to be completely unremarkable. I find Diptyque to have a very pleasant scent without being overpowering. It’s something I otherwise associate with Qatar Airways, as it’s the only major airline to partner with the brand. Speaking of changes in recent years in the luxury Marriott portfolio, St. Regis has moved to SACHAJUAN, which I find to be unmemorable.

Aesop at Waldorf Astoria

A few years ago, Waldorf Astoria made the switch from Salvatore Ferragamo toiletries to Aesop toiletries. I’d consider that to be a significant upgrade. I love the scent of Aesop, and it can’t help but always remind me of Cathay Pacific back in the day (which, as noted above, has now switched to Bamford).

BVLGARI at various hotel brands

I love BVLGARI toiletries, including the packaging, scent, and feeling of using them. The catch is that while many hotels have BVLGARI toiletries, there’s not much consistency as to which brands have them. Yes, as you’d expect, BVLGARI hotels have these products, but that’s a small hotel group, with under 10 properties. On top of that, you’ll find BVLGARI toiletries at select properties of Four Seasons, Rosewood, and more.

Acqua Di Parma at various hotel brands

Acqua Di Parma is another one of my favorite hotel toiletry brands, in terms of packaging and scent. The catch is that there’s not a major hotel group that consistently stocks these products, though they’re common enough among hotel groups that I feel good about including it on the list. For example, while not brand standard, the St. Regis Venice uses Acqua Di Parma products.

Molton Brown at various hotel brands

Molton Brown makes great products (I particularly like the soap). While no major hotel group consistently has Molton Brown products, I find that they’re pretty common at luxury hotels, including at many Marriott Luxury Collection properties.

Byredo at various hotel brands

I think Byredo is worth mentioning, as you’ll find the Bal d’Afrique product line at many InterContinental properties, and the Le Chemin product line at many Luxury Collection properties. While I don’t like this quite as much as some of the brands mentioned above, I appreciate that it’s often available at more mid-range properties, where you won’t typically find brands like Aesop and Le Labo.

MALIN+GOETZ at Le Meridien

Admittedly this is a bit lower end than the other options, but I wanted to also throw in a toiletry brand from a more mid-range hotel brand. For upscale hotels, I’d say that MALIN+GOETZ, available at Le Meridien properties, is probably my favorite line.

Bottom line

The above are nine of my favorite hotel toiletry lines. As you can see, some are pretty consistently available at select hotel brands, while others are frequently offered, though not consistently at any brand. I don’t claim that my opinions are right, but the above are the toiletry brands I’m typically most excited to see at hotels.

What are your favorite hotel toiletry brands?

For example, Hilton Honors lets you transfer points to any other member online, and you can transfer up to 500,000 points and receive up to two million points per account per calendar year. Meanwhile World of Hyatt lets you transfer points to any other member online as well, with the ability to give or receive up to 525,000 points per year.

Marriott Bonvoy is the world’s largest loyalty program, so how does the program’s policy on combining points compare? Not very favorably, but it can still prove to be quite useful. I’d like to go over the details of how this feature of the program works.

How many Marriott Bonvoy points can you combine?

Marriott Bonvoy lets you combine points between accounts at no cost, with the following restrictions:

• You can transfer up to 100,000 points per calendar year
• You can receive up to 500,000 points per calendar year
• You can only combine points in 1,000 point increments
• You can make up to two transfers per calendar month, and up to six transfers per calendar year

Who can you combine Marriott Bonvoy points with?

There’s no need to be related to the person you’re sharing points with, or even to share the same address. Rather you can transfer your points to any member.

The only limitation is how long accounts have to be active:

• With qualifying activity, you can combine points with someone after they’ve had an account for 30 days
• Without qualifying activity, you can combine points with someone after they’ve had an account for 90 days

Qualifying activity includes any earning or redeeming of points, with the exception of gifting or transferring points, receiving points as a gift or transfer, or earning points through social media programs.

Along those lines, it’s also worth pointing out that combining points with a member won’t count toward extending the expiration of your points, if that’s something you’re going for (Bonvoy points expire after 24 months of inactivity).

How do you combine Marriott Bonvoy points?

It’s possible to combine Marriott Bonvoy points between accounts either by phone or via an online tool, so let’s go over both of those options.

Combine Marriott Bonvoy points online

It’s possible to transfer points to another Marriott Bonvoy member at this link. The member looking to transfer their points (rather than the recipient) should log into their account at that link, and they’ll then be brought to the points transfer tool.

On that page you’ll have to enter the recipient’s first and last name, Marriott Bonvoy number, and how many points you want to transfer (between 1,000 and 100,000).

You’ll then be asked to receive a verification code, either by email or text.

You’ll then receive confirmation that your request has been made. While the transfer tool suggests that it could take up to one hour for points to post, in reality they typically post instantly.

Combine Marriott Bonvoy points by phone

If for whatever reason you don’t want to use the online tool to transfer points to another Marriott Bonvoy member, you can continue to do this by phone. Here’s how the process works:

• Contact member support at 801.468.4000
• To get through to an agent, say “transfer points,” and then enter your Bonvoy number
• The person looking to transfer points should make the call; they’ll be asked to verify some information (like the phone number and email address on the account)
• You’ll also need the account number and name of the person you’re transferring points to, though don’t need any other info about their account
• Points should transfer instantly once the process is initiated

Why would you want to combine Marriott Bonvoy points?

Now that we’ve established that you can transfer points, perhaps the bigger question is why you would want to. There are some circumstances where combining points between Marriott Bonvoy accounts could make a lot of sense:

• If you want to book a free night award but don’t have enough points in a single account to book
• If you want to book an award for a friend or family member, then this is the easiest way to book a stay in their name
• If you plan to travel with a friend or spouse and they have elite status, so that you can transfer points to them and then you’d receive the perks associated with status for your stay

Ford transfers 100,000 Bonvoy points to me every year. Why? Because he has a sizable Bonvoy points balance, I have the higher status with Marriott, and we usually travel together. There’s more value in having Bonvoy points in my account rather than his, so that we can take advantage of elite perks when redeeming points.

Combine Marriott Bonvoy points FAQs

Bottom line

While Marriott Bonvoy isn’t the most generous when it comes to letting members combine points between accounts, this is still a functionality worth being aware of. There are plenty of circumstances where it could make sense to combine points, whether you’re looking to maximize elite benefits or book travel for others.

The major catch is the restriction on how old the accounts have to be, plus the limit on how many points you can transfer, and how often you can transfer points.

Have you ever transferred Marriott Bonvoy points? What was your experience like?

For what it’s worth, separately I’ve covered the policies of Marriott Bonvoy and World of Hyatt when it comes to combining points.

Basics of combining Hilton Honors points

Hilton Honors offers a generous feature to allow members to combine and share points with others at no cost. First let’s go over the basics:

• Hilton Honors members can transfer points to other members at a 1:1 ratio at no cost
• Points can be transferred in increments of 1,000
• Each Hilton Honors member can transfer no more than 500,000 points and receive no more than 2,000,000 points per calendar year
• Each Hilton Honors member is limited to making six transfers to other members per calendar year
• New Hilton Honors members can pool, transfer, or receive points 30 days after enrollment, assuming they have some activity on their account; assuming there’s no activity, members are eligible 90 days after account opening
• While bartering points isn’t allowed, beyond that there’s no limit on who you can transfer points to, meaning that this isn’t strictly for family members, for people at the same household, etc.
• While you can combine and transfer points, you can’t combine or transfer Hilton Honors free night awards (like those earned through credit cards), as they have to be redeemed directly by the member

Difference between points pooling & combining points

Technically Hilton Honors has two features by which you can combine points for free, and this can cause quite a bit of confusion. These two options are as follows:

• There’s the free points transfer feature, where one Hilton Honors member can transfer points to another Hilton Honors member
• There’s the free points pooling feature, where up to 11 Hilton Honors members can pool points

The reality is that these two options are more similar than they may sound. The same limits exist on points transfers regardless of which method you choose:

• If you choose the points transfer option, you can choose to transfer points to anyone, and the receiving member’s participation isn’t even needed
• If you choose the points pooling feature, the person wanting the points would request points from the person sending them, so it’s more of a collaborative effort

The end result is the same, though, which is that points are being consolidated in one account. Given the similar restrictions on transfers, personally I think it’s easier to just use the points transfer feature over the points pooling feature, which just adds an unnecessary step.

Why you should care about combining Hilton points

Before we talk about how combining Hilton points works, why should you even care about this feature? There are a few reasons this could make a difference:

• If you don’t have enough points for a free night redemption, combining points could get you there
• If you’re making a longer stay, there’s value in having enough points for four nights in one account, since Hilton offers a fifth night free on award redemptions when booking a consecutive stay
• If you’re a couple and one person has Hilton Honors™ Gold or Hilton Honors™ Diamond status but the other doesn’t, this is an easy way to get points into the account of the elite member, so you can maximize elite perks
• This could be useful if you want to maximize the points you can get in one account through credit card sign-up bonuses, buying points, etc.

