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 either the Chase Ink Business Unlimited as a new Chase for Business customer or the Chase Freedom Unlimited. Both offers stack with the cards' current welcome bonuses. The Ink Business Unlimited is especially appealing because it currently offers an elevated 100,000 Ultimate Rewards points with no annual fee. If you're in two-player mode, however, the 40,000-point Ink referral bonus is generally the better option, provided the applicant is a brand new Chase for Business customer. If your Rakuten account is set to earn Amex Membership Rewards, you will not see these offers. Rakuten earnings must be set to cash back or Bilt points.

American Airlines is offering 50 AAdvantage miles per $1 donated to Stand Up To Cancer when you donate at least $25 with an eligible American Airlines Mastercard through September 30, 2026 (or until qualifying donations reach $5 million). You can earn the bonus on up to $10,000 in donations, but there are some caveats. The miles do not count toward Loyalty Points or elite status. If you make charitable donations annually or were already planning to donate, earning 50x AAdvantage miles is a nice little cherry on top. We wouldn't make a donation just to earn the miles. A $1,000 donation would earn about 51,000 miles after including the card's standard 1x earning, which means you're basically buying AA miles for 1.96¢ per mile. American also notes that receiving miles may reduce the tax-deductible portion of your donation, so keep that in mind before participating.

In one of the more unique ways to use Bilt Cash if you're part of the Bilt ecosystem, Bilt members can finally redeem Bilt Cash for BLADE helicopter rides booked through the Bilt Travel Portal. Cardholders can use up to $350 in Bilt Cash per seat, twice per year, or up to $700 if booking for two people on one ride. If you are a Bilt elite member, you can stack your existing BLADE discounts, including 10% off eligible flights for Silver members and higher. You can also redeem Bilt points for BLADE flights, but the redemption rates is 0.7¢ per point, so we do not recomend doing this. BLADE bookings through Bilt are currently limited to transfers between Manhattan and JFK or Newark, with additional locations expected in the future.

U.S. Bank is targeting some cardholders with an offer for $100 off a hotel booking of $500 or more through the U.S. Bank Travel portal. The offer is valid through September 30, 2026. If you have the Altitude Reserve and are targeted, you may be able to stack this with the card’s annual $325 travel credit, creating a much larger discount on an eligible hotel stay.