Qatar Airways won’t offer staff bonuses due to instability

A few days ago, Qatar Airways released its results for the past financial year, which ran from April 1, 2025, through March 31, 2026. During this financial year, Qatar Airways achieved excellent results, with a profit of nearly $2 billion. The airline nearly achieved a record profit, though of course the last several weeks of the financial year threw things off, given the conflict with Iran.

In the past three years, Qatar Airways has offered its roughly 60,000 staff pretty decent bonuses. However, this year the airline has informed employees in a memo that there won’t be any bonuses. This is because the geopolitical situation in the region is continuing to “significantly affect” the airline, so the lack of bonuses is a decision that “prioritises long-term stability.”

As you’d expect, staff aren’t too happy about this:

• The airline achieved very strong results the past financial year, so employees should be rewarded for their efforts contributing to that
• The airline basically wants it both ways — it thinks it shouldn’t pay bonuses both when the financial results aren’t good, and also when the results are good but the forecast doesn’t look good
• Keep in mind a lot of Qatar Airways staff have also been earning less money in recent times, given that they’re all flying less (pay is a combination of base pay plus hours flown), so I imagine this also puts many employees in a tough financial spot
• In the US we often talk about how airline losses are socialized, and airline gains are privatized (given how airlines inevitably get government aid for a variety of reasons); this is sort of the opposite, where they’re “socializing” the gains and “privatizing” the losses (except those “parties” are a little different than in the US)

It’s worth noting that Emirates recently released its financial results, which resulted in the airline paying staff a bonus worth 20 weeks of their basic pay. Emirates has quickly become one of the most generous airlines in the industry when it comes to profit sharing.

I understand the frustration of Qatar Airways staff

In fairness to Qatar Airways, it’s not like the airline has a profit sharing formula, but instead, the airline can do whatever it wants (it’s not like there are unions at Gulf airlines). Historically, the airline hasn’t really offered staff bonuses.

However, Emirates has in recent years been offering staff absolutely massive bonuses, often approaching half of their annual base pay. So it seems that competitively, Qatar Airways felt it had to do something as well, even if the bonuses were only a fraction as big as we saw at Emirates.

I have to say, with Qatar Airways having recently appointed a new CEO, I imagine this also doesn’t create a very favorable impression of him (unlike the previous CEO, who was very popular with employees).

Not surprisingly, there’s also an order in which prospective employees typically apply at Gulf carriers — Emirates is almost always the first choice, then Etihad, then Qatar Airways, then Gulf Air and Oman Air, then Saudia, then a lot of the limited service carriers, etc.

While a tangent, we’re also now seeing the launch of Riyadh Air, and it seems they’ve managed to get many people to leave other Gulf carriers, including Emirates and Etihad, to work there. I think that’s due to how well the airline is marketing itself, and also because people are excited at the prospect of being at the top of the seniority system.

Bottom line

Qatar Airways has reported strong financial results for the past year, but unlike previous years, the airline has told employees that there will be no profit sharing for the year. Admittedly Gulf carriers are in a very tough spot at the moment, but I also think the frustration among employees is understandable, given that they worked for the company’s strong financial results.

Qatar Airways is essentially arguing it can’t pay bonuses due to its negative outlook, rather than due to performance not having been good. With Gulf rivals like Emirates paying bonuses worth months of pay, that can’t feel great for Qatar Airways employees.

What do you make of Qatar Airways’ lack of bonuses? Is it fair in light of the negative outlook, or no?

There’s now another exciting development, as Air India has formally announced the opening of its own lounge at San Francisco International Airport (SFO), and it looks like it’s quite nice!

Basics of the new Air India Maharaja Lounge SFO

Air India has opened a lounge at SFO, which covers 3,413 square feet, with a capacity for 80 guests. Specifically, the lounge is located in the lounge complex at the A Gates, near gate A1, on the fourth floor, between the China Airlines Lounge and Golden Gate Lounge. The lounge is open daily from 6AM until 11:59PM, so it clearly covers more than just Air India departures.

Here’s how Air India describes the design inspiration for the new lounge:

Thoughtfully curated, the space brings together distinctive elements of the brand and Air India’s rich cultural legacy, creating an atmosphere that is warmly familiar yet exquisite. The hues of champagne, ivory, and deep reds mirror the brand’s colour palette. Brand motifs are integrated throughout the interiors, including the ‘Vista’ patterns on the walls and furniture. The lounge has been designed to evoke the essence of quintessential Indian hospitality, creating an atmosphere of warmth, comfort, and understated luxury for guests. To honour the airline’s historical connection to the arts, the space features works by local artists that showcase regional heritage. Select installations also incorporate upcycled aircraft components, thoughtfully reimagined into contemporary art pieces.

Despite its small size, the airline promotes several key features, including the Aviator’s Bar (with cocktails prepared by a bartender), a dining area, a social zone, and even a private zone, available exclusively to first class passengers. The lounge also boasts views of the apron.

Below you can see some pictures that the airline has shared of the lounge.

Here’s how Air India CEO Campbell Wilson describes the new lounge:

“The opening of the Maharaja Lounge at San Francisco builds on the recent launch of our flagship lounge at Delhi, marking the beginning of a new generation of signature lounges for Air India. North America has long been a key pillar of Air India’s network, and our continued investments reflect both, this commitment and our ambition to introduce a new standard of travel experiences in the region in time to come.”

“As Air India continues to transform into a world-class global airline, we are focused on delivering a consistent, elevated experience across our network, blending modern luxury with the warmth and timeless appeal of Indian hospitality.”

I’ve gotta say, the lounge looks super elegant, so this should be a nice facility. However, at just over 3,400 square feet, this is one of the smaller outstation lounges out there, and I imagine it’ll get quite busy prior to Air India departures. At least Air India has a staggered schedule at the airport, so there’s never more than one Air India flight departing at a time.

Air India has massively grown its presence at SFO since starting service to the airport roughly a decade ago. The airline now operates up to 14 weekly flights to the Bay Area, so with double daily service, you can start to see merit to operating a lounge.

This is Air India’s second lounge location in the United States, with the other lounge being in New York (JFK). That lounge is undergoing a major and overdue renovation, so maybe it’ll have a similar design template to the SFO lounge.

Why has Air India opened its own lounge at SFO?

With SFO being a hub for Star Alliance partner United, some people might be surprised to see Air India opening its own lounge at the airport. Well, there are a couple of points worth making.

First of all, United international flights generally depart from the G gates, while Air India flights generally depart from the A Gates. While these terminals are technically connected airside, it’s a really long walk between them. For example, prior to this lounge opening, Air India has been sending its premium passengers to the Golden Gate Lounge (and before that, the Air France Lounge).

Furthermore, the timing of this lounge opening is sort of great. In the past, those traveling in Air India business class could use the United Polaris Lounge at SFO. Yes, it was a hike, but at least access was allowed, if someone was interested. However, with the recent rule changes, Air India business class passengers can’t actually use Polaris Lounges anymore.

Given the number of flights Air India operates from SFO per week, having the airline operate its own lounge makes sense from both a cost and brand perspective. I also wouldn’t be surprised to see the lounge monetized outside of those hours, and open to Priority Pass, as is the case at the carrier’s JFK lounge (though as of now, the SFO lounge doesn’t belong to Priority Pass).

Also, thanks to Star Alliance lounge access rules, many premium passengers should also have access to this lounge, including Star Alliance Gold members on other airlines.

Bottom line

Air India has just opened its new lounge at SFO. The roughly 3,400 square foot lounge can accommodate 80 guests, and is located in the A Gates. The lounge looks very nice, though it’s definitely on the small side, so expect crowding to be an issue. The timing of this opening is great, given the recent changes to United Polaris Lounge access.

What do you make of the new Air India Lounge SFO?

Mullin wants to pull customs from airports to punish cities

Markwayne Mullin is Trump’s new Homeland Security Secretary, after the abrupt firing of Kristi Noem earlier this year. The former Oklahoma Senator is known for making headlines, but this has to be among the most absurd I’ve seen (along with the time he wanted to fight a union president in the Senate).

In early April 2026, during an interview with Fox News’ Bret Baier, Mullin was asked about lack of local law enforcement cooperation in so called “sanctuary cities.” Mullin responded with the following:

“I believe sanctuary cities is not lawful, I don’t think they’re able to do that. So we’re gonna take a hard look at this. This one area we may take a hard look at is that some of these cities have international airports. If they’re sanctuary cities, should they really be processing customs into their cities?”

“Seriously, if they’re sanctuary cities, and they’re receiving international flights, and we’re asking them to partner with us at the airport, but once they walk out of the airport, they’re not going to enforce immigration policy? Maybe we need to have a really hard look at that, because we need to focus on cities that want to work with us.”

Baier was caught off guard by that comment, so followed that up with the following question:

“So you’re saying that big cities that are sanctuary cities that have a big airport, they might lose their customs?”

Mullin responded as follows:

“Well, I’m saying we’re going to have to start prioritizing things at some point. Right now, remember, the Democrats are wanting to defund Customs and Border patrol. Well who processes those individuals when they walk off the plane? So I’m going to have to be forced to make hard decisions, who’s willing to work with us and partner with us?”

There’s now an update, as The Atlantic is reporting that this wasn’t just a flippant remark he mentioned one time. Instead, it’s something that’s actually being worked on. According to this report, on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, Mullin convened a small group of airline and travel industry executives at DHS headquarters, where he told them about these plans.

The idea is that we could see major restrictions on airport customs facilities in the coming months, with the changes most likely being implemented in July 2026 and beyond, when the United States is done hosting the World Cup. Again, we’ll see if anything comes of this, but it’s quite something to see this still being discussed weeks later with industry executives.

This is such a laughable threat to even make

Folks in the Trump administration are known for making a lot of threats, though this one definitely ranks up there, if you ask me.

There’s no official definition of what constitutes a “sanctuary city,” and for those not familiar, the term refers to places where local authorities limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities. The Trump administration does publish a list of places that it considers to be sanctuary cities.

That includes cities like Boston, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, New York, Newark, Philadelphia, Seattle, San Francisco, etc. So yeah, make no mistake, the threat here is that they’re thinking of shutting down customs at most of the biggest airports in the country. Maybe Vasu Raja’s El Paso global domination strategy wasn’t so bad after all, it just came before its time…

To state the obvious, this would have absolutely catastrophic implications for airlines. I mean, airlines would basically be left without coastal hubs, perhaps aside from American in Miami. This just strikes me as such an unbelievable waste of time.

Bottom line

The new Homeland Security Secretary, Markwayne Mullin, is threatening to pull customs from the country’s biggest airports, over lack of cooperation from “sanctuary cities.” I totally get that this guy wants to flex however he can, but essentially threatening to ban international flights at the country’s biggest airports doesn’t seem like a winning strategy on any level.

This idea was first floated on Fox News several weeks back, and many wondered how serious this was. As it turns out, it’s completely serious, apparently, to the point that Mullin just met with airline industry executives last week to discuss the plans.

As far as I’m concerned, they should do it — don’t just talk the talk, but do it. The big question is whether United CEO Scott Kirby will still be singing Trump’s praises if the carrier’s entire international network is just centered around Houston. 😉

What do you make of Mullin threatening to shut down international service at the country’s biggest airports?

With Alaska Air Group now also owning Hawaiian Airlines, we’ve known that the company is investing in its lounge network, including opening a new lounge in Seattle that’s intended to up the bar. We’ve now learned more details about what we can expect from the lounge, and it’s pretty exciting.

New two-part Alaska Lounge Seattle will be 41,000 square feet

Alaska Airlines plans to open a new lounge in Seattle in late 2027, located in the newly refreshed Concourse C. The airline views this as a key part of its broader investment in the global passenger experience. We’ll see how Alaska ends up branding this lounge, though the airline uses both the word “landmark” and “global” to describe it, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see one of those terms end up in the name.

The lounge will be roughly 41,000 square feet, with approximately 700 seats across two levels. So it’ll be the largest lounge at the airport, and among the largest in the country. It will also offer views of the Olympic Mountains and the airfield below.

The oneworld carrier is promising a “sophisticated design” with showers, multiple premium bars, a la carte dining, and chef-curated seasonal menus, “unlike anything else in the Alaska Lounge network.” There will also be Pacific Northwest beers and craft cocktails, along with barista coffee.

What’s interesting is how the lounge will have two sets of entry requirements:

• The main level will be for Alaska Lounge members, day pass guests, and eligible first class passengers
• The upper level will be dedicated to international long haul travelers, including those traveling in business class, as well as Atmos Rewards Titanium members (it remains to be seen if this will otherwise follow oneworld lounge access rules in terms of being open to oneworld long haul premium passengers, as well as oneworld Emerald members through partner programs)

So far, the only rendering that has been shared of the new lounge is the below one.

I can’t wait to see the new “global” Alaska Lounge!

We’ve know that Alaska planned on opening a new “flagship” lounge in Seattle, so it’s exciting to finally learn some more details. I’d say this is roughly what we were expecting — there will be a separate premium international lounge for eligible passengers, and then also a standard Alaska Lounge, since there’s obviously not enough demand to fill a 41,000 square foot lounge just with eligible long haul passengers all day.

In a way, this sounds similar to the new Delta lounge complex in Seattle, which includes a Delta Sky Club on the bottom floor, and a Delta One Lounge on the top floor. Alaska knows what the competition is doing, so I have to imagine the new lounge will be on Delta’s level, or may even possibly beat it.

Bottom line

Alaska Airlines has finally revealed some additional details about its new lounge that’s coming to Seattle, which is expected to open in late 2027. The lounge will be 41,000 square feet with seating for around 700 people, so it’ll be (by far) the carrier’s biggest lounge ever, and will also be the largest lounge at the airport.

This lounge will have two sets of entry requirements, with long haul business class passengers and Atmos Rewards Titanium members getting access to the more exclusive lounge, and other guests being eligible for the standard lounge.

I can’t wait to learn more, as Alaska really does a solid job with its passenger experience, and I’m sure the airline will invest nicely in this experience.

What are you expecting from the new Alaska Lounge coming to Seattle?

Luxury hotel group Aman has just opened reservations for its newest resort, which has also been in the pipeline for a very, very long time. This represents the brand’s first property in Mexico, and it may have just become the country’s most expensive hotel.

Basics of Amanvari in Costa Palmas, Mexico

Amanvari has just started accepting reservations for stays as of August 1, 2026. The resort is located in the East Cape of Baja California, in the 1,500-acre Costa Palmas complex. This complex currently has a Four Seasons, and the Aman will be the second property there. There’s also a yacht club and a bunch of residences (obviously a key financial motive for the development). To get here, you still fly into Los Cabos (SJD), and then it’s a roughly hour-long drive.

Amanvari will feature just 18 accommodations, each of which are described as contemporary casitas with sea and mountain views. Most accommodations are 82 square meters (833 square feet), each with a private heated pool, terrace, and more.

While details remain somewhat limited, the resort will feature multiple dining venues (including an Italian, Japanese, and regional inspired restaurant), and there will also be a full service spa, with a yoga pavilion, gym, etc. Below you can see the pictures that have been provided so far of the property.

It’s interesting to see this hotel finally accepting reservations, as this has to be one of the most oddly delayed projects we’ve seen in a long time. Amanvari was announced back in 2018, with a projected 2020 opening date. What’s odd is that construction progress was really impressive at the beginning.

But then there were some major delays. I’ve never been able to get a straight answer as to what caused the delays, but I imagine it must’ve had something to do with financing, or something. Admittedly there were lots of delays with things coming out of the pandemic, but this was extreme. For example, below is what the project looked like in very early 2025 (and that honestly doesn’t look so different from what I remember in 2021).

Amanvari Mexico rates & how to book

With Amanvari now being bookable, what are rates like? Given that all accommodations are just one bedroom, I think this might set the record for being Mexico’s new most expensive hotel.

The absolute cheapest rate I see throughout the year is for around $4,500 per night.

However, in peak season, rates get to $7,000+ on some nights for a standard accommodation.

Credit to Aman, those rates are at least displayed to include taxes & fees, which in Mexico, can add up to 30%+ of the cost of a stay. All rates include breakfast, in-room refreshments and non-alcoholic drinks, use of non-motorized water sports, etc.

I have no doubt that this hotel will be fantastic, and that the accommodations will be super nice. However, it’s obviously priced at the very top end of the market. Admittedly you have to compare this to higher category suites at other properties, in terms of the amount of space you get, a private pool, etc.

There is something special about Costa Palmas, because while it’s in a complex, it otherwise feels very secluded, with beautiful nature. Admittedly this is a place you’ll want to book if you primarily plan on staying in the complex, and not if you want to go out to Los Cabos every night to a different restaurant.

Aman generally has pricing parity between different booking sources, so if you are going to book, you’ll want to use something like Virtuoso. That way you can receive a property credit, an upgrade subject to availability, and more. Ford and his team can help with these requests, and can be reached at ford@fordbtravel.com.

Bottom line

Amanvari is finally accepting reservations for stays as of August 2026, The hotel is opening around six years behind schedule, so it’s good to finally see it coming to market. This should be an incredible hotel, though of course it’s priced accordingly, and makes the adjacent Four Seasons look like a bargain, by comparison.

Costa Palmas isn’t for everyone, but if money is no object and you just want an easy beach getaway that still feels secluded, this definitely fits the bill.

What do you make of Amanvari finally opening?

JFK ATC & British Airways pilot spar over terminology

YouTube channel You can see ATC has the audio and a visualization of an incident that happened around 11:30PM on May 9, 2026, involving a New York Kennedy (JFK) air traffic controller, and the pilots of a British Airways Boeing 787-10, which was bound for London Heathrow (LHR).

Visibility was limited on this particular night, and as the British Airways plane was taxiing to the runway, the RVR (Runway Visual Range) was 1,000 feet. This caused the British Airways pilot to ask if LVO was in force (Low Visibility Operations), which is where things went downhill:

British Airways pilot: “Kennedy, Speedbird 18A heavy, are you declaring LVOs?”
British Airways pilot: “Kennedy, from Speedbird 18A heavy, are you declaring LVOs?”
JFK ATC: “I’m not sure… I’m not… I’m not… I don’t understand the question, Speedbird 18A heavy.”
British Airways pilot: “Roger, you just said RVR 1,000 feet. Are you declaring low visibility operations or not?”
JFK ATC: “I’m not declaring anything, no.”
British Airways pilot: “Roger, but you’ve given 1,000 feet RVR, correct?”
JFK ATC: “That’s correct.”
British Airways pilot: “Roger, that means that you have just said that you have low visibility. So please assure us that you have got LVOs in force or we cannot depart in less than 1,000 feet of visibility.”
JFK ATC: “British Airways 18A heavy, I do not understand what you’re saying.”
British Airways pilot: “Roger, it is very simple, sir. You have declared RVR of 1,000 feet. That means your visibility is low. LVO is the standard ICAO terminology. Have you got low visibility procedures in force or not?”
JFK ATC: “No, sir.”

When it was the British Airways plane’s turn to take off, they still didn’t have sufficient RVR, so they had to taxi off the runway and wait for a while longer. Eventually visibility improved, and the plane was able to take off. That being said, the confusion over feet vs. meters, plus the number of left turns needing to be made, makes for some good listening as well.

Why were ATC & the pilot talking past one another?

On the one hand, there’s nothing funny about two professionals who are fluent in the same language essentially talking past one another. This seems like very poor problem solving on the part of both parties, since they basically just keep saying the same thing over and over, rather than trying to find another way to get on the same page.

On the other hand, there is a certain level of humor to the very serious British Airways pilot (who desperately needs a windscreen on his mic) and the JFK controller who would be hard pressed to act like he cares less.

If you look at the comments on this interaction, they’re mostly in support of the British Airways pilot, and commending him for his focus on safety. That generally seems like the right take, and one might logically wonder “well if LVO is an ICAO term, how does the controller not have any clue what that is?”

Here’s the best explanation I can find for the confusion that’s in support of the controller, just to present a different perspective:

ICAO sets recommendations but does not have regulatory or policymaking authority. LVO is not in FAA lexicon. SMGCS is the term used on taxi charts when RVR is below 1200 ft. There is no requirement in any regulation or FAA-published guidance to state that “LVO is in force”. 7110.65 directs the protection of ILS critical areas below 800-2. An advisory circular guides airports to implement SMGCS procedures below 1200 ft RVR. These actions are required of ATC and airports, so unless they are routinely violating established procedure, I don’t see how adding the sentence “LVO in effect” to the ATIS increases the level of safety in any meaningful way. You simply assume you’re able to use published CAT II/III mins and lower-than-standard takeoff mins (if appropriately authorized) unless explicitly informed otherwise by ATC/NOTAMs/ATIS.

Now, people can argue about whether the JFK controller should know the term, but I suspect this is the correct take in terms of the reality of why this played out the way it did. This particular JFK controller is notorious for using his own little phrases, and if you don’t happen to know what those are, that’s on you. And ICAO? As far as he’s concerned, what’s that? 😉

Bottom line

A JFK air traffic controller and British Airways 787 pilot had an unusual exchange, when the pilot asked for assurance that low visibility operations were in force. The controller had no clue what that is, so just kept saying “no.” However, that didn’t stop the pilot from asking the same question over and over.

What do you make of this JFK ATC interaction?

Emirates Skywards updates award & upgrade costs

Several days ago, the Emirates Skywards mileage calculator was updated to reflect that there would be changes to award costs for bookings made as of Wednesday, May 20, 2026. Specifically, this impacts classic rewards and upgrade rewards, the two best ways to redeem Skywards miles.

Emirates Skywards generally has very high award costs in terms of the number of miles required, in addition to very high carrier imposed surcharges. This is only the latest in a string of negative changes to Emirates Skywards:

• Over the years we’ve seen a countless number of direct devaluations, where the cost of awards has gone up
• We’ve seen carrier imposed surcharges greatly increase over time, even before the cost of jet fuel actually rose due to the Iran conflict
• First class awards are now restricted exclusively to Emirates Skywards elite members, even with the very high costs of these awards
• Emirates Skywards has worsened its conversion ratios with most transferable points currencies, and for the most part, they’re no longer 1:1 (in other words, Emirates Skywards wanted more money for its miles)

Now that these changes are live, just how bad are they? It seems that on average, awards have increased in price by somewhere around 15%, give or take. Just to give some first class examples (increases are roughly proportional in other cabins):

• A one-way Newark to Athens first class award used to cost 102,000 miles, and now costs 117,000 miles
• A one-way New York to Dubai first class award used to cost 163,500 miles, and now costs 188,000 miles
• A one-way Houston to Dubai to Johannesburg first class award used to cost 187,500 miles, and now costs 216,000 miles

Now, there is some good news as well, though. Emirates has different fare bundles, and historically, one-way business class awards have only been possible in the more expensive Flex Plus tier, but not in the cheaper Saver tier. Instead, you’ve had to book a roundtrip award in order to unlock Saver travel in business class.

With these changes, Emirates has brought back one-way Saver awards in business class, which is great news. For example, if you were to fly between New York and Milan, previously your only option was to redeem 87,000 miles for a one-way ticket, while now you can book a Saver award, at the cost of 59,000 miles.

So while I’m frustrated by the continued increase in award costs, these cheaper business class awards being opened up on one-ways is a pretty significant positive development.

So all-in-all, I’d still consider these changes to be negative, on balance, given the general price increase. But at least there’s a lot more of a silver lining than we’ve seen with many past Emirates devaluations.

Emirates just takes a different approach to “loyalty”

The lack of value offered by Emirates Skywards mileage redemptions, and how things have mostly gotten worse over time, drives me bonkers. The way I see it:

• Points currencies can be a great way to fill seats that would otherwise be empty
• Often those redeeming points for a flight end up becoming loyal customers who book revenue tickets in the long run, often in the cabin they redeemed for
• There’s the ability to further monetize members who are engaged in a loyalty program, like getting them to apply for a co-branded credit card

The SVP of Emirates Skywards is a smart guy, even if I very much disagree with the approach he takes. He hasn’t really been secretive about the lack of value the program offers with redemptions. Emirates doesn’t take the same approach to loyalty programs as in the United States, where airlines essentially operate as loss leaders for their loyalty programs.

Instead, Skywards is viewed as being more part of the commercial organization, both in terms of how it’s monetized, and in terms of how it’s intended to encourage loyalty:

• Emirates just doesn’t want to provide big discounts on empty seats by releasing award space, and the idea is almost that redeeming miles gets the airline similar revenue to a cash booking (between the money that Emirates gets when you transfer points to the program, plus all the surcharges)
• The point of Skywards is to offer better “soft” treatment for those who like flying with the beloved brand, rather than actually to “give away” too much

So yeah, personally I’m not at all a fan of the approach. But I also think Skywards leadership is acting intentionally, and it’s not that they think they’re offering great value, and would be shocked to learn that others don’t feel that way (unlike at many other airlines, where that is the case).

Emirates is probably the world’s most revered and known airline brand, and I think that’s largely what the airline leans into heavily. I mean, Emirates has been incredibly profitable, even beating Delta for the past two years (though obviously this year will be different). It remains to be seen if the airline can continue with that approach in the long run.

Bottom line

Emirates Skywards has adjusted award and upgrade costs as of May 20, 2026. In this case, it looks like many award costs have gone up by an average of around 15%. The good news is that Emirates has made Saver awards available for one-way travel in business class, while they were previously restricted to roundtrips.

This latest change follows endless devaluations over the years, in terms of the number of miles required, the carrier surcharges, and the restrictions on certain redemptions. Emirates’ redemption rates are highly uncompetitive nowadays, but that almost seems to be by design. Emirates just takes a different approach to loyalty, and I don’t like it. But, you know, it is what it is…

What do you make of these latest Emirates Skywards changes?

World of Hyatt hugely increases award pricing

World of Hyatt has introduced new award charts for stays booked as of today, Wednesday, May 20, 2026. This is the first time that Hyatt has updated its award chart in around five years, since 2021.

With these changes, World of Hyatt is keeping the same number of award categories that there previously were. Instead, what’s changing is that we’re going from three to five redemption levels within each tier:

• Previously, each hotel had off-peak, standard, and peak pricing
• Under the new system, each hotel has lowest, low, moderate, upper, and top pricing

Below is what the new award chart looks like for standard room redemptions, compared to the old award chart.

As you can see, the idea is that off-peak, standard, and peak pricing under the old award chart, corresponds somewhat closely to lowest, low, and moderate pricing under the new award chart. For example, comparing redemption costs per night for standard rooms:

• Category 1 properties have gone from costing 3,500-6,500 points, to costing 3,000-9,000 points (14% decrease to 38% increase)
• Category 2 properties have gone from costing 6,500-9,500 points, to costing 6,000-15,000 points (8% decrease to 58% increase)
• Category 3 properties have gone from costing 9,000-15,000 points, to costing 8,000-20,000 points (11% decrease to 33% increase)
• Category 4 properties have gone from costing 12,000-18,000 points, to costing 12,000-25,000 points (up to 39% increase)
• Category 5 properties have gone from costing 17,000-23,000 points, to costing 15,000-35,000 points (up to 52% increase)
• Category 6 properties have gone from costing 21,000-29,000 points, to costing 20,000-40,000 points (up to 38% increase)
• Category 7 properties have gone from costing 25,000-35,000 points, to costing 25,000-55,000 points (up to 57% increase)
• Category 8 properties have gone from costing 35,000-45,000 points, to costing 35,000-75,000 points (up to 67% increase)

Note that all award charts have changed, including those for suite and club redemptions, as well as the award charts for Miraval, all-inclusive properties, and more.

Free night awards (including Category 1-4 and Category 1-7 certificates) continue to be valid for stays at properties within each tier regardless of the pricing level, as long as a standard room is available.

Hyatt notes how it will continue to have annual hotel category shifts in the future, as it does now, with yearly changes announced in April. However, over time, expanded redemption levels are intended to reduce the need for larger category shifts.

How is World of Hyatt’s expanded five tier pricing used?

It goes without saying that these changes have the potential to be massive. On the very low end, we’re seeing some award costs go down by 8-14%, while across categories, we’re seeing some award costs go up by 33-67%. The devil is in the details here, of course, and what really matters is how pricing is split up between the five tiers. So let’s talk about that a bit.

World of Hyatt emphasizes how it continues having published award charts, which “reinforces its commitment to transparency, predictability and lasting member trust.” For some background, here’s how Hyatt describes the logic for these award pricing changes:

This update enables more precise alignment at the hotel level within clearly defined category caps, and the added levels allow the program to manage peak demand more precisely by reducing the need for broad increases or major category shifts in the future. While the updated framework takes effect in May, World of Hyatt will implement the changes thoughtfully, with limited hotels moving a limited number of nights into the Upper and Top categories in 2026 and broader adoption in the years that follow.

After five years without a meaningful structural update, this evolution reinforces long-term stability and protects the integrity of the program rather than fundamentally changing it. This adjustment allows the program to grow into the updated chart for years to come.

What should we expect from the new pricing tiers in practice? Here’s what Hyatt executives explained during a media briefing some time back:

• There is no limit on how many nights per year go into each of the five pricing tiers for a particular property, so there’s no assurance that the “top” pricing will only be used for X nights per year
• Hyatt’s assurance is simply that executives at the program understand the extent to which good value redemptions are something that members value, so they’ll keep that in mind as they design the program and price awards, and “maintain the trajectory of the value of points”
• Hyatt executives note how this new pricing system could cause some hotels to ultimately move to lower categories over time; the idea is that some college town limited service properties may have previously been in a disproportionately high tier due to very high demand during limited periods, while the new five tier structure allows that to be addressed more efficiently
• Hyatt states that this is an “award chart [they] will live in and grow into in the years to come” without making further changes, and pricing in the “upper” and “top” tiers will be gradual, with a limited number of properties and dates moving up initially

My take on how bad these World of Hyatt changes are

World of Hyatt is a program that offers great value, and in particular, I appreciate how it’s the only major hotel loyalty program where you can efficiently earn points through transferable points currencies. As competitors have fully moved to dynamic award pricing and have eliminated award charts, I appreciate Hyatt’s continued commitment to keeping award charts.

Hyatt has claimed that the idea is that the company will “grow into” the new award chart, meaning we can progressively expect pricing to get worse and worse over time (based on the number of properties and nights with pricing in the higher bands).

The idea is that initially only a limited number of dates and properties have pricing in the “upper” and “top” tier, which is really where pricing gets brutal. But several years down the road, I imagine that a majority of nights at a majority of properties will fall into the upper part of the award chart, rather than the lower part of the award chart. As a matter of fact, I imagine that the next time we’ll see a new award chart is when there’s not much room left in this award chart to move to higher pricing bands.

But look, no matter how you slice it, these changes are very negative. Even if you just compare the previous “standard” pricing to the new “moderate” pricing (which seems like the most apples-to-apples comparison), it’s really rough. Category 4 has gone from 15,000 to 20,000 points per night, while Category 8 has gone from 40,000 to 55,000 points per night.

I can’t say I’m surprised to see these changes, given what we’ve seen at competitors. But still, that doesn’t mean we’re going to be happy about them. And while I appreciate the idea of still having an award chart, that definitely provides a lot less certainty than in the past, when the same category of hotel can cost 3,000 or 9,000 points per night.

With the new award pricing now live, what are my impressions? Quite honestly, the changes are basically exactly what I was expecting. Obviously the intent with these changes is to control redemption costs at expensive hotels when they’re at high occupancy. That’s because hotel loyalty programs have to reimburse the hotels highest in those situations.

So I’d say broadly speaking, the top properties in the portfolio are still reasonably priced for much of the year, but if you’re trying to redeem any time close to peak season when occupancy is high, it starts to look pretty bad.

For example, looking at the Park Hyatt Los Cabos in January, you’ll find a limited number of dates at 45,000 points per night (the previous highest cost), while most nights now cost 55,000 points, one night costs 65,000 points, and another night even costs 75,000 points.

Looking at the Park Hyatt Tokyo, you’ll find most nights still priced at the previous highest tier of 45,000 points, while some nights in peak season now go for 75,000 points.

Looking at the Park Hyatt Sydney in January, you’ll find most nights priced at 55,000 points (highest than the previous maximum of 45,000 points), but interestingly, no nights at the absolute top pricing.

Meanwhile at the Park Hyatt Vienna, most nights in summer still have reasonable pricing, while it seems like fall is peak season, with lots of nights going for 55,000 to 60,000 points.

Bottom line

World of Hyatt has just introduced new award pricing. While the program is maintaining an award chart with eight categories of hotels, we’re seeing a move from three pricing bands to five pricing bands within each tier.

Unfortunately on the high end, the increase in award costs is massive, and members may be paying up to 67% more points than before. Yes, standard Category 8 hotels now max out at 75,000 points per night. I don’t want to say this completely ruins the value of World of Hyatt, but it definitely limits some of the opportunities to get outsized value.

What do you make of these World of Hyatt changes? What are you noticing about award pricing since the updates have been implemented?

Emirates’ densest A380s go from 615 to 569 seats

Emirates has a fleet of well over 100 Airbus A380s. While a vast majority of those feature first class, there are also 15 of these planes that historically haven’t had a first class cabin, intended primarily for short and medium haul flights with less premium demand.

These are the world’s highest capacity aircraft, as they boast 615 seats, including 58 business class seats and 557 economy class seats. Emirates is in the process of rolling out premium economy throughout its A380 fleet, and as part of that project, the cabin is also coming to the carrier’s high density A380s.

Emirates is now showing off how its first A380 without first class has just been reconfigured, and has already entered service (the plane has the registration code A6-EUX). We can expect the remaining A380s to be reconfigured in the coming months.

With this, we’ll see overall capacity of these A380s reduced by around 8%, from 615 seats to 569 seats, as follows:

• Business class will be increased in size by 18 seats, from 58 to 76 seats
• Premium economy will be introduced, with 56 seats
• Economy will be reduced in size by 120 seats, from 557 to 437 seats

Bigger picture, it’s interesting to look at how exactly the cabin layout is changing. For context, here’s the seat map for Emirates’ old high density A380, and here’s the seat map for Emirates’ new high density A380. In the old configuration, business class is at the back of the upper deck, while the front of the upper deck has 120 economy seats, and the lower deck has 437 economy seats.

