The Points Guy: "Scandinavian Airlines has firmed up the timeline for its departure from the Star Alliance."
"SAS will leave the global airline alliance effective Aug. 31, the Stockholm-based carrier said Monday."
Points Wire Note:
it's rarely been easy to find much business class award space on SAS. I'll be curious to see if that changes once it joins SkyTeam since Air France-KLM now have a stake in the airline. Of course, if there are steep carrier-imposed surcharges when booking with Flying Blue, it won't really matter if there's a lot of award space.
American Express and CLEAR are extending their partnership which had been set to end at the end of 2024. This means that select Amex cardholders will continue to receive a $189 statement credit that covers the cost of an annual CLEAR membership.
Amex cards that have the CLEAR credit include:
Flight Hacks: "Qantas has today officially lifted the lid on its brand-new dynamic flight reward product."
"The new flight reward product is dynamically priced, so the number of points required will vary based on Qantas’ cash fare when you search for flights. Classic Plus is designed to sit between the existing Classic Reward and Points Plus Pay options, improving availability while offering attractive value. But remember, Classic Plus isn’t available on every single flight, that’s where Points Plus Pay comes into the equation for ultimate flexibility."
Qatar Airways is running a promo in which you can earn up to 25,000 Avios when you book a round-trip award ticket from the UK. The key to earning 25,000 Avios is booking business class as an economy ticket will only earn 10,000 Avios.
A wrinkle to this promo is that your Qatar Airways Privilege Club must list the UK as your address to be eligible to register.
If you join Qatar Airways Privilege Club today, you'll need to wait 24 hours to register for the promo.
Qatar Airways states that "Your Avios will be automatically credited to your Privilege Club account, within 30 days after the award flight has been completed."
Direct link to register
Use the promo code AVIOSBONUS24
Points Wire Note:
Keep in mind that premium cabin award tickets out of the UK will include the steep Air Passenger Duty (APD) fee which will male the taxes/fees a bit steep. Still, this is a fun promo and I'd love to see more airline programs do stuff like this!
Delta and Hilton have teamed up to offer bonus SkyMiles on Hilton stays. You can earn 1,000 SkyMiles per Hilton stay on up to three stays by July 7, 2024. You must register for the promo before booking as stays booked prior to registration are not eligible. You must book through Hilton's site or the Hilton Honors app.
Points Wire Note:
You might as well register just in case you need a stay at a Hilton property, but I wouldn't go out of my way to book because of this as 1,000 SkyMiles is worth about $10.
If you have an Amex Offer or Chase Offer for a Hilton stay, this should stack with that.
GHA DISCOVERY isn't as well known in the points community, but it's a program worth knowing. You can earn Titanium status just by staying at three different brands in a calendar year. As of April 5, 2024, Titanium status will receive complimentary breakfast during stays with these brands:
Titanium members will also receive free breakfast at The Set Collection properties starting on May 1, 2024 with additional brands becoming eligible at a later date.
Impressively, this is not a continental breakfast benefit. Per GHA's terms and conditions, "the Benefit applies to breakfast served at the hotel and will be for the same breakfast type that the hotel offers to guests who have booked a room and breakfast package."
Amex is out with a targeted Amex Offer for Grand Hyatt properties globally. You can get a $50 statement credit when you spend $250+ at Grand Hyatt properties around the world.
Important Terms
Stack With Hyatt Privé
Bookings via Hyatt Privé are direct bookings with Hyatt as it's their own program. This means you can take advantage of additional perks such as daily breakfast for 2, up to a $100 property credit, one category room upgrade, welcome amenity, etc.
You can book via Hyatt Privé via our self-serve booking portal.
If you don't see the property you want to book, you can submit a request.
Executive Traveller: "Cathay Pacific will remove first class from its 777-300ER fleet, replacing the dated suites with its all-new high-privacy business class pods in a move which will eventually make first class exclusive to the Boeing 777-9 jets, which are due to arrive in 2025 with a luxurious new first class design."
Points Wire Note:
While Cathay's first class suites don't have doors and haven't been refreshed in years, they still provide a lot of privacy and are absolutely massive. Plus, with the bedding, they provide one of the most comfortable places to sleep in the sky. I would have liked to see them refresh the first class product just a little and kept it on the Boeing 777-300. Hopefully, they'll take delivery of the Boeing 777X next year, but the aircraft has been plagued by delays.
For a while now, the standard welcome bonus for all three cards has been 75,000 Avios if you spend $5,000 in 3 months. However, Chase has just added an extra incentive. New cardholders can earn 5x on gas, grocery, and dining purchases for the first 12 months with the card (up to $10,000 in spend) in addition to the usual 75,000 Avios.
That temporary 5x bonus spend could net you an additional 50,000 Avios.
If you're interested in applying, you can learn more about each here:
Points Wire Note:
I wouldn't shift a ton of spend to an Avios card, but the British Airways card does have some compelling benefits. Of the three cards, I think it's the best of the bunch for most travelers.
The Points Guy: "Dulles International Airport (IAD) outside Washington, D.C., is set to test first-in-the-nation technology for Global Entry, allowing certain travelers to pass through customs without ever interacting with — or even passing by — a human officer."
"In the coming months, Dulles plans to launch a pilot program testing the use of so-called e-gates at customs."
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