Long story short, being able to combine points just gives you a lot more flexibility.

Guide to combining Hilton Honors points

The process of combining Hilton Honors points differs based on whether you’re just looking to make a simple transfer, or are looking to create a points pool with up to 11 accounts.

How to transfer Hilton Honors points

This is the most basic function, and also what I recommend. Visit the Hilton Honors points transfer page to start the process of transferring points from one Hilton Honors account to another.

You’ll be prompted to log into your Hilton Honors account, and then will be asked to enter the number of points you want to transfer (between 1,000 and 500,000), along with the name, email address, and Hilton Honors number of the person you want to transfer points to.

This is still facilitated by points.com (as points purchases usually are), except in this case you’re not paying anything. While the points are supposed to be available for redemption immediately, they may only show in your online account activity 24 hours after the transaction was processed.

How to pool Hilton Honors points

This is the function to be aware of if you want to have up to 11 people combine points into one account. Visit the Hilton Honors points pooling page to start the process of creating a pooling account with multiple Hilton Honors members.

While the points transfer feature only requires the participation of the member who is transferring points, the process of pooling points requires participation of all members involved. One person can start sending invitations to pool points, which requires entering the names and email addresses of the people you want to invite.

That person will receive an email invitation to join your points pool, at which point they can transfer points to you.

The person will have to log into their Hilton Honors account, and then they’ll be brought to the same page for combining points as above.

If the member does choose to pool/transfer points, the person who invited them will be informed.

The reality is that this process is more or less the same as just combining points, with the difference being that someone is prompted to transfer points, rather than just doing so straight out of their account with no prompting.

Best ways to earn Hilton Honors points

Not only does Hilton Honors offer an excellent rate of return (in points) on hotel stays, but there are lots of other great ways to earn Hilton Honors points.

For one, there are four excellent co-branded Hilton Amex credit cards in the United States, including the following:

• Hilton Honors American Express Card (learn more)
• Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card (learn more)
• Hilton Honors American Express Business Card (learn more)
• Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card (learn more)

On top of that, Hilton Honors often sells points at a discount. In many cases there’s a 100% bonus on purchased points (or even more), which allows you to purchase points for just 0.5 cents each (or in some case even less). This can be a good deal, particularly for high-end redemptions (though Hilton Honors devaluations in recent times make these redemptions less exciting than in the past).

Combine Hilton Honors points FAQs

Bottom line

It’s always nice to easily be able to move points between loyalty program accounts in order to maximize them. As far as hotel loyalty programs go, Hilton Honors has what’s arguably the best option for combining points.

You can combine points at no cost, with some reasonable limits in place. You can either use the standard points transfer option, or you can go through the process of pooling points; personally I find the former option to be easier.

Have you ever used Hilton Honors’ points pooling feature? If so, what was your experience like?

That’s not true across the board, though. In premium cabins, we’ve seen airlines introduce some pretty amazing amenities in recent years, and that even includes awesome bathrooms.

In this post, I’d like to share what I consider to be the airlines with the best first class bathrooms (somewhat overlapping with my list of the world’s best first class airlines).

Unsurprisingly, the Airbus A380 takes center stage on this flight, as it’s an aircraft that has ushered in the most bathroom innovation. That’s because the front of the upper deck has a bit of extra space that can’t be utilized for seats, making room for some cool amenities.

With that in mind, below are my six favorite airplane bathrooms, roughly ranked…

1. Emirates A380 first class

Emirates A380 first class is one of my all-around favorite first class products, and a large part of that is the amazing A380 first class shower suites.

Emirates’ A380s have two first class shower suites at the front of the upper deck, equipped with heated floors, enough amenities to start a toiletry resale business, and most importantly, a shower.

As a first class passenger, you can schedule a shower at the beginning of your flight, and while there’s no time limit to how long you can use the shower spa, you’re limited to five minutes of water. Fortunately you can turn the water on and off without the clock “running,” so that’s more than enough water for a nice shower.

Of all the excitement I’ve experienced in the air, I don’t think anything compares to the first time I took a shower on Emirates. The airline even has shower spa attendants, who make sure the shower spas are well maintained throughout the flight.

2. Etihad A380 first class

Etihad A380 first class consists of nine “First Class Apartments,” and these passengers have access to the shower suite at the front of the cabin. Much like on Emirates, each passenger gets five minutes of water, and the shower suite is refreshed between each use.

While this is a great and refreshing feature, the shower suite definitely isn’t as spacious as on Emirates. So if you’re used to showering on Emirates, you might find that it’s a bit tight, but otherwise you’ll no doubt be delighted. Also keep in mind that there’s still The Residence on Etihad, which is a three room suite that can be reserved as an upgrade over the standard first class. This comes with a private bathroom, including shower.

3. Singapore Airlines A380 Suites

Singapore Airlines A380 Suites is an incredible first class product, with only six seats in the cabin. While you won’t find a shower on Singapore Airlines’ A380s, you will find some of the most spacious bathrooms in the sky. One of the lavatories has a huge vanity, and is probably the size of 10 typical Boeing 737 MAX bathrooms. Airplane bathrooms don’t get much more luxurious than this!

4. Qatar Airways A380 first class

Qatar Airways A380 first class has two very nice lavatories at the front of the upper deck. While there aren’t any special amenities, you’ll find that they’re incredibly spacious, and nicely decorated.

5. Lufthansa A380 first class

Lufthansa A380 first class features two huge lavatories at the front of the upper deck, each equipped with a bench, and most excitingly, a urinal! Lufthansa is the only airline to offer urinals on planes, so that’s pretty special… or something.

While we’re speaking of Lufthansa, I have a soft spot for Lufthansa 747-8 first class, probably at least partly because the Boeing 747-8 is my favorite plane as an avgeek. While not quite as over the top as some of the other options, Lufthansa’s 747-8 lavatories are spacious, have a bench you can extend out over the toilet, and most importantly, have a window. It’s so nice to be able to look out the window while in the lavatory.

Lastly on the topic of Lufthansa and lavatories, I do have to bring up how cool the economy lavatories on the carrier’s A340-600s were (these planes were just recently retired). They were located on the “lower deck” (in a cargo compartment), so they were probably the most unusual lavatories you could’ve recently found in commercial service. By comparison, the Lufthansa A340 first class lavatories weren’t much to get excited about at all.

6. All Nippon Airways A380 first class

All Nippon Airways A380 first class has two large, identical lavatories at the front of the upper deck. They’re huge, but there are also a couple of thoughtful design touches that I appreciate about them.

For one, ANA has a bidet function for its toilets, which is always a nice feature to have. I also appreciate how there’s a “plank” of sorts that you can extend on the ground, for situations where you want to change into pajamas without touching the regular floor of the bathroom.

On top of that, ANA does an amazing job with keeping its lavatories clean between each use, down to folding the toilet paper into perfect triangles.

Now, in fairness, there are a decent number of products with a bidet function in service, from Japan Airlines A350 first class, to Gulf Air 787 business class, to Oman Air 787 business class.

Bottom line

There are some pretty incredible airplane bathrooms out there. While nothing can compete with Emirates’ amazing shower suites, there are plenty of other impressive airplane bathrooms out there as well, with everything from vanities, to bidets, to urinals. As A380s increasingly get retired, unfortunately going to the bathroom on a plane is getting less pleasant!

What’s your favorite bathroom on a commercial aircraft?

Of course one common question is which routes actually feature these new planes. So in this post, I’d like to go over that — which planes have the new cabins, and which routes do they fly? The airline is flying these planes on an increasing number of routes out of two hubs, so there are more opportunities to try this product.

Basics of United’s new 222-seat Boeing 787-9s

Prior to 2026, United already had over 80 Boeing 787 Dreamliners in its fleet, split between the 787-8, 787-9, and 787-10 variants. However, United is now taking delivery of another 71 Boeing 787-9s, which recently started to be delivered (in addition to 56 Boeing 787-10s, which will be delivered as of 2028).

What’s exciting about these planes is that they feature an all-new passenger experience, and are in an ultra premium configuration. The planes feature just 222 seats, compared to the 257 seats you’ll find on all the previous 787-9s.