With these changes, the business class cabin will be increased in size to 76 seats, the same number of business class seats you’ll find on all of Emirates’ A380s with first class. So that means the entire Emirates A380 fleet will have 76 business class seats, all located in the middle and back of the upper deck, with the bar and lounge area in the very back.

Then premium economy will be in the space of where the first class cabin typically is, meaning that there will be 56 premium economy seats in lieu of 14 first class seats. That means the upper deck will be entirely dedicated to premium seating throughout the Emirates A380 fleet.

Then the lower deck will have 437 economy seats, so there’s no change there.

This seems like a sensible A380 retrofit project

It’s not surprising to see Emirates reconfiguring its high density Airbus A380s. After all, the idea is that these A380s fly in markets where there might not be much first class demand, but there is still potentially a fair bit of business class and premium economy demand.

We have seen an increase in premium travel demand globally over the years, so it’s logical that after many years in service, the airline would rethink the layout of these planes. And if you’re going to introduce premium economy on the upper deck, then you might as well also streamline things, in terms of having the upper deck entirely dedicated to business class and premium economy.

Emirates’ premium economy is great in general, but should be especially nice on these A380s, given the location at the front of the upper deck, plus the 2-3-2 layout. On the four-cabin A380s, premium economy is at the front of the lower deck, and is in a 2-4-2 layout.

Bottom line

Emirates plans to reconfigure the cabins of its high density Airbus A380s, which currently feature 615 seats. These planes will see business class capacity increase by 18 seats, the introduction of a new 56-seat premium economy cabin, and economy capacity reduced by 120 seats.

It’s logical for Emirates to roll out premium economy on these planes, and in the process, rethink the layout to reflect how travel demand has evolved.

What do you make of Emirates’ high density A380 retrofit project?

There’s nothing wrong with that, and indeed, there are a lot of things in the United States worth seeing. The issue, however, was how this was funded. The road trip was entirely funded through sponsorships, with many of the sponsors being companies that Duffy regulates, including Boeing and United Airlines.

Given the Federal Aviation Administration’s concerning history with Boeing (which ultimately contributed to two 737 MAX crashes), that just rubs me the wrong way. I mean, we really think Boeing wants to spend $1 million sponsoring a road trip because it thinks it’s good marketing, rather than because it’s hoping to gain favor with the person who regulates the company? So along those lines, there’s now an update…

Duffy gets very defensive in Senate questioning

On Tuesday, May 19, 2026, Duffy appeared in front of the Senate Appropriations Committee, to defend the Transportation Department’s budget request. Not surprisingly, one big topic of questioning involved Duffy’s sponsored road trip, and the conflict of interest there.

The level of immaturity and anger displayed by Duffy in response to the questioning really isn’t very becoming. For a guy who is claiming he wants to bring civility and kindness back to air travel, he sure doesn’t seem to display that kind of behavior in the Senate.

Essentially, Duffy’s only real defense of the road trip has been to suggest that everyone else is compromised as well, by pointing out potential contributions they’ve received with their political campaigns.

For example, you can see the below interaction with Senator Patty Murray from Washington, where Duffy gets angriest. He was asked what a company that spends $1 million sponsoring the road trip receives.

He refuses to answer that, and instead asks Murray what someone gets if they’re from the healthcare industry and give her $2 million. He then just starts yelling random things over her, about how she doesn’t support lower gas prices. “Welcome to MAGA, welcome to ‘drill baby drill,’ are you going to drill? Do you support lower gas prices? I welcome that!”

Duffy’s more partisan Department of Transportation account of course has a different take, and posts parts of the same clip, suggesting that “HOLY SMOKES: Democrat gets absolutely COOKED by Secretary Duffy.” Okay…

The interaction with Senator Kirsten Gillibrand from New York was also quite something. When questioned about the sponsors, his response is to point out how Gillibrand reportedly received $7 million in contributions from the trial bar in her state. He even claims the trial bar spent $500K to fly her on a private jet, and she responds by saying she has never been on a private jet.

Duffy really can’t even try to defend himself here

It’s interesting how Duffy doesn’t even attempt to justify the funding of this road trip series. He basically defends why he did the road trip series, and that’s logic I can buy. In theory, I can see how this is a positive for promoting in the United States, so I don’t judge him for that.

The issue is just how this is being funded — it’s not just about accepting private donations, but they’re literally from the companies that Duffy is supposed to regulate, and where safety is a huge factor.

Duffy’s only defense is to throw in other peoples’ faces how they’ve also received donations from others, in a way that presents a potential conflict of interest. I’m not sure I see Duffy’s point here — is he suggesting there’s no conflict of interest with any of this funding, or just that everyone has equal conflicts of interest? Let me say this:

• On all parts of the political spectrum, I think there’s a massive conflict of interest that politicians have, both in terms of how their campaigns are funded, and also in terms of their ability to trade while in office; if you ask me, it’s a little problematic when some of the people with the best trading records (like Nancy Pelosi) are also our lawmakers
• While I support widespread restrictions on enriching oneself while in office, I do think there are different levels of problematic behavior, based on precedent, if nothing else; we accept that campaign donations from just about any company are okay, but to take a donation while in office from the biggest businesses in the industry you regulate is something with less precedent

Honestly, the biggest thing that rubs me the wrong way about this is just the optics, and how tone deaf it is. Remember following the two Boeing 737 MAX crashes, how much we learned about the relationship between the FAA and Boeing, and how that contributed to two fatal accidents?

We’re just supposed to believe that Boeing has no real motive for donating $1 million to a show about a road trip? I’m not suggesting that Duffy will necessarily regulate the company differently, but does anyone not believe that Boeing’s motive here is to gain favor with regulators?

Seriously, to me this is a non-political issue, and I’d view it the same regardless which party we were talking about. I guess to flip the script a bit, if Joe Biden were still president and Hunter Biden got a $1 million consulting contract with Boeing, would you also find that to be fair game?

Bottom line

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy was questioned in the Senate about his road trip, funded by companies like Boeing, United Airlines, and Toyota, all of which he’s supposed to regulate. His defense basically boiled down to pointing out how everyone else is compromised as well, which… well, I guess that’s one way to do it.

What do you make of Duffy’s road trip defense?

JetBlue cuts five Newark routes as of July 2026

JetBlue is currently making huge changes to its network. With Spirit having recently liquidated, JetBlue is increasingly focusing on Fort Lauderdale (FLL), an airport that it thinks it can now turn into a proper hub. That’s because when it comes to traffic at the airport, Spirit was number one and JetBlue was number two, and JetBlue is now pretty quickly backfilling the gaps left by Spirit.

As you’d expect, growing in Fort Lauderdale requires cutting elsewhere, and it’s interesting to see the station getting the most cuts. JetBlue has revealed that as of July 8, 2026, it’ll discontinue flights from Newark (EWR) to Aruba (AUA), Cancun (CUN), Punta Cana (PUJ), Santo Domingo (SDQ), Tampa (TPA),

That makes up nearly half of the year-round destinations served by the airline out of the airport, with the others being Fort Lauderdale (FLL), Fort Myers (RSW), Las Vegas (LAS), Orlando (MCO), San Juan (SJU), Santiago de los Caballeros (STI), and West Palm Beach (PBI).

Is this a logical move, or should we be suspicious?

It’s interesting to see JetBlue largely scaling back service in Newark, especially as the airline increasingly strengthens its partnership with United, thanks to the Blue Sky collaboration the two airlines have.

On the one hand, it’s perfectly logical that JetBlue would scale back service at Newark:

• JetBlue can really only compete for spill traffic at Newark, so the airline can’t establish any sort of a dominant position there, with any sort of pricing power
• JetBlue isn’t exactly in growth mode, so if the airline wants to grow elsewhere, it needs to come at the expense of existing service
• Ultimately JetBlue’s strong New York area airport is Kennedy (JFK), so it makes sense for the airline to focus on that

At the same time, on some level, you can’t help but find this all to be a little suspicious (I’m not suggesting anything is actually going on here, but I’m just talking about optics):

• Spirit had a fairly large presence at Newark, so not only has Spirit been eliminated as a competitor, but now JetBlue retreating makes this even more of a fortress hub for United, helping the carrier raise fares even more
• If JetBlue and United did eventually want to merge, lack of route overlap is something that regulators look for when deciding if a deal should get approval, so retreating from Newark would help in furtherance of that goal

Again, I’m not suggesting there’s any foul play here, as the rules are very clear regarding the types of coordination allowed between airlines. However, the optics sure are strange. Typically you’d think a partnership would mean more service to the hub of the other airline. But here we’re seeing JetBlue retreat massively, and basically hand United even more pricing power.

I continue to think that JetBlue is getting the short end of the stick with his partnership, especially compared to what might be possible with another airline. Obviously United is a much more powerful airline, and the greatest thing JetBlue can offer United is not partnering with one of United’s competitors. But it doesn’t seem like United is paying a sufficient price for that. Sure, United is supposed to start using JetBlue’s travel portal, but let’s actually see the upside there…

Bottom line

JetBlue is massively cutting its flying out of Newark, as the airline is ending five of its 12 year-round routes. The logic here is sound, in terms of JetBlue focusing more on Fort Lauderdale, given that Spirit has gone out of business, so it’s JetBlue’s chance to create a real hub.

However, it’s also a bit unusual to see an airline retreating from a partner hub to quite this extent, and if anything, this move will help the long term prospects of any sort of a deal between JetBlue and United.

The primary consideration here is obvious and legitimate, but I can’t help but wonder to what extent “synergies” were otherwise considered.

What do you make of JetBlue cutting Newark flights?

I first published a story about this yesterday, based on a report. I now have a bit more context into what happened, so would like to provide an update, to be as balanced as possible.

Unauthorized cockpit visit leads to United pilots being fired

Former Delta captain Karlene Petitt covers a lot of topics related to aviation safety, and shares the story of a hearing that’s happening on May 19-21, 2026, at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Flight Standards Office in Denver, Colorado. It involves former United captain Cynthia Clifford, who was terminated from the airline following a charter flight. Let’s step back for a moment.

In April 2024, United found itself in hot water over an incident that was getting a lot of media attention. Specifically, the Colorado Rockies had chartered a United Boeing 757 to fly from Denver (DEN) to Toronto (YYZ), and during the flight (not on the ground), one of the coaches not only sat in the captain’s seat, but posted a video of this on social media.

This is a massive no-no. On charter flights, it’s not unusual to see the cockpit door left open, and it’s also not unusual to see people visiting the cockpit while the plane is at cruising altitude. However, sitting in the seat of the captain or first officer while inflight is a line that can’t be crossed.

One of course wonders what kind of horrible judgment the crew was showing here, to allow this to happen. Well, as it turns out, the captain on the flight had gone to use the lavatory while at cruising altitude, and that’s when one of the coaches entered the cockpit, and somehow ended up in the captain’s seat.

The captain learned about what happened when she returned to the cockpit, and upon conclusion of the flight, she filed a report with United’s Flight Safety Action Program (FSAP). The idea is that this allows pilots to report safety issues, without fear of retaliation.

According to the report by Petitt (I haven’t been able to independently verify this), the three-person Event Review Committee (ERC) accepted her report, which should’ve been the end of it. One of the people on the committee belongs to the FAA, and reportedly when the FAA learned that nothing would happen, they replaced the FAA member on the board with someone who would vote differently.

The argument was reportedly that she couldn’t file a FSAP for the incident, because when drinking is involved, FSAPs can’t be filed. The intent there is typically that this applies to crew members (in other words, if a pilot reports they had a drink inflight, they wouldn’t be covered there), but this was also used in this case, because the passenger had a drink.

The first officer was reportedly fired as well (which quite honestly seems more reasonable, since he was in the cockpit at the time). According to Petitt:

Allegedly CEO Scott Kirby used Clifford as a scapegoat to cover up United’s systemic charter program safety issues that, for years, company managers have been bringing forward to United’s safety program manager, Sasha Johnson.

The United ALPA Master Executive Chair, Captain Anne Worster, provided deposition testimony as to the steps she took to try to protect Captain Clifford’s job and the integrity of the voluntary safety reporting program. She went all the way to the CEO Scott Kirby, to no avail.

While the first officer had the responsibility to keep him out of the seat, his termination was more than likely forthcoming. Sadly, ALPA attorneys convinced (pressured) the FO to write that he willfully violated FARs in exchange for a promise that he could keep his job and get less of a discipline from the FAA if he did it. His first ALPA rep warned him against doing this. Then the lead ALPA attorney and head of the ALPA safety committee worked together to replace his rep as fast as they could, without telling the rep what was ongoing. The damage was done. ALPA legal sold him down the river in the worst way.

Meanwhile the coach didn’t get in any trouble for what happened, United didn’t terminate its contract with the Colorado Rockies, etc.

Is this a fair outcome? Is there more to the story?

The argument being made seems to be that United fired the captain so the airline could use her as a scapegoat. Keep in mind that United was in the middle of an FAA audit at the time, due to a series of close calls. The FAA ultimately didn’t find any systematic issues, according to its report.

But the claim is that because the airline was undergoing a safety audit, it fired both pilots to create the optics of taking safety seriously.

Logically, one might say “well why would the pilots not just close the cockpit door?” This seems to be a real grey area on charter flights, where best practices aren’t necessarily followed. Petitt claims that a lot of corners are cut on these flights, explaining the following:

With respect to these airline sports charters, they are big money. Every passenger is a first class passenger and they get what they want. This leaving the door open is an unwritten policy, and has been ongoing for years at most airlines. The understanding is, “they own the plane.” I have been on those charters and the coaches have often visited the flight deck. The coach even testified he had sat up there on many airlines and door was almost always open on charters. But sitting in a pilot’s seat is a huge line to have crossed. Clifford’s initial concern with this process of the door being left open escalated when she learned the coach was in her seat, while she was out of the flight. She had to do something. She wrote a safety report. For that she got fired.

Now, there is a bit more context here about what happened, which both speaks for and against the captain:

• In questioning, the captain reported that it was her first charter flight as captain, and she hadn’t properly been trained about what the procedures are on these flights; so she had asked the lead flight attendant (who does a lot of charters) about this, and she claimed it’s common for the cockpit door to just be left open on these flights
• According to statements of others, the captain may have been standing outside the lavatory when the person entered the cockpit, so she would’ve seen him enter (which isn’t to say that she saw him sit in her seat)
• According to the statements of the “offender,” when he sat down in the captain’s seat, the first officer told him all about the controls, and didn’t ask him to get out of the seat; he just left on his own after some amount of time

I don’t have a strong opinion here as to what the outcome should’ve been. With this case now being heard publicly, it seems fair to at least give this some publicity.

The thing that stands out to me the most is that United really seems to lack proper safety standards and training when it comes to crews staffing charter flights. The captain shouldn’t have to ask the lead flight attendant whether or not the cockpit door should remain open, as you’d think this is an area where policies would be clearly defined.

I think this also gets at the bigger issue — charter customers are treated differently, and I imagine for many crews, they also find it cool to be flying these professional sports teams. So that makes it really difficult to also speak up when lines are crossed.

It doesn’t seem like the airline is doing much to set clear standards, based on the details we know. To me this feels like something that should be an experience that can be learned from for the company, rather than something that should cost two people their jobs.

Bottom line

In April 2024, a video went viral of a Colorado Rockies coach in the cockpit of a United Boeing 757 while inflight. While it’s common for cockpit doors to remain open on charter flights, this crosses the line, and is a big no-no.

The captain of the flight ended up filing a safety report over the incident, as this all happened while she went to the bathroom (though there are different reports as to whether or not she saw the man enter the cockpit). Despite filing a safety report, she ended up being fired, along with the first officer.

I think there was a big breakdown in leadership here, but the thing that stands out to me is how United doesn’t seem to set clear guidelines for crews working charter flights, if the captain is having to ask the flight attendants if the cockpit door should remain open or not. I’m curious to see what comes of this case…

What do you make of this United charter safety incident?

Riyadh Air tickets on sale for flights as of July 1, 2026

Riyadh Air is the new Saudi Arabian funded airline that has massive growth plans, as the airline has ordered up to 72 Boeing 787-9s, up to 60 Airbus A321neos, and up to 50 Airbus A350-1000s.

While Riyadh Air was supposed to launch regularly scheduled operations in the summer of 2025, that timeline slipped, a story that’s all too common nowadays. That was a function of Boeing 787 delivery delays, plus delays with the carrier getting its custom interiors ready for service.

We knew that Riyadh Air’s first route would be between Riyadh (RUH) and London (LHR), and the airline got creative with how it launched that service. You see, Riyadh Air had secured Heathrow slots for the IATA winter season, which started in late October 2025. Heathrow has a “use it lose it” clause for slots, so that basically forced Riyadh Air into launching this service.

The airline took a unique approach to this, as it has essentially been flying the route daily since late October 2025, using a spare aircraft that used to fly for Oman Air. So this Boeing 787-9 doesn’t have the standard Riyadh Air interiors.

Since Riyadh Air wanted to make sure it launched regular operations as smoothly possible, it intentionally didn’t open these flights up to the public. Instead, they’ve been exclusively for employees of the airline, employees of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), and their families. The airline calls this its “Pathway to Perfect go-to-market plan.”

Anyway, there’s now a major update — Riyadh Air is planning on shortly taking delivery of its first custom fitted Dreamliner, and the airline is also preparing to launch operations that are open to the public. Riyadh Air tickets are now on sale for flights as of July 1, 2026. As before, the service operates with the following schedule:

RX401 Riyadh to London departing 2:35AM arriving 7:30AM
RX402 London to Riyadh departing 9:35AM arriving 6:05PM

Here’s what Riyadh Air CEO Tony Douglas had to say about this development:

“Today marks a truly exciting milestone for Riyadh Air as we introduce our new aircraft and signature premium experience on our established London route. It demonstrates our deep commitment to delivering a truly world-class journey for our guests, one that blends exceptional comfort, cutting-edge technology and our distinctive Saudi ‘Hafawa’ hospitality from the moment they step on board.”

“Connecting Saudi Arabia with the UK directly and beyond through our growing network of global destinations including Jeddah, Cairo and Dubai, sits at the very heart of what we are building at Riyadh Air and the Kingdom’s ambitions under Vision 2030. We look forward to welcoming our guests aboard to experience the future of air travel.”

Riyadh Air fares between Riyadh & London

With Riyadh Air tickets now on sale, what are fares like? Well, there’s not much opportunity to get creative here, given that the airline only flies between one set of city pairs. So it’s not like you can simply nest a ticket out of Cairo (CAI), at least for now, for those privileged enough to be allowed to enjoy that facility. 😉

Riyadh Air generally has three fare bundles across cabins — Lite, Smart, and Flex, in economy and premium economy, and Smart, Flex, and Elite, in business class.

If flying roundtrip from London to Riyadh, currently I see business class fares starting at around 27,000 SAR (~7,200 USD).

If flying roundtrip from Riyadh to London, currently I see business class fares starting at around 18,500 SAR (~4,930 USD).

Since one-ways fare are significantly more than half the cost of a roundtrip, one strategy could be to book one direction in business class and one direction in economy, and that starts at around 10,500 SAR (~2,800 USD).

Riyadh Air’s seat maps are also now published on the website.

Keep in mind the airline has a special Business Elite product in the first row, so think of it as being along the lines of the trend of “business class plus” products. I currently see that costing an extra 1,000 SAR (~266 USD) beyond either of the two lower business class fare bundles, as it’s essentially a seat assignment fee. However, if you book the most expensive business class fare bundle, this is included.

Keep in mind that Riyadh Air has its Sfeer loyalty program, and the expectation is that we’re soon going to see loyalty collaborations with several SkyTeam airlines, including Air France-KLM, Delta, and Virgin Atlantic. I’m curious how soon those are rolled out (and if anyone sees them rolled out already, please do let me know!).

Bottom line

Riyadh Air is now selling tickets to the public for flights as of July 1, 2026. While the airline has been flying between Riyadh and London since late October 2025, the flights haven’t actually been on sale to the public. With the company now taking delivery of its first custom fitted Boeing 787, the airline clearly feels it’s finally ready for primetime.

Riyadh Air is making a lot of promises when it comes to passenger experience, and I’m very curious to finally see some firsthand reports of the passenger experience.

What do you make of Riyadh Air flights actually going on sale to the public?

Air New Zealand first confirmed it would introduce this back in 2022, but the actual process of rolling this out has been delayed massively. Several weeks ago there was an update that this product would soon go on sale, and that has indeed now happened. We now have all the details, including how much it will cost, and what the experience will be like.

Air New Zealand’s Skynest economy beds

Air New Zealand plans to introduce bunk beds in economy — you read that right! With Air New Zealand’s new Skynest concept, there will be a total of six full length lie-flat sleep pods, in a “V” shape. That means there will be three levels of bunk beds.

The beds will be 80″ long and 23″ wide, so they should be pretty comfortable for most passengers. There will of course be a limit of one person per bunk.

The bunks will come with bedding, including pillows, sheets, blankets, and privacy curtains. Then there will be a “Nestcessities” amenity kit, with an eye mask, socks, ear plugs, a dental kit, and skincare from Aotea. Each bunk will also have a USB outlet, a reading light, a ventilation outlet, and a storage pocket.

This is very similar to the bunks that airline crews have, so essentially Air New Zealand is making this concept available to passengers as well. That’s pretty cool. Based on the pictures, I’ve gotta say, this does look like a pretty snug setup, and I’m not sure I’d want to be in the bottom bunk.

Where will Air New Zealand Skynests be located?

Skynests will be installed on Air New Zealand’s Boeing 787-9s, so where will they be located? Well, they’ll be installed between the premium economy and economy cabin. Specifically, they’ll take up the space of two center rows in economy, meaning that six bunks are being installed in the space that would otherwise be allocated to six economy class seats.

As you can see, Air New Zealand’s upcoming Boeing 787-9s are in a very premium configuration.

When is Air New Zealand introducing Skynest?

The Air New Zealand Skynest concept is now bookable for travel as of December 2026. Specifically, the expectation is that this will be available on the next newly delivered Boeing 787-9, and that’s expected to operate the route between Auckland (AKL) and New York (JFK)

So that makes it the debut route for this product, and if you do a search on an eligible flight, you’ll see reference to Skynest being available during the booking process.

Air New Zealand’s plan is also to eventually reconfigure existing 787s with Skynests, though the timeline on that remains to be seen. Furthermore, there’s no plan to reconfigure 777s. This process has been really drawn out, and that’s due to delays with 787 deliveries.

How is Air New Zealand selling economy beds?

These bunks can’t be occupied for takeoff and landing, so you can’t directly book one of these bunks for the entire flight. Rather, the idea is that this will be offered as a buy-up for those traveling in economy or premium economy.

Passengers will be able to reserve the bunk beds for four hour periods (at the end of each session, lights will gently come on, to remind passengers that their time is up). This means that on Air New Zealand’s longest flights, these could each be sold up to three times, though initially they’ll only be sold two times. There will be a 30-minute turnaround time between each session, so that the crew can change sheets and prepare the Skynest for the next passenger.

Air New Zealand is selling sessions starting at $495. In other words, you’re paying around $125 per hour for the bunk bed setup. When you book a flight with this product available, you’ll see the option to select it during the booking process.

You can even specifically pick which session you’d like, and which bunk you’d like to reserve.

This will be an interesting experiment when it comes to pricing, as I’m curious if the airline can get economy and premium economy travelers to shell out that much for a bit of time in a flat bed, especially when you consider the other pathways for upgrading.

In theory you’d think the airline would try to generate at least as much revenue as it’s losing from the six economy seats that are being removed, and ideally more than that. But the margins are actually better than you’d initially assume — in reality the opportunity cost is limited, because it’s rare that every single economy class seat would otherwise be occupied.

Air New Zealand also has the Skycouch concept

While the new Skynest is a huge innovation to economy class, it’s worth noting that Air New Zealand also came up with the Skycouch concept years ago. With this, a row of economy seats can essentially be turned into a couch. This is great for couples, or those traveling with families.

The biggest shortcoming of the Skycouch is the size — it’s only 49″ long, which is 4ft1in. Unless you’re on the shorter side, it’s not exactly a long enough surface on which to properly sleep. United is introducing a similar concept soon, which will be branded as the United Relax Row.

Bottom line

Air New Zealand will finally be rolling out a concept we’ve never seen before in economy, with the introduction of Skynest bunk beds. The airline will be adding six bunk beds to Boeing 787s, with two sets of bunks stacked three high.

These are now on sale, for flights as of December 2026. This project is way behind schedule due to delayed Dreamliner deliveries, but hey, better late than never!

What do you make of Air New Zealand’s Skynest, and the pricing?

Emirates asked to operate seventh freedom Israel flights

Israel’s N12 publication is reporting that Israel’s Ministry of Transportation has met with senior officials from Emirates, and has made a surprising request. Specifically, the country is proposing that Emirates launches seventh freedom flights from Tel Aviv (TLV) to both New York (JFK) and Bangkok (BKK), and possibly other destinations.

This would allow Emirates to transport passenger exclusively between Israel and the United States and Thailand. I’ve written a lot about fifth freedom flights, whereby airlines operate to another country via a third country. But this is even a seventh freedom proposal, so it wouldn’t even have to be in conjunction with a flight to or from Dubai (DXB).

Before October 7, 2023, Emirates was operating a massive schedule between Dubai and Tel Aviv, as relations between the two countries have warmed up in recent years. However, the airline hasn’t flown to Israel since then, so it has been over two years. Apparently this move is part of a larger deal in hopes of getting Emirates to finally return to Israel.

There’s one major catch, though — aviation laws in Israel would need to be changed for this to happen. While the proposal has the support by the country’s Ministry of Transportation, you can expect that competing airlines in Israel will of course petition to block this.

This would be good for consumers, but seems unlikely

Israel obviously really wants Emirates to resume service to the country. The Israeli government has historically taking a pretty protectionist approach to its airlines, so it’s wild to see the country inviting Emirates to set up seventh freedom flights out of the airport, as that’s truly unprecedented.

Emirates already has several fifth freedom flights that touch the United States, including New York (JFK) to Milan (MXP), Newark (EWR) to Athens (ATH), and Miami (MIA) to Bogota (BOG). However, this would potentially even be a step further.

In theory, I imagine Emirates is open to new fifth freedom opportunities. And suffice it to say that both US and Israeli airlines would hate to see Emirates launching service in these markets, given what it means for competition.

However, on both sides, this strikes me as a real uphill battle:

• Israel needs to actually change its laws to allow this, and I imagine the local airlines will be very vocal with their opposition
• From an overall regional optics and political standpoint, I question if Emirates finds this to be worthwhile any time in the near future

Anyway, this is definitely something worth keeping an eye on, and I’m curious to see what comes of this, if anything!

Bottom line

The Israeli government is inviting Emirates to set up a base in Tel Aviv, and fly to New York and Bangkok. This seems to be part of an overall larger negotiation, in hopes of getting Emirates to resume its service between Dubai and Tel Aviv, which has been suspended for well over two years now.

Emirates is always looking for interesting fifth freedom opportunities, and this is an unexpected one that wasn’t on my radar. However, there are lots of hurdles here, not the least of which is that laws have to be changed in Israel for this to be allowed.

What do you make of the prospect of Emirates operating seventh freedom flights out of Tel Aviv?

For the first time in roughly six years, we’ll see updates to the list of these hotels. This also includes hotels having their status taken away, which is the first time in history that we’ve seen that happen (thanks to Ralph for flagging this).

Basics of the France “Palace” hotel concept

France is known for luxury and gastronomy, and by connection, some amazing hotels. This is where France’s Palace distinction for hotels kicks in. Since 2010, Atout France (France’s official tourism development agency) has been awarding certain hotels Palace status.

This is a much higher honor than being a five-star hotel, as there are currently only 31 hotels in France with this distinction. Note that a French hotel having Palace distinction doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s in a former palace (though several properties are). Rather, it’s intended to describe just how grand these properties are, and that they excel at all criteria being judged, including service, gastronomy, etc.

This program is intended to encourage hotels to be their best, all while increasing the profile of these properties on the international scene. I know many Francophiles go out of their way to stay at Palace properties, and for good reason.

I’ve written in the past about the 31 current Palace hotels, so check out that post for more background.

France “Palace” hotel changes coming on June 2, 2026

France’s Palace hotel list was last updated in 2019, so we’ve known that we’ve been due for an update. While the list is supposed to be updated every few years, there was a bit of a gap during the pandemic, given how hotels modified their service for some amount of time.

French paper Le Figaro now provides an interesting update, which is that the new list of Palace hotels will be announced on June 2, 2026. This isn’t a one-time award, but instead, hotels have to renew their Palace distinction with each cycle.

First, the expectation is that three hotels will lose their Palace distinction, which is the first time that hotels will have this honor taken away from them. According to the report, the three hotels that will lose their status are the Park Hyatt Paris-Vendôme, Mandarin Oriental Paris, and Hotel du Palais Biarritz (Hyatt Unbound Collection).

Suffice it to say that this is really rough for Hyatt, with two of the three hotels belonging to the chain:

• The Park Hyatt Paris is a great points property, but there’s no denying it hasn’t really kept up with the competition in the past decade; maybe this is the push they need to finally renovate
• Hotel Biarritz is a charming property that I very much enjoyed staying at, but yeah, it’s probably not quite to the top French hospitality standard nowadays
• I haven’t stayed at the Mandarin Oriental Paris, but that seems like a pretty rough loss

The expectation is that a “handful” of new hotels will receive Palace distinction, but it’s not yet clear what those are… we’ll have to wait a couple more weeks. A few thoughts and guesses here:

• The Ritz Paris is one of the most iconic hotels in the city, but hasn’t actually been awarded Palace distinction until now, due to a variety of factors (including the impacts of a fire back in 2016); could that finally change this time around?
• Sticking to Paris, Bulgari Paris and Cheval Blanc Paris have both opened since the last round of Palace distinctions were awarded, so I could see one or both of them qualifying
• Airelles is probably my favorite hotel group in the world, and both Airelles Val d’Isère and Airelles Château de Versailles don’t yet have Palace distinction, as they opened since the last round of awards, but seem like they should qualify
• There’s also talk of Royal Champagne Hotel & Spa possibly getting the distinction, as it’s another very well regarded property

So it’s anyone’s guess how this plays out, but I’d be surprised if at least a few of the above don’t get awarded this time around.

Bottom line

On June 2, 2026, Atout France is expected to announce an updated list of “Palace” hotels. Media reports suggest that three hotels will lose their status, including two Hyatts and one Mandarin Oriental. Meanwhile a handful of hotels are expected to be added to the list.

Palace distinction is about as prestigious as it gets in the hotel industry, so this is a big loss for the hotels that are losing the recognition, and a big win for those that are gaining it. Hopefully this causes the Park Hyatt Paris and Hotel du Palais Biarritz owners to invest a bit in their properties, in hopes of regaining the status.

What are you expecting from these Palace hotel updates?

Qatar Airways adds award redemptions on Philippine Airlines

Qatar Airways and Philippine Airlines have just strengthened their partnership, with loyalty reciprocity. As I see it, there’s one aspect to this that’s most exciting, and that’s the ability to redeem Qatar Airways Privilege Club Avios for travel on Philippine Airlines worldwide.

These award redemptions are bookable directly on Qatar Airways’ website, and pricing is roughly distance based. Qatar Airways doesn’t publish an exact award chart for these redemptions, but it seems business class awards range from 18,000 Avios to 154,500 Avios one-way, depending on the distance.

For example, Manila (MNL) to New York (JFK) is the carrier’s longest flight, and that costs 154,500 Avios one-way in business class.

Meanwhile flying from Manila to Hong Kong (HKG) costs 24,000 Avios one-way in business class.

There are mild carrier imposed surcharges on the tickets — for example, the longest flight will cost you around $200 in additional fees.

Why these Philippine Airlines redemptions are useful

I definitely appreciate the ability to now redeem Qatar Airways Avios for travel on Philippine Airlines:

• Philippine Airlines doesn’t belong to a major alliance, so the redemption opportunities on the carrier are rather scattered and limited
• Some of the programs that Philippine Airlines has historically partnered with are known for their complicated rules, like All Nippon Airways Mileage Club, which limits the people you can redeem for, requires booking by phone, etc.
• Alaska Atmos Rewards was supposed to launched a redemption partnership with Philippine Airlines, but it seems the two carriers have backtracked on that; it’s really disappointing how many partnerships Alaska announces, and then it delays or changes the actual ability to redeem
• Avios are super easy to acquire, thanks to the ability to freely transfer Avios between a variety of programs, plus all the transfer partners they have; it’s also common to see transfer bonuses

So being able to redeem Qatar Airways Avios for travel on Philippine Airlines directly online is great, and on top of that, business class award availability is actually good. While pricing is higher than I’d prefer, with a transfer bonus, it gets to a value where it’s okay, and is at least an option to be aware of. After all, transpacific premium cabin award seats can often be hard to find nowadays, so at least this unlocks some availability.

Bottom line

Qatar Airways Privilege Club has just rolled out award redemptions on Philippine Airlines, so this is a great new option for redeeming Avios. While the premium cabin redemption rates are on the high side, it’s nice to have some option to redeem directly online for travel on Philippine Airlines, given the unique routes the airline operates.

I’ve been wanting to fly Philippine Airlines’ new Airbus A350-1000, so this is something that will come in handy for me.

What do you make of this new Qatar Airways Avios redemption option?

