Redeem Qatar Avios For JetBlue Flights

One Mile At A Time: "JetBlue and Qatar Airways have had a close partnership for quite some time, including a codeshare agreement. Up until now, there have been no reciprocal redemption opportunities. Fortunately that appears to have just changed. I received an email from Qatar Airways Privilege Club indicating that redemptions on JetBlue are now possible."

Points Wire Note: Two JetBlue Mint (re. business class) sweet spots:

One-way transcontinental flights for 38,750 Avios
One-way transatlantic flights for 62,000 Avios.

United MileagePlus Not Showing SAS Award Space

Loyalty Lobby: "There can be several reasons for this, and I doubt that the SAS exit from Star Alliance sometime in 2024 would be behind this.

Usually, these partnerships are valid to the date when airlines exit the alliance and sometimes continue even after that (many airlines have partners outside of their alliances)."

Points Wire Note: Other Star Alliance programs such as Air Canada Aeroplan and Avianca LifeMiles are displaying space. Keep in mind that SAS business class award space between the US and Europe is often tough to find, especially for more than one person.

Accor 50% Bonus On Citi Transfers

Accor: Accor is offering a 50% transfer bonus from Citi ThankYou Points. That makes the usual 1,000:500 ratio, 1,000:750.

For context, Accor doesn't have a traditional award stays. Instead, you redeem as many points as you want toward the cash value of a room or suite. With the transfer bonus, every 1,000 Citi points you transfer will provide ~$16 toward a room. That's ~1.5 cents per point.

Points Wire Note: If you have plenty of points and miles for flights, this is a solid way to use transferable points for a hotel stay. If points are tight, you'll want to consider whether you'd be better off using Citi points for a flight.

Air France-KLM Flying Blue Promo Rewards (November 2023)

Flying Blue: Each month, Flying Blue releases a new set of Promo Rewards for flights on Air France and/or KLM with discounted award rates. This month's promo rates are available on dates through April 30, 2024. Here's a list of U.S. options.

Air France:
25% discount on economy to/from New York (JFK) and Seattle (SEA)
25% discount on premium economy to/from Dallas (DFW)
25% discount on business to/from Raleigh (RDU)

KLM:
25% discount on economy to/from Los Angeles (LAX) and Miami (MIA)

Points Wire Note: You can transfer points from Amex, Bilt, Capital One, Chase, and Citi to Flying Blue. Chase is currently running a 25% transfer bonus to Flying Blue.

How To Find IC Bora Bora And Tahiti Award Space

My Points Life: "All three InterContinental resorts in French Polynesia do not open award availability until 120 days before your desired award stay dates."

"The trick to having the IHG award calendar search show is to find a date that an award stay date is unavailable."

The 3 Routes With ANA's New Cabins

One Mile At A Time: "In other words, as it stands, all flights to London and New York, as well as select flights to San Francisco, will feature the new cabins for the winter 2023 schedule. Unfortunately the Boeing 777s flying to Chicago aren’t scheduled to feature the new cabins, while Houston, Los Angeles, Seattle, and Washington, are scheduled to be served by Boeing 787s."

Routes with The Suite (first class) and The Room (business class):

Tokyo Haneda (HND) to London (LHR): NH211/NH212
Tokyo Haneda (HND) to New York (JFK): NH109/NH110, NH159/NH160
Tokyo Haneda (HND) to San Francisco (SFO): NH107/NH108 (until 12/31/23)

Points Wire Note: Award space is sparse these days.

Finnair Expanding Award Availability On Nov 1

Loyalty Lobby: "The airline promised expansion of a specific number of award seats on each flight and complimentary messaging on European short-haul flights and has now confirmed the rollout dates."

"Finnair previously didn’t confirm the rollout dates for the expanded availability, and it now is February 1, 2024, and you can book from November 1."

Points Wire Note: Traditionally, Finnair hasn't released much business class award space. Hopefully, this expanded availability will be bookable via oneworld partners such as American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, etc.

Huge Bilt Transfer Bonus To Emirates

Bilt's Rent Day promotion for November is insane. On November 1, you can take advantage of a 75-150% transfer bonus to Emirates Skywards. Your transfer bonus depends on your Bilt Rewards status:

Blue: 75% (1,000 Bilt points = 1,750 Skywards miles)
Silver: 100% (1,000 Bilt points = 2,000 Skywards miles)
Gold: 125% (1,000 Bilt points = 2,250 Skywards miles)
Platinum: 150% (1,000 Bilt points = 2,500 Skywards miles)

More Info On Bilt Card (my affiliate link)

Points Wire Note: I serve on a Bilt advisory panel. Let me know if you have any questions about the card or program.

Wyndham Rewards Devalues Vacasa Redemptions

Travel on Points: "There is a new Vacasa Wyndham redemption cap when using points that is a devaluation of the program. How much of a devaluation it is will depend on where you are wanting to redeem your Wyndham points."

"You used to be able to book any property that had a $500 or less average cost per room with points. That has now been dropped to $350 per night. That still sounds generous, but it does include any taxes and fees, which makes it a little less generous than initially thought."

Flying Blue Reduces Award Rates To Europe

Thrifty Traveler: "We can hardly believe our eyes but it's undeniable: Air France/KLM Flying Blue has decreased award rates between North America and Europe over the last several days, meaning you can (probably) book those flights for fewer miles."