Specifically, these planes feature:

• 64 Polaris business class seats, spread across 16 rows, in a 1-2-1 configuration; eight of those are Polaris Studio seats, which are the front row “business class plus” product
• 35 Premium Plus premium economy seats, spread across five rows, in a 2-3-2 configuration
• 123 economy seats, spread across 15 rows, in a 3-3-3 configuration; 39 of those are Economy Plus extra legroom seats

United Elevate Boeing 787-9 routes & flights

If you want to actually fly a United Boeing 787-9 with the new United Elevate interiors, what are your best odds of getting on one of these? The good news is that they’re consistently scheduled on certain routes.

As it currently stands, United has 16 of these 787s in its fleet, with several more expected to be delivered in the coming months. United plans to have 33 of these jets by 2028, so the airline is taking delivery of an average of around one of these per month (though the pace has been even faster in the first several months).

When you go to book a ticket, the best way to tell if a flight is operated by the new plane is whether you see “Polaris Studio available” listed under the United Polaris fare options (assuming those seats are for sale). Otherwise there are no obvious indicators, other than looking at the seat map.

We recently saw the IATA winter season kick off, and with that, we’re seeing the plane based out of both Houston (IAH) and San Francisco (SFO).

You’ll currently find the 787 with Elevate interiors scheduled to fly to the following destinations out of San Francisco:

• London Heathrow (LHR) on UA901/900 & UA930/939
• Singapore Changi (SIN) on UA1/2 & UA29/28
• Sydney (SYD) on UA829/830 as of December 2, 2026, with varying frequencies

You’ll then find the 787 with Elevate interiors scheduled to fly to the following destinations out of Houston:

• Sao Paulo (GRU) on UA62/63
• Sydney (SYD) on UA101/100
• Tokyo Narita (NRT) on UA7/6
• London Heathrow (LHR) on UA880/879 as of January 5, 2027, with daily service

Let me emphasize that schedules are always subject to change (especially when Boeing delivery delays are a potential factor), and the above is just how things currently stand. I’m also not including flights between San Francisco and Houston, which sometimes see the plane so that it can be rotated between hubs, but obviously that route doesn’t feature the true Polaris soft product.

Bottom line

In recent months, we’ve seen United start to take delivery of its brand new Boeing 787-9s, featuring a more premium layout, plus new cabins. These are exciting planes for passengers, as they feature a much improved onboard experience. They’re also great in terms of upgrade and award availability, given the number of premium seats.

If you want to fly United’s new 787s, you’ll currently find them flying out of Houston and San Francisco. Out of Houston, they’re primarily flying to London, Sao Paulo, Sydney, and Tokyo, while out of San Francisco, they’re primarily flying to London and Singapore. It’s great to see the pace at which United is taking delivery of these planes.

I look forward to trying the new interiors, though I’m hoping to wait until these planes have Starlink installed, since I think that really completes the experience.

What do you make of United’s new Boeing 787-9s, and the routes they’re flying?

The reality is that the value of Hyatt Points + Cash has fluctuated significantly over the years. Going back a decade, it was the primary way that I redeemed my points. Then it was devalued significantly, and then some value was brought back. So I’d like to take a look at the current state of things… is Hyatt Points + Cash worth considering nowadays?

World of Hyatt Points + Cash program basics

As the name suggests, with Hyatt Points + Cash, you can redeem part points and part cash toward the cost of a Hyatt stay. More specifically, you’ll redeem 50% of the points required for a stay, and will receive a 30-50% discount off the standard rate for the room type chosen.

Now, there are some important things to be aware of:

• Points + Cash stays are capacity controlled, unlike free night award stays, where there are no blackout dates or capacity controls on standard rooms
• The cash portion of the Points + Cash rate is payable at the hotel at check-out, and is subject to the same percentage taxes & fees you’d pay on a revenue stay
• You earn World of Hyatt points for the cash portion of a Points + Cash stay; with World of Hyatt you earn 5x points per dollar spent, plus elite bonuses of 10-30%, and those base points count toward elite status, including lifetime Globalist status
• You earn elite nights for Points + Cash stays, just as you would if paying cash or redeeming points
• World of Hyatt waives resort & destination fees on points stays for all members, and waives parking fees for Globalist members on award stays; for these purposes, a Points + Cash reservation isn’t considered an award stay
• You can combine awards with Points + Cash bookings, whether that’s a World of Hyatt Guest of Honor booking, Suite Upgrade Award, Club Access Award, etc.

Just as a reminder, below is the standard room World of Hyatt award chart, which shows the award pricing for a free night hotel stay based on which of the five pricing tiers applies for a particular night (lowest, low, moderate, upper, or top).

When booking Points + Cash, you’d pay half of the points, plus 50-70% of the flexible revenue rate, so below is that chart.

Crunching the numbers on Hyatt Points + Cash

With the basics of Hyatt Points + Cash out of the way, let’s do some number crunching. Let me state upfront that based on my latest miles & points valuations, I consider World of Hyatt points to be worth 1.4 cents each, though I usually get quite a bit more value out of them in comparison to what a hotel stay would cost with cash.

For the purposes of the below examples, I’ll simply be comparing the cost for a free night redemption to the cost of a Points + Cash redemption. This doesn’t consider the outright cost of a stay if paying cash, so for more on that, see my post about when you should redeem points for a hotel stay.

I picked six hotels at random, belonging to different brands and in different regions. I picked totally random dates, so let’s take a look at what I found.

For the night I picked, the Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay is charging 15,000 points per night, or 7,500 points plus $103 ($116 including taxes & fees). If redeeming outright, you’re spending 7,500 extra points to save $116, which is like buying Hyatt points for 1.55 cents each.

The Park Hyatt Los Cabos is charging 55,000 points per night, or 27,500 points plus $500.50 ($680.68 including taxes & fees). If redeeming outright, you’re spending 27,500 extra points to save $680.68, which is like buying Hyatt points for 2.48 cents each.

The Hyatt Studios Mobile is charging 3,000 points per night, or 1,500 points plus $61 ($71.98 including taxes & fees). If redeeming outright, you’re spending 1,500 extra points to save $71.98, which is like buying Hyatt points for 4.8 cents each.

The Thompson Rome is charging 35,000 points per night, or 17,500 points plus $281.20 (that includes taxes & fees). If redeeming outright, you’re spending 17,500 extra points to save $281.20, which is like buying Hyatt points for 1.61 cents each.

The Hyatt Centric Dubai Jumeirah is charging 20,000 points per night, or 10,000 points plus $115 ($145.14 including taxes & fees). You’re spending $145.14 to save 10,000 points, which is like buying Hyatt points for 1.45 cents each.

The Grand Hyatt Seoul is charging 20,000 points per night, or 10,000 points plus $221 (that includes taxes & fees). You’re spending $221 to save 10,000 points, which is like buying Hyatt points for 2.21 cents each.

So, is Hyatt Points + Cash worth it?

As you can see, the value of Hyatt Points + Cash varies significantly. In the above six examples I randomly pulled up, you’re essentially “buying” Hyatt points for anywhere from 1.45 cents to 4.8 cents each (these aren’t actually points in your account, but rather you’re spending some amount of cash in lieu of points).

So the idea is that if the “purchase” price on points were relatively low, it could be worth booking Points + Cash, rather than just redeeming outright. On the low end of the spectrum, some people might find this to be worthwhile, though I think on the high end of the spectrum, we can all agree this represents an awful deal.

Before you make a final decision, just keep in mind:

• What the taxes & fees are for the cash portion of the Points + Cash booking, which will show on the final booking page (I tried to incorporate that in the above math)
• Factor in the World of Hyatt points you’d earn for the cash portion of the Points + Cash booking, which improves the math even further
• If a property has a resort or destination fee and you’re not a Globalist member, then there’s a huge advantage to outright redeeming for a free night award, so that’s waived
• Keep in mind the opportunity cost of a Points + Cash booking; for example, if I’m booking a luxury property, I may prefer to outright redeem points for one night and then pay cash through the Hyatt Privé program for the other night, so I receive extra perks

Lastly, let me just mention that in many cases Points + Cash is a better value compared to redeeming points outright in situations where the cash rate is lower than usual, and a hotel is in low season. In those situations it might not make sense to redeem points at all. This comes down to how reimbursement for these awards works between World of Hyatt and individual hotels.

For example, the single best Points + Cash deal above is at the Hyatt Centric Dubai, but if you look at the cash rate, you’ll see that redeeming points isn’t a great deal in the first place. There’s no reason to redeem 20,000 points (or 10,000 points plus $115) when the cash rate in the first place is well under $200.

Bottom line

Hyatt Points + Cash lets you redeem part points and part cash toward the cost of a hotel stay. While it’s nice to have the flexibility of this redemption opportunity, more often than not it doesn’t represent a good deal, in my opinion.

The value you’re getting per point through Points + Cash does vary wildly, but one thing that’s fairly consistent is that you won’t get outsized value. In a majority of situations where Points + Cash represents a good deal compared to the outright points cost, it’s a hotel where a points redemption isn’t a good deal in the first place.