Very awkward United Airlines “Agent on Demand” interaction

United Airlines has its “Agent on Demand” feature. The idea is that if you face travel disruptions on your day of travel, this feature lets you get in touch with an agent, with the option to communicate using audio or text. That brings us to this interaction, which seemingly went as follows, based on the screenshots (“Paula” is the customer service representative, and “Sierra” is the customer):

Paula: “Sorry there are no more flights for tonight”
Paula: “TOMORROW IS BOOKED UP”
Sierra: “Okay can I be rebooked for tomorrow same time? And I assume I will”
Sierra: “There’s no flights for tomorrow?”
Paula: “All full”
Sierra: “Okay so… what now? Waiting for a solution or help here. Thank you”
Paula: “Nothing”
Sierra: “What?”

There’s then a five minute gap, and then the following is shared:

Paula: “Is that all on UNITED/”
Sierra: “I have no idea”
Sierra: “I’m coming to you guys for help”
Paula: “call 18008648331”
Sierra: “I can hear everything you’re saying right now”
Sierra: “How am I not being nice? I am asking for help lol”
Paula: “I DO NOT HAVE A HEADSET”
Paula: “There is no one in my room”
Sierra: “I am recording the entire call and I am hearing everything”
Paula: “That is okay”
Paula: “You need to call 18008648331 for further help”
Sierra: “Okay so I am aware you can offer me a solution but you just told your coworker I’m not being nice so you’re going to give me a 1-800 number instead”

As you can see based on the screenshots, while the communication is taking place by text, you’ll see the “Audio in Progress” bar at the top. So clearly the conversation includes both text and voice, though the customer is muted.

What happened with this United customer service interaction?

As I see it, there are two main questions here:

• Is the level of written communication really what United strives for?
• How is it possible that the customer was hearing what the customer service representative was saying?

I’m trying to figure out who exactly staffs these “Agent on Demand” centers. It would appear that it’s Cisco technology powering this, according to the below promotional video. But that doesn’t tell us who is actually working in these call centers. Are they directly United employees, or are these offshored contract employees with limited training?

So first there’s the question of written communication. Seriously, is this really how employees are supposed to communicate? “All full” and “nothing,” with no additional context? That’s it?

Regarding the concept of the employee writing one thing but then saying another thing in the background, it sounds like United’s chat feature allows both audio and video conversations at the same time. As you can see, the customer has herself muted, so it almost seems like the customer service agent might not be aware that she’s being heard as well.

I’m not sure if there’s simply a lack of warning to employees when they’re being recorded, or what. I mean, I imagine that most of us expect that customer service representatives may sometimes be saying negative things about customers when they’re not being recorded, but don’t expect to actually be able to hear those things.

Of course in this era, one also can’t rule out the fact that this could be fake. However, this seems like a rather random thing to make up or alter, so I’m inclined to believe it’s mostly true. But still, given the amount of attention this is getting, and the confusion this is creating, I figure it’s at least worth going over the basics of what we do understand.

If there’s anything I’m missing, or anyone has more insights into who is staffing these “Agent on Demand” centers, please do chime in!

Bottom line

A United Airlines customer service interaction is getting quite a bit of attention online. This is in reference to United’s “Agent on Demand” feature, where you can chat with an employee by text or voice. In this case, it seems the customer was communicating by text, but also had the voice option enabled.

The employee’s messages are rather short and rude to begin with, but then the customer also reportedly heard her saying that she won’t be helping, and will instead give the carrier’s phone number.

There’s a lot here to be confused about, but either way, this isn’t the first odd “Agent on Demand” interaction I’ve seen, so I wonder what exactly is going on here.

Does anyone have any insights here, or know who staffs these special customer service channels?

I tend to keep a closer eye on Miami International Airport (MIA) than most, given that it’s my home airport. Along those lines, the airport’s longest flight declared an emergency this morning, with some interesting circumstances…

Emirates 777 has fuel emergency after two go arounds

Emirates flight EK213 operates from Dubai (DXB) to Miami (MIA). The 7,845-mile flight is flown by a Boeing 777-300ER. Today, Sunday, May 17, 2026, the flight was scheduled to depart at 2:15AM local time and arrive at 10:00AM local time, with a total block time of 15hr45min (there’s a time change of eight hours).

This is a very long flight under normal circumstances. On top of that, at the moment, flights are in some cases taking detours to avoid certain airspace in the Middle East, potentially adding to flight time.

If you look at the Flightradar24 map for today’s flight, you might think this looks like any other Dubai to Miami flight. However, the flight ended up spending over 17hr15min in the air, to the point that the pilots had to declare an emergency.

What exactly went wrong? Well, the plane started off making great time, and the flight took off at 1:47AM, a staggering 28 minutes ahead of the scheduled 2:15AM departure time. Obviously headwinds were especially strong today, because around 16 hours after takeoff, the plane only found itself over Orlando, still at its cruising altitude, but ready to start its approach.

Unfortunately weather in Miami wasn’t good at all this morning, so the plane first had to take a rather roundabout approach to runway 9.

Unfortunately due to low visibility and wind shear, the plane had to perform a go around. At this point, the Emirates pilots requested to divert to Fort Lauderdale (FLL). However, the controller told them that the weather was still better for runway 12 at Miami. So the pilots informed the controller that they were declaring minimum fuel, and requested an approach for runway 12.

Unfortunately that approach also had to be called off at the last minute, because another aircraft was on the runway, and didn’t vacate it fast enough.

At this point, the pilots declared emergency fuel, which gives the plane top priority for landing. This included a “mayday, mayday, mayday” call, which is the most serious emergency a pilot can declare. The pilots finally managed to land on their third attempt.

They touched down at 11:08AM, over an hour after the scheduled arrival time, despite taking off from Dubai around half an hour early.

You can listen to the air traffic control audio for yourself below.

Just how serious was this Emirates fuel emergency?

On the surface it’s a bit puzzling that this got to the point of being a fuel emergency. Obviously this is a long flight in the first place, but the fact that they declared low fuel after one go around, and a fuel emergency after two go arounds, suggests they burned more fuel enroute than they were expecting to. They only had a slight detour on the approach after passing Orlando, but nothing massive.

For those curious about how these terms are defined, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), here’s how minimum fuel is defined:

Indicates that an aircraft’s fuel supply has reached a state where, upon reaching the destination, it can accept little or no delay. This is not an emergency situation but merely indicates an emergency situation is possible should any undue delay occur.

Meanwhile here’s how emergency fuel is defined:

The point at which, in the judgment of the pilot-in-command, it is necessary to proceed directly to the airport of intended landing due to low fuel. Declaration of a fuel emergency is an explicit statement that priority handling by ATC is both required and expected.

For context, generally aircraft must carry enough fuel to reach their destination, navigate to a planned alternative airport, and then still have a “final reserve,” which typically has to be enough for around 45 minutes of flight time at a specific holding speed and altitude.

In this case, it was 20 minutes from when the first landing attempt was made, to when the pilots declared emergency fuel. So yeah, that suggests more fuel was burned up until that point than expected.

Bottom line

An Emirates Boeing 777 flying from Dubai to Miami today had a much longer than usual flight, which lasted a full 17hr16min, well over an hour longer than usual. It seems headwinds might’ve been stronger than planned, then there was a slight detour over the Atlantic, and then the plane had two go arounds, before successfully landing on the third attempt.

The pilots declared emergency fuel, which is a serious call to make, and gives the plane immediate landing priority (along with a lot of paperwork on the ground). One wonders with how much fuel the plane actually landed.

What do you make of this Emirates 777 emergency fuel situation?

Man causes Qantas flight diversion, and it’s caught on tape

This incident happened on Friday, May 15, 2026, and involves Qantas flight QF21 from Melbourne (MEL) to Dallas (DFW), operated by a Boeing 787-9. The nearly 9,000-mile journey is among the longest out there, and even with a strong tailwind, it typically takes 15 hours eastbound.

However, this recent flight took a lot longer, as the plane ended up diverting to Papeete, Tahiti (PPT), roughly seven hours after it first departed. The plane then spent roughly an hour on the ground there, before continuing the journey to Dallas, where it landed just under nine hours later.

In the end, the plane landed in Dallas just around three hours after the scheduled arrival time, which isn’t bad, when you consider the initial departure out of Melbourne was nearly two hours behind schedule.

Diversions happen all the time, so here’s what makes this interesting. ACARS (Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System) is what crews typically use to communicate with their operations team, and here’s one of the messages that was sent from the operations team to the crew:

THANK YOU AGAIN FOR YOUR PATIENCE AND ASSISTANCE IN MANAGING THE DIVERSION. WHEN YOU HAVE A MOMENT COULD YOU PLEASE PROVIDE THE STAFF NUMBER OF THE CREW MEMBER WHO WAS BITTEN AS WELL AS SEAT NUMBERS FOR ANY PASSENGERS WHO ASSISTED THE CREW WITH THE DISRUPTIVE PASSENGER.

A crew member was bitten?! Oh my…

While I haven’t seen video footage of the actual bite, there is a video out there that captures a dispute between one of the flight attendants and a passenger who seems to definitely be under the influence of something.

This interaction starts with the flight attendant politely asking the passenger to calm down. You can watch the video below (of course be warned that there’s bad language), but just to recap some of the key points:

• The passenger asks the flight attendant “we’re in the air?” and “are you smoking weed?”
• The passenger then nearly falls over and just can’t stand anymore, and tells people to “f*ck off”
• The passenger then says he was “about to walk out for a cigarette”
• The flight attendant then says to him “you’re carrying on like a bloody two-bob watch” (which, OMG, that is a really good line — is this widely used Australian slang, or does this guy just have some zingers?)
• I’m confused, the guy in the white button down shirt, is that just a random passenger, or is this one of Australia’s air marshals who broke cover?

Upon landing, the man was taken into custody, and was also placed on Qantas’ permanent no-fly list.

This kind of behavior is unacceptable, of course…

I have some level of sympathy for people who might have mental episodes onboard planes. In this case, everything about this guy’s behavior is what you’d expect from someone who maybe had too much to drink (or too much of something).

While I realize substance abuse is an addiction, people also need to know their limits when they’re going in public, and potentially putting the safety of others at risk.

Now, if this guy simply had too much to drink, one wonders how much he had before departure, vs. how much he was served onboard, because that’s obviously something that should be considered as well. It appears that the incident happened around four hours after takeoff (give or take), based on the flight map showing 11 hours remaining to Dallas.

I also have to give the flight attendant credit for doing a good job deescalating the situation. This guy was obviously totally out of it, and it quickly became clear that there wasn’t a lot that could be done to control his behavior. And the fact that he threw in the “you’re carrying on like a bloody two-bob watch” is the icing on the cake.

Bottom line

A Qantas Boeing 787 flying from Melbourne to Dallas diverted to Tahiti after a passenger became disruptive, and started yelling and cussing at others, and reportedly even biting a crew member. This man is now in jail in Tahiti, and is also permanently banned from Qantas. I hope he gets the help he needs to get his substance abuse issues under control, but oy, what a mess…

What do you make of this Qantas diversion?

In this installment, I’d like to review the 101-key Capella Bangkok, which opened back in 2020. I was very excited about this stay for a few reasons:

• I made my first stay at a Capella property earlier this year (at the Capella Taipei), and I now absolutely love this brand; I actually think Capella might be the brand that does city hotels best
• The World’s 50 Best Hotels list tends to get a lot of attention, and in 2024, the Capella Bangkok was ranked the number one hotel in the world, and in 2025, the hotel was ranked number three (in 2025, the Rosewood Hong Kong won first place)
• The Capella is located adjacent to the Four Seasons in the Chao Phraya Estate, and both hotels have the same owner; so I was curious how the two properties would compare

I must say, the Capella Bangkok is indeed a spectacular city hotel, and feels like such an oasis of calm. I love how all the rooms have balconies and face the river, I appreciate the friendly service and great facilities, and the food and beverage outlets are excellent as well.

Then there’s what I love about the Capella brand at large, like the “living room” concept, where parts of the hotel are exclusively for hotel guests, there’s an evening happy hour in the lounge, etc.

I also have to say upfront that I found it interesting to then check out the Four Seasons. It might seem strange to put a Capella and Four Seasons right next to one another in the same complex, but I’d argue that it really works. The Capella Bangkok feels a bit like a serene hideaway (almost like an Aman in a city), while the Four Seasons is such an impressive and lively urban resort, which is a destination in and of itself. So I quite like that balance.

Booking the Capella Bangkok

I paid cash for my one-night stay at the Capella Bangkok. The Capella is probably the second most expensive hotel in the city for entry level rooms, after the Aman. However, I wanted to check out this hotel for a night, and figured it was worth the money.

I booked an entry level room at a rate of around $900. I used an Amex $300 hotel credit, meaning I “only” paid $600 out of pocket. For booking through Amex FHR, I received complimentary breakfast, a room upgrade, a $100 property credit, and more.

The way to get the lowest per night rate here is to book a stay of three nights, as there’s typically a third night free offer. So that can lower your nightly rate by around one-third. Generally your best bet for booking Capella properties is to go through a Virtuoso travel advisor, as that doesn’t require a credit card, and offers extra perks.

If staying at a Capella property, also remember to take part in the Global Hotel Alliance (GHA) loyalty program. I’d argue that Capella is the world’s highest end hotel brand that participates in a rewards program.

Capella Bangkok location

The Capella Bangkok is located in the Chao Phraya Estate, a recently developed 14-acre complex right on the famous Chao Phraya River. The hotel is in a development that also contains the Four Seasons (which has both a hotel, and then a standalone residences building), so it’s quite the complex.

I’d say the Capella definitely has the most elegant exterior. I love the wood paneling — is it just me, or is the design kind of trippy, since it almost looks like each of those “squares” is just one floor (rather than each having three floors)?

One of the cool things about the Capella is that all rooms face the river. So above you see what the hotel looks like from the back (where you enter), while if you go out to the opposite (river) side of the hotel, you’ll see a lot more glass, typically floor-to-ceiling.

The Four Seasons and Capella are connected via a riverfront promenade, so it’s nice to have this kind of a shared space in what’s still ostensibly a city hotel.

On the topic of transportation, the Capella and Four Seasons share a boat service that goes to ICONSIAM and Sathborn Pier (for the BTS Skytrain connection). That runs every 30-60 minutes, and it’s a nice service to have. So yeah, it does take a bit of effort to get onto public transportation.

Otherwise, taxis and rideshares are cheap, and within 15-20 minutes you can be just about anywhere in the city. People have different takes as to where in Bangkok they like to stay. Personally, I’m a fan of being on the river, since it’s just so much prettier of a view, and you’re still close to so many attractions.

I also think the properties on the river so often have more of a resort vibe, while the ones not on the river often feel more like generic city business hotels.

Capella Bangkok lobby & check-in

I arrived at the Capella Bangkok shortly after noon, and was immediately greeted by a bellmen and escorted to check-in.

There are a few “signature” aspects to the Capella experience. One of those is that there are many parts of the hotel that are just for hotel guests. In the case of the Capella Bangkok, there’s a massive lobby space that’s open to the public (it’s bizarrely large, almost), with plenty of seating.

This entire space also has such a nice view, as it looks out over a decorative pond of sorts, with the pool and river in the distance.

As you enter that lobby space and turn right, you’ll then see two reception desks at the back left. This is where you enter the part of the hotel that is only for guests. In the below picture you’ll see the frosted door on the right, and that can only be accessed with a room key, and it’s where you’ll find the wing of the hotel with guest rooms and more.

Past that frosted door, you’ll find the elevators to the guest rooms on the right, and the living room on the left, which is where check-in formalities took place. I’ll talk more about the living room later, but it’s a lovely, leisurely experience, as you can sit down, are offered a drink and refreshing towel, etc. The general manager, Antonio, also came by to personally greet me (which he seemed to do with every guest checking in — impressive).

Capella Bangkok guest room

For booking through Amex FHR, I received a one category upgrade, from a riverfront king to a riverfront premier (essentially the same room room on a higher floor, and therefore with better views).

Those are actually the only categories of rooms, and then the rest of the accommodations are suites and villas. I have to point out, I think the Capella Bangkok villas have to be one of the coolest room concepts out there at a city hotel. They’re essentially “villas” right on the river, which I just find to be insanely cool.

Anyway, the Capella Bangkok has 10 floors, and I was assigned room 906, located on the ninth floor.

All rooms at the Capella Bangkok are marketed as being 61 square meters (657 square feet), so they’re very generously sized. However, I imagine that includes the outdoor space, as the interior didn’t feel quite that big.

The room was very comfortable and well laid out. It featured a plush king size bed with excellent pillows, a sitting area with a desk and loveseat, and a desk with a proper chair.

The TV was over on a wall at the side of the room, which seems like an awkward angle for watching from bed (I’m not someone who watches TV at hotels, but if I were…).

This is also where the minibar was located, which had a Nespresso coffee machine, a selection of tea, soft drinks, alcohol, and snacks. Note that while non-alcoholic drinks were complimentary, alcohol and snacks weren’t.

Behind the main part of the room was the closet space, which essentially spanned the entire length of the room. I appreciate the amount of closet space here, since it makes it much easier to keep the rest of the room tidy (when there’s not proper closet space in a room, I do an awful job at keeping rooms neat, since I often just start “digging” things out of my bag).

Next to that was the huge bathroom, which was separated from the rest of the room by sliding doors. The bathroom had double sinks, a soaking tub, a walk-in shower, and a toilet in a separate room.

Toiletries were in reusable containers from Bamford, which is brand standard for Capella.

Also, how cute are the hotel’s selection of bathroom amenities?

The room also had a beautiful outdoor space with a daybed. Despite Bangkok’s warm climates, hotels with balconies are surprisingly rare, so this is something that many guests will appreciate.

The views from here are absolutely lovely.

Shortly after arriving in the room, I was brought a welcome amenity, consisting of a dessert, fruit, and a bottle of champagne, which is quite a nice gift for a simple one-night stay.

All-in-all, I thought the room was great. I love how all rooms have a river view and outdoor space. I also felt that the quality of finishes was very good, which is a feeling I sometimes don’t get at luxury hotels in Bangkok. Like, all the furniture felt “sturdy,” drawers actually closed correctly, etc.

Here’s what I will say, though — in terms of my own preferences, I don’t actually love the room design at the Capella. I find the finishes to be a little too beige and muted for my preferences, with a little too much light wood being used. Even though the hotel is only around five years old, it already doesn’t feel cutting edge in terms of design, in my opinion.

Let me of course emphasize that preferences like this are highly subjective, so others will (fairly) feel very differently. This also struck me as being particularly muted for the Capella brand specifically, given that some of its properties are way (way, way) out there in terms of design — just look at the Capella Hanoi, for example.

Capella Bangkok pool

The Capella Bangkok has a pool that’s open 24/7 (that’s rare to see!). The pool area is basically one huge rectangular infinity-edge pool, overlooking the river (there’s no hot tub here, though there is one in the spa).

It’s a very nice pool deck, and I appreciate the combination of traditional loungers, plus little cabanas, for those who prefer more shade.

For a relatively small city hotel, I’d say that’s a very nice pool setup!

Capella Bangkok gym

The Capella Bangkok gym is accessible by guests 24/7. It’s located down the staircase from the pool, along the path that leads to the promenade (in the below picture, those rooms on the right are the property’s very cool villas).

For a property of this size, I found the gym to be excellent, with a huge selection of Technogym equipment. During daytime hours, there are also trainers on staff.

Capella Bangkok Auriga Wellness spa

The Capella Bangkok has a full-service spa, branded as Auriga Wellness, and it’s open daily from 10AM until 10PM. You can find the full treatment menu here.

At 1,074 square meters (11,560 square feet), it’s quite a large spa, and it has seven treatment rooms, including two rooms for couples. There are of course changing facilities, a hydrotherapy area, a sauna and steam room, etc. Hotel guests can use the spa, even without an appointment.

The spa even has an outdoor spa garden.

Capella Bangkok living room (guest lounge)

All Capella properties have the “living room” concept. Think of it as being somewhere between a club lounge and a hotel lobby that’s exclusively for guests. In the case of the Capella Bangkok, the living room is open daily from 7AM until 11PM.

You can come to the living room if you want a coffee or soft drink any hour of the day, or if you need help from the concierge, etc. There’s also a nightly happy hour, plus some themed activities.

The Capella Bangkok living room is one large, rectangular room, with a variety of seating options, ranging from couches, to chairs accompanied by coffee tables, to an outdoor terrace.

Throughout the day, you can enjoy complimentary sparkling wine, soft drinks, juice, coffee, tea, etc., per the below menu.

For example, I very much enjoyed the iced lattes that were prepared here, and they were even happy to put them in to-go containers, which was a nice touch.

There’s also a small selection of sweet snacks throughout the day.

One of the key aspects of the Capella experience is that they’re supposed to blend some local culture into the experience, with unique activations at each property. For example, Capella’s front office staff are referred to as “culturalists,” with the intent being that they’re your ambassadors to the city.

So in the living room you’ll also find some daily rituals, including:

• From 3-4PM there’s a Thai tea trolley, with egg cake and tea
• From 5-6PM there’s a happy hour, with a selection of alcoholic drinks and canapés

While the Thai iced tea was (of course) on the sweet side, I still enjoyed it as an afternoon treat.

I also checked out the very nice happy hour reception, which included ya dong, plus a variety of other alcoholic drinks.

It really is so nice how Capella offers this as a brand standard. It’s a little detail that clearly shows the effort they’re putting into the guest experience.

Capella Bangkok restaurants & bars

Quality food & beverage outlets is a huge focus for Capella properties, and the Bangkok location is no exception. At the Capella Bangkok you’ll find the following outlets:

• Phra Nakhon is the hotel’s all-day dining restaurant, serving an international breakfast, and then Thai food for lunch and dinner
• Côte by Mauro Colagreco is the hotel’s two Michelin star restaurant, open for lunch and dinner, serving “Riviera-inspired” cuisine
• Stella is the hotel’s incredible themed bar, open in the evenings and late into the night
• Tea Lounge is essentially just the lobby lounge, where both guests and outsiders can have afternoon tea (I won’t be covering this further, since I think it’s pretty self-explanatory)
• Kin is the hotel’s coffee shop, serving barista drinks, snacks, etc.

Let’s start with Phra Nakhon, which serves breakfast daily from 6:30AM until 11AM, and then lunch and dinner from 11AM until 11PM. You can find all the menus here.

The restaurant is located out on the riverfront promenade, with a good amount of indoor and outdoor seating.

I had breakfast at Phra Nakhon, and it consisted of a combination of a buffet and an a la carte selection, which you can order as much from as you’d like. The buffet wasn’t huge, but was very high quality, with a variety of fruit, yogurt, endless pastries, cold cuts, cheese, salad, veggies, dips, etc.

There’s also a large selection of barista coffee, and even fresh coconuts, so I couldn’t help but order one of those as well.

When it comes to a la carte options, those were presented to me on an iPad with an endless number of pages, so I had no “clean” way of photographing that. However, the selection was absolutely massive, with options that were Western, Thai, Chinese, Japanese, etc.

We’re talking everything from avocado toast, to quinoa salad, to homemade smoked salmon, to oatmeal, to granola, to bircher muesli, to french toast, to waffles, to buttermilk pancakes, to custom eggs. There were also lots of Thai specialties, which were my focus, naturally. I decided to order the pad kra pao moo sub (but with chicken instead of pork), and some mango sticky rice, naturally.

Côte by Mauro Colagreco is the hotel’s two Michelin star restaurant, and it serves lunch from 12PM until 2PM, and dinner from 6PM until 10PM. You can find all the menus here. The restaurant is a beautiful space, with a bar area, and then a bunch of tables along the windows, with great views of the river.

I decided to have a solo lunch here. The restaurant has a four-course lunch menu for 3,800THB (~$116), so that was nearly covered by the $100 property credit I had.

I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves. It was an exceptional meal from start to finish, and it never ceases to amaze me just how much effort goes into creating meals like this. It’s really a labor of love. Also, special shout out to Michael, the excellent server taking care of me, who was also a huge aviation geek.

I knew we’d hit it off when he asked how I flew to Bangkok, and when I explained it was through Doha, he said “Qsuites?” Hah.

The Capella Bangkok also has Stella, the signature bar, open nightly from 6PM until 12AM (with live performances on Thursdays through Saturdays). You can find all the menus here. How cool is this design?!

The drink list was also really inventive, and I appreciated all the Thai-themed options.

Lastly, while I didn’t get anything from there, Kin is open daily from 11AM until 8PM, and offers pastries, cakes, and more.

One other thing that has to be emphasized is that the Four Seasons Bangkok also has a very impressive lineup of restaurants and bars, so if you’re staying at Capella, you can walk to any of those restaurants in a minute. So the Chao Phraya Estate has a very impressive selection of dining options right at your fingertips.

Capella Bangkok service

Capella is a brand known for exceptional service, and the Bangkok property is no exception. Across the board, staff were phenomenal. Management was very hands on and constantly checked on guests, and it really felt like all staff were invested in making sure that guests had a great stay.

Now, I can’t say I had any true standout interactions, or anything, but service was polished and frictionless across the board.

Bottom line

Capella is a stellar hotel brand, and the Capella Bangkok didn’t disappoint. I love the Capella exclusive concepts, like a certain part of the hotel only being for guests, and a “living room” where you can stop in any time of the day, or enjoy a happy hour in the evening.

On top of that, the Capella Bangkok has generously sized accommodations, all of which face the river. So while pricing at the Capella is at the very top end of the market in Bangkok, you also have to compare all accommodations to “view” rooms at other hotels. The only thing I didn’t necessarily love was some of the interior finishes, as I found them to be a bit too muted and beige for my liking.

Now, do I think this is (or was) the world’s best hotel? Well, no. I’ve explained my thought on those rankings in the past, and ultimately I think it’s a list of great hotels, but I don’t read much into the relative order.

Lastly, let me just say that with the Capella and Four Seasons being part of the same complex, I think they did a good job with creating two distinct concepts that are complimentary, but with very different vibes. The way I’d describe it, the Capella Bangkok feels like a serene city oasis, while the Four Seasons Bangkok feels like a lively urban resort with endless things to do. Which is better depends on the vibe you’re going for.

What’s your take on the Capella Bangkok?

In this installment, I’d like to review the 158-key Rosewood Bangkok, which opened back in 2019. This is where I spent the first night, and then separately, I’ll review the Capella Bangkok, Four Seasons Bangkok, and Aman Bangkok (which I stayed at in that order).

Rosewood is a stellar hotel brand, and I was curious to see in exactly what league the Rosewood Bangkok operates, especially given how high quality the Rosewood Hong Kong is. Well, I’d say the Rosewood Bangkok is a good city hotel, if not a bit generic and corporate. It’s a solid option for the price, but definitely not part of the top tier of Bangkok hotels. This also isn’t the Rosewood Hong Kong in terms of design quality or vibe.

Admittedly it’s priced accordingly, and especially given the perks I received on a one-night stay, I really can’t argue with the value, and would recommend the hotel. The property certainly has a central location, with friendly service, and a good restaurant and bar.

Booking the Rosewood Bangkok

I paid cash for my one-night stay at the Rosewood Bangkok. I booked an entry level room at a rate of around $320. I used an Amex $300 hotel credit, meaning I only paid $20 out of pocket.

For booking through Amex FHR, I received complimentary breakfast, a room upgrade, a $150 property credit (yes, this hotel offers a $150 credit, rather than the standard $100 credit), and more. That’s a value you really can’t argue with. In terms of pricing, this is probably most comparable to properties like the Park Hyatt Bangkok and Waldorf Astoria Bangkok, so I was looking forward to seeing how the Rosewood experience would compare.

Let me mention that aside from some credit card programs when redeeming a credit, your best bet for booking any Rosewood property is to use the Rosewood Elite program. This is Rosewood’s program for select travel advisors, and is also the best way to book virtually any Rosewood stay. Those booking through Rosewood Elite receive a room upgrade subject to availability, a property credit, complimentary breakfast for two, etc.

Rosewood Bangkok location

The Rosewood Bangkok is located in the city’s central business and embassy district, along Ploenchit Road, in the Pathumwan area. The hotel is in a 30-story building, which is pretty cool-looking, if you ask me.

If arriving by car, the hotel has a large driveway off the street, so it’s easy to access.

Meanwhile if arriving by public transportation, the hotel is adjacent to the Phloen Chit BTS Skytrain station, and provides direct access to it via a walkway, which is useful.

When it comes to the location of Bangkok luxury hotels, they typically fall into one of two categories. You have properties like the Rosewood, which are right in the heart of the city, so they’re convenient in terms of public transportation and proximity to other locations, but they’re not necessarily the most serene settings as such.

Then you have a bunch of hotels along the Chao Phraya River, which are generally preferred in terms of views and vibes, but aren’t necessarily so central. Personally I prefer to stay by the river, but of course I realize there are pros and cons to both locations.

Rosewood Bangkok lobby & check-in

When it comes to accessing the Rosewood Bangkok, the arrival area is on the first floor, the access to the BTS Skytrain is on the third floor, and then the main lobby is on the seventh floor. So upon arrival at the hotel, I was welcomed by a friendly bellman, and escorted up to the seventh floor lobby.

The seventh floor lobby is visually interesting, but not terribly “grand,” in terms of its size. It provides access to the three sets of elevators (one set leading to the ground floor, one set leading to guest rooms, and another set leading to food & beverage outlets).

The lobby then also has a reception desk over to the side, with a bit of seating.

My check-in process was quick and efficient, and I was offered water while that was processed. I was informed that I had been upgraded from a deluxe room to an executive room, and all the inclusions with my rate were also gone over. I was then walked over to the elevator, where I then headed up to the 20th floor, where my room was located (the hotel has 30 floors).

Rosewood Bangkok guest room

Upon exiting the elevator on the 20th floor at the Rosewood Bangkok, I walked down the hall, and then found the entrance to room 2001 on the left, where I’d be staying for the night.

Executive rooms at the Rosewood Bangkok are marketed as being 452 square feet, or 42 square meters. So that’s a great size for a guest room, but smaller than a suite (as you’d expect).

Upon opening the door I found myself in the entryway, which then flowed into the living area, and then the sleeping area.

The room boasted a king size bed, which was comfortable, but not overly so (which is to say that it wasn’t a Four Seasons bed in terms of comfort). Across from the bed was a wall-mounted TV, as well as a sliding door leading to the bathroom.

Then the sitting area had a loveseat of sorts, along with a chair, so this could easily double as a dining or working area. I appreciate when non-suites actually have a place you can have a meal or a space where multiple people can sit comfortably, as all too often, that’s not the case.

Waiting for me in the room upon arrival was a welcome amenity, consisting of a sweet mango tart, as well as some fruit (longans). Yum. There was also a welcome note from the general manager, which was appreciated, but it would be nice if my name had been spelled right.

The minibar was right next to the living area, and had a complimentary selection of Nespresso coffee and tea, along with milk in the fridge (much appreciated, since so many hotels don’t provide milk with their in-room coffee). Then there were a variety of drinks and snacks for purchase.

When it comes to the bathroom, that was a great size, with double sinks, a soaking tub, a walk-in shower, and a toilet in a partitioned off space.

Toiletries were in reusable containers, and were generically Rosewood branded.

The room also had a closet space next to the bathroom and toward the entrance, which was a good size.

In terms of views, the room just mainly looked out over the city, including directly facing a highway. So it wasn’t a bad view, but also wasn’t the most exciting.

All-in-all, it was a nice room. The only thing I’d mention is that the construction quality felt a little cheap. I’m not trying to be shady here, but I find that in general, Bangkok luxury hotels fall into two categories.

Some have excellent construction and finishes, while others might look nice but feel a bit cheap when it comes to finishes. This includes everything from flimsy doors, to drawers not quite closing correctly. For example, I also recently stayed at the Ritz-Carlton Bangkok, and had a similar impression. However, I didn’t at all feel that way at the Capella, Four Seasons, or Aman.

Rosewood Bangkok pool & gym

The Rosewood Bangkok pool and gym are located on the ninth floor. The pool is open daily from 6AM until 9PM, and people will either love or hate it. The hotel has a 20-meter outdoor pool, and it’s almost entirely covered by the rest of the building, so is in the shade all day.

As someone who generally avoids the sun, I personally love this. However, if you’re a sun-starved Australian or Brit looking to lather yourself in tanning oil and catch those rays, you might not love this setup.

At the end of the pool, you’ll find an infinity-edge (well, sort of) hot tub, looking out over the city.

The pool area only has a total of a dozen loungers, with six being on each side of the pool and hot tub, so that’s not exactly a big space.

This definitely isn’t a hotel you’re going to want to book if one of your primary objectives is is to lounge at the pool.

The hotel also has a 24/7 gym, located on the same level, right next to the pool. The gym is on the small side, but more than sufficient, and has high quality equipment. My only annoyance (and this is so common with hotels) is that I wish there were more than one bench for free weights (since those are most frequently used).

On the same level as the pool and gym you’ll also find a sauna, steam room, and showers, so you really can use all kinds of spa-like facilities without actually visiting the spa.

Rosewood Bangkok spa

Rosewood Bangkok has a full service spa on the sixth floor, branded as Sense Spa (the name of spas at most Rosewood properties). The spa is open daily from 9AM until 8PM, and has five treatment rooms, two of which are for couples, in addition to a salon area. You can find the spa treatment menu here.

On the morning of check-out, I hadn’t used most of my $150 credit, so I decided to get a massage at the last minute. I settled on a 60-minute foot massage, which was relaxing, and cost just over $100.

While the treatment as such was great, the spa didn’t strike me as being particularly impressive, in terms of the number of amenities.

Rosewood Bangkok restaurants & bars

The Rosewood Bangkok has a solid selection of food & beverage outlets:

• Lakorn is the hotel’s all-day dining restaurant, located on the lobby level, and it serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with a focus on Thai dishes
• Nan Bei is the hotel’s signature Chinese restaurant, located on the 19th floor, and it serves lunch and dinner
• Lennon’s is the hotel’s vinyl-themed bar, and it’s open in the evenings and late into the night
• G&O is the hotel’s poolside cafe, open during the day, serving drinks, snacks, and healthy meals

Let’s go over each of the venues, starting with Lakorn. Lakorn serves breakfast from 7AM until 10:30AM, lunch from 11:30AM until 2:30PM, afternoon tea from 2PM until 5PM, dinner from 5PM until 10PM, and drinks and snacks all day. Essentially think of this as being the all-day lobby bar and restaurant — you can find all the menus here.

