British Airways To Allow Free Inflight Messaging

British Airways will start allowing free messaging on a single device via their inflight WiFi on April 3, 2024. Free messaging will be available on all aircraft with Wi-Fi capability within two weeks of the rollout. For context, all BA flights out of London Gatwick (LGW) and 80%+ out of London Heathrow (LHR) have WiFi with the remaining aircraft operating out of Heathrow expected to have WiFi by the end of next year.

Get 20% Back (Up to $50) At Hotels.com

Frequent Miler: "Shopping portal Retailmenot is currently offering 20% back on Hotels.com. That matches a previous deal from Retailmenot for the best site-wide deal on Hotels.com that I can recall in years. The catch is that’s it is only up to a maximum of $50 back."

This deal ends March 10, 2024. However, Retailmenot could pull it early if enough people use it.

Direct link to offer

Card Spotlight: Chase Sapphire Preferred

There's an increased offer for the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card available if you apply in-branch with a bank rep.

While the standard offer for the Sapphire Preferred is 60,000 Ultimate Rewards points, you can get an extra 10,000 points for a total of 70,000 points. The minimum spend requirement remains the same at $4,000 in 3 months.

This isn't the highest sign-up bonus offer we've seen on this card, but we haven't seen higher since early 2023. In fact, we saw an 80,000-point sign-up bonus in early 2022 and early 2023. We last saw a 100,000-point offer in 2021.

Nice flag on Reddit MrHeatherroth

Should You Apply In-Branch?

Maybe.

If you live near a branch, it could be worth it. Make sure the bank rep selects the correct card and enters your info correctly. I would recommend looking at their computer screen while they complete each step.

If you don't live near a branch, consider the value of your time. If you'll use the points in the Chase Travel portal, they're worth $125. If you book an international business class ticket and get 4 cents per point, the 10,000 points are worth $400. Is it worth driving an hour or two then spending 30 minutes with a bank rep? That's up to you!

If you have a Player 2 (spouse, family member, etc.) with a Sapphire Preferred or Chase Sapphire Reserve, the referral bonus is 15,000 points which means you and your Player 2 will get 75,000 points between the two of you. That's a slightly better deal and you don't have to leave the house.

If you don't want to drive to a branch and don't have a P2 and want to apply, here's a link with more info. It's an easy way to support Points Wire!

CFPB Caps Credit Card Late Fees At $8

The Washington Post: "The U.S. government on Tuesday announced it would sharply limit the fees that credit card companies can charge customers who fall behind on their bills, aiming to cap the penalties at $8 in a move that is expected to draw fierce resistance from financial giants."

"In issuing the restrictions, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said the government intends to close a legal loophole that had allowed some financial giants to charge an average of $32 per month for a missed or late payment. The amount has proved onerous for some cash-starved cardholders, while enriching the credit card industry, which reaped more than $14 billion in revenue from late fees in 2022, according to the CFPB."

JetBlue X Spirit Merger Attempt Officially Comes To An End

Live And Let's Fly: "JetBlue and Spirit Airlines will go separate ways after deciding that the obstacles of a merger were too much to overcome."

"JetBlue and Spirit released statements disagreeing with the ruling and noting that options for appeal were being explored. But recognizing the uphill battle, JetBlue and Spirit have now officially broken off their merger plan and will not pursue a union further at this time."

"Perhaps JetBlue also realized that it was vastly overpaying for Spirit Airlines? It must now pay a $69 million fee to Spirit, baked into the merger agreement, but will have to look at other avenues for growth."

Points Wire Note:

JetBlue hasn't been on the winning side of anti-trust cases lately. They recently lost their Northeast Alliance with American Airlines as well. However, its seems like a different partnership structure with American Airlines could work, so I'll be curious to see if they give that another try.

United MileagePlus Award Rate Changes To/From The US

Dan's Deals: "Every airline used to publish award charts, but Delta set off the trend of removing these charts from the public eye. By doing that, they were able to devalue points without having to notify the public about changes. Many airlines copied them."