Personally, I avoid Points + Cash redemptions, though it’s always worth checking and crunching the numbers.

What’s your take on Hyatt’s Points + Cash option? Do you ever use it?

This doesn’t get a lot of attention, and it’s particularly useful if you want to minimize your out-of-pocket when staying at a Hyatt property, while still indulging in on-property experiences.

Hyatt Dining & Spa Experience Awards

Most people don’t realize that you can redeem World of Hyatt points toward the cost of on-property dining and spa experiences, and the value proposition can be surprisingly good. Specifically, you can redeem a certain number of points for a certain amount of credit to use toward on-property spending, even if you’re not staying at a Hyatt property. Let’s take a closer look at how this works.

Hyatt Dining & Spa award chart

Below is a chart showing the various redemption opportunities available with Hyatt’s Dining & Spa awards, along with how much value you can potentially get per point:

As you can see, you can redeem anywhere from 1,000 points for a $10 credit, to 65,000 points for a $1,000 credit. The value per point ranges anywhere from 1.0 cents per point, to 1.54 cents per point.

1.54 cents per World of Hyatt point sounds like a solid deal. Based on my latest miles & points valuations, World of Hyatt points are worth 1.4 cents each, so this actually offers solid value, at least on the surface. Is there a catch, though?

What can Hyatt Dining & Spa awards be used toward?

The exact redemptions that are allowed vary by hotel, but generally you can expect that these awards can be used for food and beverage purchases, spa and salon services, and spa and salon retail items.

On top of that, when charged to a member’s guest room, the following charges may be eligible:

laundry, dry cleaning, telephone charges, pay-per-view movies, parking, gift/retail shop, service charges, taxes (not including room taxes) and gratuities

Meanwhile the following charges are expressly prohibited from being eligible:

room rates, room taxes, alcoholic beverages (in certain jurisdictions), catering or banquet charges, and casino charges

If you’re staying at a Hyatt then you should be able to redeem these awards for cumulative charges over the course of your stay. However, I’d recommend confirming this with the front desk at check-in, including which outlets would be eligible for these redemptions, since individual hotels could have different policies.

What hotels are eligible for Hyatt Dining & Spa awards?

Not all Hyatt hotels participate in this program. Miraval, Unscripted by Hyatt, Hyatt Select, Destination by Hyatt, Hyatt Vacation Club properties, Hyatt Vivid, Bahia Principe, Impression by Secrets, Secrets, Dreams, Breathless, Zoëtry, Alua, Sunscape, and other Legacy AMR Collection resorts, as well as some Dream properties, do not participate. Furthermore, redemption of these certificates is limited to registered guests at Hyatt Zilara, Hyatt Ziva, and Hyatt Studios properties.

To be positive, you can search participating properties at this page.

How do you actually redeem a Hyatt Dining & Spa award?

You don’t need to redeem for these certificates in advance, but rather the World of Hyatt member should just inform the Hyatt employee at the eligible outlet that they’d like to redeem points toward their purchase at the outset. You’ll need to have your membership information, and should then be asked how many points you want to redeem.

If you’re a registered guest at a hotel then you can apply one of these at check-out toward multiple purchases over the course of a stay. If you’re not a registered guest then you’ll have to settle your folio at the particular outlet you’re at.

Other Hyatt Dining & Spa award basics

There are a few other things to potentially be aware of:

• You don’t earn World of Hyatt points for any purchase for which you’re redeeming a Dining & Spa award, including the amount in excess of what you’re redeeming for; this is puzzling, but that’s what the terms state — “any charges for which a Dining, Spa and More Award is redeemed (including charges in excess of the award amount) are ineligible to earn points in the program”
• You can redeem at most one award per transaction, and the transaction amount can be above or below the award amount; if it’s above, you can pay the difference in cash, while if it’s below, you don’t get any refund
• The member has to be present to redeem this, so you can’t use this as a gift for someone you’re not traveling with

Are Hyatt’s Dining & Spa awards a good deal?

On the surface, being able to redeem World of Hyatt points for up to ~1.54 cents toward the cost of a purchase is a solid deal. Is it exceptional? No. But as a way of essentially “cashing out” your points to offset cash costs I think it’s very good.

I do think it’s important to create a more realistic valuation of these redemptions, though. When you redeem these awards you’re forgoing the opportunity to earn points on these purchases:

• World of Hyatt members ordinarily earn 5x points per dollar spent
• World of Hyatt Discoverist members earn an additional 0.5 points per dollar, Explorist members earn an extra 1.0 points per dollar, and Globalist members earn an extra 1.5 points per dollar
• For paying with the World of Hyatt Credit Card or World of Hyatt Business Credit Card you’d earn 4x points per dollar spent

As a Globalist member I earn 10.5x points per dollar spent, which I value at a return of ~15% (1.4 cents per point). That’s an opportunity cost that’s worth factoring in, so in reality, I’d adjust the maximum value from 1.54 cents to ~1.3 cents.

Personally, this isn’t how I’d redeem my World of Hyatt points, though I do think many people could find this to be worthwhile for a splurge:

• If you’re on a special trip and want to have some awesome spa treatments or a really extravagant meal that you wouldn’t otherwise pay for in cash, this could be a great way to do so
• If you’re staying at a secluded Hyatt resort where you’d naturally spend quite a bit on-property (Alila Mayakoba, Park Hyatt Maldives, etc.), this could be a great way to limit your out-of-pocket spending
• If you’re a business traveler who earns more World of Hyatt points than you know what to do with, this could be a great way to enhance stays

Bottom line

World of Hyatt offers Dining & Spa awards, allowing members to redeem points for dining and spa experiences at most Hyatt properties. This has the potential to be a solid deal, as getting 1.54 cents per Hyatt point toward the cost of a purchase is a good redemption. However, do factor in the points you’re forgoing, which brings down the redemption value a bit.

While I wouldn’t say this is the best way to redeem Hyatt points, this could be worth it to lower how much cash you’ll pay for a Hyatt stay, especially at a secluded resort where you’re likely to spend most time on-property.

What do you make of Hyatt’s Dining & Spa awards? Could you see yourself redeeming points for them?

In this post, I’d like to take an in-depth look at how to redeem Atmos Rewards points. How do you earn Atmos Rewards points, what are the rules around redeeming them, and what are the best uses?

How to earn Alaska Atmos Rewards points

There are several different ways to go about earning Alaska Atmos Rewards points, from credit cards, to outright buying points, to transferring them from other cards.

Earn Atmos Rewards points with co-branded credit cards

The Atmos Rewards program has three co-branded credit cards, issued by Bank of America, and they all have excellent welcome bonuses with limited eligibility restrictions:

• The Atmos™ Rewards Summit Visa Infinite^® Credit Card (learn more) has a $395 annual fee, and there are so many reasons to get this lucrative card, ranging from the fastest pathway to earning status, to Global Companion Awards, to great bonus categories, and much more
• The Atmos™ Rewards Ascent Visa Signature® credit card (learn more) has a $95 annual fee, and it offers valuable basic perks for travel on Alaska & Hawaiian, including the ability to earn a $99 companion fare
• The Atmos™ Rewards Visa Signature® Business Card (learn more) has a minimum of a $95 annual fee ($70 for the company and $25 per user), and offers useful benefits for travel on Alaska & Hawaiian

What’s so great is that you can potentially qualify for all of these cards, so that’s an opportunity to earn lots of points. For example, I picked up both the Atmos Rewards Summit Card and Atmos Rewards Business Card on the same day.

Earn Atmos Rewards points with other credit cards

The Atmos Rewards program is transfer partners with Bilt Rewards, so you can transfer Bilt Points to Atmos Rewards at a 1:1 ratio. This could be a great reason to pick up one of Bilt’s credit cards, with options including the Bilt Blue Card (learn more), Bilt Obsidian Card (learn more), and Bilt Palladium Card (learn more) (Rates & Fees). Personally, I think the Bilt Palladium Card is by far the most lucrative.

You can even pay rent with an Atmos Rewards card and earn 3x points while paying a 3% fee, which could be a useful deal, especially if you’re pursuing elite status.

The program also partners with Marriott Bonvoy®, so you can transfer over Marriott points. The ratio is that 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy® Points convert into 25,000 Atmos Rewards points (if you convert in different increments, it’s a 3:1 ratio).

This can be a solid value, and there are lots of credit cards that can earn you Bonvoy points, including the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card (learn more), Marriott Bonvoy Bevy® American Express® Card (learn more), and Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card (learn more).

Buy Atmos Rewards points

The Atmos Rewards program is pretty aggressive about selling points, and the program seems to offer promotions on purchased points every couple of months. When we see these offers, you can expect bonuses in the range of 90-110%. This is often an opportunity to acquire Atmos Rewards points for under two cents each.