It’s a nice enough space that feels a bit like a cafe — I can’t say it’s the most exciting or inspiring space (at least compared to the other venues at the hotel), but it’s nice.

I ended up having dinner here, since I wanted to have Thai food on my first night, and I had a credit to spend. At the start of the meal, I was brought some prawn crackers with sweet chili sauce.

I asked the server what he recommended, and ended up ordering the roti mataba gai (listed under “chef’s favorites”), as well as tom yum goong. Both dishes were excellent, though the tom yum goong was definitely Thai levels of spicy (as you’d expect!), which I wasn’t fully prepared for.

In the morning, breakfast is also served at the restaurant. Southeast Asia is known for extravagant breakfasts, and as is quite common, there’s a buffet, and then that can be supplemented by some a la carte items.

The breakfast buffet included all kinds of freshly baked goods, cheese, cold cuts, yogurt, cereal, veggies, fruit, salad, etc.

You can then find the a la carte section below, which you can order as much from as you’d like.

To drink, I ordered a cappuccino, which tasted great.

Then to eat, I had the acai bowl and khao tom pla, with seabass, boiled rice, and Thai celery.

Ultimately it was a perfectly satisfying breakfast, though Bangkok is often in a different league when it comes to breakfast quality, and I’d say my recent stay at the Ritz-Carlton Bangkok offered a much bigger selection. The one thing that negatively stood out to me was the poor fruit selection, as the buffet just had two types of melon (I know I’m nitpicking here, but I feel like Bangkok is a market where it’s acceptable to nitpick hotel breakfasts, given the high standards.

While I didn’t have the chance to eat here, Nan Bei looked like a gorgeous venue, and serves lunch daily from 11:30AM until 2:30PM, and dinner daily from 6PM until 10PM. It serves Chinese cuisine, and you can find all the menus here. In general, Rosewood does a really job with the theming of its restaurants, and this place is no exception.

Then there’s what’s without a doubt my favorite venue, which is the rooftop bar, Lennon’s. It’s open daily from 6PM until 12AM, and you can find all the menus here. The theme here is unique — as you enter, you’ll almost think you’re in a record store, as there’s a 6,000-vinyl collection. Guests can even pick songs and have them played.

The bar has a lot of natural light and very cool design.

In the back of the above pictures you’ll see a spiral staircase, and that leads up a level to the cigar bar, which is enclosed, so that’s a space that many people (like my dad!) would appreciate.

I decided to come here for a pre-drink here, and I appreciate their commitment to a theme. In addition to a standard menu, you can also view drinks through… well, whatever that thing in the top right of the below picture is. And then you can swap out the “disks” to look at different menus. Very, very fun.

I loved the signature cocktail list, which incorporated Thai flavors into more traditional drinks. For example, I had the sago re-groni (inspired by the negroni) with rum, vermouth, campari, pandas, and sago rainbow. It was as tasty as it was pretty, and I also loved the bar snacks, which included sweet potato chips and tom yum flavored nuts.

The one thing I’d say is that the property just lacked a vibe, but maybe that was a function of when I stayed. For example, admittedly I went to the bar shortly after it opened, but I sat there for almost an hour enjoying the vibe, even though… I was the only guest. Meanwhile when I had dinner, I was also the only guest.

Admittedly I was visiting in the off season, but I can’t imagine that’s normal, as it feels like Bangkok hotels are often very busy, regardless of the time of day.

I think part of the issue is that the two venues that are actually cool are very insulated (in terms of not being incorporated into the other public spaces of the hotel), and as a result, the hotel has a bit of a quiet vibe. It’s not a problem, really, but just something to be aware of, if you’re hoping for a more lively atmosphere.

Rosewood Bangkok service

I found service at the Rosewood Bangkok to be professional across the board. Thailand in general has very high service standards, and service at this property is polished.

Now, there was nothing astonishingly good or memorable about the service, and I’d say of the four properties I stayed at in the city, this had the least remarkable service. Then again, it was also the most reasonably priced, so that shouldn’t come as a surprise.

Bottom line

I had a good stay at the Rosewood Bangkok. I certainly got a great deal on my one-night stay, as I paid $20 after my $300 Amex hotel credit, and also received FHR perks, including breakfast and a $150 property credit.

Ultimately the Rosewood Bangkok is a good city hotel, though it doesn’t necessarily have a huge “wow” factor. It has a nice rooftop bar, friendly service, and a solid gym and pool, though expect this to be more of a business hotel than some sort of an urban resort.

Given the hotel’s price point, I think it’s very competitive in its set, with properties like the Park Hyatt, St. Regis, Waldorf Astoria, etc. However, there’s also a reason it’s priced well below the top tier of Bangkok hotels. So that’s logical, I’m just confirming “you get what you pay for.”

Rosewood is a great hotel brand, and in particular in Asia, Rosewood properties are often known for being among the best in their respective markets. I’d say Bangkok probably isn’t the most remarkable city for the brand.

What do you make of the Rosewood Bangkok?

Assuming you end up on a plane with Qsuites, Qatar Airways offers a remarkably consistent experience, and continues to set the standard in business class, in terms of both hard and soft product. While I definitely have a preference for the A350 over the 777, this product is an absolute pleasure to experience, regardless of which fleet type you end up on.

From the seats, to the service, to the food and drinks, to the amenities, to the Starlink Wi-Fi and excellent entertainment, this is one well rounded experience.

How I booked my Qatar Airways business class ticket

I booked the entire outbound portion of my journey as one ticket. Specifically, I redeemed 95,000 Qatar Airways Avios and paid $298.10 in taxes & fees to book the following in Qsuites business class:

4/14 QR778 Miami to Doha departing 7:40PM arriving 4:50PM (+1 day)
4/16 QR836 Doha to Bangkok departing 3:30AM arriving 2:15PM

I even acquired those points with a transfer bonus, so suffice it to say that I got an incredible deal on this redemption.

Qatar Airways business class lounge & boarding

I had a very long layover in Doha, though ultimately that didn’t bother me, since I can basically work from anywhere, and am happy to just turn a lounge into my “office” for an extended period of time.

While I wish I could provide updated reviews of the Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Lounge and Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Garden Lounge, the former was operating with limited service, and the latter was closed altogether, during my visit, in light of the conflict.

However, at this point it’s my understanding that facilities are more back to normal, once again. It definitely felt like a once-in-a-lifetime transit in terms of how eerily quiet the whole airport was.

My flight was departing from gate C31, which was a remote stand — I was a bit surprised by that, given that I figured all flights would depart from gates with jet bridges.

Boarding started 45 minutes before departure, at 2:45AM, with business class passengers being invited onto a separate bus. It’s always fun to pull up under the wing of a heavy, as it really makes you appreciate how massive these planes are. I was flying on A7-BEI, a roughly 10-year-old jet.

Qatar Airways 777 Qsuites business class cabin & seats

I boarded the Boeing 777-300ER via stairs at the second set of doors, where I was greeted by a couple of friendly crew members, and pointed toward my seat. On these planes you’ll find 46 Qsuites business class seats, spread across two cabins.

Qsuites is the name of Qatar Airways’ custom business class hard product, which was developed in partnership with Collins Aerospace. Seats are in a 1-2-1 configuration, and are staggered, and also alternate between being forward and rear facing.

On this plane, the forward cabin has 24 seats spread across six rows, while the rear cabin has 18 seats spread across five rows.

While I was seated in the rear cabin, I first quickly took a glance into the forward cabin, which is the larger of the two cabins. Unlike the A350s, the 777s have overhead bins over the center seats, so the cabin doesn’t feel quite as spacious (though at least there’s plenty of storage space!).

I sat in the rear cabin, which I personally prefer, as it tends to be less occupied (assuming the flight isn’t full), and I also love the view of the engine and wing you’ll get from these seats.

In the center section, every other row has two seats that are rear facing and very close to one another (these are seats E & F). If you’re traveling alone, there’s a partition between seats that gives you a lot of privacy. However, the seats are best if you’re traveling with someone, as you can literally be right next to them. These are often referred to as “honeymoon seats,” and they can even turn into a (sort of) double bed.

In every other center row you’ll find two seats that are forward facing and are further away from one another, and closer to the aisles (these are seats D & G). These would generally be my less preferred seats in business class, since you don’t have so much distance from the aisle, and also can’t look out the window.

One unique feature of Qsuites is that if you’re a group of four traveling together, you can potentially create a “quad,” whereby parts of the partitions can be lowered. So I’d ideally only choose these seats if traveling as a group of four, and not if traveling as a couple.

For those sitting at the window seats, there you have two different options. In every other row you’ll find window seats that are forward facing and closer to the aisle, while being further away from the windows (these are seats B & J). These would also be my less preferred of the window seats, since I generally prefer to sit closer to the fuselage and windows rather than closer to the aisle.

In every other row you’ll find window seats that are rear facing and closer to the windows, while being further away from the aisle (these are seats A & K). These are my favorite seats on the plane, since they offer the most distance to the aisle.

I assigned myself seat 8A, the first window seat on the left side in the rear mini cabin. This is one of the true window seats that’s rear facing.

The Qatar Airways Qsuites product is a customized staggered seat with a door, so let’s take a look at some of the individual features.

The seat has a console to the side of the seat, where you can place things during the flight. Underneath that, you’ll find even more storage, along with the seat controls, the entertainment controller, and the charging ports. The Qsuites business class seat has AC power plus USB-A outlets — there’s no USB-C or wireless charging.

Opposite the console and next to the seat you’ll find what almost looks like an ottoman that you can sit on. When you open that up, you’ll find quite a bit of enclosed storage space, which is useful to have, given that all too many business class seats nowadays have almost no storage.

The tray table extends from underneath the entertainment screen. When stored, it’s folded over in half. Then when you pull it out and flip it over, you’ll find the full sized tray, which can easily be moved around a bit.

Underneath the tray you’ll find the footwell, which is quite a good size, in terms of depth, height, and width.

The Qsuites business class product has a privacy door that can manually be slid open or closed while inflight. As you’d expect, the door is latched shut for taxi, takeoff, and landing.

Lastly, I appreciate how Qatar Airways has individual air nozzles on its 777s, which helps with avoiding feeling too warm while inflight. I think all too often we don’t place enough value on this as an amenity.

While the technology is no longer cutting edge, the overall quality of the Qsuites product is unbeatable, in terms of comfort, privacy, and customizability, depending on the type of trip you’re taking.

Qatar Airways 777 Qsuites business class entertainment & seats

Qatar Airways Qsuites business class features 21.5″ high definition entertainment monitors at every seat. Qatar Airways has its Oryx One entertainment system, offering an absolutely massive library of movies, TV shows, music, games, and more.

It’s simply an endless selection, among the biggest you’ll find out there. The only thing to keep in mind is that there’s quite a bit of censoring, as is common on Gulf carriers.

One thing I should mention is that the entertainment system on the A350 definitely feels more modern than on the 777, so don’t be surprised if you notice a difference between the two (despite Qsuites otherwise being nearly identical on the A350 and 777). For example, the map feature on the 777 isn’t nearly as interactive. The A350 also has a high definition tail camera, which you won’t find on the 777.

My flight also had Starlink Wi-Fi, which was both fast and free, as this is now available on all Qatar Airways 777s. There wasn’t even any log-in required — you just had to connect to the network, and could then immediately start using the internet.

This was my first trip experiencing Starlink during long haul travel, and I found it to be a complete game changer. Speeds were every bit as good as at home, so I was able to stay productive without any sort of a lag. The only thing I’d mention is that Starlink isn’t yet certified over India, so that meant the service was unavailable for a couple of hours in the middle of the flight (when I was sleeping anyway).

Qatar Airways business class amenities

Qatar Airways Qsuites business class offers an impressive selection of amenities. Waiting at each seat upon boarding were two pillows plus a very plush blanket. This is only part of the bedding that’s offered onboard, and ultimately I find it to be excellent across the board. Also keep in mind that you’re allowed to take the smaller white pillow with you off the plane.

Also waiting in the storage area of my seat were a pair of noise canceling headphones. Since there’s no bluetooth audio, this is your best bet for actually enjoying the entertainment.

Shortly after boarding, the flight attendant taking care of me came by to introduce herself, along with the cabin manager. I was presented with the menu and drink list for the flight, and was also offered a pre-departure drink of choice.

I ordered a glass of champagne, which on this sector was Duval-Leroy Brut. That was accompanied by a refreshing packaged towel from Diptyque.

Diptyque amenity kits and Formula 1 branded pajamas were also offered. The below pictures are from the previous flight, since I didn’t feel like it was necessary to stage the same thing again. 😉 The kit contents are the same between flights, while the actual kits differ.

Qatar Airways 777 departure from Doha

The flight to Bangkok was a bit fuller than my flight from Miami, especially in economy. At 3:10AM it was announced that boarding was complete — business class was around half full, with only three others in the rear business class cabin.

At 3:20AM the main cabin door closed, at which point the captain was on the PA, to advise us of our flight time of 6hr35min, and our cruising altitude of 35,000 feet. He anticipated we’d depart soon, but that didn’t end up being the case. 10 minutes later he was back on the PA to inform us that due to congestion in the region, we’d have to wait 30 more minutes before we could depart.

The crew did a good job providing drink refills while we waited on the ground, which was much appreciated. The safety video was screened while we waited, and then eventually at 4:05AM we began our pushback, and at 4:10AM we began our taxi.

We then taxied out to runway 34L, only to encounter a very long queue. We ended up having to wait for nearly another 30 minutes, and only took off at 4:40AM, around 70 minutes after our initial departure time.

We had a smooth climb out, and the seatbelt sign was turned off around 10 minutes after takeoff. We were also treated to a beautiful sunrise as we made it to our cruising altitude.

Qatar Airways business class breakfast service

Qatar Airways Qsuites business class offers dine on demand. This is of course a somewhat awkwardly timed flight, given that it departs in the very early morning hours, and arrives in the afternoon. So there’s both a breakfast menu and an all-day dining menu, and I decided to have breakfast first.

You can find the Qatar Airways business class breakfast menu and drink list below.

To start, I ordered the mango, coconut, and passion fruit smoothie, which was served with warm mixed nuts (an odd pairing, though in fairness, I was asked if I wanted them, and I assume they would’ve given me packaged biscuits otherwise). That drink was served just 15 minutes after takeoff, so I appreciate how quickly the service was started.

My table was then fully set in typical Qsuites fashion, with a faux-candle, bread basket, etc. Qatar Airways really knocks presentation out of the park.

For the first course, I ordered the greek yogurt with banana pineapple compote and toasted nut granola. The bread basket also had a croissant and two pastries, and then I had a cup of the midnight hour tea to drink, which seemed appropriate.

Then for my main course, I ordered the cream cheese omelet with chicken sausage, served with sauteed spinach, tomato relish, asparagus, and roasted potatoes.

It was a simple and excellent breakfast, and I was grateful about how quickly it was served, as my tray was cleared within 45 minutes of takeoff, allowing me to maximize rest.

Qatar Airways 777 Qsuites business class lavatories

After the meal, I checked out the lavatories in the Boeing 777 business class cabin. This is the one area where the 777-300ER beats the A350-1000 in Qsuites. The former has four lavatories for 42 passengers, while the latter has three lavatories for 46 passengers.

On the 777, there are two lavatories at the front of the aircraft (one on the left, and one in the center), and then two lavatories by the second set of doors (one on each side). The two center cabin lavatories are absolutely huge, and the one in the front left is also pretty big, so that’s a nice advantage.

The lavatory had products from Dyptique, as well as dental kits.

As usual on Qatar Airways, the lavatories were kept spotlessly clean throughout the flight, which was much appreciated.

Qatar Airways 777 Qsuites business class bed

While I went to the lavatory, the crew prepared turndown service for me in Qsuites business class. Beyond the typical bedding at the seat upon boarding, this includes a mattress pad, as well as placing the larger pillow in a pillowcase.

While the Qsuites product is definitely a bit boxy, I find this to be a really cozy bed, and the individual air nozzles also help with getting comfortable.

I fell asleep well under an hour after takeoff, thanks to the very quick service.

Then I woke up around four hours later, with around 1hr40min remaining to Bangkok.

For a flight of this length, I’d consider that to be an unbeatable amount of sleep (at least by my standards).

Qatar Airways business class lunch

It’s impressive how Qatar Airways allows passengers to have two full meals on a flight of this length. I had breakfast just after takeoff, and then selected from the all-day dining menu before landing, which you can find below.

For the starter, I ordered the tuna nicoise with citrus vinaigrette, and asked for a Diet Coke and still water to drink. I also received the full presentation, including a bread basket, olive oil, butter, etc.

For the main course I ordered the braised short ribs, with fried rice, sesame broccolini, kai-lan, and pickles. While I don’t often order beef on planes, this dish was excellent.

Then to finish off the meal I ordered a cheese plate, which I almost never order on planes. This one was great, though.

After the meal I was asked if I wanted anything else. Since it had been a very long couple of days in transit and I wanted to hit the ground running, I ordered an iced latte for a caffeine boost, which was served with ginger biscuits.

Qatar Airways business class service

Qatar Airways crews are consistently great, and this crew was no exception. They were friendly, attentive, and polished. As I always say, Qatar Airways business class flight attendants are probably the hardest working in the industry, so I find they’re often more task-oriented than overly chatty, which I don’t mind.

Qatar Airways 777 arrival in Bangkok

At 2:15PM Bangkok time (also our scheduled arrival time), the captain was on the PA to announce that we’d be descending in around 15 minutes, and would be landing in around 45 minutes. Sure enough, we started our descent around 2:30PM, and the seatbelt sign was turned on around 2:40PM.

A while later the captain was on the PA to announce that we’d be circling a bit due to traffic, which added another 15 minutes or so to our flight time. I enjoyed the views on approach…

We ended up touching down at 3:15PM on runway 19, and from there, had a roughly 10 minute taxi to our arrival gate, where we pulled in at 3:25PM, 70 minutes behind schedule.

I quickly cleared immigration, and then headed to the Rosewood Bangkok, where I’d be spending my first night.

Bottom line

Qatar Airways Qsuites business class on the Boeing 777 is a stellar product. From the comfortable and customizable seats, to the great entertainment and free Starlink, to the impressive food and drink selection, to the amenities, to the service, it’s a product that’s hard to beat in business class.

I ultimately have a slight preference for the Airbus A350 over the 777, but all-in-all, I appreciate the level of consistency offered by all planes with Qsuites (of course the real issue is the planes without Qsuites, and the risk of a swap).

What’s your take on Qatar Airways’ Qsuites business class?

I know what you’re probably thinking — “wow, a Qsuites review, how original, no travel blogger has done that before!” 😉 While that’s totally fair, it has been seven years since I last reviewed this product, so I figure it’s time for a fresh look, especially with the things that have changed over time.

Even though Qatar Airways’ current generation Qsuites business class was introduced nearly nine years ago, it still sets the standard in business class. There’s just not another airline that nails both hard and soft product as consistently as Qatar Airways, from the flexibility of the seats, to the service, to the food and drinks, to the entertainment, to the free Starlink Wi-Fi. It’s simply stellar across the board.

How I booked my Qatar Airways business class ticket

I booked the entire outbound portion of my journey as one ticket. Specifically, I redeemed 95,000 Qatar Airways Avios and paid $298.10 in taxes & fees to book the following in Qsuites business class:

4/14 QR778 Miami to Doha departing 7:40PM arriving 4:50PM (+1 day)
4/16 QR836 Doha to Bangkok departing 3:30AM arriving 2:15PM

I even acquired those points with a transfer bonus, so suffice it to say that I got an incredible deal on this redemption.

Qatar Airways business class lounge & boarding

In Miami, Qatar Airways sends its passengers to the British Airways Lounge, at least as a standard. In line with oneworld lounge access rules, you can also access the American Flagship Lounge, though the British Airways facility is definitely better than the American one.

My Qatar Airways flight was departing from gate E23, with boarding initially scheduled for 7:10PM, 30 minutes before departure. However, there was a bit of delay with boarding due to cabin preparations, so it only actually ended up starting at 7:45PM, five minutes after the scheduled departure time, with business class passengers being invited to board first.

At that point I headed down the jet bridge, and boarded through the second door, which was the only one being used.

Qatar Airways A350 Qsuites business class cabin & seats

The standard Qatar Airways Airbus A350-1000s feature 46 Qsuites business class seats, spread across two cabins. Qsuites is the name of Qatar Airways’ custom business class hard product, which was developed in partnership with Collins Aerospace. Seats are in a 1-2-1 configuration, and are staggered, and also alternate between being forward and rear facing.

On this plane, the forward cabin has 38 seats spread across 10 rows, while the rear cabin has eight seats spread across two rows.

While I was seated in the rear cabin, I first quickly took a glance into the forward cabin, which is where most passengers sit. I really love the open feel of the A350-1000 Qsuites cabin, given the lack of overhead bins in the center. I know that limits carry-on space, but I find it to be a fair tradeoff in terms of passenger experience.

However, I opted to sit in the rear business class cabin, which has just two rows of seats. This is generally my preferred place to sit on this aircraft, especially with the great wing and engine views. The icing on the cake was that I was the only passenger in the rear business class cabin on this flight — talk about a private jet feel!

Now let’s talk about the Qsuites business class seats in a bit more detail. One of the things I love about Qsuites is how it’s a phenomenal product whether you’re traveling solo, as a couple, or even as a group, as there’s not a more flexible product, in that regard. There are essentially four different kinds of seats in this configuration.

In the center section, every other row has two seats that are rear facing and very close to one another (these are seats E & F). If you’re traveling alone, there’s a partition between seats that gives you a lot of privacy. However, the seats are best if you’re traveling with someone, as you can literally be right next to them. These are often referred to as “honeymoon seats,” and they can even turn into a (sort of) double bed.

In every other center row you’ll find two seats that are forward facing and are further away from one another, and closer to the aisles (these are seats D & G). These would generally be my less preferred seats in business class, since you don’t have so much distance from the aisle, and also can’t look out the window.

One unique feature of Qsuites is that if you’re a group of four traveling together, you can potentially create a “quad,” whereby parts of the partitions can be lowered. So I’d ideally only choose these seats if traveling as a group of four, and not if traveling as a couple.

Most travelers will prefer to sit in one of the window seats, and there you have two different options. In every other row you’ll find window seats that are forward facing and closer to the aisle, while being further away from the windows (these are seats B & J). These would also be my less preferred of the window seats, since I generally prefer to sit closer to the fuselage and windows rather than closer to the aisle.

In every other row you’ll find window seats that are rear facing and closer to the windows, while being further away from the aisle (these are seats A & K). These are my favorite seats on the plane, since they offer the most distance to the aisle.

I assigned myself seat 11A, the rear facing window seat in the rear mini cabin (it’s in the first row of the mini cabin, since the last row of the mini cabin faces forward). This is my favorite seat on the plane, especially given the amazing view of the wing and engine (which you’ll see below).

The Qatar Airways Qsuites product is essentially a customized staggered seat with a door, so let’s take a look at some of the individual features. The seat has a console to the side of the seat, where you can place things during the flight.

Underneath that, you’ll find even more storage, along with the seat controls, the entertainment controller, and the charging ports. The Qsuites business class seat has AC power plus USB-A outlets — there’s no USB-C or wireless charging, which is one of the few areas where you realize this isn’t a cutting edge product in terms of technology (given its age at this point).

Opposite the console and next to the seat you’ll find what almost looks like an ottoman that you can sit on. When you open that up, you’ll find quite a bit of enclosed storage space, which is useful to have, given that all too many business class seats nowadays have almost no storage.

Then the tray table can fold out from underneath the entertainment screen. When stored, it’s folded over in half. Then when you pull it out and flip it over, you’ll find the full sized tray, which can easily be moved around a bit. Qatar Airways also has to be commended for how sturdy these tray tables are, as they’re solid as a rock. All too many tray tables nowadays are rather flimsy.

Underneath the tray you’ll find the footwell, which is quite a good size, in terms of depth, height, and width.

The Qsuites business class product has a privacy door that can manually be slid open or closed while inflight. As you’d expect, the door is latched shut for taxi, takeoff, and landing.

Lastly, there’s what’s perhaps one of the most underrated aspects of Qsuites, especially compared to other airlines — Qatar Airways actually has individual air nozzles on its A350-1000s, which helps with avoiding feeling too warm while inflight. I think all too often we don’t place enough value on this as an amenity.

Anyway, while it’s perhaps no longer cutting edge when it comes to technology, you just can’t beat the overall quality of the Qsuites product in terms of comfort, privacy, and customizability, depending on the type of trip you’re taking.

Qatar Airways A350 Qsuites business class entertainment & Wi-Fi

Qatar Airways Qsuites business class boasts 21.5″ high definition entertainment monitors at every seat. Qatar Airways has its Oryx One entertainment system, offering an absolutely massive library of movies, TV shows, music, games, and more. It’s simply an endless selection, among the biggest you’ll find out there. The only thing to keep in mind is that there’s quite a bit of censoring, as is common on Gulf carriers.

Of course my favorite part of this is the map feature, along with the tail camera, which I’ll be covering in more detail as the review goes on.

My flight also had Starlink Wi-Fi, which was both fast and free, as this is now available on all Qatar Airways A350s. There wasn’t even any log-in required — you just had to connect to the network, and could then immediately start using the internet.

This was my first long haul flight with Starlink, and I found it to be a complete game changer. Speeds were every bit as good as at home, so I was able to stay productive without any sort of a lag. It can’t be overstated what a game changer this is for productivity onboard flights, and I think this will soon become the standard that passengers expect.

I’d say as it currently stands, Qatar Airways’ A350s offer the world’s best and most consistent entertainment, between the seat back options plus the Starlink Wi-Fi.

One thing worth mentioning is that Qatar Airways does allow voice and video calls via Starlink, which is sure to be controversial. Of course everyone wants to be able to use these services, but doesn’t want others to be able to. It worked out for me on this flight, given that I was the only person in the rear business class cabin. 😉

Qatar Airways business class amenities

Qatar Airways Qsuites business class offers an endless number of amenities. Waiting at each seat upon boarding were two pillows plus a very plush blanket. This is only part of the bedding that’s offered onboard, and ultimately I find it to be excellent across the board. Also keep in mind that you’re allowed to take the smaller white pillow with you off the plane.

Also waiting in the storage area were a pair of headphones. These are ultimately decent quality but nothing special, at least compared to the rest of the experience. Unfortunately there’s no bluetooth audio, so you do need to use these for the entertainment system.

Shortly after boarding, the flight attendant taking care of me came by to introduce herself, along with the cabin manager. I was presented with the menu and drink list for the flight, and was also offered a pre-departure drink of choice.

I opted for a glass of champagne, which was accompanied by a packaged refreshing towel from Diptyque. Currently Qatar Airways’ brut option is Champagne Alfred Gratien. While not necessarily a big name, I found it to be quite good.

I was also presented with a rectangular Diptyque amenity kit, which included lotion, lip balm, fragrance, and a spray, along with socks and eyeshades.

I was also given Formula 1 branded pajamas, along with slippers. I thought the pajamas were super cool-looking, though they were a little on the scratchy side (not bad, but just not the most comfortable pajamas I’ve had).

All-in-all, it’s hard to argue with the impressive selection of amenities offered! There’s not another airline that offers pajamas in business class more consistently than Qatar Airways does, for example.

Qatar Airways A350 departure from Miami

As I sat at my seat, I of course enjoyed listening to Qatar Airways’ boarding music, my favorite of any airline.

Boarding was very efficient, and took all of 15 minutes. I’d say the plane was only around half full, with business class being closer to one-third full.

At around 8PM the captain made his welcome aboard announcement — he was from Serbia, the other captain was from South Africa, and the two first officers were from South Africa and Romania, with the cabin manager being from India. The captain informing us of our flight time of 13hr45min, and said it would take a little longer for cargo to be loaded, at which point we’d be underway.

At that point, the Kevin Hart safety video was screened, which I can’t say is among my favorites, but it’s also not terrible.

We ended up pushing back at 8:20PM… talk about a nice view to have from a rear facing seat! At 8:25PM we started our taxi out to runway 9.

Unfortunately at this point the sun quickly began to set, so I mostly focused on the tail camera.

It took us around 15 minutes before we got takeoff clearance, but by 8:40PM we were rocketing down the runway. We had a long takeoff roll and gradual climb out.

Despite a smooth climb, the seatbelt sign still ended up staying on for close to an hour after takeoff, which seemed unusually long.

Qatar Airways business class dinner service

Qatar Airways business class offers a dine on demand concept, so the idea is that there’s an all-day dining menu, a light meal menu, and a breakfast menu. Given the timing of this flight, it’s standard to have dinner after takeoff, and then breakfast either upon waking up or before landing, with a light meal possibly thrown in as well.

You can find the full Qatar Airways business class menu and drink list below.

The crew had already taken my meal order on the ground, and I made the decision to have dinner after takeoff. After takeoff, service began at record speed. I had first ordered a glass of champagne, which was delivered just 20 minutes after takeoff. I was offered the choice of warm mixed nuts, chips, or both, and I opted for both.

Around 30 minutes after takeoff, my table was set for the meal. You’ve gotta love the tablecloth, the faux candle, the breadbasket, the champagne flute, and the glassware, as it all makes for a restaurant-style experience. I was offered an amuse bouche, which consisted of a seared scallop with orange gel.

For the appetizer, I opted for the typical Arabic mezze with pita bread, which included lentil feta salad, rekak labneh, and avocado muhammara. This really hit the spot, and I appreciate that Qatar Airways mixes up the types of dishes it includes in its mezze.

For the main course, I selected the grilled cajun marinated prawns with horseradish potato mousseline and wok-fried Asian vegetables. This dish was very good, and in particular, plating was similar to what you’d expect in a restaurant.

Then for dessert, I chose the banana split sundae with vanilla ice cream, toasted almonds, hot chocolate sauce, and maraschino cherries. This was sinfully delicious, as you’d expect.

I finished off the meal with some chamomile tea, served with chocolate biscuits (which I saved for later).

All-in-all, it was an excellent meal. There was nothing about the food quality that was particularly remarkable (Miami isn’t a route that gets caviar, and also, catering out of Doha is typically better than out of outstations). But seriously, for airline catering, this is all very good.

Qatar Airways A350 Qsuites business class lavatories

Qatar Airways Qsuites business class on the Airbus A350-1000 has three lavatories — there are two located at the very front of the cabin (on each side in front of row one), and then one located in the center galley (on the left side, in front of row 11).

All three lavatories are roughly the same size, with the forward two lavatories each having a window as well.

Regarding the lavatory at the center galley, that one was located right in front of my seat. I should mention that noise or smells from the lavatory weren’t an issue, thanks to the separation, plus the thick curtain. However, if you wanted to be further from the lavatory, you could just sit in row 11 on the opposite side (though then you always have to pass through the galley to use the center lavatory).

Qatar Airways crews deserve absolutely massive credit for the lengths they go to keep lavatories clean. There’s just something so nice about entering a lavatory toward the end of a long flight and not finding it in a state of complete horror.

Qatar Airways crews don’t just do a slightly good job tidying the cabin, but they literally will constantly fold toilet paper into little triangles, put new seat covers on the lavatory, etc.

Qatar Airways lavatories also have Diptyque products, which sure has a premium feel. And then there’s also a drawer with dental kits, since those aren’t otherwise in the amenity kit.

Qatar Airways A350 Qsuites business class bed

Qatar Airways Qsuites business class comes with turndown service, so the crew is happy to prepare your bed for you, given that there’s a mattress pad, your pillows are placed in a pillowcase, etc.

Since the entire rear cabin was empty, I asked the crew if they could prepare me the double bed in the center section immediately across from me, which they were happy to do. I had actually never before slept in the Qsuites double bed, so I was grateful for that opportunity.

I must say, it was all much more comfortable than I expected. Sleeping alone, I loved the width this offered, especially as a side sleeper. Meanwhile if sleeping next to someone, I’d also find it to be quite comfortable. The spaces really are connected, aside from each seat still having a separate footwell, with a barrier between them.

I thought the only downside was that in the center section there are no individual air nozzles, so it’s a little harder to regulate temperature.

I fell asleep with 11hr30min hours remaining to Doha, and woke up with around 4hr30min remaining to Doha. I’m typically a horrible airplane sleeper, so by my standards, that was excellent. I don’t want to say I got great sleep, necessarily, but it was way better than usual.

At this point it was also bright outside, so I had a look out the window, and at the tail camera.

Qatar Airways business class snack & breakfast service

Upon waking up, I decided to order a cappuccino and a bowl of fresh berries with rosemary syrup from the light meal menu. I even got a tablecloth for this service, which was a nice surprise!

I then spent a couple of hours working uninterrupted, thanks to Starlink. Before I knew it, we were starting our journey across the Arabian Peninsula, and had under 2hr30m remaining to Doha.

As a reminder, you can find the Qatar Airways business class breakfast menu below.

To kick off the meal, I ordered an iced cappuccino — what a treat that Qatar Airways has such great coffee drinks.

I then ordered a fruit plate, along with greek yogurt with pineapple compote and toasted nut granola. This came with a bread basket (which had a pastry, croissant, and muffin), plus butter and a choice of jam.

For the main course, I ordered the acai breakfast smoothie bowl with oat milk, with pistachios and fresh berries. I’m always happy when airlines serve creative breakfast dishes, as that’s all too rare, so kudos to Qatar Airways for that.

At the conclusion of the meal, I was offered a warm towel, plus a mint (I’m not sure if that was a hint or not). 😉

Qatar Airways business class service

Qatar Airways crews consistently provide great service. I find they’re among the hardest working in the sky in business class, given just how intricate the carrier’s service is, compared to what you’ll find on most airlines. So in my experience Qatar Airways crews really hustle, but perhaps aren’t as personable or chatty as on other airlines (given how busy they are).