"United made some brutal changes last year to its hidden award chart."

"It’s not too far off from the 2023 award chart, but there are a few devaluations and improvements that I noticed after performing several dozen award searches."

Points Wire Note:

While there are exceptions, other airline programs generally offer better award rates than United MileagePlus. While you can transfer points from Bilt and Chase to United, I would make sure you compare to Air Canada Aeroplan, Avianca LifeMiles, and Turkish Miles&Smiles before transferring points.

Buy Luftnansa Miles Promo

One Mile At A Time: "Lufthansa sells Miles & More miles. The airline isn’t flat out selling miles like most programs do, but rather is selling mileage bundles. These bundles are branded as Bundle&Go, and you can purchase a small, medium, large, or special bundle."

"Miles & More is offering a 30% bonus on its Bundle&Go product for purchases between March 1 and March 31, 2024."

How Many Miles Can You Buy With Each Bundle?

• Small Bundle: 13,000 Lufthansa miles for $280
• Medium Bundle: 65,000 Lufthansa miles for $1,120
• Large Bundle: 130,000 Lufthansa miles for $1,960

The only option I would consider is the Large Bundle as the total cost comes to ~1.51 cents per mile.

Benefits Of Lufthansa Miles & More

While Lufthansa Miles & More does pass on carrier-imposed surcharges to you when booking award tickets, it's the only program that can book Lufthansa first class award tickets early. Partner programs can get access to Lufthansa first class award space about two weeks from departure, but Miles & More can book any date in which they're selling flights.

A one-way first class ticket between the US and Europe is 91,000 miles (First Flex award). Please keep in mind that surcharges are cheaper starting in Europe than in the US. Personally, I think you're better off flying from Europe anyway as its a daytime flight which means you can be awake to enjoy the experience.

Finally, you can also book a First Flex Plus award to reduce the surcharges in either direction. First Flex Plus will require 115,000 miles one-way, but you'll remove the surcharges. This is actually a great way to book if you don't want to book within two weeks of departure.

Amex Transfer Bonus To Etihad Guest

Amex Membership Rewards is out with a new transfer bonus to Etihad Guest. You can transfer Amex points and get a 20% bonus through April 4, 2024. That means every 1,000 points you transfers, you'll get 1,200 Etihad Guest miles. The number of miles you'll receive will be reflected on Amex's site.

For context, Etihad Guest's reward chart for award flights on partner airlines is not great. You might find that it'll be the best option in niche cases with this transfer bonus, but that's about it. Plus, you have to consider the fact that Etihad Guest will pass on carrier-imposed surcharges to you which can mean steep taxes and fees.

For award flights on Etihad itself, you'll have access to business and first class award space earlier than if you were to book with a partner program. While the rates will still be steep, the 20% bonus certainly helps.

Check out all current airline transfer bonus

New Lufthansa Business Class Coming To Vancouver First

The Bulkhead Seat: "Lufthansa announced that it was updating its Business Class cabins in 2017. All sorts of delays popped up across the pandemic and aircraft delivery. There was no word on what route would see the new seats first until this week when the German carrier shared that flights between Munich International Airport (MUC) and Vancouver International Airport (YVR) would be first this coming May."

Marriott Bonvoy Bevy Card Gets New Bonus Restriction

Frequent Miler: "An astute reader pointed out the fact that Amex has added some new restrictive language to the offer terms on the Amex Marriott Bonvoy Bevy card. According to the new terms, many readers may find themselves ineligible to earn a welcome bonus on the Bevy card based on other cards they have had within the past 30 days."

"Previously, there was no language restricting those who have the old Chase Marriott Bonvoy Premier card or the even older $45 annual fee Chase Marriott Bonvoy / Chase Marriott Bonvoy Business cards. This new update excludes more cardholders than before from qualifying for the welcome bonus on the Amex Marriott Bonvoy Bevy card."