It doesn’t cost anything to join the Atmos Rewards program, so I generally recommend signing up ahead of time — you have to be a member for at least 10 days in order to take advantage of one of these promotions.

Earn Atmos Rewards points by flying

Not only are there great ways to earn Atmos Rewards points either through credit cards or by buying them outright, but Atmos Rewards is also a good program to credit flights to.

For one, Atmos Rewards is the last major US frequent flyer program to give members the option to earn points based on distance flown rather than dollars spent. Atmos Rewards allows mileage earning on a variety of airline partners, ranging from Condor to Cathay Pacific. Atmos Rewards lets you earn points for travel on the following airline partners:

• Aer Lingus
• Air Tahiti Nui
• American Airlines
• British Airways
• Cathay Pacific
• Condor
• Fiji Airways
• Finnair
• Hainan Airlines
• Iberia
• Icelandair
• Japan Airlines
• Korean Air
• Malaysia Airlines
• Oman Air
• Philippine Airlines
• Porter
• Qantas
• Qatar Airways
• Royal Air Maroc
• Royal Jordanian
• SriLankan Airlines
• Starlux Airlines

The one thing worth mentioning is that you can only earn Atmos Rewards points on Korean Air, Philippine Airlines, and Starlux Airlines, if you book through Alaska, rather than through one of the partners.

Basics of redeeming Alaska Atmos Rewards points

Alaska Atmos Rewards has some great redemption opportunities, though there are also quite a few rules to be aware of. Let’s cover some of those basics.

Atmos Rewards points redemption partners

Alaska Airlines belongs to the oneworld alliance, though the airline has an array of partners beyond oneworld. It’s possible to redeem Atmos Rewards points for travel on the following airlines:

• Aer Lingus
• Air Tahiti Nui
• American Airlines
• British Airways
• Cathay Pacific
• Condor
• Fiji Airways
• Finnair
• Hainan Airlines
• Hawaiian Airlines
• Iberia
• Icelandair
• Japan Airlines
• Korean Air
• Malaysia Airlines
• Oman Air
• Philippine Airlines
• Porter
• Qantas
• Qatar Airways
• Royal Air Maroc
• Royal Jordanian
• SriLankan Airlines
• Starlux Airlines

All Atmos Rewards award redemption partners can be booked online at alaskaair.com. If you have a complicated itinerary or are having issues with the website, you’ll want to call the Atmos Rewards partner award desk, which can be reached at 800-252-7522.

Atmos Rewards has region & distance based award charts

When it comes to redeeming points, Atmos Rewards has three simple award charts that are a combination of zone and distance based.

There’s the Americas award chart, which covers any travel from the United States to anywhere in the Americas, including North America and South America.

Then there’s the Europe, Middle East, and Africa award chart, which includes travel from the United States to Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, and travel within Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

Lastly, there’s the Asia-Pacific award chart, which includes travel from the United States to Asia-Pacific, within Asia-Pacific, and between Asia-Pacific and Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

The most significant thing to understand here is that the “starting at” prices are actually what you’re going to pay if there’s saver level award availability. All partners have the same award pricing assuming there’s saver award availability.

There are a few other important things to mention:

• Award pricing is based on the cumulative distance of one-way travel
• As you can see above, there’s a hierarchy of award charts, so the Americas chart only applies if you’re traveling within the Americas, the Europe, the Middle East, and Africa chart applies if traveling from the United States to Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, and the Asia-Pacific chart applies if traveling within Asia-Pacific, or between Asia-Pacific and any other regions
• This is very specific, but for travel in Icelandair Saga Class (business class), pricing is based on premium economy rather than business class, given the type of product that Icelandair offers; however, this is a moot point, since Icelandair rarely releases premium availability

Atmos Rewards status points for award flights

The Atmos Rewards program awards status points for award travel booked through the program. This applies for travel on Alaska, Hawaiian, and all other partner airlines.

Just book using Atmos Rewards points and have your Atmos Rewards number on the reservation, and you’ll earn one status point per mile flown, regardless of the class of service (this assumes you select to earn Atmos Rewards points based on distance flown).

This is a massive point of differentiation for the program, and if you ask me, it’s a contributing reason that many American loyalists might want to consider Atmos Rewards.

Atmos Rewards allows stopovers on one-way awards

One of my favorite things about the Atmos Rewards program is that you are allowed a stopover on a one-way award ticket when traveling between regions. This is possible regardless of which partner you redeem with.

So if you book a roundtrip as two one-ways, this means you can potentially get two stopovers on a roundtrip ticket. To book a ticket online with a stopover, just use the multi-city function, and you can search each portion of the ticket individually.

Now, admittedly with the program being distance based, you are in some cases potentially paying more for itineraries with stopovers, but it’s still a useful feature.

Atmos Rewards award inventory discrepancies

On the surface, Atmos Rewards should have access to the same award availability as other partner airlines do, though in some cases Atmos Rewards inexplicably doesn’t have access to the same space. Most commonly:

• Atmos Rewards often has access to one less first and/or business class award seat on Cathay Pacific and Japan Airlines than other programs do
• Qantas awards sometimes don’t show up, though there’s not much rhyme or reason to that
• Atmos Rewards often has access to one less business class award seat on Aer Lingus than other programs do

This won’t be consistent, but it is something to be aware of, and it sure can be frustrating. There’s generally not any way to get around this.

Atmos Rewards partner non-saver award pricing

When searching award availability on some partner airlines, you may see award pricing that’s way above what the chart suggests. This includes for some flights on Aer Lingus, Icelandair, Qatar Airways, and Starlux Airlines. In those situations, what’s happening is that there’s no saver level award availability, but Atmos Rewards has negotiated to have more award availability at a higher cost.

I know this kind of pricing frustrates some people and makes them think the program doesn’t offer good value. However, in these situations, other partner airlines simply wouldn’t have access to the award space. So I wouldn’t view it as a negative, but rather just as an opportunity you probably don’t want to take advantage of.

Atmos Rewards blocking partner awards close to departure

Atmos Rewards blocks many many partner awards within 72 hours of departure. I’ve been told that this policy won’t stick around, though I don’t have a timeline for when it will change, and it continues to be live. It’s certainly something to be aware of when it comes to last minute redemption opportunities.

Furthermore, Atmos Rewards doesn’t have access to any nonstop domestic American awards at the saver level within six days of departure. Don’t expect this to change, as it’s presumably a commercial decision on American’s part.

Atmos Rewards award ticketing fees

There are a couple of fees associated with redeeming Atmos Rewards points:

• There’s a $20 partner award booking fee, which is charged each way per passenger, and applies for new partner award bookings, and it’s non-refundable, so if you cancel your ticket, you won’t get that fee back; however, this fee is waived for those with the Atmos™ Rewards Summit Visa Infinite^® Credit Card (learn more)
• If you book by phone, there’s a $30 service fee, which is waived for Atmos Rewards Gold, Platinum, and Titanium member

Atmos Rewards award ticket change & cancelation fees

Atmos Rewards no longer has any change or cancelation fees for award tickets, which gives you lots of flexibility to speculatively lock in awards, or even change them if a better routing opens up. The only exception is that the $20 partner award booking fee can’t be refunded.

Atmos Rewards award ticket fuel surcharges

Atmos Rewards passes on carrier imposed surcharges (often referred to as fuel surcharges) for travel on some partner airlines. Specifically, these apply for travel on British Airways, Hainan Airlines, and Icelandair. Fortunately they don’t apply for travel on other partner airlines.

Atmos Rewards award ticket hold policy

Atmos Rewards doesn’t allow award tickets to be placed on hold. To book an Atmos Rewards award ticket you need to have sufficient points in your account, though you can always cancel it for free.

Atmos Rewards points expiration policy

Atmos Rewards points don’t expire. However, if you don’t have any account activity for over two years, your account may be locked for security reasons, and your points may be accessed by contacting Atmos Rewards and verifying personal details.

Best ways to use Alaska Atmos Rewards points

We all have different travel goals, so there’s never going to be a one size fits all answer as to what the best use of points is. Broadly speaking, my favorite way to redeem points is for aspirational redemptions in first and business class, since that’s where you’ll get the most outsized value.

However, nowadays I’d argue that the redemption sweet spot with Atmos Rewards is largely for shorter awards, given the distance based pricing. In some way, the Atmos Rewards award charts are almost a competitor to British Airways Club, in terms of the great value of short haul redemptions. Since you can redeem Atmos Rewards points for flights globally, I figured the best way to share some sweet spots would just be to take a look at each award chart individually.

