You can transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club and get a 30% bonus until 11:59pm ET on June 15, 2024. American Express is also running a 30% transfer bonus to Virgin Atlantic through May 31, 2024.
Here are some of the best ways to use Flying Club points for business and first class:
Points Wire Note:
In general, I would avoid speculative transfers as you lock up points with a specific airline. Speculative transfers increase the likelihood that you won't have enough points to transfer to another program when needed and put you at risk of being impacted by a devaluation.
Avianca LifeMiles and Cardless will be launching two co-branded credit cards in the U.S that will use Amex has their payment processor.
The entry level card will have a $99 annual fee and the premium card will have a $249 annual fee. Unfortunately, that's all the info we have at this point, but I'll update this post once we have more info.
If you join the waitlist, you'll have the opportunity to apply with an increased sign-up bonus that's 5,000 or 10,000 miles higher. The extra points won't require additional spend beyond the usual minimum spend requirement.
Points Wire Note:
It's great to see additional co-brand options being launched by Cardless. In fact, Cardless recently announced they'll be offering co-branded Qatar Airways cards. Hopefully, these developments put pressure on legacy banks to improve their co-branded cards.
Previously, Banco Popular offered LifeMiles credit cards in the U.S., but that ended in March 2022. Hopefully, this partnership is more successful!
Travel on Points: "Things are getting weird around here. Or Amex is just drunk–drunk on giving out points that is. They are having their Oprah moment it appears. You get 200K, no you get 250K, NO you get 300k! That is right, there is a new 300K Amex Business Platinum offer floating around. I was beside myself at 250K, and this is even nuttier."
Danny the Deal Guru: "American Express has been offering massive welcome bonuses in recent years. Some people are able to pull up a 250,000 points bonus for The Business Platinum Card® from American Express for example. There’s also a 200,000 points offer for the same card which is available by phone. But now many people are targeted for a 200K bonus online, and the offer has no lifetime language. These NLL offers had been drying up recently, so it’s good to see that a new wave is going out."
The Chase Aeroplan Card might not be a first tier priority, but it's a solid co-branded card for those who venture beyond transferable points.
Sign-up Bonus
The standard sign-up bonus has been 60,000 points.
Bonus Categories
Other Benefits
Annual Fee
IHG One Rewards has launched a promo in which those who have either of Chase's co-branded personal cards (IHG Premier Card or IHG Traveler Card) can get 15% off award stays.
To take advantage of the promo, you must book April 27, 2024 and complete your stay by June 10, 2024. The 15% discount will be applied and displayed at the time of booking.
This promo can be used on stays of up to 3 nights which means you can't pair this with the 4th night free offered to cardholders.
On April 24, 2024, IHG Platinum and Diamond members will also have access to this promo.
Points Wire Note:
Since late 2022, IHG One Rewards has run promos like this every 3-5 months.
Just under a week ago, Citi was the first bank to announce that their Global Entry statement credit would increase to match the new Global Entry price of $120. Now, Chase has jumped on board and will be doing the same.
Hopefully, American Express and Capital One will join the party soon!
Miles Talk: "As of today, Capital One made two processor changes on its cards. The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card switched from a Visa to a Mastercard. The Capital One Venture X Business credit card switched from a Mastercard to a Visa."
The Capital One Venture X Business is one of the few cards that still has access to Priority Pass restaurants. Visa Infinite cards such as the Chase Sapphire Reserve have lost this access. Will this mean the Venture X Business lose access? TBD, but I wouldn't be shocked given the recent trend.
For some, this wouldn't have much of an impact but it could be a big blow to the value of the Venture X Business card to others.
Amex is running a targeted Amex Offer in which you can get $50 back as a statement credit when you spend $200+ with Frontier Airlines.
Important Details
You can transfer Citi ThankYou Points to Accor Live Limitless with a 50% bonus by 11:59pm ET on May 11, 2024. The standard Citi transfer rate to Accor is 2:1 with a minimum transfer of 1,000 points - 1,000 Citi points = 500 Accor points. With the 50% transfer bonus, 1,000 Citi points will get you 750 Accor points.
Since Accor Live Limitless is a revenue-based program, points have a set value of €0.02 (~$0.213) with a minimum redemption of 2,000 Accor points. You can apply Accor points to a cash booking at an Accor property.
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