The crew on this flight was excellent — they were friendly, attentive, and always answered call buttons within seconds. Qatar Airways has a very diverse crew base, though interestingly, I believe four of the five flight attendants in business class on this sector were from India (often you’ll find five crew from five different countries).

Qatar Airways A350 arrival in Doha

Given conflicts in recent times, you of course can’t help but be a bit attentive and interested as you approach Doha, and look at the map.

At around 4:50PM Doha time, the captain was on the PA to announce that we’d be descending soon, and the seatbelt sign was turned on right away, a bit earlier than usual. Minutes later we started descending, and the crew prepared the cabin for landing.

We then began a really steep descent around 5:05PM. The sun was setting as we approached Doha, and it was a beautiful evening.

At 5:20PM we had a smooth touchdown on runway 34L — you’ve gotta love being able to watch the tail camera during landing!

From there, we had a very long taxi to our arrival gate. At the time I was flying, Qatar Airways seemed to have all flights arriving at and departing from one main area of the terminal. We pulled into our gate at 5:35PM, 45 minutes behind schedule.

I then spent the evening and early morning at the airport, prior to my Qatar Airways Boeing 777-300ER Qsuites business class flight to Bangkok (BKK).

Bottom line

Qatar Airways Qsuites business class on the A350 continues to set the standard in business class, even nearly nine years after the product was introduced. Qatar Airways knows how to do business class better than any other airline.

The hard product continues to be excellent, in terms of privacy, design, and also the ability to customize your experience based on the type of traveler you are (single, couple, family, etc.). Then there’s endless entertainment and Starlink Wi-Fi, the latter of which is a game changer on long haul flights.

And the rest of the soft product is exceptional as well, from the pajamas and Diptyque amenity kits, to the dine on demand concept, to the friendly crews. Then there are the things I value that I think we too often don’t factor into our assessment of airline products, like individual air nozzles and spotlessly clean lavatories, which make such a difference on long haul flights.

There’s really not another airline that’s in Qatar Airways’ league when it comes to offering such a well-rounded experience.

If you’ve flown Qatar Airways Qsuites, what was your experience like?

This offer has been around for quite some time, but I’d like to post a reminder, as it’s anyone’s guess how much longer this will be available.

Link: Learn more about the Capital One Spark Cash Plus with a $2,000 bonus offer

What is the current Capital One Spark Cash Plus bonus?

The Capital One Spark Cash Plus is currently offering a welcome bonus where you can earn a one-time cash bonus of $2,000 once you spend $30,000 within the first three months. This bonus is excellent. Keep in mind it doesn’t factor in the typical 2% cash back that you earn, so really you’d earn a minimum of $2,600 cash back after spending $30,000.

Additionally, if you’re a very big credit card spender, you can earn an additional $2,000 cash bonus for every $500,000 spent during the first year. You can earn this bonus multiple times over the course of your first year of card membership. Obviously that’s not for everyone, but the card has an industry leading return on spending already, and this only makes it better.

As I’ll cover below, you can potentially get even more value by converting these rewards into Capital One miles.

How rewarding is the Capital One Spark Cash Plus?

For those not familiar with the $150 annual fee Capital One Spark Cash Plus, this is one of the most rewarding business cards out there, and one of the all-around best cash back cards:

• The card offers unlimited 2% cash back, making it one of the best cards for everyday spending
• The card offers an additional $150 cash back when you spend $150,000 on the card in a year, so it’s especially rewarding for big spenders; think of the card as offering a refund of the annual fee for big spenders
• The card is a charge card, so has no pre-set spending limit, making it ideal for big purchases
• The card has no foreign transaction fees, so you can earn 2% cash back globally

Read a full review of the Capital One Spark Cash Plus.

Can cash back be converted into Capital One miles?

One awesome thing about the Capital One Spark Cash Plus is that you can convert cash back into Capital One miles at the rate of one cent per mile.

If you have the Capital One Spark Cash Plus in addition to a card like the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card (review), Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card (review), or Capital One Venture Business (review), then each cent can be converted into one Capital One mile.

Personally I value Capital One miles at 1.7 cents each, meaning that the $2,000 bonus is potentially worth $3,400 (based on my valuation of 200,000 Capital One miles). If you’re able to pull off the spending requirement, this is an excellent return for such a large amount of spending.

Can you get approved for the Capital One Spark Plus?

All card issuers have some general application restrictions. However, Capital One probably has among the fewest consistent restrictions.

Specific to the Capital One Spark Cash Plus, the welcome offer on the card isn’t available to those who already have the card, or those who who currently have the Capital One Venture X Business (review). Otherwise eligibility is unrelated to having any other Capital One card.

Read my guide to getting approved for the Spark Cash Plus.

Capital One Spark Cash Plus welcome bonus FAQs

Bottom line

The Capital One Spark Cash Plus has an excellent welcome bonus, which can earn you $2,000 cash back (or 200,000 Capital One miles).

If you are in a position to complete the spending requirement, this is a phenomenal bonus on a great card. The only other consideration is that there’s also merit to picking up the Capital One Venture X Business, which also has an excellent bonus, so that could be worth considering if you’re looking to use the card for travel.

Do you plan on picking up the Capital One Spark Cash Plus?

Hilton Honors summer 2026 global promotion details

Registration has just opened for Hilton Honors’ new global promotion, and it’s called “More Nights, More Points.” With this, for stays between June 1 and August 15, 2026, members are able to earn 2,000 bonus points per stay of up to three nights, and 4,000 bonus points on stays of four or more nights. This applies no matter what brand members stay at, or how much they spend.

There are some details to be aware of:

• The promotion is valid for stays between June 1 and August 15, 2026 (you must check-out by August 15)
• Registration is required prior to your first eligible stay, though it’s fine if you booked prior to registration
• There’s no limit to how many bonus points you can earn, and you start earning rewards with the first stay
• All stays earn at least 2,000 bonus points, while consecutive stays of four or more nights earn 4,000 bonus points
• It can take up to six to eight weeks for bonus points to post, though they’ll typically post much faster than that
• All stays booked directly with Hilton, including award stays, are eligible for this promotion

How generous is Hilton Honors’ promotion?

How generous is Hilton Honors’ summer 2026 promotion? The math on the More Nights, More Points promotion is straightforward. Personally I value Hilton Honors points at 0.5 cents each, so I value 2,000 bonus points at an incremental $10 return per stay, and 4,000 bonus points at an incremental $20 return per stay.

That’s not much to get excited about, though it’s better than nothing. This is obviously more rewarding for a one night award stay at a cheap hotel than for a long cash stay at an expensive property.

This is in addition to standard points earning rates. Under normal circumstances:

• Base Hilton Honors members earn 10x points per dollar spent at most brands
• Hilton Honors™ Gold status members get an 80% points bonus, and Hilton Honors™ Diamond status members receive a 100% points bonus

On top of that, you can maximize your Hilton Honors points earned from hotel stays by paying with a co-branded Hilton American Express card. These cards earn points at the following rates on eligible purchases made directly with a property in the Hilton portfolio:

• Hilton Honors American Express Card (review) — 7x points per dollar
• Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card (review) — 12x points per dollar
• Hilton Honors American Express Business Card (review) — 12x points per dollar
• Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card (review) — 14x points per dollar

Bottom line

Hilton Honors has opened registration for its summer 2026 promotion, offering 2,000 bonus points on stays of up to three nights, and 4,000 bonus points on stays of four or more nights. This is valid for stays between June 1 and August 15, 2026.

Personally I value Hilton Honors points at 0.5 cents each, so I’d consider this to be an incremental return of $10-20 per stay. That’s better than nothing, but also not really a reason to switch any stays to Hilton, especially with the massive redemption devaluations in recent times.

What do you make of Hilton Honors’ new global promotion?

I want to talk about what the new password is, share my experience using it, and also pose a question to Kimpton regulars about the least cringeworthy way to go about saying it.

What is the current Kimpton password?

Kimpton is one of the cooler IHG hotel groups, and there are a variety of things that set Kimpton apart from other IHG brands. One of those things is the social password. The idea is that seasonally, Kimpton provides a phrase through social media that you’re supposed to say when you check-in, and if you do that, you’ll receive something extra.

The new Kimpton password is “in bloom and out of office,” and it’s valid for stays between May 22 and August 29, 2026. So just say that when you check-in at a Kimpton property during the promotion period, and you’ll receive a surprise.

My experience using the Kimpton password

For those curious about what happens when you say the Kimpton password, I stayed at the Kimpton EPIC Miami some time back, which was my first Kimpton stay in quite a while (and I haven’t stayed at once since either). It was a good value as well, as I was able to use a free night award earned with the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card (review).

I was curious what the benefit would be for using the password. So I shared the password with the front desk agent. At the conclusion of the check-in experience, he brought out a game show-style wheel. I might have spun too hard, it must have gone around for about 30 seconds. Go figure I landed on the tile that just had me spin again.

Then I spun again, and the prize was free parking. I had a car and was staying for two nights, and parking costs $44 per night. So using the Kimpton password saved me nearly $100 — score!!

Based on looking at the wheel, it seems that some of the other prizes include a free welcome drink, free breakfast, free snacks, and a free movie. There were also a few empty squares, where I guess you don’t win anything. And I’m not sure what the alarm clock, car tipping over, or postcard of Miami get you. Regardless, I’d say those are some awesome prizes, and I got a great reward.

It’s cute how the Kimpton EPIC Miami makes a game of this. I know there’s a lot of inconsistency when it comes to this benefit across Kimpton properties. Some hotels provide meaningful perks (an upgrade, free, parking, etc.), like I got here, while other hotels provide a 19 cent branded koozie.

It’s great that this has stuck around, given that it has presumably become increasingly popular. Years ago not everyone was on social media, so it was a good way to encourage people to follow Kimpton on Twitter, Instagram, etc. With the way the internet has evolved, times have changed a bit.

How do you non-awkwardly say the Kimpton password?

I’m sure I’m not the only one who finds the concept of saying a password at check-in to be kind of weird. So I think it’s fun to compare notes about how people share the password at the front desk. I find it awkward to just blurt out the password out of nowhere.

So when I used this for my stay, I said “I guess I’m supposed to say [social password] as the social password?” That did the trick, but I’d be curious to hear how other Kimpton regulars go about this!

Bottom line

Between May 22 and August 29, 2026, Kimpton’s social password is “in bloom and out of office.” Just state that phrase when you check-in at a Kimpton, and you should get some sort of a surprise. The gift will vary by property, so there’s no reason not to take advantage of this if staying at a Kimpton.

The last time I used the password I got to spin a wheel at check-in, and then I ended up getting free parking, which was a value of $44 per night.

If you’ve used the Kimpton password, what was your experience like?

Link: Learn more about the Sapphire Reserve for Business℠

What is the current Chase Sapphire Reserve Business welcome bonus?

The Chase Sapphire Reserve Business currently has a welcome offer of 150,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards after spending $20,000 within the first three months.

Personally, I value Ultimate Rewards points at 1.7 cents each, so to me, the points are worth $2,550. Admittedly, the spending requirement is big, but so is the bonus.

Note that this is the best publicly available bonus at the moment. However, historically the highest offer we’ve ever seen on the card has been for 200,000 points. It’s anyone’s guess if/when that offer returns.

Who is eligible for the Chase Sapphire Reserve Business bonus?

When it comes to applying for the Chase Sapphire Reserve Business, eligibility is unrelated to that of any other Chase Sapphire or Chase Ink card. That means if you’re eligible for business credit cards, you should be eligible for the welcome offer on this card, making this offer pretty widely available.

Keep in mind the general rules of applying for Chase cards, including the 5/24 rule (though there are increasingly reports of people being approved in spite of being over the 5/24 limit). If you’re trying to understand general Chase business card restrictions, the Chase Ink cards probably give you the best sense of what you can expect in terms of eligibility.

Is the Chase Sapphire Reserve Business worth it?

The $795 annual fee Chase Sapphire Reserve Business is a pretty compelling business card, with a great rewards structure. The card has the following perks, among other things:

• The Sapphire Reserve Business has an up to $300 annual travel credit, that can automatically be applied to any purchase coded as travel; this should basically be worth face value to anyone who has the card
• The Sapphire Reserve Business offers a Priority Pass™ Select membership, as well as access to Chase Sapphire Lounges (which are some of the best credit card lounges you’ll find anywhere)
• The Sapphire Reserve Business offers other valuable annual credits, including up to $400 in ZipRecruiter credits, up to $200 in Google Workspace credits, up to $100 in Giftcards.com credits, and more
• The Sapphire Reserve Business has a lucrative rewards structure — earn 8x points on Chase Travel℠ bookings, 4x points on flights and hotels booked direct, 3x points on advertising purchases made via social media sites and search engines, and 1x points on all other purchases
• The Sapphire Reserve Business has great travel protection, including for delayed flights, lost bags, rental cars, and more
• The Sapphire Reserve Business acts as a good “hub” card for Chase Ultimate Rewards, and lets you maximize the other cards in the portfolio, including the ability to transfer points to Chase travel partners
• The Sapphire Reserve Business offers a Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS credit, once every four years
• The Sapphire Reserve Business offers a good incentive for spending, because if you spend $120,000 per year on the card, you receive IHG One Rewards Diamond status, Southwest Rapid Rewards A-List status, a $500 Southwest credit, a $500 Shops at Chase credit, and more

Read a full review of the Sapphire Reserve Business here.

Chase Sapphire Reserve Business welcome bonus FAQs

Bottom line

The Chase Sapphire Reserve Business has a strong welcome bonus of 150,000 Ultimate Rewards points upon completing minimum spending. While it’s not the best bonus we’ve ever seen on the card, it still is quite compelling.

While this card has a steep annual fee, it also offers strong perks, so I’m sure many people will have no issues justifying this annual fee. However, the card definitely won’t be for everyone.

Do you plan on picking up the Chase Sapphire Reserve Business with 150K bonus points?

A few weeks ago, we saw a massive, best-ever welcome bonus rolled out on this card, making it the ideal time to apply. It’s anyone’s guess how much longer this offer will stick around, so I’d like to recap all the details, as I imagine the clock is ticking.

Link: Learn more about the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card

Chase Sapphire Reserve bonus now offers 150K points, up from 125K

The Chase Sapphire Reserve currently has a huge welcome bonus, where you can earn 150,000 Ultimate Rewards bonus points after spending $6,000 on purchases within the first three months. Personally, I value Ultimate Rewards points at 1.7 cents each, so to me, the points are worth a staggering $2,550, which is fantastic, especially with such a reasonable spending requirement.

For context, prior to this, the card had a welcome bonus of 125,000 Ultimate Rewards points with the same spending requirement, so this offer is significantly richer. For that matter, this is the best publicly available welcome bonus we’ve ever seen on this card, period.

Are you eligible for the Chase Sapphire Reserve bonus?

When it comes to eligibility for the Chase Sapphire Reserve, here’s the official language in the application:

This credit card is unavailable to you if you currently have one open. The new cardmember bonus may not be available to you if you previously held this card or received a new cardmember bonus for this card. We may also consider the number of cards you have opened and closed in determining your bonus eligibility.

As you can tell, the terms here aren’t that explicit. However, you’re definitely not eligible for the bonus if you currently have this exact card, and you also may not be eligible for the bonus if you previously held this card, regardless of whether or not you received the bonus. Then there’s also the vague language about how other factors may be used in determining your eligibility for the card.

Furthermore, eligibility for the card (including the bonus) is unrelated to whether or not you have or have had the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (review). Note that these restrictions are based on whether you’re the primary cardmember on one of these cards — if you’re currently an authorized user (or have been one in the past), you’d be eligible.

Also keep in mind the general rules of applying for Chase cards, including the 5/24 rule (though there are increasingly reports of people being approved in spite of being over the 5/24 limit).

Nowadays Chase will typically let you know during the application process if you’re eligible for the bonus on a card, before there’s a hard pull, so that’s good news if you want to try to apply and see if you qualify.

Is the Chase Sapphire Reserve worth it, and why?

The $795 annual fee Chase Sapphire Reserve is one of the most popular premium credit cards, thanks to its great rewards structure and benefits. The card has the following perks, among other things:

• The Sapphire Reserve has a $300 annual travel credit, that can automatically be applied to any purchase coded as travel; this should basically be worth face value to anyone who has the card
• The Sapphire Reserve offers a Priority Pass™ Select membership, as well as access to Chase Sapphire Lounges (which are some of the best credit card lounges you’ll find anywhere), and access to select Air Canada Lounges
• The Sapphire Reserve offers other valuable credits, including up to $500 in annual hotel credits, up to $300 in annual dining credits, up to $300 in annual Stubhub and viagogo credits, and much more
• The Sapphire Reserve has an amazing rewards structure — earn 8x points on Chase Travel bookings, 4x points on flights and hotels booked direct, 3x points on dining, and 1x points on all other purchases
• The Sapphire Reserve has great travel protection, including for delayed flights, lost bags, rental cars, and more
• The Sapphire Reserve acts as a good “hub” card for Chase Ultimate Rewards, and lets you maximize the other cards in the portfolio, including the ability to transfer points to Chase travel partners
• The Sapphire Reserve offers a Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS credit, once every four years
• The Sapphire Reserve offers a good incentive for spending, because if you spend $75,000 per year on the card, you receive IHG One Rewards Diamond status, Southwest Rapid Rewards A-List status, a $500 Southwest credit, a $250 Shops at Chase credit, and more

Read a full review of the Chase Sapphire Reserve here.

Chase Sapphire Reserve welcome bonus FAQs

Bottom line

The Chase Sapphire Reserve is currently offering a best-ever welcome bonus of 150,000 Ultimate Rewards points upon completing minimum spending, which is the best publicly available bonus we’ve ever seen on the card.

This is a great premium card that offers lots of perks, so if you spend a lot on dining and travel, value lounge access, and like Chase’s points redemption opportunities, definitely consider this card, as it’s quite easy to justify. Either way, if you don’t yet have the card and are eligible, there’s absolutely no reason not to take advantage of this incredible bonus.

Do you plan on picking up the Chase Sapphire Reserve with 150K bonus points?

Earn Amex bonus points for spending with Amazon

With a new targeted Amex Offers deal, you can earn some number of Amex Membership Rewards bonus points for spending a certain amount with Amazon. For example, on one of my accounts I see a bonus of 1,200 points if you spend $150 or more with Amazon, and on another account I see a bonus of 1,000 points if you spend $40 or more with Amazon. In each case, you can take advantage of the offer up to three times, and it’s valid for purchases through July 19, 2026

It’s possible there’s also a version offering a statement credit rather than bonus points, though I usually consider the points versions of Amex Offers deals to represent the best deal.

The promotion is only valid for purchases made through Amazon’s US website or mobile app, using the enrolled card. The offer excludes corporate gift cards and custom designed gift card purchases. It also excludes Prime memberships and auto-renew subscription services. However, just reloading your Amazon balance should qualify (or at least has qualified for me in the past).

This Amazon promotion is worth taking advantage of

Personally, I value Amex Membership Rewards points at 1.7 cents each, meaning:

• With the offer for 1,000 bonus points for $40 in spending, you’re earning an incremental $17 return, or 42.5%
• With the offer for 1,200 bonus point for $150 in spending, you’re earning an incremental $20.40 return, or 13.6%

That’s excellent, especially when you consider that this is before factoring in any credit card rewards you’d ordinarily earn. Given that many of us do quite a bit of shopping through Amazon, I’d consider this level of a return on spending to be pretty noteworthy.

Also keep in mind that it’s often possible to save on Amazon purchases by redeeming just a single Amex point, so check to see if you’re eligible for that.

Bottom line

The Amex Offers program has a targeted promotion, offering bonus points for spending with Amazon. One version of the offer is for 1,000 bonus points for spending $40, while another version of the offer is for 1,200 bonus points for spending $150. Given that Amazon is one of the largest retailers in the world, I know many will probably want to take advantage of this… I know I will.

Were you targeted for this Amex Offers deal, and if so, do you plan on taking advantage of it?

The good news is that the Chase Ink Premier Card has a pretty incomparable return on spending as far as business cards go, which is why you’ll want to consider it. This card continues to offer a solid welcome bonus, so I’d like to go over the details of that, including eligibility requirements.

Link: Learn more about the Ink Business Premier® Credit Card with $1,000 cash back

What is the current Chase Ink Premier Card welcome bonus?

The Chase Ink Premier Card currently has a welcome offer of $1,000 cash back after spending $10,000 within the first three months. Let me emphasize that unlike other Chase Ink cards, this card accrues straight cash back, and not rewards points that can be moved to airline and hotel partners.

This is a solid welcome bonus, especially when you consider this is actual cash, though it’s still not the most exciting offer in the world. Still, this is a card you ultimately get because you’re looking to earn cash back on your spending in the long run, and not simply because of the bonus.

Who is eligible for the Chase Ink Premier Card bonus?

When it comes to getting approved for the Chase Ink Premier Card and earning the welcome bonus, what rules should you be aware of? Well, there are the card specific policies, and then also the more generic Chase policies. When you pull up the application, you’ll see the following terms:

The new cardmember bonus may not be available to you if you have ever had this card. We may also consider factors pertinent to your business in determining your bonus eligibility.

As you can see, officially the welcome bonus may not be available to you if you currently have this card, or if you’ve had it in the past. However, eligibility for the card (including the bonus) is unrelated to whether you have any other Chase business card.

In other words, you’re eligible for this card, including the bonus, if you have cards like the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (review), Ink Business Cash® Credit Card (review), Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card (review), or Sapphire Reserve for Business℠ (review).

Beyond that, there are some general Chase rules to be aware of:

• This card may be subjected to Chase’s 5/24 rule, which is to say that you may not be approved if you’ve opened five or more new card accounts in the past 24 months (this excludes many business cards); however, there are increasingly data points that this rule is no longer consistently enforced
• It’s generally considered a best practice to not apply for more than one Chase business credit card every 30 days, so I’d recommend observing that limit when applying

While Chase business cards can be tough to get approved for, they offer lucrative rewards structures and perks, so it’s worth the effort, in my opinion. Furthermore, it’s nice how the eligibility requirements aren’t too strict in terms of qualifying for the bonus.

Why the Chase Ink Premier Card is worth it

The Chase Ink Premier Card isn’t for everyone, but for the right type of consumer, it’s pretty unbeatable. The card has a $195 annual fee (with no extra cost for authorized users), and the main reason you’ll want to get this card is because of the rewards structure.

The Chase Ink Premier offers 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 2.5% cash back on purchases of $5,000 or more, and 2% cash back on all other purchases, with no foreign transaction fees.

Admittedly you’re paying a fairly steep annual fee for a card that simply earns you cash back, but if you frequently make large purchases, earning 2.5% cash back is pretty unrivaled. That’s more than the interchange fees paid for many kinds of transactions, so that’s pretty awesome. Even on purchases smaller than $5,000, you’re still earning a very competitive 2% cash back.

If you can’t decide if you can justify the annual fee, consider doing a direct comparison of a 2% vs. 2.5% cash back card. You’d earn back that $195 annual fee in incremental rewards for $39,000 of spending annually, since that’s the point at which 0.5% back reaches $195. For businesses that spend a lot, the math very much checks out here, in my opinion.

The card also offers many other useful perks, ranging from primary collision damage waiver coverage (CDW), to trip cancellation and trip interruption insurance, to travel and emergency assistance services, to purchase protection, to cell phone protection, and more.

Read my review of the Chase Ink Premier Card.

Chase Ink Premier Card welcome bonus FAQs

Bottom line

The Chase Ink Premier Card is one of the best cash back business cards out there, as it offers up to 2.5% cash back on everyday spending. While the card has a $195 annual fee, it’s easy enough to come out way ahead if you have a business where you frequently make large purchases of $5,000+

This isn’t a card I’d get exclusively for the welcome bonus, but the card is offering a bonus of $1,000 cash back, which is a great incentive to apply, and will more than cover the annual fee for five years. The only catch with the Ink Premier is that it’s the only Chase Ink card that doesn’t potentially earn travel rewards points. So if that interests you, I’d instead recommend something like the Ink Business Preferred Card.

Do you have the Chase Ink Premier Card, and if so, what has your experience been?

Promotion on purchased Choice Privileges points

Between May 18 and May 24, 2026, Choice Privileges is offering a sale on purchased points. The accounts I manage show a bonus of up to 50%, which kicks in as long as you purchase at least 4,000 points in one transaction.

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).

If you maxed out this promotion, you could purchase a total of 270,000 points (including 90,000 bonus points) for $1,854, which is a rate of ~0.69 cents per Choice Privileges point.

When Choice offers a promotion on purchased points, it’s typically either a 25-30% discount or a 30-50% bonus. So this 50% bonus is about as good as offers from the program get. The actual cost per point difference between these promotions isn’t huge, and I’d typically recommend buying based on when you have a short term use in mind.

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.

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®
• The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express

Citi Double Cash® Card

Learn More Terms Apply. | See Rates & Fees

• 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

• Earn 3% Cash Back on Dining
• Earn 3% Cash Back at Drugstores
• Earn 1.5% Cash Back On All Other Purchases
• $0

The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express

Learn More Terms Apply. | See Rates & Fees

• 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.

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, but personally I value Choice Privileges points at ~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?

Two 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

Bottom line

Choice Privileges is selling points with up to a 50% bonus, which is an opportunity to buy points for as little as 0.69 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?

Sale on purchased IHG One Rewards points

Between May 18 and June 6, 2026, IHG One Rewards is offering a bonus on purchased points. The standard promotion seems to be for a 100% bonus. In order to unlock the best offer, you need to purchase at least 5,000 points in one transaction.

How much does it cost to buy IHG One Rewards 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 300,000 IHG One Rewards points pre-bonus, you’d receive a total of 600,000 points at a cost of $3,000, which is a rate of 0.5 cents per IHG point.

IHG sells points quite often, and when the program does, the bonus is typically in the range of 80-100%. So the 100% bonus is in line with the best offers that we see from the program.

While the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card (review) and IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card (review) offer a 20% discount on purchased points, that benefit only applies when buying points at the normal cost, and wouldn’t be applicable here.

How many IHG One Rewards 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 300,000 points, pre-bonus.

Which credit card should you buy IHG One Rewards 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.

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®
• The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express

Citi Double Cash® Card

Learn More Terms Apply. | See Rates & Fees

• 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

• Earn 3% Cash Back on Dining
• Earn 3% Cash Back at Drugstores
• Earn 1.5% Cash Back On All Other Purchases
• $0

The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express

Learn More Terms Apply. | See Rates & Fees

• 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, so let’s get into that in a bit more detail.

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 IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card (review), IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card (review), or IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card (review).

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.

At what hotels can you redeem IHG One Rewards 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 One Rewards points worth?

Everyone will value points differently, but personally I value IHG One Rewards points at ~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 One Rewards 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 IHG Premier Card you receive Platinum status, without any sort of a spending requirement.

Does IHG One Rewards 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 June 6, 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 the IHG Premier Card, which can get you a fourth night for free on award redemptions.

Do you plan on buying IHG points with a bonus?

Promotion on purchased Finnair Plus Avios

Finnair Plus is offering a bonus on purchased Avios, with an early bird offer available (so you’ll get the best price if you book ASAP). If you purchase Finnair Plus Avios between May 18 and May 22, 2026, you can receive the following deal:

• Buy 5,000-19,000 Avios, receive a 30% bonus
• Buy 20,000-49,000 Avios, receive a 35% bonus
• Buy 50,000-79,000 Avios, receive a 40% bonus
• Buy 80,000-200,000 Avios, receive a 50% bonus

Meanwhile if you purchase Finnair Plus Avios between May 23 and June 1, 2026, you can receive the following deal:

• Buy 5,000-19,000 Avios, receive a 25% bonus
• Buy 20,000-49,000 Avios, receive a 30% bonus
• Buy 50,000-79,000 Avios, receive a 35% bonus
• Buy 80,000-200,000 Avios, receive a 40% bonus

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 USD, Finnair ordinarily charges 2.17 cents per Avios
• If paying in EUR, Finnair ordinarily charges 2.1 cents per Avios (2.45 cents in USD)

So based on current exchange rates, you’re better off buying in USD rather than EUR. If you maxed out the promotion with a 50% bonus, the best deal you could get would be to pay $4,340 for 300,000 Avios (including 100,000 bonus Avios), which comes out to 1.45 cents per Avios (in USD).

Note that this offer is only available to Finnair Plus members who have a minimum balance of 100 Avios in their account (though those Avios can be transferred from another “flavor” of the currency).

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.

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% bonus when purchasing Avios, which is an opportunity to buy them for 1.45 cents each (in USD).

This isn’t some amazing deal that everyone should take advantage of, but with a short term use in mind, I think many people could find this to be valuable. In particular, keep in mind that this is an opportunity to earn rewards with other “flavors” of Avios, thanks to the 1:1 transfer options.

Does anyone plan on taking advantage of this promo on Finnair Plus Avios?

Promotion on purchased Qatar Airways Privilege Club Avios

Between May 18 and May 25, 2026, Qatar Airways Privilege Club is offering a bonus on purchased Avios. Different members may be eligible for different offers, though it appears that the standard promotion is for up to a 50% bonus, structured as follows:

• Buy 5,000-30,000 Avios, get a 20% bonus
• Buy 32,000-64,000 Avios, get a 40% bonus
• Buy 66,000-250,000 Avios, get a 50% bonus

How much does it cost to buy Qatar Airways Avios?

Qatar Airways Privilege Club ordinarily charges 2.3-2.8 cents per purchased Avios, with the price getting lower the more Avios you buy. That’s before any discounts or bonuses, and there are no further taxes and fees beyond that cost.

With this offer, if you’re eligible for a 50% bonus, you’d receive a total of 375,000 Avios at a cost of $5,750, which is a rate of 1.53 cents per Avios.

How many Qatar Airways Avios can you purchase?

Qatar Airways Privilege Club limits members to purchasing 250,000 Avios per account per calendar year, before any bonuses. Note that in order to be eligible to purchase Avios, you must have earned at least 1,000 Avios in your account since enrollment, though that could be through any means (like transferring points from a partner).

If you do buy Qatar Airways Avios, it can take up to 72 hours for them to post to your account, but they ordinarily post much faster than that.

Which credit card should you buy Qatar Airways Avios with?

Qatar Airways Privilege Club 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.

Is buying Qatar Airways Privilege Club Avios worth it?

The Qatar Airways Privilege Club program has become increasingly useful over the years, especially with the airline now using Avios as its rewards currency.

The first thing to keep in mind is that as long as you have some account activity and have your accounts linked for a minimum amount of time, you can transfer Avios freely between Aer Lingus, British Airways, Finnair, Iberia, and Qatar Airways. That gives you a lot of flexibility.

The other main way that the value of Qatar Airways Avios has increased is that nowadays Qatar Airways restricts a lot of its business class award space to those redeeming Avios. That means availability is very limited when redeeming through programs that might have better redemption rates, like American AAdvantage.

As far as Qatar Airways Privilege Club redemption rates go, here’s how much you can roughly expect to pay, pending award availability:

• A one-way US to Doha award costs 35,000 Avios in economy or 70,000 Avios in business class
• A one-way US to Delhi award costs 40,000 Avios in economy or 80,000 Avios in business class
• A one-way US to Maldives award costs 42,500 Avios in economy or 85,000 Avios in business class
• A one-way US to Bangkok award costs 47,500 Avios in economy or 95,000 Avios in business class
• A one-way US to Auckland award costs 60,000 Avios in economy or 120,000 Avios in business class

I also like some of the unique partner awards Privilege Club offers, including for travel on airlines like Bangkok Airways, JetBlue, LATAM, Middle East Airlines, Philippine Airlines, RwandAir, and Virgin Australia. Being able to redeem for JetBlue Mint is a particularly good opportunity.

How much are Qatar Airways Avios worth?

Everyone will value points currencies differently, but personally I value Qatar Airways Avios at 1.3 cents each. I tend to value points pretty conservatively, and there are many ways to get more value from Privilege Club than that.

Do Qatar Airways Avios expire?

Qatar Airways Privilege Club Avios expire after three years of inactivity. However, any Avios earning or redemption activity would reset the expiration of Avios, so buying Avios would give you a further 36 months.

What other ways can you earn Qatar Airways Avios?

Qatar Airways Privilege Club is transfer partners with Citi ThankYou, so there are lots of great Citi credit cards that can potentially earn you Qatar Airways Avios.

Also keep in mind that since Qatar Airways now uses Avios as its currency, you can also transfer Avios between your various accounts, including Aer Lingus AerClub, British Airways Executive Club, and Iberia Plus. These programs also partner with other major transferable points currencies, giving you more options for accruing this currency.

This means you can indirectly earn Qatar Airways Avios with Amex Membership Rewards, Capital One, and Chase Ultimate Rewards.

Bottom line

Qatar Airways Privilege Club has launched its latest promotion on purchased Avios, offering up to a 50% bonus, which has the potential to be quite a good deal.

While I think the value of the Privilege Club program has improved considerably since Qatar Airways adopted Avios as its currency, there’s also less of a need to actually buy Qatar Airways Avios. That’s because there are so many other ways to acquire the different “flavors” of Avios, including with transferable points currencies.

For some people the math on this promotion might check out, though personally I’d only buy Avios with a specific use in mind.

Does anyone plan on buying Qatar Airways Avios with a 50% bonus?

Whenever I make an online purchase, I always check to see which shopping portal has the best bonus. Along those lines, there’s one promotion on online purchases right now that I think is worth being aware of.

Earn bonus airline miles on Apple purchases

Apple is a retailer that generally doesn’t discount much, though at the moment there are some opportunities to earn bonus miles for these purchases. This promotion is available for a limited time, so you’ll want to act fast.