Before I do, let me acknowledge a new reality of the miles & points hobby. The reality is that airlines are getting savvier when it comes to how they release award space, and in many cases, they open fewer award seats to members of partner frequent flyer programs. This is beyond any carrier’s control, but it does limit the arbitrage opportunities by using great frequent flyer programs.

Redeeming Atmos Rewards points within the Americas

Below is the Atmos Rewards award chart for the Americas, which applies exclusively if traveling within the Americas (including North and South America).

Here are some of the sweet spots, as I see it:

• Short haul redemptions on both Alaska and American are incredibly cheap, as in economy you can redeem just 4,500 points to fly a distance of up to 700 miles, and you can redeem 7,500 points to fly a distance of 701-1,400 miles; business class award prices are also attractive for these distance bands
• Awards between North and South America on American can also be a good value, as in business class you can redeem 35,000 points to fly a distance of 2,101-4,000 miles (like Miami to Lima), and you can redeem 50,000 points to fly a distance of 4,001-6,000 miles (like Miami to Sao Paulo)

Honestly, I think this is the chart with the most consistently good pricing, whether traveling short haul or long haul. So if you can find award availability within the Americas, you should be pretty happy with the pricing. I redeem Atmos Rewards points constantly for travel on American, as it’s a way to get a good deal on domestic flights, especially in a premium cabin. It might not be the most aspirational thing on earth, but it sure is practical.

Redeeming Atmos Rewards points to & from Europe, Middle East, Africa

Below is the Atmos Rewards award chart for Europe, Middle East, and Africa, which applies if traveling within or between any of those regions, and also applies if traveling between the Americas and any of those regions.

Here are some of the sweet spots, as I see it:

• Short haul redemptions are a phenomenal deal, whether in economy or business class; for 7,500 points in economy or 15,000 points in business class, you can fly a distance of up to 1,500 miles within Europe or the Middle East, on carriers like British Airways, Royal Jordanian, Qatar Airways, and more
• Flights from the Northeast of the United States to London clock in at just under 3,500 miles, so you could redeem 45,000 points in business class for those flights
• The longer distance awards are less exciting of a deal, unless you can take advantage of a stopover opportunity to maximize your value

Redeeming Atmos Rewards points to & from Asia-Pacific

Below is the Atmos Rewards award chart for Asia-Pacific, which applies if traveling within Asia-Pacific, and between Asia-Pacific and any other regions. Note that Asia includes the Indian subcontinent, since some other award charts put that in the same region as the Middle East.

Here are some of the sweet spots, as I see it:

• Short haul redemptions are a phenomenal deal, whether in economy or business class; for 7,500 points in economy or 15,000 points in business class, you can fly a distance of up to 1,500 miles within Asia-Pacific, on airlines like Cathay Pacific, Qantas, Singapore Airlines, Starlux Airlines, and many more
• Long haul awards could also be a great deal, especially if you value a stopover; for example, you could fly from the United States to anywhere in Asia (distance of up to 10,000 miles) for 85,000 points in business class, with a stopover along the way

Bottom line

Alaska Atmos Rewards is one of the most useful programs for redeeming points. Given the zone and distance based award chart, you’ll generally find the best value with the program for shorter distance itineraries, where pricing can be very attractive.

I’d say Atmos Rewards is a program that has become practical more than aspirational, and that’s something that I don’t mind, at least at this point in history. It’s not like there are many Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, or Qantas, ultra long haul first class awards to snag, so we’re not missing out on that much.

Atmos Rewards is my go-to program for most awards covering a distance of up to 1,500 miles, give or take.

What’s your favorite use of Alaska Atmos Rewards points?

In this post, I’d like to take a look at the opportunity to convert Marriott points into airline miles. Which airline programs can you move your Marriott points to, what’s the transfer ratio, and is it worth it?

Basics of Marriott’s points to miles transfer option

It’s possible to convert Bonvoy points into airline miles, with your choice of nearly 40 different frequent flyer programs. Let’s take a look at which partners Marriott Bonvoy has, what the transfer ratios are, etc.

Marriott Bonvoy airline miles transfer ratios & bonuses

Marriott points generally convert into airline miles at a 3:1 ratio, and with most partners you get 5,000 bonus miles for every 60,000 Marriott points you transfer.

In other words, 60,000 Bonvoy points will convert into 25,000 airline miles (including the 5,000 bonus miles). You can take advantage of that bonus of 5,000 miles multiple times, meaning that you can convert Bonvoy points into airline miles at a ratio of up to 2.4:1.

Note that you can transfer a minimum of 3,000 Bonvoy points and a maximum of 240,000 Bonvoy points per day. So if you want to transfer more than 240,000 Bonvoy points, you’ll want to do so over multiple days.

Marriott Bonvoy airline mileage transfer partners

Below is a chart with the airline frequent flyer programs you can transfer your Marriott points to, along with the standard transfer ratio, plus the ability to earn a bonus when transferring a minimum of 60,000 points.

While I covered these details above, let me specifically note the exceptions that apply here:

• There’s one exception to the 3:1 transfer ratio, which is that Marriott points transfer to Air New Zealand Koru at a 200:1 ratio; this simply reflects the different scale of Air New Zealand’s rewards currency
• For transfers to American AAdvantage, avianca lifemiles, and Delta SkyMiles, you don’t receive 5,000 bonus miles for every 60,000 Bonvoy points transferred, so the ratio is 3:1 regardless of how big your transfer is
• For transfers to United MileagePlus, you actually receive 10,000 bonus miles for every 60,000 Bonvoy points transferred, meaning the transfer ratio in the right increments can be 2:1 (this is thanks to a special partnership between the two brands)

Marriott Bonvoy airline mileage transfers aren’t instant

With the major transferable points currencies, converting points into airline miles is typically an instant process. So it’s worth being aware that Marriott points don’t convert into airline miles instantly. Rather, transfers generally take anywhere from a day to a couple of weeks, with transfers for most partners taking anywhere from two to five days.

I’d consider this to be a major weak point of this opportunity. I generally recommend converting points into airline miles in situations where you have a specific use in mind, and that could be a situation where you find award space on a particular flight.

Obviously that’s not exactly useful here, since it could take a couple of weeks for the transfer to happen, and odds are that whatever award availability you were looking at will be gone at that point.

Marriott Bonvoy airline mileage transfer process

The process of converting Marriott points into airline miles is really straightforward. Just go to the partner transfer page, click the “Transfer Points” button, and then you’ll be asked to enter the information for the account you want to move your points to. There you’ll be able to select how many points you want to transfer, and note that the amounts shown won’t reflect a bonus, if eligible.

It’s important to be sure that the names of the accounts match, as you can only transfer your Marriott points to an airline frequent flyer account that’s also in your name. Also keep in mind that once the miles are in your frequent flyer account, they’ll be subject to the standard airline mileage expiration policies of the program.

Are Marriott Bonvoy mileage transfers worth it?

While I think converting Marriott points into airline miles could represent a good value, it’s not how I choose to redeem my Bonvoy points.

To briefly crunch some numbers, based on my latest miles & points valuations, I consider Bonvoy points to be worth 0.7 cents each. At a 2.4:1 transfer ratio (60,000 points per 25,000 miles), that’s like “paying” 1.68 cents per airline mile, which is a pretty decent cost.

Why do I choose not to convert Marriott points into airline miles?

• Marriott points can’t efficiently be earned through credit card spending, so your only options to earn them efficiently are through hotel stays, or by buying Bonvoy points (typically at a higher cost than what I value them)
• I earn transferable points currencies for my credit card spending, so I’d rather use points earned with Amex Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Capital One, Chase Ultimate Rewards, or Citi ThankYou, for flights, since I can earn those points at a faster rate with credit card spending
• I’d rather use my Marriott points for luxury hotel stays, where there’s outsized value with the points
• In theory the one situation where it could make sense to transfer Marriott points to airline miles is for programs that don’t otherwise partner with the major transferable points currencies; however, even there I don’t think it’s terribly compelling

I absolutely don’t think anyone is off base for choosing to convert Marriott points into airline miles. For that matter, this could be a good option if you’re in a crunch, and just need to top off an account for a high value redemption. However, it’s not how I choose to redeem my points, and I don’t think the value is there for most.

It’s more of a last resort redemption option, if you’re truly unable to get value elsewhere. In fairness, that might just be the direction the program is headed. While Bonvoy points have been significantly devalued over the years for hotel redemptions, the mileage conversion options have remained mostly consistent.

What about converting airline miles into Marriott points?

While the ability to convert Marriott points into airline miles has been around for a long time, we’re increasingly seeing two-way transfers, where you can convert airline miles into Marriott points.

The idea behind this is great — maybe someone has a lot of airline miles, but really wants to redeem for a hotel stay. Is this a good deal, though? Unfortunately the answer is almost always “no.”

