American Express has an Amex Offer for Icelandair flights. If you spend $1,500+ on Icelandair flights, you can get $225 back as a statement credit.
Important Details
Thrifty Traveler: "The Department of Transportation (DOT) unveiled the nuts and bolts of what a family seating rule would look like in proposed federal rulemaking Thursday. If enacted, it would require airlines to place all children under 13 next to at least one accompanying adult within 48 hours of booking – even on the cheapest basic economy fares that don't allow free seat selection. And if they can't, airlines would be forced to move families to another flight where it's possible … or offer a full refund."
Live And Let's Fly: "United Airlines has increased the pricing floor of its premium cabin “anytime” awards from 155K to 200K one-way to Europe or 220K to South America, as United continues to quietly raise redemption rates. There are some exceptions."
"United Airlines can repeat the mantra all day long that no award chart means there are no devaluations, but that is simply not the case for any MileagePlus member who closely monitors award pricing trends. Indeed, there are “price floors” that are observed across multiple dates and times, providing a baseline for evaluation. Yes, these prices are not guaranteed and the wise frequent flyer does not stash miles in United MileagePlus."
American Express has a new Amex Offer for stays at Relais & Châteaux hotels in the U.S., Canada, and Europe. If you spend $500+ at a Relais & Châteaux property, you can get $100 back as a statement credit. That's up to 20% back.
Important Terms
Points Wire Note:
We can book you a stay with Relais & Chateaux Preferred Partner or Virtuoso benefits such as an upgrade (if available), daily breakfast for 2, a $100 property credit, and more.
You can search for a property with our self-serve portal or submit a request once you've found the hotel you want to book.
Thrifty Traveler: "With little warning, CLEAR raised its annual fee from $189 to $199 a year effective Aug. 1. It's the second price increase in just over two years – annual fees last went up in May 2022."
"It gets worse for traveling families. CLEAR offers a little-known Family Plan, allowing you to add adult friends and family members to your membership at a discounted rate. But that cost jumped from $70 apiece to $99 just last fall … and now, it increased again to $119 per adult. Children under 18 can still join members in the CLEAR® Plus lane for free."
Points Wire Note:
Fortunately, American Express cards that offer a statement credit for paying for a CLEAR membership will continue to cover the entire cost.
The Mile Lion: "Singapore Airlines has reopened its SilverKris Lounge at London Heathrow Airport following a six-month-long renovation."
"This continues the trend of upgrading the airlines’ overseas SilverKris Lounges."
If you're flying out of Heathrow's Terminal 2 on a Star Alliance carrier, you'll now have another lounge option. This could be a good option if you're flying back to the US or to another European destination after visiting London.
Chase Ultimate Rewards is offering a 70% transfer bonus to Marriott Bonvoy if you transfer points by 1:59pm ET on August 14, 2024. To be blunt, this is almost always a terrible use of Ultimate Rewards points. I'd only consider this if you need to top off your Marriott Bonvoy account with a few points to book an award night. Otherwise, you're better off using Chase points for flights.
Disclosure: I serve on an advisory board for Bilt and may earn a commission if you use the links below.
Every month, Bilt runs a promo for Rent Day (the first of the month). These promos offer the opportunities to transfers points with a bonus, status match, earn bonus points, and more.
Virgin Voyages Promo
Bilt has partnered with Virgin Voyages to offer some extra benefits on bookings including the ability bring a second guest for no additional cost plus the following:
To take advantage of the offer, you must book by August 1, 2024 at 11:59pm PT.
From Bilt: "In order for a Bilt member to be eligible for the Bilt Exclusive Benefits on their cruise, they must request benefits in the Bilt app after making their Virgin Voyages booking. Members should activate the benefits by entering their name, email, and booking reference number in the Virgin Voyages Travel Experience tab of the Bilt app or website. "
Bilt x BLADE Summer Party
Blade will be hosting this party at their NYC lounges on August 1. You can start at BLADE Lounge West before taking helicopter over Manhattan to BLADE Lounge East. Once there, you'll be able to enjoy music, food, and drinks with other Bilt members.
There are 3 types of tickets:
Your Bilt status determines when you can purchase tickets on July 29, 2024:
Double Bilt Points
On the first of every month, you can earn double points on all non-rent spend up to *10,000 bonus points when you use your Bilt Rewards Card. This includes bonus categories:
Just remember you need to make 5 purchases per billing cycle to earn points.
*The cap on Rent Day bonus points will be reduced to 1,000 bonus points as of October 1, 2024.
Points Wire Note:
If you're interested in applying for the Bilt Rewards card, you can learn more here.
Award Wallet: "Through December 2027, Chase credit card holders can enroll to get a complimentary DashPass membership. Even better, Chase Sapphire Reserve® cardholders can continue to enjoy a $5 monthly credit to use on DoorDash purchases. And there are new discounts on offer, too."
The benefits vary by card:
Chase Sapphire Reserve
Chase Sapphire Preferred
Chase Freedom Cards
Every month, Air France-KLM Flying Blue releases a new set of Promo Rewards. This monthly promo offers discounted awards on select routes operated by Air France and KLM. The discount is generally 25% off the saver level award rate (the cheapest award rate).
Flying Blue Promo Rewards (August 2024)
Here are this month's options between Europe and the U.S./Canada.
Business Class - from 37,500 miles
Premium Economy - from 26,250 miles
Economy - from 15,000 miles
This is the first time I've seen a Flying Blue Promo Reward that isn't to/from Europe.
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