Today (Monday, May 18, 2026), you can earn bonus miles for Apple purchases. This time around you can earn 3.5-4x bonus miles per dollar spent:

• Earn up to 4x bonus points with Alaska Atmos Rewards Shopping
• Earn up to 3.5x bonus miles with American AAdvantage eShopping
• Earn up to 3.5x bonus miles with Delta SkyMiles Shopping
• Earn up to 4x bonus miles with United MileagePlus Shopping

Of these bonus options, I think the best value is with Alaska Atmos Rewards and American AAdvantage, given that those are the two most valuable currencies among the four.

What Apple purchases qualify for bonus miles?

If you do take advantage of the opportunity to earn bonus miles on Apple purchases, note the following products and spending are excluded:

• iPhone 17e
• iPhone 17 Pro
• iPhone 17 Pro Max
• iPhone 17
• iPhone Air
• MacBook Neo
• Studio Display
• Studio Display XDR
• Apple Vision Pro
• All Apple Vision Pro Accessories
• Apple Developer Programs
• AppleCare+
• Orders purchased from government or veteran and military stores
• Apple sells and ships products to end-user customers only; you may not purchase for resale
• Shipping, handling and taxes
• Purchases made with coupon or discount codes not found on this site
• Purchases of gift cards, gift certificates or cash equivalents
• Purchases made with gift cards, gift certificates or cash equivalents
• Purchases made for resale and bulk orders

Furthermore, rewards are subject to lifetime rewards limits, as follows:

Your rewards are subject to lifetime limits of: (a) six (6) units per model in each of the following product categories: iPhone, Mac, iPad, Watch, Vision, Apple TV, and HomePod; (b) thirty-two (32) units of each of the following: AirTag 1-pack and AirTag accessories; (c) eight (8) AirTag 4-pack; and (d) ten (10) units of each of the following: AirPods and other eligible accessories. The lifetime limit applies to any purchase you make from the Apple Store website and app. Rewards will not be issued once you exceed the lifetime limit for a product.

Bottom line

At the moment it’s possible to earn 3.5-4x airline miles on Apple purchases. We see an elevated bonus through shopping portals for Apple purchases an average of once per month. This is a worthwhile opportunity if you have any eligible purchases to make.

Anyone plan to take advantage of this Apple shopping portal bonus?

Citi offering 30% bonus on I Prefer Hotel Rewards transfers

Between May 17 and June 13, 2026, the Citi ThankYou program in the United States is offering a 30% bonus on points transfers to Preferred Hotels & Resorts’ I Prefer Hotel Rewards program.

Ordinarily points transfer at a 1:2 ratio (in 1,000 point increments), while through this promotion you’d get 2,600 I Prefer Hotel Rewards points for every 1,000 Citi ThankYou points transferred.

This promotion is being offered on Citi’s end (in the United States), and is hard coded into the transfer ratio, meaning you should see the bonus at the time that you make the transfer. You can take advantage of this offer an unlimited number of times. Points transfers from Citi to I Prefer Hotel Rewards are generally instant.

I Prefer Hotel Rewards was added as a Citi ThankYou transfer partner in late 2024, and this is the first transfer bonus we’ve seen between the programs. However, just weeks ago, we saw the transfer ratio between the programs devalued, from 1:4 to 1:2. So even with this transfer bonus, the ratio is still much worse than it used to be.

There are several great cards earning Citi ThankYou points, including the Citi Strata Premier® Card (review) and Citi Strata Elite℠ Card (review), and it’s easy to combine points between the cards.

Should you transfer Citi points to I Prefer Hotel Rewards?

While everyone should crunch the numbers for themselves, I’d argue that you generally shouldn’t transfer your Citi ThankYou points to I Prefer Hotel Rewards with the current transfer ratio, even with a 30% bonus.

Many people understandably might not be familiar with Preferred Hotels & Resorts or I Prefer, so let’s talk about that. Preferred Hotels & Resorts is a collection of independent luxury hotels, with over 650 properties in 85 countries around the globe. Chances are that you’re familiar with some of Preferred Hotels & Resorts’ properties, even if you didn’t know they were associated with the group.

You should think of Preferred Hotels & Resorts as more of a hotel marketing agency than as a single hotel group. The company doesn’t manage its hotels, but rather markets a group of otherwise independent luxury hotels. As a matter of fact, many properties of smaller hotel groups, like Montage, belong to Preferred Hotels & Resorts.

The group also represents some of the top independent properties in the United States, ranging from the Baccarat Hotel New York, to the Post Ranch Inn.

There’s no denying that there are some great hotels belonging to Preferred Hotels & Resorts. Like, who wouldn’t want to redeem at Baccarat New York or Post Ranch Inn? That raises the question — how lucrative is the loyalty program?

I Prefer Hotel Rewards has mostly revenue based pricing, and you typically won’t get more than around 0.5 cents of value per point. And that assumes that there’s award availability, which can be a challenge, as there are often capacity restrictions.

So if you can ordinarily get around 0.5 cents of value per I Prefer Hotel Rewards point, and the transfer ratio is typically 1:2, then you’re typically getting around 1.0 cents of value per ThankYou point. With a 30% bonus, that means you’re potentially getting around 1.3 cents of value per ThankYou point.

That’s not a terrible redemption when you consider these are largely independent properties where you otherwise maybe couldn’t redeem so efficiently. But still, it’s also a value I have a hard time getting excited about.

Bottom line

Through June 13, 2026, the Citi ThankYou program is offering a 30% bonus on points transfers to I Prefer Hotel Rewards. For a vast majority of people, this isn’t even worth considering. I value I Prefer Hotel Rewards points at around 0.5 cents each, so when you factor in the 1:2 transfer ratio, plus the 30% bonus, you’re usually still going to be getting under 1.5 cents of value per point.

Does anyone plan on taking advantage of this Citi transfer bonus to I Prefer Hotel Rewards?

Citi offering 25% Wyndham transfer bonus

Between May 17 and June 13, 2026, the Citi ThankYou program in the United States is offering a 25% bonus on points transfers to Wyndham Rewards.

Ordinarily points transfer at a 1:1 ratio (in 1,000 point increments), while through this promotion you’d get 1,250 Wyndham Rewards points for every 1,000 Citi ThankYou points transferred.

This promotion is being offered on Citi’s end (in the United States), and is hard coded into the transfer ratio, meaning you should see the bonus at the time that you make the transfer. You can take advantage of this offer an unlimited number of times. Points transfers from Citi to Wyndham are generally instant.

Wyndham Rewards was added as a Citi ThankYou transfer partner in 2021, and this is the sixth transfer bonus that we’ve seen to the program. There are several great cards earning Citi ThankYou points, including the Citi Strata Premier® Card (review) and Citi Strata Elite℠ Card (review), and it’s easy to combine points between the cards.

Should you transfer Citi points to Wyndham Rewards?

While everyone should crunch the numbers for themselves, I’d argue that you generally shouldn’t transfer your Citi ThankYou points to Wyndham Rewards, even with a 25% bonus.

Personally I value Wyndham Rewards points at 0.7 cents each, so even with a 25% bonus, you’re getting under a cent of value per ThankYou point, by my valuation. Furthermore, Wyndham Rewards often has promotions on buying points, which is an opportunity to acquire these points for under a cent each.

For context, Wyndham Rewards properties cost either 7,500, 15,000, or 30,000 points per night, and while there are some premium properties, they’re the exception rather than the norm. I just don’t see too much upside there. This feels like one of those transfer partners that should have a better than 1:1 transfer ratio as a standard.

Bottom line

Through June 13, 2026, the Citi ThankYou program is offering a 25% bonus on points transfers to Wyndham Rewards. For a vast majority of people, this isn’t even worth considering. I value Wyndham Rewards points at 0.7 cents each, so even with a 25% bonus, you’re getting very poor value. However, perhaps there are some situations where people can find a good opportunity, or at least top off an account for a useful redemption.

Does anyone plan on taking advantage of this Citi transfer bonus to Wyndham Rewards?

I’ll share my take, though I won’t bury the lede — I’m not sure there’s a right or wrong answer, because the way that people use hotel concierges varies so wildly. It’s not like hotel housekeeping, where everyone gets their room cleaned similarly, with slight variations in terms of peoples’ cleanliness habits.

Tipping hotel concierges is complicated

There’s an absolutely massive variance to how people use hotel concierges, and the services that they offer. Limited service hotels often don’t offer “real” concierge services, while five star hotels sometimes have rockstar concierges who can perform miracles.

Even among hotels with great concierge staff, the requests people make are all over the place:

• Some people may just ask the concierge for a map of the area, and a recommendation for a nearby hole-in-the-wall restaurant they can walk to
• Other people use hotel concierges months in advance of their stay via email to secure desirable dining reservations as soon as they become available, or some hotels might even use hotel concierges to do luxury shopping on their behalf

If you’re booking a super high-end hotel, a great concierge staff is also one of the things that you’re paying for. The expectation is that a $1,000 per night hotel generally has a more “connected” concierge than a $100 per night hotel (or whatever). After all, there are concierges who are very well known in certain cities, and can bring a lot to the hotel they’re working at.

Then there’s of course the general cultural norms around tipping:

• Perhaps the single place in the world where hotel concierges are most useful is in Japan, where they can help secure amazing restaurant reservations; however, tipping isn’t appropriate in Japan, so that’s an included service
• In the United States there’s the general culture of tipping, so it’s customary to tip hotel concierges as well; unfortunately us Americans have also done a bad job exporting our tipping culture, so at some point tipping at nice hotels becomes the norm even in countries where you typically wouldn’t otherwise do so
• In other places around the globe it’s tricky, because even if a country doesn’t normally have a culture of tipping, a lot of people do tip hotel concierges when they secure hard to get reservations, or perform other above-and-beyond tasks

How much should you tip hotel concierges?

I truly think there’s no right or wrong answer as to what’s appropriate to tip hotel concierges. So let me share a couple of considerations:

• The American Hotel & Lodging Association gratuity guide suggests tipping concierges $5-10 per service, depending on how involved the request is; it’s recommended that this can be paid on the spot, or as a lump sum at check-out
• There are definitely people who tip concierges hundreds of dollars, or even more; that’s by no means expected, but in some cases concierges fulfill some pretty wild requests

Now, what’s my personal take, based on my own travels? The situation where I value a hotel concierge the most is when I’m staying at a luxury property outside the United States for multiple days, and I want to visit multiple great restaurants. In those situations, I typically appreciate the input and booking assistance of the concierge.

If it’s a trip to a destination with great restaurants and the concierge team is consistently friendly and helpful throughout the stay, I’ll sometimes tip around $20 per day, give or take. Let me emphasize that I don’t use concierges on a vast majority of stays, but this is when they’re consistently helping me throughout the stay, and are friendly and responsive.

Otherwise, I’d say that I sometimes tip when I’m staying in the United States and an consistently asking for minor things, like the best nearby coffee shop, a restaurant I can just walk into that’s casual, etc. I might tip $10 or so in those situations.

Meanwhile if I’m just using the concierge via email to arrange transfers to or from the hotel, I typically won’t tip. That’s also in part because I think that’s a very standard service that doesn’t take much effort, and in many situations, the hotel is even taking a significant commission on that.

There are just a couple of situations where I tipped concierges significantly more than above. Some really go above and beyond, and I think that deserves to be recognized. For example, when I stayed at the Park Hyatt Kuala Lumpur recently, the concierge was super helpful. My phone stopped charging at Delhi Airport, before I even boarded my flight to Kuala Lumpur. The concierge at the hotel was happy to buy a wireless charger for me from Apple, and even place it in the car that was supposed to pick me up… talk about great service!

Anyway, I’m by no means claiming that my approach is correct, but that’s how I usually go about things… like I said, I don’t think there’s a right or wrong answer.

Bottom line

Tipping hotel concierges can be a complicated topic, given the huge variety of services that they provide. Some people will ask for a decent nearby pizza place, and others will request five reservations at Michelin-starred restaurants.

So you’ll find that people have hugely varying perspectives on how much hotel concierges should be tipped (if at all), and I don’t think there’s a right or wrong answer. However, I think it’s worth acknowledging that, and it’s also why I shared my take.

Where do you stand on tipping hotel concierges, and what’s your approach?

What are the Citi credit card application rules?

Citi doesn’t have a strict limit on how many credit cards you can have with the bank. The major restriction with Citi is regarding how many cards you can be approved for in a given timeframe:

• You can get approved for one Citi card every eight days
• You can get approved for no more than two Citi cards every 65 days

There’s not a firm limit on how many cards you can have, though at some point you may find that you’re maxed out in terms of the credit that Citi will extend you. That number varies from person to person, presumably based on your income, credit score, etc.

Those are the rules that you’ll find across Citi cards, which brings us to the specific rule you’ll only find on some Citi cards.

Which is the Citi 48-month bonus rule?

When it comes to Citi’s policy regarding eligibility for the welcome bonus on a card (rather than just being eligible for approval of a card), most Citi cards have what’s known as the 48-month rule.

With this, you’re not eligible for the bonus if you’ve received a bonus on that specific card in the past 48 months. That 48-month timeline isn’t based on when you applied for or opened a card, but instead, it’s based on when you received the bonus. This also applies to the primary cardmember, so being an authorized user on someone else’s Citi card never precludes you from earning the bonus.

The good news is that eligibility for each card is considered independently. Furthermore, unlike in the past, when you close a particular card doesn’t factor into whether you’re eligible for a bonus or not. Rather, it’s just about whether you received a welcome bonus on a particular card in that timeframe.

You’ll find this policy on most of Citi’s popular travel credit cards, including co-branded AAdvantage cards, as well as cards earning Citi ThankYou points. This includes products like the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card (review), Citi Strata Premier® Card (review), Citi Strata℠ Card (review), Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® (review), Citi® / AAdvantage® Globe™ Mastercard® (review), Citi® / AAdvantage Business™ World Elite Mastercard® (review), etc.

Let me specifically emphasize that eligibility for each of the Citi Strata cards is considered independently — so if you have or have had the Citi Strata Premier, you’re eligible for the Citi Strata Elite, etc. The same is true when it comes to eligibility for each of the Citi AAdvantage cards.

Beyond that, the 48-month rule means that you can earn the welcome bonus on a Citi card more than once, you just have to wait at least four years between qualifying for these offers.

Back in the day, Citi also had the 24-month rule, whereby you weren’t eligible for the bonus on a card if you had opened or closed a card in that “family” of cards in the past 24 months. However, that policy no longer applies to major Citi cards.

How do you determine when you earned a Citi bonus?

The 48-month rule is based on when you last earned the welcome bonus on a card, rather than when you opened a card. So, what’s the easiest way to figure out when you last earned the bonus on a card? It’s not necessarily that straightforward.

Personally, I keep a spreadsheet where I track the cards I sign up for, with all the basics. This includes things like when I opened cards, when I earned the bonus, when I closed them, etc., as that always comes in handy.

If you don’t want to do that, you can typically estimate when you would’ve conservatively earned the bonus. If you phone up Citi, they can typically tell you when you opened a particular card, and then you can add three, four, or six months, to factor in the period you had to reach the spending requirement (I don’t believe Citi reps can tell you exactly when you earned a bonus from several years ago).

Citi 48-month rule credit card bonus FAQs

Bottom line

Citi has pretty straightforward rules regarding getting approved for its cards and earning bonuses. The most common restriction is the 48-month rule, which means that you can only earn the bonus on a particular card if you haven’t earned a bonus on that exact card in the past 48 months.

This is a pretty straightforward policy and, fortunately, has no “family” language, meaning you’re eligible for the bonus on each type of card. This is especially valuable to know in the context of Citi’s expanded card portfolio, so if you have a card like the Citi Strata Premier® Card (review), you’re still eligible to pick up the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card (review), if you have a card like the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® (review), you’re still eligible to pick up the Citi® / AAdvantage® Globe™ Mastercard® (review), etc.

What has your experience been with Citi’s 48-month rule?

In this post, I’d like to take a look at the credit card portfolio of American AAdvantage, and in particular, focus on the eligibility rules to be aware of.

Link: Learn more about the Citi® / AAdvantage® Globe™ Mastercard® and Citi® / AAdvantage Business™ World Elite Mastercard®

Basics of the American AAdvantage credit card portfolio

Up until recently, American Airlines had a unique co-branded credit card agreement as far as US airlines go, as the airline had cards issued by both Citi and Barclays. This dates back to the merger between American and US Airways, as historically Citi had partnered with American, while Barclays had partnered with US Airways.

However, we did recently see American and Citi reach an exclusive agreement, and as a result, American’s Barclays cards have been discontinued, with cardmembers being moved to the Citi portfolio.

So at this point, all of American’s credit cards in the United States are issued by Citi. There’s definitely more interest in these cards than in the past, given that with American’s Loyalty Points system, credit card spending can help you earn elite status.

Citi American AAdvantage credit card bonus rules

Credit card issuers have a variety of restrictions when it comes to approving people for cards. If you’re looking to apply for an American Airlines credit card, eligibility requirements are pretty lax in terms of being able to apply for multiple of these cards over time.

To start, here are the five co-branded American cards issued by Citi, which are open to new applicants:

• The Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® (review) has a $595 annual fee, and offers the most valuable perks, including an Admirals Club membership
• The Citi® / AAdvantage® Globe™ Mastercard® (review) has a $350 annual fee, and offers many useful benefits, along with a great welcome bonus
• The Citi® / AAdvantage Business™ World Elite Mastercard® (review) has a $99 annual fee that’s waived the first year, and offers compelling benefits, and a generous bonus
• The Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® (review) has a $99 annual fee that’s waived the first year, and offers several great benefits
• The American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® (review) has no annual fee, and is surprisingly compelling

These cards all have identical restrictions when it comes to earning the bonus:

• The bonus on each of these cards isn’t available to those who have received a new cardmember bonus on that exact card in the past 48 months; it’s fine if you’ve received the bonus on another AAdvantage product within the past 48 months, it just can’t be for the same product you’re applying for
• This is in addition to Citi’s general application restrictions, which include that you can get approved for at most one Citi card every eight days, and at most two Citi cards every 65 days
• Eligibility is completely unrelated to which AAdvantage card you have issued by Barclays, since that’s from a different issuer

So the great news is that you’re eligible for the welcome bonuses on each of these cards, meaning you can potentially rack up quite a few miles and perks.

What credit score do you need for American credit cards?

There’s not a consistent rule as to what credit score you need to be approved for an American Airlines credit card from Citi. In general, I’d recommend having a credit score in the “good” to “excellent” range if you’re going to apply for any of these cards.

Personally, I probably wouldn’t apply if my credit score were under 700, and ideally, I’d hope to have a credit score of 740 or higher. That being said, people with scores lower than that have been approved for these cards, and conversely, people with scores higher than that have been rejected. There are lots of factors that go into approval — your income, your credit history, how much credit an issuer has already extended you, etc.

Best strategy for getting approved for American credit cards

It’s pretty awesome how non-restrictive the eligibility requirements are for earning the bonuses on co-branded American Airlines credit cards. It’s quite rare to see no rules around mutual exclusivity of cards, which means you can potentially pick up each of the cards over the time, while also being eligible for the welcome bonuses.

American Airlines credit cards are a great way to build up your balance of AAdvantage miles, given all the great uses there are for these miles.

What’s the best strategy to take with applying for American Airlines credit cards? Personally, I think there’s always merit to applying for the cards with the biggest welcome bonuses, as there are typically opportunities to downgrade or product change cards after a year, should you prefer another option.

Broadly speaking, here’s how I view the long term value of the cards:

• The Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® is unique in the portfolio, given that it offers an Admirals Club membership and has a higher annual fee, so it’ll probably appeal to a different consumer base than the other cards
• The Citi® / AAdvantage® Globe™ Mastercard® is a great middle of the road card, with a steep annual fee, plus perks that can help justify is; when you add in the great welcome bonus, this is definitely a serious contender
• The Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® offers basic perks for a reasonable annual fee, but personally, I think either the higher annual fee or no annual fee products are more compelling
• For those looking for a no annual fee card, the American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® is your only option; however, I wouldn’t necessarily apply directly for the card, given how much smaller the bonus is than on other cards
• The Citi® / AAdvantage Business™ World Elite Mastercard® is the only business card open to new applicants, and the big bonus definitely makes it worth considering

If it were me, and my goal were to maximize the miles I earn, my strategy would be to pick up one personal card and one business card. That’s generally my strategy when picking up cards from any one card issuer, since it gives you the best odds of approval.

So that would mean picking up the Citi® / AAdvantage Business™ World Elite Mastercard®, since it’s the only business card. Of the personal cards, personally I’d go with the Citi® / AAdvantage® Globe™ Mastercard®, given the bonus it’s currently offering, plus the flexibility to product change it at a later point.

I have three of these cards, and you read about my Citi AAdvantage Executive Card approval, read about my Citi AAdvantage Globe Card approval, and read about my Citi AAdvantage Business Card approval.

American Airlines credit card eligibility FAQs

Bottom line

American Airlines has co-branded credit cards issued by Citi, and fortunately eligibility requirements aren’t very restrictive. None of the cards are mutually exclusive, so over time you could pick up all of these cards, if you wanted to.

With the current bonuses, it’s an especially good time to apply for the Citi® / AAdvantage® Globe™ Mastercard® and Citi® / AAdvantage Business™ World Elite Mastercard®, though all cards could make sense in the long run.

What has your experience been with getting approved for American Airlines credit cards?

What does “SSSS” on a boarding pass stand for?

“SSSS” stands for secondary security screening selection. I’m not sure if the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) came up with the abbreviation first and then came up with words to justify it, or if it was the other way around. Simply put, an “SSSS” on your boarding pass means that you’re getting an extra thorough search when you go through security.

What causes someone to get “SSSS” on their boarding pass?

There are a variety of things that can cause you to get selected for secondary security screening. Based on my understanding:

• Sometimes it’s because the specific itinerary you’re on is unusual; this could include flights booked last minute, international one-way tickets, travel originating in “high-risk” countries, etc.
• Sometimes it’s because you’re on some sort of a list; I have no clue what causes people to get on lists, though I suspect for some people it’s because of their travel patterns, for others it’s because of their names, and for others it’s because they’re being watched more carefully for whatever reason
• Sometimes it’s completely random, and you have nothing to worry about

As a very frequent flyer, I’d say that nowadays I get “SSSS” on my boarding pass maybe a few times per year, typically on one-way international itineraries.

However, in 2017, I was getting additional screening every single time I flew. I suspect this was because of my unusual travel patterns (I traveled to some “suspicious” countries, booked a lot of one-way international flights, etc.).

Are there any signs that you’ll be subjected to additional security?

There’s no way to know when you book whether you’ll get the dreaded “SSSS.” However, if you’re going to get it, you generally won’t be able to load a mobile boarding pass, or print your boarding pass at home. Instead, you’ll get an error message saying that you’ll only be able to print your boarding pass at the airport.

To be clear, just because you get that message doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll get extra screening. You could also get a message about not being able to get your boarding pass in advance for a number of other reasons. You’ll know for sure when you print your boarding pass at the airport, and see the “SSSS” on it.

What is the secondary screening process like?

What should you expect at security if your boarding pass has “SSSS” on it? I’ll share my experience based on the last time I dealt with this in the United States, which admittedly goes back a while.

When the initial TSA agent scans your boarding pass, it will make a loud beep and a red light will illuminate. The agent will radio for a supervisor and say they have a “quad” (which I guess is the codeword for “SSSS,” with the “quad” referring to the four letters).

The TSA agent will tell you “the airline has randomly selected you for additional screening” (which is a lie), and ask you to step to the side. A TSA lead or supervisor (someone with two or three stripes on their uniform) will show up eventually and escort you to a separate lane. In my experience, they’ll typically close a lane in order for you to be screened. At a minimum, they’ll put two upside down bins around your items to separate them from everyone else’s.

The good news is that you get to cut the rest of the line, so if there are people waiting, you cut ahead of everyone. It’s the only positive aspect of the experience. 😉

Then you’ll be asked to walk through the metal detector, and then back again. Then you’ll be asked to go through the full body scanner. Then you’ll get a full body pat down (which you can choose to have in private if you want). The agent will pat down every inch of your body, from your waistline to the area around your crotch. The fact that they scan your body in three ways seems like a slight overkill to me, but whatever…

At this point, there will typically be at least two TSA agents involved, if not three. One will search every inch of your belongings. Not only will they look at everything, but they’ll swab your items to check them for any residue. They’ll also ask you to power on your electronics. They just need to make sure that they can turn on, so be sure you have battery power for all your electronics.

Meanwhile, typically the supervisor will take a picture of your boarding pass and ID, fill out a form, and then eventually stamp your boarding pass to indicate that you’ve been screened.

This is an important point, because when you get to the gate your boarding pass will “alarm” once again, at which point the gate agent will check to make sure the TSA “stamp” is on there. If you don’t have it then they’ll have to call the TSA to the gate. The entire screening process takes anywhere between 10 and 20 minutes, in my experience, depending on how efficient the people screening you are.

Note that you can also get a secondary search at the gate on a US-bound flight. I find that the screening process there typically isn’t quite as invasive or time consuming.

I always have a good attitude during the process. It’s not the TSA’s fault, and the agent isn’t any happier about having to perform the secondary search than I am. I’ve also dealt with some really uneducated TSA agents during the process. For example, one time the guy searching my bag found my passports, and thought they were fraudulent, because I have passports from both the United States and Germany. He didn’t understand the concept of dual citizenship.

Can you get “SSSS” if you have TSA PreCheck?

TSA PreCheck is a fantastic program whereby enrolled travelers can get expedited airport screening. How does that work in relation to the “SSSS” issue?

• You can get “SSSS” even if you’re enrolled in TSA PreCheck
• If you do get “SSSS,” then you won’t receive TSA PreCheck for the itinerary where you were chosen for secondary screening

What can you do if you frequently get “SSSS?”

If you only get an “SSSS” on your boarding pass on one trip, you have nothing to worry about. As I said, I randomly get it every so often, and that’s totally normal. However, if you get this designation several trips in a row, you can assume you’re on some sort of a list.

Don’t worry, it’s not a huge deal, your life isn’t over. The way you’ll want to address this is by applying for a Redress Number. You can do so through the DHS TRIP program, which stands for Traveler Redress Inquiry Program. There you just fill out basic details sharing what you think the problem is, and then that should be investigated and hopefully resolved.

I applied for a Redress Number back in 2017, and about a month later, my case was reviewed and resolved. I haven’t had any major issues since.

Bottom line

Getting the dreaded “SSSS” on your boarding pass sure can be a pain. It’ll add quite a bit of time to the screening process, and is invasive, as they’ll touch every inch of you and your bag. If you just get this as a one-off thing, don’t be worried. However, if you get this several times in a row, there’s a chance you’re on some sort of a list, and may want to start the DHS TRIP process.

If you’ve gone through secondary screening in the United States, what was your experience like?

What is Qatar Airways Qsuites business class?

Qsuites is Qatar Airways’ business class seat that was first introduced in 2017, which is considered to be among the best products in the world. There are many features that make Qsuites great, including that each seat has a door and that there are double beds in the center section for those traveling together. I’ve reviewed Qsuites several times, including on the Airbus A350-1000, Boeing 777-200LR, and Boeing 777-300ER.

Even nearly nine years after Qsuites was introduced, this product isn’t yet available on all planes. The good news is that even if you’re on a flight not featuring Qsuites, you’ll probably still have a great experience, as Qatar Airways’ business class soft product is exceptional.

It’s also worth remembering that not all new wide body aircraft feature Qsuites. For example, Qatar Airways is taking delivery of 787-9s featuring new suites in business class, but these aren’t Qsuites. The reason for the new product is that these new seats are lighter and also better tailored to the fuselage of the 787.

Qatar Airways has even unveiled a next generation Qsuites product, which looks amazing, and is definitely more evolutionary rather than revolutionary. This will debut on the carrier’s upcoming Boeing 777-9s, whenever they join the fleet. Sadly there are no firm plans to retrofit this product on existing aircraft, though that may change over time.

Which routes have Qatar Airways Qsuites?

There aren’t any routes that 100% consistently feature Qsuites. So first, let’s talk about how you can figure out whether your flight is scheduled to feature Qsuites, and then we’ll talk about which planes in the fleet feature Qsuites.

Look for a business class seat map with staggered seats

The easiest way to tell if your flight is scheduled to be operated with Qsuites is to look at the business class seat map:

• If your flight features Qsuites, it will have a staggered configuration with seats alternating between being forward and rear-facing; by staggered configuration, I mean that a seat in one row will be in a different position than a seat in the next row, as you can see in the below seat map diagram
• If your flight doesn’t feature Qsuites, it won’t have a staggered configuration; that’s to say that seats are in the same place in each row of business class

Last-minute aircraft swaps happen

Even if you book a plane with Qsuites, just keep in mind that last-minute aircraft swaps can and do happen. You might have the type of aircraft for a particular flight swapped, or the same plane with a different configuration substituted.

We’ve seen quite a few aircraft swaps, especially in the past years, as the airline is continuously optimizing its schedule and fleet. So no matter what flight you book, just be warned that you might experience an aircraft swap.

Note that Qatar Airways does have a Qsuite guarantee. If you book a flight with Qsuites and end up with an aircraft swap, the airline will let you rebook on another flight on the same route within 21 days of the original departure date, at no extra cost.

Which planes have Qatar Airways Qsuites?

Qatar Airways has quite a varied wide body fleet, including A380s, A350s, A330s, 787s, and 777s. The availability of Qsuites differs significantly between those aircraft types — in some cases, all planes have Qsuites, while in other cases, no planes have Qsuites.

So below is the availability of Qsuites by aircraft type, ranked from the aircraft type with the highest percentage of planes with Qsuites, to the aircraft type with the lowest percentage of planes with Qsuites.

All Airbus A350-1000s have Qsuites

Qatar Airways currently has 28 Airbus A350-1000s, and all of those jets feature Qsuites. This is the only aircraft type in the fleet where every plane features Qsuites. Qatar Airways is continuing to take delivery of these jets, so this fleet will continue to grow.

Most Boeing 777-200LRs have Qsuites

Qatar Airways has seven Boeing 777-200LRs, and five of those feature Qsuites (the others feature business class seats in a 2-2-2 configuration). So while it’s not guaranteed, you have decent odds (~71%) of getting Qsuites when flying the 777-200LR. Unfortunately there don’t seem to be firm plans to reconfigure the remaining two jets.

Most Boeing 777-300ERs have Qsuites

The Boeing 777-300ER is the backbone of Qatar Airways’ fleet, as the carrier has 57 of these, including six former Cathay Pacific jets and three former Virgin Australia jets. Of these planes, 40 feature Qsuites (~70%), eight feature Qatar Airways’ old 2-2-2 business class (~14%), six feature Cathay Pacific’s 1-2-1 reverse herringbone configuration (~11%), and three feature Virgin Australia’s 1-2-1 reverse herringbone configuration (~5%).

A while back Qatar Airways had a higher percentage of 777-300ERs with Qsuites, but some of the 777s with the old business class have been brought back into service. That was initially due to A350s being grounded, but these planes are now needed to keep up with Qatar’s huge network.

Some Airbus A350-900s have Qsuites

Qatar Airways has 34 Airbus A350-900s. Of those, 23 feature reverse herringbone seats, while 11 feature Qsuites. So unfortunately only ~32% of A350-900s feature Qsuites, while ~68% feature reverse herringbone seats, meaning the odds are stacked against us. While it would be nice if the airline reconfigured these jets, I wouldn’t hold my breath.

No Boeing 787s have Qsuites

Qatar Airways has 59 Boeing 787s, including 32 Boeing 787-8s and 27 Boeing 787-9s (with more to be delivered). None of these feature Qsuites.

Qatar Airways’ Boeing 787-8s feature pretty standard reverse herringbone seats (similar to the old A350 configuration above), while Boeing 787-9s feature an all new business class that isn’t Qsuites.

No Airbus A380s have Qsuites

Qatar Airways had planned to retire its fleet of 10 Airbus A380s, but brought back eight in order to increase capacity. These planes don’t feature Qsuites in business class, but rather feature reverse herringbone seats, similar to what you’ll find on some A350-900s and all 787-8s. On the plus side, the A380 does have an onboard bar.

No Airbus A330s have Qsuites

Qatar Airways continues to fly some Airbus A330s, including five A330-200s and 10 A330-300s. These planes feature fully flat seats in a 2-2-2 configuration, and don’t have Qsuites. There aren’t plans for any of these aircraft to be reconfigured, but rather they’ll be retired in the near future.

Qatar Airways is also leasing some A330s from Oman Air, and these feature a superior product in business class. They have Apex Suites, which are in a 2-2-2 configuration.

Qatar Airways has stopped reconfiguring planes

Qatar Airways appears to have basically given up on reconfiguring aircraft with Qsuites. By my math, in the past few years, we’ve seen a grand total of two 777s reconfigured with Qsuites, and that’s it. No A350s have been reconfigured.

I suspect those two 777s were just reconfigured because of Qatar Airways’ investment in Virgin Australia, and all the new service that has created. There are obviously some key markets where Qatar Airways heavily prioritizes offering Qsuites, so I assume the decision was made that those extra Qsuites planes were needed.

Given that Qsuites was introduced nearly nine years ago, it sure is disappointing that the airline hasn’t made this a priority. The airline often touts how it’s the world’s best airline (for good reason), but then chooses not to invest in offering a basic level of consistency.

Why has Qatar Airways basically stopped reconfiguring planes with Qsuites? Interestingly, it doesn’t seem to be because the airline is waiting for its next generation Qsuites, because the airline hasn’t announced plans to retrofit that on existing planes.

I suspect the simple answer is because the airline can get away with it. People will fly the airline anyway, and in particular, it’s not like the “old” A350 business class is half bad either. Still, it disappoints me.

Bottom line

Qatar Airways is known for its excellent Qsuites business class. While it has been nearly nine years since the product was introduced, you won’t yet find this on all of the carrier’s long haul jets. For that matter, Qatar Airways has introduced a new 787 business class product since then, so there aren’t even plans to install Qsuites on all jets.