Currently the below programs let you convert airline miles to Marriott Bonvoy, with both the transfer ratios and any exceptions listed.

While I suppose more flexibility is always a good thing, these transfers are almost never worth it. As a reminder, I value Bonvoy points at 0.7 cents each, and you’re getting at most one Bonvoy point per airline mile.

If you have the same valuation I do, at a 1:1 transfer ratio you’re getting up to 0.7 cents per mile, while at a 2:1 transfer ratio, you’re getting up to 0.35 cents per mile. That’s not a rate at which I’d be happy cashing in miles.

Bottom line

It’s possible to convert Marriott points into airline miles with over three dozen programs. While this is the best hotel points to airline miles transfer ratio that you’ll find with any program, it’s still not how I’d choose to redeem my Bonvoy points.

Yes, I appreciate the “insurance” that this redemption option provides, since it essentially creates a floor value for Bonvoy points. However, Bonvoy points are hard to efficiently earn through anything other than hotel stays, so I prefer to save them for hotel stays. I’d rather convert credit card points currencies into airline miles.

Where do you stand on the value of Marriott Bonvoy airline mileage transfers? Have you ever redeemed Bonvoy points this way?

There are many innovative things about Bilt, including that there’s a Bilt Rent Day promotion on the first day of each month. With it now being a new month, I’d like to post a reminder of the November 2026 Bilt Rent Day offer, as it includes both a gift card redemption bonus and a hotel booking promo code. While there’s no transfer bonus to a travel program, I imagine this will still interest some.

Details of the November 2026 Bilt Rent Day promotion

There are a couple of aspects to the Bilt Rent Day promotion, including the ability to earn bonus points (which is the same every month), plus at least one additional promotion.

Note that Bilt Rent Day promotions are generally valid from 12:00AM ET until 11:59PM PT, so technically you have around 27 hours to take advantage of them.

Earn double Bilt Points on Rent Day purchases

Bilt has a portfolio of credit cards, including the no annual fee Bilt Blue Card (learn more), $95 annual fee Bilt Obsidian Card (learn more), and $495 annual fee Bilt Palladium Card (learn more) (Rates & Fees). Personally, I think the Bilt Palladium Card is by far the most lucrative.

On the first day of each month, you earn double those rewards on these cards, and earn up to 1,000 bonus points each month. It could be worth strategically making some purchases on the first day of each month to maximize this as much as possible.

For example, with double points, the Bilt Palladium Card offers 4x points on everyday spending on the first day of the month, so that’s pretty awesome (up to a cap of $500 worth of spending, since that would earn you 1,000 bonus points).

Receive up to a 100% bonus on gift card redemptions

On November 1, 2026 only, Bilt is offering a bonus when members redeem points for gift cards. The bonus you’re eligible for depends on your Bilt elite status, as follows:

• Bilt Blue members can receive a 25% bonus
• Bilt Silver members can receive a 50% bonus
• Bilt Gold members can receive a 75% bonus
• Bilt Platinum members can receive a 100% bonus

This same bonus is available for all 125+ gift cards that Bilt Points can be redeemed for. There’s no option to use Bilt Cash to increase your bonus here.

For what it’s worth, ordinarily Bilt points can be redeemed for 0.7 cents each toward gift card purchases. That means a Blue member would be getting 0.875 cents per point of value, while a Platinum member would be getting 1.4 cents per point of value. For me that’s a hard pass, though I suppose for some Platinum members, it could be an interesting way to “cash out” points, if that’s what you’re looking to do.

Receive a Bilt Travel Portal hotel promo credit

For the November 2026 Bilt Rent Day promotion, we’re actually seeing an additional offer as well. Bilt members can unlock up to $150 off a hotel stay booked in the Bilt Travel Portal during Rent Week, so it’s available for bookings between 9AM ET on October 28 and 3AM ET on November 2, 2026.

The catch here is that different members are eligible for different offers, so members have to log into their Bilt account, and they will see a targeted chart delineating different savings of up to $150 for hotel bookings. Here are the key details:

• Every member will see a three-tiered “spend and get” offer, allowing them to save up to $150 on a hotel booking made in the Bilt Travel Portal; spend thresholds will vary, but members can unlock $50, $100, or $150 off, by making a qualifying booking
• The offer applies to one booking at any property in the Bilt Travel Portal, with no blackout dates or restrictions on length or type of stay
• The spend threshold includes taxes and fees
• If the booking is canceled during the offer period, the member can use the offer again
• The offer cannot be applied retroactively to an existing booking, or to bookings made after the offer closes
• For Home Away from Home bookings, the credit is applied as a statement credit to the card used to pay on Bilt
• The offer can be combined with Bilt points and Bilt Cash at check-out, but can’t be combined with Bilt credit card travel credits

Bottom line

On the first day of each month, Bilt offers a Rent Day promotion. In addition to earning up to double points for purchases, for November 2026, there are two offers members can take advantage of.

One offer is for up to a 100% bonus on gift card redemptions, which can get you at most 1.4 cents per point of value. That’s not terribly exciting, in my opinion, but maybe others will appreciate it. The other offer is for up to $150 off a hotel stay booked through the Bilt Travel Portal. There are different offers there that members will be eligible for, so you’ll want to check in the Bilt app to see what you’re targeted for.

Are you taking advantage of the Bilt Rent Day promotion for November 2026?

I’d like to talk about that in a bit more detail in this post, and share my approach to using lounges. Let me emphasize that there are of course all kinds of lounges out there, from international first class lounges, to international business class lounges, to Priority Pass, membership, and credit card lounges. This post is primarily about lounges that fall into that last category, in terms of being pretty widely accessible.

The purpose of airport lounges has shifted massively

Look, I’m not trying to sound like some boomer talking about how things were in “the good old days” (nothing against boomers… hi, dad!), but I think it’s interesting to compare how things were 15-20 years ago, to how they are today.

Back in the day, airport lounges — even the most basic ones — were primarily about escaping the hustle and bustle of the terminal, and having a quiet place from which to work, with free Wi-Fi and easy access to charging ports. At the time, free Wi-Fi and charging ports in terminals were incredibly rare. The food in most standard domestic lounges sucked — it was typically cubed cheese, snack mix, and not a whole lot else.

It also goes without saying that lounges were mostly very poorly monetized. Airport real estate is incredibly expensive, and lounges were primarily a cost center for their operators, as part of an overall value proposition for travelers.

Fast forward to today, and look at the state of lounges in the United States. Lounges have much better food than they used to, and they also have much better amenities than they used to. Also, exponentially more people have access to the lounges than they used to. They’re actually pretty nice destinations in airports.

The catch is that they’ve completely lost their initial purpose — they’re no longer a place you go to escape the crowds, and quite to the contrary, they’re often the most crowded place in a terminal. In many lounges you’ll find every single seat occupied, and even a very long waitlist to get in.

Obviously this is great for monetization, since lounge operators maximize their return by having the lounges utilized as much as possible, so that the cost can be divided by the highest number of people possible. Ironically, we’ve also seen terminals largely get much nicer over the years. It’s nowadays common to see free Wi-Fi and charging ports throughout terminals, and it’s usually not too hard to just find a quiet place to sit, with more peace than you’d find in a lounge.

What’s your approach to using airport lounges?

Back in the day, if I had lounge access, my obvious move was always to use the lounge if I had time. I mean, that seems like a pretty obvious move, right? After all, you get access to something “premium,” so you want to make the most of it. Most people with TSA PreCheck don’t say “meh, you know, I think I’ll skip that today and go through the regular line.”

At the same time, I think one has to step back and look at things objectively. At times it almost feels like people use lounges religiously in order to justify the annual fees on their credit cards, and so they can talk about how they’re eating for “free.”

You’ll often see people on social media essentially call airport lounges upper middle class airport cafeterias, and that’s probably not actually too far off in terms of how they’re practically used… and there’s nothing wrong with that!

Personally, for places with consistently crowded lounges, my approach to lounge use is pretty straightforward:

• I’ll visit the lounge if I want to eat or drink something (though I’m usually not very hungry at airports, and I’m also not looking to guzzle alcohol)
• Then when I’m done, I’ll typically just head toward my gate, and stop at any gate area that looks relatively empty, and sit there until close to boarding time

Honestly, this is one of the reasons I really love grab & go lounges, where you can pick up something to take with you. To me that’s the ideal setup, since it serves the purpose I’m actually looking for from lounges — if a lounge is going to be crowded, I’d rather just be able to grab what I’d like, and head somewhere quiet.

As someone who loves coffee, it’s why I also appreciate when lounges have great coffee to go. It’s typically the item I most want to consume at airports, and the wait for a cup of coffee at an airport can often be quite long early in the morning.

