The Points Tool You've Always Wanted

American Express has announced four major Centurion Lounge updates, including new lounges and significant expansions at existing locations. One of those expansions will require a closure lasting more than a year. The long-awaited Newark (EWR) lounge has been delayed until 2027, but it will now span more than 30,000 square feet, making it the largest Centurion Lounge in the network. London Heathrow (LHR) will get a second lounge in Terminal 5 in 2028, joining the existing Terminal 3 location. The Houston (IAH) lounge will nearly triple in size to more than 23,000 square feet by 2028, while Philadelphia (PHL) will almost double to 12,000 square feet across two stories. The Philadelphia lounge will close beginning October 16, 2026, for renovations and is expected to reopen by the end of 2027. These are welcome improvements to a lounge network that has struggled with overcrowding, although travelers at Philadelphia will face a lengthy closure before seeing the benefits. Cards offering complimentary Centurion Lounge access include the American Express Platinum Card, Business Platinum Card, Delta SkyMiles Reserve, and Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business. Delta Reserve cardholders must be flying on a same-day Delta-marketed or Delta-operated flight booked with a U.S.-issued American Express charge or credit card to gain access.

Chase is notifying some holders of the original Chase Freedom Card, which is no longer open to new applicants, that their accounts will automatically be converted to the Chase Freedom Unlimited by November 20, 2026. The original Freedom earns 5X Ultimate Rewards points in rotating quarterly categories, similar to the Freedom Flex, while the Freedom Unlimited offers 1.5X on everyday purchases instead. This could be a significant downgrade for cardholders who regularly maximize those quarterly categories. If you're affected and want to keep earning 5X, you can contact Chase about switching to the Chase Freedom Flex instead, which also offers rotating 5X bonus categories. Keep in mind that Freedom Flex is a Mastercard, while the original Freedom and Freedom Unlimited are both Visas. That distinction matters most for Costco shoppers, since Costco warehouses only accept Visa credit cards. Not all original Freedom cardholders appear to be affected.

Wyndham Rewards is offering a 100% transfer bonus to United MileagePlus, improving the standard 5:1 transfer ratio to 5:2. That means you'll receive 2,400 United miles for every 6,000 Wyndham points transferred. Members can transfer up to 90,000 Wyndham points during the promotion, and no expiration date has been announced. While that 100% bonus sounds impressive, you're still giving up 2.5 Wyndham points for every United mile received. Wyndham recently devalued its award chart, adding a new 45,000-point category and moving many properties into higher categories. This transfer could make sense if you have a large Wyndham points balance that you value less after the devaluation and a specific United redemption in mind. We wouldn't recommend transferring speculatively. You can view the offer and initiate transfers here.

Choice Privileges has officially launched free points sharing between members, a feature first announced last year as part of its loyalty program changes. Members can now transfer points to any other Choice Privileges member at no cost, giving members an opportunity to combine balances for award stays. There are several parameters for transfering. First, the minimum number of points you can transfer is 5,000, with additional transfers in 1,000-point increments. Members can send up to 200,000 points but can only receive up to 100,000 points per calendar year. Perhaps the biggest one to be aware of is that both accounts must be at least 30 days old, so make sure any family member you may transfer to or from has an account set up. Transfers should be completed within 24 hours, but we've already seen some reports that these are instant. The biggest caveat is that receiving points from another member does not reset your points expiration date like transferring in from a transferable points system like Amex or Wells Fargo. This means you can't use this as a way to extend the validity of your points. You can transfer points directly through Choice's website.