Your best odds of getting Qsuites is to fly the A350-1000, followed by the 777-200LR and 777-300ER, followed by the A350-900. Meanwhile on A380s, A330s, or 787s, you won’t find the product at all. Hopefully, the above is at least a useful rundown of what to expect in terms of your odds of getting Qsuites.

What has your experience been with Qatar Airways’ reliability for not swapping planes?

Which cards offer companion certificates, how can you redeem them, and are they even worth pursuing?

Link: Learn more about the Citi® / AAdvantage® Globe™ Mastercard® and Citi® / AAdvantage Business™ World Elite Mastercard®

The cards earning American companion certificates

The Citi® / AAdvantage® Globe™ Mastercard® (review) and Citi® / AAdvantage Business™ World Elite Mastercard® (review) both offer the ability to earn a companion certificate.

The $350 annual fee Citi AAdvantage Globe Card offers a companion certificate as an annual perk on your cardmember anniversary, with no spending required. This means that you start earning this on your first cardmember anniversary (so not your first year).

In addition to a big welcome bonus, this card offers a huge number of valuable benefits, including an up to $100 annual Splurge Credit, an up to $100 annual inflight credit, up to 15,000 bonus Loyalty Points per year, four Admirals Club passes per year, and more. This is a card that I’ve already applied for.

The $99 annual fee (waived for the first 12 months) Citi AAdvantage Business Card offers a companion certificate as an annual perk after spending $30,000 or more on purchases in a cardmember year, and then renewing your card. So that’s a pretty substantial spending requirement to unlock the reward.

This card also has a big welcome bonus, and offers many perks that could more than justify the annual fee. It’s also a card that I’ve picked up.

Details of redeeming the American companion certificate

Regardless of whether you earn a companion certificate through the Citi AAdvantage Globe Card or Citi AAdvantage Business Card, the terms are the same. Specifically, this is a $99 domestic economy companion fare, with the following restrictions:

• The companion certificate is typically deposited within 8-10 weeks of the cardmember anniversary, and the card must remain open one full billing cycle after your anniversary month
• When redeeming the companion certificate, you must pay $99, in addition to government taxes and fees
• The companion certificate can’t be redeemed online, but instead, it requires calling American Airlines Meeting Services, at 800-433-1790
• The companion certificate has to be used with the primary cardmember as one of the travelers, plus any other traveler on the same itinerary
• The companion certificate is valid for 12 months from when it’s issued, and must be redeemed for travel that is completed by the expiration date
• The companion certificate is valid for roundtrip travel within the lower 48; for residents of Alaska, Hawaii, the US Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico, the companion certificate is also valid from that origin to anywhere in the lower 48
• The companion certificate requires booking a “Main Cabin” fare, so basic economy fares don’t qualify when redeeming the certificate
• The companion certificate is valid for flights that are marketed and operated by American and/or American Eagle, so it’s not valid for travel on partner airlines
• Tickets booked using the companion certificate are still upgradable, including for cash upsells, complimentary elite upgrades, etc.
• The primary person on the companion certificate does earn AAdvantage miles and Loyalty Points for the cost of their ticket, while the companion traveling with the primary person doesn’t earn rewards

My take on the value of the American companion certificate

The American Airlines companion certificate isn’t the most valuable companion ticket option in the world, but I think it has the potential to be quite useful.

What I find frustrating about the certificate is that you have to book by phone, which just seems like an inefficient annoyance in this day and age. Furthermore, it’s not ideal that it’s limited to the lower 48, and that basic economy is excluded.

That being said, beyond that I actually find it to be reasonably valuable. The primary guest still earns Loyalty Points and AAdvantage miles, and you can still upgrade to first or business class with cash or miles, or with complimentary elite upgrades.

To state the obvious, this companion certificate is best used on an expensive domestic economy fare. So it’s ideal if you’re flying to Aspen in winter, or something like that, where cash fares can be really high.

How do I view this companion certificate in terms of the overall value propositions of the cards?

• The Citi AAdvantage Globe Card offers the companion certificate as a reward just for being a cardmember, with no spending requirement, so there’s no reason not to use this; I’ll definitely get some value out of this
• The Citi AAdvantage Business Card requires $30,000 in spending annually to earn the certificate, so personally I wouldn’t spend on the card solely (or primarily) to be able to earn the companion certificate, unless you’d spend that amount anyway (which there potentially could be merit to)

I try to be conservative with how I value things, and I’d say that I probably consider this companion certificate to be worth somewhere around $100-200. Of course it can be redeemed for a lot more value than that, as you could use this to be the companion on a $1,000 economy ticket. However, personally I consider the value to be fairly niche, given that I don’t travel that much domestically, you have to book roundtrip, etc.

Even if you value premium cabin travel, the good thing is that American so frequently sells reasonably priced upgrades for cash, so it should be possible to end up in a premium cabin when redeeming one of these certificates.

Citi AAdvantage American companion certificate FAQs

Bottom line

Both the Citi AAdvantage Globe Card and Citi AAdvantage Business Card give cardmembers the ability to earn a $99 annual companion certificate.

The bad news is that it’s only valid for (non-basic) economy tickets within the lower 48, and that you have to book by phone. The good news is that there are otherwise fairly few restrictions associated with redeeming these, and most American flyers should get decent value from this perk.

In particular, it’s great that this is just a standard anniversary perk on the Citi AAdvantage Globe Card with no spending requirement, while the Citi AAdvantage Business Card requires $30,000 of spending.

What’s your take on the value of the American Airlines companion ticket?

While the card has a steep $350 annual fee, it offers lots of perks that can help offset that, whether you’re an occasional or frequent flyer on American. In this post, I’d like to take a look at the up to $100 annual Citi AAdvantage Globe Card inflight purchase credit that’s offered. How exactly does this perk work, and how useful is it?

Link: Learn more about the Citi® / AAdvantage® Globe™ Mastercard®

Citi AAdvantage Globe Card $100 inflight credit basics

The Citi AAdvantage Globe Card offers up to $100 in credits for inflight purchases every year. As you’d expect, there are some terms to be aware of:

• The up to $100 in statement credits is issued per calendar year rather than per cardmember year, so that potentially offers outsized value in the first year
• You have to charge the purchases to your eligible card, and you can use the credit across one or more transactions
• This benefit applies to domestic flights that are marketed and operated by American and/or American Eagle; it doesn’t work on codeshare flights on other airlines
• Savings will appear as a statement credit within 8-10 weeks of the transaction posting to the account, though in practice, the credits typically post much faster than that

There are no restrictions as to what kind of inflight purchases qualify for this credit, so the credit can be used for inflight food and drink purchases, as well as inflight Wi-Fi purchases.

How can the inflight credit actually be used efficiently?

As someone who often flies American, I’ve been thinking of how this Citi AAdvantage Globe Card credit could most efficiently be used. American doesn’t have inflight duty free sales (not that duty free would be available on domestic flights anyway), so your options are either inflight food and drink purchases, or Wi-Fi (unless I’m missing something).

On the surface, this is useful for purchasing inflight Wi-Fi, though there are two catches:

• American recently introduced free Wi-Fi for AAdvantage members, on planes with Viasat and Intelsat high speed satellite connectivity, which is a vast majority of the fleet
• The American planes that don’t have free Wi-Fi (namely wide body planes with a Panasonic system) primarily fly internationally, and this credit is specific to domestic flights, at least per the terms

Now, we’ll see whether that domestic policy is actually enforced (is Wi-Fi really billed differently by Panasonic based on the type of flight?), but that’s how the rules are written. Furthermore, it’s worth noting that wide body planes with Panasonic Wi-Fi still operate domestic routes, and Wi-Fi on those planes continues to come at a cost. So that actually presents a pretty obvious way that these credits could be used, in my opinion.

The other obvious thing these credits could be used for is inflight purchases of alcoholic drinks and food. On the plus side, American has been improving its buy on board selection in recent times, and I imagine that trend will continue, as the airline tries to become more competitive. So this will actually be more useful than it would’ve been in the past, which is great.

However, do keep in mind that AAdvantage Executive Platinum members in economy receive one complimentary food and drink item, and Main Cabin Extra customers receive free alcoholic drinks. So this won’t necessarily be that useful for everyone.

If nothing else, you could buy some drinks or snacks for others on the plane, if you truly have no other way to use the credit. 😉

Citi AAdvantage Globe Card inflight credit FAQs

Bottom line

The Citi AAdvantage Globe Card offers many benefits, and among those is an up to $100 inflight purchase credit every calendar year. This can be used for all inflight purchases on domestic flights, so it can be applied toward alcoholic drinks, food, and even Wi-Fi, for flights where it isn’t free.

I wouldn’t consider this credit to be worth face value, but I still think it’s quite useful, and it certainly contributes to the overall value proposition of the card. The card is absolutely worth picking up for the welcome bonus, and the suite of perks will make the card a keeper for many. This includes everything from the up to 15,000 Loyalty Points Flight Streak bonus, to the $100 Splurge Credit, to the $99 companion certificate.

What’s your take on the Citi AAdvantage Globe Card $100 inflight credit? Any good uses I’m missing?

Given how many aircraft have Qsuites, in this post I’d like to talk about how to go about picking the best seat. After all, there’s a bit of nuance to that, given the staggered configuration, seats alternating between being forward and rear facing, etc.

Qatar Airways Qsuites are available on select A350s & 777s

Qatar Airways has a bit of an issue with fleet consistency when it comes to the onboard product. Currently you’ll find Qsuites business class seats on all Airbus A350-1000s, and on select Airbus A350-900s, Boeing 777-200LRs, and Boeing 777-300ERs. I won’t get into too much detail on that here, but you can see my guide to which planes have Qsuites.

While the exact layouts do differ between aircraft, the general layout is the same. You can tell if a flight features Qsuites based on the seat map, which should show a staggered configuration, where seats in each row alternate in terms of their locations. The cabin is always in a 1-2-1 configuration.

In the interest of being thorough, let me share the primary Qsuites layouts you’ll find for each aircraft type (in some cases there are higher density subfleets as well, which I’ll note).

Below is the Qatar Airways Qsuites layout for the Airbus A350-900.

Below is the Qatar Airways Qsuites layout for the Airbus A350-1000 (there’s also a version with just the first six rows being business class).

Below is the Qatar Airways Qsuites layout for the Boeing 777-200LR.

Below is the Qatar Airways Qsuites layout for the Boeing 777-300ER (there’s also a version with just the first six rows being business class).

How to pick the best Qatar Airways Qsuites seats

One of my favorite things about Qsuites is how customizable the seating options are, depending on whether you’re traveling alone, as a couple, or as a family or group. So let’s talk a bit about how to go about picking the best seat in the Qsuites layout, based on the type of traveler you are.

Which window seats are best, who should pick center seats, is there a benefit to forward or rear facing seats, and which part of the cabin do you want to be in?

The best Qsuites seats for solo travelers

If you’re traveling alone, then you probably want to select one of the single seats by the windows, if possible. Regardless of which aircraft you’re flying, there are two options:

• The “A” and “K” seats are closer to the windows, and are rear facing
• The “B” and “J” seats are closer to the aisle, and are forward facing

Seats with the letters “A” and “K” are the true window seats, as these seats are right by the windows. Then closer to the aisle is the console and storage area, and then the door is past that. If possible, you definitely want one of these seats, since they feel the most private, and also the least claustrophobic due to their distance from the door. Furthermore, you can easily look out the window.

As mentioned above, the real window seats are rear facing, so is that a good or bad thing? Personally I quite like rear facing business class seats, since it’s kind of fun, and it also means your head will be positioned slightly higher than the rest of your body when reclined, given the slight nose-up angle of aircraft. However, if you suffer from motion sickness, then maybe you’ll want to avoid these seats.

Seats with the letters “B” and “J” are still good, though will feel a bit more claustrophobic. For these seats, the console and storage are closer to the window, while the seats are closer to the aisle. These are still great seats, though they may feel slightly claustrophobic, since you’re seated right by the door. These are forward facing seats.

The best Qsuites seats for couples & groups

If you’re traveling with someone, then you may appreciate the varied Qsuites seating configuration, as you can create a double bed. Seats with the letters “E” and “F” are what we often refer to as honeymoon seats, as these are the rear facing seats that are the closest together, in the center of the plane.

Don’t worry, if you’re traveling with a stranger, you won’t be forced to cuddle with them, as there’s a partition that can be raised. However, if you are traveling with someone, these are great, since you can have your beds right next to one another (it’s not quite a double bed, but you’ll be very close together).

What about the center seats with the letters “D” and “G?” These are forward face seats in the center that are closer to the aisle. They’re not ideal if traveling with someone, since you’ll be quite a ways from them.

Here’s where it gets cool, though. If you’re traveling as a group of four, you can select a “quad,” whereby you basically pick the pair of honeymoon seats, plus the center seats in the row behind, and then you can turn that into a larger, four-person space. About 80 seconds into the below video, you can see what that would look like.

The best location within the Qsuites cabin

Now that we’ve discussed the differences in the various seats, in what part of the cabin should you ideally assign a seat? As you can see, most planes with Qsuites have a forward and rear cabin, so how would I go about assigning seats?

If possible, I’d avoid being within one row (or maybe even two rows) of the forward and center galleys, since there will be light pollution, noise, and possibly smells (from the food and bathrooms).

Beyond that, I don’t think there’s a strong advantage to being in the forward cabin vs. the rear cabin. The way I see it, the main advantage of being in the forward cabin is that you have less foot traffic during boarding, since most economy passengers board through the second set of doors.

The main advantage of being in the rear cabin is that there’s less foot traffic during the flight. That’s because there’s a galley and bathrooms at the very front of the plane, then another galley and more bathrooms between the two cabins. That means if you’re in the very back of business class, you have virtually no foot traffic during the flight.

Personally my preference is to sit toward the very back of the rear cabin, but that’s a general preference I have for my flights. The only potential downside is that sometimes babies in bassinets are in the first row of economy, though that’s not something I usually have an issue with.

How can you assign blocked Qsuites seats?

As you’ll notice on the above seat maps, virtually all of the center seats in Qsuites are blocked, including the honeymoon seats and the center seats that are closer to the aisle. The reason Qatar Airways does this is to be able to save the seats for those who may actually value the honeymoon seats, or the ability to create a pod.

So, how can you assign those seats? If you’re traveling as a couple and are on the same record locator, you’ll sometimes see those seats no longer show as blocked when managing your booking for an eligible itinerary.

Alternatively, Qatar Airways’ call center is typically able to assign those seats to couples and groups, including in advance. So it may require picking up the phone, but it could well be worth it.

Bottom line

Qatar Airways’ Qsuites business class is an excellent product, among the best in the world. You should have a great flight no matter where you sit, but there’s definitely a strategy to picking seats in this configuration.

Most important is that if you’re traveling alone, you’ll probably be happiest in the “A” and “K” seats, which offer the most privacy. Meanwhile if you’re traveling as a couple and want to enjoy the flight together, the “E” and “F” seats are the way to go. Aall of those seats are rear facing ones, so that’s something to be aware of, in case you have motion sickness concerns.

What’s your take on the best Qsuites business class seats?

While the card has a steep $350 annual fee, it offers lots of perks that can help offset that, whether you’re an occasional or frequent flyer on American. In this post, I’d like to take a look at the Citi AAdvantage Globe Card “Splurge Credit,” which offers up to $100 in value per year.

How exactly does the Citi AAdvantage Globe Card Splurge Credit work, and how useful is it? This is modeled after a similar perk on the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card (review), though unfortunately I find this one to be considerably less useful, sadly. That’s not to say it isn’t worth anything, though!

Link: Learn more about the Citi® / AAdvantage® Globe™ Mastercard®

How to use Citi AAdvantage Globe Card Splurge Credit

The Citi AAdvantage Globe Card offers a $100 Splurge Credit annually. The way this works, you receive a credit of up to $100 that you can use with your choice of four retailers, including 1stDibs, AAdvantage Hotels, Future Personal Training, and Live Nation. As you’d expect, there are some terms to be aware of:

• The Splurge Credit is offered per calendar year rather than per cardmember year, so you’ll receive the $100 credit to use between January 1 and December 31 of each year
• The Splurge Credit can be redeemed across one or more transactions, until it’s fully used
• Prior to using your Splurge Credit, you need to register at this link, and during that process, you can select up to two merchants at a time that you want to use this credit for
• When you select the merchants you want to choose the Splurge Credit for, that selection applies as of 12AM ET on the day the merchant is selected; in other words, this could even apply slightly retroactively, because if you made a purchase at 1AM and only registered at 8AM the same day, that purchase would be eligible
• Purchases made by the primary cardmember or authorized users can count toward the Splurge Credit, though the credit is a maximum of $100 per primary cardmember account
• It can take one to two billing cycles for the Splurge Credit to appear on your statement
• To qualify for the Live Nation Splurge Credit, a purchase must be made directly on livenation.com or ticketmaster.com for events or venues within the United States; the purchase must be fulfilled by Live Nation or Ticketmaster, and not by a third party service

Citi AAdvantage Globe Card Splurge Credit logistics

Since I applied for the Citi AAdvantage Globe Card some time back, let me share my experience with the logistics of this perk. Once you set up your account, you can either visit this link, or simply go to your main account management page, where you’ll see the option to select your Splurge Credit brands.

When you follow that link, you’ll see the option to select brands, and you’ll also see how much of your Splurge Credit you’ve used so far.

The page also lists all the brands you can choose from, and if you click on the “See details” buttons, you’ll see the terms associated with each merchant, if there are any.

For example, below is the page about using your Splurge Credit for AAdvantage Hotels.

Then if you click the “Select brands” button, you’ll be brought to the page where you can select which merchant you want to activate.

Citi AAdvantage Globe Card Splurge Credit value

As mentioned above, the $100 annual Splurge Credit on the Citi AAdvantage Globe Card is modeled after the $200 credit on the Citi Strata Elite Card. However, it’s not quite as useful for two reasons (though admittedly the annual fee also isn’t as high):

• The credit is for $100 rather than $200
• The Citi Strata Elite offers a credit with American Airlines and Best Buy, and that gives you a lot more flexibility; American is super useful since you can just book flights, while Best Buy sells gift cards with all kinds of retailers

With that in mind, are there any creative ways to use the Citi AAdvantage Globe Card Splurge Credit? I’m not noticing any real tricks here, though a few thoughts. If you ask me, 1stDibs and and Future Personal Training seem really niche, unless you’re already a customer of those companies. Meanwhile Live Nation is useful for those who like to attend live events (not me!). Therefore I think that makes AAdvantage Hotels the most useful redemption option.

Many people like AAdvantage Hotels because it lets you earn AAdvantage miles and Loyalty Points for hotel stays, and in some cases, the rewards structure is actually pretty lucrative. So at a minimum, it seems like it could be worth using this credit for any stay of around $100 or so (or as close to it as possible).

Not only would you get the statement credit, but you’d also earn AAdvantage miles and Loyalty Points, plus the card earns an additional 6x AAdvantage miles per dollar spent with AAdvantage Hotels. So that hotel stay could quickly become rewarding. It’s not the most exciting thing on earth, but it should be possible to get some material value out of this benefit.

Citi AAdvantage Globe Card Splurge Credit FAQs

Bottom line

The Citi AAdvantage Globe Card offers several valuable benefits, and among those is a $100 annual Splurge Credit. You just have to register with your choice of four retailers, and then any eligible spending counts toward that credit.

Unfortunately the retail partners are a bit random, and I wouldn’t consider this credit to be worth close to face value. Personally I think AAdvantage Hotels is probably the best option, as you can essentially get a credit of $100 toward a hotel, all while earning AAdvantage miles and Loyalty Points for your stay. Many American flyers use AAdvantage Hotels anyway, so for those people, this credit is worth pretty close to face value.

Personally I’d consider some of the other perks of the card to be more valuable, like the Flight Streak Loyalty Points bonus, up to $100 annual inflight credit, the four annual Admirals Club passes, the $99 companion certificate, and more.

What’s your take on the Citi AAdvantage Globe Card $100 Splurge Credit?

The Amex Gold Card has a $325 annual fee (Rates & Fees), though the card also offers up to $424 in annual credits, which could more than offset the annual fee, not even accounting for all the other perks.

Now, a vast majority of cardmembers aren’t going to maximize all the Amex Gold Card credits, since it is a bit of a “coupon book” vibe, in terms of how the credits are issued. In this post, I’d like to take a look at the Amex Gold Card credits, including the restrictions, and how they can be redeemed.

Link: Learn more about the American Express® Gold Card

How to use the $424 in Amex Gold Card credits

With the Amex Gold Card credits, cardmembers can potentially receive statement credits with Uber, select dining establishments, Resy, and Dunkin’. The terms associated with using each of these Amex Gold credits varies, so it’s worth covering all the details. In no particular order…

Amex Gold Card Uber Cash credit: up to $120

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

• Enrollment is required, by logging into your Amex account, and going to the “Benefits” tab of your card
• You must have downloaded the latest version of the Uber app, and your eligible Amex Gold Card must be a method of payment in your Uber account
• This comes in the form of a monthly $10 Uber Cash credit, which posts to your Uber account; so this isn’t a statement credit, but rather is Uber Cash
• The Uber Cash can be used for Uber rides or Uber Eats purchases in the U.S.
• When you request a ride in the Uber app or place an Uber Eats order, your Uber Cash benefit will automatically be applied to your transaction, and there’s no need to pay with the card to trigger it
• If you have the same card added to multiple Uber accounts, only the first Uber account to which the card is added will receive the benefit

What’s my take on the Amex Gold Uber Cash credit? As someone who uses both Uber and Uber Eats more than once per month, the Amex Gold Uber Cash credit benefit is basically as good as cash to me.

Amex Gold Card dining credit: up to $120

The Amex Gold Card offers up to $120 in dining credits annually:

• Enrollment is required, by logging into your Amex account, and going to the “Benefits” tab of your card
• This comes in the form of a monthly statement credit, so you can receive up to a $10 credit each calendar month
• The credit can be used by the primary cardmember or authorized users, though you only get one credit per account
• The credit can be used for purchases with Grubhub (including Seamless), Buffalo Wild Wings, Five Guys, The Cheesecake Factory, and Wonder
• According to the terms, the benefit doesn’t offer statement credits for purchases of gift cards or merchandise
• It can take up to eight weeks after an eligible dining purchase for the statement credit to post to your account, though in practice, it typically posts much faster than that

What’s my take on the Amex Gold dining credit? Everyone has different spending patterns. Personally, I don’t frequently dine at any of the establishments included with the Amex Gold dining credit, though I do use Grubhub. So, this saves me $10 per month with those purchases.

Amex Gold Card Resy credit: up to $100

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

• Enrollment is required, by logging into your Amex account, and going to the “Benefits” tab of your card
• This comes in the form of a semi-annual statement credit, so you receive up to a $50 credit in January through June, and up to a $50 credit in July through December
• The primary cardmember or authorized users can use the credit, though you only get one credit per account
• Eligible Resy purchases include purchases made directly from U.S. restaurants that offer reservations through Resy’s website or app, and purchases made directly through the Resy website or app also qualify
• According to the terms, purchases via Resy Pay, purchases of Resy OS restaurant management software, Resy-branded Amex gift cards, and gift cards purchased at restaurants, may not be eligible to receive the statement credit
• It can take up to eight weeks after an eligible Resy purchase for the statement credit to post to your account, though in practice, it typically posts much faster than that

Let me emphasize that you don’t have to jump through hoops at a restaurant to take advantage of the Amex Gold Resy statement credit. You don’t even have to make your reservation through Resy, as long as it’s a Resy partner restaurant.

What’s my take on the Amex Gold Resy credit? If you dine out frequently and live in a decently sized city, visiting a Resy restaurant should be super easy. Personally I’m able maximize this without even trying, since I go to restaurants associated with Resy all the time. Admittedly, this is of limited use to those in small towns, where not many restaurants may use the Resy platform.

Amex Gold Card Dunkin’ credit: up to $84

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

• Enrollment is required, by logging into your Amex account, and going to the “Benefits” tab of your card
• This comes in the form of a monthly statement credit, so you can receive up to a $7 credit each calendar month
• The primary cardmember or authorized users can use the credit, though you only get one credit per account
• Eligible Dunkin’ purchases include those at Dunkin’ locations in the U.S. that accept American Express cards
• According to the terms, gift cards purchased online or any Dunkin’ branded products purchased at other retailers don’t count toward this statement credit
• It can take up to eight weeks after an eligible Dunkin’ purchase for the statement credit to post to your account, though in practice, it typically posts much faster than that

You can maximize the Amex Gold Dunkin’ credit by spending at least $7 per month at a Dunkin’ location with your eligible card.

What’s my take on the Amex Gold Dunkin’ credit? Admittedly, this is niche, and seems like an odd fit for a premium card. Dunkin’ isn’t exactly a high-end brand, and the $7 credit seems quite random. However, I think this is easy enough to manage. It’s also worth emphasizing that as of now, simply loading your Dunkin’ account through the Dunkin’ app with $7 per month seems to trigger the credit.

Based on how I read the terms, that’s not even a fluke. The terms say the credit can’t be used for gift cards, though loading a Dunkin’ account isn’t a gift card. So as things currently stand, basically view this as an $84 annual Dunkin’ gift card (which you must load monthly).

Best strategy for maximizing Amex Gold Card credits

Just about any credit card with perks that are distributed throughout the year and where enrollment is required will have a significant amount of breakage. That’s only natural, and as I see it, it’s a double-edged sword. On the plus side, I view it as an opportunity for savvy consumers to get outsized value from a card.

With that in mind, how much do I value the up to $424 in credits offered on the Amex Gold Card? Here’s my general thought process:

• I’d consider the $100 Amex Gold Resy credit to be worth close to face value, since I dine at Resy restaurants way more than twice per year, and no effort is required to use this
• I also value the $120 Amex Gold Uber Cash benefit at close to face value, since I naturally use Uber or Uber Eats more than once per month, so those are direct savings
• I view the Amex Gold Dunkin’ credit as being maybe worth half of the $84 face value; it’s easy to enough to load $7 onto a Dunkin’ account every month, and when I take road trips, I do end up at Dunkin’ once in a while (Dunkin’ coffee is better than Starbucks coffee, in my opinion)
• I struggle the most with the $120 Amex Gold dining credit; yes, I sometimes use Grubhub, but I prefer Uber Eats and DoorDash, so I have to go out of my way to use that, and I don’t put too much value in this perk

When all is said and done, I’d say that I value the credits on the Amex Gold Card as maybe being within $100 of the card’s annual fee, give or take. To me, that essentially puts this Membership Rewards points-earning powerhouse in line with other mid-range cards, in terms of the cost of holding onto it. Everyone’s math will differ, so crunch the numbers to decide how much value the card offers to you.

Amex Gold Card credits frequently asked questions

Bottom line

The Amex Gold Card is a product you primarily get for the excellent return it offers on everyday spending. The card has a steep annual fee, though the good news is that this can largely be offset thanks to the up to $424 in annual credits it offers. Hopefully, the above is a useful rundown of how each of the Amex Gold Card credits can be used.

The Amex Gold credits won’t be equally valuable for everyone, but if you dine at Resy restaurants and use Uber (for rides or food delivery) with any frequency, you should be able to recoup much of the annual fee thanks to the credits.

What do you make of the Amex Gold Card credits, and how much value are you able to get out of them?

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

However, in 2025 we saw an exciting update, as Rakuten added a new rewards currency you can earn, and it might just be the best one yet… at least for some. In this post, I’d like to take a comprehensive look at how this partnership works, and whether it’s worth it.

Bilt & Rakuten partner for shopping portal rewards

Nowadays it’s possible to earn Bilt points for online shopping with Rakuten:

• Bilt Silver, Gold, and Platinum elite members, all receive a 1:1 conversion ratio, meaning every $10 in Rakuten cash back equals 1,000 Bilt points
• Bilt Blue (non-elite) members receive a 2:1 conversion ratio, meaning every $10 in Rakuten cash back equals 500 Bilt points (for payouts through May 15, 2026, the transfer ratio was also 1:1, but that has now changed)
• Those rates remain subject to change over time, and note that points earned through this partnership don’t count toward earning Bilt elite status
• Let me emphasize that the no annual fee Bilt Blue Card (review), $95 annual fee Bilt Obsidian Card (review), and $495 Bilt Palladium Card (review) (Rates & Fees), all make it easier to earn elite status, and therefore, to maintain the better transfer ratio (read my Bilt credit card review & comparison)

How to earn Bilt points with Rakuten (step-by-step)

How can you start earning Bilt points with Rakuten? If you’re not yet a member of Rakuten, I’d recommend signing up through a refer a friend link before you set up your account for this partnership. That’s because the current refer a friend bonus gets you $50 in rewards (up to 5,000 Bilt points) upon completing eligible activity, while Bilt’s offer only gets you 2,500 Bilt points in rewards.

So once you have a Rakuten account, you’ll want to either visit the partnership page on Bilt’s website, or go to the Bilt app. Once in the Bilt app, navigate to the “Rewards” section, and then select the “Everyday rewards” section. There you’ll see the “Earn points with Rakuten” heading, so click on “Get started.”

If you have an existing account (or even if you don’t), click on the “Create account & link” button. Make sure that the emails associated with your Bilt and Rakuten accounts match.

You’ll just have to click “Continue” on the next page, and then you should see that your account linking is successful.

Once you’ve successfully linked your accounts, you can log into your Rakuten account and go to the “Account” section, and you’ll see that the account shows that you’ll be earning Bilt points as your reward. All rewards amounts show in cash, but are then converted into Bilt points at the above rate.

What’s interesting is that all your rewards earned within a particular “rewards cycle” (Rakuten pays out every three months) are eligible to earn Bilt points, even if you were previously supposed to earn Amex Membership Rewards points. So it’s awesome that you can retroactively switch that.

This is also why it’s great to use a refer a friend link if you’re not yet a member, to earn $50 upon completing qualifying activity, since that can then be converted into Bilt points.

As a reminder, these are the payout periods with Rakuten:

• For activity between January 1 and March 31, get paid on May 15
• For activity between April 1 and June 30, get paid on August 15
• For activity between July 1 and September 30, get paid on November 15
• For activity between October 1 and December 31, get paid on February 15

Is earning Bilt points with Rakuten worth it?

As mentioned above, I’m a big fan of using Rakuten for my online shopping. I’ve historically always chosen to earn Amex Membership Rewards points, given that you can essentially earn one Membership Rewards point in lieu of one cent cash back. Since I value Amex points at well over one cent each, that’s an advantageous rate of return.

Now that it’s possible to earn Bilt points with Rakuten in the same way you can earn Amex points, I think this option is also seriously worth considering. What’s my take on the value here? I’d rather earn one Bilt point than one Amex point, since Bilt points are generally harder to earn, Bilt has some unique transfer partners, and Bilt Rent Day promotions can stretch your points even further.

However, if the choice is between earning one Amex point or 0.5 Bilt points, I’d absolutely prefer to earn one Amex point. Fortunately with the Bilt credit card portfolio, it shouldn’t be too hard to maintain elite status. Specifically, I have the Bilt Palladium Card, and I think I can make the math on this card work.

Bottom line

Bilt and Rakuten have a partnership, letting Rakuten members earn Bilt points for their online shopping. Bilt elite members can earn one Bilt point in lieu of one cent cash back, which is a great rate of return. Meanwhile Bilt non-elite members can only earn one Bilt point for every two cents cash back, so that’s not nearly as good.

I’m happy to see Rakuten partnering with two points currencies, as this is a nice alternative to earning Amex points with Bilt. And if you’re yet a Rakuten member, make sure you sign-up through a refer a friend link, given the current best-ever bonus. That can earn you $50, or 5,000 Bilt points.

What do you make of Bilt being a Rakuten partner? Do you prefer to earn Amex or Bilt points?

I picked the card up again last year, thanks to the current huge welcome offer, plus the fact that I was targeted with an offer with no lifetime language (meaning I was eligible for the welcome offer despite having had the card years back).

So I’ve been tracking which two categories I’m actually earning 4x points on each cycle, and how the overall math is working out. What follows isn’t a list of benefits (the full review covers those). Instead, it’s an update on how useful the 4x points have proven to me, whether the $150,000 annual cap matters, and whether the headline 6.8% return holds up once you factor in the categories that don’t fit your business.

Link: Learn more about the American Express® Business Gold Card

My running tally so far on the Amex Business Gold

Before getting into individual categories, here’s where I am on the math on the Amex Business Gold Card at the time of writing:

• So far I’ve paid a $375 annual fee (my next annual fee is due in a couple of months, if I choose to renew); I of course earned the huge welcome offer, which was a fantastic incentive to pick up the card
• I’ve used the flexible business credit for eight months so far, and with a value of $20 per month, that has gotten me around $160 in statement credits
• While the 4x points categories are generally great for a business card, I’m not sure their return has actually exceeded what I’d earn on another card

As of now, I think it’s unlikely that I’ll be renewing the card. While the credits have helped partly offset the annual fee, and while the card was worth getting for the welcome offer, I’m not sure the long term value is there, without getting more out of the 4x points categories. This card won’t be for everyone, and my situation is the perfect example of that.

The welcome offer is what makes the first year almost automatic

The Amex Business Gold Card consistently has a generous welcome offer, currently as high as 200,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $15,000 on eligible purchases within the first three months. I value Membership Rewards points at 1.7 cents each, so to me those 200,000 points are worth $3,400 (assuming you’re eligible for the offer).

This is an incredible welcome offer, and if you’re eligible and can reach the spending requirement, it’s 100% worth applying. Anecdotally, I find Amex business cards to be quite easy to get approved for, and there are several advantages when it comes to applying for the Amex Business Gold, even if you’re new to business cards.

In my case, I had received a targeted offer in my Amex account for the same offer but without the typical “once in a lifetime” language. So I couldn’t help but apply given the great welcome offer, and my card was instantly approved, which I was happy about.