The lounge crowding issue nowadays is only made worse by the number of people who are watching videos and making calls with no headphones in lounges.

Bottom line

The whole concept of airport lounges has changed massively over the years. Monetization of lounges has largely gotten better, as they’ve become a key component of the credit card race that we’re seeing between airlines and card issuers.

That’s a double edged sword. On the one hand, lounges have become higher quality, on average. On the other hand, demand for them has also increased massively.

For the most part, lounges are no longer a place you go to escape the bustle of the terminal, and to use free Wi-Fi and charge your electronics. Now they’re a place you go to eat, drink, and wait in line.

The way I’ve used lounges has definitely evolved over the years, and it’s one of the reasons I appreciate the grab & go concept that we’re increasingly seeing. Unless I’m hungry or thirsty, I prefer just finding a quiet gate area.

What do you make of how airport lounges have evolved, and has your approach to using them changed?

Along those lines, if you look at trends among the major hotel groups, the concept of “lifestyle hotels” has become incredibly popular. There are an endless number of brands like these that have emerged. I think one logical question is what the term actually means. What makes a property a lifestyle hotel, rather than an… umm, not lifestyle hotel?

How lifestyle hotels are defined, broadly

I know I’m generally pretty verbose and use a fairly limited vocabulary when it comes to describing things, but that’s intentional. In part, my issue is that many of the descriptors used in marketing, particularly in the travel industry, are so beyond meaningless:

• You’ll be at an airport Sheraton, and the generic restaurant will market how it offers “locally sourced, farm to table” cuisine; dude, the Sysco truck is outside right now
• I love how airlines markets how “seasonal” their fruit plates are; I didn’t realize the same cantaloupe and pineapple being served year-round on this airline is seasonal to Chicago in January
• Yesterday I saw an Instagram video someone did about Turkish business class, talking about how they had a “private” chef; you’re sharing the chef with 48 other people, the chef isn’t actually cooking anything, and he’s a “private” chef in contrast to, what, exactly (I don’t think there are many public chefs just standing on the street offering to cook things for people for free)?
• I love when airline meals are described as Michelin dining; restaurants (not chefs) are given Michelin stars, but even if you want to make that leap, you’d be hard pressed to claim that a chef behind a Michelin star restaurant simply signing off a menu, and it then being mass produced in a catering facility, makes it a Michelin dining experience

My point is, we’re completely desensitized to useless descriptions of every aspect of the travel experience… unless you’re currently enjoying a seasonal fruit plate served by a private Michelin star chef on a plane, in which case I can’t save you. 😉

Anyway, that brings us to lifestyle hotels, one of the hottest trends in the hotel industry. It’s easy to name brands that claim to be lifestyle hotels — we’re talking Hilton’s Canopy and Curio Collection, Hyatt’s Andaz and Thompson, IHG’s Kimpton and voco, Marriott’s W Hotels and Autograph Collection, etc.

I guess the best way to define a lifestyle hotel would be to step back for a moment, and separate out the two words. Generally a lifestyle brand is a company that sells products by associating them with a specific way of living, set of values, or identities, that customers want to adopt.

A lifestyle hotel is generally defined as a property offering the personalization of an independent boutique hotel, with the attributes of a chain hotel (meaning loyalty, distribution power, etc.). Generally (but not always) these properties have a strong food & beverage or social concept as a core pillar, since that’s a large attribute that can make a hotel popular with a certain guest profile.

Why “lifestyle hotels” is a meaningless term to me

The issue with the concept of lifestyle hotels is that hotels can choose how they want to market themselves, and I think some hotels take a “fake it till you make it” approach. If you ask me, the concept of a lifestyle hotel should come down to two factors:

• It should be a hotel with character and unique design, so that it’s not cookie cutter
• It should be a hotel with bustling outlets (presumably primarily restaurants and bars), which are popular with not just hotel guests, but also with locals

We can of course create all kinds of more specific distinctions, but I think it’s unnecessary. I’ve already written in the past about the concept of “boutique” hotels, another term that means so little. As far as I’m concerned, a lifestyle hotel could be small or big, as the big question is how bustling it is relative to its size.

But this also gets at the issue of how hotel groups choose to label their brands. For example, Marriott labels AC Hotels, Aloft, Autograph Collection, Element, Moxy, Tribute Portfolio, and W Hotels, all as lifestyle brands. From my perspective:

• I can see how Autograph Collection and Tribute Portfolio could be lifestyle, in terms of having unique design, and often having bustling food & beverage outlets
• EDITION and W Hotels are two brands that sometimes have busy outlets and a social scene, but I’d hardly consider the design ethos of either brand to be unique, as it’s quite cookie cutter (but I’ll forgive it)
• But then you throw in brands like AC Hotels, Aloft, and Moxy, and I just instantly get confused

Nothing against Aloft, Moxy, and AC Hotels — I actually quite like all three brands, specifically for their consistency across properties. But to me, that’s also exactly what makes these properties not lifestyle brands. They’re incredibly cookie cutter, and they’re by no means social scenes.

I mean, I live pretty close to a Moxy, and I’ve never thought to myself “hey family, maybe we should go to the Moxy for dinner tonight” (as much as my older son would probably love going somewhere and being able to microwave his own dinner).

So to me, these are the hotels that very much fit into the “fake it until you make it” camp. Like, the major hotel groups want to convince investors and customers that these are somehow something they aren’t. I mean, I’ve also had pleasant stays at AC Hotels properties, and that’s described as “a lifestyle brand that celebrates a new modern aesthetic complemented by a European soul and Spanish roots.” I mean… really?

Bottom line

Hotel groups love to grow and market their lifestyle hotel brands, but I feel like they take a lot of liberties with how they define these. On the most basic level, the idea is supposed to be that lifestyle hotels offer a boutique hotel-style experience, while being associated with one of the major brands.

However, I’d say more accurately, it’s about how much of a “destination” a property is, as that also determines the vibe of the place. I’d love if someone could help me understand just how hotel groups can in good conscience categorize some brands as being lifestyle hotels. Like, how does Marriott include AC Hotels, Autograph Collection, EDITION, and Moxy, all under that same umbrella?

How do you define the lifestyle hotel concept?

Authorized users are eligible for credit card bonuses

Credit cards frequently offer huge upfront welcome offers, whereby you can earn a lot of bonus points for spending a certain amount within a limited timeframe. While there are different credit card application rules for each bank, there are generally restrictions whereby an existing cardmember can’t apply for a card they already have, while also receiving the bonus.

How does that work in the context of authorized users? If you’re the authorized user on someone else’s credit card, can you apply for the card as the primary cardmember and earn the bonus? The answer is universally yes — being an authorized user on someone else’s credit card doesn’t preclude you from applying for that card yourself, and earning the bonus.

When welcome bonus rules talk about existing cardmembers, they’re specifically talking about primary cardmembers, and not authorized users.

You don’t even need to cancel your authorized user card to be able to do this. For example, say you’re an authorized user on your spouse’s Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (learn more), or Citi Strata Premier® Card (learn more), or Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card (learn more). You could remain an authorized user, and still apply outright and earn the welcome bonus on the card.

Should you be an authorized user or apply outright?

For those in relationships, it can sometimes be difficult to decide under which circumstances it makes sense to apply for a card outright, rather than being an authorized user on a spouse’s card (and vice versa). There are pros and cons to each.

The advantage of adding someone as an authorized user is that it minimizes annual fees, since many cards have lower (or no) annual fees for authorized users, compared to the primary cardmembers. Meanwhile the advantages of having both people in a relationship apply for a card outright is that many cards have big welcome bonuses, and on top of that some cards pay for themselves on an ongoing basis.

Just to give a couple of examples:

• The Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Legend Mastercard® (learn more) is a card where I’d consider adding a spouse as an authorized user, as the card offers an Admirals Club membership for the primary cardmember, and you can add up to three authorized users for a total of $175, and they receive Admirals Club access as well (after that it’s $175 per authorized user)
• The New IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card (learn more) is a card where I think it makes sense for a spouse to apply separately, given the strong perks; the card has a $150 annual fee, and offers an anniversary free night certificate, IHG One Rewards Gold status (Platinum with $15,000 in spend), a fourth night free on award redemptions, up to $50 in United credits annually, and more

For more on this topic, see my post on the best credit card strategy for families.

Bottom line

Many credit cards have amazing welcome bonuses, though you’re generally only eligible for them if you don’t already have that card. The good news is that across the board, being an authorized user on someone else’s card still makes you eligible to apply for that card outright and receive the bonus (assuming you’re otherwise eligible for the card).

Therefore this really comes down to deciding for each card whether the economics of applying outright make sense.

Have you ever applied for a credit card on which you’re already an authorized user?