The Points Tool You've Always Wanted

Rakuten is offering a $100 bonus (or 10,000 Bilt points if you've selected Bilt as your earning preference) when applying for the Citi Strata Premier card. That stacks with the card's current welcome offer of 60,000 ThankYou Rewards points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months. The Strata Premier is one of Citi's best cards, unlocking full access to Citi's airline and hotel transfer partners at the best transfer ratios. The annual fee is $95. If your Rakuten account is set to earn Amex Membership Rewards, you will not see or be eligible for this offer. Your Rakuten earnings must be set to cash back or Bilt points.

Atmos Members Day is back with another round of discounted award fares. Book by July 4, 2026 for travel between September 1 and November 15, 2026. Highlights include Honolulu from 11,500 points; Seoul, Dublin, and Amsterdam from 20,000; London from 22,500; and Tokyo from 27,500. These prices are for economy awards only. During our searches, we found good availability from multiple U.S. cities at these starting at price points, with taxes as low as $26, even on flights to London. See all the details here.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve and J.P. Morgan Reserve cards are offering complimentary Marriott Gold Elite status for three months, with the opportunity to extend it through February 2028. Register by September 30, 2026, then complete three paid nights booked directly with Marriott during your three-month trial period to keep Gold status through February 2028. Marriott Gold includes 2 p.m. late checkout (subject to availability), a 25% points bonus on paid stays, complimentary enhanced Wi-Fi, and space-available room upgrades (excluding suites). If you already have the Amex Platinum or Business Platinum card, this promotion won't provide any additional value since those cards already include Marriott Gold status. We wouldn't book extra stays just to earn Gold, but if you already have Marriott stays planned, it's worth registering.

IHG has refreshed its monthly list of new and recently updated hotels available for 15% off award stays, adding another batch of eligible properties through December 31, 2026. Booking and travel deadlines now range from August 31 through December 31, depending on the hotel. Highlights this month include new Ruby properties across Europe, several new voco hotels in China, the UK, and Australia, plus a handful of interesting U.S. options like Atwell Suites Panama City Beach and Holiday Inn Resort Orlando Suites - Waterpark. If you hold an IHG free night certificate, the discount could also bring some properties below the 40,000-point cap, making them eligible for redemption. You can view the full list of participating hotels here.