Which two of the six 4x categories actually trigger for me

The single biggest reason to pick up the Amex Business Gold Card is the bonus structure. Each billing cycle, you earn 4x Membership Rewards points in the two categories where your business spends the most, out of a list of six eligible categories. You earn 4x points on the first $150,000 in combined purchases from these categories each calendar year, and then 1x points thereafter.

Categories eligible for 4x points include:

• Purchases at U.S. media providers for advertising in select media (online, TV, radio)
• U.S. purchases made from electronic goods retailers and software & cloud system providers
• U.S. purchases at restaurants, including takeout and delivery
• U.S. purchases at gas stations
• Transit purchases, including trains, taxicabs, rideshare services, ferries, tolls, parking, buses, and subways
• Monthly wireless telephone service charges made directly from a wireless telephone service provider in the U.S.

At my 1.7 cents per point valuation, that’s the equivalent of a 6.8% return on spending in those categories — which is great, if your business actually spends meaningfully in two of these six categories. That “if” is the whole ballgame with this card.

I have to be honest, this is where the card sort of falls apart for me, based on my own spending patterns — and this of course just means the card probably isn’t a great fit for me. I don’t actually spend a lot with media providers for advertising in select media, on electronic goods retailers, or on wireless telephone service charges (or at least I put those on another card).

So for the time that I’ve had this card, my top two 4x points categories have either been restaurants, gas stations, or transit purchases. None of those are particularly huge spending categories for me, and in particular, there are also other cards where I earn a comparable (or sometimes even better) return on spending.

As I view it, this card really shines if you spend a lot on advertising or on electronic goods retailers, since those are unique bonus categories on the card. But for others, it’s hard to make the math work.

Which merchants actually qualify (and which don’t)

The Amex Business Gold Card category names sound broad, but it’s always worth understanding what’s included with each. Here’s how the qualifying merchant lists work in practice:

To earn additional rewards in this category, the purchase must be made directly from U.S. electronic goods retailers or U.S. software and cloud system providers.

Electronic retailers are in the primary business of selling a range of electronic goods (e.g., Dell Technologies, Newegg*).

Software and cloud system providers are in the primary business of selling programs and data storage, whether downloaded or cloud-hosted (e.g., Adobe, Salesforce*).

• U.S. electronics goods, software, and cloud systems including electronic retailers that are in the primary business of selling a range of electronics, and software and cloud system providers are in the primary business of selling programs and data storage; this includes things like Apple, CDW, Dell, HP, IBM, Intuit, Lenovo, Microsoft, Newegg, Oracle, Rackspace, Sage Software, Salesforce.com, Symantec, and Tiger Direct
• U.S. advertising in select media includes purchases made directly from media providers in order to promote a business; this includes things like Google, Facebook, Yahoo, NBC National Broadcasting, and CBS Radio
• U.S. wireless service providers include monthly charges directly from a wireless telephone service provider; this includes things like AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon, and more, and it doesn’t include purchases for hardware, bundled services, VoIP services, and purchases from resellers or third party sellers

The gas station, restaurant, and transit categories are mostly self-explanatory. Just keep in mind that gas station and restaurant categories are limited to U.S. locations.

There are often questions about whether some other retailers qualify for 4x points in these categories. For example, does Best Buy qualify for 4x points as an electronic goods retailer, and does Amazon qualify for 4x points as a software company, in some situations? Based on what I’ve tested, Best Buy does typically qualify as an electronics good store, while Amazon services typically wouldn’t qualify for 4x points.

When the $150,000 cap actually matters

The Amex Business Gold Card limits you to earning 4x points on a total of $150,000 of spending every calendar year. That’s across all the bonus categories combined, and it doesn’t matter how it’s split up. Above the cap, you earn 1x points on those purchases for the rest of the calendar year.

For most small businesses, this cap is theoretical — you’d need to be spending an average of $12,500/month in the bonus categories to hit it. But for businesses doing heavy U.S. advertising or large software or cloud spending, it can come into play.

In terms of my own usage of the card, I’ve gotten nowhere close to reaching that limit. However, this is an important consideration for many. The card has some unique 4x points categories, so if you have a company that spends millions per year on software or advertising, that can quickly become a concern.

For everything else, the card is 1x, and that’s a problem worth solving

For categories in which you can’t earn 4x points, the Amex Business Gold Card offers 1x points per dollar spent (the only exception is earning 3x points on flights and pre-paid hotels through Amex Travel, which I’d once again consider to be niche). There are generally going to be better cards for everyday spending.

This is exactly why I pair the Amex Business Gold (or any other Amex business card) with The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express (review), which offers 2x Membership Rewards points on the first $50,000 spent every calendar year (1x after that), with no annual fee (Rates & Fees). The combination is one of my favorite duos:

• You can earn 4x points on the Amex Business Gold’s bonus categories
• You can earn 2x points on everything else via the Amex Blue Business Plus (up to the limit)
• Both cards earn Membership Rewards points, so they pool seamlessly

For example, I’ve used the Amex Business Gold to earn 4x points on dining and gas stations, while I’ve then used the Amex Blue Business Plus to earn 2x points for online purchases and tax payments that wouldn’t have otherwise triggered a bonus category on the Amex Business Gold.

The other no-foreign-transaction-fee note worth flagging: the Amex Business Gold Card has no foreign transaction fees (Rates & Fees), so it’s usable for international purchases — just remember that several of the 4x categories are restricted to U.S. purchases, so the bonus structure doesn’t follow you abroad.

The credits, ranked by how easy they actually are to use

On top of the rewards structure, the Amex Business Gold Card offers a few credits that, in theory, more than offset the annual fee. In practice, most cardmembers won’t capture full value. Here’s how each has worked for me, ranked from easiest to hardest to redeem.

1. The up to $240 flexible business credit (easy)

The Amex Business Gold Card offers up to $240 back annually for eligible purchases with FedEx, Grubhub, and office supply stores. This comes in the form of up to $20 per month in statement credits toward eligible purchases. Enrollment is required for this perk.

Personally I find this credit quite easy to use, especially since FedEx, Grubhub, and office supply stores are easy enough to frequent. $20 per month is a low enough bar that even a single Grubhub order or a Staples run usually clears it.

For example, I’ve used this credit for eight of the months with Grubhub (I accidentally missed a couple of months). While I have a preference for Uber Eats and DoorDash (just out of habit, more than anything else), I find it’s worth using this benefit, since $20 is pretty meaningful savings.

2. The $300 ChatGPT business credit (useful, with a catch)

The Amex Business Gold Card offers up to $300 per year in statement credits on purchases of ChatGPT Business made directly with OpenAI in the U.S. This seems like a perk that definitely matches the times, in terms of its value.

Now, does that get you a free ChatGPT membership? Well, not quite. The minimum cost of ChatGPT Business is $20 per user per month, with a minimum of two users required. So that means you’d pay a minimum of $40 per month for two users, or $480 per year. With the $300 credit, you’d be paying just $180, or $15 per month total for two people. That could definitely be a good value.

Also keep in mind there are sometimes further promotions with ChatGPT Business, which could get you an even better price, and those can potentially be stacked with this perk. This isn’t a benefit I’ve used yet, as it’s still quite new, but it’s one I will likely get around to using at some point.

3. The $12.95/month Walmart+ credit (easy if you use Walmart+)

For being a cardmember on the Amex Business Gold Card you can receive a $12.95 monthly credit toward a Walmart+ membership, which covers the entire cost of it. Walmart+ can save you money on shipping and delivery of Walmart purchases, as well as on prescriptions and gas. You need to enroll for the Walmart+ benefit.

I’m set up for my Walmart+ membership, and I receive a statement credit for this every month. That being said, would I actually otherwise pay for a Walmart+ membership? Probably not. However, I have used it — looking at my Walmart+ account, I’ve made four purchases through there since I got my membership. It’s a long story, but basically there’s one household product we use that I can only seem to find at Walmart, so that’s why we order it there.

So I’ll absolutely take the benefit, but I wouldn’t consider it to be worth face value.

4. The $150 Squarespace credit (niche, not for me)

The Amex Business Gold Card offers up to $150 per year in statement credits for U.S. purchases with Squarespace. Squarspace can help you build a website or online store, and it’s very popular. I can’t say I’ve used this benefit or value it much, but others will feel differently.

Amex Offers and Hotel Collection: nice to have, not why you get the card

There are two Amex Business Gold Card perks that are worth a brief mention, because they’re part of the card, but they’re not what makes the math work.

First, there’s Amex Offers. 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. The more Amex cards you have, the more offers you’ll have access to.

I use Amex Offers all the time to save on purchases with all kinds of retailers — in some cases you can receive a statement credit, while in other cases, you can receive bonus points.

Second, there’s The Hotel Collection. 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 a Platinum Card. To be honest, I typically use the FHR benefit more than than the other benefit, so I can’t say that I have much firsthand experience with that, or place much value on it specifically.

Showdown: Amex Business Gold vs. Chase Ink Business Preferred

One of the best business credit cards out there is the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (review). The card has a massive welcome bonus, a reasonable $95 annual fee, offers 3x points in useful categories, has a great cell phone protection plan and rental car coverage, and more.

The honest comparison: the Ink Preferred is a more well-rounded card with a more reasonable annual fee. If you could only get one, the Ink Preferred is the safer pick for most businesses.

For example, the Ink Business Preferred definitely sits higher in my wallet, and is a card I’ve had for years. With such a reasonable annual fee and such widely useful bonus categories (like just generally earning 3x points on travel), I consider the card to be a slam dunk.

That being said, there’s no reason not to take advantage of the great offer on the Amex Business Gold, and if you spend a lot in the 4x points categories, the card could also make a lot of sense in the long run.

Showdown: Amex Business Gold vs. Capital One Venture X Business

The Capital One Venture X Business (review) is the other card that’s quite a competitor, given how lucrative it is. It offers 2x miles per dollar spent with no foreign transaction fees, and while the card has a $395 annual fee, that’s easy to justify thanks to the $300 annual Capital One Travel credit, 10,000 anniversary bonus miles, and more.

Capital One miles can also be transferred to a variety of airline and hotel partners, and the card offers lounge access, including a Priority Pass™ Select membership, and access to Capital One Lounges and Capital One Landings.

The real comparison is rewards structure vs. lounge access. The Amex Business Gold gives you a higher ceiling on bonus category spending, while the Venture X Business gives you a flat 2x points plus genuine lounge benefits and a travel credit. Different cards for different priorities.

I also think it’s much easier to recoup the annual fee on the Capital One Venture X Business. As I see it, the $395 annual fee can more than be offset on an ongoing basis simply with the Capital One Travel credit, along with the 10,000 anniversary bonus miles. The flat 2x points is also much more well-rounded.

Is the Amex Business Gold Card worth it for me right now?

For the first year, having the Amex Business Gold Card was an obvious choice for me. The welcome offer alone justifies the first-year fee by a wide margin. However, on an ongoing basis I have a harder time justifying the card, and that ultimately comes down to not having sufficient spending in the 4x points categories to offset the fee and come out ahead.

In fairness, many people can probably make the math work on the credits alone, especially if you can maximize the flexible business credits, the ChatGPT credits, the Walmart+ credits, etc. But it takes quite some effort to justify the $375 fee.

Meanwhile I think the Amex Business Gold Card could make a lot of sense for the following people:

• If your business spends meaningfully in at least one or two of the six 4x points categories, every month, not just occasionally, getting you close to the $150,000 spending cap
• You can name at least one merchant on each of those categories that you actually use — not “I might run ads on Google someday”
• You’ll actually use $20 per month in FedEx, Grubhub, or office supply spending
• You can use some combination of the Walmart+, ChatGPT, and Squarespace credits, to help justify the annual fee
• You haven’t already had the card and used the welcome offer (assuming the lifetime rule applies to you)

If two or more of those don’t apply, I’d either take the welcome offer in year one and reassess at renewal, or look hard at Ink Business Preferred ($95 annual fee, more well-rounded) or Capital One Venture X Business (flat 2x points, plus lounge access) instead.

When this card is up for renewal, I’ll probably be canceling it, and focusing on the other business cards I have, since the 4x points categories just aren’t a good match for me.

Bottom line

The Amex Business Gold Card is among the best business cards for earning Membership Rewards points… but only if your spending genuinely concentrates in at least one or two of the six bonus categories. The 6.8% return headline number is real for that specific scenario, and the up to $240 flexible credit plus the credits with ChatGPT, Squarespace, and Walmart+, can help close the gap on the $375 annual fee for cardmembers who can use them.

What’s done the heaviest lifting in my own usage so far this cycle, in order: the welcome offer, the flexible business credit, and then lastly the 4x points categories (which I’ve used, but not to a volume where it justifies the annual fee).

For readers whose business spending doesn’t cleanly match the 4x list, the Ink Business Preferred Card and Capital One Venture X Business remain the two most lucrative business cards in general — and pairing the Amex Business Gold with Amex Blue Business Plus is what makes the rewards structure work best for everything that falls outside the bonus categories.

What’s your take on the value proposition of the Amex Business Gold Card? Which two of the 4x categories trigger for your business most often, and have you found any merchants that surprised you with how they coded?

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

I know some people may be deciding which of the two cards makes the most sense, since most people don’t want to have two cards from the same airline with such high annual fees. So, let me share my take on how to go about deciding which of the two cards is a better fit for you.

Link: Learn more about the Citi® / AAdvantage® Globe™ Mastercard® and Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®

Basics of the Citi AAdvantage Globe & Executive cards

The Citi AAdvantage Globe Card has a $350 annual fee, and there are several reasons to consider picking up the card. In addition to a best-ever limited time welcome bonus of 90,000 AAdvantage bonus miles after spending $5,000 within the first four months, the card offers:

• A first checked bag free on domestic American Airlines itineraries, plus preferred boarding, for the primary cardmember and up to eight companions on the same reservation
• Up to 15,000 bonus Loyalty Points per year, thanks to the Flight Streak bonus — earn 5,000 bonus Loyalty Points for every four American segments flown, up to three times per elite year
• Four Admirals Club passes per year, each valid for lounge access for a period of up to 24 hours
• A $99 American companion certificate on the account anniversary every year, valid for an economy booking in the lower 48
• Up to $100 back annually on American inflight purchases, so this can be used toward food and drink purchases, as well as inflight Wi-Fi spending
• Up to $100 annually in “Splurge Credits,” which can be used for AAdvantage Hotels bookings, Future Personal Training, and Live Nation; registration is required, and exclusions apply
• Up to $240 back annually on Turo spending, as you can get $30 back per Turo rental, up to eight times per year
• A Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit of up to $120 every four years, as reimbursement for the application fee
• A solid rewards structure, with 6x miles on AAdvantage Hotels bookings, 3x miles on American purchases, 2x miles on restaurants, and 2x miles on select transportation purchases

Read my full review of the Citi AAdvantage Globe Card.

The Citi AAdvantage Executive Card has a $595 annual fee, and there are many reasons to consider picking up the card. In addition to a welcome bonus of 70,000 AAdvantage bonus miles after spending $7,000 within the first three months of account opening, the card offers:

• A full Admirals Club membership, plus the ability to add up to three authorized users for a total of $175, and then they receive Admirals Club access on eligible itineraries as well
• A first checked bag free on domestic American Airlines itineraries for the primary cardmember and up to eight companions on the same reservation
• Priority check-in, priority security, and early boarding, when flying American Airlines
• Up to 20,000 bonus Loyalty Points per year, unrelated to spending on the card — if you earn 50,000 Loyalty Points with AAdvantage you’ll receive 10,000 bonus Loyalty Points, and if you earn 90,000 Loyalty Points you’ll receive another 10,000 bonus Loyalty Points
• Up to $120 back on eligible prepaid Avis or Budget rentals every calendar year, which can even be used toward a single rental
• Up to $120 back on eligible Grubhub purchases every year, in the form of up to a $10 statement credit with each billing statement
• Up to $120 in Lyft credits every year, in the form of up to a $10 credit each month after making three eligible rides
• A Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit of up to $120 every four years, as reimbursement for the application fee
• Travel protection, including for trip cancellation and interruption, trip delay, lost baggage, and worldwide rental cars
• 10x miles on eligible rental cars booked through AAdvantage Cars and eligible hotels booked through AAdvantage Hotels

Read my full review of the Citi AAdvantage Executive Card.

Which Citi AAdvantage card makes the most sense for you?

If you are interested in the Citi AAdvantage Globe Card and/or Citi AAdvantage Executive Card, what’s the best way to think about which card makes the most sense? Obviously there’s no one size fits all answer, but let me explain how I’d approach this, in general.

First, keep in mind that eligibility for the two cards (including the welcome bonuses) is considered independently. Given that both cards have solid welcome bonuses, there’s something to be said for applying for both cards, and giving them a try. After all, at a minimum, the first year value is massive.

In the long term, I almost view the value propositions of the two cards fully independently. Even though they’re both premium cards, there’s surprisingly little overlap in the benefits.

As I see it, the $595 annual fee Citi AAdvantage Executive Card is worth it primarily if you value one of two benefits (or ideally, both):

• An Admirals Club membership, since this card is basically the lowest fee way to get a full membership, and the icing on the cake is if you value being able to get three more people Admirals Club access for a total of $175 per year
• 20,000 bonus Loyalty Points just for earning 90,000 Loyalty Points, completely independent of how much was spent on the card; so if those bonus Loyalty Points get you value and help you unlock a higher elite tier or reward, there’s a lot of upside there

There are of course other perks, but I’d say they’re more benefits that can help with justifying the annual fee, rather than core perks of the card.

Meanwhile with the $350 annual fee Citi AAdvantage Globe Card, justifying the annual fee very much comes down to making the math work on all the individual perks. If you’re a frequent American flyer, I think one core perk is being able to earn 15,000 bonus Loyalty Points for flying 12 eligible segments per year.

Beyond that, though, the perks like the $99 companion certificate, the $100 in credits toward inflight purchases, the $100 in “Splurge Credits,” etc., all very much help with lowering the annual fee. Whether you come out ahead with those perks depends very much on your spending patterns.

For example, right now I have both of these cards — I’ve had the Citi AAdvantage Executive Card for a long time, while I couldn’t turn down the great bonus on the Citi AAdvantage Globe Card, and wanted to give the card a try. I’m definitely not canceling the Executive Card, since I value the Admirals Club membership and 20,000 bonus Loyalty Points.

So to me, the question comes down to whether I can justify the Citi AAdvantage Globe Card, and that’s still something I’m waiting to see. I got the card several months ago, so before my second annual fee is due, I’m curious how much value I can get from all of the credits and other benefits.

But this is also why I think for any American frequent flyer, the decision of which card to hold onto should almost be considered independently. For some people, there could be merit to holding onto both cards, to earn up to 35,000 bonus Loyalty Points per year.

Citi AAdvantage credit card showdown FAQs

Bottom line

The $350 annual fee Citi AAdvantage Globe Card and $595 Citi AAdvantage Executive Card are American’s two most premium co-branded credit cards. Both cards have great welcome bonuses, so are worth applying for, given that they’re not mutually exclusive.

As I see it, the two cards serve very different purposes. If you value an Admirals Club membership because you’re a frequent American flyer, then the Executive Card is without a doubt the way to go. Meanwhile the Globe Card is more about making the math work on all the individual perks, given how many little credits and benefits the card offers.

If you are on the AAdvantage status “hamster wheel,” then there could be merit to keeping both cards long term, in order to earn up to 35,000 bonus Loyalty Points per year, unrelated to spending.

What’s your take on the value of American’s two most premium cards?

I picked the card back up last year — I was targeted for an offer with no lifetime language, despite having had the card years ago — so I’ve been tracking my own usage, redemptions, and frustrations in real time, so I can answer the question based on firsthand experience.

What follows isn’t a list of perks (the full review covers those). Instead, consider it a year-in-progress ledger of what I’ve actually been able to extract from this card, where the math has worked, and where it has broken down.

Link: Learn more about The Business Platinum Card® from American Express

My running tally so far on the Amex Business Platinum

Before getting into individual credits, let me share my math on the Amex Business Platinum as of the time of writing. I picked up the card just under a year ago:

• So far I’ve paid an $895 annual fee (my next annual fee is due in a couple of months, if I choose to renew)
• In the second half of 2025, I used $550 worth of credits, while in the first half of 2026, I’ve used $594 worth of credits
• That means so far I’ve received $1,144 in credits on an $895 annual fee, so I’m “up” $249

Admittedly the math is often very good the first year, given that some credits are issued based on the calendar year, so you can front load them. But still, so far I have absolutely no complaints! In particular, I’ve gotten huge value from the hotel credits, the airline fee credits, and the Hilton credits, with those in and of themselves justifying the annual fee.

The welcome offer is what gets you in the door

The Amex Business Platinum currently has a phenomenal welcome offer, which I value at thousands of dollars. That’s the easy part of the decision — if you’re eligible and you can hit the spending requirement organically through your business, there’s very little to debate in year one.

Anecdotally, I find Amex business cards quite easy to get approved for, and there are several advantages when it comes to applying for the Amex Business Platinum, even if you’re new to business cards.

Generally speaking the card has a “once in a lifetime” rule for the welcome offer, meaning that you can only earn it once. However, sometimes you’ll find targeted offers without that restrictive language. For example, I saw such an offer in my account, which caused me to apply. I couldn’t turn down such a big welcome offer, and my card was instantly approved, which I was delighted about.

The Amex Business Platinum isn’t a slam dunk for spending

The Amex Business Platinum‘s biggest weakness, in my own wallet, is that I almost never put non-bonused spending on it. The card has the following points earning structure:

• 5x Membership Rewards points on prepaid hotels and flights that are booked through American Express Travel®
• 2x Membership Rewards points on purchases at U.S. construction material & hardware suppliers, electronic goods retailers and software & cloud system providers, and shipping providers, as well as on each eligible purchase of $5,000 or more, on up to $2 million of these purchases per calendar year (and then 1x points); purchases eligible for multiple additional points bonuses will only receive the highest eligible bonus
• 1x Membership Rewards points on all other eligible purchases

Truth be told, I’d consider cards like The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express (review) and Capital One Venture X Business (review) to potentially be more compelling for everyday spending.

When I reached the minimum spending requirement on the card, I primarily made purchases of $5,000+, so that I could earn 2x points on those purchases. In other words, a $5,000 purchase earned me 10,000 points, which is competitive.

The point at which the card becomes less competitive is when you’re only earning 1x points per dollar spent, given the significantly better return on spending offered by some other cards. It’s important to always maximize your points, so be sure you’re strategic about the cards you use.

The credits, ranked by how easy they actually are to use

The Amex Business Platinum offers a variety of credits and benefits which, on paper, add up to over $2,000 of value per year. I won’t list every one here (the review has the full breakdown). Instead, here’s how each credit has actually performed for me — ranked from easiest to hardest to capture, based on this cycle.

1. The $600 annual hotel credit (easy)

This is the single perk that most makes the math work for me. The $600 per year in hotel credits is a semi-annual credit on the Amex Business Platinum, so you get a $300 credit in January through June, and a $300 credit in July through December. 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.

For example, I used my first credit of 2026 on the card at the Rosewood Bangkok, for a one night stay. The rate was $320, and the benefits included a $150 property credit (which I used for an hour-long massage and a dinner), complimentary breakfast, a room upgrade, and guaranteed late check-out. The rate I paid was identical to what Rosewood was charging directly, so that’s tough to beat!

I haven’t yet booked a trip for my second credit of 2026, but I have no doubt that I’ll be able to maximize it, give the huge portfolio of luxury hotels that Amex has, plus the great value of one night stays.

2. The $200 annual airline fee credit (easy, but narrower than it used to be)

The Amex Business Platinum offers up to $200 per year in airline fee credits. You just need to enroll and select an eligible airline, and then can charge eligible airline incidentals to your card, and automatically get reimbursed.

This can be used for baggage fees, change fees, and similar, and you can be reimbursed up to $200 per calendar year. Officially, the credit does not apply to airline tickets, upgrades, mileage points purchases, mileage points transfer fees, gift cards, duty free purchases, and award tickets.

Admittedly the definition of this is really narrow, especially with many airlines no longer having change fees on most types of tickets. However, I’ve been able to maximize value with this year after year. For example, I have Delta as my designated airline, and without any effort on my end, I’ve found that some fare differences on ticket changes trigger the credit. So I’ve received good value from this for both last year and this year.

3. The $200 Hilton credit (easy if you stay at Hiltons; coupon-book-ish if you don’t)

The Amex Business Platinum offers up to $200 in Hilton credits annually, split into a $50 quarterly credit on stays of $50+ at any eligible Hilton property. If you stay at Hiltons all the time, this is basically good as cash. Keep in mind you don’t need to pay for your entire stay with the card, but you can always split payment at check-out, and charge part of your stay to this card, even if it’s just some incidentals.

Of the four quarters that I’ve had this card, I’ve so far used the credit three times, for a total of $150 in value. Admittedly not everyone stays at Hiltons all the time, so I don’t want to suggest this should be anywhere close to face value for people. However, if you can get at least some value out of it, then you’re doing pretty well, as I see it.

4. The $209 CLEAR+ credit (easy if you use CLEAR)

The Amex Business Platinum offers up to $209 per year toward a CLEAR+ membership. You just have to charge the membership fee to your card, and it will automatically be reimbursed. I of course sign up for this, since there’s no reason not to. However, I don’t find CLEAR to be nearly as useful as it should be, in terms of saving me time above and beyond what I save through TSA PreCheck.

So while I don’t value this at face value, I still think it’s worth something, and once in a while it’ll save me a decent amount of time at the airport. The problem with CLEAR is that it has become very popular, so it kind of matches the vibe of “when everyone gets to cut the line, no one gets to cut the line.”

5. The $150 Dell credit (some value, but getting worse)

The Amex Business Platinum offers up to $150 per year in statement credits on U.S. purchases made directly with Dell. You can also earn an additional $1,000 in statement credits after spending $5,000 or more on Dell purchases each calendar year, and enrollment is required.

I’d say this perk has some value, but it’s not close to face value. Ultimately Dell sells a selection of non-Dell products as well, though there are a limited number of items, and they’re often more expensive than you’ll find elsewhere. Over the years, I’ve used these to buy everything from Bose headphones to portable chargers. In all cases I could’ve gotten slightly better pricing elsewhere, but factoring in the statement credit, it worked out!

6. The $300 ChatGPT business credit (useful, with a catch)

The Amex Business Platinum offers up to $300 per year in statement credits on purchases of ChatGPT Business made directly with OpenAI in the U.S. This seems like a perk that definitely matches the times, in terms of its value.

Now, does that get you a free ChatGPT membership? Well, not quite. The minimum cost of ChatGPT Business is $20 per user per month, with a minimum of two users required. So that means you’d pay a minimum of $40 per month for two users, or $480 per year. With the $300 credit, you’d be paying just $180, or $15 per month total for two people. That could definitely be a good value.

Also keep in mind there are sometimes further promotions with ChatGPT Business, which could get you an even better price, and those can potentially be stacked with this perk. This isn’t a benefit I’ve used yet, as it’s still quite new, but it’s one I will likely get around to using at some point.

7. The $120 wireless credit (easy but with an opportunity cost)

The Amex Business Platinum offers up to $10 per month in statement credits toward purchases made directly from any U.S. wireless telephone provider. As long as your monthly bill is set to autopay on the card, you can earn cash back.

This might sound like an easy $120 back per year, but there are a couple of catches, as I see it, which cause me not to use this benefit:

• Some other cards offer valuable cell phone protection, but that only applies if you pay the entire bill with your eligible card; so splitting the payment between multiple cards, or using a different card, would forfeit that
• Some other cards offer bonus points on cell phone spending, so I’d rather use those cards and maximize points; furthermore, with auto-pay, there’s typically not even an option to use multiple cards to pay your bill

So others will value this perk, but personally, it’s not one that I use.

8. The $250 Adobe credit (niche, not for me)

The Amex Business Platinum offers up to $250 in annual statement credits after spending $600 or more on U.S. purchases made directly with Adobe each calendar year, and enrollment is required. Again, this perk might be for some others, but I’ve spent exactly $0 with Adobe, so I can’t say that this is something that I really value.

It is worth mentioning that many people use Adobe Creative Cloud, and if you have an account there, you may easily clear that $600 spending threshold, in which case this could be worth face value.

9. The $360 Indeed credit (niche, not for me)

The Amex Business Platinum offers up to $360 annual in Indeed credits, broke up into $90 per quarter, with enrollment being required. This is valid for Indeed hiring and recruiting products.

On the surface, this could be worth a significant amount, but it’s just not for me. I haven’t used this credit, and don’t have plans to use it. Admittedly that’s part of the reality of these “coupon book” credit cards. You don’t expect that every credit will work for you, but instead, it’s just important that you get more value than what you spend on the annual fee.

Lounge access: still the headline perk, but worth pressure-testing

Amex is known for its comprehensive lounge access perks, and that includes perks on the Amex Business Platinum. The most differentiated piece (compared to premium cards from other issuers) is access to Amex Centurion Lounges and Delta Sky Club® locations, with various restrictions, so you’ll want to see the cardmember agreement.

Over the years, I’ve visited virtually every Amex Centurion Lounge. I have to be honest, in terms of quality, I nowadays prefer Capital One Lounges and Chase Sapphire Lounges, as I think they have a better food and drink selection. However, ultimately it comes down to what airport and terminal you’re departing from, so I do find myself in Centurion Lounges a fair bit.

In particular, I find Delta Sky Club access to be hugely valuable. While there are caps on annual visits, I don’t exceed that cap, and I sure do appreciate having access to Delta’s excellent lounge network with the card.

There’s one more thing worth flagging: you’re only eligible to bring guests into Centurion Lounges on a complimentary basis if you spend at least $75,000 per calendar year on the card. Personally, I haven’t hit that threshold, so that limits the usefulness of this as a family card. However, I just don’t find it worth putting the spending on the card in order to receive those guesting privilege rights.

The Pay With Points airline bonus actually moved the needle for me

The Amex Business Platinum offers a 35% bonus on select Pay With Points redemptions when traveling on your designated U.S. airline, potentially letting you redeem points for up to 1.54 cents each toward airfare (with some restrictions). You can get up to one million points back per calendar year using this redemption method.

I use this all the time for booking domestic Delta tickets. When a first class ticket is reasonably priced, the best value is often to just use the Pay With Points feature. For example, I recently flew Delta first class from Boston to Miami — the fare was $309, and by using Amex Pay With Points, I ultimately paid 20,065 points for the flight. That’s solid, especially since I then also earned points for my ticket.

If you already have the personal Platinum, does the Business Platinum still pencil out?

The Amex Platinum has both a personal and business version, and one of the most commonly asked questions about the cards is whether it makes sense to pick up the business card if you already have the personal card, or vice versa. There is indeed some overlap in the benefits between the two cards.

How do I go about doing the math on that, and deciding? Ultimately I don’t incrementally value the duplicative perks, like airport lounge access, since having a second version of the Amex Platinum doesn’t get you more value.

So, who should pick up the Amex Business Platinum, if you already have the personal version?

• Obviously a big welcome offer is a major incentive to apply for the business card, and makes it worth giving the card a try for a year, at a minimum
• Otherwise, the math for me very much comes down to deciding how much of the annual fee can be offset using the card’s credit, plus how much value you the Pay With Points redemption option

In my case — as I emphasized at the top of the post, in the tally — the math is checking out for me on the business card, and I’m getting more value from the credits than I’m paying in fees.

Is the Amex Business Platinum Card worth it for me right now?

For the first year that I’ve had the Amex Business Platinum, I’ve absolutely gotten outsized value. The welcome offer alone justifies the first-year fee, and the $600 annual hotel credits, the $200 annual airline fee credits, and the up to $200 annual Hilton credits, more than justify the annual fee.

But beyond the welcome offer, I’d like the types of consumers who will probably come out ahead with the Amex Business Platinum:

• You travel often enough to capture both halves of the $600 hotel credit at properties where the FHR rate isn’t inflated above direct-book rates
• You can name at least one Centurion Lounge or Delta Sky Club you’ll use multiple times this year
• You have a designated airline you’ll use the Pay With Points bonus on
• You don’t already have the personal Amex Platinum — or if you do, you’ve looked at the duplicate-vs.-incremental breakdown above and decided the incremental piece is worth $895

If two or more of those don’t apply, I’d probably take the welcome offer in year one and then reassess at the renewal date rather than auto-renewing. With my annual fee renewal coming up soon, I’m still not 100% decided. I am leaning toward renewing, given that so far the credits are proving more valuable than the fee I’m paying. However, I’ll see how my general credit card strategy evolves in the coming weeks.

Bottom line

The Amex Business Platinum Card is a premium business card whose math, in my own usage so far this cycle, works — but only because I’ve been deliberate about the credits I prioritize, and I’m honest about the ones I forfeit.

The headline value of “over $2,000 in credits” isn’t a number most cardholders will actually capture, and pretending otherwise sets people up to overpay for an annual fee they can’t justify.

The credits that have done the heaviest lifting for me this year, in order, are the $600 hotel credit, the $200 airline fee credit, and the $200 Hilton credit. I also value Pay With Points, to be able to use points efficiently for domestic flights on Delta. Everything else has been a bonus when I’ve been able to capture it — not a baseline I’ve been able to count on.

The Business Platinum Card® from American Express

Learn More Terms Apply. | See Rates & Fees

Why we like this card

In general, I would say that the Amex Business Platinum Card is a business card that you get in the long run for the benefits that it offers, rather than for the return on spending that it directly offers. It could make sense to spend money on the card if your business consistently makes $5,000+ purchases, other than that, there are better cards for everyday spending. The card offers big benefits but also has a steep annual fee. When it comes to accounting for the value of the card, I recommend considering the following:

• How much do you value the various credits?
• How much do you value the various hotel and rental car elite status?
• How much value will you get from Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts® and the International Airline Program?
• How much do you value the incredible lounge access perks offered by the card?

As High As 300,000 points

What’s your take on the value proposition of the Amex Business Platinum Card? Which credits have actually worked for you, and which ones have you given up on?

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